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Terrorists Aren't Rational People

From the outset of our response to the now month-old terrorist attacks on our nation, we have been told by our government that this is a war against terrorism, not against Islam. That is, of course, a correct characterization of our actions. We, as a government, a country or a people are not targeting Islamics.We are targeting terrorists. Thousands of Americans were mercilessly murdered on Sept.11.We had to respond. The religious affiliation of the murderers is truly irrelevant.This most definitely is not a war between Christianity and Islam. Any rational person understands that, which brings me to what worries me about this whole war on terrorism. We aren't dealing with rational people.Osama bin Laden and his devotees are not rational people. I truly believe bin Laden wants this to be a war between Islam and Christianity.A holy war or Jihad, as he calls it.That is what he hopes for.That is what he prays for.
GARY GERARD, Times-Union Managing Editor- | July 28, 2016

Tippecanoe Valley Cleans House

MENTONE - Tippecanoe Valley's special school board meeting Monday evening lasted less than 15 minutes, but what a 15 minutes they were. In those 15 minutes, board members made it known to the public that Tippecanoe Valley's basketball future was changing dramatically. Varsity girls basketball coach Mike Walters turned in his resignation.After an executive session, the board announced it did not give a contract extension to varsity boys basketball coach Gregg Sciarra. Walters was 29-30 (.497) since replacing Duane Burkhart before the 1995-1996 season.Before Walters took over, Valley had won the Three Rivers Conference title seven of eight years.The Vikings won no TRC titles and no sectional titles under Walters.
Jeff Holsinger, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Warsaw Native Bolinger Finds His Calling

EVANSTON, Ill.-ÊBrad Bolinger is 26.For the past two months he made his home in a hotel room.And he wouldn't trade places with anybody for anything. Around here, people may remember Bolinger as a talented wide receiver who played for Warsaw's football team.He was a team captain who won all-conference and academic all-state awards. After graduating from Warsaw in 1990, Bolinger's path took him to Franklin College, and then to Miami (Ohio).From Miami it took him to Northwestern University. When head football coach Gary Barnett left Northwestern for Colorado earlier this year, the Wildcats named Randy Walker as the new coach.Walker, who led Miami to a 10-1 record last season, took seven of his nine coaches along with him to Northwestern.One of the seven was Bolinger, his defensive secondary coach.Bolinger holds the same position at Northwestern.
Jeff Holsinger, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Brown, Valley Steamroll Central Noble

COLUMBIA CITY - On paper, the Tippecanoe Valley-Central Noble looked somewhat even. On the court, it was an entirely different story. The Vikings of Valley, who have had their share of "valleys" this season, entered the game with a 10-10 season record, including 2-5 to end the season. Central Noble, on the other hand, had the best record entering the sectional (12-7) and had won seven in a row. Throw out the numbers and regular season stats.It wasn't even close. Valley downright dominated from the tip, rolling to an easy 56-35 win and berth in the sectional championship.The Vikings (11-10) face Columbia City (11-10), a 61-46 winner over Manchester, tonight in the title tilt. A combination of a smothering defense, patient offense, and outstanding play all over the court by senior Jeff Brown put Valley on top early, and a flustered Central Noble team just couldn't respond.
MATT PERRY, Times-Union Sports Correspondent- | July 28, 2016

AKRON - After winning 11 consecutive games, the offense Tippecanoe Valley boys basketball coach Bill Patrick calls the wheel went flat in the first half Friday against John Glenn.

But when the Viking offense was deflated, junior Cody New was its pump. The 6-foot-1 guard scored 20 points in the third and fourth quarters, as Valley made a game of it before falling 65-58 in double overtime. Valley's 11-game streak began with a win over Glenn in the Plymouth Tournament. New, who only scored three points in the first half, finished the game with 28 points, including six three-pointers.He also pulled down eight rebounds and made five steals. Senior Brandon Eaton was the only other Valley player in double figures.The 6'3" forward finished the game with 15 points on 4-of-13 shooting from the field, leaving him five points shy of the 1,000-point barrier for his career.All four of his field goals came from beyond the arc.The Vikings got eight points and four rebounds off the bench from freshman Trey Eaton.
Vikings, who last lost Dec. 22 in the Plymouth Holiday Tournament, shot 5 of 14 from the field in the first half, trailing 24-14.- | July 28, 2016

Salyer's Double-Double Leads Triton

BOURBON - If the late Chicago Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray had been at Triton's girls basketball game Saturday against Clinton Prairie in the semifinal round of the semistate, he would have approved of Betsy Salyer's performance. Caray was the guy that when the count was two and two with two outs, he had to have a camera on the scoreboard."The deuces are wild" he would have said. Saturday, in a 75-60 win over Clinton Prairie, the dueces were wild for Triton 5-foot-10 senior center Salyer, who scored 22 points and pulled down 22 rebounds. "We had to have it," Triton coach Mark Heeter said of Salyer's double-double."If we didn't get some of those offensive putbacks, we could have been in trouble.We needed one like that from her." The top-ranked Trojans improved to 21-3 with the win, while the unranked Gophers fell to 16-9. Triton advanced to Saturday night's championship game to play Adams Central, who bested Union City 57-40 in the other semifinal game.
DALE HUBLER, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016

Shewman Named Times-Union Girls BB Coach Of The Year

NORTH MANCHESTER -ÊThe year was 1988 and the place Market Square Arena, where a 17-year-old girl by the name of Jody Yochum doggedly searched for a way to get on the floor. Her dreams of playing on the MSA floor had ended when Warsaw's girls basketball team beat her Tippecanoe Valley team in the sectional, long before the state finals.To this day, she tells you, "We choked." Since she was a senior, and since her last chance to play in MSA had disappeared, Yochum needed to find a new excuse to get on the floor.She and teammate Lori Gray brainstormed. "We asked if we could sweep the floor just to step on the floor," she says."We were willing to pay money, and - don't take this the wrong way - do whatever it took to get down on the floor.We almost got down there." Almost. Problem with almost is, it hurts so much.That familiar hurt from "almost" came back this March, 10 years later.
Jeff Holsinger, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

College Roundup

SOUTH BEND -ÊThe Manchester Spartans traveled to South Bend, where they faced Div.I Notre Dame Monday.The Spartans fell 5-1. After going behind 4-0 in the first three innings, the Spartans scored one run in the top of the fourth.However, the Fighting Irish kept Manchester scoreless through the last five innings to earn a 5-1 win. Trevor Haley, Blake Collinsworth, Pete Britton, and Craig Hersey led the Spartans with singles.Hersey and Nick Chaney nabbed stolen bases for Manchester. Paul O'Toole led Notre Dame with a home run, while Brian Stravinsky went 2 for 4 on the day. Manchester is now 1-2 overall while Notre Dame is 5-2.The Spartans host Taylor Unversity Saturday at 1 p.m.
Times-Union Staff Report- | July 28, 2016

Sectional Shocker: Northfield Beats Manchester Squires

BUNKER HILL -ÊThe Northfield Norsemen's basketball team was 6-14, the Manchester Squires 15-6. But the Norsemen upset the Squires 42-41 in triple overtime in Thursday's second round of the Maconaquah 2A Sectional. The Squires led 8-6 after the first quarter and held a 15-11 halftime lead after a low-scoring first half. The Norsemen came out and had a scoring surge in the third frame, outscoring Manchester 16-5 to take 27-20 lead into the fourth. Manchester came back in the fourth, holding Northfield to just two points in the quarter.At the end of regulation, the score was knotted at 29. Just four total points were scored in the first overtime period, and the Squires and Norsemen went into a second overtime tied at 31. Again, the teams remained equal in the second period of overtime, each scoring four points to send the game into yet another overtime.
Times-Union Staff Report- | July 28, 2016

Triton Downs Defending State Champs

BOURBON - The defending state champions went down, and you can safely say one thing about Clinton Prairie's players: They went down shooting. Clinton Prairie, which won last year's Class A state championship, lost to Triton (18-7) 59-53 in Saturday's first round of the Triton A Semistate.The No.10 Gophers (15-9) finished 17 of 63 (27 percent) from the field. "How many easy shots did we miss?" Clinton Prairie coach Connie Garrett groaned after the game."We didn't shoot here yesterday because of the long drive.Looking back, we probably should have." Clinton Prairie graduated three key players off last year's team, including Indiana All-Star Kourtney Mennen, who averaged 28 points per game.At the same time, only two of Clinton Prarie's nine losses were by more than 10 points, and most of the losses were to talented girls basketball programs like Plymouth (twice, by two and three points), Terre Haute South, Frankfort, Lebanon and Westfield.
Jeff Holsinger, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Vikings Advance To The Plymouth Sectional Final

PLYMOUTH -ÊGoing into the bye game of the Plymouth Sectional, 19-1 Tippecanoe Valley was favored over 3-17 Kankakee Valley. On paper. But veteran coach Bill Patrick knew that the Kougars would not just roll over and let the Vikings stroll into the sectional final. "The score is not closer that I expected," he said."I knew they were a lot better team than most people thought.They play a tough schedule, and they are a much better team that their record shows.We were not mentally ready to play, and I think the guys have learned that now it's time to get serious." While Tippecanoe Valley did advance to the sectional final game against Knox tonight at Plymouth, it was definitely not a leisurely stroll as the Vikings slipped by the Kougars 60-58. Trey Eaton scored the first basket of the game to give Tippecanoe Valley a 2-0 lead early, but things went south for the Vikings from there.
JEN GIBSON, Times-Union Sports Editor- | July 28, 2016

12-11 Wildcats In Familiar Underdog Role

SOUTH WHITLEY - Second-year Whitko boys basketball coach Steve Pickett doesn't mind being in the underdog role.In fact, it's as if he prefers to be in that position. After all, it was his Wildcats that were written off in the sectional but put together three solid performances, including a 63-53 win over No.3 Plymouth, in winning the school's first sectional since 1996. Whitko enters tonight's 3A regional contest with a 12-11 record.To pick up the school's first regional crown since 1991, when current Tippecanoe Valley coach Bill Patrick took a Steve Nicodemus-led team to the final four, the Wildcats have to beat 19-4 No.8 Benton Central. Benton Central coach Pat Skaggs said he isn't interested in knowing that the Wildcats are just above .500.To him, Whitko is 3-0.
DALE HUBLER, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016

Pole Position

By Dale Hubler, Times-Union Sports Writer All aboard, next stop Frankort. Get a seat while you can folks.The Akron Amtrak, the Sevastapol Shuttle, the B-Train from Burket is en route to downtown Indianapolis, and it shows no sign of slowing down. It's already made stops in Plymouth and West Lafayette, and a routine stop in Frankfort today would only put the throttle down. This well-oiled machine's fuel supply comes from places like Athens, Burket, Akron, Mentone, Palestine, the outskirts of Warsaw, and Trimble Creek. This high-powered piece of machinery is Tippecanoe Valley High School's boys basketball team.And its conductor, a silver-haired 61-year-old, dons a dark suit jacket, a tie and light brown khakis rather than pinstriped overalls and has an apprentice, a family operation of sorts. Except for the occasional tune ups, this machine has fired on all cylinders since this journey, that we'll dub Destination Indianapolis, began months ago.
TVHS Train Picking Up Speed- | July 28, 2016

Sports Coverage Is The Role Of The Newspaper

There appears to be a misunderstanding among some readers as to the role of a newspaper. Specifically, as that role relates to coverage of local sports. We get these nasty letters from fans.And they say some really dumb things. Now, I will give the fans the benefit of the doubt.I am fairly confident that they aren't dumb people. The only other explanation for some of the comments these fans make must be that they simply don't understand how this stuff works. Allow me an attempt to enlighten them. There seems to be a misconception among sports fans that the role of the newspaper is to "support" the local high school team.
GARY GERARD, Times-Union Managing Editor- | July 28, 2016

These Days, We Need To Be Better Informed

Lots of people I have talked to about the Bill Clinton sex scandal want to know who these pollsters are polling. They find it difficult to believe that 60-some percent of Americans think Clinton is doing a good job. I've been thinking a lot about that and I have come to some conclusions. I think most of the people I talk to about these things are fairly well informed about the issues. That, however, is not the case with most Americans.Believe it or not, the public is pretty clueless when it comes to the Clinton scandals. Now, I think it would be fair to say that most people have a pretty good handle on the Monica Lewinsky stuff, but beyond that, they really aren't too well clued in. And the White House is playing on that scandal illiteracy. We hear over and over how Americans just don't care about the sex scandals in Washington.To back that up the White House trots out poll after poll showing how much Americans don't care.
GARY GERARD, Times-Union Managing Editor- | July 28, 2016

Whitko Advances To Semifinals

PLYMOUTH - Whitko boys basketball coach Steve Pickett's defensive game plan for Tuesday's first-round Plymouth 3A Sectional game against Culver Military Academy wasn't complicated.In fact, it was downright simple. The game plan - stop 6-foot-6 senior Jackson Atoyebi, and you stop CMA. For three quarters that was the case, and Whitko picked up a 65-57 win, moving on to play Three Rivers Conference rival Rochester in Friday's 6 p.m.semfinal game.The win improves Whitko to 10-11, while CMA ends its season at 8-14. Plymouth and Tippecanoe Valley, which both received the bye in the tournament, will square off at 7:30 p.m.Friday. This was the story for CMA Tuesday - when Atoyebi struggled, CMA struggled.When Atoyebi started to heat up, the Eagles made a charge at Whitko.
DALE HUBLER, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016

Tiger Boys Win Thriller At Kokomo

KOKOMO - The color of the bleachers in Kokomo's Memorial Gym, Warsaw's varsity boys basketball team left the Wildkat players blue as well Tuesday night. After trailing the host Wilkats by nine at halftime - a half that could be described as black and blue - the Tigers used an effective inside game with frontliners Ryan DeGeeter, Erik Fussle and Adam Griggs and got two free throws from guard Michael Moore with 15 seconds remaining to pick up a thrilling 60-59 win. "What a gutty win," Warsaw coach Doug Ogle said."This is a big step forward.It was very physical in the first half, and we set a goal going into the fourth to cut the lead to five.We got it to four, that was key." After Wildkat Donald Huntsman - who was 1 of 10 seniors honored before the game - put Kokomo up six to start the fourth, the 6-foot-4 Fussle countered for Warsaw with a three-point play.
DALE HUBLER, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016

Wawasee Wins Third Straight

BREMEN - Wawasee has recently become a team to be reckoned with. The Warriors are only 6-14, but have won their last three games in a row.They went to No.6 (Class 2A) Bremen and handed them their worst loss of the season, 67-53, Friday. The Warriors started the game with a 7-0 run and would never trail at any point in the contest.Wawasee caught Bremen off guard by penetrating then kicking the ball back out to an open guard on the perimeter. Wawasee shot 4 of 9 from behind the arc in the first quarter.Jared Mahnensmith led the early three-point barrage with two.Narron Graves and Brad Brown chipped in with one each. The early scoring chances for the Warriors came from their defense.Two straight baskets, a Mahnensmith three-pointer and a Brody Stipp lay in came from steals.Wawasee stepped into Bremen's passing lanes and capitalized. Bremen, shooting 3 of 8 from the field in the first quarter, also helped Wawasee pull ahead.
DAN RIORDAN, Times-Union Sports Correspondent- | July 28, 2016

College Roundup

NORTH MANCHESTER - Manchester College's softball team defeated Franklin College 10-5 Monday, picking up its first win of the season.The Spartans are now 1-1.Nicolette Gasior picked up the win on the mound for Manchester.Gasior was also 4 of 4 at the plate with a double and three RBIs.Angie Andrew and Tiffany Ozbun each had a double for the Spartans, who will be in again Wednesday when they host Depauw at 3 p.m.Manchester scored four runs in the first inning, four in the second and two more in the seventh.
Times-Union Sports Staff- | July 28, 2016

Grace Falls In Diamond Doubleheader

!photo0404016.JPG Photo by Gary Nieter, Times-Union Grace College senior first baseman Thomas Boyd hits an RBI single in the third inning of Tuesday's first game of a doubleheader in Winona Lake. WINONA LAKE -ÊWhen the Grace College baseball team hosted St.Francis in a Tuesday doubleheader at Miller Field, the Lancers had a chance to improve to .500 on the season with a sweep. However, St.Francis had other plans as the Cougars defeated the Lancers 5-4 and 7-4 to get the sweep. In the opener, St.Francis jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after the top of the second inning.But Grace fought back in the bottom of the inning. Ryan Sturm started Grace's half of the second with a single, and a sacrifice by John Kessinger moved Sturm to second. Then Doug Evans hit a two-run homer to put Grace within one, 3-2. St.Francis got back on the ball in the third, scoring two more runs to take a 5-2 lead.
Jen Gibson, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016
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