The Indiana Crossroads Conference has announced 2022 All-Conference athletes for three fall sports.

Volleyball

A pair of Triton Central Tigers earned All-ICC recognition as part of the 12-player volleyball squad.

Maddy Brown (photo), Triton Central’s career kills leader, was one of the top vote getters in postseason voting. The senior led Triton Central (20-10) with 282 kills and was second in service aces (43) and digs (280).

Bailey, a junior, was second in kills with 219 and led TC in total blocks with 43.

Also named All-ICC were Scecina’s Allison Daves, Abigail McCoy and Molly Welborn, Monrovia’s Madison McCubbins and Shelby Clements, Lutheran’s Regan Wilson and Cathryn Erwin, Cascade’s Sydney Warran, and Speedway’s Taylor Ridge and Peyton Ridge.

Scecina (30-6) won the ICC title with a perfect 7-0 record. Lutheran (18-18) was runner-up at 5-2 followed by Monrovia (13-12, 4-3 ICC), Triton Central (20-10, 4-3), Cascade (21-14, 4-3), Speedway (16-15, 3-4), Ritter (11-15, 1-6) and Beech Grove (7-23, 0-7).

Boys Tennis

Triton Central earned an All-ICC designation at all five positions.

Tucker Hutchinson, Avram Rund and Cole Thomas were selected all-conference at No. 1 singles, No. 2 singles and No. 3 singles, respectively.

TC’s No. 1 doubles team of Griffin Sego and Ben Toth and No. 2 doubles team of Oliver Gearlds and Joey Brosnan also were named All-ICC.

Other players selected were Beech Grove’s No. 1 singles player Chase Alford, Scecina’s No. 1 singles player Daniel Elijah and Scecina’s No. 2 singles players Quinn Schreiber.

Girls Soccer

Three Tigers were named to the 19-player All-ICC team.

Lizzie Graham, Jocelyn Firebaugh and Kennedy Brown helped Triton Central to an 8-10 record this season.

Graham (photo) led the Tigers with 25 goals scored to close out her career as the program’s fourth all-time leading scorer.

Also named all-conference were Monrovia’s Emery Newlin, Whitney Willett, Nellie Sandeford and Allie Swafford, Speedway’s Shelby Rendes, Genesis Austin, Audrey Burrell and Kali Jackson-Dietzer, Ritter’s Anna Kokosa, Jordan Hinkle and Jenni Cazares, Cascade’s Anna Burns, Ava Cook  and Creedance Chittenden, Scecina’s Ava Smith, and Beech Grove’s Lilly Jansen.

Speedway (10-4-2) won the ICC title with a 6-0 record. Monrovia (15-3) was runner-up at 5-1 followed by Ritter (7-7-1, 4-2 ICC), Cascade (9-7-1, 3-3), Triton Central (8-10, 2-4), Scecina (4-9-2, 1-5) and Beech Grove (2-12, 0-6).

No More Fake News and DeShawn Parker earned their second straight victory to kick off the Thoroughbred stakes portion on the third annual Indiana Champions day featuring seven stakes races with purses over $1 million.

No More Fake News won her second straight stakes in the third running of the $200,000 Lady Fog Horn Stakes Saturday at Horseshoe Indianapolis in Shelbyville.

No More Fake News got away in fourth and moved up into third at the halfway point of the one-mile event. Compressed Energy and Gage Holmes battled through the stretch with No More Fake News getting the edge at the wire by one-half length. Amazingness and Marcelino Pedroza Jr. finished third.

No More Fake News was the favorite of the field, paying $4.60 for the win. The three-year-old Notional filly, bred by Gary Patrick from his former race mare Utesa, is now three for eight in 2022. Patrick also owns and trains the talented filly, who boosted her career bankroll to more than $270,000 with the win.

“We didn’t have a lot of early speed to run into, but once she got on the lead, she was game,” said Parker, who has more than 6,000 career wins. “My filly really dug in, but Gage’s filly (Compressed Energy) was really running late too. I knew I had Marcelino (Pedroza aboard Amazingness) and Gage (Holmes) behind me coming on, so I knew it was close. My filly really tried her heart out.”

Overall, it was the fourth win of her career for No More Fake News, who only won one race as a two-year-old. She has earned a majority of her bankroll this season, pairing the Lady Fog Horn Stakes with a win in the $100,000 ITOBA Stallion Season Fillies Stakes in her last start.

Forrie Smith (photo, third from left), who portrays Lloyd on “Yellowstone,” a former bareback rider on the pro rodeo circuit, presented the trophy to the Patricks following their win with No More Fake News.

Patrick, a former saddle bronc rider himself, is from Circleville, Ohio, and has been training horses since the late 1980s. He is one of Indiana’s all-time leading trainers and owners, competing in the state since pari-mutuel racing began in 1995. His wife, Cindy, a former jockey and now a top barrel racer in the United States, ponies all the racehorses to post, including No More Fake News for the Lady Fog Horn.

Winner Spirit and James Flores were winners in the richest Quarter Horse race ever in the state of Indiana. The duo scored the victory in the $201,500 Miss Roxie Little Futurity to cap off a $1 million day in purses during the third Indiana Champions Day at Horseshoe Indianapolis in Shelbyville.

Winner Spirit and Flores began their journey from post three and quarters were tight in the first few strides, but Winner Spirit was focused and carried Flores right to the lead. The two-year-old Indiana bred son of Apollitical Spirit was joined by Dashtraxx and Rolando Pina on the inside through the early stages of the race. In the final strides of the 350-yard dash, Winner Spirit was able to pull away, scoring the win by one-half length in 17.682 seconds.

Dashtraxx was second over The Dirty Wagon and German Rodriguez for third.

Winner Spirit, one of five in the Miss Roxie Little final for leading trainer Randy Smith, paid $10.60 for the win. The sorrel gelding is a homebred for Walter “Dick” Harrison, who was joined by his wife, Lois, of 72 years in the winner’s circle for the celebration. It was the fifth-straight win for Winner Spirit and the second with Flores aboard, who rode the gelding to a win in the trials, posting the second fastest time to advance to the final.

“I had no relationship with the horse prior to the trial and relied on Randy (Smith) to tell me about him,” said Flores. “Randy told me last time that he would try to drift in, so I did the best I could to keep him straight. He kept a straight course tonight and responded very well to me. I want to thank the owners and to Randy for this opportunity. I enjoy coming up to ride for them in Indiana.”

Flores, who is based in New Mexico, has been coming in to ride for Smith and other trainers for the All-Quarter Horse racing days for the past five years. He has won numerous stakes during his visits and adds two stakes wins to his credentials following the third Indiana Champions Day. He was also victorious for Smith aboard Head Patron in the QHRAI Derby.

The Miss Roxie Little Futurity is named after a mare that ran in Indiana prior to the turn of the century. The race has built up to one of the highest purse races for Indiana over the years and now holds the distinction of being the richest race ever for Quarter Horse racing in Indiana. It’s the third time Smith has won the race in the 14-year history of the event, which began in 2009.

“It’s always great to win a stakes race,” said the soft-spoken Smith, who finished third and third in the race. “It’s about having good owners, good help and good horses.”

Three of the four remaining head coaches in Class 2A, Sectional 39 have a combined 728 wins over the last 33 seasons.

The fourth, Clarksville’s Justin Boser, has a running back with over 6,500 career yards in a storied career.

The Sectional 39 final four meet Friday with Class 2A, No. 5 Triton Central (8-2) at Brownstown Central (6-4) and Class A, No. 4 Indianapolis Scecina (9-1) at Clarksville (5-5).

Triton Central head coach Tim Able (213 career wins at five different schools) has never gone head-to-head with Brownstown Central head coach Reed May (291 wins all in Brownstown).

The veteran duo is well-acquainted, though.

“I’ve known him a long time,” said Able. “He is a quiet, great human being. He runs a classy program.”

Not only does Able not have a win over May and the Braves, neither does Triton Central – 0-6 all-time against Brownstown Central, back when the programs were in the same sectional more two decades ago.

Triton Central’s worst loss came to May and the Braves on Oct. 29, 1999. Brownstown Central won a sectional semifinal game 98-24 over the Tigers and head coach Joe Fussell.

In fact, in the last three meetings between the programs (1996, 1999 and 2000), Brownstown Central averaged 67 points per game.

Able (photo) won’t label May an old-school football coach in today’s modern game that is much more pass oriented. May’s “single wing” attack has brought the program great success over the years including 13 sectional and three regional championships.

“There are different ways going about that,” said Able. “They run that single wing at all their levels and they execute it amazingly. The tradition and culture is amazing there. I expect a packed house at the game (Friday).”

Brownstown Central finished 11-1 in 2021 but graduation deeply gashed the program. The only returning starter on offense is senior quarterback Carson Darlage (6-4, 210 pounds).

Darlage totaled 1,882 yards of offense (1,234 yards rushing, 648 passing) and 29 touchdowns in 2021 on the way to a junior all-state selection.

A senior-dominated offensive line and two excellent athletes were part of the graduating class leaving Darlage to carry the offensive load this season -- 842 yards rushing and 494 yards passing.

“He is a better runner than a thrower,” said Able. “When he goes, he goes. We’ve got to be ready for that.”

The single wing produces deception in the backfield. Darlage will tuck the ball into the arms of players like junior Isiaah Engle (607 yards rushing), senior Adam Wayt (309 yards) or sophomore Greg Hutcheson (356 yards) -- or just keep it himself.

“The quarterback does more inside runs while the rest go out wide,” said Able. “The splits are tight, congested so the edge is not very far out there. It’s tight in a ‘phone booth.’

“I’m not sure our kids know what a phone booth is.”

Triton Central must contain at the line of scrimmage and not over-pursue a potential ball carrier.

“Don’t run up field,” proclaimed Able. “Play down the line of scrimmage and play leverage. They run around you and run up the edge. We have to shut down the edge. We’ve got the speed to matchup with them.”

Simulating the quickness of the Braves’ offense is difficult admitted Able.

“It’s so unique. It’s not easy to do,” he said. “We found that out the first day. It’s hard to simulate that speed. We can’t simulate it in practice.”

Able is counting on May having similar problems preparing his defense for Triton Central’s modern day offense that features a 2,000-yard passer in Jace Stuckey, a near-1,000-yard rusher in Ray Crawford and a receiver with more than 1,300 yards and 17 touchdowns so far in a record-shattering season for Brad Schultz.

“Their quarterback throws about 15-20% of the time. He can’t simulate our (offense). And he is lefty,” said Able.

Triton Central enters the sectional semifinal round a nearly-four touchdown favorite in part to its dynamic offensive talent. However, the starting defensive unit has allowed just one touchdown in the last three games.

Triton Central needs that defense to continue its stellar play and not allow Darlage and the Braves to chew up yards and time on the clock.

“We’ve played against teams that are run heavy,” said Able. “We want to make them pass heavy because they can burn a lot of clock.”

Triton Central’s offense has suffered from slow starts at times this season which could be troublesome Friday in a hostile environment against a program with great tradition.

“Our offense needs to come out ready from the beginning – complete passes, get on blocks, stay on blocks, stay away from penalties and ahead of the chains,” said Able.

Scecina head coach Ott Hurrle has 224 wins over his 33-year career and has the Crusaders set as a nearly 30-point favorite at Clarksville Friday.

For the Generals to upset Scecina, senior running back Robert Lamar (photo, left) will need a heroic effort much like his more than 400 yards rushing and eight touchdowns one week earlier in Clarksville’s 70-42 win over Eastern (Pekin).

Lamar has rushed for 2,839 yards this season and 34 TDs. For his career, he has 6,590 yards rushing and 72 TDs. Lamar is just outside the state’s top 10 rushing records for a season and career going into the matchup with the Crusaders.

QUICK FACTS:

Class 2A, No. 5 Triton Central at Brownstown Central

Game time: 7 p.m. at Blevins Stadium, 500 North Elm Street in Brownstown, Indiana.

Admission: General admission tickets are $7, cash only.

Head coaches: Tim Able, 88-34 in 10^th year at Triton Central; 213-132 in 29^th year overall; Reed May, 291-61 in 30th year at Brownstown Central.

2022 record: Triton Central 8-2; Brownstown Central 6-4.

2021 record: Triton Central 8-5; Brownstown Central 11-1.

Sagarin ratings: Triton Central, 71.2, 60th overall, 3rd in Class 2A; Brownstown Central 43.41, 176th overall, 28th in Class 2A.

Point spread: Triton Central is a 26-point favorite.

Common foe: Triton Central defeated Indian Creek, 49-14 on Sept. 16; Indian Creek defeated Brownstown Central, 26-13 on Sept. 30.

Series history: Brownstown Central is 6-0 all-time against Triton Central. The last meeting came on Oct. 27, 2000, in a sectional semifinal game at Triton Central which the Braves won 57-8. One year earlier in Brownstown, the Braves routed Triton Central, 98-24 in a sectional semifinal contest.

Sectional 39 other semifinal: Class 2A, No. 4 Indianapolis Scecina (9-1) at Clarksville (5-5).

Sectional 39 championship: If Triton Central wins, it will host the sectional championship against either Scecina or Clarksville.

Dylan Wasson had two tackles (one solo, one assist) and a quarterback sack Saturday for Olivet Nazarene in a 37-30 win at Missouri Baptist in St. Louis, Missouri.

Wasson, a Triton Central graduate, helped Olivet Nazarene improve to 4-3 this season and net the program’s second-consecutive road victory.

Here is a look at other Shelby County graduates competing at the collegiate level.

Cameron Baker

The Shelbyville graduate finished 17^th in the one-meter diving competition for Franklin College Saturday in the Indiana Intercollegiate Meet at Purdue University.

The meet featured swimmers and divers from Division I, Division III and NAIA schools.

Layton Stieneker

Franklin College traveled to Johnson University in Tennessee Saturday and closed out its fall schedule with a 5-4 victory.

Stieneker, a Shelbyville graduate, and No. 1 doubles partner Dustin Garrison lost 8-2 to Ignacio Gamarra and Eli Vento.

Stieneker played at No. 4 singles and lost 6-3, 6-4 to Noah Brown.

Elizabeth Kemper

The Triton Central graduate finished 56^th overall (18-over-par 90) for No. 9 Taylor University’s women’s golf team on Oct. 17 at the TPC Deere Run Invitational in Silvis, Illinois.

Only one round was completed in the weather-shortened event. Taylor finished ninth in the field that featured several top-25 NAIA golf programs.

Kenneth Gipson

The Triton Central graduate started on the offensive line for Rose-Hulman Saturday in a 49-0 win over visiting Franklin College.

The Engineers racked up 401 yards of offense to improve to 4-3 this season and 4-0 against Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference foes.

Emma Nolley

The Shelbyville graduate earned her first start at libero for Texas Woman’s University Saturday in a 25-20, 25-8, 25-5 victory over Western New Mexico.

Nolley finished with three assists, one service ace and 10 digs to help the program improve to 13-11 this season and 4-8 against Lone Star Conference opponents.

Julia Sanders

IU Kokomo pushed its record to 22-5 this season and 11-1 in the River States Conference with wins at Oakland City University and at home against the University of Rio Grande (Ohio) and West Virginia Tech.

Sanders, a Triton Central graduate, had one assist and two digs in a 25-17, 25-7, 25-15 win at Oakland City on Oct. 18.

IU Kokomo swept Rio Grande, 25-23, 25-19, 25-10 Friday. Sanders had one ace and four digs.

On Saturday, IU Kokomo defeated West Virginia Tech, 25-14, 25-18, 25-20. Sanders finished with one assist, one ace and six digs.

Maggie Schweitzer

The Triton Central graduate recorded one kill, 21 assists, two aces and nine digs Saturday in Hanover’s 25-18, 25-15, 22-25, 20-25, 15-9 loss at Anderson University.

On Wednesday, Hanover lost to Transylvania University, 25-20, 20-25, 25-12, 25-18. Schweitzer finished with two kills, 17 assists and eight digs.

Hanover is 12-12 this season and 3-4 in the HCAC standings.

Brooklyn Schiffli

The Triton Central graduate had eight digs Saturday in Jacksonville State’s 25-12, 25-13, 25-23 win at the University of Jacksonville.

On Friday, North Florida defeated the Gamecocks, 26-24, 25-18, 21-25, 19-25, 15-10. Schiffli had one assist, two aces and 11 digs.

Jacksonville State is 19-4 this season and 7-3 in the Atlantic Sun Conference standings.

Main photo credit from Olivet Nazarene athletic department: Seth Ellis.

Editor's note: Dylan Wasson started the season wearing jersey No. 63. He is now wearing No. 46.

IUPUC will be participating as a member of the River States Conference (RSC) beginning in the fall of 2023, pending full membership in the NAIA being granted to IUPUC next spring.

In its first year of intercollegiate athletics, IUPUC is participating as an Associate Member of the NAIA in men’s and women’s cross country, softball and baseball. Beginning next fall, IUPUC will add men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball, bringing the number of teams competing under the Crimson Pride banner to seven.

“The River States Conference is pleased to add IUPUC as a member school next year. IUPUC is a newer program and looks to be a strong member as they grow their athletic programs,” said River States Commissioner Michael Schell.

The RSC currently has 13 member institutions representing five states–Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Member schools include: Alice Lloyd (Ky.) College, Brescia (Ky.) University, Carlow (Pa.) University, Indiana University East, Indiana University Kokomo, Indiana University Southeast, Midway (Ky.) University, Oakland City (Ind.) University, Ohio Christian University, Point Park (Pa.) University, the University of Rio Grande (Ohio), St. Mary-of-the-Woods (Ind.) College and WVU Tech.

“We are honored to become a member of the River States Conference as we build our athletic program here at IUPUC,” said IUPUC Vice Chancellor and Dean, Reinhold Hill. “The RSC is a perfect fit for our campus both geographically and competitively, and we look forward to building friendships and rivalries with our new conference foes.”

The River States Conference's 17 championship sports are: Baseball, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country, Men's Golf, Women's Golf, Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer, Softball, Men's Tennis, Women's Tennis, Men's Indoor Track & Field, Men's Outdoor Track & Field, Women's Indoor Track & Field, Women's Outdoor Track & Field and Volleyball. 

 Track announcer John G. Dooley summed it up. It gives you goosebumps to watch the magnificent Danjer run. The world champion lived up to the hype in the Grade 1 $269,627 Bank of America Challenge Championship to close out the richest night of Quarter Horse racing in the state of Indiana.

Danjer, ridden by regular pilot Cody Smith, was forceful out of the gate and in just a few strides was on top of the field of 10 at Horseshoe Indianapolis in Shelbyville.

The six-year-old FDD Dynasty gelding was powerful in every stride as Smith sat motionless aboard him, never even thinking about asking him for more. Danjer moved away from the field, coasting under the wire by one and three-quarter lengths for his fourth-straight win.

Purty Darn Quick and Stormy Smith finished second over Apollitical Hero and Edwin Escobedo.

Danjer was the overwhelming favorite, paying $2.20 for the win. The victory in the Bank of America Challenge Championship was his 19^th trip to the winner’s circle and he now has more than $2 million in career earnings from 31 career starts. Danjer is owned by Dean Frey, Downtime Enterprises LLC, and Billy Smith. Frey also bred the superstar and trains him. Smith has been aboard him for 13 of his career wins, including the past two Bank of America Challenge Championships, making him a three-time winner of the Grade 1 event.

“He’s one of a kind,” said Smith. “When you start riding him, you just don’t want to mess him up and let him do his thing. He slipped a little leaving, but it didn’t take him long to get his feet under him.”

Danjer isn’t done yet for 2022. His connections already have a schedule in place for his next race.

“We plan to take him to California for the Champion of Champions for his next race,” said Frey.

The Grade 1 $750,000 Champion of Champions race is set for Los Alamitos in November. Trials will be contested on Nov. 13 and it will mark the first trip to California for the reigning world champion.

One lucky racing fan made a trip to the betting windows thanks to Danjer. Katie Foster of Indianapolis was the winner of the $1,000 Megabet on the Bank of America Challenge Championship and selected Danjer for her wager and took home $1,100 in winnings for the wager.

The 20^th season of live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis extends through Nov. 23.

On Friday nights, the Shelbyville Golden Bears football team works to overcome deficiencies as the program’s rebuild continues.

Bigger, faster, stronger are words that can describe most opponents.

But the Golden Bears have recovered their fight. It was evident in Friday’s sectional quarterfinal when Bedford North Lawrence jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Shelbyville rallied back with 14 unanswered points before the Stars took control and scored the final 21 of the first half and moved on with a Class 4A, Sectional 23 quarterfinal win, 42-21.

The Stars (6-4) jumped out to a 7-0 lead after forcing Shelbyville to punt on the game’s first possession. Starting at the 15-yard line, the BNL 85-yard drive was highlighted by two catches for 44 yards by 6-foot, two-inch junior wide receiver Ryker Hughes. Starting tailback Cal Gates capped the drive with a three-yard run.

Shelbyville’s next possession also ended with a punt that did not get far off the foot of Bears’ punter Jackson Parker. BNL blocked the attempt and a convenient bounce was recovered by senior lineman Greg Gilbert who scrambled into the endzone for a 14-0 lead with 3:26 remaining in the first quarter.

Shelbyville (1-9) would respond. 

Senior Jordan Marcum, in his final game at McKeand Stadium, scored on a six-yard run in the opening minute of the second quarter to pull within 14-7. The Golden Bears recovered a fumble at the SHS 32-yard line by BNL junior quarterback Memphis Louden. On the subsequent drive, Shelbyville chose to go for it on a fourth down and two from the 40-yard line. 

Junior running back Axel Conover escaped down the right sideline and scored on a 60-yard run to tie the game at 14.

Conover led the Shelbyville rushing attack with 105 yards on 14 carries.

But Shelbyville didn’t have a first-half answer for Louden, who was 10-for-14 passing with 171 yards in the opening two quarters. The versatile quarterback also used his legs to run for a six-yard touchdown with 5:46 left in the second quarter to regain the lead, 21-14. 

Two more Stars touchdowns opened up a 35-14 halftime lead. Gates scored his second rushing touchdown of the game to run the lead back to 14 points, 28-14. 

Then, with 3.4 seconds left in the half, Louden found Ryker Hughes with a high arcing pass in the back of the endzone to give the Stars a 21-point halftime lead.

Hughes leads a veteran BNL wide receiver staff with seven touchdown catches.

Shelbyville’s defense provided opportunities in the third quarter with two interceptions of Louden. The first by senior Cael Lux at the Shelbyville 38-yard line ended in a Golden Bears' possession that turned the ball over on downs. But the second, a pick by Conover at the Stars 20-yard line, turned into a five-yard touchdown pass from Eli Chappelow to senior Jackson Parker with 10:46 remaining in the fourth quarter. With the Aiden Helfer-Vazquez extra point Shelbyville was again within two scores, 35-21.

Chappelow was 7-for-12 passing for 88 yards and a touchdown.  Parker caught four passes for 62 yards.

Shelbyville would get no closer, though. 

BNL’s Gates capped the scoring with his third rushing score of the night with 5:39 left.

Shelbyville head coach Brian Glesing on the GIANT fm Sports Cagney's Pizza King postgame with Johnny McCrory and Mark Drake.

Louden finished 12-for-18 passing for 186 yards. He threw for one score and ran in another. He did commit three turnovers with a fumble and two interceptions.

Bedford North Lawrence advances to next week’s semifinal in Sectional 23 to play No. 13-ranked Martinsville. The Artesians shut out Greenwood, 49-0.

In the bottom of the Sectional 23 bracket, Silver Creek outscored Jennings County, 53-42 to face No. 3 East Central.  The Trojans advanced with a win over Edgewood, 53-0.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Ray Crawford’s first handoff within sight of the south end zone at Ray Schultz Field ended with a touchdown run. Three weeks earlier, the last handoff he took at Christel House Manual’s field ended in heartbreak.

Crawford was stuffed behind the line of scrimmage on the final play of a 21-20 overtime loss to Indianapolis Scecina at Ray Schultz Field.

Class 2A, No. 5 Triton Central opened Sectional 39 play Friday at the same field and romped to a 58-6 victory.

Crawford (photo) ran for two touchdowns and Brad Schultz had three touchdown receptions to lead Triton Central to a convincing victory.

The Tigers, now 8-2, will travel to Brownstown Central (6-4) for a semifinal contest next Friday. Brownstown Central defeated Brown County, 61-7, in its sectional opener.

After shutting down Christel House Manual’s game-opening drive, Triton Central took over at its own 36-yard line and started marching toward the north end zone. Three Crawford runs and a catch by Schultz gave TC a second-and-13 play at the Eagles’ 17.

Quarterback Jace Stuckey (photo) scrambled loose and ran the 17 yards for a touchdown but Crawford was called for an unsportsmanlike penalty when he delivered a knockout block on Christel House’s Jalen Gill, who did not return to the game.

With the touchdown negated and a third-down pass falling incomplete, Levi Dewey drilled a 40-yard field goal for an early lead.

The Eagles fumbled on the first play of their second drive and Stuckey notched the first of three straight touchdown passes to Schultz. The first came from nine yards out. The second was 48 yards as Schultz ran under a deep pass into the end zone. The third was a 15-yarder early in the second quarter as Triton Central quickly rolled to a 24-0 lead while Christel House was still trying to earn a first down.

Crawford’s two touchdown runs came successively in the second quarter and Brayden Wilkins added a 15-yard scoring run to set the halftime score at 45-0.

Triton Central came into the sectional opener a 69-point favorite.

“This game was unique from many games we’ve had,” said Stuckey, who along with the rest of the starting units spent the second half on the sidelines. “We took a different approach but I think we did what we wanted to do and we did it well.”

Stuckey completed 8 of 13 passes for 162 yards.

Schultz (photo) hauled in seven catches for 137 yards which moved him even closer to the single season and career receptions record held by Dakota Nelson. The senior now needs two catches to surpass Nelson’s record of 68 catches in a season and seven to surpass the career record of 118 set in 2012.

The postgame meeting was calm and subdued. Triton Central came back to Christel House Manual to get a measure of redemption from its loss three weeks earlier.

“We got the redemption on the field and now we are looking for redemption on the next team and that starts next week with it looking like Brownstown (Central),” said Stuckey.

“We have to be able to play anywhere and everywhere,” said Triton Central head coach Tim Able of the return to Schultz Field. “This field is really beat up. It hasn’t rained in awhile. Everyone’s yards are this way.”

Now, the Tigers can set their sights on the tradition-rich program at Brownstown Central that is 6-0 all-time against Triton Central. The two programs have not met since the 2000 postseason.

Head coaches Tim Able (213 career wins) of Triton Central and Reed May (291 wins) of Brownstown Central have not faced each other in their storied careers.

“They have a tradition and a strong program with a great coach,” said Able. “He is a quality person that runs a great program.”

Triton Central’s two second-half touchdowns Friday came from Sam Collier on a 1-yard run and Luke Blake on a 3-yard run.

Triton Central 58, Christel House Manual 6

SCORE BY QUARTERS

TC (8-2)  17  28   7  13  --  58

CH (3-6)    0    0   0    6  --    6

First Quarter:

TC – Dewey 40 field goal, 6:57

TC – Schultz, 9 pass Stuckey (Dewey kick), 5:51

TC – Schultz, 48 pass Stuckey (Dewey kick), 3:34

Second Quarter:

TC – Schultz, 15 pass Stuckey (Dewey kick), 11:07

TC – Crawford, 7 run (Dewey kick), 8:07

TC – Crawford, 4 run (Dewey kick), 3:37

TC – Wilkins, 15 run (Dewey kick), 2:15

Third Quarter:

TC – Collier, 1 run (Winslow kick), 1:35

Fourth Quarter:

TC – Blake, 3 run (Hayden kick failed), 2:51

CH – Church, 73 pass Lucas, 0:00

Individuals:

Rushing: Crawford 9-42, Wilkins 2-37, Brown 6-32, Perkon 3-9, Collier 4-7, Stuckey 0-0 (TC); Thomas 8-13, Bible 9-(-10), Church 1-(-5) (CH).

Passing: Stuckey 8-13-162, Collier 5-6-60 (TC); Lucas 3-10-68 (CH).

Receiving: Schultz 7-137, Perkon 3-42, Crawford 1-26, Robertson 1-12, Brown 1-6 (TC); Church 1-73, Bible 1-0, Tyler 1-(-5).

The installation of synthetic field turf at Shelbyville’s J.M. McKeand Stadium for the 2023 season will signal the end of the natural grass surface era for Golden Bears football.

The update is a sign of the times as football programs throughout the state and country are consistently opting for the revolutionary brand of turf that requires significantly less maintenance and is much more resilient. The improvement is part of a multi-year process of development that has seen the Shelbyville Central Schools system embark on a series of enhancements to make its athletic facilities state of the art and comparable to other high-quality programs.

SHS football has played at three home sites since its inception.

The program began hosting games at the “old athletic field” located between Meridian and South West Streets on the city’s south side. The block-long field was the home of Shelbyville baseball as well.

The football program moved across the street to the Meridian Street field (currently the location of the city’s Meridian Park Family Aquatic Center) for the 1952 season and the Bears played at that venue for the next 26 years.

McKeand Stadium at Shelbyville High School was dedicated in August of 1977 and is named in honor of legendary Shelbyville coach and Indiana Football Hall of Fame member J.M. McKeand.

“Opposing coaches used to comment about the amazing condition of the Meridian Street field,” said long-time assistant football coach Dennis Hearne. “Ori Oldham was the field caretaker and he took great pride in keeping it in prime condition. After a few years at the high school location, Mathies Landscaping took over maintenance of the field at McKeand Stadium.” 

The end of the 46-year grass era at McKeand Stadium brings to mind a history of some excellent teams and exceptional individuals who played on the field.

The newly-created complex opened under the direction of head coach Tom Hession following a road loss at Franklin Central.

“We played Anderson Madison Heights and lost 20-10,” said Keith Limpus, a three-sport SHS athlete who was a junior quarterback at the time. “I remember the field as being really rough. That area had been converted from a huge corn field that had been there for many years and that was evident.”

There were many other standout SHS players who participated in that inaugural contest including Rusty Bryan, Jim Sprong, Barry McKenney, Brian Lay, Warren Maloney and Airl Coffey. Maloney became a four-year regular for the Franklin College Grizzlies and Coffey would go on to be a starting defensive end for three years at Anderson University.  

Randy Robertson succeeded Hession and his 1980 team completed a solid 5-5 campaign against a rugged schedule. Senior captain Scott Olinger was named to the Indiana All-Star team that year. Olinger later played for Butler University on their 1983 Heartland Conference championship team and was twice selected as a member of the all-conference team.

“I played with some great teammates in high school who understood how to compete,” stated Olinger. “Shawn French was an excellent quarterback and we had solid players like Chuck Roesler, Jim Preidt, Doug Strobel, Gary Stewart, Victor Buchanan and Todd Babbitt. I think the season’s highlight was defeating Rushville at McKeand for our fifth win in the last game of the season. That was the best Shelbyville record since 1976. McKeand holds a lot of great memories for me.”

The 1984 Shelbyville team was replete with talent and marched through the regular season undefeated with a 10-0 record. The team won the South Central Conference title and defeated SCC powerhouses Martinsville and Center Grove along the way.

Quarterback Todd Anderson (photo above) was a very effective passer and routinely connected with receivers Julius Denton (photo below), Chauncy Holloway and Brian Tackett. A talented and diverse contingent of runners included Randy Mathies, Rod Brokering, Kirk Lawrence and Walter Rhoades.

In addition, the 1984 Golden Bears were loaded with outstanding linemen and defensive players. Joe Myetich presented a huge presence and routinely dominated the line of scrimmage. Brian Lawson was a formidable defensive player and handled the kicking duties.

Coach Hearne was in charge of the line that year: “That group of linemen developed a cohesiveness that was very impressive,” said Hearne. “They became very commanding. Bringing Dana Mathies to guard filled an offensive void. Brad and Pat Pope were defensive ends that applied constant pressure. Then, we had Joe Gibson, Greg Soller and Craig Lawson. That entire team was among Shelbyville’s best ever but I cannot imagine SHS ever having better linemen.”    

Postseason play was limited at that time with only a few teams qualifying. The Bears lost a heartbreaking, hard-fought first-round game, 7-3, in a rematch with Martinsville at McKeand Stadium.

The 1989 Shelbyville team became the first to win a sectional game as the Golden Bears outlasted Delta in overtime at McKeand. Val Phares recovered a Delta fumble to preserve the victory.

The Golden Bears beat Anderson the following week before losing in the sectional championship at McKeand to East Central and finishing 6-5. Tim Ewing was a bruising runner all season and was complemented by a solid line on a team that made steady progress. The Golden Bears suddenly seemed to click right around the season’s midway point.

“Something turned in the spirit of the team during our one-point loss to conference champion and undefeated Martinsville,” said Golden Bear lineman and 1989 Kiwanis Football Award recipient Curt Johnson. “At that point, we began to believe we could compete and win. We reeled off three consecutive wins including a thrilling overtime home victory over Rushville (and future Shelbyville Central Schools superintendent Matt Vance). The loss to Martinsville and a narrow two-point regular-season finale loss to Columbus East provided us a sense of self-belief that spurred our sectional run. I think we are all very proud of what we learned and achieved that season and that we were the first Golden Bear team to win a tournament game.”

Some special McKeand moments occurred during difficult seasons. In 1996, SHS would go 3-7 but won a thriller against Columbus North. Ryan Claxton ran for four touchdowns and caught the winning two-point conversion in the 43-42 overtime win at home over the Bulldogs. The Bears had trailed by 21 points at the half and mounted an impressive comeback to send the game into overtime. Claxton ran for 222 yards in the contest.

Charlie Boger also eclipsed 200 yards rushing during Shelbyville’s 2-8 season in 1993. Boger had remarkable speed and accounted for long touchdown runs of 75 and 65 yards in the Golden Bears’ home win over Seymour.

Shelbyville boasted a number of exceptional players during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Mark Drake was a very capable quarterback who ranks second on the all-time passing list for career yards. After a string of losing seasons, he directed Shelbyville to a 6-6 record in 2000.

Drake will be on the radio broadcast of tonight’s sectional opener at McKeand Stadium.

For a preview of tonight's sectional game against Bedford North Lawrence and how to listen to the GIANT fm broadcast go to: https://shelbycountypost.com/sports/658486

Jacob Cord ranks second in career tackles. Lineman Jason West was named an Indiana All-Star. Lineman A.J. Martzall became a three-year Golden Bear starter and continued his football career at Manchester College.

The Golden Bears were a combined 15-8 in 2002 and 2003. In 2002, quarterback Cody Fair guided the 8-4 Bears to a sectional final game against Roncalli. In 2003, Brett Claxton was Shelbyville’s leading rusher and played linebacker as the Bears finished with a 7-4 mark.    

Mark Drake’s brother, Sean Drake, became an impact performer on offense and defense from 2003-2005. His teammates included receiver Brian Kolls, Stuart Jones, Troy Johnson and James Douglas. All four were significant contributors.

The period 2007 through 2009 stands as the most prolific stretch in Golden Bears football history, with the program compiling a 29-6 record during that period.

The 2007 team featured all-time leading rusher Derek Atwood (photo), junior David Brown and freshman Patrick Ellis.

“That is once in a lifetime talent for a football team as far as running backs go,” said former SHS assistant coach Scott Fitzgerald. All three rank among Shelbyville’s top career rushers.

Fitzgerald was Shelbyville’s offensive coordinator from 2003 through 2017 under head coach Pat Parks.

“The important element about that group is that they were smart and dedicated,” continued Fitzgerald. “So many of them have gone on to have success as adults. That is no surprise.”

The 2007 squad posted an undefeated regular season and finished 11-1, losing at Columbus East in the sectional final. 

The 2007 team recorded winning margins of three touchdowns or more in eight of eleven games. Shelbyville’s closest regular-season contest was a 27-24 win over Mount Vernon at McKeand Stadium that went down to the wire.

Senior Kris Skipton was the starter at quarterback in 2007 and 2008 and provided essential leadership to a talent-rich ensemble. Kevin Prosch played offense and defense for three seasons and holds the Golden Bear record for career interceptions. He took over at quarterback for the 2009 campaign and guided the Bears to a 9-3 record. Jesse Beckner was another great competitor who played on both sides of the ball.  

Other significant contributors during the period were Michael Hardesty, Michael Pierce, Will Thornburg and Shotaro Sano. Sano was extremely effective as a linebacker and offensive lineman. He rarely came off the field.

“One key to us being so strong during those years was the defensive end play,” said Fitzgerald. “From 2000 or so on for many years we had tremendous defensive end play from guys like James Douglas, Adam Gaudin, Troy Johnson, Robbie Cox and Nolan Kaster, to name a few.”

Jake Laker, class of 2013, is second in rushing yards for a season. DeShaun French, 2016, holds the second-place spot for career rushing yards. Both were versatile runners with sprinter’s speed who turned in several electrifying performances on McKeand’s natural grass field.

Shelbyville teams compiled a 23-8 record from 2015-2017 and seemed to hold a a special affinity for the friendly confines of Mckeand, posting 15 wins against only three defeats there.

“Those teams had some great athletes as well,” said Fitzgerald. “John Lux (SHS all-time leading passer) was a tremendous quarterback and Damon Lux (SHS all-time leading receiver) had a very good career as a runner/receiver. Sam Lewis and Cooper Lewis, Nick Brokering, Nolan Ray (SHS leader in career tackles) and Luke Reed were all major components of those successful teams.”

John Lux and Brokering continued their football careers as starters at the collegiate level. Damon Lux accepted a scholarship to play baseball at Duke University.

Head coach Pat Parks is Shelbyville’s all-time winningest football coach with 129 victories over the course of his 23-year career. Fifty nine of those wins came at McKeand Stadium.

The new synthetic turf will be in place at McKeand Stadium for the start of the 2023 season. It is a necessary enhancement and a nod to the wonders of technology. However, many former players and coaches will undoubtedly often reflect on their days competing on the natural grass of McKeand with fondness and a sense of pride that is measured in terms that extend well beyond wins and losses.

“That field will always be a place where I remember watching coaches and players understand how to compete; to overcome, learn valuable lessons and establish lasting relationships,” said Hearne. “That is what I see when I look at that old grass on McKeand. That field is very special to me.”     

Waldron High School’s 8-man football program will host a jamboree-style event Saturday then close out its inaugural season on Nov. 5 with a home game against Parkview Christian Academy from Yorkville, Illinois.

The 8-man football programs at Irvington Prep, Rock Creek Academy and Waldron will compete Saturday in a round-robin style format beginning at noon at Waldron High School. The Mohawks are 2-2 this season against both opponents.

Waldron will open the event taking on Irvington Prep at noon in a pair of 12-minute quarters.

Following a 10-minute break, Rock Creek Academy will face Irvington Prep in two 12-minute quarters.

Waldron will then return to the field to take on Rock Creek Academy for a final pair of 12-minute quarters.

At the conclusion of the round-robin format, the 8-man football teams from Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian and Dugger Union will play a full game, beginning at approximately 2:30 p.m.

All five schools are participating in an Indiana High School Athletic Association pilot program in 2022 to gauge interest in the alternative to traditional 11-man football.

Eight-man football is played on a football field less wide than traditional football fields. And with only eight players on the field, offenses typically use three linemen, a quarterback and four skill positions players (running backs, wide receivers and tight ends) that can lead to high-scoring contests.

Tickets for Saturday’s event are $6 and fans are encouraged to bring chairs and sit along the sidelines of the football field.

Concessions will be available.

Waldron’s season finale with Parkview Christian Academy on Nov. 5 will kick off at 7 p.m. Waldron will honor the seniors in its football program during the game.

A lot of focus is being placed on the Grade 1 $269,627 Bank of America Challenge Championship Saturday during the Challenge Championships at Horseshoe Indianapolis in Shelbyville.

World champion Danjer is headlining a field of 10 for the prestigious event, but one horse in the race will be vying for more than the purse money. Fly the Coup (photo) has a bright future in the state of Indiana as the latest addition to the stallion roster at Miller Ranch in Shipshewana, Indiana.

Miller Ranch, owned and operated by Sheri and Glen Miller, is the location for Escondido Beach, the multiple award-winning stallion in the state of Indiana. The Corona Cartel’s foals have dominated the breeding program in the Hoosier State the past eight years, but with time ticking away for the 17 year old, the Millers saw a need for the next stallion to step into his hoof prints at their farm and carry on the tradition of producing top foals.

“Two years ago, we saw it was starting to wear on Escondido Beach during breeding season,” said Sheri Miller. “He’s been too good to us, and I don’t want to see him lose weight like that, so we backed off this past year, but he still bred 40 mares. We had the opportunity to purchase Fly the Coup, so we did and brought him to Indiana.”

The Millers purchased Fly the Coup with the sole intention of breeding him. But they decided to wait a year and instead of turning him out in a field, they put him back in training. The California bred raced outside of Indiana, but in the process, qualified for the Bank of America Challenge Championship being held for the first time in Indiana. It only made sense to add him to the starters in the Grade 1 event.

“We got the call that he had qualified and there was a spot to move him in, so I called Randy (Smith) and he went down and got him,” said Sheri. “He’s in very tough, and we aren’t expecting much, but it’s nice to have something in the big race.”

The eye-catching part of Fly the Coup is his maternal side. His mother, Babe On The Fly, is a double Grade 1 producing mare of Rock You and Little Talks, and her son, Fly Thru The Fire, is standing at stud in California. She earned $246,000 during her racing career before becoming a brood mare. Her foals are known to bring six figures through the sales ring, including Fly the Coup, who was a $250,000 yearling purchase, a testament to the four-year-old’s outstanding confirmation.

“I’m not sure how others looks at stallions, but I really look at the dam,” said Sheri. “And this horse’s dam is outstanding. We are really excited to get started with him at our farm in 2023.”

Fly the Coup has drawn the outside post 10 in the Bank of America Challenge Championship, the final race on the stellar card Saturday at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Juan Marquez will ride for Smith, who is Indiana’s all-time leading Quarter Horse trainer and working on his ninth consecutive leading trainer title in 2022.

Fly the Coup, a son of Favorite Cartel, begins at odds of 15-1 on the morning line.

Shelbyville’s wing-T offense caught fire Friday against Pendleton Heights in the final regular season game of the football season.

The Golden Bears, with a revamped offensive line that did not feature a senior, racked up 314 yards of offense, but just one touchdown.

That allowed the visiting Arabians to pull away for a 35-7 victory that left Shelbyville 1-8 going into the postseason.

“Offensively, we are growing,” said Shelbyville head coach Brian Glesing. “When people talk about balanced offense, they think of run and pass but when you are a wing-T team like us, balance means your wingbacks get the ball, your fullbacks get the ball, your running backs get the ball and you use a lot of misdirection.”

Five different backs finished the game with positive yardage, led by fullback Luke Jackson’s 101-yard performance.

“That was encouraging,” said Glesing of the more than 300 yards rushing behind an offensive line that featured one freshman (Jack West), two sophomores (Brayden Schultz, Michael Creech) and two juniors (Jacob Harker, Bayler Ward). “That helps keep the score down too when you have the ball. We have to fix our red zone issues. We’re still a young football team and inexperienced. If we can punch a couple in there in the red zone, that helps us out. We have to figure out a way to get that done.

“And we still have to be more efficient in the passing game. We have to be better in the passing game, that’s pass protection, throwing and catching – all three facets of that aspect of the game.”

Outside of the red zone Friday, Shelbyville ran 49 plays and averaged 6.4 yards per play. Inside the Pendleton Heights’ 20-yard line, Shelbyville averaged 2.8 yards per play over 12 plays.

That offensive production is enough to keep Shelbyville competitive going into its postseason opener against Bedford North Lawrence (5-4). Glesing wants to see more of that wing-T production and add a few defensive stops that could result in an upset at McKeand Stadium.

“We have to be better defensively,” said Glesing. “When we beat New Castle, we were getting stops. When we played Rushville, we got a couple of stops. We have to get stops. We can’t just let them do whatever they want. We have to do better defensively.”

The Stars roll into Shelbyville Friday riding a wave of momentum created with a 21-7 victory over Columbus East in the regular-season finale. The win secured Bedford North Lawrence a share of the Hoosier Hills Conference title – its first since 2006.

“They are an interesting team,” said Glesing. “They won their conference, or at least tied for it. It’s hard to get a judge on the teams they’ve played compared to the teams we’ve played. It’s hard to get a feel for them. I think they are very athletic and a solid football team.”

After losing to Seymour 27-6 on Sept. 16, the Stars closed out the schedule with wins in three of its final four games. Bedford North Lawrence and Seymour shared the HHC title.

The Stars’ other losses this season came to Class 4A, No. 13 Martinsville, Bloomington North and Madison – Shelbyville’s preseason jamboree opponent.

The Stars are led by junior quarterback Memphis Louden, who has thrown for more than 1,200 yards this season and 10 touchdowns. Louden also is the team’s second leading rusher at 634 yards.

“They have a quarterback that wants to run,” said Glesing. “A lot of option then go play action and go down the field.”

Sophomore Cal Gates leads the team in rushing with 719 yards and five touchdowns.

Shelbyville will have to match up with four wideouts – seniors Dylan Nikirk (25 receptions, 437 yards) and Kole Bailey (26 receptions, 226 yards) and juniors Trace Rynders (21 receptions, 223 yards) and Ryker Hughes (18 receptions, 263 yards, six TDs).

The Stars’ offense has scored more than 21 points in a game just once this season. It averages 18.6 ppg offensively and allows 18.9 ppg defensively.

“I think they have the ability to explode,” said Glesing. “You just look at them on film and they have the ability to all of a sudden break out.”

Defensively, senior defensive back Collin Whitaker leads the team with 96 tackles. Senior defensive lineman Greg Gilbert has 43 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, six quarterback sacks and two forced fumbles.

With the game at McKeand Stadium, Bedford North Lawrence will play its first game this season on natural grass while Shelbyville will play its final home game on real grass. Shelbyville Central Schools board has already approved the addition of artificial turf to McKeand Stadium in the summer of 2023.

QUICK FACTS

Bedford North Lawrence at Shelbyville

Game Time: 7 p.m. at McKeand Stadium in Shelbyville, Ind.

Admission: Tickets are $7 cash only at the gate.

Media coverage: 6 p.m. pregame show live from McKeand Stadium with Johnny McCrory and Mark Drake on GIANT fm (96.5 fm, 106.3 fm, 1520 am) or on the GIANT fm app.

Head coaches: Derrick Barker, 9-10 in 2nd year at Bedford North Lawrence; Brian Glesing, 2-14 in 2^nd year at Shelbyville, 120-108 in 20^th year overall.

2022 record: Bedford North Lawrence 5-4; Shelbyville 1-8.

2021 record: Bedford North Lawrence 4-6; Shelbyville 1-6.

Sagarin ratings: Bedford North Lawrence 48.35, 152nd overall, 35th in Class 4A; Shelbyville, 32.36, 224th overall, 49th in Class 4A.

Point spread: Bedford North Lawrence is favored by 14 points.

Sectional 23: Class 4A, No. 13 Martinsville (6-3) at Greenwood (1-8); Silver Creek (4-5) at Jennings County (3-6); and Edgewood (2-7) at Class 4A, No. 4 East Central (7-2).

Sectional 23 semifinal scenarios for Shelbyville: If Martinsville wins, Shelbyville will travel to Martinsville. If Greenwood wins, Shelbyville will travel to Greenwood.

Every football team in the state of Indiana gets slotted into sectional tournaments. Team records are not utilized to determine first-round matchups.

So while Class 2A, Sectional 39 is not seeded best to worst, the two state-ranked programs – No. 4 Indianapolis Scecina (8-1) and No. 5 Triton Central (7-2) -- ended up on opposite sides of the bracket and are heavily-favored to meet on Nov. 4 in the sectional championship game.

On Friday, Triton Central opens its postseason run with a road trip to Indianapolis to face Christel House Manual (3-5). The Eagles cancelled their regular-season finale citing lack of program numbers to insure the team would be ready for the sectional opener.

The Eagles have scored 137 points in their three wins over Purdue Polytechnic, Indianapolis Washington and Phalen Academy. Triton Central’s defense has allowed just 14 points in its final two victories over Beech Grove and Speedway.

“We’re going to run our base defense and react to what they do … adjust on the fly,” said Triton Central head coach Tim Able. “We need to cut down on the space they have.”

Christel House Manual’s success comes from sophomore quarterback John Bible. He has completed 10 of 21 pass attempts for 171 yards and leads the team in rushing with 1,010 yards on 105 attempts.

“He’s their athlete,” said Able.

Junior Nathaniel Lucas also has taken snaps under center, completing 19 of 45 passes for 461 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions.

After Bible, the rushing numbers flatten out on the statistical sheet. Seniors Michael Church and Jermaine Thomas and sophomore Simmie Morris have combined for 602 yards.

Christel House Manual’s strength of schedule is the worst in the eight-team field. Against their toughest opposition, the Eagles were defeated 61-6 at Class A, No. 12 Covenant Christian on Sept. 30.

Triton Central’s record-setting passing/receiving duo of Jace Stuckey and Brad Schultz were not needed in the regular-season finale against Speedway. The Tigers’ defense allowed just two first-half first downs to the Sparkplugs while the offense generated 278 rushing yards.

“The line of scrimmage was doing a good job knocking (Speedway) off the ball,” said Able of the ground-game emphasis. “Eventually it’s going to be rainy and cold and we need more of that (ground game).”

Ray Crawford (photo) led the attack with 21 carries for 153 yards and two touchdowns. Brayden Wilkins added a third rushing touchdown – a 41-yard sprint down the sideline in the second quarter.

Stuckey finished with a season-low 11 passing attempts, with five completions for 40 yards, including a 12-yard scoring strike to Schultz, who finished with just three catches for 26 yards but added a 70-yard punt return for a touchdown.

Triton Central will be without three starters Friday night.

Wide receiver Luke Faust (photo) is working his way back from a broken collarbone suffered earlier this season. He is practicing but is still non-contact.

The sophomore season for defensive back Chase Chandler (photo) is over after being involved in an automobile accident several weeks ago.

Starting fullback/linebacker Sam Kemper (photo) has a broken foot. He could return if Triton Central goes on a deep postseason run.

QUICK FACTS:

Class 2A, No. 5 Triton Central at Christel House Manual

Game time: 7 p.m. at Schultz Field, 2405 Madison Avenue in Indianapolis.

Admission: General admission tickets are $7, cash or card accepted at gate only.

Head coaches: Tim Able, 87-34 in 10^th year at Triton Central; 212-132 in 29^th year overall; John Prater, 6-17 in 3^rd year at Christel House Manual.

2022 record: Triton Central 7-2; Christel House Manual 3-5.

2021 record: Triton Central 8-5; Christel House Manual 2-6.

Sagarin ratings: Triton Central, 75.39, 42nd overall, 1st in Class 2A; Christel House Manual 4.42, 293^rd overall, 56^th in Class 2A.

Point spread: Triton Central is a 69-point favorite.

Sectional 39: Brownstown Central (5-4) at Brown County (0-9); Switzerland County (4-5) at Class 2A, No. 4 Indianapolis Scecina (8-1); and Clarksville (4-5) at Eastern (Pekin) (1-8).

Sectional 39 semifinal scenarios for Triton Central: If Brownstown Central wins, Triton Central will travel to Brownstown Central. If Brown County wins, Triton Central will travel to Brown County.

Five AQHA Bank of America Challenge Championships will lead an action-packed card for Quarter Horse racing Saturday at Horseshoe Indianapolis in Shelbyville.

The five Graded Stakes races have been drawn and post positions are now assigned to the regional qualifiers in all divisions of the series.

Leading the way in the $250,000 Grade 1 Bank of America Challenge Championship is Danjer, who has ventured to Indiana in search of his third straight title in the race. The six-year-old gelding, trained and bred by Dean Frey, looks to add to his $1.8 million bankroll and will be the favorite of the 10-horse field.

Danjer (photo) comes to Indiana on a three-race win streak and is three for four in 2022. Regular rider Cody Smith comes in to guide Danjer from post two for Frey, Billy Smith and Downtime Enterprises, LLC, who own the world champion son of FDD Dynasty seeking his 19^th career win in the event.

Another previous winner who will search for her second title in the past three years is Lynnder 16 from the Jason Olmstead Stable. The six-year-old sorrel mare by Apollitical Jess has more than $820,000 on her card and comes into the event off a win at Will Rogers Downs in the $36,000 Distaff Challenge. The Apollitical Jess mare, owned by Tom Maher and Richard Tobin, has won three races this year in five starts, making her a favorite for the Distaff title. She has drawn post eight and Edwin Escobedo comes in to ride.

“The horses all settled in and hauled up here good,” said Olmstead, who is based at his farm in Pryor, Oklahoma. “This cool weather has them all revved up and ready to go. Lynnder 16 is the kind of mare that makes it home wherever she hangs her hat. As long as she shows up and runs her race, she will be pretty tough in there.”

Local favorite Paradyce, owned and trained by Claudio Barraza, will take a shot at Lynnder 16. The three-year-old grey filly by Corona Cartel has won three of her six starts this year. She will challenge the older mares from post three with James Flores aboard.

“I hope the home field advantage helps us out,” said Barraza. “She knows this track and has run well here all year. Obviously, there are Grade 1 class mares in here, but I have faith in her. She has run all her allowances this year against older horses, and it hasn’t bothered her, so I’m not worried about her taking on the older mares.”

Another local trainer locked in with three from her barn is Jessi Vazquez, who recently set records for most wins and most purse earnings by a female Quarter Horse trainer in one season at Horseshoe Indianapolis. She comes into the Challenge Championships with the temperamental One Coldhearted Diva, who won the local regional Distaff Challenge. The four-year-old by One Fabulous Eagle is owned by Bennett Racing Stable and will look for her second straight win.

“I love the fact that all three drew in the middle of the competition,” said Vazquez. “They love to have horses on both sides of them during the race. One Coldhearted Diva drew post two. Ms Flaming Finish drew post four in the Juvenile. Dr Tool drew the outside in post eight of ten in the Challenge, but that’s okay for him. I’m pleased with all our draws.”

Racing gets underway at 6 p.m. Saturday for the 30^th AQHA Bank of America Challenge Championships. A total of 11 races will be held with the final seven dedicated to the Graded Stakes for the Challenge races. The final race will be the $269,627 Bank of America Challenge Championships to cap off the largest night of Quarter Horse racing in the state of Indiana with purse money over the $1 million mark.

With the fall sports season now complete for all the Mid-Hoosier Conference schools, postseason all-conference award winners have been announced.

Volleyball

A pair of Waldron Mohawks and Southwestern’s Lauryn Blondell (photo, left) were selected to the 12-player All-MHC Volleyball Team.

Blondell is joined by Waldron’s Emily Tyree and Kaylee Young to represent Shelby County.

Also named All-MHC were North Decatur’s Madelyn Bohman, Aubrey Kennelly, Sami Luttell and Caroline Stapp, Hauser’s Kenze Bostic, Charlie Clark and Adrianna Musillami, Edinburgh’s Gracie Crawhorn, and South Decatur’s Zsophia Sharp.

North Decatur was crowned conference champion with a 6-0 record. Hauser was runner-up at 5-1 followed by Edinburgh (4-2), Waldron (3-3), Southwestern (2-4), South Decatur (1-5) and Morristown (0-6).

Boys Tennis

Seven of the 10 members selected to the All-MHC Boys Tennis Team represent Waldron.

Lucas Shaw, Jack Fischer, Caiden Young, Jacob Lindsey, Josh Kellems, Matthew Thomas and Connor Hinchman all received postseason recognition.

Joining the seven Mohawks on the All-MHC team are Edinburgh’s Max Blandford, and Hauser’s Levi Gollmer and Hunter Pappano.

Boys Soccer

The 9-member All-MHC Boys Soccer Team has representatives from the only three schools that have boys soccer squads.

Conference champion Southwestern was represented by Michael Clements, Conner Jewell, Garreth Stringer (photo, left) and Owen Stringer.

Morristown’s Oier De Costa and Kamdyn Gaines earned the All-MHC honor.

Hauser was represented by Elian Esclante, Lakota Robbins and Zach Weichman.

Cross Country

A top-10 finish at the Mid-Hoosier Conference Meet was required to earn the All-MHC designation in cross country.

The boys team includes Waldron’s Will Larrison and Jared Crosby (photo), Hauser’s Colin Kistler and Nolan Dailey, Southwestern’s Dane Kissell, Dakota Claiborne, Jackson Bentz and Chris Claiborne, and South Decatur’s Donovan Hale and Conner Newby.

The girls team includes Morristown’s Grace McLaughlin, Waldron’s Sophie Hudnall and Riley Price, North Decatur’s Ava Lecher, Dorothy Robbins and Olivia Reisman, Hauser’s Lucie Asher and Madison Hollman and Amanda Steward, and South Decatur’s Clair Schoettmer.

Girls Golf

The five-member All-MHC Girls Golf Team includes Southwestern’s McKinley Correll (photo)  and Edinburgh’s Izzy Richardson, Macie Blandford, Jillian Turner and Gracie Myers.

Xavier University’s women’s soccer program secured its fifth-straight shutout Sunday in a 0-0 draw at St. John’s in Queens, New York.

Xavier is 11-2-3 this season and 5-0-2 in Big East matches.

Rachel Dewey, a Triton Central graduate, played all 90 minutes for Xavier.

The Musketeers’ 10 shutouts this season ties the 2021 season for third most shutouts in a season.

Here is a look at other Shelby County graduates competing at the collegiate level.

Brooklyn Schiffli

The Triton Central graduate had one assist, one service ace and six digs Saturday for Jacksonville State in a 25-20, 25-13, 25-15 win over Bellarmine.

On Friday, Jacksonville State defeated Eastern Kentucky, 25-23, 20-25, 25-22, 19-25, 15-9. Schiffli finished with one ace and six digs.

Jacksonville State is 18-3 this season and 6-2 in Atlantic Sun Conference matches.

Maggie Schweitzer

The Triton Central graduate had three kills, 15 assists, one ace and eight digs for Hanover Saturday in a 25-19, 19-25, 25-10, 26-24 win against Bluffton University.

The win improved the Panthers to 12-10 (3-2 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference).

On Wednesday, Mount St. Joseph defeated Hanover, 25-19, 28-26, 25-17. Schweitzer collected 12 assists and four digs in the loss.

Julia Sanders

The Triton Central graduate helped IU Kokomo to a pair of wins Friday and Saturday.

On Friday, IU Kokomo traveled to IU Southeast and won, 25-21, 25-12, 25-15. Sanders had seven digs.

IU Kokomo went further south to Brescia University (Ky.) Saturday and prevailed 25-21, 25-15, 25-9. Sanders finished with one assist and 13 digs to push IU Kokomo’s record to 20-5 this season (9-1 River States Conference).

Emma Nolley

The Shelbyville graduate had one assist and one dig Saturday for Texas Woman’s University in a 25-11, 25-18, 25-19 loss at Dallas Baptist.

Texas Woman’s University is 12-10 (3-7 Lone Star Conference).

Kenneth Gipson

The Triton Central graduate was the starting center for Rose-Hulman’s football team Saturday in a 48-20 win at Bluffton.

Rose-Hulman scored 28 first-quarter points to secure its 12^th-straight HCAC win and improved to 3-3 this season (3-0 HCAC).

Jill Anspaugh

The Shelbyville graduate finished 178^th overall Saturday in the 31-team Inter-Region Rumble, hosted by Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio.

Running for Franklin College, Anspaugh crossed the finish line in the 6K race in 26:01.

Cameron Baker

The Shelbyville graduate finished sixth in the one-meter diving competition Saturday for Franklin College in the Indiana DIII State Meet in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Baker accumulated 152.25 points in the season-debut meet. He also finished fifth in the three-meter diving competition with 154.4 points.

Michael Fox

The Shelbyville graduate finished 239^th overall for Manchester University cross country in the Inter-Region Rumble, hosted by Oberlin College.

Fox completed the 8K course in 29:07.

There's no shaking the disappointment left by a sectional championship loss. 

Triton Central volleyball coach Ray Basile hopes his team feels pride, too.

At Eastern Hancock, Triton Central was eliminated by ICC rival Indianapolis Scecina in four games in the 2A sectional championship, 25-19, 15-25, 25-23, 25-20.

Basile says there's no reason to hang your head if your a Triton Central Tiger.

Scecina (28-5) was the undefeated Indiana Crossroads Conference champion this season but needed all five sets to win at Fairland on September 27.

This time, the Crusaders were able to mount runs of consecutive points to build leads.  Basile said that left the Tigers trying to respond.

Basile says both teams played better than they did in the regular season meeting.

TC seniors Kaitlin Bramlett and Maddy Brown each recorded double digit kills with 12 and 11,  respectively. Bramlett added 16 digs and two blocks.  Brown contributed 11 digs to go along with three blocks.

Junior Kate Isley had 27 assists and 17 digs for the Tigers.

Sophomore McKenzie Jett was also in double figures in the digs category with 13.

Triton Central finished the season with a 20-10 record.

Scecina will play Park Tudor in a 2A regional semifinal at Cascade on Saturday.

Triton Central closed out the football regular season tied for No. 5 in the final Indiana Football Coaches Association State Coaches Poll.

The Tigers, now 7-2, rose two spots from No. 7 to finish the regular season tied with Evansville Mater Dei (6-3).

Linton-Stockton (9-0) remains No. 1 in the final Class 2A poll ahead of LaVille (9-0), Andrean (6-3), Indianapolis Scecina (8-1), Evansville Mater Dei and Triton Central.

Scecina and Triton Central are in the same sectional.

The final four teams in the 2A poll are Eastside (7-2), Fort Wayne Luers (5-4), Lafayette Central Catholic (6-3) and Rochester (8-1). Four more teams received votes: Eastbrook (6-3), Heritage Christian (5-3), Perry Central (8-1) and Lewis Cass (6-3).

Indianapolis Lutheran (9-0) finished off its second-straight undefeated regular season to remain No. 1 in the Class A poll. Adams Central (9-0) and North Decatur (9-0) are unbeaten as well at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.

North Judson (8-1) is No. 4 followed by Sheridan (8-1), Carroll (Flora) (8-1), Tri (8-1), Tecumseh (8-0), South Putnam (7-2), South Adams (7-2) and Triton (6-3). Also receiving votes are Southwood (7-2), Covenant Christian (6-3) and Park Tudor (6-3).

Unbeatens West Lafayette (9-0) and Gibson Southern (9-0) are No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the Class 3A poll. Chatard (5-4) is No. 3 ahead of Hanover Central (9-0), Lawrenceburg (8-1), Owen Valley (9-0), Norwell (8-1), Tri-West (7-2), Guerin Catholic (5-4) and Southridge (8-1). Also receiving votes are Oak Hill (9-0), South Dearborn (7-2) and Batesville (4-5).

East Central’s 21-19 loss to Roncalli Friday cost the Trojans one spot in the final Class 4A poll.

New Palestine (9-0) finished the regular season undefeated to hold on to the No. 1 spot in Class 4A. Roncalli (8-1) is No. 2 followed by East Central (7-2), Evansville Reitz (9-0), Kokomo (8-1), New Prairie (8-1), Mooresville (7-2), Columbia City (8-1) and Brebeuf Jesuit (5-3). Also receiving votes are Greenfield-Central (6-3), Mt. Vernon (6-3), Martinsville (6-3), Evansville Memorial (6-3), Hobart (6-3) and Leo (6-3).

Whiteland (8-1) moved back up to No. 2 in the Class 5A poll behind Fort Wayne Snider (8-1). Mishawaka (8-1) is No. 3 ahead of Bloomington South (7-1), Merrillville (7-2), Harrison (West Lafayette) (8-1), Fort Wayne North (7-2), Franklin (7-2), Valparaiso (6-3) and Fort Wayne Dwenger (6-3). The only other team to receive votes in the poll was Terre Haute South (6-3).

The 6A poll received a major shakeup when previous No. 1 Brownsburg and No. 2 Center Grove lost Friday to top-five ranked opponents.

Hamilton Southeastern (9-0) defeated Brownsburg, 31-28, to rise from No. 4 to No. 1 in the final 6A poll of the year.

Cathedral (7-1) toppled Center Grove, 40-29, to move from No. 3 to No. 2.

Center Grove (7-2) is No. 3 with Brownsburg (8-1), Carroll (Allen) (9-0), Carmel (6-3), Ben Davis (6-3), Crown Point (9-0), Penn (7-2) and Westfield (6-3) rounding out the top 10.

Also receiving votes are Fishers (6-3), Warren Central (4-5) and Elkhart (7-2).

The 50^th Annual IHSAA State Football Tournament starts on Friday with opening-round sectional games.

Shelbyville High School junior Hannah Wright clocked another personal-best time Saturday at the Franklin Cross Country Regional but missed the semistate cut time by 19 seconds.

The top five teams and the top 10 individuals not on an advancing team qualified for semistate competition.

Wright (photo) finished the Franklin cross country course in 21 minutes, 50 seconds to finish 43^rd overall in the field and three positions away from the top-10 position she needed to qualify for the semistate, which will be held on Shelbyville’s home course at Blue River Memorial Park on Oct. 22.

Mooresville’s Ariel Theriac earned the 10^th advancing position with a time of 21:37.

Shelbyville’s Angel Kreider also competed in the girls regional race and finished in 22:53.

Waldron’s Will Larrison (photo) was chasing one of those top-10 advancing positions but the sophomore missed the cut by 30 seconds. He finished in 18:10. Greenwood’s John Gries captured the 10^th advancing position in 17:39.

Waldron sophomore Jared Crosby crossed the finish line in 18:40.

Shelbyville senior Beau Kenkel ran his final race as a Golden Bear and clocked 19:03.

Columbus North Regional

Held at Shelbyville’s Blue River Memorial Park cross country course, Southwestern’s Dane Kissell (18:38), Jackson Bentz (18:54) and Koty Claiborne (20:55) closed out their seasons in the regional.

Southwestern’s Malori Pike (25:35) competed in the girls regional race.

Rushville Regional

Morristown’s Grace McLaughlin crossed the finish line in 24:24 in the girls regional race at Rushville.

Steve Bush photos

Shelbyville’s volleyball season came to an end Saturday with a three-set loss at Columbus East.

Playing in the second semifinal match of the Columbus East Sectional, the Golden Bears (5-26) failed to produce enough offense to keep up with the Olympians (20-12).

Maddie Cline and Gabby Dean combined for 25 kills to lead Columbus East to a 25-16, 25-13, 25-8 victory.

Shelby Lasure finished with team-highs in kills (9), service aces (2) and digs (8) for Shelbyville in her final match. The senior also had two assists.

Sophomore Ashlyn Turner had six kills and seven digs.

Senior setter Karlie Lawson collected 17 assists.

Columbus East went on capture the sectional title with a 19-25, 18-25, 25-22, 25-14, 15-5 victory over Franklin Saturday night.

Waldron Sectional

South Decatur avenged a five-set loss to Waldron earlier in the season in the sectional semifinal match at Waldron.

The Cougars (16-14) dropped the first two sets to the Mohawks Saturday before storming back for a 25-27, 22-25, 27-25, 26-24, 15-11 victory to earn a berth in the sectional championship match.

Waldron closed out the season with a 17-12 record.

Edinburgh claimed the sectional championship Saturday night with a 25-17, 25-17, 25-13 victory over South Decatur.

KNIGHTSTOWN -- There’s a saying that opportunity only knocks once.  There were more times than that for Southwestern at Saturday’s Class A boys soccer regional championship. 

Unfortunately, the Spartans weren’t able to turn opportunities into points in a 1-0 loss to Greenwood Christian.

GCA senior midfielder Patrick Taber scored the championship’s only goal on a long shot that caromed off the hands of Southwestern goalkeeper Michael Clements and over his head into the net in the 22^nd minute of the first half.

Class A, No. 17 ranked Southwestern (14-3-2) was a surprise to some to make it to the regional championship held at Knightstown High School because of the scoring losses incurred over the last two graduations. The Spartans rallied from a 2-0 deficit to get by Covenant Christian on PK’s in the regional semifinal.

Head coach Taylor Meredith knew it would be a physical battle with Greenwood Christian and the Spartans offense just couldn’t get a break. The most painful example was when senior Gavin Shaw’s header off of a corner kick hit the net’s top bar and failed to go in.

Meredith says the Spartans success this season was fueled by finding scoring and an unselfishness that allowed the program to continue to flourish.

Southwestern will lose six seniors: Jonah DeArmitt, Conner Jewell, Gavin Shaw, Garreth Stringer, Owen Stringer and Eli Fix.

Greenwood Christian (10-7-3) will play 8^th-ranked Forest Park (14-6-1) in the Class A Seymour Semistate on Saturday.

Ray Crawford and Brad Schultz combined for four touchdowns and Levi Dewey set a pair of school records in Class 2A, No. 7 Triton Central’s 38-7 victory over Speedway Friday in Fairland.

Dewey connected on a new school record 50-yard field goal in the first quarter which gave him sole possession of the TC record for career field goals at 17.

The junior entered the game tied with Bryan Sullivan with 16 field goals. Sullivan also held the school record with a 45 yard field goal in 2008.

Crawford opened the scoring Friday on Senior Night with a 9-yard touchdown run in the game’s opening minutes.

Dewey (photo) recovered a fumble on Speedway’s next possession and the drive ended with his record-setting field goal.

Crawford added a second scoring run – this one from 20 yards out – in the first quarter and the Tigers quickly built a 17-0 lead.

A Brad Schultz 70-yard punt return followed to make it 23-0 and Dewey completed a 2-point conversion pass to Jared Schweitzer to extend the lead to 25-0.

Wilkins had a 41-yard rushing touchdown and Schultz hauled in a 12-yard scoring catch in the second quarter to give Triton Central a 38-0 lead at halftime.

Speedway (5-4, 3-4 Indiana Crossroads Conference) had just two first downs in the first half. The Sparkplugs’ only points came just past the midway point of the fourth quarter when Connor Moreland connected from 10 yards out with Camden Bennett.

Triton Central closed out the regular season with a 7-2 record (5-2 ICC).

The Tigers travel to Christel House Manual (3-5) for their Class 2A, Sectional 39 opener.

Reeling from four straight routs at the hands of the Hoosier Heritage Conference’s best, Shelbyville needed an uplifting performance with the sectional opener one week away.

With a revamped offensive line and a host of players to carry the ball, the Golden Bears kicked its offense into high gear Friday night from one 20-yard line to the other. If not for red zone difficulties, Shelbyville could have entered the fourth quarter in a fight with Pendleton Heights.

Instead, Shelbyville did not score a touchdown until the game’s final play and lost 35-7 to close out the regular season with a 1-8 record.

“That’s been a problem all year when we’ve gotten down there, even in the earlier games,” said Shelbyville head coach Brian Glesing. “We get it down the field and the defense starts taking away our bread and butter. Then you have to do something else.

“I’m really proud of our guys. I thought we moved the ball. We made some position changes here and there and that gave us a big boost.”

The Golden Bears will host Bedford North Lawrence (5-4) Friday in the Class 4A, Sectional 23 opener at McKeand Stadium.

On Senior Night, Shelbyville carried the ball 52 times for 315 yards but all four first-half drives ended in Pendleton Heights’ territory with no points on the scoreboard.

“We had freshmen and sophomores on (the offensive line),” said Glesing with enthusiasm. “I think our kids are starting to buy in to our offense a little bit. You saw some little tweaks where we have two or three capable ball carriers back there so were not a one-horse show there.”

The Arabians (5-4, 4-3 HHC) needed six plays to open the scoring Friday. Four-straight plays resulted in first downs and Nate Derolf raced 15 yards for a quick 7-0 lead.

The Golden Bears (1-8, 1-6 HHC) flipped the field on its opening possession with a 39-yard run from sophomore Keagan Turner, making his first varsity start in the backfield. A 7-yard run from Cael Lux set up Shelbyville with second-and-three at the Pendleton Heights’ 5-yard line.

A false start penalty pushed Shelbyville back five yards and three straight plays netted two yards and a change of possession.

Four plays later, Pendleton Heights quarterback Isaac Wilson heaved the ball down the Shelbyville sideline. Caden Sims had the ball drop into his hands over the outstretched arm of Grant Schene and the junior wide receiver raced to the end zone for an 82-yard touchdown strike that made it 14-0.

“That was right in front of me too,” said Glesing of Sims’ catch. “(Grant) was in perfect position. It’s just one of those things where it takes a perfect throw and a perfect catch. What’s neat is we were in the right position.

“We kind of changed up our coverage a little bit this week, putting in a little more press out wide on their wide receivers and I thought our guys did pretty good. I am anxious to see the film on it. That play was one of those things where we are there and just didn’t make the play. The good news is we are there and as we get more experienced, we will start making those plays.”

Shelbyville’s next drive started at its own 37 and lasted 17 plays before stalling out at the Arabians’ 12. Aiden Helfer-Vazquez’s 27-yard field goal attempt did not get high over the line and hit the bottom crossbar.

Shelbyville’s Donovan Martin recovered a fumble on Pendleton Heights’ next play from scrimmage and the Golden Bears had a third scoring opportunity. But the offense was called for another false start on fourth-and-3 at the 16. After moving five yards back, Shelbyville quarterback Eli Chappelow’s pass fell incomplete.

Three prime scoring opportunities and no points. Meanwhile, the Arabians added a Wilson 5-yard scoring run to take a 21-0 lead into halftime.

Pendleton Heights intercepted Chappelow on the third play of the second half and Wilson added a 6-yard touchdown run to his night to make it 28-0.

Wilson scrambled for a 56-yard scoring run late in the third quarter to give the Arabians a 35-0 lead. The junior quarterback ended with 83 rushing yards and three TDs while completing all eight of his pass attempts for 136 yards.

Shelbyville had four backs accumulate at least 50 yards in the loss.

Luke Jackson led the way with 104 yards and Shelbyville’s only touchdown – a 5-yard plunge that followed a 34-yard run.

Turner finished with 69 rushing yards while Jordan Marcum had 60 yards and Axel Conover had 50.

“We got a little momentum to build on,” said Glesing. “It’s been tough the last four weeks. It’s tough to motivate at practice. The kids start getting the 1-8 blues. As a coaching staff, it’s our job to get them motivated every week. Our captains got to keep up the intensity, the emotion and the enthusiasm at practice.

“I thought we had a good week of practice, and it showed. Defensively, that’s where our weaknesses show a little more, but offensively, we executed the game plan the way we wanted to.”

Steve Bush photos

Class A, No. 17 Southwestern’s run to the regional championship has been sparked by a player unbeknownst to the team prior to the start of the season and a senior that had yet to find his way into the starting lineup.

But in the sectional championship win over Indianapolis Lutheran and the regional semifinal victory over No. 11 Covenant Christian, Constant Martinez and Jonah DeArmitt have combined for a game-winning goal, two assists and a game-ending penalty kick.

Southwestern defeated Lutheran, 2-1, Saturday to collect its third-straight sectional championship. On Wednesday, the Spartans rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Covenant Christian in penalty kicks, 3-1, after the game and two overtime periods were not enough to break a 2-2 tie.

Southwestern is one of eight teams left in the Class A boys soccer state tournament. The Spartans (14-2-2) travel to Knightstown Saturday for a 4:30 p.m. regional championship game against Greenwood Christian (9-7-3) with a semistate berth at stake.

Neither school has won a regional championship in boys soccer.

“Our guys were fired up to come out and win this,” said Southwestern head coach Taylor Meredith Wednesday after the regional semifinal contest. “The seniors likes the Stringers and Conner Jewell and Eli Fix that have been on these teams that have gotten so close to winning (a regional championship) … to lose so close the last two years, these guys will be really locked in.”

Southwestern and Greenwood Christian did not meet during the regular season. They do, however, have six common opponents – Trinity Lutheran, Bethesda Christian, Morristown, Greenwood, Lutheran and Oldenburg Academy.

Southwestern went 6-1-1 against the six while the Cougars finished 2-3-1.

Three of Greenwood Christian’s losses this season were to top 20 programs in the Class A state ranking. It’s only win against a ranked opponent came Wednesday, 4-2, over No. 20 Oldenburg Academy.

Southwestern arrives at the regional championship with a balanced squad playing with great confidence. Senior Garreth Stringer leads the Spartans with 24 goals but has just one converted penalty kick in regulation against Covenant Christian in his team’s last two wins.

Seniors Jonah DeArmitt and Owen Stringer and junior Tucker Simmons each have six goals. Martinez, a French exchange student, has five goals and a team-high 10 assists.

“We knew from the start, his passing was unbelievable,” said Meredith of Martinez. “At the beginning of the year, we tried him at forward for maybe a practice but we knew he wasn’t a forward.”

With a new midfielder, the rest of the pieces fell into place.

“(Constant) and Tucker playing side by side have done really well this year,” said Meredith. “Just having (Constant) here is huge. Anytime you can get a guy that plays at that level, that has played their whole life probably at a higher level than all of our kids have played at is a great surprise.”

Martinez scored the game-winning goal in the 2-1 victory over Lutheran. And it was his perfect delivery on goal early in the second half Wednesday that allowed Jewell to head in Southwestern’s first goal against Covenant Christian.

DeArmitt’s six-foot, four-inch frame stands out on a soccer field. He uses his size to screen defenders from the ball and adds a presence when working in front of the net.

His free kick on net set up Southwestern’s first goal against Lutheran and he delivered the throw-in that Martinez headed into goal for the game winner.

On Wednesday, it was DeArmitt who ended the game with a left-footed penalty kick shot into the center of the goal.

DeArmitt is one of the most decorated athletes in school history with three soccer sectional titles to go with a basketball and baseball sectional title.

The regional champion will travel to either to Evansville North or Seymour for the semistate championship on Oct. 22 to face either Christian Academy (12-5-3) or No. 8 Forest Park (13-6-1).

The northern semistate championship will be played at either Kokomo or Chesterton.

At Westview Saturday, No. 1 Westview (18-1-1) hosts No. 10 Wheeler (14-5-1). At Taylor Saturday, No. 4 Faith Christian (15-2-1) faces No. 2 Park Tudor (17-2-1).

Sam Dewey has a Triton Central football record Levi Dewey wants.

An innocuous statement for sure but add the context that the record holder is Levi Dewey’s older sister, Samantha, and it adds intrigue.

Triton Central head coach Tim Able has had the luxury of utilizing Samantha Dewey, Cole Dewey, Rachel Dewey and now Levi Dewey to kick extra points and field goals during his 10-year tenure. Soccer is their first love but all have been vital parts of Able’s 86 wins in Fairland over almost 10 full seasons.

“Both Samantha and Rachel were really consistent,” said Able this week. “And Sam has the record for most PATs (points-after-touchdowns) in a row.”

Levi Dewey will tell you he is the best kicker of the quartet and he has the added role of being a starting defensive back for a top-10 ranked team.

“I will have to say me,” Levi said when asked who in the ultra-competitive family is the best kicker. “My brother didn’t get the spotlight like my sisters did because he wasn’t a girl but he was just as good.

“I think I have that (distinction) in the bag. I am more well-rounded. They didn’t do kickoffs.”

Eight games into this season, Dewey has converted 23 of 26 PATs and 5 of 6 field goal attempts to total 38 points for his team – third best behind senior receiver Brad Schultz and junior running back Ray Crawford.

The youngest of Eric and Elizabeth Dewey’s family grew up at Triton Central football games. Now he is the one shining on his own on Friday nights.

“Since I was a kid, I always came to the games,” he said after helping Triton Central defeat Beech Grove, 27-7, with three PATs and an interception – his team-leading third of the season. “It would be freezing and I would be playing over on the side, playing with my friends and watching football. I never really played football until seventh grade. I wasn’t allowed to with my soccer team. So seventh grade, I was able to play. The first day I came out and loved it and have pursued it ever since.”

While the Deweys have left their mark on the football program at Triton Central, their family name is more well-known in the soccer world.

Samantha Dewey is the state record holder for career goals scored – boys or girls – and there is not a close second. She played collegiately at Xavier University and then played professionally in Europe.

Cole Dewey played a year of collegiate soccer at Georgetown College (Ky.) before finishing his academic track at Ball State University. He just recently finished an internship with Indy Eleven – Indianapolis’ professional soccer team.

Rachel Dewey is a graduate student at Xavier and a midfielder for the Musketeers’ 11-2-2 squad that is unbeaten in six Big East contests (5-0-1).

Levi Dewey will follow a similar track. He currently plays soccer with Indiana Fire Pro Academy, a highly-competitive club soccer program that is helping him draw Division I collegiate interest.

“If I don’t get the (soccer) offers I want, I feel like I could pursue (football) but it’s not my first goal,” he said. “My first goal is to play soccer and move past college and go professional like my sister did.”

So is Levi Dewey a soccer player playing football or a football player that is really good at soccer?

“My parents have always just told me I’m an athlete,” he explained. “I think I’m more of a soccer player playing football … but I really enjoy it.”

Levi’s goal is to repeat as an All-State kicker and he is on track for that honor despite sharing kicking duties this season with senior Brogan Winslow.

Summer surgery for an injury caused Dewey to miss football workouts and Winslow emerged as a viable alternative. Early in the season, the two split the kicking duties.

Winslow is 13-for-13 on PATs this season. Able has already designated the senior to handle the first kickoff for Triton Central tonight against Speedway during Senior Night at Mendenhall Field. The first PAT or short field goal also will be Winslow’s responsibility.

“I’m perfectly fine sharing with Brogan,” said Dewey. “He is a great kicker. He earned the spot over the summer when I had surgery and I wasn’t able to show up for the workouts. It’s also his senior year so I am fine with sharing with him.”

Having Dewey and Winslow on the roster together is almost an embarrassment of riches for Triton Central, who does not have a boys soccer program that can develop strong kickers.

From one of those young kids playing on the sidelines on Friday nights to the one catching the attention of the next wave of football players, Dewey hopes he is a quality representative for those balancing multiple sports simultaneously while maintaining high expectations for success.

“I hope I am a role model to little kids to see they can play different sports, and even if it isn’t their main sport, they can perform and show they are not just a kicker but can do things people say you can’t do,” he said with a smile.

The preseason hype for Triton Central football centered around a trio of record-setting performers in Brad Schultz, Ray Crawford and Jace Stuckey.

With the regular-season finale on tap, Triton Central’s defense has been consistently stellar in its own right. The Class 2A, No. 7 Tigers are allowing 18.6 points per game, but take out the 54 points allowed to Class A, No. 1 Lutheran in week three and that average drops to 11.9 ppg.

“They’ve been pretty good all year,” said Triton Central head coach Tim Able. “We have another tall task this week.”

Able sees plenty of similarities in Triton Central’s final two opponents of the regular season – Beech Grove and Speedway.

TC defeated Beech Grove one week ago, 27-7. Now the athletic Sparkplugs (5-3, 3-3 Indiana Crossroads Conference) arrive at Mendenhall Field looking to match Triton Central (6-2, 4-2 ICC) in the conference standings.

“They are very similar,” said Able of Beech Grove and Speedway. “I’m not sure (Speedway) is quite as big but they are equally quick. (Speedway) has stout linebackers that are really good.”

Until Speedway steps on to the field, Triton Central is unsure of the status of All-Conference running back Deejay McFerson, who rushed for over 1,000 yards last season for the Sparkplugs. The senior has only appeared in six games this season due to injury and rushed for 490 yards and two touchdowns.

“We don’t know if he is back or not,” admitted Able. “We are planning for him to be there.”

All-Conference quarterback Carter Watson will be available. The junior has completed 62% of his pass attempts for 1,381 yards and 15 touchdowns this season.

“He’s pretty good,” said Able. “You can’t have success without multiple players … you add McFerson and that’s a stout offense.”

Triton Central has a leader on defense – senior linebacker Lucas Kleeman – but not a star. Nine different players have between 18 and 46 total tackles this season.

Brayden Wilkins (photo), a junior, leads the team with 46 tackles.

Senior Jared Schweitzer (photo) has a team-high five tackles for loss as part of his 35 total tackles.

Senior Hadyn Ball (photo) has 39 tackles including four for losses. Schweitzer and Ball each have two quarterback sacks.

Juniors Levi Dewey and Ray Crawford lead Triton Central with three interceptions apiece. The Tigers have 15 interceptions as a team.

The record book continues to be updated with senior Brad Schultz taking over as Triton Central’s career receiving yards leader. He surpassed Dakota Nelson last week to become the first Tiger to reach 1,800 yards in his career.

With every yard gained, Schultz continues to add to the single-season record for receiving yards, now 1,196 yards, he set in week six.

Stuckey (photo) completed 17 of 26 pass attempts against Beech Grove for 202 yards and two touchdowns. That pushed the junior quarterback to an even 2,000 passing yards this season – a new Triton Central record.

Now over 3,400 passing yards in his career, Stuckey is No. 4 all-time in TC history with Jordan Martin (3,828 yards, 2005-2008) in his sights. He could catch Jordan Crouse (4,226 yards, 2014-2015) with an extended postseason run.

Luke Stephenson is No. 1 with 5,116 yards (2008-2011).

Triton Central learned Sunday its postseason road through Sectional 39 begins with a return trip to Manual High School on Oct. 21 to face Christel House Manual (3-5). The Tigers lost to Indianapolis Scecina, 21-20 in overtime at Manual High School on Sept. 30.

Triton Central is a heavy favorite to win that game which will mean a likely road trip to Brownstown Central (5-3) on Oct. 28. Brownstown Central opens the sectional against winless Brown County (0-8).

If that scenario plays out and Triton Central wins both games, the Tigers would host the sectional championship game on Nov. 4.

“We got a good draw but we’ve still got to earn it,” said Able, who has led the Tigers to the sectional championship game in each of his first nine seasons in Fairland.

QUICK FACTS:

Speedway at Class 2A, No. 7 Triton Central

Game time: 7 p.m. at Mendenhall Field in Fairland.

Student Section Theme: Pajamas.

TC Promotion: Chili & Soup Supper and Senior Night.

Head coaches: Shane Clampitt, 14-6 in 2^nd year at Speedway; Tim Able, 86-34 in 10^th year at Triton Central; 211-132 in 29^th year overall.

2022 record: Speedway 5-3, 3-3 Indiana Crossroads Conference; Triton Central 6-2, 4-2 ICC.

2021 record: Speedway 9-3; Triton Central 8-5.

Sagarin ratings: Speedway 60.76, 100^th overall, 17^th in Class 3A; Triton Central, 74.43, 46th overall, 1st in Class 2A.

Point spread: Triton Central is a 16-point favorite.

Last year: Speedway won 24-21 in the regular-season finale.

Last 10 meetings: Triton Central had won nine consecutive meetings with Speedway until last season’s loss. Prior to that, Speedway’s last win over TC came on Oct. 26, 2001, in a sectional semifinal contest, 45-0.

Around the ICC Friday: Cascade (4-4, 2-4 ICC) at Cardinal Ritter (1-6, 0-6 ICC); Franklin County (2-6) at Beech Grove (4-4); Class 2A, No. 5 Indianapolis Scecina (7-1, 5-1 ICC) at Monrovia (2-6, 1-5 ICC).

Sectional 39 lookahead: Class 2A, No. 7 Triton Central (6-2) at Christel House Manual (3-5); Brownstown Central (5-3) at Brown County (0-8); Switzerland County (4-4) at Indianapolis Scecina (7-1); and Clarksville (3-5) at Eastern (Pekin) (1-7).

Triton Central earned a rematch with high-powered Indianapolis Scecina with a Sectional 42 semifinal win Thursday against Eastern Hancock.

Triton Central (20-9) swept Eastern Hancock for the second time this season, 25-20, 25-22, 25-11, to advance to Saturday’s Class 2A sectional championship match against Scecina (27-5), a 25-6, 25-4, 25-8 winner Thursday over Irvington Prep (13-9).

Maddy Brown finished with a team-high 12 kills for Triton Central. Kayden Simmons and Brooklyn Bailey each had seven kills.

Hallie Schweitzer led the defensive effort with 16 digs. Kate Isley collected 31 assists and nine digs.

Eastern Hancock closed out its season with a 17-14 record.

Triton Central and Scecina went the distance on Sept. 27 with the Crusaders prevailing, 25-17, 23-25, 16-25, 25-10, 15-11.

Abbey McCoy led Scecina in that match with 26 kills. Allison Daves added 16 kills and 19 digs.

Brooklyn Bailey topped Triton Central with 14 kills. Brown had 13 kills and 13 digs.

The sectional championship game is slated for 6 p.m.

Waldron Sectional

The semifinal matches at Class A, Sectional 60 were finalized after Thursday’s quarterfinal round matches.

Waldron advanced with a 25-15, 25-15, 19-25, 25-11 win over Jac-Cen-Del (6-21).

The Mohawks improved to 17-11 and will face South Decatur in the second semifinal game Saturday.

South Decatur (15-13) advanced to Saturday’s semifinal with a 18-25, 19-25, 25-15, 25-20, 15-13 come-from-behind win over Southwestern (8-20).

The Mohawks and Cougars went five sets on Sept. 20. Waldron prevailed 21-25, 25-23, 21-25, 25-12, 15-9.

The first semifinal game Saturday at Waldron features Oldenburg Academy (13-17) against Edinburgh (17-9).

The championship match is set for 6 p.m. Saturday.

Pendleton Heights has been streaky. The Arabians won two straight early on before losing three in a row to state-ranked Hoosier Heritage Conference foes.

Entering Friday’s clash with Shelbyville at McKeand Stadium, Pendleton Heights (4-4, 3-3 HHC) has won two straight again at Delta (27-10) and over Yorktown (28-20).

“I think they are good just like everybody we play in the conference,” said Shelbyville head coach Brian Glesing. “They are real good. They spread you out and try to run you inside and out to spread you out.

“We have to be at the top of our game if we want to be competitive.”

Glesing wants to see a more focused defensive effort to shut down plays after allowing Mt. Vernon to rack up nearly 500 yards of offense last week.

I want to see us tackle better defensively,” said Glesing. “Our depth is going to be a problem this week because a couple of the guys are banged up. That will be an issue.”

Shelbyville had just 35 players at practice Tuesday. Eliminate the freshmen that typically do not play on Friday nights and limit the quarters of players slated for Monday’s final junior varsity contest at Pendleton Heights, and the options are limited.

“We have to tackle better,” he reiterated. “That’s one thing defensively we need to do better.”

The Arabians are averaging 21.5 points per game this season without an established star on offense.

Junior quarterback Isaac Wilson has completed 53% of his pass attempts for 620 yards and four touchdowns. He has thrown six interceptions. Wilson also is the team’s leading rusher at 436 yards and five TDs.

Pendleton Heights has a trio of receivers that need to be accounted for during the game – senior Jalen Jordan (27 receptions, 252 yards, four TDs), junior Reese Reddington (15 receptions, 128 yards) and sophomore Nate Derolf (19 receptions, 217 yards).

Shelbyville has amassed 1,236 yards rushing this season with six different players between 131 and 329 yards. Axel Conover (photo) continues to lead the Golden Bears with 329 yards rushing and four TDs.

Cael Lux and Jackson Parker have combined for nearly 400 receiving yards.

Quarterback Eli Chappelow (photo) has completed 40 of 88 pass attempts for 635 yards and four TDs.

Lux (photo) enters the regular-season finale with a team-leading 101 total tackles and one interception.

Jordan Marcum (photo) has 48 tackles, including four for a loss, two quarterback sacks and two fumble recoveries.

Shelbyville will celebrate Senior Night at McKeand Stadium. Parker, Lux, Marcum, Riley Fortune and Carson Linville will suit up with the knowledge there will be at least one more home game this season after the IHSAA state tournament draw was announced Sunday.

The Golden Bears will host Bedford North Lawrence (4-4) in the sectional opener on Oct. 21 at McKeand Stadium.

“I am very familiar with them as a program after being in the Hoosier Hills Conference for 11 years,” said Glesing. “From what little I’ve seen so far, they are well coached and have some athletes.

“The good news is we have them at home. They are not New Pal. They are not Mt. Vernon but they are still talented. The good news is I think we can compete.”

QUICK FACTS

Pendleton Heights at Shelbyville

Game Time: 7 p.m. at McKeand Stadium in Shelbyville, Ind.

Media coverage: 6 p.m. pregame show live from McKeand Stadium with Johnny McCrory and Jeff Brown on GIANT fm (96.5 fm, 106.3 fm, 1520 am) or on the GIANT fm app.

Student Section Theme: Whiteout.

SHS Promotion: Senior Night.

Head coaches: Jed Richman, 40-33 in 7th year at Pendleton Heights, 75-63 in 13^th year overall; Brian Glesing, 2-13 in 2^nd year at Shelbyville, 120-107 in 20^th year overall.

2022 record: Pendleton Heights 4-4, 3-3 HHC; Shelbyville 1-7, 1-5 HHC.

2021 record: Pendleton Heights 5-5; Shelbyville 1-6.

Sagarin ratings: Pendleton Heights 64.68, 82^nd overall, 18^th in Class 4A; Shelbyville, 31.56, 225th overall, 49th in Class 4A.

Point spread: Pendleton Heights is favored by 31 points.

Last meeting: Pendleton Heights shut out the Golden Bears, 42-0.

Last 10 meetings: Shelbyville has won six of the last 10 meetings but the Arabians have won four straight in the series.

Around the HHC Friday: Delta (3-5, 1-5 HHC) at Class 4A, No. 1 New Palestine (8-0, 6-0 HHC); Class 4A, No. 12 Mt. Vernon (5-3, 5-1 HHC) at Yorktown (6-2, 4-2 HHC); and New Castle (1-7, 1-5 HHC) at Class 4A, No. 13 Greenfield-Central (5-3, 3-3 HHC).

Sectional 23 lookahead: Bedford North Lawrence (4-4) at Shelbyville (1-7); Class 4A, No. 10 Martinsville (6-2) at Greenwood (1-7); Silver Creek (3-5) at Jennings County (2-6); and Edgewood (1-7) at Class 4A, No. 3 East Central (7-1).

Shelbyville senior Aidan Asher was named to the Hoosier Heritage Conference’s All-HHC Boys Tennis Team.

Asher (photo) was one of six singles players and four doubles teams honored by the HHC.

Playing at No. 1 singles for the Golden Bears, Asher finished the season with a 16-10 record and helped Shelbyville win a sectional title and advance to the regional championship match.

Also named All-HHC were Mt. Vernon’s Adam Koon, New Castle’s Trent Alfrey, New Palestine’s Moses Haynes, Delta’s Dalton Royal and Greenfield-Central’s Chad Michalek.

The All-HHC doubles teams are Delta’s Riley Bratton and Colin McCrady, Yorktown’s Ethan Darby and Raphael Sabijon, Mt. Vernon’s Robbie Moore and Bryndan Wylie, and New Castle’s Sam Underhill and Braylon Cornwell.

Delta’s Tim Clelland was named Coach of the Year after leading the Eagles to the HHC title with a 6-1 record, an 18-9 overall mark and sectional and regional titles.

Mt. Vernon (17-5, 5-2 HHC) and Greenfield-Central (17-5, 5-2 HHC) followed Delta in the standings. New Castle (22-6, 4-3 HHC) and Shelbyville (15-11, 4-3 HHC) finished third for third ahead of Yorktown (17-7, 3-4 HHC), New Palestine (8-11, 1-6 HHC) and Pendleton Heights (6-13, 0-7 HHC).

Lori Asher photo

Trailing 2-0 early in the second half to the 11^th-ranked team in the state, Southwestern’s hopes of advancing to a third-straight regional championship game were dimming.

The 17^th-ranked Spartans recovered to get the match tied and survived two seven-minute overtime periods to send Wednesday’s Class A regional semifinal contest with visiting Covenant Christian to penalty kicks.

With a pair of misses by Covenant Christian and a spectacular save from goalkeeper Michael Clements, Southwestern pulled off the stunning comeback for a 3-1 advantage in penalty kicks and a trip to Knightstown booked for Saturday’s regional championship match against Greenwood Christian.

“In the moment, I didn’t think our chances were very good,” said Southwestern head coach Taylor Meredith after Covenant Christian doubled its lead to 2-0 just 86 seconds into the second half. “I apologized for doubting (my team). I told them I won’t doubt them from here on out however far we go.”

The Spartans (14-2-2) are going right back to where they’ve been at the end of the last two seasons – the regional championship game. Two years ago, Lutheran scored in the game’s final seconds of the second overtime period to steal the win. Last year, Cascade eliminated the Spartans in the 10^th penalty kick.

“I think these guys will be more focused than we’ve ever been for a Saturday game at Knightstown,” said Meredith. “To lose after being so close those last two years, I think these guys will be locked in.”

Southwestern was anything but locked in Wednesday night against a formidable foe in Covenant Christian (8-10-3). The Warriors immediately put pressure on Southwestern and it produced a rebound goal for Maddux Thom less than four minutes into the contest.

The Spartans could not string together a strong offensive series but went into halftime trailing just 1-0.

Covenant Christian touched in quickly on a corner kick in the second minute of the second half and Josh Byrd directed a pass to Thom, who beat goalkeeper Michael Clements for a second goal with 38:34 left in regulation time.

Southwestern's Gavin Shaw, right, puts pressure on a Covenant Christian player for possession of the ball during Wednesday's regional semifinal game at Southwestern.

Southwestern needed a goal quickly and Constant Martinez made that happen. The French exchange student sent the ball sailing across the front of the net and Conner Jewell headed it into the goal to cut the Warriors’ lead in half.

Jewell had a hand in the game-tying goal as well. The senior defenseman pushed up and drew a foul inside the box that resulted in a penalty kick. Garreth Stringer beat Luca high into the net to change the momentum of the game.

“Conner Jewell had the header and he drew the penalty kick. That was a huge effort by him being a defender making two plays in the other box helping us get those two goals,” said Meredith.

With both teams trying to string together productive possessions in the game’s final minutes, Owen Stringer was tackled hard from behind in the midfield with 6:03 on the clock. The senior laid on the ground and had to be helped off the field.

As time ticked away, Stringer had ice on his lower back while sitting on the bench in pain.

 With the game tied at the end of regulation, both teams prepared for two seven-minute overtime periods. Meanwhile, Stringer started moving around to see if he could get back in the game.

Covenant Christian had the best look at goal in the overtime periods. Zachary Jackson dribbled into firing range and delivered the potential game winner but Clements made the save.

At the end of the overtime periods, each team selected five players for penalty kicks. Owen Stringer’s name was on Southwestern’s list.

“I knew as soon as I got injured and I wasn’t going to play, I was begging our trainer to just let me take the PK. I know I’m on the list … just let me take the PK,” he said.

Clements did not have to make a save on Covenant Christian’s first two attempts. Byrd sent his attempt wide left of the goal. Andrew Crane’s went wide right.

Martinez took the first PK for Southwestern and smashed it into the top crossbar. After Crane’s miss, Stringer started the longest walk of his life from midfield.

“It was different,” said Stringer. “I’ve done that once or twice but it’s been awhile. The fans were crazy. It didn’t help that I was hobbling the whole way up there.”

Stringer steadied the ball on its resting spot and had his right hand supporting his lower back the whole time.

“I was just telling myself to stay calm. It’s just like practice … just put in into the back of the net,” he said.

Luca guessed Stringer was going to his left and was wrong. Stringer delivered dead center for a key 1-0 advantage.

Clements came through with the save of the season on Benjamin Matthies’ attempt. The shot was centered on goal and Clements caught the shot with his leg and pinned it between his ankles.

“We told our guys that they would put one off frame, Michael has to save one and we will be good to go,” said Meredith. “Luckily for us, they put two off frame and we never even had to get to our fifth kicker.”

Tucker Simmons followed with a high corner goal on the PK to give Southwestern a 2-0 lead with two more rounds to go.

Hudson Bell beat Clements to make it 2-1 bringing Jonah DeArmitt to the PK spot.

DeArmitt (photo, left) calmly delivered the game winner to set off the celebration.

“That kid is unbelievable,” said Meredith. “To be on the bench for three years as the 12^th man, 13^th man and never discouraged. He always accepted whatever role was given to him. This year, holy cow he has stepped up for us. For him to put it away for us … good for him. I am so proud of him.”

The Class A regional semifinal games are set for Saturday at Knightstown, Forest Park, Westview and Taylor.

At Forest Park, Christian Academy (12-5-3) travels to No. 8 Forest Park (13-6-1); No. 1 Westview (18-1-1) hosts No. 10 Wheeler (14-5-1); and No. 2 Park Tudor (17-2-1) takes on No. 4 Faith Christian (15-2-1).

Track announcer John G. Dooley described it the best. Beach Blast had the best start and exploded to the win in the 26^th running of the $83,500 Hoosier Park Classic Wednesday at Horseshoe Indianapolis in Shelbyville, Indiana.

Beach Blast and jockey Juan Marquez set a new stakes record in the race, which is one of the original three stakes created during the inaugural season of pari-mutuel Quarter Horse racing in the state of Indiana in 1997, founded at Hoosier Park.

Beach Blast and Marquez got out of the gate quickly from the inside post and were clear of all opponents in the race. The duo had open lengths on the field in the first few strides of the 400-yard dash, and they weren’t done yet. They continued to increase their advantage all the way to the wire for the win by two and one-half lengths. HH CJ Shake and Cristian Esqueda moved up for second over Secret Eyes and Edgar Diaz for third.

Beach Blast was the favorite of the field, paying $3.20 for the win. The four-year-old sorrel gelding by Escondido Beach in now three for five in 2022 and has not finished off the board all year. Overall, he has 10 wins in 16 starts and increased his career bankroll to more than $400,000 in earnings. He was a $22,000 yearling purchase from the 2019 QHRAI Speed Sale by Keith Bode and Debbie Smith. Randy Smith, Horseshoe Indianapolis’ all-time leading Quarter Horse trainer, conditions the compact speedster.

“He’s just a great horse, and he always has been,” said Bode. “He’s been on top of his game for a long time. I think he proved tonight he can go another year after this one.”

Bode and his wife, Rose, own numerous Quarter Horses at their farm in Columbus, Ind. Bode also is the president of Growers Farm Service, Inc., which specializes in wholesale fertilizers for farming operations. The Bodes also are involved in other disciplines of performance for Quarter Horses in addition to racing. Beach Blast is currently the best horse they have in partnership with Debbie Smith. The gelding has now recorded five stakes wins in three years of competition at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

“We are just thrilled with him,” added Debbie. “It was quite a race.”

Beach Blast adds his name into the record books as the new stakes’ holder of the Hoosier Park Classic. The previous mark was set by Stinkin Rich during the 2016 race in a time of 19.73 seconds. Beach Blast’s time of 19.529 was just a few ticks off the track record for 400 yards at Horseshoe Indianapolis held by Tommy the Train and James Flores, set in 2017 (19.324).

The Morristown volleyball program’s season came to an end Tuesday with a Waldron Sectional quarterfinal loss to Oldenburg Academy.

Kate Weber finished with 12 kills, three service aces, 15 digs and 10 assists to lead the Twisters to a 25-23, 25-14, 25-19 victory over the Yellow Jackets (6-23).

Caroline Jansing delivered a team-high 22 digs and Kenlee Martin collected 14 assists.

With the win, Oldenburg Academy advanced to Saturday’s first semifinal game at Waldron High School to face Edinburgh (17-9).

The sectional quarterfinal round continues Thursday with the host Mohawks (16-11) taking on Jac-Cen-Del (6-20) at 6 p.m. and Southwestern (8-19) meeting South Decatur (14-13) in the nightcap. The two quarterfinal winners return to Waldron Saturday for the second semifinal contest.

In other sectionals involving Shelby County schools:

Class 2A, Sectional 42

Irvington Prep secured a semifinal berth Tuesday night with a four-set victory over Riverside at the Eastern Hancock Sectional in Charlottesville.

Irvington Prep (13-8) will face Indianapolis Scecina Thursday in the second semifinal contest.

At 6 p.m. Thursday, Eastern Hancock (17-13) will host Triton Central (19-9) with a spot in Saturday’s championship game at stake.

Class 4A, Sectional 14

The six-team sectional at Columbus East High School kicks off Thursday with a pair of quarterfinal contests.

Franklin (19-9) opens against East Central (9-19) with the winner advancing to take on Columbus North (11-16) at 11 a.m. Saturday.

The second quarterfinal match pits Whiteland (8-17) against Columbus East (17-12) with the winner returning for a semifinal match with Shelbyville (5-25) at 1 p.m.

Southwestern soccer easily could have fallen into a rebuilding mode. The roster did not appear to be ready for a reload to chase another sectional championship.

What Taylor Meredith did was restructure his roster after graduation took five seniors, including the school’s all-time leading scorer in Aiden Hartsell.

“I don’t know if it is more satisfying because they are all awesome,” said Meredith after Class A, No. 17 Southwestern won its third-straight sectional title Saturday night, 2-1 over Indianapolis Lutheran. “When I took the job, (winning) a sectional was the goal.

“The first sectional (win), I was an eighth grader (2006). The second sectional (2016), I was an assistant coach the year before and took a year off and came back to coach a year after. So I missed both sectionals by a year. So winning a sectional was the goal.”

Southwestern (13-2-2) will host a regional semifinal contest Wednesday at 6 p.m. against Class A, No. 11 Covenant Christian (8-9-3). The winner advances to the regional championship match Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at Knightstown High School to face either Greenwood Christian Academy (8-7-3) or No. 20 Oldenburg Academy (11-7-1).

With Aiden Hartsell’s 46-goal senior season in the rear view mirror, Southwestern had to find offensive output in 2022. So naturally Meredith turned to a defender.

Senior Garreth Stringer switched ends of the field and led the Spartans this season with 23 goals and six assists.

“This was a lot of fun,” said Stringer. “At the beginning of the season we didn’t know how anything was going to go. We had a bunch of questions about who would be the goalkeeper? How would we score? How far would we get into the postseason?

“I don’t think any of us thought winning a sectional was a possibility until we started playing.”

Southwestern had an experienced goalkeeper returning in senior Eli Fix but sophomore Michael Clements emerged as the top choice – one endorsed by Fix.

“We knew Eli and Michael were good and both are too athletic to have on the bench,” said Meredith. “We talked about that and they went back and forth all summer. Before our first practice, Eli came to me and said you need to give it Michael. He deserves it. And he has been phenomenal.”

Fix has two goals and two assists this season working away from the goal while Southwestern has allowed just 19 goals in 17 matches this season.

Stringer answered the question who would score for Southwestern this season. Twin brother Owen is tied for second on the team with six goals.

“(My role) changed a lot because I played back in the back last year, so I got moved all the way up to forward,” said Garreth Stringer. “It was definitely a little bit of a change but it was fun to do so.”

Southwestern’s leading scorer did not have a goal in the sectional championship match. It was Owen Stringer that struck first for Southwestern just four minutes into the match.

Constant Martinez added his fifth goal of the season inside the final 10 minutes of the contest to make it 2-0. Both goals were set up by senior Jonah DeArmitt, who found himself playing more minutes than ever this season.

DeArmitt’s free kick bounced around in front of the Lutheran goal and Stringer spun quickly and struck to beat the Lutheran goalkeeper for the early lead.

DeArmitt’s second-half throw-in reached Martinez inside the goalkeeper’s box and he flicked it to the far post for the game’s second goal.

“Jonah has stepped up so much this year,” said Meredith. “He was kind of our 12^th man a couple years in a row. The first year, he had a chance at starting and Johnny Joy came and bumped him back down. Last year, Jonah was ready to start and Tucker Simmons moved in and knocked him to No. 12 again.

“He has been waiting for this for awhile and it’s awesome.”

DeArmitt has six goals and five assists this season. Simmons also has six goals and eight assists.

Covenant Christian has allowed more goals (41) than it has scored (28) against a formidable schedule.

Five of the Warriors’ nine losses have come to state-ranked teams, including Class 2A, No. 3 Brebeuf (6-0), 2A No. 7 Heritage Christian (2-1), 2A No. 8 Speedway (4-1) and 2A No. 13 Providence (2-0).

Covenant Christian closed out its regular-season schedule with a 1-0 loss to Class A, No. 2 Park Tudor before sweeping through the Bethesda Christian Sectional with wins over Riverside (6-2), No. 15 Providence Cristo Rey (3-0) and Bethesda Christian (3-1).

Southwestern wrapped up its regular season with a 3-2 win at Bethesda Christian.

The Warriors are led in scoring by junior Josh Byrd with 12 goals and seven assists.

Senior Austin Humbert and sophomore Caleb McCrory each had three goals for the low-scoring Warriors.

Senior goalkeeper Angelo Luca has 101 saves this season and allows 2.2 goals per contest.

Rose-Hulman built a 41-17 halftime lead Saturday against visiting Manchester University and cruised to a 48-14 Homecoming victory at Cook Stadium in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Triton Central graduate Kenneth Gipson (photo, far left, No. 58) is a starting offensive lineman for Rose-Hulman, now 2-3 this season and 2-0 against Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference opponents.

The Engineers racked up 484 yards of offense and scored three passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns.

Here is a look at other Shelby County graduates competing at the collegiate level.

Brooklyn Schiffli

The Triton Central graduate had one assist, one service ace and five digs Sunday in Jacksonville State’s 25-19, 25-15, 26-24 loss at Kennesaw State in Kennesaw, Georgia.

The loss dropped the Gamecocks to 16-3 this season and 4-2 in the Atlantic Sun Conference standings.

On Friday, Kennesaw State swept Jacksonville State, 25-16, 27-25, 25-19 in Jacksonville. Schiffli finished with one ace and nine digs in the loss.

Maggie Schweitzer

The Triton Central graduate collected one kill, seven assists, two aces and nine digs for Hanover volleyball Friday in a 25-9, 25-17, 25-14 win over Defiance College.

The win improved the Panthers to 11-9 (2-1 HCAC).

On Wednesday, Hanover lost at Earlham College, 25-22, 20-25, 25-17, 24-26, 15-13. Schweitzer finished with 18 assists, four aces and 16 digs.

Julia Sanders

The Triton Central graduate had one assist and seven digs Saturday for Indiana University Kokomo in a 22-25, 25-22, 20-25, 27-25, 15-11 loss at Point Park University in Pittsburgh.

The loss dropped IU Kokomo to 17-5 overall and 6-1 in the River States Conference standings.

On Friday, IU Kokomo defeated Carlow University, 25-13, 25-9, 25-18. Sanders had one dig.

Emma Nolley

The Shelbyville graduate was credited with one dig Saturday for Texas Woman’s University in a 25-11, 25-14, 25-15 loss to West Texas A&M.

The Pioneers dropped to 12-8 this season (3-5 Lone State Conference).

On Wednesday, Nolley had one ace in a 26-24, 25-22, 23-25, 13-25, 15-12 loss at Lubbock Christian.

Hayden Kermode

The Triton Central graduate had one kickoff return in the statistical category for Concordia Ann Arbor Saturday in a 23-16 overtime win at Siena Heights in Adrian, Michigan.

Siena Heights built a 16-0 lead for Concordia (3-3) staged a comeback.

Elizabeth Kemper

The Triton Central graduate shot rounds of 86 and 85 for a two-day total of 171 that left her in 19^th place overall in the Saints Classic golf tournament in Notre Dame, Indiana.

Kemper was part of No. 16-ranked Taylor University’s golf program that finished runner-up to Indiana Wesleyan in the event completed on Oct. 4.

Layton Stieneker

The Shelbyville graduate lost a pair of matches Saturday in Franklin College’s 7-2 loss to St. Francis (Ind.).

Playing at No. 1 doubles with Dustin Garrison, Stieneker lost 8-5 to Aldredo Huamani and Eric Stavnheim.

At No. 4 singles, Martin Maurant outlasted Stieneker, 4-6, 6-3, 10-7 for the victory.

Rachel Dewey

The Triton Central graduate played all 90 minutes Sunday for Xavier University’s women’s soccer team in a 1-0 win over Connecticut.

The shutout was Xavier’s fourth straight and ninth overall this season.

The Musketeers are 11-2-2 (5-0-1 Big East).

Dewey has played in 15 contests, started seven, and has no goals and one assist.

New Palestine school officials have released the following statement regarding a school investigation into an incident involving the high school volleyball team.

With just four days left to the Indiana high school football regular season finale, there is status quo atop the Indiana Football Coaches Association state poll.

All six No. 1 teams remained the same with eight weeks now in the books.

Brownsburg (Class 6A), Fort Wayne Snider (5A), New Palestine (4A), West Lafayette (3A), Linton-Stockton (2A) and Indianapolis Lutheran (A) will attempt this Friday to lock themselves into the top spots when the postseason begins on Oct. 22.

Brownsburg improved to 8-0 Friday to hold off Center Grove (7-1) for the top spot in the state’s largest school class. Cathedral (6-1) is No. 3 followed by Hamilton Southeastern (8-0), Carroll (Allen) (8-0), Ben Davis (5-3), Carmel (5-3), Crown Point (8-0), Westfield (8-3), Elkhart (7-1) and Penn (6-2).

Brownsburg travels to No. 4 Hamilton Southeastern to close out the regular season Friday.

There are no unbeaten teams in the Class 5A poll. Fort Wayne Snider (7-1) holds the top spot ahead of Merrillville (7-1), Whiteland (7-1), Mishawaka (7-1), Bloomington South (6-1), Harrison (West Lafayette) (7-1), Fort Wayne North (6-2), Franklin (6-2), Valparaiso (5-3) and Fort Wayne Dwenger (5-3).

New Palestine (8-0) is rock solid as the No. 1 team in Class 4A. Roncalli (7-1), East Central (7-1), Kokomo (8-0) and NorthWood (8-0) round out the top five. Evansville Reitz (8-0) is No. 6 ahead of Mooresville (6-2), New Prairie (7-1), Columbia City (7-1) and Martinsville (6-2).

West Lafayette (8-0) remains unbeaten and No. 1 in Class 3A. Gibson Southern (8-0), Chatard (5-3), Norwell (8-0), Western Boone (7-1), Hanover Central (8-0), Lawrenceburg (7-1), Owen Valley (8-0), Guerin Catholic (4-4) and Tri-West (6-2) complete the top 10.

There are just two unbeaten teams left in the Class 2A poll. Top-ranked Linton-Stockton (8-0) is followed by Andrean (6-2), LaVille (8-0), Evansville Mater Dei (6-2), Indianapolis Scecina (7-1), Lafayette Central Catholic (6-2), Triton Central (6-2), Fort Wayne Luers (5-3), Eastbrook (6-2) and Eastside (6-2).

The top four teams in the Class A poll are still undefeated.

Indianapolis Lutheran (8-0) leads the way ahead of Adams Central (8-0), North Decatur (8-0), Carroll (Flora) (8-0), North Judson (7-1), South Putnam (7-1), Tri (7-1), Tecumseh (8-0), South Adams (6-2) and Sheridan (7-1).

Right at four minutes into the Class A, Sectional 42 championship game, Owen Stringer struck for a quick goal to give Southwestern a stunning 1-0 lead over Indianapolis Lutheran.

“Stunning” because the two squads played to a scoreless draw just over three weeks earlier. The goal allowed the two-time defending sectional champions to settle into the often-physical contest.

That one-goal lead held up until late in the second half when Constant Martinez used his head to flick a throw-in from Jonah DeArmitt on goal for a 2-0 lead.

Lutheran added a goal with 32 seconds left but it was not enough to keep Southwestern from winning its third-straight sectional championship Saturday night on its home field.

Class A, No. 17 Southwestern (13-2-2) will host No. 11 Covenant Christian (8-9-3) Wednesday in a regional semifinal match. The winner will advance to the Knightstown Regional championship match Saturday at 4:30 p.m. to face either Greenwood Christian (8-7-3) or No. 20 Oldenburg Academy (11-7-1).

“They play a lot of guys back. We watched film this week and we saw them play in the sectional, they play four back and their three midfielders are always behind the ball,” said Southwestern head coach Taylor Meredith of Lutheran’s defensive-minded approach. “They have a lot of low-scoring games. We knew it would be low scoring. Definitely to get the goal in early was some relief and a little cushion.”

Following a Lutheran foul just over three minutes into a rough first half, DeArmitt delivered a free kick on goal that was not cleared and ended up with Stringer, who punched the ball past goalkeeper Porter Miske for a quick lead.

“It was really high tension there for a little while,” said Garreth Stringer (photo, left), Owen’s twin brother. “We scored and we kind of realized we can actually score against them.”

Two yellow cards, one per team, were issued in the first half and a second captain’s meeting was held at midfield at halftime to settle both teams down.

Both squads kept attacking in the second 40 minutes but struggled to find a decisive goal.

Southwestern was in full defensive mode over the final 10 minutes and caught lightning in a bottle when DeArmitt delivered a long throw-in at the goal. Martinez headed the ball on goal and it cleared the defenders and Miske and rolled into the far corner of the net.

“That was awesome,” said Garreth Stringer. “It went right over my head. I just moved out of the way and let it go through. That was an amazing header by Constant.”

Martinez is an exchange student from France.

“He did that the first game of the year against Knightstown,” said Meredith. “To see him do it again in the tournament is really cool.”

Southwestern goalkeeper Michael Clements made a spectacular diving save late in the contest just ahead of Elliott Cook getting a shot past him inside the final minute.

Lutheran (6-10-2) never got another look on goal before the celebration began for the Spartans.

“The only thing I know about Covenant Christian is they beat Bethesda Christian tonight,” laughed Meredith. “Sometime tomorrow (Sunday), we will get some emails sent out and track down some film and call some coaches and have a couple of days to prepare for them.”

Shelbyville avoided a sectional quarterfinal game against a top-10 ranked opponent while Triton Central and Indianapolis Scecina – both ranked in the top 10 – would square off once again in a sectional championship game.

The Indiana High School Athletic Association slotted 313 teams Sunday for the 50^th Annual IHSAA Football State Tournament.

Sectional games begin on Oct. 21 in Classes 4A, 3A, 2A, and A. Classes 6A and 5A have that week off. Sectional semifinal games will be Oct. 28 with sectional championship matches to follow on Nov. 4.

Regional championships are on Nov. 11. Semistate championships are one week later on Nov. 18 with state championship games on Nov. 25-26 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Class 4A, Sectional 23

Sectional 23 features eight teams including No. 3 East Central and No. 8 Martinsville.

In first round games, Shelbyville (1-7) will host Bedford North-Lawrence (4-4); Greenwood (1-7) hosts Martinsville (6-2); Jennings County (2-6) hosts Silver Creek (3-5); and East Central (7-1) hosts Edgewood (1-7).

The advancing team that did not host a first-round game would host the semifinal round. If both advancing teams were hosts or visitors, the second-named team in the bracket would be the host.

In that scenario, a win by Shelbyville would slot it into a road game at Greenwood or Martinsville in the regional.

Class 2A, Sectional 39

Class 2A, No. 7 Triton Central (6-2) opens the 2022 postseason with a road trip to Christel House Manual (3-5).

The other quarterfinal round matchups include Brownstown Central (5-3) at Brown County (0-8); Switzerland County (4-4) at 2A No. 5 Scecina (7-1); and Clarksville (3-5) at Eastern (Pekin) (1-7).

With a win, Triton Central would host Brown County or travel to Brownstown Central in the semifinal round.

If Triton Central is on the road for the semifinal round and wins, it would guarantee the Tigers to be host for the sectional championship game.

Ten Shelby County runners qualified out of cross country sectional races Saturday at three different venues.

Franklin Sectional

Shelbyville’s Beau Kenkel, Hannah Wright (main photo) and Angel Kreider advanced to the regional round of the state tournament along with Waldron’s Will Larrison and Jared Crosby.

Larrison finished 20^th overall on the Franklin High School cross country course with a time of 17 minutes, 32 seconds. Crosby was 24 seconds back to finish 30^th overall in 17:56.

Kenkel placed 33^rd in 18:02 to advance for the first time to the regional race, also to be held at Franklin High School.

The top five finishing teams and the top 10 individuals not on a qualifying team advanced out of the sectional round.

In the girls race, Wright broke 22 minutes for the first time in her career to finish 30^th overall in 21:53.

Kreider (photo) also clocked a personal-best time of 22:26 to finish 35^th and qualify for the regional for the first time.

Brown County Sectional

Four Southwestern Spartans qualified for the Columbus North Regional, which will be held at Shelbyville’s Blue River Memorial Park cross country venue.

Malori Pike crossed the finish line in 24:45 to earn a regional berth.

She will be joined by Jackson Bentz (18:27), Dane Kissell (18:39) and Koty Claiborne (19:02), who qualified for the boys regional event.

Mt. Vernon Sectional

Morristown sophomore Grace McLaughlin qualified for the Rushville Regional with a time of 24:16.

To qualify for the Oct. 22 semistate races around the state, competitors must be on a top-five finishing squad or be a top-10 individual not from an advancing team at regional races.

Each regional contains sectional qualifiers from two different sectionals.

Steve Bush photos

Triton Central shut down Southwestern and Waldron to claim the Shelby County Volleyball Tournament title Saturday in Fairland.

The Tigers eliminated Southwestern, 25-8, 25-14, then knocked off Waldron in the championship match, 25-15, 25-12, to improve to 19-9 this season.

Triton Central senior Kaitlin Bramlett (photo below) finished with seven kills and two total blocks in the championship match to earn the tournament’s Most Valuable Player Award.

Kayden Simmons had a team-high nine kills against the Mohawks (16-11). Brooklyn Bailey also had seven kills.

Kate Isley delivered six service aces and a team-high 24 assists.

In the win over Southwestern (8-20), Maddy Brown finished with a team-high nine kills for Triton Central. Bailey had eight. Isley collected 18 assists.

Waldron needed three sets to get past Morristown, 25-19, 19-25, 15-13.

Zoey Coons led the Yellow Jackets (6-22) with seven kills and one block.

Kindall Dorsey had a team-high 13 digs and Katie Theobald finished with eight assists.

Sectional tournaments begin Tuesday in the state and culminate with sectional championship matches Saturday.

In Class 2A, Sectional 42 at Eastern Hancock, Triton Central debuts Thursday in the semifinal round against the host Royals (17-13).

In Class A, Sectional 60 at Waldron, Morristown opens the sectional bracket with a quarterfinal match Tuesday against Oldenburg Academy (12-17).

In Thursday’s quarterfinal matches, Waldron takes on Jac-Cen-Del (6-19) and Southwestern battles South Decatur (14-13).

In another volleyball tournament Saturday:

Lawrence North Invitational

Shelbyville closed out its regular-season schedule with three losses at Lawrence North High School.

The Golden Bears (5-24) opened the invitational with a 25-15, 25-18 loss to Noblesville (24-6).

In match two, Homestead (25-6) got 10 kills from Addy Tindall in a 25-5, 25-10 victory.

Shelbyville closed out the invitational with a second loss this season to Franklin Central, 25-18, 25-8.

Zyon Francis and Abby Kaminski each had six kills to lead the Flashes (14-15).

Shelbyville has the week to prepare for a Class 4A, Sectional 14 semifinal round match at Columbus East High School Saturday against either Whiteland (8-13) or Columbus East (16-11).

FAIRLAND – Class 2A, No. 7 Triton Central found itself in a battle with Beech Grove, in part to its own mistakes.

A sluggish offensive performance in the first half overshadowed a terrific defensive performance that included four interceptions and a key fumble recovery on special teams.

The Tigers got a pair of Jace Stuckey touchdown passes in the fourth quarter as the Hornets wore down and Ray Crawford added a late touchdown to seal a 27-7 Indiana Crossroads Conference victory over Beech Grove at Mendenhall Field.

“We finally at the end finished like we should have started,” said Triton Central head coach Tim Able. “We just didn’t play real well early.

“(Beech Grove) had a good offensive game plan. I felt like we did but we were three-and-out, three-and-out the first two series. That is just not the way to start the game. And we made enough mistakes to keep them in the game.”

Beech Grove (4-4, 3-4 ICC) could move the ball down the field the first half but could not finish off possessions with points.

The Hornets’ opening drive lasted 14 plays before Stuckey intercepted Beech Grove quarterback Skylar Thacker in the end zone.

After another quick offensive series, Beech Grove capitalized with a 54-yard scoring drive that ended with Thacker connecting with Jarron Murry at the 2-yard line and the junior avoided a Triton Central defensive back to reach the end zone on the second play of the second quarter.

Triton Central adjusted and marched 69 yards on its third possession that included a 33-yard gain by Sam Kemper on a screen pass from Stuckey.

Stuckey completed the Tigers’ first scoring drive with a 1-yard push into the end zone.

Beech Grove continued to control the clock and ran 10 plays before Lucas Kleeman intercepted Thacker’s pass at the 18-yard line after it ricocheted off a Beech Grove receiver’s helmet.

Both teams failed to score points on their opening possession of the second half. Beech Grove’s second drive ended with Thacker’s third interception, this time Brad Schultz collected a fourth-and-seven heave to the end zone for a touchback.

Triton Central put together a 17-play, 80-yard scoring drive after that which included 12 running plays from Crawford and Stuckey. On first-and-10 from the Beech Grove 16, Stuckey found Mason Compton in the corner of the end zone to give Triton Central its first lead of the contest, 14-7.

The Hornets went three-and-out on its next possession then stopped the Triton Central offense and forced a punt, which was mishandled and recovered by TC’s special teams unit.

One play later, Stuckey hit Schultz in the back of the end zone for a 21-7 advantage.

“We had plenty of stuff we could still go to that we didn’t use in the first half,” said Able of the halftime adjustment to the offense. “We were able to run the ball a little bit better inside. We gave Ray (Crawford) the ball a lot and he took care of business.”

Crawford finished with 97 hard-fought rushing yards on 26 carries – 19 in the second half.

Following a Levi Dewey interception near midfield, Triton Central went on  a 9-play drive that ended with Crawford getting a 1-yard scoring run to complete the scoring.

“In the second half once we got things going, we felt like we wore them down,” said Able. “We just shouldn’t be to the point where we have to wear teams down to beat them at the end. I felt like we’ve done that two weeks in a row.

“We just have to play better all four quarters.”

Triton Central collected 12 penalties in the game. Beech Grove had seven as both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm.

With his second catch of the game, Schultz (photo) broke Dakota Nelson’s career receiving yards record at Triton Central. The senior entered the game needing four yards to surpass Nelson’s 1,717 career yards (2009-2012).

“I am definitely proud but we can’t really worry about that,” said Schultz. “You saw the score tonight. We should have played way better than that.”

Schultz now holds TC’s single-season and career receiving yards records. He passed Aaron Steele’s single-season mark of 1,050 yards in a week six overtime loss to Indianapolis Scecina.

Schultz has at least two more weeks to surpass Nelson’s record for single-season receptions (68) and career receptions (118). He needs 12 more catches for the single-season mark and 17 more for the career record.

Triton Central will host Speedway (5-3, 3-3 ICC) in the final game of the regular season. The Sparkplugs lost 47-16 Friday to Class A, No. 1 Indianapolis Lutheran.

On Sunday at 5 p.m., the IHSAA will air complete postseason pairings for the 50^th Annual Football State Tournament. The broadcast can be viewed at IHSAAtv.org.

Triton Central will compete in Class 2A, Sectional 39 this postseason. The 8-team sectional includes 2A No. 5 Scecina (7-1), Brownstown Central (5-3), Switzerland County (4-4), Christel House Manual (3-5), Clarksville (3-5), Brown County (0-8) and Eastern (Pekin) (1-7).

TRITON CENTRAL 27, BEECH GROVE 7

SCORE BY QUARTERS

BG (4-4, 3-4)  0  7  0    0  --  7

TC (6-2, 4-2)   0  7  0  20  --  27

Second Quarter:

BG – Murry, 34 pass Thacker (Fonseca kick), 11:09

TC – Stuckey, 1 run (Dewey kick), 6:15

Fourth Quarter:

TC – Compton, 16 pass Stuckey (Dewey kick), 8:25

TC – Schultz, 19 pass Stuckey (Dewey kick), 5:33

TC – Crawford, 1 run (Dewey kick blocked), 1:39

Individuals:

Rushing: Lee 18-79, Thacker 6-13, Murry 2-7 (BG); Crawford 26-97, Stuckey 10-30, Wilkins 1-4 (TC).

Passing: Thacker 7-19-105 (BG); Stuckey 15-25-194 (TC).

Receiving: Murry 3-59, Smith 2-17, Crawley 1-15, Parr-Stokes 1-14 (BG); Schultz 8-108, Compton 4-51, Kemper 1-33, Wilkins 1-5, Crawford 1-(-3) (TC).

Shelbyville finished off a four-game stretch against state-ranked opponents Friday with a 57-13 loss at Mt. Vernon.

The Marauders scored the first five touchdowns of the game in Fortville before the Golden Bears got on the scoreboard.

A Luke Jackson two-yard scoring run brought Shelbyville (1-7, 1-5 Hoosier Heritage Conference) within 34-6 after the extra-point kick attempt by Aiden Helfer-Vazquez was unsuccessful with 10:18 left in the second quarter.

The Class 4A, No. 13-ranked Marauders (5-3, 5-1 HHC), winners of four straight, added two more touchdowns and a Rylan Vinard 44-yard field goal to take a 51-6 lead into halftime.

Eli Chappelow (main photo) connected with Carson Linville for a 35-yard scoring strike midway through the fourth quarter to get the Golden Bears a second touchdown.

Mt. Vernon tacked on a late touchdown to close out the scoring.

Tre Jones had touchdown receptions of 11 and 43 yards from freshman quarterback Luke Ertel. The junior also had a 53-yard scoring run.

D.J. Johnson rushed for two touchdowns.

With the win, Mt. Vernon moved into second place in the HHC standings. The Marauders entered the game tied with Yorktown behind Class 4A, No. 1 New Palestine, a 63-12 winner Friday over New Castle.

The Dragons clinched at least a share of the HHC title with the win.

Mt. Vernon can secure sole possession of second place in the standings with a win at Yorktown (6-2, 4-2 HHC), a 28-20 loser Friday at Pendleton Heights.

Shelbyville hosts Pendleton Heights (4-4, 3-3 HHC) in the final week of the regular season Friday at McKeand Stadium.

On Sunday at 5 p.m., the IHSAA will announce the complete postseason pairings for the 50^th Annual Football State Tournament. The broadcast, hosted by Paul Lovell and Paul Condry, can be viewed exclusively at IHSAAtv.org.

Shelbyville will compete in Class 4A, Sectional 23 along with 4A No. 3 East Central (7-1), Bedford North Lawrence (4-4), 4A No. 8 Martinsville (6-2), Silver Creek (3-5), Edgewood (1-7), Jennings County (2-6) and Greenwood (1-7).

Steve Bush photos.

Class A, No. 18 Muncie Burris eliminated Triton Central in the semifinal round Thursday of Sectional 44.

The Owls (13-2) scored a pair of goals in each half to secure the victory and advance to Saturday’s girls soccer championship game to face Wapahani (9-7), a 4-0 winner over Union County (0-13-1) Thursday in the other semifinal contest.

Sarah Edmonds scored twice to lead Muncie Burris. Sophia Johnson and Sydney Jackson also had goals. Jackson was credited with two assists.

Triton Central’s lone goal came from senior Lizzie Graham, who finished this season with 25 goals and closed out her career with 66 goals – good enough for fourth all-time in program history.

The Tigers finished the season 8-10.

In other prep events Thursday:

Volleyball

Greenfield-Central def. Triton Central, 25-23, 25-17, 20-25, 25-19

At Greenfield-Central, Mya Grigsby and Rilee Roland combined for 34 kills to lead the host Cougars (10-16) past the Tigers (17-9).

Grigsby also had three blocks and 12 digs. Roland added four service aces and 13 digs.

Brooklyn Bailey led Triton Central with nine kills and two blocks.

Kaitlin Bramlett and Maddy Brown each finished with seven kills.

Hallie Schweitzer had 12 digs and Kate Isley collected 31 assists.

Shelbyville’s girls soccer program’s season came to an end Thursday at the New Palestine Sectional.

Class 3A, No. 18 East Central scored three times in each half and shut down Shelbyville’s offense to secure a 6-0 semifinal round win at Sectional 12.

The Trojans improved to 14-3-1 this season and will face either 3A No. 20 Mt. Vernon (10-5) or New Palestine (10-5-1) in Saturday’s championship game at 2 p.m.

Shelbyville finished the season with a 13-4 record. After winning their first two contests of the season, the Golden Bears were defeated by Mt. Vernon (3-0).

The Golden Bears then ran off nine straight victories before a 3-1 loss to New Palestine on Sept. 26.

Shelbyville’s only other loss this season came to Greenwood.

The program will graduate four seniors – career scoring leader Evelyn Kiefer, Brooke Byers, Emma Sandman and Hailey Pogue.

Class A, No. 17 Southwestern secured its fifth-straight sectional championship game appearance with a 6-0 win Wednesday over Indiana Math & Science in the Sectional 42 semifinal round.

Garreth Stringer and Jonah DeArmitt each scored a pair of goals and Gavin Shaw and Conner Jewell found the back of the net to improve the Spartans to 12-2-2 this season.

Owen Stringer was credited with two assists.

Michael Clements had four saves in goal to preserve the shutout against Indiana Math & Science (3-11-1).

The defending back-to-back sectional champions will face Indianapolis Lutheran (6-9-2) in Saturday’s sectional championship match at 7 p.m.

Lutheran defeated Hauser, 4-3 in penalty kicks, Wednesday to reach the championship match. The Jets finished the season at 3-10-1.

Southwestern and Lutheran played to a scoreless draw on Sept. 15 at Southwestern.

The Sectional 42 champion will host the Sectional 41 champion on Wednesday in a regional semifinal match.

The Sectional 41 championship match pits Bethesda Christian (9-6-1) against No. 11 Covenant Christian (7-9-3).

The high school tennis season came to a close Wednesday night at Center Grove High School.

The host Trojans, ranked No. 7 in the state coaches poll, defeated Shelbyville, 5-0, in the regional championship match.

At No. 1 singles, Center Grove’s Tyler Lane defeated Aidan Asher, 6-0, 6-0.

Loc Pham topped Caden Tackett at No. 2 singles, 6-1, 6-0.

Daksh Patel bested Logan Prickett at No. 2 singles, 6-1, 6-0.

At No. 1 doubles, Evan Davis and Max Williams defeated Aiden Smith and Caden Claxton, 6-4, 6-0.

And at No. 2 doubles, Carson Bush and Dmitrios Kardris defeated Karson Schaf and Reece Prickett, 6-1, 6-1.

Shelbyville closed out the 2022 season with a 15-11 record.

Center Grove advances to face New Castle Saturday in the Center Grove Semistate.

In the state doubles tournament, Indian Creek’s Aiden Pemberton and Landon Sichting eliminated Triton Central’s Griffin Sego and Ben Toth, 6-0, 6-3 to be crowned sectional champions.

Triton Central took the game-tying point off the scoreboard Friday  night to go for the win – and failed.

With a 21-20 overtime loss to Class 2A, No. 5 Indianapolis Scecina now behind it, 2A No. 7 Triton Central must regroup, for a second time this season after a loss, to close out the regular-season schedule in a positive manner.

“We need to get momentum going into the tournament,” said Triton Central head coach Tim Able. “We need to stay healthy because we don’t have tremendous depth for our size of school.

“And we need to get our offense back in gear.”

The Tigers’ only touchdown against the stingiest defense in the Indiana Crossroads Conference came in overtime Friday. Levi Dewey added the extra point but a penalty on Scecina moved the ball four-and-a-half feet from the goalline.

Able never hesitated to send the offense back out on the field to go for the win.

“You can play four more downs or eight more downs,” said Able of his thought process. “If you can get 1 ½ yards …”

The plan was to power running back Ray Crawford, who has 33 career touchdowns, into the end zone. Scecina defensive tackle Adam Young had a different scenario in mind.

“No. 51 is a dude. He penetrated and we didn’t get him blocked,” said Able.

Young split two Triton Central linemen and hit Crawford with enough force to cause a fumble that Scecina recovered.

The turnover was the third of the game for Triton Central. Six penalties for 105 yards also hampered the Tigers, who were seeking a key conference win against a potential sectional opponent.

“Fumbles and penalties … it’s the same old scenario we’ve experienced many times,” said Able. “I didn’t think we weren’t ready. Multiple people made mistakes in key situations.”

Triton Central has no time for regret. Beech Grove (4-3, 3-3 ICC) comes to Fairland riding a three-game win streak where it is averaging 46 points per game.

After suffering a 32-0 loss to Scecina on Sept. 9, the Hornets have beaten Southport (46-20), Monrovia (44-32) and Ritter (49-6).

“They have a lot of size and lot of speed,” said Able. “It’s a traditional Beech Grove team with a lot of athletes and linemen.”

Senior quarterback Skyler Thacker has thrown for nearly 1,000 yards in six games. He has completed 49% of his attempts with 15 touchdowns and four interceptions.

Sophomore Jeremiah Lee leads the Hornets with 700 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns.

Jarron Murray, a junior, and senior Aeden Crawley have combined for 36 receptions, 590 yards and seven touchdowns.

“They have a receiver with really good wheels,” said Able. “They have a shifty running back similar to ours that we have to control. The line of scrimmage play will be a big part of this game.”

Crawford ran for 111 yards and an overtime touchdown against Scecina while wide receiver Brad Schultz had six catches for 102 yards, but most of the points came from junior all-state kicker Levi Dewey, who connected on field goals of 31, 38, 26 and 32 yards in the loss.

Schultz is closing in on Dakota Nelson’s career records for receptions (118) and yards (1,717). He has 94 career receptions for 1,714 yards.

Schultz’s 1,086 receiving yards on 49 catches this season makes him just the second Tiger to surpass 1,000 yards in a season. The other was Aaron Steele (63 receptions, 1,050 yards in 2016).

Nelson also holds the single-season record for receptions at 68.

“If we were strictly a passing team, he’d have more gaudy numbers. He would have already had the career record broke if we had him last year,” said Able of Schultz being limited by an injury much of his junior season. “But we are not dwelling on that right now. That’s what banquets are for at the end of the year.”

QUICK FACTS:

Beech Grove at Class 2A, No. 7 Triton Central

Game time: 7 p.m. at Mendenhall Field in Fairland.

Broadcast time: Follow Shelby County Post News Editor Jeff Brown on Twitter at @Sportsboss4life for live updates from Mendenhall Field.

Student Section Theme: Pink Out.

TC Promotion: Triton Classroom Teachers Association (TCTA) Hog Roast – serving starts at 5:30 p.m. until sold out. Price is free will donation. Funds go to TCTA Future Educator Scholarship and the Millie Pruitt Memorial Scholarship.

Head coaches: Brandon Winters, 7-10 in 2^nd year at Beech Grove, 34-32 in 7^th year overall; Tim Able, 85-34 in 10^th year at Triton Central; 210-132 in 29^th year overall.

2022 record: Beech Grove 4-3, 3-3 Indiana Crossroads Conference; Triton Central 5-2, 3-2 ICC.

2021 record: Beech Grove 3-7; Triton Central 8-5.

Sagarin ratings: Beech Grove 56.13, 110^th overall, 26^th in Class 4A; Triton Central, 72.65, 57th overall, 4th in Class 2A.

Point spread: Triton Central is a 19-point favorite.

Last year: Triton Central defeated Beech Grove, 28-13.

Last 10 meetings: Triton Central has won seven of the last 10 meetings. Beech Grove’s last win came on Oct. 6, 2017, 22-15

Around the ICC Friday: Cascade (3-4, 1-4 ICC) at Monrovia (2-5, 1-4 ICC); Class A, No. 1 Indianapolis Lutheran (7-0, 6-0 ICC) at Speedway (5-2, 3-2 ICC); Class 2A, No. 5 Indianapolis Scecina (6-1, 4-1 ICC) at Cardinal Ritter (1-5, 0-5 ICC).

Sectional 39 lookahead: Class 2A, No. 5 Scecina (6-1); Brownstown Central (4-3); Switzerland County (4-3); Christel House Manual (3-4); Clarksville (3-4); Brown County (0-7); Class 2A, No. 7 Triton Central (5-2); Eastern (Pekin) (1-6).

Note: The IHSAA Football State Tournament Pairings Show is Sunday at 5 p.m. on IHSAAtv.org.

For the fourth-straight week, Shelbyville faces a top-15 ranked opponent – all members of the Hoosier Heritage Conference.

On Friday, Mt. Vernon (4-3, 4-1 HHC), the defending Class 4A state champions, travel to McKeand Stadium for a week eight tilt.

The Marauders were the preseason top-ranked team in the Indiana Football Coaches Association poll following a 14-1 season that culminated with a 45-14 win over Northridge in the state championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Graduation took Mt. Vernon’s quarterback Gehrig Slunaker (3,028 passing yards, 34 touchdowns), top two rushers in Keagan LaBelle (1,594 rushing yards, 26 TDs) and Travon Hegler (811 yards, 13 TDs), and top receiver in Ashden Gentry (1,271 receiving yards, 13 TDs).

The Marauders weren’t quite ready to reload to start the season and struggled with losses at Noblesville (43-35) and Franklin (20-17). Following a 35-28 win over Greenfield-Central, Class 4A, No. 1 New Palestine added a third loss to Mt. Vernon’s season, 42-6.

Since then, the Marauders have settled in and won three straight at Delta (42-28), at Pendleton Heights (46-14) and against New Castle (41-20).

“They are still good. They are still Mt. Vernon. They have athletes everywhere,” said Shelbyville head coach Brian Glesing. “They have gotten better each week I think.”

Freshman Luke Ertel is now the signal caller. The five-foot, 10-inch tall lefty already has 1,057 yards passing this season with eight TDs and four interceptions.

The offense has rushed for 1,180 yards but most of the yards are spread out amongst senior Eli Bridenthal (47 carries, 367 yards, 10 TDs), senior Drew Martin (46 carries, 237 yards) and sophomore Joliba Brogan (45 carries, 259 yards).

“They spread you out and throw it and run it,” said Glesing.

Senior George Burhenn returns from the state championship team and leads the Marauders in receptions (27), yards (491) and receiving TDs (5). Bridenthal is a close second at 25 receptions for 393 yards and four TDs.

The Mt. Vernon defense is allowing nearly 28 points per game this season against a schedule ranked as one of the top 50 strongest in the state.

“They are aggressive defensively,” said Glesing. “They can give up a big play at any time.”

Shelbyville’s offense has produced one touchdown over the last three weeks. Junior quarterback Eli Chappelow (photo) returns to the field this week after missing the New Palestine game with a knee injury.

For the season, Chappelow has completed 51% of his 72 pass attempts for 558 yards and three TDs. He also has rushed for 128 yards and three TDs.

Axel Conover continues to lead Shelbyville with 324 rushing yards and four TDs.

Jackson Parker, who stepped into the starting quarterback role against New Palestine, is the leading receiver with 16 receptions for 190 yards. Cael Lux follows with 10 catches and 200 yards.

Lux is seven total tackles short of reaching 100 tackles this season. No other Golden Bear has 50.

Shelbyville will close out the regular-season schedule on Oct. 14 at home against Pendleton Heights (3-4, 2-3 HHC).

QUICK FACTS

Shelbyville at Class 4A, No. 13 Mt. Vernon

Game Time: 7 p.m. at Mt. Vernon in Fortville, Ind.

Media coverage: 6 p.m. pregame show live from Mt. Vernon High School with Johnny McCrory and Jason Parker on GIANT fm (96.5 fm, 106.3 fm, 1520 am) or on the GIANT fm app.

Head coaches: Vince Lidy, 18-4 in 2^nd year at Mt. Vernon; Brian Glesing, 2-12 in 2^nd year at Shelbyville, 120-106 in 20^th year overall.

2022 record: Shelbyville 1-6, 1-4 Hoosier Heritage Conference; Mt. Vernon 4-3, 4-1 HHC.

2021 record:  Shelbyville 1-6; Mt. Vernon 14-1.

Sagarin ratings: Shelbyville, 28.1, 234th overall, 52nd in Class 4A; Mt. Vernon 71.06. 61^st overall, 13^th in Class 4A.

Point spread: Mt. Vernon is favored by 45 points.

Last meeting: Mt. Vernon defeated Shelbyville 49-0 at McKeand Stadium.

Last 10 meetings: Mt. Vernon has won eight of the last 10 meetings. Shelbyville’s last win came on Oct. 6, 2017, 35-28, at McKeand Stadium.

Around the HHC Friday: Greenfield-Central (4-3, 2-3 HHC) at Delta (3-4, 1-4 HHC); Class 4A, No. 1 New Palestine (7-0, 5-0 HHC) at New Castle (2-5, 1-4 HHC); Class 3A, No. 14 Yorktown (6-1, 4-1 HHC) at Pendleton Heights (3-4, 2-3 HHC).

Sectional 23 lookahead: Class 4A, No. 8 Martinsville (6-1); Bedford North Lawrence (4-3); Class 4A, No. 3 East Central (6-1); Shelbyville (1-6); Silver Creek (3-4); Edgewood (1-6); Jennings County (1-6); Greenwood (1-6).

Note: The IHSAA Football State Tournament Pairings Show is Sunday at 5 p.m. on IHSAAtv.org.

Triton Central never got its offense in gear Tuesday night in Decatur County and lost to North Decatur, 25-14, 25-16, 25-18.

Maddy Brown led Triton Central (17-8) with six kills and 11 digs.

Kayden Simmons and Kaitlin Bramlett each had four kills.

Kate Isley was credited with 15 assists and 10 digs.

North Decatur improved to 24-4 this season.

Triton Central travels to Greenfield-Central (9-16) Thursday.

In other prep volleyball matches Tuesday:

New Palestine def. Shelbyville, 25-13, 25-10, 25-8

At New Palestine, the host Dragons pushed their record to 22-4 overall and 5-1 in the Hoosier Heritage Conference standings with a straight-set win on Senior Night over the Golden Bears (5-21, 0-7 HHC).

Shelbyville closes out the regular season schedule Saturday at the Lawrence North Invitational.

Waldron def. Oldenburg Academy, 21-25, 25-19, 15-25, 26-24, 15-12

At Waldron, the Mohawks improved to 14-10 on Senior Night with a five-set win over the Twisters (10-14).

The Mohawks hosts Eastern Hancock (16-13) Thursday.

Greenwood Christian def. Southwestern, 25-14, 25-23, 25-17

At Southwestern, the visiting Cougars defeated the Spartans (8-19) in straight sets to spoil the Senior Night festivities.

Greenwood Christian also won the junior varsity match, 25-10, 25-16.

Southwestern opens the Shelby County Tournament Saturday at 10 a.m. against Triton Central in Fairland.

The second semifinal match follows between Morristown and Waldron.

The county championship match is slated for 12:30 p.m. at Triton Central High School.

The top three goal scorers in Shelby County propelled their two teams into the girls soccer sectional semifinal round Tuesday with strong performances.

Evelyn Kiefer and Ava Wilson each scored a pair of goals in Shelbyville’s 4-0 quarterfinal win over Richmond at the New Palestine Sectional.

Triton Central senior Lizzie Graham scored all four of her team’s goals in a 4-2 win over Knightstown (6-8-2) at the Triton Central Sectional. Brynne Aukerman and Sophia Robertson each were credited with an assist.

Graham now has 24 goals this season and pushed her career total to 65 goals to surpass Corissa Horton for fourth all-time in the program.

Samantha Dewey is the state’s career leader in goals scored, boys or girls, with 257. Sarah Hahn is No. 2 in Triton Central history with 108 goals. Rachel Dewey is third at 80 goals.

Kiefer, a senior, leads all Shelby County soccer players with 29 goals scored this season. She is Shelbyville’s record holder for career goals.

Wilson, a junior, pushed her goals total this season to 16 in Tuesday’s shutout win over the Red Devils (5-9).

With the win, Shelbyville moves on to Thursday’s semifinal to face Class 3A, No. 18 East Central, who defeated Greenfield-Central, 5-0, Tuesday.

Shelbyville (13-3) and East Central (13-3-1) is slated to begin at New Palestine at 5 p.m. The second semifinal pits Class 3A, No. 20 Mt. Vernon (10-5) against New Palestine (10-5-1).

The sectional championship match is set for 2 p.m. Saturday.

Triton Central returns to the field Thursday at 7 p.m. against Class A, No. 18 Muncie Burris (13-1), who received a bye into the semifinal round.

The first semifinal Thursday at Triton Central has Union County (0-12-1) taking on Wapahani (8-7) at 5 p.m.

The sectional championship match is at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Shelbyville tennis earned a berth in the IHSAA regional championship match Tuesday with a 3-2 victory over Perry Meridian.

The Golden Bears (15-10) won a pair of singles matches and added a victory at No. 2 doubles to defeat the Falcons to get to today’s regional championship match against No. 7 Center Grove.

Center Grove defeated Franklin Central, 5-0, in the other regional semifinal match Tuesday at Center Grove.

At No. 1 singles, Shelbyville’s Aidan Asher improved to 16-9 this season with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Tyler Corbin.

Logan Prickett collected a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 3 singles over Brock Hutson. Prickett is 15-7 in No. 3 singles matches this season.

Shelbyville’s third win came from Karson Schaf and Reece Prickett at No. 2 doubles, 6-0, 6-2, over Vansuai Thang and Nicholas Willey. Schaf and Prickett are 18-5 as a duo this season.

At No. 2 singles, Perry Meridian’s Kolton Wright defeated Caden Tackett, 6-2, 6-1.

The Falcons’ No. 1 doubles pairing of Bradford Terry and Isaiah Van Harten bested Shelbyville’s Aiden Smith and Caden Claxton, 7-6 (6), 6-3.

The regional champion will return to Center Grove Saturday for a semistate match against either New Castle or Batesville.

State doubles tournament

With an undefeated record at the Shelbyville Sectional, Triton Central’s No. 1 doubles pairing of Griffin Sego and Ben Toth advanced into the state doubles tournament at Center Grove.

Sego and Toth, 14-5 this season, will face Indian Creek’s Aiden Pemberton and Landon Sichting today in an elimination match.

The first goal was going to set the tone for the entire sectional match Monday at Shelbyville.

In the Class 3A, Sectional 12 opener, the Golden Bears knew the first goal was crucial against Greenfield-Central, a defensive-minded unit that entered the postseason with 11 shutouts.

A first strike for Shelbyville would allow the Golden Bears to push everyone back to defend the goal.

Allowing the Cougars to strike first would play right into their game plan of score and protect.

For nearly 80 minutes Monday, neither team could find the back of the net, meaning the first goal would likely be the only goal.

With just under 11 minutes left in regulation, Greenfield-Central’s Hunter Stine sent the ball forward across midfield. A Shelbyville defender missed clearing it and the bouncing ball landed in front of a hard-charging Drew Davidson.

With a Shelbyville defender giving chase and goalkeeper Jalen Hounshell rushing out to close off the shot angle, Davidson reached the ball first and flicked it up and over Hounshell and directly on net.

Davidson’s shot rolled into the net with 10:37 left in the second half and proved to be the only goal in a 1-0 victory that ended Shelbyville’s season.

“We knew it was going to be a defensive battle. We knew how great they were defensively,” said Shelbyville head coach Ben Purvis. “We worked all week on how do we set up and how do we make sure that defensively we transition and don’t give them easy opportunities.”

Shelbyville wanted to avoid another slow start, which hampered them throughout the season. Hounshell made two first-half saves from point blank range that gave the Golden Bears momentum against the Hoosier Heritage Conference champions who defeated them earlier in the year, 4-0.

“It’s been a trend for us, it takes us five minutes or so to get into a game or get into a second half and if the other team is ready we give up a goal,” said Purvis. “I was incredibly proud of the defensive work we put in tonight. It was just an unlucky bounce that went in.”

With the win, Greenfield-Central improved to 11-1-3 this season and will face New Palestine (8-7-1) Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in the first semifinal match. G-C’s only loss this season is to Class 3A, No. 3 Carmel, 3-0.

The Cougars have allowed just five goals all season.

Shelbyville finished the season 8-8-1 and started nine seniors Monday, including Hounshell, who was a late arrival to the program.

“I told (Hounshell) when he first joined this program, I never imagined how great of a goalkeeper he would become,” said Purvis. “He didn’t have any soccer knowledge a couple of years ago. He just wanted to join the team. He said he would try it out and then he ends up becoming one of the best keepers we’ve had. His instincts, his ability to cover the goal is phenomenal for being such a raw talent.”

Five of Shelbyville’s eight wins this season came via shutout with Hounshell in goal.

Purvis (photo, addressing team) now turns to replacing a large senior class.

“We had the most people coming out for soccer this past year (we’ve had),” he said. “There is healthy interest in our program and a desire to be here and be a part of what we are trying to build.”

“It always hurts to lose that many (seniors) but we are really excited about what that (junior varsity) program did this year and some of the guys coming back. There is a lot of talent and even though we are losing big numbers, we are still bringing back a lot of talent. It will be a matter of how hard do they want to work and how do all the pieces fit together.”

Olivet Nazarene rolled up 517 yards of offense, including 347 on the ground, in a 64-22 win over Judson Saturday in Bourbonnais, Illinois.

The win improved Olivet Nazarene to 2-2 this season.

Dylan Wasson, a Triton Central graduate, was credited with a defensive pass breakup for Olivet Nazarene in the win.

Here is a look at other Shelby County graduates competing at the collegiate level.

Kenneth Gipson

The Triton Central graduate was the starting center for Rose-Hulman Saturday in a 45-7 win at Anderson University.

The Engineers rushed for 343 yards and had 452 total yards of offense to improve to 1-3 this season.

Layton Stieneker

The Shelbyville graduate produced a tennis doubles victory Sunday for Franklin College in a 5-2 loss at Lourdes University in Sylvania, Ohio.

Stieneker teamed with Dustin Garrison for a 7-5 victory at No. 1 doubles over Ulises Barradas and Victor Dieltiens.

Stieneker was defeated in a No. 4 singles match by Josh Parish, 6-1, 7-6 (1).

Jill Anspaugh

The Shelbyville graduate placed 118^th overall for Franklin College Saturday in the Greater Louisville Classic, held at Tom Sawyer Park.

Anspaugh crossed the finish line in 20 minutes, 59 seconds.

Franklin College finished 24^th out of 40 teams competing in the event.

Emma Nolley

The Shelbyville graduate played in all five sets and finished with two digs in Texas Woman’s University’s five-set win Wednesday over Eastern New Mexico.

The Pioneers improved to 11-6 this season (2-3 Lone Star Conference) with a 25-21, 12-25, 27-25, 14-25, 15-12 victory in Denton, Texas.

Maggie Schweitzer

The Triton Central graduate collected one kill, 10 assists, two service aces and 11 digs to lead Hanover volleyball to a 21-25, 25-21, 25-23, 25-15 win at Manchester.

The Panthers improved to 10-8 this season (1-0 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference).

Brooklyn Schiffli

The Triton Central graduate had seven digs Saturday in Jacksonville State’s 25-18, 25-23, 18-25, 17-25, 15-10 win at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.

With the win, the Gamecocks improved to 16-1 (4-0 Atlantic Sun Conference).

On Friday, Jacksonville State swept Queens University, 25-14, 25-12, 25-15 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Schiffli had 14 digs in the win.

Triton Central volleyball made a definitive postseason statement Monday in Charlottesville.

The state volleyball tournament draw, announced Sunday, paired up Triton Central and Eastern Hancock in the semifinal round of Class 2A, Sectional 42, also to be played in Charlottesville.

The Tigers and Royals met up Monday as the regular season winds down and Triton Central came away with a three-set victory.

Maddy Brown, Triton Central’s career kills leader, finished with 15 kills and 10 digs to lead the Tigers to a 25-22, 25-17, 25-19 victory over the Royals (16-12).

Brooklyn Bailey collected 10 kills and three digs while Kayden Simmons and Kaitlin Bramlett each had five kills to push Triton Central’s record to 17-7 this season.

Bramlett and Gracie Miller each had four total blocks. Simmons also had 10 digs.

Hallie Schweitzer led the defensive effort with 14 digs. Kate Isley racked up 40 assists in the win.

In other prep events Monday:

Boys Soccer

Knightstown Sectional

Oldenburg Academy 2, Morristown 1

Aaron Schneider’s goal gave Oldenburg Academy at 1-0 lead at halftime and Jacob Cornelius doubled the lead midway through the second half to put pressure on Morristown.

The Yellow Jackets (9-7-2) scored on a penalty kick in the game’s final minutes to cut into the lead but could not produce another goal.

With the win, the Twisters (9-7-1) advance to play Wapahani (5-12), a 3-2 winner over Union County (4-10-3) Monday in the second quarterfinal match.

Volleyball

Morristown def. Rushville, 25-11, 25-20, 25-19

At Morristown, the host Yellow Jackets (6-19) collected their third straight win with a sweep of the Lions (3-24), who have lost 14 consecutive matches.

Sophia Dora led the Lions with eight kills and 20 digs. Trisha Morgan had 13 assists and 15 digs.

Morristown hosts Lutheran (11-17) tonight.

North Decatur def. Southwestern, 25-12, 25-11, 25-11

At Southwestern, Caroline Stapp had nine kills, three blocks and six digs to lead the Chargers (23-4, 5-0 Mid-Hoosier Conference) over the Spartans (8-18, 2-4 MHC).

Samantha Luttell finished with team-highs in service aces (3) and assists (26) for the Chargers, who host Triton Central tonight.

Southwestern hosts Greenwood Christian tonight.

Triton Central’s heartbreaking 21-20 overtime loss to Indianapolis Scecina Friday cost the program one spot in the state coaches poll.

The Tigers (5-2), who went for the win and failed to score on a 2-point conversion attempt in overtime, fell from No. 6 to No. 7 in the latest Indiana Football Coaches Association’s state coaches poll.

Linton-Stockton (7-0) remains No. 1 in the Class 2A poll with Andrean (5-2), LaVille (7-0), Evansville Mater Dei (5-2) and Scecina (6-1) rounding out the top five.

Lafayette Central Catholic (5-2) moved ahead of Triton Central to No. 6 this week. Fort Wayne Luers (4-3) is No. 8 followed by Heritage Christian (5-2) and Eastbrook (5-2).

Indianapolis Lutheran improved to 7-0 to stay on top of the Class A poll but there are six more unbeatens giving chase in the top 10. Adams Central (7-0) is No. 2 ahead of North Judson (7-0), North Decatur (7-0), Carroll (Flora) (7-0), South Putnam (6-1), Tri (7-0), South Adams (5-2), Tecumseh (7-0) and Sheridan (6-1).

There are four unbeatens in the top five of the Class 3A poll. West Lafayette is still No. 1 at 7-0 with Gibson Southern (7-0), Chatard (4-3), Norwell (7-0) and Hanover Central (7-0) completing the top five. Western Boone (6-1) is No. 6 followed by Lawrenceburg (6-1), Guerin Catholic (4-3), Owen Valley (7-0) and Tri-West (5-2).

New Palestine (7-0) and Roncalli (7-0) are No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in Class 4A while East Central (6-1) has moved up to No. 3. Kokomo (7-0) remained undefeated but dropped one spot in the poll to No. 4. NorthWood (7-0) is No. 5.

New Prairie (7-0) starts the second five in the 4A poll with Evansville Reitz (7-0), Martinsville (6-1), Mooresville (5-2) and Brebeuf Jesuit (4-2) giving chase.

Mt. Vernon (4-3) is ranked No. 13 and hosts Shelbyville (1-6) this week.

For the second week in a row, there is a new No. 1 team in Class 5A.

Fort Wayne Snider (6-1) jumped from No. 3 to No. 1. Merrillville (6-1) held on to the No. 2 ranking and Whiteland (6-1) climbed to No. 3.

Previous No. 1 Mishawaka (6-1) suffered its first loss and dropped to No. 4 ahead of Bloomington South (6-1), Harrison (West Lafayette) (6-1), Fort Wayne North (5-2), Fort Wayne Dwenger (5-2), Franklin (5-2) and Valparaiso (4-3).

Brownsburg is the consensus No. 1 in Class 6A at 7-0.

Center Grove (6-1) is No. 2 followed by Cathedral (5-1), Hamilton Southeastern (7-0), Carmel (5-2), Carroll (Allen) (7-0), Ben Davis (4-3), Crown Point (7-0), Fishers (5-2) and Penn (5-2).

Shelbyville volleyball avoided a quarterfinal match at the Columbus East Sectional and will need just one victory to reach the championship.

On Sunday, the Indiana High School Athletic Association slotted 398 teams from around the state into sectional pairings.

Sectional play begins Oct. 11 and continues through Oct. 15 at 64 sites across the four enrollment classifications.

The sectional champions will advance to four-team regionals on Oct. 22, to be followed by a single semistate round on Oct. 29. The four state champions will be crowned on Nov. 5 at Ball State University’s Worthen Arena.

Columbus East is the host school for Class 4A, Sectional 14, which features six teams.

In the sectional opener, Franklin (17-9) takes on East Central (8-15) with the winner advancing to face Columbus North (11-13) in the semifinal round.

In the other quarterfinal pairing, Whiteland (8-12) takes on Columbus East (13-10) with the winner getting Shelbyville (5-20) in the semifinal round.

The Columbus East Sectional champion advances to the Bloomington North Regional to face the Jasper Sectional champ.

Triton Central gets an up-close look at its sectional foe tonight.

Eastern Hancock is the host for Class 2A, Sectional 42. The Royals (16-12) and Triton Central (16-7) meet tonight in Charlottesville then will have a rematch next week in the sectional semifinal round.

In the sectional opener, Irvington Prep takes on Riverside with the winner getting Indianapolis Scecina (23-4) in the semifinals.

The Eastern Hancock Sectional champion moves on to the Cascade Regional to face the Park Tudor Sectional champ.

Waldron is the host for Class A, Sectional 60.

The seven-team sectional begins with Oldenburg Academy (10-12) meeting Morristown (5-19). The winner draws Edinburgh (15-6) in the semifinal round.

In a pair of quarterfinal matchups, Waldron (13-10) opens with Jac-Cen-Del (6-16) while Southwestern (8-17) gets South Decatur (12-13).

The winners advance to the semifinal round.

The Waldron Sectional champion advances to the Edinburgh Regional to meet the Bethesda Christian Sectional champ.

Shelbyville gathered some postseason momentum with a 3-1 victory Saturday at Yorktown.

Evelyn Kiefer scored a pair of goals to continue to extend her school record for career goals. The senior now has 27 goals this season for the Golden Bears (12-3, 5-2 Hoosier Heritage Conference).

Sydney Baker also scored to help Shelbyville secure a third-place finish in the HHC standings.

Yorktown finished the regular season with a 5-9-1 record (2-5 HHC) and finished sixth in the conference.

Shelbyville travels to New Palestine Tuesday for a sectional quarterfinal contest with Richmond (5-8) at 7 p.m. The winner faces the winner of the Class 3A, No. 18 East Central/Greenfield-Central quarterfinal matchup that takes place at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

The other semifinal contest pits Class 3A, No. 19 Mt. Vernon against New Palestine.

The New Palestine Sectional championship game is slated for 2 p.m. Saturday.

In other prep events Saturday:

Girls Soccer

Triton Central 5, Greensburg 2

At Greensburg, Triton Central senior Lizzie Graham scored four goals to push her season total to 20 and help the Tigers (7-9) close out the regular season with a victory.

Ariel Walker scored Triton Central’s other goal. Olivia Reedy and Kennedy Brown were credited with assists.

Triton Central is the host school for Class 2A, Sectional 44 which starts Tuesday at 6 p.m. with the Tigers taking on Knightstown (6-7-2).

Triton Central opened the season with a 3-0 victory over Knightstown in a game where Graham scored early in the contest then left minutes later when she took a soccer ball directly to her face.

The winner of Tuesday’s quarterfinal match advances to face No. 18 Muncie Burris in Thursday’s second semifinal.

The first semifinal Thursday has Union County battling Wapahani.

The Triton Central Sectional championship match is set for 2 p.m. Saturday.

Volleyball

East Central def. Shelbyville, 18-25, 25-11, 25-16, 25-22

At Shelbyville, the Golden Bears (5-20) won the first set at Garrett Gymnasium but could not sustain the success.

Riley Lee had 17 digs for Shelbyville while Alivia Lee finished with five kills. Hailey Harness had six kills.

East Central improved to 8-15.

Shelbyville travels to New Palestine Tuesday for a HHC contest with the Dragons (19-3).

Waldron def. Southwestern, 25-16, 25-15, 22-25, 25-19

At Waldron Friday, the Mohawks improved to 13-10 this season with a four-set victory over the Spartans (8-17).

Cross Country

Hoosier Heritage Conference Meet

Hannah Wright was the top finishing Golden Bear in the conference meet at Blue River Memorial Park in Shelbyville.

Wright, a junior, placed 20^th overall with a time of 22 minutes, eight seconds.

Also competing for Shelbyville were Aerin Garcia-Santiago (43^rd, 24:45), Cora Flynn (46^th, 25:04), Angel Kreider (52^nd, 28:02) and Ava Ruschhaupt (53^rd, 33:37).

Mt. Vernon edged Pendleton Heights for the HHC title, 50-56. Shelbyville finished eighth.

Beau Kenkel led the Shelbyville boys program to a seventh-place finish in the team standings. The senior placed 35^th in 19:01.

Shelbyville’s team scoring was completed by Logan Reinhart (38^th, 19:23), Ben Hinojosa (42^nd, 19:57), Gavin Harker (49^th, 21:48), Ayden Holmes (52^nd, 22:14), Christian Powell (53^rd, 23:28) and Gaige Harker (55^th, 24:16).

Mt. Vernon captured the team title with 35 points. Greenfield-Central was a close runner-up at 39.

Shelbyville will travel to Franklin High School Saturday for sectional races where the top five finishing teams and the top 10 individuals not on an advancing team qualify for the regional.

The Franklin Sectional field includes Center Grove, Eminence, Franklin, Greenwood Christian, Greenwood, Indian Creek, Monrovia, Mooresville, Shelbyville, Waldron and Whiteland.

Center Grove is ranked No. 6 in the most recent state coaches poll.

Morristown’s and Triton Central’s cross country runners will compete in the Mt. Vernon Sectional. Southwestern travels south to the Brown County Sectional.

Nike Valley Twilight Meet

At the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Waldron’s Will Larrison secured a 62^nd-place finish with a time of 17:48.

Also running for Waldron were Jared Crosby (129^th, 18:28), Nate Evans (178^th, 19:23), Ethan Richardson (283rd, 22:37), Kyle Lacy (284^th, 22:44) and Max Jones (285^th, 22:44).

Sophie Hudnall represented Waldron in the girls race and finished 186^th in 25:36.