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Whitko Suffers Heartbreaking Loss

MENTONE - Before Tuesday's girls track and field sectional at Tippecanoe Valley, Whitko coach Brian Balsmeyer projected the outcome. And he had it: Whitko 112, Plymouth 110. "That's what it was on paper," he said. On paper, this would have given Whitko its second girls sectional track title, the other coming in 1995. Problem for Balsmeyer was, the girls still had to perform.As often happens, the performance turned out different than the projection.Plymouth won the 11-team meet with 97 points.The Wildcats, who went 9-4 in the regular season, finished second with 96. ond with 96. "We let one get away from us," Balsmeyer said. One-half of a second away from a first place.A fourth place instead of a fifth place.That's how close Whitko was to winning. Culver Girls Academy, which finished third with 80 points, won the 400 relay with a time of 54.12 seconds.Whitko finished .5 seconds out of first with a time of 54.62 seconds.
Jeff Holsinger, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Warsaw Wins Crazy Softall Game

SYRACUSE -ÊTalk about a crazy night at the softball field. A player was hit in the face with a ball while trying to steal third. While she was being attended to, lightning ripped across the sky, causing the umpires to delay the game. One team was playing without its head coach, who was ejected from a game Monday night and, according to IHSAA rules, had to miss the next game. But through all the craziness, a close softball game was played in Syracuse Wednesday as Warsaw came from behind to beat Wawasee 8-7. "We really wanted to win here tonight since they beat us on our field earlier in the season," said Warsaw senior Cassie Himes."We wanted to come here and beat them on their field.We came ready to play." Warsaw may have been ready to play, but it was Wawasee who struck first and jumped out to an early lead. Wawasee scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning as Haley Bird hit a single and Stephanie Sorensen and Nicole Hymer each pounded doubles.
JEN GIBSON, Times-Union Sports Editor- | July 28, 2016

Bill Patrick's Back

The chase for 500 is back on. Bill Patrick has returned to coaching. Patrick, whose basketball teams have never had a losing season, was named Tippecanoe Valley's varsity boys basketball coach at Monday's school board meeting.Patrick previously coached varsity basketball for 29 years in the Whitko school system, where his overall record was 478-180 (73 percent).His worst record in a season was 11-10. This marks the first time Patrick returns to coaching since the 1994-1995 season, when he resigned at Whitko after clashing with the administration. Why return now? "I missed it," he said."I guess that's the big reason.I enjoy coaching.I enjoyed the games and seeing the players progress, not only in basketball but in their overall outlook on everything.You spend that much time on the floor with those players, it's something hard to explain to those who have never coached.
Jeff Holsinger, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Opportunistic Tigers Softball Team Seizes Control Of The Game

SYRACUSE - When Warsaw softball coach Craig Helfrich fills out his varsity lineup card, he writes down the names of two seniors and one junior.The rest are sophomores and freshmen. When Wawasee softball coach Bo O'Dell jots down his lineup, he pencils in four seniors and three juniors. The archrivals met Monday afternoon.One team played sparkling defense, advanced baserunners, pitched well, hit enough to get by and took advantage of the opponent's mistakes. That team was Warsaw. The Tigers beat Wawasee 5-1.Warsaw improved to 4-5 overall and 1-0 in the Northern Lakes Conference, while Wawasee dropped to 4-2 and 0-1 in the NLC. The first two words Warsaw coach Craig Helfrich said to his girls afterward? "No errors."It was the first time this season he had the opportunity to say that, following a game he called "by far" Warsaw's best of the season.
Jeff Holsinger, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Warsaw Slides Past Wawasee

Sometimes a good hitter doesn't even have to swing the bat to make a difference in the outcome of a softball game. Case in point: Warsaw slugger Shannon Barger. Barger came to the plate with teammate Laura Overton on third base in the bottom of the seventh with two outs in a 7-7 tie with Wawasee Wednesday.With Warrior catcher Amy Gingerich lining up for a pitch out, pitcher Megan King grooved a pitch right down the middle for a called strike.The next pitch was outside for a ball, but the third one sailed over Gingerich's head, and Overton scored to give Warsaw the thrilling 8-7 win.
Greg Jones, Times-Union Sports Editor- | July 28, 2016

Warsaw Tops Elkhart Memorial, Keeps Perfect NLC Record Intact

"We control our own destiny," said Warsaw baseball coach Will Shepherd."Everyone is looking up at us right now, and that's where we want to be." The Tigers improved to 5-0 in the Northern Lakes Conference by defeating Elkhart Memorial 3-0 Monday evening at Tiger Field. Senior fireballer Ryan DeGeeter improved to 5-0 on the season by pitching the compete-game shutout.He allowed just three hits and struck out 11 in the seven-inning outing. After 2-1/2 scoreless innings, Warsaw got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third.Travis O'Neill opened the inning with a single and moved to second on a stolen base.Then Sean Alderfer reached first on a walk. Brandon LaFollette moved the runners to second and third with a sacrifice bunt, and DeGeeter drove O'Neill home with a sacrifice fly to left field. Warsaw held its 1-0 lead until the bottom of the sixth inning.Berto Nunez opened the inning with a double to right field, and Josh Stork walked to first.
JEN GIBSON, Times-Union Sports Editor- | July 28, 2016

Locals Qualify For State Track Meet

BREMEN - Coaches often use the term survive and advance during the postseason, but Warsaw's girls track team did more than survive in Tuesday's Bremen Regional. The Tigers, who finished runner-up to Elkhart Central by just six points in last week's sectional, advanced competitors to the state finals in five events and were just six points away from winning the regional team championship at Bremen High School. The Tigers came away with four second-place finishes and a third-place finish Tuesday, finishing third in the team standings with 51 points. Much like at the sectional, Warsaw coach Scott Erba said the goal in Tuesday's regional was to advance a number competitors to the state finals. If that happened, team points would take care of themselves. Again he was right, and again his Tigers were right in the thick of things.
Dale Hubler, Times-Union Sports Editor- | July 28, 2016

Warriors Champs Again

The shushing sounds that urged everyone to be quiet came from several girls huddled together at the finish line on the oval track at Fisher Field. The girls comprised the Wawasee Warrior track team, and more than anything else, they did not want to hear their team name called over the public address system. The announcer was reading the track and field sectional team places from worst to first.When he got to the second-place team, the shushes grew louder.They waited. The Warriors heard the one word they wanted to hear: Northridge.That left first all to them, and before they were even announced, the cheers erupted. For the third year in a row, the Wawasee Warriors won the Warsaw Sectional.They finished with 93.5 points.Northridge, a team with a 10-0 record, pulled in second with 91.5.Warsaw placed last in the 10-team meet with 19.5 points.
Jeff Holsinger, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Wawasee Netters Have Upper Hand For Sectional?

SYRACUSE - For the first time in many years, a team other than Warsaw will go into the tennis sectional at Warsaw as the favorite.That team is the Wawasee Warriors. Three teams actually have a realistic shot at winning the sectional, but after Wednesday afternoon, Wawasee has now beaten both of the other two teams, Warsaw and Manchester.The Warriors won in convincing fashion, dropping just one set on the way to a 5-0 whitewash. "Warsaw's won the sectional for how many years?" Wawasee head coach Phil Mishler asked."In no way do we feel like we're the top dog.We're not the favorite until we can win one.Yes, we beat Warsaw, but it was 4-1 with three three-setters.They're an experienced team.Manchester's experienced too, and I wouldn't count them out." Since starting the season 3-3, Wawasee has now won five of six.The only blemish was a 4-1 loss to Plymouth Tuesday.
Jason Knavel, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Blount Captures Pole, Finishes Second

SPARTA, Ky.- It wasn't a win, but for Chad Blount and his ML Motorsports team, it was the next best thing. Driving for the Warsaw-based stock car team, Blount finished second in Sunday's Harley-Davidson of Cincinnati 150 ARCA RE/MAX Series race at Kentucky Speedway. Blount, in just his fourth race with the team since taking over for the departed Jason Jarrett, entered the 100-lap event at the 1.5-mile speedway in search of his third straight win. For much of the race, it looked as if he would be pulling the No.67 Mary Louise Miller-owned Monte Carlo into victory lane again. It didn't happen, and a second-place finish to six-time ARCA champion Frank Kimmel left the 25-year-old driver from Walkerton somewhat disappointed.
Dale Hubler, Times-Union Sports Editor- | July 28, 2016

Chalfant Captures First At Regional

FORT WAYNE - Fifth-year Warsaw boys track and field coach Troy Akers described the state tournament as "survive and advance." Five local runners, four from Warsaw, survived Thursday's Fort Wayne Wayne Regional to advance to the state finals June 1 at IUPUI's Carroll Stadium. The Tiger foursome of Grady Randall, Adam Sisson, Chris Clay and Brad Seiss took fourth in the 1600 relay with a time of 3:23.45.Warsaw earned its trip to state by making the state qualifying time of 3:23.82, as only the top three individuals or teams in each event advance. Sisson also advanced in the 400, an event he was seeded fourth in, with his second-place time of 50.50 seconds.Fort Wayne Wayne's Jeremiah Starks nudged Sisson, a junior, with a time of 50.48 seconds. Wawasee senior Rob Chalfant was the only local runner to take first place, winning the 1600 in a time of 4:20.14.
DALE HUBLER, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016

Warsaw Golf Team Hands Wawasee First Loss

SYRACUSE -ÊLast Tuesday, Warsaw and Goshen traveled to South Shore Golf Course to play a Northern Lakes Conference match against Wawasee.However, Mother Nature had other plans. After less than half the match was finished last week, severe storms caused the golfers to leave the course and take shelter with Warsaw in the lead by two strokes. Monday night in Syracuse the three teams met again for a do-over as the scores from last week were thrown out and the match began from the beginning.The Tigers shot a 146, while the Warriors finished with a 151 and Goshen had a 167. Warsaw earned the five-stroke victory primarily because two golfers shot under par.Adam Johnson led the Tigers with a 34, 2-under the par 36, and Aaron Turner shot a 35, 1-under par.
Jen Gibson, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016

Warsaw Baseballers Riding NLC High

SYRACUSE - How tough is the Northern Lakes Conference? When NLC front-runner Warsaw met NLC basement-dweller Wawasee Wednesday, the result was a competitive baseball game that came down to the last batter in the final inning.Warsaw held off a late Warrior comeback attempt for a 5-4 victory that keeps the Tigers in control of their own destiny in the NLC. Warsaw is now 5-2 in the conference and held a slim half-game lead over two other teams in the NLC heading into Wednesday's game.
Jason Knavel, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Tigers Baseball Team Comes Up With Clutch Hits

Warsaw is in unfamiliar territory after its first Northern Lakes Conference baseball game - first place. After dropping their NLC opener each of the past two years, the Tigers began their quest for a conference title with a 4-1 win over Kosciusko County rival Wawasee Monday at Tiger Field. "It (winning the first NLC game) is huge because the last two years we have had decent teams, but we were always looking up and that gets old," Warsaw coach Will Shepherd said."That wears on you.On down the road, it will be big for us." After demonstrating a potent offense for much of its first seven games, Warsaw did things a little differently against the Warriors, scratching and clawing and coming up with the hits and plays when it needed them most.
Greg Jones, Times-Union Sports Editor- | July 28, 2016

Whitko Tennis Team Defeats Triton

LARWILL -Ê"We came out ready to play tonight." Victoria Cripe, Whitko's tennis coach, summed up the tennis match against Triton Tuesday with that one statement. Whitko had not defeated the Triton tennis team in several years, but Tuesday the Wildcats surprised the Trojans by handing them their first loss of the season, 4-1. "They are tougher than we anticipated," said Triton coach Laura Lamaster."They are good athletes and good, solid tennis players." At No.1 singles, Whitko's Aly Frantz was down 3-0 in the first set but came back to win the match 6-4, 6-4 over Triton's Joanna Blackmer. "Our No.1 singles lost 4-6, 4-6 in a close match," said Lamaster."Both girls played very well.It just didn't go our way this time." Trisha Peters recorded the second point for Whitko when she defeated Triton's Kelli Hackett 6-3, 6-3 at No.2 singles.
Jen Gibson, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016

Triton Wins 10th Straight

BOURBON - Triton pounded out four runs in the first inning and added two insurance runs in the sixth to defeat LaVille on Monday 7-2. Cory Monesmith drove in three runs with three hits.He hit two home runs and scored twice.Scott Blackford also hit a homer and Justin Grubbs improved to 5-0 on the season with a complete game. Triton (16-2, 9-1) will be at Jimtown on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Squire Offense Still In High Gear BY JASON KNAVEL, Times-Union Sports Writer NORTH MANCHESTER - After dropping seven of their first 10 games, the Manchester Squires were struggling defensively.They had allowed 10 or more runs in eight of those opening games. However, the Squires have gone 3-2 in the last five games, playing much better defensively.In the only game in which they allowed more than 10 runs over that stretch, a 12-7 loss to Rochester on Saturday, Manchester was missing all of its seniors because of a senior trip.
Staff Report- | July 28, 2016

Wawasee Girls Win NLC Meet

DUNLAP - Despite windy and cold conditions, parts of Thursday's Northern Lakes Conference boys and girls track meet were downright sizzling. In girls competition, the closest race of the evening was the 800 and involved Warsaw junior Julie Seiss. Seiss, who finished sixth in the state meet in the 800 last year at Indiana University, was seeded second for Thursday's race. She and Wawasee senior Rachel Stichter, who will be a distance runner next year for the Ohio State Buckeyes, battled for a lap-and-a-half of the two-lap race.Seiss then made a move and got around Stichter. Coming down the backstretch, however, Seiss may have thought the race was in hand after passing Stichter, and Northridge junior Lynn Pezzanite kept it in high gear and edged Seiss to the line by two hundreths of a second. Pezzanite won the race in 2:20.02, while Seiss crossed the line in a time of 2:20.04.Stichter fell back to fourth, finishing in a time of 2:22.86.
Dale Hubler, Times-Union Sports Editor- | July 28, 2016

Warsaw Hands Wawasee First Loss

Going into Thursday's Northern Lakes Conference tennis match, both Wawasee and Warsaw knew it was huge. Since both team were undefeated overall and in the Northern Lakes Conference, the winner of Thursday's match would take sole possession of first-place in the conference. When all was said and done, Warsaw came out on top, 5-0, and took its spot atop the NLC. "I am exteremly pleased with the performance tonight," said Warsaw coach Rick Orban."The girls were really focused the entire match." "I was a bit disappointed," said Wawasee coach Cindy Peterson."But Warsaw is a very good team.They played a good match." Due to injuries and illness Orban shuffled his lineup to fill in for injured No.2 singles player Kaitlin Macdonald. In the first match to finish, Warsaw's No.1 singles player Jessica Davis took on Wawasee's Carly Murphy.Davis took control of the match early and won in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2.
JEN GIBSON, Times-Union Sports Editor- | July 28, 2016

Joe Tiller To Appear In Warsaw

Attention Purdue alumni, fans, family and friends, Joe Tiller is coming to town. The Purdue head football coach will roll into town May 1 at the First Annual Banquet of the newly formed Purdue Club of Kosciusko County. The event will take place the the Center Lake Pavilion with social time beginning at 6 p.m.and a Penguin Point catered dinner at 6:30 p.m.Tiller's program will follow. Tickets are $20 for PCKC member, $25 for non-members and $10 for students (ages 2-10) and reservations should be made by April 21. Tickets can be reserved by e-mailing [email protected]. Proceeds from the banquet will go toward a scholarship fund for area students. Tiller took over a football program at Purdue University in 1997 that had only one winning season and no bowl appearances since 1984. Since then Tiller has led the Boilermakers to six consecutive bowl appearances, five winning seasons and a Big Ten Championship (2000).
JEN GIBSON, Times-Union Sports Editor- | July 28, 2016

Jason Jarrett Climbs In Point Standings With Runner-Up Finish

SALEM - A track that has left both cars and drivers battered over the years, historic Salem Speedway was just what the doctor ordered for Jason Jarrett and his Warsaw-based ML Motorsports team Sunday. Looking for a momentum swing after an engine failure led to a disapointing 36th-place finish at Nashville, Jarrett and the rest of the Gladiator GarageWorks-Bennigan's team found it Sunday in the form of a runner-up finish at the high-banked, half-mile oval in the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200. The runner-up finish, Jarrett's second straight at the famed southern Indiana track affectionately known as "the Bristol of the north", catapulted him from 24th to fifth in ARCA RE/MAX Series points after three races.
DALE HUBLER, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016
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