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Whitko Earns Top Conference Spot

AKRON -ÊWhen Whitko and Tippecanoe Valley face off on the football field everyone expects a wild game.Even the coaches. And Friday night in Akron's Death Valley, things were no different. "We always know that when we play Valley it's gonna be a wild game," said Whitko coach Bryan Sprunger."It was a little crazy out there, but the kids hung in there and played well." Sprunger's Wildcats downed Valley 26-23 to earn their first conference title in 12 years.The Whitko squad tied with Southwood for the top spot in the Three Rivers Conference.Both teams sport a 6-1 conference mark. "We may have tied, but we're counting it," said Sprunger."We are the conference champions for the first time in 12 years, and you bet we're counting it." Whitko started the ball off on the right foot, with senior Brett Lukens recovering a Viking fumble on the first play from scrimmage.
JEN GIBSON, Times-Union Sports Editor- | July 28, 2016

Lancers Start MCC Tourney With Win

WINONA LAKE - Grace knew what was coming.It just took a little memory jog to get the Lancers going. Having faced Indiana Wesleyan three times (Grace won all three) this season, it came as no surprise what the Wildcats were going to throw at them.But Grace still struggled with the Wildcat attack, and fortunately for the Lancers, it didn't last long. After dropping the first game, Grace came back to capture the next three games and advance in the Mid-Central Conference tournament with the 11-15, 15-6, 15-13, 15-8 win over IWU Thursday at Lancer Gym.
Greg Jones, Times-Union Sports Editor- | July 28, 2016

Slater's Heroics Can't Lift Whitko

SOUTH WHITLEY - Tears of sadness filled Bryan Sprunger's eyes as he embraced senior fullback Seth Slater after Friday night's football game at Ryan Huff Field. The tearful moment came after the West Noble Chargers slipped past the Whitko Wildcats 23-13 in sectional action. Slater, who tried to carry the Wildcats on his back, performed from every aspect of the game.He played offense, defense and special teams for a considerably large amount of the game. "Slater played his heart out," Whitko coach Sprunger said tearfully."He is one of the finest football players I have ever coached." Seth played like he was the best, too.Slater had 33 carries for 254 yards rushing.He also had one reception for 10 yards. "Slater is a fine young man who can and will play for any col-lege team he wants," Sprunger said.
ANDREW J. TRUDELL, Times-Union Sports Correspondent- | July 28, 2016

Back To State! Triton Wins Bremen Regional To Earn Spot In State Finals At Ben Davis

BREMEN - What coach Gayle Perry said was a problem last week, she was certainly right in saying it was a strength Saturday. The match scored tied at one game apiece in the championship game of Saturday evening's 2A volleyball regional at Bremen High School, Triton's Amber Mellott served the Trojans to a 12-0 lead, sending momentum and a berth in the the state finals Triton's way. Triton finished off Prairie Heights 21-15, 18-21, 21-15, 21-11, advancing the Trojans to state for the second straight year. Triton, now 27-9, plays No.1 Brownstown Central (34-2) at 9 a.m.in Saturday's semifinal at Indianapolis Ben Davis High School.Union County (26-10) plays Muncie Burris (32-6) in the second semifinal, with the winners meeting at 4 p.m.at Hinkle Fieldhouse for the state championship.
DALE HUBLER, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016

Tiger Spikers Repeat As Sectional Champs

COLUMBIA CITY - Warsaw's new head girls basketball coach, John Snyder, was on hand to watch several of his players take on Carroll (Fort Wayne) in the sectional volleyball championship Saturday night at Columbia City High School. Snyder will have to wait to work on x's and o's, as the Tigers still have some business to take care of on the volleyball court, after a 25-20, 25-14, 25-12 triumph over the Chargers. The Tigers used effective serving and aggressive play to repeat as sectional champions.Last year, Warsaw defeated host Carroll for its first sectional crown since 2000. And when Cheyenne Runnells hit a deep serve that was eventually returned long by Carroll's Sarah VanCamp, the Tigers began to celebrate a three-game win and a second straight regional berth. Early on it appeared a three-game victory by either side wasn't in the cards.
DANIEL RIORDAN, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016

Area Swimmers Prepare To Get Their Feet Wet

Many people jump into the swimming pool to relax and have fun, but although members of area girls swim teams have fun in the water, relaxing is the last thing on their minds. Tippecanoe Valley and Warsaw are two of the area schools that have up and coming girls swim teams who have jumped into the pool and are ready to show their skills. Last year, the Vikings won the sectional and sent their 400- meter freestyle relay team to the state competition.Along with those accomplishments, Valley's girls swim team broke 19 school records last year. The Vikings only lost one senior, Eve Boggs, from last year's state-qualifying team.Boggs set school records on both the 200-meter and 500-meter freestyle last year. This year, Valley has 16 girls who hope to build on last year's success and make another trip to the IU Natatorium.
Jen Gibson, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016

Body For Life Champs Pay Visit To Warsaw

More than 500,000 people in the United States accepted the Body For Life Challenge in 1999. Ten were named grand champions and awarded $100,000. Seven of the ten spent Monday in Warsaw. Gary and Amy Arbuckle, Allen Bieber, Tom Archipley, Erin Lindsey, Pete Holter and Lezlee Jones were guests of Keith Reinholt, founder of the Warsaw Body For Life Club.The Body For Life Challenge is a 12-week physical conditioning program. The champions worked out at the YMCA in the afternoon then spoke to the club that night.They came on the behalf of the late Ben Bibler of Warsaw, like them one of the 10 grand champions. Their stories were similar.Tired of who they were and the way they looked, they decided to get in shape.The seven sitting around a table at the YMCA were slender, physically fit males and females, proof that the Body For Life Challenge worked. Bieber was one of the more extreme cases.Bieber's story published in the November 2000 Muscle Media magazine.
Jeff Holsinger, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Vikes Strike Quick In 35-21 Win

RUSSIAVILLE - Tippecanoe Valley and Western owned identical 5-4 records entering Friday's Class 3A sectional football game, but the Vikings took control early with a 28-0 lead before halftime and went on to win 35-21. Valley, 6-4, hosts No.4 Norwell Friday.Norwell, 9-1, beat No.6 Rochester (8-2) 17-14. Valley scored on its first four possessions of the game. The Vikings opened the game with a 14-play, 66-yard drive that ended on a 5-yard touchdown run by Nathan Patterson.The Vikings established control at the line of scrimmage early, converting two fourth-down, short-yardage situations on running plays on the opening drive.Valley ran the ball six straight times for an average of six yards during the drive. "We gambled a little bit there," Valley coach Scott Bibler said of the fourth-down plays.
Times-Union Sports Staff- | July 28, 2016

Grace Moving On To MCC Final Four

WINONA LAKE - Even before the Mid-Central Conference tournament match against Marian had even begun, Grace coach Candace Moats knew what was coming. Moats' No.3 seed Lancers (37-8) were an overwhelming favorite against No.6 seed Marian (5-21).Moats knew it, the players knew it, and the fans knew it. Still, Moats knew it would be a struggle against Marian.And just like Moats had written the script, the Lancers followed her prediction to the letter in a 15-9, 15-12, 15-9 win Thursday in Lancer Gym. The Lancers kind of just put it in cruise control in anticipation of advancing to the MCC Final Four Saturday at No.1 seed Bethel College.
Greg Jones, Times-Union Sports Editor- | July 28, 2016

Tigers End Sectional Futility

"Wow!" A Gatorade-soaked Coach Phil Jensen summed up Warsaw's first sectional victory with just one word. After the Tigers defeated the Marion Giants 46-20 in the first round of sectional play, Warsaw celebrated the victory that broke their postseason losing streak by gathering for a photo in front of the scoreboard. The sectional win was the first for the Tigers, who had been 0-13 in the postseason. "It's a dream come true," said Jensen."I'm still numb." Only one other team in the state, Gary Roosevelt, had a worse postseason record than the Tigers.Unlike Warsaw, Roosevelt's bad luck did not end.With a 44-0 Friday loss, Roosevelt fell to 0-15 in sectional games. In a game that was supposed to be close, Warsaw played its best game of the year, scoring five of its seven touchdowns in the first half.
Jennifer Gibson, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016

Defense Is What Makes Tiger Kickers Go

Defense is often believed to be the key for any team to be successful. For the Warsaw Tigers, there's no difference.David Gehrke, Aaron Sawyer, Brad Waggoner, Matt Burgher, Jason Johnston, Jacob Silveus and Brett Dickerson are the defensive catalysts for the South Bend Adams Semistate-bound boys soccer team.When an opponent rarely gets a shot, as Angola did in the regional, these are the players most often responsible.They act as a buffer zone to keep an opposing forward from getting to goalie Matt Brown. Warsaw head coach Corey Rose described his defensive style of play that has allowed just a single goal in three tournament games.
Jason Knavel, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Harriers Ready For Regional

The question marks are gone for the Warsaw boys cross country team heading into the regional competition on Saturday. Warsaw head coach Jeff Grose has had a few since the beginning of the year.First it was the Tigers' No.2 runner Will Woodward, who had problems early in the season with an injury.Then, last week at sectionals, it was No.1 runner David Hoffert.Hoffert, one of the best runners in the area, was not feeling well and finished fifth among Warsaw runners and 17th overall. "(Hoffert) went and saw a doctor and he had a sinus infection," Grose said."He's been feeling a lot better.He practiced at full speed (on Wednesday).We look for him to lead the group like he's been doing all season.Everyone's excited about that.We didn't quite know what was going on or if he would recover, but the doctor said he should be fine by Saturday." Grose also said that Woodward is back to full strength and can be a large contributor to the team on Saturday.
Jason Knavel, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

'Cats Pull Away From Tigers

The streak hit a dozen games, but somehow, it seems different. Despite dropping to 0-12 in sectional games, the Tigers' prospects to break the streak appear to brighter than in past years.With underclassmen playing big roles, Warsaw fell to South Bend Riley 28-14 in Class 5A, Sectional 2 Friday at Fisher Field. After starting the season 0-3 and without a single point scored, the Tigers showed signs of life in their last two ball games of the year and something to look forward to. "The great thing that the last couple of weeks have shown us is that they found their hearts and their pride and their integrity and their intensity; we didn't lose because of any of those things," Warsaw coach Phil Jensen said. And Jensen will have plenty to work with as he will have back his entire offensive line that he put on the field against Riley (2 juniors, 2 sophomores and a freshman) as well as quarterback Andy Plank and running back Jose Esquivel.
Greg Jones, Times-Union Sports Editor- | July 28, 2016

Warsaw Falls In Regional

ARGOS -ÊWarsaw boys soccer coach Scott Bauer thought Tuesday night's regional game against Penn would be a toss-up. "This was a well balanced game," said Bauer.There were occasional momentum shifts in game play, one team would dominate a possession and then it would change to the other team.But neither team gave in." After 80 minutes of regulation play, the score was tied at 1-all, and it looked as though the game would come down to penalty kicks.However, Penn's Jesse Brunton slipped the ball into Warsaw's goal with just 52 seconds left in the second overtime period to give Penn the 2-1 victory and the regional title. After the first period of play, Warsaw and Penn were embroiled in a scoreless tie.That tie was broken at the 46:24 mark when Kingsman junior Austin Waters scored the first goal of the game.
JEN GIBSON, Times-Union Sports Editor- | July 28, 2016

Tigers Finish 11th

NORTH MANCHESTER - After winning the regional competition, the Warsaw girls cross country team wore sweatshirts donated by their booster club to the semistate competition.Across the back, the shirt read, "We were surprised too! See you at state!" Although the prediction on the back of the shirt did not pan out, the Warsaw girls placed 11th of 20 teams in a competition they were not expected to run in. "This is such a great experience," said Sibray."Just to be here, to get this far is a great step for us.It's a reflection of how the girls put in extra time this summer. "It's been a terrific season.It's been good from the beginning." With black and orange pawprints scattered on the faces of runners and fans alike, the Warsaw girls lined up for their first semistate competiton since 1990. After the dust settled and the runners caught their breath, the Warsaw girls had finished 11th in the competition.
Jen Gibson, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016

Tigers Headed To Semistate

DUNLAP - First-year Warsaw boys tennis coach Rick Orban remembers well a conversation he had with his two seniors, Jason Sells and Jason Ummel. On the 13th day of practice this year, Orban, a veteran Tiger girls tennis coach, told his seniors to go home and think of a cheer to break their huddle with. When they broke their huddle the next time, the team shouted "semistate." And after a 4-1 win over DeKalb Wednesday in the championship round of the Concord Regional, the semistate is exactly where the Tigers are headed.
Dale Hubler, Times-Union Sports Editor- | July 28, 2016

OSSIAN -ÊFolks from all around the area showed up to see the 3A regional matchup between the No. 4 Norwell Knights and the No. 5 NorthWood Panthers.

The game was scoreless until just 1:16 was left in the first quarter.Matt Hanselman took the snap and tossed the ball back to Brad Schortgen for the flea-flicker.Schortgen then completed a 29-yard touchdown pass to Landon Heyerly to give the Knights a 7-0 lead. NorthWood then moved the ball down the field, and Charlie Roeder connected with Chaz Scherer on a 1-yard pass to put the Panthers on the board.After Andy Mitschelen's kick sailed through the uprights, the score was tied at seven. The game would remain tied for only six minutes.On the next Norwell drive, the Knights moved the ball 58 yards on 12 plays and scored another touchdown.With 3:07 left in the half, Norwell held a 14-7 advantage. NorthWood drove down to the 9-yard line on the next drive, but Norwell's Matthew Beste intercepted a Roeder pass to squelch the Panther rally.
Going into the football game, the teams had identical 11-1 records and similar statistics, but in the end, NorthWood got the short end of the straw, losing to Norwell 35-27.- | July 28, 2016

Harding Trips NorthWood

FORT WAYNE - After the type of seasons that NorthWood and Fort Wayne Harding have had on the offensive side of the football, the general thought was that their matchup on Friday night could very easily become a shootout affair. After all, Harding had scored more than 60 points twice in the postseason and NorthWood had one of the most talented offenses in the area. However, that offensive firepower didn't kick in for the Panthers until the fourth quarter and Harding didn't show the explosive offense that has made the Hawks an offensive juggernaut, but they did have enough to finish NorthWood's season 28-21 in the Class 3A, No.19 regional championship. NorthWood's lone first half touchdown came from junior running back Aaron Huber on a short run in the second quarter.
Jason Knavel, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

NorthWood, Harding Preparing To Rumble

This is one of those "Clash of the Titans" games. NorthWood, ranked No.7, vs.No.9 Fort Wayne Harding.Both teams are familiar with playing deep into the playoffs.NorthWood, of course, fell in the semi-state last year, while Harding lost in the sectional championship.However, the Hawks are 35-12 in four years under head coach Steve Cooley, including a record of 9-3 this year. Both teams are similar. The offenses are explosive.NorthWood is averaging more than 32 points per game in the playoffs, while Harding is averaging a cool 55 points per game in the postseason.The Panthers are led by junior running back Aaron Huber, who went over 1,000 yards on the season on Friday in the 28-0 sectional championship win over Northridge.Harding has two great runners in Alan Ganaway and Sean Casey.Both went over 200 yards on the ground and scored a combined seven touchdowns in the 62-34 win over Norwell on Friday.
Jason Knavel, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Triton Held Scoreless Again

LAKEVILLE -ÊThe LaVille Lancers hosted Triton and got their first win of the season Friday over the Trojans, 34-0. Triton's football team last scored points in a 41-14 Sept.1 home loss to Culver Community.Since then, Triton has gone scoreless for 17 straight quarters. The Trojans gained just 73 yards in total offense while allowing LaVille to gain 294. The Lancers took a 7-0 lead after the first quarter and scored 13 points in the second quarter to take a 20-0 advantage into the locker room at the half. Triton held the LaVille squad scoreless in the third quarter, but the Lancers fought back to score two more touchdowns in the fourth to get the 34-0 victory. LaVille is 1-6 overall and 1-4 in the NSC, while Triton falls to 2-5 overall and 0-5 in the NSC.
Times-Union Staff Report- | July 28, 2016
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