Tigers Seek First Win Against Penn

This is the challenge that Warsaw's football team faces this evening: Penn, an 8-1 team. Penn, a team ranked No.4 in Class 5A, whose lone loss came to No.1 (5A) Ben Davis 14-7. Penn, a team that has won Class 5A state championships three of the last four years (last year the Kingsmen lost at semistate). Penn, a team that is 268-43 (.862) during head coach Chris Geesman's 27-year tenure. Penn, a school Warsaw is 0-7 against, dating back to 1967. Penn, which has played Warsaw three times in the sectional and won 47-0 (1985), 36-0 (1991) and 42-0 (1994). Asked what Penn's biggest strength is as a football team, Warsaw coach Phil Jensen said, "That it's Penn." But this is the challenge Penn faces: 8-1 Warsaw. Warsaw, a team that claimed a share of the 1999 Northern Lakes Conference title, the first time the Tigers had at least a share of the title since 1992.

Whitko Seeks First Win Over NorthWood

NAPPANEE - As Whitko and NorthWood meet for the sectional final game Friday, it won't be the first time they have met. In the early 1980s before the class football system, Whitko and NorthWood met twice.About six years ago, they met in a sectional matchup. Although the teams were different then, one thing stayed constant: NorthWood had Whitko's number. In each of the previous meetings, NorthWood has come out on top. This week, Whitko will try to avenge those losses by knocking NorthWood out of sectional play.NorthWood will try to continue their winning streak against the Wildcats. Since neither team wants to finish their season Friday, each of these coaches has done his homework on the opponents. "We hope to play well this week," said Whitko coach Bryan Sprunger."They have a good explosive offense. "(Charlie) Roeder can throw the ball and run with the ball as well.(Aaron) Huber, the tailback/halfback, also runs the ball well.

Valley Steals Win From Warsaw

While it wasn't the best offensive performance of his high school career, a key defensive play by Chad Hoffer helped Tippecanoe Valley's varsity boys basketball team escape Warsaw with a 63-59 win in Wednesday's season opener. With Valley clinging to a 61-59 lead, the host Tigers tried inbounding the ball with 3.2 seconds remaining in the game, needing to go the length of the court. The 6-foot-2 Hoffer, guarding the baseline, intercepted the inbound pass, collected the ball and drove to the basket and was fouled. He hit both free throws and the Vikings left Warsaw with their second consecutive win in the Tiger Den. Hoffer, who scored just four points in the first half, finished the game with 14 points.He was 4 of 16 from the field and 5 of 7 from the free throw line.He also pulled down six rebounds, dished out six assists and made three steals, the last of which helped put the game away.

Tigers Face The Year After

It is the year after for the Warsaw Tigers. The year after - a trip to the Final Four, Mr.Basketball Kevin Ault, and the six seniors who returned some pride and dignity to the Tiger basketball program.Warsaw is indeed starting out fresh this season. "It has been a very interesting preseason," Warsaw coach Al Rhodes said."Kevin Ault has been in our practice for four years and to have him gone along with his senior classmates, who have been there for three years, was tough.It just seemed like we had a whole lot of new faces as we started off." With his 31 points a game, Ault led the Tigers to the IHSAA Final Four in the RCA Dome before getting knocked off by a talented New Albany squad.It was a good ride for Warsaw, who along the way overcame a lot, including a black eye put on the program the year before.

Letters to the Editor 03-11-1998

On The Court

CONCORD AT WARSAW TIPOFF: 8 p.m.Friday at the Tiger Den COACHES: Ron Dietz (Concord), Al Rhodes (Warsaw) RECORDS: Concord 8-3, NLC 1-0; Warsaw 10-2, 3-0 NLC LAST GAME: Warsaw 92, Gary Wallace 78 MATCHUP: ...Warsaw, 3-0 in the Northern Lakes Conference since Dec.20, will try to keep its NLC mark perfect against the dangerous Minutemen.The Tigers come off their last game against Gary Wallace where they shot a state-record 75 free throws agains the Hornets, making 44 of them in a wild affair at the Tiger Den, where Warsaw is 7-0 this season.The game will be televised will be the Game Of The Week on Channel 46 WHME out of South Bend. GAME TALK: Concord...Concord has a three-pronged attack offensively with Jamie Snyder (13.5 points per game), Jason Stewart (11.6 ppg), and Jeremy Gillespie (10.5 ppg).Dietz was unavailable for comment.

Most Urgent Enforcement Problem

I read a wire story a couple weeks ago, quoting law enforcement types from around the state. They were talking about what their most pressing law enforcement problems were. They seemed to reach a consensus - methamphetamine. While I don't mean to diminish the impact of meth on society, I think law enforcement officials in Kosciusko County could answer differently. I think the most pressing law enforcement problem around here is U.S.30. Of course, all of this was prompted by yet another fatal accident on U.S.30 Sept.8. A 28-year-old man died when his car was struck broadside by a semi that ran a red light.The semi driver was blowing the horn, witnesses said. It seems you take your life into your hands when you cross that highway around Warsaw and somehow, this seems unacceptable to me. But what do we do? Well, I would say everything.Let's do everything.

Warriors Dominate Competition

KENDALLVILLE - The last match of the day ended, and Shaun Belin sought out Jamie Salazar. When Belin found him at the edge of the wrestling mat, he threw himself into the heavyweight's big arms, slapped him on the back and said, "Jamie...Jamie." Few words were needed then, and even fewer during the five hours before that.From 10 a.m.to about 3 p.m., Belin and Salazar and fellow Wawasee wrestlers let their moves on the mat speak for themselves. Central Noble, DeKalb, East Noble, West Noble and Westview - the other teams that grappled in Saturday's East Noble Sectional - got the message, delivered with the subtlety of a Dennis Rodman kick to the groin. These Wawasee wrestlers are good.No, make that more than good.Down right dominating. Yep, that's what they were Saturday, from the time 103-pound livewire Chet Wortinger started the work on the mats until Salazar finished it.

Tiger Girls Fall To Barons

COLUMBIA CITY - After giving DeKalb too many second-chance points Friday, Warsaw's varsity girls basketball team won't get the opportunity for a second chance against Carroll tonight. The Tigers, who struggled from the field and fell 45-40 to Carroll Jan.27, could have played the Chargers for the Columbia City 4A Sectional championship but lost a six-point lead to DeKalb and bowed out of the state tournament with a 52-50 semifinal loss to the Barons. Carroll, which fell to Warsaw in last year's sectional championship at the Tiger Den, advanced to tonight's title tilt with a 43-32 win over host Columbia City. After shooting just above 30 percent from the floor against Carroll in late Jan., first-year Warsaw coach John Snyder said his team could play better than that and was hoping for another chance at the Chargers in the sectional. Because of the second-chance points Warsaw gave up to DeKalb, the Tigers won't get their second chance at Carroll.

Warsaw Girls Claim First Swim Sectional Title

Tod Giles knows that this year's version of the Warsaw girls swim team is special. Giles, the custodian at the Warsaw Community High School pool, said he's spent more time on a ladder changing the big board of pool records at the north end of the pool this year, than any other. "And it's a big ladder," mused Giles, putting extra emphasis on big. Giles and a standing room only crowd at the WCHS pool looked on as the Tigers won the school's first sectional crown in girls swimming. "It's about time," said Warsaw senior Amanda Brown."It feels great." Brown, who's been swimming for Aukeman since she was 8, finished sixth in the 200 IM with a personal best time of 2:28.22 Brown along with her other teammates came into the week wondering how long it'd been since they won a sectional crown.

Bremen Wins Warsaw Sectional Swim Title

To say swim coaches are animated at meets during the regular season is putting it mildly.They jump up and down, walk the length of the pool as their swimmers compete, flail their arms as if swimming in air and yell "Hup! Hup!" to signal how fast their girls should be swimming. Well, multiply that by about a thousand and it might come close to describing their actions at a sectional. For example, Saturday at the Warsaw Girls Swim Sectional, both of Bremen's coaches were dressed in camouflage and kept their team's spirits up by jumping up and down, flailing their arms and barking instructions to their swimmers in the pool. But the coaches were not the only ones who got into the excitement at Saturday's sectional.Several swimmers wore brightly colored tights or old ripped up swimsuits over their school's suits while warming up.Some girls donned animal print cowboy hats or pajama pants when not competing.

Tigers Escape Elkhart Memorial, To Play For Conference Championship

ELKHART - Impressive as he was shooting the ball in the first half, it was a pass by Michael Moore in the closing seconds that put Warsaw's varsity boys basketball team in position to win Monday evening. The score knotted at 49 after host Elkhart Memorial's Travis Walerko hit a three-pointer with 17 seconds remaining, the Tigers called time out with nine seconds on the clock, and then the 5-foot-6 Moore dished to teammate Michael Wienhorst, who was fouled on his game-winning layup attempt with one second left. Wienhorst hit the first free throw for the 50-49 win, and then missed the second on purpose, as Memorial wouldn't have had time to snag the rebound and get off a shot.

Olinger Fighting System, Pain For Game He Loves

A Warsaw man continues to follow his dreams of being a professional golfer even though his daily life is plagued by pain. Ford Olinger, 31, is not only fighting pain that hinders his walking, he is also fighting the golf system to allow him to use a cart in USGA events. Olinger won an injunction May 15 that enabled him to ride in a golf cart Monday at the U.S.Open qualifying event in South Bend.Although Olinger failed to qualify for the next round, he continues to play golf even after doctors said someday he may never walk again. Lying on an operating table a year ago, Olinger said he faced the reality that he may not walk again or never play golf again. The pain began more than two years ago at a Tommy Armour tour event in Orlando, Fla.Olinger said his lower back began to hurt and a local clinic gave him a cortisone shot for the pain.

For Warriors, To Err Is To Lose

If Warsaw girls softball coach Craig Helfrich could script the ideal game, Monday's 5-1 win over Wawasee would have been the blueprint. Timely hitting.Solid defense.And, as he's come to expect, another strong pitching performance by sophomore right-hander Michelle Liebsch.Liebsch, coming off a no-hitter against East Noble, blanked Wawasee for six innings to pick up the complete-game win. "Like I've said all along, if we get the good defense, with our pitching, we will do good things," Helfrich said."I've stressed to our girls that if our outfield catches the ball, we'll be OK, because our infield defense is solid.We could have had two shutouts in a row, but I think Michelle got a little tired." For Wawasee softball coach Bo O'Dell, if there was a game to forget, this would be it.He watched his team commit six errors, including five in the first three innings.Four of Warsaw's five runs were unearned.

Warsaw Trips Wawasee

There was a time - recently as five years ago - when Wawasee's girls track and field team would dominate Warsaw. The teams have switched roles.Warsaw has dominated Wawasee the past few years, and that trend continued with the Tigers' 87-36 Thursday win over the Warriors.Warsaw improved to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in the Northern Lakes Conference, while Wawasee fell to 3-3 overall and 0-1 in the NLC. "Overall, our girls competed as well as they could," Wawasee coach Kevin Gilbert said."We knew Warsaw was strong.Warsaw has a great shot to win the conference this year." Said Warsaw coach Paul Boyd: "I'm not trying to be cocky, but we know we have talent here.We're deep." The Tigers are so deep they swept the top three places in five of the 15 events. Four of the sweeps came in track events.

Wawasee Too Much For Host Whitko

SOUTH WHITLEY - Jordan who? Senior Rob McKibben looked a little tentative as the starting running back for Wawasee racked up just four yards on his first two carries in Friday night's game against Whitko. Then the 5-foot-10 senior found his stride and rushed for 136 yards in his next eight carries, scoring three times to lead the Warriors past the host Wildcats 31-17. "Rob was so excited to be the starting running back," said Wawasee head coach Joe Rietveld."He waited three years for this and running back is his favorite position.His legs weren't quite moving as fast as his eyes or head were, but when he had that long run it clicked." The long run in question was a 20-yard burst up the middle of Whitko's defense on the first play of the Warriors' second possession. Wawasee went to McKibben five times on that drive and he capped it off with a three-yard run at the 6:15 mark of the first quarter.

Quiet Bats Keep Tiger Offense Asleep

Pitching and defense, they preach. Get these two things, baseball managers and broadcasters say, and you win games. Try telling that to Warsaw's softball team. Like most games during the regular season, the Tigers got good pitching and defense in Thursday's round two Class 3A Warsaw Sectional game with Elkhart Central. Like several games during the regular season, they did not get enough hitting.The Tigers saw their season end with a 1-0 loss to Elkhart Central. With Elkhart Central's Stephanie Jellison and Warsaw's Michelle Liebsch dealing on the mound, this game had that feeling, that who scored first would win.Warsaw coach Craig Helfrich felt it, and he told his team so during the middle of the fifth inning of the 0-0 game. "One run can win this game," he told his players in the dugout before they went to bat in the bottom of the inning.

Neither Flu Nor Whitko Can Slow Zolman

SYRACUSE - Shanna Zolman's legend continues to grow. As the old story goes, Michael Jordan had to be helped off the floor by Scottie Pippen.In an NBA Finals game against the Utah Jazz Jordan scored 55 points despite fighting off the flu and a near 100-degree temperature.Thursday night Zolman, Wawasee freshman and the state's leading scorer, played under similar conditions. While fending off a flu that has plagued her the last few days, Zolman scored 30 points, 18 in the second half, to lead the Warriors over Whitko 54-50.Michelle Lamb and Kara Price added eight points each in the win that improved Wawasee's overall record to 14-6.Whitko was led in scoring by Tisha Rowland's 14 points.Monica Sands came off the bench to score 12 and pull down eight rebounds.

Warsaw Boys Snap Losing Streak

Needing a win badly, as fourth-year coach Doug Ogle put it, Warsaw's varsity boys basketball team got one Tuesday night. Led by 14-point performances from juniors Miles Plumlee and Steve Lemasters, as well as a 43-point second half, the Tigers snapped a five-game losing streak with a 73-47 victory over visiting Fort Wayne Canterbury. "We needed a win badly," said Ogle, who earned his 50th career win as head coach of the Tigers."This gives us something to build on as we look to Huntington North and senior night." Warsaw, now 8-10 on the season, will play its final home game of the season Friday when it hosts the Class 4A No.8 Vikings (15-2). Tuesday's win was the first for the Tigers since a 15-point victory over conference foe Goshen Jan.13 and matched the second-most decisive win in Ogle's tenure. Warsaw beat Gary Wallace by 26 in 2003.In that same year, Warsaw beat Gary Wirt by 30, the most decisive victory in Ogle's tenure.

Kline Is Fine In Win Over Warsaw

HUNTINGTON -ÊGoing into Friday's basketball game against Huntington North, Warsaw knew Sean Kline would be a handful.He proved them right when he started the varsity contest off with not just one dunk, but two in the first 48 seconds of play. Kline continued to be a thorn in the Tigers' side as he scored 29 points and led the Vikings to a 73-64 victory over the Warsaw squad. After Kline scored the first four points on slam dunks, he netted a three-pointer to put the Vikings up 7-0. The Huntington North squad held the Tigers scoreless until the 4:24 mark when Ross Kesler put Warsaw on the board. In the last four minutes of the first frame, Warsaw #outscored Huntington North 15-8 to make the score 18-17 in the Viking's favor as the second stanza began. With 7:14 left in the second quarter, Ross Kesler nailed a two-point basket to give the Tigers their first lead of the game, 19-18.