Tiger Spikers Down Northridge

After a quick start in the first two games, Warsaw's varsity volleyball team used a strong finish in the fourth game to down Northern Lakes Conference opponent Northridge Wednesday. Behind the serving of sophomore Danielle DeGeeter, the Tigers jumped out to big leads and won the first two games 25-18 and 25-17, but "bad ball handling and not playing in system," according to Warsaw coach Doug West, resulted in a 25-19 win for Northridge in the third game. Needing to win just one more game for the match win, Warsaw appeared to be a different team in the fourth game than it was in the third, racing out to a 7-2 lead and cruising to a 25-12 win. "We had some trouble with our ball handling and did not play in system," West said of the third game."They (Northridge) gained momentum from that and got back in the match by stringing some points together." A sport where momentum is key, stringing points together was the story of the night for the Tigers.

Concord Chalks Up First Win Against Wawasee

Dunlap -ÊThe Wawasee Warriors traveled to Concord with expectations of solidifying their position atop of the Northern Lakes Conference.What their football team got was a loss in the form of interceptions, fumbles and controversy. Concord took advantage of three Logan Lees fumbles and two Brent Doty interceptions in securing its first conference win 27-14 Friday evening. Wawasee (2-2, 1-1 NLC) received the opening kickoff and marched 56 yards in six plays to the Concord 16 when turnover number one occurred.Ian Nelson stepped in front of a slant pass by Doty, intercepted it and returned it to their 38.This set up their first score. Concord (1-3, 1-1 NLC) drove the remaining 62 yards in nine plays, culminated by Jeremy Lugbill taking the pitch and scampering the final 20 yards for the game's first score. Wawasee then drove 61 yards in 10 plays to the Concord 11-yard line.

Wawasee Wins Softball Sectional

The blond-haired girl with the black headband stood 10 feet away from the pitcher's mound and swung her right arm. "I can't even feel my arm," Megan King said."It's, like, flailing around." King, Wawasee's right-handed junior pitcher, started Saturday's Warsaw Sectional championship game against Elkhart Central for one reason and only one reason.Wawasee ace Jaime Conn, the pitcher coach Bo O'Dell wanted to start against the Blue Blazers, was suspended. So King, Wawasee's No.2 pitcher, had to pitch her second sectional game in three days.After her, O'Dell had nobody.Sophomore Andrea Gingerich is Wawasee's third pitcher, but she has pitched sparingly, so O'Dell wasn't about to throw her into the sectional championship. "Not even an option," O'Dell said.

WRSW-AM Announces Format Change To ESPN Radio

Dan Patrick.Mike Golic.Tony Kornheiser.Mike Greenburg.Rob Dibble. You recognize them as ESPN anchors, analysts and reporters.Those who listen to sports talk radio also recognize them as ESPN Radio talk show hosts. Starting this fall, you will be able to hear them on WRSW-AM 1480. Earlier this week GBC Media LLC, which owns WRSW-AM 1480, WRSW-FM 107.3 and WLNB-FM 102.7, announced that WRSW-AM 1480 will change its format.An easy listening station since it first went on the air in September 1951, WRSW-AM 1480 will become a full-time ESPN Radio affiliate.WRSW-AM 1480 plans to become ESPN-1480 by mid-October. The change does not affect WRSW-FM, which will continue to play music, provide CNN news updates and occasionally air sports broadcasts. "When you talk about sports and news, we have the two big hitters," WRSW sports director Roger Grossman said."ESPN and CNN are the most respected in their fields.

Injuries Pile Up On Valley Football Team

NORTH MANCHESTER - The Manchester Squires capitalized on an injured Tippecanoe Valley football team's mistakes to win their first Three Rivers Conference game of the season 27-9. With quarter back Brandon Eaton and several other players out with injuries, the Vikings had obstacles to overcome internally before they even stepped on the field against Manchester. The Vikings grabbed momentum early as they recovered a Manchester fumble on the first play of the game.The Vikings then jumped out to a 3-0 lead when Nathan Moore sent the ball through the uprights for a 46-yard field goal. The Valley squad then increased its lead to 9-0 after recovering a Manchester fumble in the endzone with 2:19 remaining in the first quarter.

TV Wins Key TRC Game

AKRON -ÊIt may have been the weather.It may have been the pressure of the first conference game. But one thing is for sure, the Tippecanoe Valley-Manchester football game couldn't possibly have been any closer. In the first Three Rivers Conference matchup of the season, the Vikings defeated the Squires 13-12 on a hot, steamy night at Death Valley. "It was a close one," said Valley coach Scott Bibler."Too close for comfort." Valley held a 13-12 lead late in the fourth quarter, and it looked as if the Vikings were going to hold on for the victory until they fumbled the ball on their 45-yard line.Manchester recovered the fumble with just 90 ticks left on the clock. The Squires moved the ball to the Valley 7-yard line, but the Manchester squad could get no farther.With 25 seconds left in the game and fourth down and three to go, the Squires brought in Kory Rupley to try a field goal from 23 yards out.

Talented Lancers Hoping To Take Next Step

WINONA LAKE - After a season flooded with success and acomplishments in 1995, this year's version of the Grace College volleyball team is hungry for more as it anticipates a shot at the elusive NAIA National Tournament. The 1995 season saw the Lancers finish with a 44-5 record and a NCCAA National Championship banner, but a loss to Taylor in the NAIA regionals brought the storybook season to an abrupt end. This year, the Lancers hope to go one step further. With the nucleus of seasoned veterans including All-Americans Rebecca Wahlstrom and Melissa Rants and NCCAA Coach of the Year Candace Moats, the Lancers anticipate improvement over last year.

No. 10 Plymouth Pounds Warsaw

PLYMOUTH - Plymouth's football team is known as the Rockies, but it played more like Rocky, as in the boxer, Friday night against Warsaw. And the knockout punch came early. The No.10 (4A) Rockies scored three times in the second quarter and cruised to a 50-0 win over the Tigers in the Northern Lakes Conference opener for both teams. Plymouth dominated Warsaw, rolling up 372 total yards to Warsaw's 96.The Tigers have not scored a single point in the first eight quarters of the season. "We knew we were up against a big obstacle tonight," Warsaw coach Phil Jensen said."They have some kids that can play on that team, and more than just the five or six skill players.They executed their game plan better than we did. "We got beat soundly by a great football team, and we know what we have to do to get better," he said.

St. Xavier Drops Grace Spikers

Many of the faces have changed, but the results often remain the same. For the Grace College volleyball team, 84-15 over the past two seasons with one NCCAA national championship, winning has become the norm.However, with three freshmen and a sophomore starter, the Lancers expect some rough times before the championships begin rolling in.On Wednesday night, Grace experienced one of those rocky times, dropping a four-setter to St.Xavier for the second time in a week, 15-5, 14-16, 15-6, 15-13. Over the last three years, there has always been one steadying influence, Melissa Rants.Rants set the single season and career school record for assists in her sophomore season.As a senior, she continues to dish out the assists, only the names are different.Instead of Rebecca Wahlstrom and Stacey Jackson, now she has quite a trio in freshmen Kate Millen and Kelli Irish and senior Molly Maidment.

Squires Run To First TRC Win

NORTH MANCHESTER - If one thing was certain in Friday's Manchester/Whitko football game, it was that one of these teams would pick up its first Three Rivers Conference win of the year. The only question was who would get the job done and how. And the answer was Manchester, 27-0 via a powerful, smash-mouth running game and two key plays on special teams. The homecoming win improves Manchester's overall season record to 2-2 and 1-1 in TRC play.Whitko falls to 0-4 and 0-2. Manchester kicked off to the Wildcats to start the game, but a fumble on the return by sophomore Alan Robbins gave the Squires the ball on their 45.Ten plays later - all rushes by seniors Josh Peden and Jon Gratz - and Manchester led 6-0.Manchester's extra-point attempt was wide right.

Tigers Take Sting Out Of Hornets

Coming into Friday night's football game against 0-2 Gary Wallace, Warsaw Tiger football coach Phil Jensen looked to use all of his players against an inexperienced Gary Lew Wallace team.The Tigers defeated the Hornets 54-0 last year and figured to be in another situation to make it another route.After Gary Lew Wallace arrived to Fisher Field 30 minutes late, it didn't seem to faze the host. After using the mercy rule in the second quarter and cutting the third and fourth quarters to only six minutes, the Tigers went on to crush the Hornets 48-0 to move to 3-1 on the season.The Tigers have outscored the Hornets 102-0 the past two years.

Tigers Fight Off Panthers' Challenge

For the better part of two hours, Craig Harman and Eric Bowers talked to themselves, the frustration evident in their voices. They complimented each other. And two hours later, when their tennis match ended, they shook hands at the net. It wasn't so much a tennis match as a tennis battle.Bowers, whose gray T-shirt was soaked with sweat on the front and back, held off Harman 6-4, 7-6 (7-5). NorthWood won this battle, but Warsaw won the war.The Tigers won their seventh straight match with an important 4-1 Thursday Northern Lakes Conference win over the Panthers.Warsaw improved to 8-1 overall and 3-0 in the NLC, while NorthWood fell to 8-2 and 2-2 in the NLC. The match between Harman and Bowers had everything a fan could ask for.Hard shots, well-placed shots and long volleys.These two senior veterans, who played in the same winter league at the YMCA, carried plans onto the court and went to work executing them.

Warsaw Spikers Escape Wawasee

Warsaw was within three points of an easy three-game win over county and Northern Lakes Conference rival Wawasee in volleyball action at the Tiger Den Thursday night. The visiting Warriors had different ideas. Wawasee improved its serve reception and used its height advantage to push the contest to five games before falling 25-18, 25-13, 23-25, 20-25, 15-6. The Warriors jumped out to a 6-4 lead in the fifth set.Warsaw picked up a side-out to make it 6-5.The Tigers' Danielle DeGeeter then served for 10 straight points to carry her team to the win. DeGeeter led the Tigers in the win with 15 serving points. "Danielle's serving of 10 straight points was key," said Warsaw head coach Doug West."We had some good serving from (DeGeeter) tonight." The Warriors' struggle during DeGeeter's run with serve reception was magnified.It's what lost Wawasee the first two games and won it the third and fourth.

North Webster Boy No. 1 BMX Racer In Nation

A shy 10-year-old boy, North Webster resident Austin Long lets his actions speak for him. The son of Eldon Long and Christine Kistler, Austin is both a normal 10-year-old North Webster Elementary student who loves playing outside, and one who is already serious about his career choice. Given his accomplishments thus far, his dream of becoming a professional BMX racer is not far-fetched. After winning the novice division at the National Championships in Louisville over Labor Day weekend, Austin is ranked No.1 in the United States in his division. Aproximately 50 BMX racers competed in Long's 10-year-old novice division.Long competed in a number of elimination races - which are called motos - and won the championship race, which consisted of eight riders.

Tigers Edge Chargers, Remain Undefeated In NLC Play

A player who has spent time in Phil Jensen's doghouse, even more so than his dog at home the Warsaw football coach joked, Ryan Hamilton worked his way out Friday night. Behind burly blockers Jacob Engler and William Knepper, 510 pounds of table muscle between them, Hamilton and the Tigers ate up yardage on the ground and time off the clock before a 55-yard touchdown pass from Ryan DeGeeter to Mike Thallemer in the fourth quarter propelled them to a 16-13 homecoming win over Northern Lakes Conference foe Elkhart Memorial. A game that never lacked excitement, Crimson Charger Eric Nielsen's 53-yard field goal attempt with 43 seconds left fell inches short, as Memorial fell to 2-2 overall and 1-2 in conference action.The NLC win was the 16th straight for Warsaw, as the Tigers improved to 3-1 and 2-0 in search of their fourth straight conference crown.

Tigers Gut It Out Vs. Goshen

Give Warsaw volleyball coach Jamie Byron credit: she sticks to her philosophy, no matter what.Not usually one to panic and call quick timeouts when her Tigers seemingly need one, she lets her teams, no matter how young and inexperienced, battle through tough times. Byron got another chance to test her willpower Thursday during the Tigers' home and Northern Lakes Conference opener against Goshen at the Tiger Den. Despite winning in two games, 15-12 and 15-9, Warsaw kept up a disturbing trend this season of losing focus in tight matches or making a possible blowout become a tight match.

NORTH MANCHESTER -ÊThe Manchester Squires and Whitko Wildcats met in North Manchester for a volleyball match Thursday. The Squires defeated the Wildcats 15-9, 5-15, 15-11.

Jessica Hicks led the Squires with eight kills, five digs and two aces, while Samantha Miller led the Wildcats with on ace, four kills, two digs and 10 assists. Manchester is now 1-1 on the season, while Whitko falls 0-2.The Squires host the Manchester Invitational Saturday, and Whitko will travel to Warsaw Tuesday.

Dodson Gets 100th In Bittersweet Win Over Wawasee

NAPPANEE -ÊNorthWood's 42-16 Northern Lakes Conference win over Wawasee, Rich Dodson's 100th win, should have been a happy moment.However it was bittersweet in light of this week's tragic events in America. "I'm sure that in the future people won't remember this (the 100th win) as much as they will remember what happened earlier this week," said Dodson."This was a tough week for everybody.It was hard to be focused on anything.The thing to remember is that we need to come together as a country at this time.We need to realize how lucky we are to live in this country and have the freedoms that we do." But as many national leaders have said, America must go on.And that's exactly what NorthWood and Wawasee did.

Grace Beats Marian 3-1

Tiger Tennis Team Takes Care Of Wawasee 5-0 By Jen Gibson, Times-Union Sports Writer SYRACUSE -ÊThe Warsaw Tigers racked up another Northern Lakes Conference tennis win Tuesday night after defeating the Wawasee Warriors 5-0. The longest match of the day came at the No.2 singles position.Wawasee's Kyle Farrell and Warsaw's Steve Slaughter played three sets after splitting the first two.Slaughter came out on top of the first set 6-1, but Farrell came back to win the second set 6-4.In the final set, Slaughter came out on top 6-1 to win the match and the point for Warsaw. The only other three-set match came at the No.2 doubles slot when Warriors Scott Beasley and Seth Beer teamed up to play Tigers Travis Yoder and David Honneffer.Yoder and Honneffer won the first set easily 6-0, but dropped the second set to Beasley and Beer 5-7.In the third set, the Warsaw team shut down Wawasee 6-0 to earn another Warsaw point.

On the Gridiron