Class 2A, No. 2 Triton Central and Class A, No. 1 Indianapolis Lutheran each had five selections to the 2023 Indiana Crossroads Conference All-Conference Football Team.

The 25-player squad was released last week.

Representing Triton Central are seniors Jace Stuckey (photo), Brayden Wilkins, Mason Compton and Ray Crawford and junior Colten Crawford.

The Tigers are 10-1 this season and will travel to Eastern (Pekin) Friday to play in the Class 2A, Sectional 39 championship game.

The top-ranked Saints, the 2023 ICC champions, are represented by Cameron McHaney, Jackson Willis, Jonny Hall, Braydon Hall and Taurean Langston.

Also named All-ICC were Monrovia’s Brayton Belcher, Lane Whitney, Joey Hand, Brenden Frank and Eli Welch; Beech Grove’s Jeremiah Lee and Cantrell Byrd; Scecina’s David Mendez and Keegan Ray; Speedway’s Adedamola Ajani, Jazz Coleman and Avery Mitchell; Cascade’s Toby Savini; and Ritter’s Daijon Willis and Adrion Gregory.

Lutheran finished 7-0 in the ICC standings ahead of Triton Central (6-1), Monrovia (5-2), Scecina (3-3), Beech Grove (2-5), Cascade (1-3), Ritter (1-5) and Speedway (0-6).

Steve Bush photo

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The Manchester men’s cross country program won the 2023 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships Saturday at the Blue River Memorial Cross Country Venue in Shelbyville.

The title was the fourth HCAC title for the men’s cross country program in the last 10 years and a combined 18 HCAC championships for Manchester cross country under head coach Brian Cashdollar.

Manchester’s Enrique Salazar took home HCAC Runner of the Year honors for the second time in his career after finishing the 8-kilometer course in 25 minutes, 31 seconds.

Shelbyville graduate Michael Fox finished 24^th overall for Manchester in 27:23. He was the fifth Manchester runner to cross the finish line.

Rose-Hulman finished runner-up in the team standings to Manchester, 44-51.

Shelbyville graduate Beau Kenkel finished 98^th overall for Rose-Hulman in 30:48.

Franklin College finished third in the team standings. Shelbyville graduate Tristin Maloney crossed the finish line in 32:28 to place 117^th overall in the individual standings.

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

Tenleigh Phelps

The Triton Central graduate scored a game-high 25 points and added four rebounds, two assists and two steals Saturday to lead IU South Bend to an 80-40 win over IU Kokomo in the season opener for both programs.

Phelps, a Youngstown State transfer, was making her IU South Bend debut.

Lizzie Graham

The Triton Central graduate played nine minutes in her collegiate debut for IU South Bend in an 80-40 victory. Graham was 0-for-3 from the field in limited minutes.

Drew Hassebroek, Al Hernandez, Christian Haas

The IUPUC men’s soccer program suffered a 2-0 loss Saturday at Point Park that closed out the regular-season schedule for the inaugural Crimson Pride program.

IUPUC, however, did qualify for the River State Conference postseason tournament with an 8-8-1 record (3-6-1 RSC). The Crimson Pride, the No. 8 seed in the tournament, will play Saturday at top-seed West Virginia Tech (11-4-2), who defeated IUPUC 2-0 on Sept. 23.

At Point Park, Hassebroek, a Shelbyville graduate, played 74 minutes. Hernandez, also a Shelbyville graduate, played 25 minutes and was credited with two shots.

On Wednesday, IUPUC defeated Eureka College, 3-1. Hassebroek played 66 minutes and had two shots on goal. Hernandez played all 90 minutes and Haas, a Shelbyville graduate, logged 54 minutes in the win.

Sophie Parker

The Shelbyville graduate played 90 minutes as a starting midfielder for the IUPUC women’s soccer program Saturday in a 15-0 loss at Point Park that ended the Crimson Pride’s inaugural season.

IUPUC finished 2-12 overall and 1-9 against RSC opponents.

Parker logged 80 minutes Thursday in IUPUC’s 6-0 loss to IU Kokomo.

Eddie Carrizalez

The Shelbyville graduate played 36 minutes Saturday in IU East’s 2-1 loss at Midway that dropped the Red Wolves to 5-12-1 this season.

On Thursday, Carrizalez played 35 minutes in a 3-0 loss at Oakland City.

Rachel Dewey

The Triton Central graduate played 61 minutes as Western Kentucky’s starting midfielder Friday in a 1-0 loss to New Mexico State.

The Hilltoppers dropped to 6-4-7 overall and 4-2-2 in Conference USA contests.

Asher Caldwell

The Morristown graduate finished 26^th overall for Trine University’s men’s golf program in the Region V Preview Oct. 23 and Oct. 24 at Warren Golf Course on the campus of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.

Caldwell shot rounds of 82 and 75 for a two-day total of 157.

Trine finished third in the 16-team field with rounds of 312 and 299. The second-day score was the second lowest of the final round.

Hayden Kermode

The Triton Central graduate finished with six tackles, including two for losses, and a quarterback sack Saturday for Franklin College in a 55-0 loss at Mount St. Joseph.

Franklin dropped to 3-5 this season and 3-2 against HCAC foes.

Dylan Wasson

The Triton Central graduate was credited with two tackles, including one for a loss, Saturday in Olivet Nazarene’s 35-7 win at St. Francis (Ill.) in Joliet, Illinois.

ONU improved to 5-3 this season.

Kenneth Gipson

The Triton Central graduate was part of Rose-Hulman’s starting offensive line Saturday in a 44-39 win over Hanover. The line helped quarterback Miguel Robertson throw for 248 yards and three touchdowns and running back Grant Ripperda amass 114 yards rushing and two TDs.

Rose-Hulman improved to 6-2 overall and 5-0 in the HCAC standings.

Shelby Lasure

The Shelbyville graduate had three kills, two service aces and five digs for Anderson Wednesday in a 25-21, 25-23, 25-18 win at Defiance.

On Saturday, No. 16 Transylvania defeated Anderson, 25-13, 25-15, 25-12. Lasure finished with one kill and one dig.

The Ravens are 12-12 (4-3 HCAC) this season.

Julia Sanders

The Triton Central graduate had one ace and three digs Saturday in No. 14 IU Kokomo’s 25-14, 25-11, 25-12 win over Brescia University in the final regular-season home match for the Cougars (26-3, 16-0 RSC).

On Friday, IU Kokomo swept Oakland City, 25-15, 25-16, 25-15. Sanderson had two assists and 11 digs.

Maggie Schweitzer

The Triton Central graduate finished with two kills, 23 assists and two digs Saturday in Hanover’s 25-14, 25-23, 25-18 victory at Rose-Hulman.

On Wednesday, Hanover lost to No. 15 Mount St. Joseph, 25-20, 25-20, 14-25, 25-15. Schweitzer had one kill, 16 assists, three aces and 12 digs.

Hanover is 18-7 (5-2 HCAC).

Brooklyn Schiffli

The Triton Central graduate has two assists and 14 digs Saturday in Jacksonville State’s 25-14, 26-24, 20-25, 23-25, 15-5 loss at Florida International University.

On Friday in Miami, FIU defeated Jacksonville State, 23-25, 25-20, 26-24, 25-14. Schiffli had two assists and eight digs.

Jacksonville State is 5-17 (3-0 C-USA).

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Livestreaming has become a fact of life in the television world over the past few years. More often, programming is being moved from linear (or conventional) television to streaming platforms.

Starting this school year, livestreaming on the IHSAA Champions Network presented by Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance via IHSAAtv.org will be the only way to view IHSAA State Finals broadcasts – including football and boys and girls basketball.

For the past decade, Bally Sports Indiana (formerly Fox Sports Indiana) has been the television home for the state finals. However, Diamond Sports Group – which owns 19 regional sports networks, including Bally Sports Indiana – filed for bankruptcy this past March.

In June, according to IHSAA Assistant Commissioner Chris Kaufman, Bally Sports Indiana informed the organization that the partnership would end.

“They called and said they weren’t allowed to renew the contract with us,” Kaufman said. “It was an amicable parting and, all in all, Bally was a great partner. We enjoyed working with them and we will stay in touch.”

This means, at least for now, IHSAAtv.org will be the exclusive platform for the state finals and will be behind a paywall.

“The state finals have been on IHSAAtv.org for many years now,” said Heath Shanahan, IHSAA’s Director of Broadcasting/Executive Producer. “It’s been a destination website that people hit, not just for the state finals, but the entire tournament and regular season.

“We decided this is a great release point, except for golf, tennis and Unified sports. Those broadcasts will remain free to view.”

To see state finals events, viewers will need to download the free IHSAAtv app to their devices (e.g., a computer, phone or OTT/television appliance device) or visit IHSAAtv.org. The prices to view state finals contests will be the same as buying a ticket at the venue: generally $15 per game or $20 for an all-access pass. The IHSAAtv OTT app is available for Roku, Firestick, Apple TV, and Android TV devices allowing fans to watch in high definition on their televisions.

“We are working to make this as easy as possible for fans,” Shanahan said. “Fans can navigate to on site, click the link and follow the steps. It’s no different than getting on a phone and going to any app or website.”

Kaufman and Shanahan said IHSAA realizes there will be pushback due to a natural resistance to streaming content previously available on certain television packages.

“It can be difficult for some who aren’t technologically savvy, but that’s an issue we can’t solve alone,” Kaufman said. “The overall climate of change in television has helped as people are seeing they will get their TV (content) differently. But whether you watched on (cable) television or on a stream (streaming platform), you are paying for it.”

“With Bally,” Shanahan added, “it was rolled into your cable bill.”

Kaufman also said the quality of the production won’t change.

Since 2010, IHSAAtv.org has delivered streaming content. Shanahan said the site currently has 150 schools from across the state who contribute to games on the network, along with 30-plus independent broadcasters.

“On a recent Friday night, we had 95 football games being streamed,” Shanahan said.

While the state finals and the semistate contests are pay-per-view, the sectional and regional rounds of each state tournament – will remain free to view.

Also, the IHSAA Champions Radio Network, supported by Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, will not be impacted. In fact, that network added seven more stations this year, bringing the total to 79.

“Television is rapidly changing,” Shanahan said, “and linear TV isn’t close to what it was even five years ago. The pandemic put an importance on livestreaming. This is the future and we’ve been preparing ourselves for it for several years.”

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A trio of Hornets proved too much to handle for a shorthanded Morristown squad Monday in Beech Grove.

In the season opener for both girls basketball teams, Mylee Boling scored a game-high 15 points, pulled down nine rebounds and had three steals to lead Beech Grove to a 46-23 victory.

Harper Moore and Emma Micks each had 10 points for the Hornets. Moore added six rebounds and five assists. Micks finished with six rebounds and three assists.

Beech Grove built a 19-5 lead after one quarter and extended the lead to 31-11 by halftime.

Freshman Charli Marcum led Morristown with six points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Nevaeh Cox had six points, seven rebounds and three steals. Katie Theobald scored five points and grabbed four rebounds and Olivia Rude had six steals.

Morristown played without junior center Danika Rutledge due to illness. She averaged 13 points and seven rebounds per game last season.

Morristown will host Class 2A, No. 2 Eastern Hancock Thursday.

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Triton Central girls basketball will open the season as the No. 9 ranked team in Class 2A in the Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association’s preseason girls basketball poll.

North Knox is the preseason No. 1 team in Class 2A followed by Eastern Hancock, Lapel, Central Noble and Lafayette Central Catholic in the top five.

Eastbrook is No. 6 with University and Forest Park sharing the No. 7 ranking. Carroll (Flora) is No. 8 while Andrean, Triton Central and Providence all share the No. 9 ranking.

Linton-Stockton is No. 12 followed by Alexandria, Austin, Fort Wayne Luers, Blackford, Brownstown Central, North Miami and South Knox.

Triton Central and Eastern Hancock are in the same postseason sectional. The Tigers open the season Saturday at Roncalli.

In Class A, Lanesville is No. 1 in the preseason poll followed by Bethany Christian, Caston, Borden, Springs Valley, Washington Township, Jac-Cen-Del, Tecumseh, Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian, Tri and Northeast Dubois in the top 10.

Indian Creek, featuring Indiana University recruit Faith Wiseman, is No. 1 in Class 3A ahead of Norwell, Twin Lakes, Hamilton Heights, Evansville Memorial, West Lafayette, Corydon Central, Fairfield, Jay County and Gibson Southern.

Greensburg is just outside the top 10 at No. 11.

Noblesville is the preseason No. 1 in Class 4A with South Bend Washington, Hamilton Southeastern, Bedford North Lawrence and Fishers rounding out the top five.

Lake Central and Fort Wayne Snider share the No. 6 ranking with Homestead, Lawrence Central and Columbia City completing the top 10.

IBCA Poll

In the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association preseason poll, Hamilton Southeastern is the top-ranked team followed by Bedford North Lawrence, Noblesville, South Bend Washington, Fishers, Zionsville, Lake Central, Homestead, Fort Wayne Snider and Columbia City in the top 10.

The second 10 in the poll, which does not separate programs into classes, is Center Grove, Lawrence North, Fort Wayne Northrop, Brownsburg, Valparaiso, Indian Creek, Twin Lakes, Lawrence Central, Warsaw and Jennings County.

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It was a great way to close out a day filled with equine stars at Horseshoe Indianapolis as the incomparable Red Headed Beach earned her sixth win of the season in the 15^th running of the $204,600 Miss Roxie Little Futurity. The win Saturday marked her third Futurity of the year, a first in the state of Indiana.

Guided by Rolando Pina, Red Headed Beach (photo) got a good break and was traveling with the crowd early on. Her stablemate, Jess Takin on Cash and Berkley Packer, were holding a slight edge over the field of 10 through the early stages of the 350-yard dash. Midway through the race, Red Headed Beach hit another gear and rallied home in a burst, earning the win by one-half length over Jess Takin on Cash, her closest finish to date.

 Red Headed Beach was the overwhelming favorite, paying $2.20 for the win. The Escondido Beach filly is now six for seven this season for owner Pattie Marshall and trainer Tim Eggleston. She now holds the record for most money ever earned for an Indiana Quarter Horse for one season with more than $376,000. She also joins Beach Cartel and Beach Treat for most wins in one season (6) and also joins Pistolpacking Pepsi, Beach Treat and Valiantinecandyrocks for most Indiana stakes wins in by a Quarter Horse in one season (3).

 “This is unreal,” said Patti Marshall. “She’s a freak of nature. You always watch this happen to other people but you never think it will happen to you. Brad (Patti’s husband) bought this mare in foal. We foaled her out with Keli (Eggleston) and then Brad bred the mare back and sold the mare. And we took this filly to the sale and couldn’t get a bid on her. It’s been quite a journey with her.”

 Red Headed Beach did not impress her connections early on. Even as a baby, Keli noted she inherited her name honestly. When she was put in training, both Tim and Rolando Pina, who gets on her every day, were less than impressed with the sorrel filly. In fact, Pina said she might be better suited for another career.

“When we first started with her, I said, ‘My gosh, is this really going to be a racehorse?’ but she has proved me wrong thank goodness,” said Pina. “You can’t ask for a better animal and she’s probably one of the best I’ve ever ridden. I had to push her today more than ever. The one I was the most concerned about was the one in front of us (Jess Takin on Cash). I looked over and so did she. And she said, ‘Not today buddy’ and took off. I think it made her try harder.”

Red Headed Beach has now won six straight races at Horseshoe Indianapolis in Shelbyville. Pina is the only jockey to ever ride her in a race. He has had many stakes winners in Indiana, including Stone Cold Leader, who is the state’s all-time leading Indiana bred earner.

$111,920 Indiana Championships

Mr Michel came roaring down the stretch in the final strides to win the $111,920 Indiana Championship in thrilling fashion at Horseshoe Indianapolis. The field of 10 was stretched across the track at the finish with Mr Michel and Edgar Diaz (photo) getting the nod at the wire.

“He has always been a big closer and he’s always been good at 400 yards,” said Diaz through interpretation. “The last 40 yards helped get him the win today.”

Mr Michel was overlooked at the windows, paying $14.20 for the win. The four-year-old sorrel son of Kiss My Hocks is owned by Alberto Valadez and trained by Claudio Barraza. He was bred by Indiana’s Mark Michel, who he shares a name with.

“This horse is a once in a lifetime horse,” said Barraza, who has had the gelding from the beginning of his racing career. I was watching and at 200 yards, he was still back in the pack and was still trailing. I thought he wasn’t going to be able to get there today. But I looked up and next thing you know he was right there. I really thought the six (Tachas Secret) got it because it was close. But they posted 10 (Mr Michel) and I was very excited.”

Mr Michel earned his ninth career win in the stellar lineup of older race and his third in five starts for 2023. It was his fifth stakes win dating all the way back to his first on Indiana Champions Day two years ago at two when he won the Miss Roxie Little Futurity. Barraza knows the horse well and has campaigned him to more than $388,000 in career earnings.

“He’s a little spoiled,” admits Barraza. “And, he’s potbellied. That’s what makes him special. But seriously, he’s all heart. He will get a big break now after this race today.”

$128,200 QHRAI Derby

The outstanding day for the Tony Cunningham Stable continued in the 27^th running of the $128,200 QHRAI Derby Saturday during Indiana Champions Day. Namgis Kodiak Kiss and Saul Lopez took home the title in the stakes that started the inaugural season of Indiana pari-mutuel Quarter Horse racing in 1997.

Namgis Kodiak Kiss (photo, left) scored his second stakes win of the season for his connections, paying $13.80 for the win. The Texas bred son of Kiss My Hocks is owned by A Win Investments and Duke Racing LLC. Cunningham received the horse at the beginning of the meet for the owners after he was purchased privately and brought to Indiana.

 Namgis Kodiak Kiss now has four career wins, two of which have been in Indiana. The sophomore gelding now has more than $170,000 on his card. He won the QHRAI Stallion Service Auction Derby earlier this year, giving Lopez his first stakes win as a jockey.

 It was the fourth win and the third stakes victory on the day for Cunningham, who leads the standings for top Quarter Horse trainer this season. Cunningham is also the state’s all-time leading Quarter Horse owner.

$157,000 Governor’s Stakes

The Quarter Horse stakes portion of the program Saturday began with one of the oldest Quarter Horse stakes in the state as the 27^th running of the $157,000 Governor’s Stakes was won impressively by Relentlessly Special and Francisco Quintero.

Relentlessly Special (photo) paid $11.60 for the win. The freshman son of Hes Relentless is owned by Lisa Cunningham and trained by her husband Tony Cunningham. It was the third win on the season for the sorrel gelding as he boosted his career earnings to more than $192,000 in earnings.

“He goes out and does his job every start and every day,” said Tony. “He’s showing what king of horse he is. I have to give credit to my wife, Lisa. She’s the one that picked him out at the sale. She did a great job picking him out.”

Relentlessly Special was purchased by the Cunninghams at the Heritage Place September Yearling Sale last fall for $57,000. Lisa saw the colt in the makeup ring and alerted Tony that it was the horse she wanted. The Oklahoma bred gelding now has two stakes to his credit, coupling the Governor’s Stake with a win in the $148,000 Heartland Futurity earlier this year. He has not been off the board in six career starts.

$250,000 Unreachable Star

Doubledogjustice and Fernando De La Cruz (photo) made a well-timed move to score the win in the fourth running of the $250,000 Unreachable Star. The duo earned the win for a large cheering section supporting trainer and owner Ray Paquette III.

“He’s a little horse with a big heart,” said Paquette’s son Ray. “We will take him to the farm and give him a breather and bring him back next year.”

Doubledogjustice paid $9.40 for the win. The Lantana Mob three-year-old was purchased by Paquette from the Indiana Mixed Fall Sale as a yearling for $6,000. He earned his third career win in 11 starts in the Unreachable Star and boosted his career earnings to more than $250,000 with the win.

The winner’s circle was filled for supporters of the Paquette Stable and Doubledogjustice. Paquette, a longtime trainer in Central Indiana, has competed in almost every year of pari-mutuel racing in the Hoosier State.

Lady Fog Horn

Lady Fog Horn was the star of the Tony Granitz Stable during her career. The mare, who retired with more than $824,000 on her card and numerous stakes wins still holds several records at the track for most money earned in one season, most career stakes wins, and is the former all-time leading Indiana bred mare by earnings for Indiana. To win the stakes race named in her honor had special meaning for the Granitz Barn as their entrant, Itzforever and Marcelino Pedroza Jr. brought that title back to the crew.

Itzforever (photo) paid $11.80 for the win. The Forever d’Oro filly earned her fourth straight win for owner David Walters of Tennessee. Tony Granitz has conditioned the filly to five career wins, all recorded this year as a three-year-old. Granitz was out of town to visit his daughter, Eve, who is on a golf scholarship in North Carolina, and was celebrating her birthday during the day. Longtime assistant trainer Jose Congora handled the saddling of the filly and represented the stable in the winner’s circle after the win.

“She’s a really nice Indiana bred,” said Congora. “Every time she runs, she gets better and better. We were a little worried when she drew the 12-hole, especially with the off track today, but it worked out perfectly.”

Crown Ambassador Stakes

Cringe is a horse that got a late start in racing, but he has improved with every start, and he proved to be the best in the 25^th running of the Crown Ambassador Stakes Saturday. Ridden by Alberto Burgos, Cringe (photo) was an open length winner in the race named in honor of Indiana’s first leading stallion, Crown Ambassador, who stood at Swifty Farms in Seymour, Ind.

“This horse has always shown talent,” said Burgos, who is spending his first year at Horseshoe Indianapolis. “Turning for home, he was traveling so easy. I had confidence at that point, and he did it. He got it done.”

Cringe was one of the favorites, paying $9.80 for the win. The son of Taprize was a $3,400 purchase from the Indiana Mixed Fall Sale last year by Scott Resnick’s Shim Racing LLC. Scott Mullins trains the gelding, who now has nearly $100,000 on his card in three career starts. Burgos has ridden Cringe in all three of his career outs and is now a winner twice on the freshman stakes winner. 

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Class 2A, No. 2 Triton Central only led 2A No. 3 Brownstown Central for 66 seconds Friday night in the Sectional 39 semifinal showdown in Fairland.

Quarterback Jace Stuckey lofted a pass toward the end zone that Mason Compton ran under for a 21-17 lead with one minute, six seconds left in regulation.

Sam Kemper then intercepted a Micah Sheffer pass and scored 16 seconds later to seal a 28-17 victory and a berth in the sectional championship game this Friday at Eastern (Pekin).

After a scoreless first half in Fairland between a pair of teams both ranked No. 1 in the state coaches poll this season, the offenses kicked into gear in the second half.

Brownstown Central (9-2) scored first when Keetan Burcham-Jones powered into the end zone with 4:59 left in the third quarter.

Brayden Wilkins raced around the left side for a 27-yard touchdown run for Triton Central that tied the game again with 2:21 on the clock.

Sheffer operated a flea flicker play perfectly and connected with Hudson Fritz for a 32-yard touchdown strike just 38 seconds into the fourth quarter.

Triton Central again answered with Wilkins racing into the end zone from 14 yards out.

Tied again 14-14, the Braves moved the ball down field and chewed time off the scoreboard clock. A Triton Central stop forced Brownstown Central to try a 30-yard field goal attempt from Bryce Peak, who worked it inside the goalposts for a 17-14 lead.

With 2:46 left, Stuckey worked the Tigers down field and into field goal range but that was not necessary when Compton broke free from defender Preston Garrison for an easy touchdown catch with 1:06 on the clock.

Kemper then squashed any comeback attempt for the Braves with the interception.

Eastern (Pekin) advanced to the sectional championship Friday with a 44-0 win at Switzerland County.

The Musketeers (5-6) last faced Triton Central (10-1) in the opening round of Sectional 39 in 2021. The Tigers won that game 58-0.

Steve Bush photos

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The Kid Pataky and Sammy Bermudez were on a mission.

The duo left the gate with authority from post ten and earned the win in the $100,000 Indiana Stallion Fillies Stakes to kick off the premier racing program of Indiana Champions Day Saturday at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

The Kid Pataky shot out of the starting gate and was on top of the field of 12 Indiana sired fillies in the six-furlong in the first few strides. Jockey Sammy Bermudez had a big hold on the filly as they moved down the backstretch by open lengths in front of a trio of horses who moved together vying for second early on. Around the turn, The Kid Pataky was still in control on the lead. Martz Rosey and Alberto Pusac saved ground along the inside as Rafaella and Hannah Leahy held their ground on the outside.

As the field turned for home, The Kid Pataky still had an open length lead, but Martz Rosey began to move up the rail and close the gap. Rafaella began to also close in on the outside. Martz Rosey got a head in front a few times, but The Kid Pataky fought back. Rafaella was gaining on the top two as all three fillies were together at the wire. The Kid Pataky got the edge, winning by a head over Rafaella. Martz Rosey finished another head back on the inside.

“Since the first time, I have always liked her,” said Bermudez of The Pataky Kid. “She’s been getting better and better. I noticed in the post parade she was calm today. I could see a big difference. She is like her sister (Zupita). She likes competition and she likes to run.”

The Kid Pataky was the favorite, paying $3.80 for the win. The Pataky Kid two-year-old is owned and bred by Swifty Farms Inc. based in Seymour, Ind. Tony Cunningham trains the filly, who is now two for four in her young career.

“I met Jerri (Harmon) the farm manager at Swifty a few years ago at a Quarter Horse sale,” added Cunningham. “I thank her and the owners for trusting us with these horses.”

The Kid Pataky now has more than $90,000 on her card. Bermudez has been aboard for both of her wins.

“She ran a great race today,” said Cunningham. “She got tough down the lane. I thought she was going to get beat at one point, but she fought for it. I don’t think she saw them, but the way she dug in was really exciting. The funny thing is, the first time I ran her she blew the turn, went five wide, so to see her finish like this was something else.”

For Cunningham, he has a long history of success from the beginning of Quarter Horse racing in the state in 1997. A native of Michigan, he is currently the leading Quarter Horse trainer in 2023 and is the all-time leading owner for the sprinters. He has branched out into Thoroughbreds the past few years and his whole team works with both breeds now in Indiana.

“It’s been unreal this year,” said Cunningham. “To have success with our Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses has been really amazing.”

The 21^st season of live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing extends through Friday, Nov. 17. Live racing is held Monday through Thursday. First post Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday is 2:30 p.m. Thursday and select Friday racing begins at 2:10 p.m. For more information on live racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis, visit www.caesars.com/horseshoe-indianapolis.

One of the marquee sectional matchups Friday features Class 2A, No. 3 Brownstown Central traveling to Fairland to face 2A No. 2 Triton Central.

The two programs, both 9-1, are led by coaches with a combined 524 career wins. They met last season in Brownstown at the same point in the postseason – the sectional semifinal round in which Triton Central prevailed 24-19.

“It was a war. They were really good,” said Triton Central head coach Tim Able, who is sitting on 99 career wins with the Tigers in his 11^th season. “They were really physical. We were playing at their place. The tradition is there. The coach is amazing. And they didn’t graduate much but their quarterback.”

Carson Darlage rushed for nearly 1,000 yards last season as Brownstown Central’s senior quarterback. Sophomore Micah Sheffer has control of head coach Reed May’s offense now. The six-foot, three-inch quarterback has completed 38 of 70 pass attempts this season for 620 yards and eight touchdowns and is a valuable blocker in the Braves’ vaunted misdirection running game.

“He is a good athlete,” said Able. “He is not as physical (as Darlage) but he throws pretty well for a sophomore. And he is a pretty good blocker too.”

Senior Lane Zike is the leading rusher at 630 yards but nine different Braves have at least 100 yards rushing this season. Sophomore Preston Garrison (400 yards), senior Isiaah Engle (391 yards) and junior Greg Hutcheson (294 yards) also are featured.

“You don’t know where the ball is going. You have to play your position,” said Able (photo). “It is so deceiving. They are really good with their fakes.

“It helps that we played them last year. We’ve coached against them. They run this offense in their youth football league and they are really good at it.”

And effective.

Brownstown Central is averaging 43 points per game this season – and has scored at least 40 points eight times. The only loss came at Seymour, 41-20, on Sept. 22.

“Seymour was able to hang on to the ball and they threw it well,” said Able. “They are similar to what we are.”

Triton Central relies heavily on senior quarterback Jace Stuckey (photo), who has thrown for 2,342 yards this season and 27 touchdowns while running for another 701 yards and eight TDs.

Senior running back Ray Crawford, who entered the season with 3,710 career rushing yards has just 59 carries for 296 yards and three touchdowns this season. He has battled an injury that has limited his time on the field but appears to be nearly 100% healthy as Friday’s game approaches.

Crawford (photo) ran for a team-leading 78 yards and two touchdowns in Triton Central’s sectional-opening win last Friday at Clarksville. Against Brownstown Central in the 2022 game, he overpowered the Braves for 149 yards and a touchdown.

“They are very good on the line of scrimmage. It’s their biggest strength,” said Able of the Braves’ defense. “We’ve got to get the ball out in space. We have the edge that way with our speed. And with Ray back, we have a lot more power now.”

Crawford’s absence on the offensive side of the ball this season has allowed senior Brayden Wilkins (photo) to showcase his speed and strength. He is averaging 11.3 yards per carry and has a team-leading 50 receptions for 1,007 yards and nine touchdowns.

Senior Mason Compton (photo), 20 receptions, 454 yards, six TDs, also is a favorite target of Stuckey, who will play collegiately at Eastern Michigan University.

“Offensively, we are close (to being at full strength),” said Able. “We have got to have a good week of practice. That is always an important factor in this.”

With its 56-27 win over 2A No. 10 Indianapolis Scecina last Friday, May secured his 300^th career win at Brownstown Central (photo). He has won 83% (300-563) of his games in his 31-year coaching career with the Braves. The program has won 13 sectional and three regional titles during his tenure. The last sectional title came in 2018.

Tim Able, 224-134 in his 30^th season, has won nine sectional titles, five with Triton Central, including four straight entering the 2023 season. He led Triton Central to a regional championship in 2019 and East Noble to the 2000 state championship.

If Triton Central wins Friday, it already knows it will be on the road for the Sectional 39 championship game at either Switzerland County or Eastern (Pekin) on Nov. 3.

QUICK FACTS:

Class 2A, No. 3 Brownstown Central at Class 2A, No. 2 Triton Central

Game time: 7 p.m. at Mendenhall Field at Triton Central High School.

Broadcast: GIANT fm will air a pregame show with Johnny McCrory and Mark Drake live from Mendenhall Field at 6 p.m. with the game to follow on 96.5 fm, 106.3 fm or the GIANT fm app.

Tickets: No Triton Central sports passes will be allowed. Cash at gate, $7 per adult, or purchase tickets online at https://public.eventlink.com/tickets?t=56901&p=87358

TC student theme: Camo.

2023 record: Brownstown Central 9-1; Triton Central 9-1. Both teams were ranked No. 1 in the IFCA poll at one point this season. Triton Central is currently No. 1 in the Associated Press Class 2A poll.

Head coaches: Reed May, 300-63 in 31^st year at Brownstown Central; Tim Able, 99-36 in 11^th year at Triton Central, 224-134 in 30th year overall.

Sagarin ratings: Brownstown Central 66.23, No. 3 in Class 2A; Triton Central 71.84, No. 2 in Class 2A. Triton Central is an 8-point favorite

Last meeting: Triton Central defeated Brownstown Central, 24-19, in the sectional semifinal round of the 2022 season. The win was the Tigers’ first in program history over the Braves (6-1).

Class 2A, Sectional 39: Switzerland County (6-4) 7.08, No. 51 in Class 2A at Eastern (Pekin) (4-6) 24.54, No. 44 in Class 2A. Eastern is a 19-point favorite.

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The NBA announced changes Wednesday to the format for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game, which will be played on Feb. 18 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, home of the Indiana Pacers.

As the league celebrates basketball's deep roots in the state of Indiana, the 73rd NBA All-Star Game will feature the return of both the classic matchup between the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference and the traditional scoring system with four 12-minute quarters. The voting process to determine the NBA All-Stars will remain the same, with 12 players selected from each conference.

While the NBA All-Star Game will no longer have an untimed fourth quarter or conclude when one team reaches or surpasses the Final Target Score, the teams will continue to compete to win each quarter for a charitable organization of their choosing.

NBA All-Star Game team captains will still be named to lead their respective teams. The captains will be the All-Star starter from each conference who receives the most fan votes in his conference during NBA All-Star Voting.

The 2024 NBA All-Star Game will air on TNT in the United States and reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories in more than 50 languages.

Indianapolis will host the NBA All-Star Game for the first time since 1985.

Shelbyville High School’s first-ever tennis state finalists are also the program’s only representative on the Hoosier Heritage Conference’s 2023 All-Conference Boys Tennis squad.

Senior Karson Schaf and sophomore Aiden Smith were one of six teams still vying for a state championship Friday. They were defeated in the quarterfinal round of the State Finals to close out their season with a 24-5 record.

Six singles players and five doubles teams were selected All-HHC based on their performances this past season.

Unanimous singles selections were Mt. Vernon’s Adam Koon, Greenfield-Central’s Chris Long and New Palestine’s Moses Haynes. Also selected by a vote of coaches were Mt. Vernon’s Manny Downs, New Palestine’s Arjomand Khokhar and Greenfield-Central’s Mateo Molanphy.

Unanimous doubles team selections were Delta’s Dalton Royal and Preston Shanayda, and Greenfield-Central’s Chad Michalek and Luke Sitzman.

Schaf and Smith were one of three all-conference doubles teams selected by the coaches. Also honored were Mt. Vernon’s Robbie Moore and Matthew Jones, and Max Orelup and Bryndan Wylie.

Greenfield-Central’s Michael Turpin was selected as Coach of the Year.

Mt. Vernon won the HHC title with a perfect 7-0 mark. Greenfield-Central was runner-up at 6-1 followed by Delta (5-2), New Palestine (4-3), Shelbyville (3-4), Pendleton Heights (2-5), Yorktown (1-6) and New Castle (0-7).

Greenfield-Central, Delta and New Castle captured sectional titles in 2023.

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Drew Hassebroek scored Indiana University Purdue University Columbus’ final goal Thursday in a 6-1 win over St. Mary-of-the-Woods College.

The Shelbyville graduate played 36 minutes in the win and found the back of the net for the first time in his collegiate career in the 87^th minute off an assist from Nathan Davis.

With the win, IUPUC improved to 7-7-1 this season.

On Saturday, IU East defeated IUPUC, 1-0. Hassebroek played 32 minutes in the loss.

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

Brooklyn Schiffli

The Triton Central graduate had a team-high eight digs and two assists Saturday in Jacksonville State’s 25-13, 25-20, 25-20 loss to New Mexico State.

On Friday, the Gamecocks defeated New Mexico State, 23-25, 25-23, 20-25, 25-20, 17-15. Schiffli had five assists, four service aces and 17 digs.

Maggie Schweitzer

Hanover volleyball split a pair of matches Saturday at the Ohio Wesleyan Tri-Match.

The Panthers started the day with a 29-27, 25-22, 25-15 win over Denison University. Schweitzer, a Triton Central graduate, finished with 14 assists and seven digs.

Ohio Wesleyan won a five-set thriller over Hanover, 20-25, 26-24, 27-29, 25-18, 15-13. Schweitzer had two kills, 26 assists and six digs.

On Friday, Hanover defeated Bluffton University, 25-15, 25-13, 25-22. Schweitzer collected 16 assists and six digs.

The Panthers’ week started Wednesday with a 25-22, 26-24, 25-19 loss at No. 16 Transylvania University. Schweitzer had one kill, 14 assists and 11 digs.

Hanover is 17-6 this season.

Julia Sanders

The Triton Central graduate had one assist and five digs Saturday in IU Kokomo’s 25-20, 25-16, 25-18 win at the University of Rio Grande to improve to 24-3 this season and 14-0 against River States Conference opponents.

On Friday, IU Kokomo swept West Virginia Tech, 25-12, 25-23, 25-15. Sanders finished with one kill, three assists and four digs.

The Cougars have won 19 straight matches.

Shelby Lasure

The Shelbyville graduate had six kills, one assist, two aces and 11 digs Saturday in Anderson volleyball’s 25-19, 25-17, 22-25, 24-26, 15-13 win over Earlham College.

The win improved the Ravens to 11-11 this season and 3-2 against Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference opponents.

On Wednesday, Rose-Hulman defeated Anderson in four sets. Lasure collected 12 kills, one assist and 26 digs.

Kenneth Gipson

The Triton Central graduate was part of Rose-Hulman’s starting offensive line that produced 608 yards of offense Saturday in a 50-35 victory at Franklin College.

Rose-Hulman quarterback Miguel Robertson threw for 356 yards and two touchdowns while running back Grant Ripperda amassed 194 yards rushing and two touchdowns to improve the Engineers to 5-2 (4-0 HCAC).

Hayden Kermode

The Triton Central graduate had three total tackles for Franklin College Saturday in a 50-35 loss to visiting Rose-Hulman.

The Grizzlies dropped to 3-4 this season and 3-1 in the HCAC.

Dylan Wasson

The Triton Central graduate had one solo tackle and two assists Saturday for Olivet Nazarene in a 48-24 loss to Roosevelt, who scored 28 points in the third quarter to break open what was a 20-17 game.

Olivet Nazarene is 4-3 this season.

Lucas Kleeman

The Triton Central graduate had one tackle assist Saturday for Anderson University in a 36-6 loss at Defiance College.

Cameron Baker

The Shelbyville graduate produced a pair of top-16 finishes Saturday for Franklin College in the Dan Ross Indiana Intercollegiate Meet at Purdue University, which featured state programs representing Division I, Division III and NAIA.

Baker finished 15^th in the one-meter diving event and 16^th in the 3-meter competition.

Maiah Helfer-Vazquez

The Shelbyville graduate finished 20^th in the 3-meter diving competition and 24^th in the one-meter event Saturday for Franklin College in the Indiana Intercollegiate Meet.

Rachel Dewey

The Triton Central graduate played 50 minutes Saturday in Western Kentucky’s 1-0 win at Liberty in Lynchburg, Virginia.

The Hilltoppers improved to 6-3-7 this season and 4-1-2 in the Conference USA standings.

Eddie Carrizalez

The Shelbyville graduate played 44 minutes in each of IU East’s wins last week.

On Thursday, IU East defeated Ohio Christian, 5-1. Two days later, Carrizalez helped IU East shut out IUPUC, 1-0.

The Red Wolves improved to 5-10-1 this season.

Sophie Parker

The Shelbyville graduate played 80 minutes for IUPUC Thursday in a 7-1 loss to St. Mary-of-the-Woods. Parker was credited with four shots on goal in the loss.

On Saturday, IU East defeated the Crimson Pride, 5-0. Parker played 81 minutes for IUPUC (2-10).

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Cole Burton completed six passes, four for touchdowns, and Josh Ringer rushed for 140 yards and three touchdowns to lead Class 4A, No. 1 East Central to a 62-7 victory Friday over Shelbyville in the Sectional 23 opener for both programs.

East Central improved to 10-0 and won its 16^th-straight game. The Class 4A defending state champions will travel to Martinsville (7-3), a 28-14 winner at Silver Creek Friday in its sectional opener, this Friday

In the other half of the Sectional 23 bracket, Greenwood defeated Connersville, 49-21, and Jennings County topped Edgewood, 46-21. Greenwood (5-5) will host Jennings County (5-5) this Friday in the other sectional semifinal contest.

In St. Leon Friday, the host Trojans scored four first-quarter touchdowns to quickly build a 27-0 lead.

Just before the end of the first quarter, Shelbyville quarterback Eli Chappelow connected with Grantland Fitzgerald (photo) for a 47-yard catch and run down to the East Central goal line. The Golden Bears opened the second quarter with an Axel Conover touchdown run that cut the lead to 27-7.

East Central responded with 28 more points to build a 55-7 lead at halftime.

With the four touchdowns passes, Burton became East Central’s career leader in touchdown throws with 59, breaking the previous record of 56 set in 2003.

Ryan Brotherton had two of those scoring receptions to also break the program record with 29 career touchdowns. The previous record was set in 2001.

Shelbyville finished the 2023 record with a 3-7 mark in head coach Scott Fitzgerald’s first season. The Golden Bears will use the offseason to reset following the graduation of a large and productive senior class.

Class 2A, Sectional 39

Triton Central 41, Clarksville 6

At Clarksville, Class 2A, No. 2 Triton Central built a 35-6 lead by halftime and coasted to a sectional-opening victory.

With the win, Triton Central, now 9-1, will host 2A No. 3 Brownstown Central (9-1), a 56-27 winner Friday over 2A No. 10 Indianapolis Scecina, this Friday for a sectional semifinal contest.

In the other half of the bracket, Switzerland County defeated Brown County, 28-21, and Eastern (Pekin) eliminated Christel House Manual, 49-28. Switzerland County (6-4) will travel to Eastern (Pekin) (4-6) this Friday for a semifinal contest.

Triton Central quarterback Jace Stuckey completed 7 of 9 passes at Clarksville for 175 yards and two touchdowns.

Stuckey and Ray Crawford combined to rush for 133 yards on eight carries.

Steve Bush photos

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The Shelbyville tennis doubles team of Karson Schaf and Aiden Smith saw their IHSAA Doubles Tournament run end in the state quarterfinals Friday at Park Tudor.

Fort Wayne Carroll’s Connor Gibson and Jaxson Sparks defeated Schaf and Smith, 6-2, 6-2.

Gibson and Sparks lost in the semifinal to the eventual doubles state champion, Homestead’s Alex Graber and Eric Ji.

It's the first time in Shelbyville boys tennis history, a pair of Golden Bears reached the IHSAA Doubles Tournament State Finals.

Schaf and Smith finished the season with a record of 24-5 and were named All-Hoosier Heritage Conference and All-District.

Cross Country

Shelbyville Regional

Shelby County cross country season ended Saturday at the Blue River Memorial Park in the IHSAA Shelbyville Regional.

Waldron junior Will Larrison finished 74th out of a field of 248 runners in a time of 17 minutes, three seconds. He missed the cut for state finals by approximately 30 seconds.

On the girls side, Shelbyville senior Hannah Wright (photo) finished in 21:10 and 86th place overall. For Morristown, freshman Audrey VanDyke suffered a cramp and was unable to finish.

Steve Bush photo

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Shelbyville head coach Scott Fitzgerald is not preparing his best “David vs. Goliath” speech for Friday night. It would be appropriate, though, as the Golden Bears face Class 4A, No. 1 East Central in the Sectional 23 opener in St. Leon.

“We have to play clean. We have to create some turnovers. We’ve got to tackle. And we have to make some plays offensively that we can be explosive with,” said Fitzgerald. “Just leave it all out on the field. Don’t be able to look at yourself in the mirror when the game is done and say, ‘I wish I would have done this or I wish I would have done that.’

“If you walk off the field and you feel like you gave 100% effort and your teammates gave 100% effort and you lose, that’s the way it is in sports. Somebody has to win and somebody has to lose.”

The Trojans (9-0) are the defending Class 4A state champions and have won 15 straight games.

“When you turn on the film, it’s the same East Central team we’ve seen for 15 or 20 years,” said Fitzgerald. “They are going to run their unbalanced sets. They are going to run their power football at you. Now they do have a little more athleticism at quarterback and they’ve made some nice plays throwing the ball but they are really efficient at what they do.”

The offense features senior running back Josh Ringer, who is closing in on East Central’s career rushing mark of 5,708 yards set by Andrew Wolf in 1998. Ringer has 5,445 yards, which has him on track to break the record in week two of the postseason.

“He is going to be very balanced. He is difficult to take down,” said Fitzgerald. “He is not overly huge by any means but he is going to hit it hard wherever he is going to go and then he sinks his body low and he is fast. If you don’t get his legs you are not going to tackle him up high and you won’t arm tackle him. He will run through those. He is just a very, very efficient runner.”

Ringer has rushed for 1,685 yards this season and 33 touchdowns.

“He has a nice (offensive) line to run behind and he is going to get his when he has an opportunity to,” said Fitzgerald.

Senior quarterback Cole Burton has completed 70% of his pass attempts for 969 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has not thrown an interception.

Senior Ryan Brotherton is the leading receiver with 27 catches for 554 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The Golden Bears (3-6) enter the game with a five-game losing streak – all against tough opponents (combined 31-14 record). The offense has scored 46 points in those five losses but missed on several opportunities to put points on the scoreboard.

To score the upset, senior quarterback Eli Chappelow has to get the offense into the end zone. He has completed 54% of his passes for 1,599 yards and 14 touchdowns this season.

Sophomore Donavon Martin is the leading rusher at 394 yards and two touchdowns. Chappelow is second in rushing yards (236) and has a team-leading five touchdowns.

Seniors Axel Conover (40 receptions, 419 yards) and Luke Brinkman (38 receptions, 622 yards) are the leading receivers. Brinkman has a team-best five touchdowns.

With the wrist injury to freshman starting guard Anthony Stafford suffered at Pendleton Heights, junior Brayden Schultz will start at East Central and play both ways as the starting linebacker. He is the team leader in tackles with 54.

Sophomore linebacker Julian Eads is second on the team with 52 tackles.

The winner of Friday’s game advances to the sectional semifinal round to face either Martinsville (6-3) or Silver Creek (6-3). The three teams with the most wins in Sectional 23 are in the same half of the bracket.

In the other half of the bracket, Edgewood (2-7) is at Jennings County (4-5) and Greenwood (4-5) travels to Connersville (2-7).

Steve Bush photo

QUICK FACTS

Shelbyville at Class 4A, No. 1 East Central

Game Time: 7 p.m. at Trojan Field at East Central High School.

2023 record: Shelbyville 3-6; East Central 9-0.

Head coaches: Scott Fitzgerald, 3-6 in first year at Shelbyville; Jake Meiners, 51-9 in fifth year at East Central.

Sagarin ratings: Shelbyville, 51.75, No. 36 in Class 4A; East Central, 96.24, No. 1 in Class 4A. East Central is a 46-point favorite.

Last meeting: East Central defeated Shelbyville, 41-27 in the 2016 sectional quarterfinal round.

Series: East Central won three consecutive postseason meetings from 2014-2016. The Golden Bears’ last win over the Trojans came in 2013, 25-22 in the sectional semifinal round.

Class 4A, Sectional 23: Edgewood (2-7) at Jennings County (4-5); Greenwood (4-5) at Connersville (2-7); Martinsville (6-3) at Silver Creek (6-3).

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Class 2A, No. 2 Triton Central’s regular-season finale win Friday at Speedway turned out to be a “dry” run for its sectional opener this week.

The Tigers’ next opponent, a one-win Clarksville team, won’t be as formidable as the Sparkplugs but the “wet” weather late this week will not favor Triton Central in its Sectional 39 opener.

“It was the first time we have played on grass and in the rain (this season),” said Triton Central head coach Tim Able of his team’s 40-7 win at Speedway.

The conditions could be more of the same Friday at Clarksville.

“We are playing on grass again and that is not our forte,” said Able. “We are a speed team. We are a skill team. We like a dry track.”

Triton Central’s talent and depth should prove more than enough to overcome a Generals program that has won more than three games in a season just once since 2012.

Triton Central quarterback Jace Stuckey has completed 72% of his pass attempts this season for 2,167 yards and 25 touchdowns. The Eastern Michigan commit also leads the Tigers in rushing yards (646) and rushing touchdowns (8).

Brayden Wilkins has produced over 1,200 offensive yards this season with 283 rushing yards and a team-leading 937 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.

While Triton Central’s offense is averaging 39 points per game against the state’s 110^th-toughest strength of schedule, which includes two teams that have been ranked No. 1 in the state coaches poll, Clarksville’s offense is averaging 14.9 ppg against the state’s 229^th-toughest opposition.

Clarksville freshman quarterback Christian Lee has made 18 pass attempts all season, completing half of them for 189 yards and two touchdowns. Lee is the team’s leading rusher at 653 yards and six touchdowns.

The running game is bolstered by sophomore Josh Hall (316 rushing yards, 3 TDs) and junior Brody Yates (297 yards, 2 TDs).

The Generals’ defense is allowing nearly 47 points per game and surrendered 34 in a regular-season finale 46-34 win over Crawford County Friday, which ended a 9-game losing streak.

Triton Central makes the trip south as a 74-point favorite which allows Able to use this week to continue to fine tune the program.

“We are trying to work on different basic things this week.” said Able. “We are going back to fundamentals … the simple stuff. We need to get better fundamentally each and every day. And we need to stay healthy at practice.”

The winner of Friday’s sectional opener will face either 2A No. 3 Brownstown Central or Indianapolis Scecina in the semifinal round on Oct. 27.

If TC and Brownstown Central win, the game would be played in Fairland.

If Scecina and TC win, the Tigers would travel to Scecina.

QUICK FACTS:

Class 2A, No. 2 Triton Central at Clarksville

Game time: 7 p.m. at Newcom Field at Clarksville High School, 880 Dr Dot Lewis Drive in Clarksville.

2023 record: Triton Central 8-1; Clarksville 1-8.

Head coaches: Tim Able, 98-36 in 11^th year at Triton Central, 223-134 in 30th year overall; Zach Hensel, 1-8 in first year at Clarksville.

Sagarin ratings: Triton Central 76.64, No. 1 in Class 2A; Clarksville 0.81, No. 55 in Class 2A. Triton Central is a 74-point favorite.

Last meeting: Triton Central defeated Clarksville, 42-7, in the sectional semifinal round of the 2021 season.

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

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For the first time in Shelbyville boys tennis history, a pair of Golden Bears will compete in the IHSAA Doubles Tournament State Finals.

Shelbyville senior Karson Schaf and sophomore Aiden Smith are one of six doubles teams still competing for the state championship.

On Friday at Park Tudor High School, 7200 N. College Avenue in Indianapolis, Schaf and Smith, 17-4 this season, will have a quarterfinal match at 2 p.m. against Fort Wayne Carroll’s Connor Gibson and Jaxson Sparks (18-4). The winner will earn a semifinal berth Saturday at 10 a.m. against Homestead’s Alex Graber and Eric Ji (20-2).

In the other quarterfinal match Friday, Evansville North’s Nathan Mitchell and Jacob Hafele (9-2) will face Munster’s Ethan Walker and Joseph Foster (10-3) with the winner meeting Columbus North’s Amrit Kar and Anvay Atram (19-1) in Saturday’s semifinal round.

The doubles state championship match is 2 p.m. Saturday.

Schaf admitted he was not thinking about ending his Golden Bears’ tennis career at the state finals simply just because it had never been done before.

“I never really believed anyone from Shelbyville tennis would make it to (the state finals). It’s crazy,” said Schaf. “We just practiced hard, go to work every day and put the work in.”

To overcome their quarterfinal match, Schaf (photo, left) and Smith (photo, right) have to keep their emotions in check while still feeding off the energy that has made them successful all season.

“Our  energy is kind of crazy right now,” said Schaf. “If we don’t have energy we are not going to win.”

Schaf and Smith were a new doubles pairing for Shelbyville tennis this season. Schaf had a successful No. 2 doubles run in 2022 with Reece Prickett while Smith was teamed with then fellow freshman Caden Claxton at No. 1 doubles and finished well below .500.

“Aiden’s height and his screams are amazing,” said Schaf of Smith’s best traits on the tennis court.

While Smith is emotional, Schaf has the ability to produce key shots at crucial points in matches.

“Karson brings a lot of clutch shots at really good times and in big moments,” said Smith. “When his serve is on, I think we are almost unbeatable.”

With rain in the forecast for today and Friday, there is the potential to move Friday’s quarterfinal singles and doubles matches to an indoor facility. With that in mind, the Golden Bears have practiced both outdoors at Shelbyville High School’s newly-resurfaced tennis courts and indoors at the University of Indianapolis facility.

“We have to work together and have the mentality that we are going to go in there and win,” said Smith. “You can’t have a losing mentality going into that at all.”

Whatever the outcome, Schaf appreciates becoming part of Shelbyville tennis history.

“I wanted to be undefeated but we couldn’t quite make it there,” said Schaf of his goals this season. “Going to ‘state’ is pretty crazy, though. Making it to ‘state’ my senior year is pretty good.”

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Maggie Schweitzer, a Triton Central graduate, had 16 assists and five digs to lead Hanover volleyball to its third Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference win of the season.

On Friday, Hanover swept Manchester, 25-11, 25-18, 25-23 to improve the Panthers to 15-4 this season and 3-0 against HCAC opponents.

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

Brooklyn Schiffli

The Triton Central graduate had three assists, one service ace and 10 digs for Jacksonville State Saturday in a 25-17, 25-12, 25-19 loss to Liberty.

On Friday, Liberty defeated the Gamecocks, 25-17, 25-15, 25-19. Schiffli finished with one assist, one ace and 10 digs.

Jacksonville State is 4-14 this season.

Kenneth Gipson

The Triton Central graduate was part of an offensive line that helped Rose-Hulman secure a 52-28 win Saturday over Bluffton.

Rose-Hulman is 4-2 this season and 3-0 in the HCAC.

Julia Sanders

The Triton Central graduate had one assist and seven digs to help Indiana University Kokomo to a 25-9, 25-18, 26-24 win over IUPUC Tuesday to secure the program’s 17^th-consecutive victory this season.

IU Kokomo is 22-3 and 12-0 against River States Conference foes.

Oliver Gearlds

The Triton Central graduate was part of IU Kokomo’s seventh-place finish in the Saints Classic Tuesday.

Played at the Warren Golf Course on the campus of Notre Dame, Gearlds shot 78 Monday and 87 Tuesday for a two-day score of 165.

Asher Caldwell

The Morristown graduate shot 79 on Oct. 11 for Trine in the MIAA Jamboree #4 at The Medalist Golf Club in Marshall, Michigan.

Trine tied for second in the team standings and Caldwell finished 21^st overall in the individual standings.

Elizabeth Kemper

The Triton Central graduate finished third overall for Taylor golf in the Delaware Country Club Fall Invitational in Muncie, Indiana.

Kemper shot rounds of 77 and 79 to finish third out of 47 competitors.

Taylor, ranked No. 13, won the final event of its fall schedule.

Maiah Helfer-Vazquez

The Shelbyville graduate represented Franklin College Saturday in the Indiana DIII Invitational in Crawfordsville, Indiana.

Helfer-Vazquez, competing in her first collegiate event, placed seventh in the 3-meter diving competition and eighth in the 1-meter event.

Cameron Baker

The Shelbyville graduate won the 3-meter diving competition Saturday for Franklin College at the Indiana DIII Invitational.

Baker also finished second in the 1-meter competition.

Shelby Lasure

The Shelbyville graduate had six kills, one ace and 14 digs Saturday to help Anderson defeat Franklin College, 25-17, 25-17, 25-20 to improve to 10-10 this season.

On Oct. 11, Lasure had six kills, one assist, three aces and 13 digs in Anderson’s 25-23, 25-17, 25-12 win at Kalamazoo.

Rachel Dewey

The Triton Central graduate played 24 minutes Sunday in Western Kentucky’s 1-0 win at Sam Houston in Huntsville, Texas.

With the win, the Hilltoppers improved to 5-3-7 this season.

Tristin Maloney and Michael Fox

The Shelbyville graduates competed Saturday in the Augustana Interregional Invitational in Rock Island, Illinois.

Representing Franklin College, Maloney completed the course in 32 minutes, 20 seconds.

Fox, running for Manchester, finished the course in 28:07.

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Waldron 8-man football will get the postseason appearance it earned after all.

The Mohawks, who finished second in the 8-man league standings, opted not to participate in the postseason after Ft. Wayne King’s Crusaders, a homeschool team from northeastern Indiana, was added to the postseason bracket without prior knowledge of the seven teams in the league.

Indiana Deaf, Waldron, Dugger Union and Rock Creek Academy secured the top four positions in the standings and the right to play in the postseason. However, the Indiana Football Coaches Association, which is overseeing the progress of 8-man football in the state, decided to allow the Crusaders into the postseason tournament which pushed Rock Creek Academy out of the No. 4 seed it earned.

At the behest of the Shelby Eastern Schools board, Waldron pulled out of the tournament in protest of a homeschool squad being allowed a playoff berth without participating in the league, which is in its second year of existence. The Mohawks were scheduled to face the Crusaders last Saturday night in Waldron in a semifinal contest.

Waldron’s forfeit advanced the Crusaders to this Saturday night’s championship game at Westfield High School to face the winner of the semifinal battle between Indiana Deaf and Dugger Union, which Indiana Deaf won to stay unbeaten this season.

In a show of solidarity, Indiana Deaf then joined Waldron in refusing to play the Crusaders in the championship game.

Administrators with Indiana Deaf instead reached out to Waldron to play one more time in a game between the top two finishing teams in the league. That game will occur at 2 p.m. Saturday at Waldron High School.

Indiana Deaf, now 9-0, defeated Waldron (6-2), 66-20 in their regular-season meeting in late September.

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Triton Central will enter the postseason with the same ranking it started the season.

In the final Indiana Football Coaches Association state coaches poll of the 2023 season, Triton Central (8-1) is ranked No. 2 behind Linton-Stockton (8-1). The Tigers were No. 2 in the preseason poll to defending state champion Evansville Mater Dei, now ranked No. 12.

Brownstown Central (8-1), a potential sectional semifinal round opponent for Triton Central, is ranked No. 3 ahead of LaVille (8-1), Fort Wayne Luers (6-3), Alexandria (8-1), Bluffton (7-2), Lafayette Central Catholic (6-3), North Posey (8-1) and Rochester (7-2).

Also receiving votes are Eastbrook (6-3), Evansville Mater Dei (2-7), Heritage Christian (6-3), Indianapolis Scecina (5-4), Lapel (5-4), Paoli (8-1) and South Vermillion (8-1).

Indianapolis Lutheran (8-0), seeking its third consecutive Class A state championship, is still No. 1 in the Class A poll.

Adams Central (9-0), Carroll (Flora) (9-0), Providence (9-0) and Park Tudor (9-0) round out the top five. South Putnam (8-1) is No. 6 ahead of North White (9-0), Springs Valley (8-1), Triton (6-3) and Sheridan (6-3).

Indianapolis Bishop Chatard (9-0) finished the regular season unbeaten and on top of the Class 3A poll. Guerin Catholic (7-2) is No. 2 followed by Gibson Southern (7-2), Hanover Central (9-0), Heritage Hills (8-1), Tippecanoe Valley (9-0), Hamilton Heights (9-0), Tri-West (8-1), Lawrenceburg (7-2) and Batesville (8-1).

A pair of Hoosier Heritage Conference schools finished in the top five of the Class 4A poll.

Defending 4A state champion East Central (9-0) is No. 1 in the 4A poll and Shelbyville’s sectional-opening opponent Friday in St. Leon.

Evansville Reitz (9-0) is No. 2 ahead of HHC stalwarts New Palestine (7-2) and Greenfield-Central (8-1). Mississinewa (9-0) is No. 5 followed by New Haven (8-1), East Noble (7-2), Kokomo (7-2), Leo (7-2) and New Prairie (7-2).

Also receiving votes are Northridge (7-2), Pendleton Heights (7-2), Martinsville (6-3), Hobart (7-2), South Bend Riley (8-1), Evansville Memorial (6-3), Indianapolis Crispus Attucks (8-1) and Northwood (7-2).

A pair of Bloomington schools sit atop the Class 5A poll. Bloomington North (9-0) is unbeaten and No. 1 followed by Bloomington South (8-1).

Fort Wayne Snider (8-1) is tied for No. 2 with Bloomington South.

Valparaiso (7-2) is No. 4 ahead of Harrison (West Lafayette) (8-1), Merrillville (7-2), Decatur Central (7-2), Mishawaka (7-2), Floyd Central (8-1) and Fort Wayne North (3-6).

Center Grove (8-1) is the No. 1 team in Class 6A ahead of the postseason. Ben Davis (8-1) is No. 2 followed by Brownsburg (9-0), Indianapolis Cathedral (6-3), Crown Point (9-0), Westfield (8-1), Hamilton Southeastern (7-2), Penn (8-1), Carroll (Fort Wayne) (7-2) and Fishers (6-3).

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Shelbyville senior Hannah Wright and Morristown freshman Audrey Van Dyke qualified for girls regional races while Waldron’s Will Larrison advanced with another strong performance Saturday at Blue River Memorial Park in Shelbyville.

At the Shelbyville Sectional, Wright (photo, left) lowered her personal-best time by over 20 seconds to finish second among runners not on a top-five finishing team.

The top five teams and the top 15 individuals not on advancing teams at each sectional qualified for regional events.

Wright finished 18^th in the sectional race in 20 minutes, 52 seconds to earn a regional berth on the same course this Saturday. She will need another top-15 performance from a non top-five team to advance to the State Finals.

Also scoring points for Shelbyville but not advancing were Aerin Garcia-Santiago (23:00), Kat Seal (23:54), Courtney Gross (26:05) and Haylee Barnes (26:31).

Riley Price was the top Waldron runner. She finished 56^th in 23:35. Maxine Higdon placed 73^rd for Southwestern in 28:21.

Center Grove was the sectional champion with 65 points. Also advancing to the regional were Franklin, Whiteland, Roncalli and Indian Creek.

In the boys sectional race, Larrison (photo) finished 16^th overall in the field in 17:03 to earn an advancing position to the regional.

Shelbyville had a pair of top-50 performances but it was not enough to advance.

Blake Hughes (18:14) and Shia Veach (18:16) finished 45^th and 46^th, respectively. Logan Reinhart (18:31) was close behind in 56^th. Also scoring points for Shelbyville were Ben Hinojosa (19:46) and Jonah Anspaugh (20:26).

Koty Claiborne led Southwestern with a 68^th-place finish in 18:57. Triton Central’s Liam Thompson placed 88^th in 21:25.

Center Grove was the sectional champion with 38 points. Also moving on to the regional were Indian Creek, Perry Meridian, Franklin and Greenwood.

Mt. Vernon Sectional

Morristown competed at the Mt. Vernon Sectional where Van Dyke (photo) was the 13^th regional qualifier. She completed the course in 22:40.

In the boys race, Morristown’s Ryan Crisman finished 57^th in 19:55 but did not advance to the regional round.

The IHSAA eliminated the Semistate round of races this season meaning the five regional races around the state Saturday will determine the field for the state championship races.

The Shelbyville Regional will feature sectional qualifiers from Noblesville, Mt. Vernon, Connersville, Shelbyville and Southwestern (Hanover). The boys race at Blue River Memorial Park will begin at 10:30 a.m. with the girls race to follow at 11:15 a.m.

In other prep events Saturday:

Volleyball

Waldron Sectional

Oldenburg Academy def. Morristown, 25-19, 25-17, 25-20

Kate Weber had 14 kills and Rachel Suttman finished with 12 kills to lead the Twisters to a sectional semifinal win over the Yellow Jackets.

Weber also had a team-high 21 digs and Kenlee Martin collected 24 assists to improve Oldenburg Academy’s record to 25-7.

Maycee Cole led Morristown (11-20) with six kills. Madison Espich finished with a team-high 11 digs and Katie Theobald had 13 assists.

South Decatur def. Waldron, 25-19, 25-22, 19-25, 25-15.

The Cougars improved to 17-7 with their second win over the Mohawks (5-20) this season.

Oldenburg Academy defeated South Decatur in the sectional championship match, 25-14, 25-19, 21-25, 25-23. Weber and Suttman combined for 31 kills.

Oldenburg Academy (26-7) will face Greenwood Christian Academy (22-13) in the second Edinburgh Regional semifinal match Saturday.

In the regional opener, Shakamak (17-10) takes on Indiana Deaf (26-9-1).

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Karson Schaf and Aiden Smith are Shelbyville’s first tennis doubles team to qualify for the State Finals.

On Saturday at Indy Racquet Club East, Schaf, a senior, and Smith, a sophomore, produced a three-set victory in the regional semifinals then knocked off Shenandoah’s No. 1 doubles team to be crowned regional champions.

The Golden Bears are 24-4 this season and await the draw for the doubles tournament state finals that will be played Friday and Saturday at Park Tudor High School in Indianapolis.

Originally scheduled to be played at Fishers High School, inclement weather forced the regional to be moved indoors.

Schaf and Smith opened against Scottsburg’s Mayson Cutter and Noah Bagwell and won the first set. The Scottsburg senior and junior settled in and won the second set to create a winner-takes-all showdown to advance.

Schaf and Smith proved too tough to overcome in that third set with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 victory.

Meanwhile, Shenandoah sophomores Christian Dyer and Cooper Allen were watching the match after receiving a bye but the Golden Bears would not be denied a first-ever state finals appearance for the program.

In the regional championship, Schaf and Smith captured a 6-4, 6-3 win.

Three other regional doubles champions were crowned Saturday.

At Bedford North Lawrence, Evansville North’s Nathan Mitchell and Jacob Hafele advanced.

From Kokomo, Fort Wayne Carroll’s Connor Gibson and Jaxson Sparks qualified for the State Finals.

And at LaPorte, Munster’s Ethan Walker and Joseph Foster won the regional title.

With the conclusion of the team state tournament, two more teams qualified for the doubles state tournament. They are Homestead’s Alex Graber and Eric Ji, and Columbus North’s Amrit Kar and Anvay Atram.

A first round for the state doubles tournament will be played at 10 a.m. Friday if necessary. The quarterfinal round will be at 2 p.m.

Tournament semifinal matches take place Saturday at 10 a.m. with the state championship match to follow at 2 p.m.

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PENDLETON – Shelbyville’s penchant for self destruction has made the second half of the football season tough on the Golden Bears. Making mistakes against equal or lesser opponents can be overcome. Those same mistakes against the best in the Hoosier Heritage Conference prove deadly.

Trailing 14-0 Friday at Class 4A, No. 12 Pendleton Heights, Shelbyville had a grand opportunity to cut the lead in half when the Arabians first punt attempt went awry. The snap sailed high over the punter’s head and was downed at the 11-yard line.

Shelbyville quarterback Eli Chappelow went for a quick throw out to a receiver on the very next play but Pendleton Heights’ Drake Stevens intercepted the ball at the 10 and raced 90 yards for a touchdown and a 21-0 advantage the Golden Bears never recovered from.

The Arabians finished off Shelbyville, 28-6, to close out the regular season with a 7-2 record (5-2 HHC). Shelbyville finishes 3-6 (1-6 HHC).

“They were so many opportunities for us out on the field tonight,” said Shelbyville head coach Scott Fitzgerald. “I’m a little more disappointed tonight than I have been all year long just because there were so many opportunities out there for us to make plays to get them off the field. It just wasn’t there. Our body language wasn’t great all night long.

“We, obviously, still have a lot to do and a lot to work on. We have to make sure when there are plays to be made on the field, we have to make those plays and far too often this season we haven’t made those plays when they’ve been available.”

The opening series of the game was a perfect example. Shelbyville twice had Pendleton Heights in third-and-long situations and both times it converted. Quarterback Isaac Wilson scrambled 11 yards on a third-and-8 and then hit Caden Sims on a slant route that went 28 yards on a third-and-13.

Wilson gained another 28 yards through the air with a pass to Nate DeRolf who took the ball down to the Shelbyville 4. Three plays later, junior quarterback Colton Frank completed a 10-play, 70-yard drive with a 1-yard scoring run.

“That was the epitome of what I am talking about. We had two opportunities right there,” said Fitzgerald. “We let a slant get us for over 14 yards and the quarterback scrambled on the other one. There is an opportunity right there. We should have been off the field and they should have been punting. We should have been going and instead it ends up being points on the scoreboard.”

On the Arabians’ second possession, Wilson, a senior, guided a 10-play, 69-yard drive that ended with his own 1-yard run.

Meanwhile, Shelbyville’s first two drives netted 12 yards and ended with a pair of Ben Price punts.

Once Shelbyville’s defense settled in, it kept the Arabians in check but missing on a prime opportunity to apply pressure back on Pendleton Heights was exasperated by the 14-point swing that came with the pick-six at the end of the first quarter.

The 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter held until halftime as a steady rain started to fall. The Arabians scored on their first possession of the second half when Wilson finished off a drive with a 5-yard scoring run.

Shelbyville’s lone touchdown came as time expired when Chappelow connected with Grantland Fitzgerald from 15 yards out.

Shelbyville’s defense limited Pendleton Heights to 64 yards rushing on 27 attempts but Wilson operated a quick, short passing game that gashed the Golden Bears. He completed 12-of-18 attempts for 158 yards.

The Golden Bears’ running game was only slightly more effective, collecting 97 yards on 29 attempts. Chappelow led the team with 67 yards rushing. He completed 11 of 25 pass attempts for 150 yards but threw a season-high four interceptions.

Once 3-1 this season, Shelbyville now turns its attention to the postseason with a clash with Class 4A, No. 1 East Central (9-0) on tap in St. Leon.

“It just boils down to execution,” said Fitzgerald of the game plan at practice next week. “We have to tackle. We have to try and force some turnovers where we can. And we have to execute offensively. When opportunities to make plays are there, we have to make those plays.”

Waldron 8-man football has opted to forfeit its Saturday night postseason game against Ft. Wayne King’s Crusaders.

After finishing second in the league standings and qualifying for the postseason, Waldron was informed by the Indiana Football Coaches Association, which is overseeing the development of 8-man football in the state of Indiana, it would play the Crusaders, a homeschool program that is currently ranked No. 7 in the national homeschool rankings, according to its Facebook page.

Ft. Wayne King’s Crusaders is 5-1 this season and has wins over current 8-man league participants Purdue Polytechnic, Faith Christian and Dugger Union but has not faced Indiana Deaf or Waldron – the top two teams in the regular-season standings.

Waldron as well as the other six stated participants in the league disagreed with the Crusaders inclusion in the postseason which bumped Rock Creek Academy, a two-year member of the 8-man league, out of the playoffs.

“(Fort Wayne King’s Crusaders) came to us last winter after not being allowed to play in an out-of-state league anymore,” said Kurt Tippmann, a member of the Indiana Football Coaches Association’s Executive Board. “We are trying to attract as many teams to add variety and an added variability to it. They deserve to continue to play. It’s the same kind of kids trying to play football.”

Waldron’s contention, and shared by the other programs at Indiana Deaf, Dugger Union, Rock Creek Academy, Purdue Polytechnic, Faith Christian and Traders Point, is a playoff format was created for and agreed upon before the season and now the inclusion of another school is unwarranted.

While there are two semifinal games and a final game scheduled to be played Oct. 21 at Westfield High School, Tippmann says the IFCA is not crowning a “state champion.”

“It’s the second year of this situation,” said Tippmann. “As the coaches association, our goal is to give guys the opportunity to play at a developmental level. The goal is not to crown a state champion. We’ll get to that … that’s certainly the goal.”

At the urging of its membership, the IFCA instituted a grass-roots 8-man football program in 2022 that Waldron was prepared for after a near decade-long initiative of youth football in the small southeastern town in Shelby County.

Year two saw two schools, Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian and Irvington Prep, elevate their programs to 11-man football under the IHSAA’s jurisdiction.

The IFCA, according to Tippmann, is encouraging schools to consider dropping down to 8-man football as an alternative to playing 11-man football.

“A lot of schools struggle to get enough kids to play 11-man football,” said Tippmann, who is the head football coach at Fort Wayne Snider. “This offers another avenue to keep playing football. It’s a viable option for those schools. It’s also a viable option to schools starting a football program.”

And the IFCA understands 8-man football programs could then jump to 11-man football as Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian and Irvington Prep did this season.

At the conclusion of the regular season Saturday night, a coaches meeting was held Monday to discuss the postseason games which is when Waldron learned it would be playing the Crusaders instead of Dugger Union, who finished third in the standings.

Later discussion came between the Waldron coaching staff, members of the Shelby Eastern Schools board and Shelby Eastern Superintendent Dr. Todd Hitchcock.

The coaching staff agreed to follow the recommendation of the school board not to participate against a homeschool program not associated with the IHSAA.

Indiana Deaf will host Dugger Union Saturday to determine who will play the Ft. Wayne King’s Crusaders at Westfield High School the following Saturday.

The IFCA will continue to support the growth of 8-man football in the state with the potential to become an IHSAA sanctioned sport sometime in the future. That will take more than eight teams to be considered.

“It’s not big enough to be sanctioned by the IHSAA, but that’s the goal,” said Tippmann. “That is years down the road. We have to get more than eight teams to get the IHSAA behind that.”

Eight-man football would need to be declared an emerging sport then get defined as a second division of football or declared a new sport, separate from the traditional 11-man football.

Waldron’s season thus ends with a 6-2 record and no playoff appearance.

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Morristown volleyball needed a strong fifth-set performance Thursday night to eliminate Southwestern in the Waldron Sectional quarterfinal round.

After splitting the first four sets, the Yellow Jackets found momentum in the fifth set to pull away for a 21-25, 25-20, 30-32, 25-21, 15-5 win to advance to Saturday’s semifinal round.

Maycee Cole had a team-high 12 kills for the Yellow Jackets. Madison Espich finished with nine kills and Olivia Rude and Zoey Coons each had six.

Espich delivered four service aces. Kindall Dorsey led a solid defensive effort with 25 digs. Setter Katie Theobald finished with 21 assists.

Southwestern closed out its season at 8-19.

On Tuesday, South Decatur (16-7) opened the Waldron Sectional with a 25-12, 25-23, 25-0 win over Edinburgh to set up a Saturday morning semifinal contest with the host Mohawks (5-19). South Decatur swept Waldron in a Mid-Hoosier Conference contest on Sept. 19.

In the other quarterfinal match Thursday, Oldenburg Academy eliminated Jac-Cen-Del, 25-16, 25-15, 22-25, 25-21.

The second semifinal match Saturday at Waldron will pit Morristown (11-19) against Oldenburg Academy (24-7). The Twisters defeated the Yellow Jackets in three sets on Aug. 31.

In other prep events:

Volleyball

Franklin Sectional

In the second quarterfinal match Thursday, Columbus North defeated Shelbyville for the second time this season, 25-16, 25-17, 25-18.

The Bull Dogs improved to 16-12 this season. They defeated the Golden Bears in three sets on Aug. 17.

Columbus North will face Whiteland (18-12) Saturday in one of the sectional semifinal matches.

In the other semifinal, Columbus East (10-21) will take on Franklin (21-8), a 25-5, 25-9, 25-21 winner over East Central Thursday in the first quarterfinal match.

Shelbyville closed out its first season under head coach Sharon Burton with a 2-29 record.

Triton Central Sectional

Two of the top teams in the Indiana Crossroads Conference opened the Class 2A sectional tournament as foes.

The host Tigers won the first set but could not keep Indianapolis Scecina from sweeping the next three sets, 23-25, 25-16, 25-19, 25-20 to advance to Saturday’s semifinal round.

Olivia Anglemyer led Scecina with 18 kills and Molly Welborn had 17 kills.

Avery McCoy had a team-high six aces. Isabelle Martinelle delivered 25 digs while setter Natalie Bollenbacher collected 43 assists and 22 digs.

Scecina (21-11) will meet Irvington Prep (13-9) in the second semifinal contest Saturday at Triton Central. In the semifinal opener, Eastern Hancock (19-8) faces Indianapolis Riverside.

Triton Central’s season ended with a 19-10 record.

Tennis Regional

The state singles and doubles tennis tournaments continue Saturday with regional events at four sites around the state.

Shelbyville’s top doubles pairing of Karson Schaf and Aiden Smith, 21-4 this season, will face Scottsburg’s Mayson Cutter and Noah Bagwell (19-2) in the Fishers Regional semifinal round.

The winner of that match will advance into Saturday’s regional championship match against Shenandoah’s Christian Dyer and Cooper Allen (22-1), who received a bye.

The four doubles team regional champions will advance to the State Finals which starts Oct. 20 at Park Tudor High School.

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CV Struttinforakiss laid one on the field during the 15^th running of the $124,300 Sterlie Bertram Memorial Stakes Wednesday at Horseshoe Indianapolis in Shelbyville.

The race is named in honor of former Indiana Quarter Horse supporter Sterlie Bertram, who was instrumental in creating the Indiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association.

CV Struttinforakiss and Edgar Diaz (photo) broke from the inside post one and were side by side with Sum Beach Sum Were and Martin Munoz in the early stages of the 400-yard dash. The two horses moved as a team down the stretch as Sundays Best and Giovani Vazquez-Gomez were a little further out, but also searching for the top spot.

As the wire neared, CV Struttinforakiss was able to get a head in front of Sum Beach Sum Were and it was just enough to secure the win by a neck over Sundays Best. Sum Beach Sum Were finished a close second in a photo that included the entire field of eight at the wire, showing the competitiveness of the race.

CV Struttinforakiss was the favorite, paying $5.20 for the win. It was his third win of the season in six starts for the three-year-old sorrel son of Kiss My Hocks. He has not been worse than third all year for Campos Family Ventures and Claudio Barraza who trains the colt.

“He isn’t the best out of the gate,” said Diaz through interpretation by Barraza in the post-race interview with Rachel McLaughlin. “He usually catches after 100 yards. At 100 yards, I asked him for more and he responded.”

CV Struttinforakiss, bred by Mark Michel, earned his first stakes title in the Bertram Memorial.

“When we first got this horse, it took a while to get it all together,” added Barraza, who has had much success with another horse from the Michel breeding operation in Mr. Michel. “He didn’t break well but he always finished well. I thought 400 yards was going to help him.”

Hoosier Park Classic

High Rolling Seize set sail for the finish line and rolled right to victory in the 27^th running of the Hoosier Park Classic. The race was one of three initial stakes run in 1997 during the first season of pari-mutuel racing at Hoosier Park before relocating to Horseshoe Indianapolis in 2013.

High Rolling Seize and jockey Shanley Jackson (photo) broke from the gate with a clean start, getting away in contention from post three and was among the top three early on. Stone Lake with L.D. Martinez were holding their own along the inside while Carters Law and Aron Hunt were showing good early form from the outside.

In the middle, High Rolling Seize was traveling along with the pack. Midway through the 400-yard dash, High Rolling Seize seemed to pick up the tempo and began to inch closer to the lead. As the wire neared, he was able to clear to the front, grabbing the title by a neck over Carter Law. HH CJ Shake and Erik Esqueda finished third in the three-way photo.

High Rolling Seize paid $27 for the win. The four-year-old son of Seize the Win is owned and bred by Glenn Graff, who also campaigned Seize the Win to numerous stakes wins, including some at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Matt Frazier trains High Rolling Seize, just like he did Seize the Win. Jackson was also the regular pilot aboard Seize the Win, showing a long history between the connections.

“The main thing with this horse was getting out of the gate,” said Jackson, who never touched High Rolling Seize with the whip. “I told him, ‘Just calm down and get out of the gate,’ and he was able to do that tonight.”

High Rolling Seize now has seven career wins, all at Horseshoe Indianapolis. His win in the Hoosier Park Classic is his third stakes victory and he now has more than $350,000 on his card, which has almost caught up with his sire’s tally of $370,000.

“This horse is super talented,” said Frazier, who is based out of a training center in Lexington, Ky. “Leaving the latch is not his strong suit, and we know that. He’s had a little trouble, but he’s been running with some very nice horses. He likes that. He likes that challenge.”

$100,000 ITOBA Stallion Season

Macho Justice proved to be too tough to handle in the 10^th running of the $100,000 ITOBA Stallion Season. The three-year-old gelding battled his way to the wire for the win in the one mile 70-yard event, giving trainer Chaz Rechy and owner Raquel Soriano their first premier racing win of their career.

Macho Justice (photo, right) started his journey from post three and that is where he got away as Juancho and Manny Esquivel sprinted out for the top spot followed by Daykra and Joe Ramos, who sat to their outside and pressed the tempo in the early stages. Macho Justice was on the outside of Doubledogjustice and Fernando De La Cruz early on but was content to stay right there alongside the pair gapped by sometimes more than 10 lengths as the top two continued to lead the way.

When the final turn arrived, the rest of the field began to close the gap on the top two, including Macho Justice, who was the first to move closer to the top pair. By the top of the stretch, he had cleared to the lead but once again, here came Doubledogjustice to challenge. The pair of Indiana-sired sophomores went to war. Both were determined to win the race and neither horse was giving up.

In the final stride, Macho Justice got the edge over Doubledogjustice for the win and the title in the ITOBA Stallion Season. Highest Memories, who also made a move from the back in the final turn for Marcelino Pedroza Jr., rallied up for third.

 Macho Justice was a longshot in the mix, paying $66.60 for the win. The son of Lantana Mob was purchased by Raquel Soriano and her husband, Josue Don Juan, from the ITOBA Fall Mixed Sale as a yearling for the bargain price of $2,700. He now has more than $100,000 on his card.

“I’m so happy for the owners,” said Rechy, who earned her first career premier racing title. “After they bought him in the sale, he raced last year but sort of fell off his form. He started back this year and wasn’t racing well. We changed his routine and he’s been coming around. We weren’t even sure if we should have put him in this race or not, but we thought we should give him a shot.”

$100,000 ITOBA Stallion Season Fillies

After going winless in three starts last year, Itzforever has returned as a different racehorse this season. The three-year-old filly battled in her first premier race and earned the win, her third in a row, capturing the title in the $100,000 ITOBA Stallion Season Fillies Wednesday.

Itzforever (photo, right) was reunited with Marcelino Pedroza Jr. for the race and began from post four in the field of seven. They found a spot along the inside in fourth, gapping back from the top two contenders early on, Ekati Flatter and Sammy Bermudez on the inside and Imagine the Moon and Orlando Mojica on the outside. The top two were not giving in an inch through the early stages of the one mile 70-yard route race and were still neck and neck as they rounded the final turn for home.

Drifting out to the center of the track, the top two gave some racing room to Itzforever, who moved up the inside and saved ground. Once Imagine the Moon had shook loose from Ekati Flatter, the filly then had to contend with Itzforever to her inside. At first, it appeared Itzforever would go right on by, but Imagine the Moon dug in and was not going away quietly.

The two fillies battled to the wire, with Itzforever getting the edge by a neck over Imagine the Moon. Wildcatjustice, a stablemate of Itzforever, moved up between horses to finish third for jockey Fernando De La Cruz.

“When she got to the lead, she was waiting a little on the other horse, but that’s okay,” added Pedroza Jr. “She has another stakes race coming up, so we wanted to make sure she has something left for that.”

Itzforever paid $12.80 for the win. The Forever d’Oro filly was bred by longtime Illinois horseman Tom Dorris and was purchased out of the Fasig Tipton October Yearling Sale in 2021 for $60,000 by owner David Walters of Nashville, Tenn., and trainer Tony Granitz.

“When we bought her at the sale, we had this race and the Lady Fog Horn in mind,” added Granitz. “These are the two stakes we have really been training for. We looked for a spot for her, and considered the older mares stakes, but decided this was the right spot to wait for. The team has really done a good job with her. She’s really putting it together. She’s pretty special.”

Itzforever is now four for eight lifetime. She improved her career bankroll by almost double with the win and now has in excess of $140,000 for Walters.

Now knowing its sectional fate, Shelbyville has nothing to lose Friday in its regular-season finale at Class 4A, No. 12 Pendleton Heights.

With a win, the Arabians (6-2, 4-2 Hoosier Heritage Conference) would secure a third-place finish in the HHC standings. The Golden Bears (3-5, 1-5 HHC) are trying to end a four-game losing streak before facing 4A No. 1 East Central (8-0) in their sectional opener on Oct. 20.

“We feel like this is a game where if we play a strong game, we have an opportunity to win,” said Shelbyville head coach Scott Fitzgerald. “We are going to pull out all the stops and try to get it.”

Pendleton Heights has won three straight games over Mt. Vernon, Delta and Yorktown after taking back-to-back losses to 4A, No. 3 New Palestine and 4A, No. 5 Greenfield-Central. Senior quarterback Isaac Wilson is the feature of an offense averaging 30.1 points per game.

Both Pendleton Heights quarterbacks, Wilson and junior Colton Frank, have combined to throw for 920 yards and 11 touchdowns this season.

Wilson is one of three Arabians with just under 400 rushing yards. He has run for seven touchdowns – a team high.

“They are a run-first team. The quarterback will run. They will move him to running back at times,” said Fitzgerald (photo). “They are very much a run-oriented team and will rely on their defense to hold the opponent down and grind it out a little bit more than what we’ve seen.”

Senior Dresden Roberts has matched Wilson with 371 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Junior Keaton Jones has 315 yards and three touchdowns.

“It’s kind of a spread (offense) but they will utilize the quarterback. They will use him on quarterback power and quarterback sweep. They will run just straight zone up inside with some of the running backs or they will run (Wilson) on zone,” explained Fitzgerald. “A lot of it is quarterback based off what they are doing, and they will bring in a different quarterback and put (Wilson) at running back and do some different things with him from back there too.”

Senior Caden Sims leads the team with 25 receptions and 326 yards and six touchdowns. Junior Nate DeRolf has 21 receptions for 208 yards. Seniors Reese Reddington and Drake Stevens have combined for 30 catches.

That offensive matchup with Shelbyville’s defense and a solid front seven should prove interesting to follow.

“We have to make sure we are physical with them up front,” said Fitzgerald. “They are not huge but they are quick and they get to their blocks and stay on their blocks. We have to make sure we are maintaining our gaps and doing our jobs. We will continue to bring some blitzes from some different areas and try to pad that box.”

The Arabians opened the season with three consecutive shutouts over Lebanon (15-0), Anderson (49-0) and New Castle (42-0). After eight games, they are allowing just 14.6 ppg.

Shelbyville sophomore Donavon Martin (main photo) ran for 132 yards in a 28-14 loss to Mt. Vernon last week. Senior Axel Conover had six catches for 101 yards to help the Golden Bears’ offense total 40 points in its last three games after being shut out by Greenfield-Central on Sept. 15.

Senior quarterback Eli Chappelow (photo) has completed 55% of his passes this season (116 of 211) for 1,427 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Martin is the team’s leading rusher at 376 yards. Conover (photo) is second on the team in receiving yards (402) to senior Luke Brinkman (550 yards). Brinkman has a team-leading five touchdown receptions.

Conover leads the defense with 56 total tackles and three interceptions. Avery Murnan (photo), a junior, has five quarterback sacks.

With Fall Break this week at Shelbyville, the coaching staff has moved practices to the mornings and strengthened focus on the little things that could help find another win this season.

“They have had a good week,” said Fitzgerald Wednesday morning. “We’ve been a little bit more emphasis on the team work this week, not as much on the individual work. The kids have done a good job coming in and being focused.”

QUICK FACTS

Shelbyville at Pendleton Heights

Game Time: 7 p.m. at Broughton Field at Pendleton Heights High School.

2023 record: Shelbyville 3-5, 1-5 HHC; Pendleton Heights 6-2, 4-2 HHC.

Head coaches: Scott Fitzgerald, 3-5 in first year at Shelbyville; Jed Richman, 47-36 in eighth year at Pendleton Heights, 82-66 in 14^th year overall.

Sagarin ratings: Shelbyville, 50.81, No. 37 in Class 4A; Pendleton Heights, 78.04, No. 7 in Class 4A. Pendleton Heights is a 29-point favorite.

Last meeting: Pendleton Heights defeated Shelbyville, 35-7, in the 2022 regular-season finale. Link to the Shelby County Post game story can be found here: https://shelbycountypost.com/sports/657598

Series: In 28 meetings, the series is split 14-14. The Arabians have won six straight while Shelbyville had a 6-game win streak from 2012-2017 and an 8-game win streak from 2002-2009.

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

Class 4A, Sectional 23 records: Class 4A, No. 1 East Central 8-0; Greenwood 4-4; Shelbyville 3-5; Silver Creek 5-3; Jennings County 3-5; Edgewood 1-7; Martinsville 5-3; Connersville 2-6.

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Class 2A, No. 2 Triton Central has a dangerous opponent to close out its regular-season schedule.

Speedway, just 2-6 and an even worse 0-5 record against Indiana Crossroads Conference opponents, presents the Tigers’ final challenge to securing a runner-up finish in the standings behind Class A, No. 1 Lutheran (8-0), the only team to defeat Triton Central this season.

“They are athletic on both sides of the ball,” said Triton Central head coach Tim Able. “They had some tough breaks early in the season. It seems like they have smoothed things up a little.”

The Sparkplugs are coming off a surprising 28-9 loss at Lutheran Friday. The Saints had defeated seven straight opponents by at least 30 points.

“Lutheran has some injuries. They fumbled on the 1-yard line and their running back was playing gimpy,” said Able of what he saw on film. “Speedway is getting better. Its tournament time and they are starting to kick it in and I think Lutheran is trying to heal up.”

Speedway relies more on the pass than the run and utilizes two quarterbacks to direct the offense. Senior Carter Watson has completed 39-of-52 pass attempts for 397 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore Connor Moreland has been more active, completing 107-of-177 passes for 1,447 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Sophomore Jazz Coleman leads the Sparkplugs in rushing (586 yards, six touchdowns) and is third in receptions (22) and fourth in receiving yards (177).

“Coleman is a good athlete,” said Able. “Speedway has athletes similar to Beech Grove.”

The top receivers are Avery Mitchell (47 receptions, 678 yards, 4 TDs), Cam Reich (26 receptions, 204 yards, 2 TDs) and Christian Cooke (13 receptions, 226 yards, 2 TDs).

Triton Central struggled to get in gear at Beech Grove last Friday and trailed the Hornets at halftime, 6-3, before scoring four touchdowns in the second half to pull away for a 31-6 victory that secured it no worse than a tie for second place in the ICC standings.

Triton Central’s overall team health is improving and the IHSAA postseason draw granted them a favorable start to the sectional on Oct. 20 with a road trip to winless Clarksville (0-8).

Senior running back Ray Crawford (photo) saw limited time on the field at Beech Grove, both defensively and offensively.

“If Ray is healthy, it makes a big difference,” said Able.

Senior linebacker Sam Kemper is still out with a leg injury.

Senior quarterback Jace Stuckey (photo) suffered a leg injury at the end of the first half in the win over Scecina on Sept. 29 but showed no repercussions at Beech Grove, running for two touchdowns and throwing for two more in the second half.

“We let Jace run a little bit more and our blocking was better,” said Able of the halftime adjustments. “We set up the run game then got a big pass off a fumbled snap where Jace hits Mason Compton with a tight spiral. Mason made two or three good moves and got into the end zone.”

Able is closing in on his 100^th career win at Triton Central, needing three more to hit the century mark. He is 222-134 in 30 years of coaching. Triton Central’s senior class is nearing the program record for wins, chasing the 2022 senior class record of 38 victories. The 2023 class is at 35 and counting with a potential long postseason run ahead.

QUICK FACTS:

Class 2A, No. 2 Triton Central at Speedway

Game time: 7 p.m. at Sparkplugs Field at Speedway High School.

2023 record: Triton Central 7-1, 5-1 ICC; Speedway 2-6, 0-5 ICC.

Head coaches: Tim Able, 97-36 in 11^th year at Triton Central, 222-134 in 30th year overall; Shane Clampitt, 17-14 in third year at Speedway.

Sagarin ratings: Triton Central 75.41, No. 1 in Class 2A; Speedway 50.09, No. 32 in Class 3A. Triton Central is a 23-point favorite

Last year: Triton Central defeated Speedway, 38-7, in the regular-season finale at Mendenhall Field. Link to the Shelby County Post game story can be found here: https://shelbycountypost.com/sports/657601

Series: Triton Central has won 10 of the 11 games over Speedway since 2012. The Sparkplugs’ only win came in 2021, 24-21.

Around the ICC Friday: Beech Grove (3-5) at Franklin County (3-5); Covenant Christian (4-3) at Indianapolis Ritter (3-5); Monrovia (6-2) at Class 2A, No. 10 Indianapolis Scecina (5-3); South Putnam (7-1) at Cascade (5-3); Class A, No. 1 Indianapolis Lutheran (8-0) is off. 

Class 2A, Sectional 39 records: Class 2A, No. 2 Triton Central 7-1; Class 2A, No. 3 Brownstown Central 7-1; Switzerland County 5-3; Christel House Manual 2-5; Clarksville 0-8; Brown County 1-7; Eastern (Pekin) 3-5; Class 2A, No. 10 Indianapolis Scecina 5-3.

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Three Spartans made up one-third of the 2023 Mid-Hoosier Conference All-Conference Soccer Team.

Michael Clements, Jaime Gonzalez DeMessa and Tucker Simmons were awarded for their season-long performance for Southwestern, who finished the season ranked No. 10 in the Class A state coaches poll.

Morristown’s Matthew Carlton also was named All-Conference.

Joining the Spartans and Yellow Jacket on the All-MHC squad were Hauser’s Luke Bruner, Camden Grimes, Ethan House, Lakota Robbins and Zach Weichman.

Seven more athletes were named Honorable Mention. They were Hauser’s Tucker Artis, Morristown’s Noah Garthwaite and Keegan Longwell, and Southwestern’s Brayden Elliott, Josh Karr, Benjamin Khaler and Michel Weisser.

Hauser’s Barry Grimes was named Coach of the Year.

Southwestern was the MHC champion with a 4-0 record. Morristown and Hauser finished 1-3 in conference contests. No other MHC school fielded soccer teams in 2023.

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Waldron 8-man football completed its regular-season schedule Saturday with a 30-14 win over Traders Point. The Mohawks finished second in the state standings at 6-2 behind Indiana Deaf, who is unbeaten.

With its postseason berth already secured, Waldron just needed a win Saturday to carry momentum into the semifinal round this Saturday against a familiar opponent.

Then the postseason coaches meeting happened Monday night.

Waldron was informed its semifinal opponent this week at 6 p.m. Saturday will be the Fort Wayne King’s Crusaders, a homeschooled team that has not yet been associated with the grass-roots 8-man football movement that is in its second year statewide.

Waldron, which is hosting the Crusaders, expected a rematch with Dugger Union, the No. 3 seed, but instead will have an unfamiliar opponent being allowed to jump into the playoff format.

Indiana Deaf will face Dugger Union in the other semifinal with the inaugural 8-man championship game set for Oct. 21. Rock Creek Academy, who finished fourth in the standings was left out of the playoffs to accommodate the Crusaders, who have played three games this season against IHSAA eligible teams (11-man football).

Against Traders Point, four different Mohawks scored a touchdown. Brandon Palmer, Hunter Dodson and Troy Atwood had rushing touchdowns while Walker Dodson connected with Tad Crosby for a passing touchdown.

Walker Dodson led the Waldron rushing attack with 116 yards. Palmer (82 yards) and Hunter Dodson (72) combined for 154 more yards on the ground.

Crosby finished with three catches for 43 yards.

J.D. Smith and Atwood each had interceptions for the Waldron defense that was led by Corbin Yantiss’ nine tackles.

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Maggie Schweitzer’s 21 assists helped Hanover volleyball win a five-set thriller Saturday at Earlham College.

The Panthers picked up their second Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference win of the season, 23-25, 28-30, 25-18, 25-23, 16-14.

Schweitzer, a Triton Central graduate, finished with three kills, 21 assists, one service ace and eight digs to improve Hanover to 14-4 (2-0 HCAC).

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

Brooklyn Schiffli

The Triton Central graduate had 17 digs Saturday in Jacksonville State’s 25-16, 25-15, 25-15 loss at Western Kentucky.

In the rematch Sunday, the Hilltoppers prevailed again 25-19, 25-14, 25-17. Schiffli finished with six assists and 10 digs for Jacksonville State (4-12, 2-4 Conference USA).

Julia Sanders

The Triton Central graduate aided the IU Kokomo volleyball program to three wins last week, extending its win streak to 14 straight.

On Oct. 3, the Cougars were victorious at St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, 23-25, 25-23, 25-13, 25-16. Sanders had two assists and nine digs.

On Friday, IU Kokomo defeated Shawnee State University, 25-11, 25-19, 25-17. Sanders finished with one assist and four digs.

The Cougars added a win Saturday at Alice Lloyd College, 25-8, 25-12, 25-12. Sanders had two aces and one dig as IU Kokomo improved to 19-3 (10-0 River States Conference).

Kenneth Gipson

The Triton Central graduate was part of Rose-Hulman’s offensive line that helped quarterback Miguel Robertson pass for 199 yards and three touchdowns and Jay Smith rush for 111 yards and a touchdown in Saturday’s 44-7 win at Manchester.

Rose-Hulman improved to 3-2 (2-0 HCAC).

Hayden Kermode

The Triton Central graduate was credited with eight tackles for Franklin College and two quarterback hits in a 36-28 win at Anderson Saturday.

Franklin upped its record to 2-3 (2-0 HCAC).

Lucas Kleeman

The Triton Central graduate had two tackles for Anderson University in its 36-28 loss Saturday to Franklin College.

Anderson is 0-5 (0-2 HCAC).

Layton Stieneker

The Shelbyville graduate secured two wins for Franklin College tennis Friday in an 8-1 victory at Capital in its final match of the fall season.

Stieneker teamed with Dustin Garrison for an 8-2 win over Spencer Surles and Thomas Secrist at No. 1 doubles.

At No. 6 singles, Stieneker defeated Nicholas Wines, 6-2, 6-4.

Franklin closed out its fall season with a 4-2 record.

Shelby Lasure

The Shelbyville graduate had six kills, one ace and nine digs on Oct. 4 in Anderson volleyball’s 25-21, 25-17, 25-19 win over Bluffton.

On Saturday, Asbury defeated the Ravens, 21-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-13. Lasure finished with eight kills, one assist and 11 digs.

Anderson dropped to 8-10.

Sophie Parker

The Shelbyville graduate had three shots during 70 minutes of action for IUPUC Thursday in a 9-1 loss to Brescia.

Parker logged 86 minutes of playing time Saturday in a 3-0 loss to Midway that dropped the Crimson Pride to 2-7 this season.

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Two Shelby County athletes were selected to the 2023 Mid-Hoosier Conference All-Conference Volleyball Team.

Morristown’s Maycee Cole and Waldron’s Emily Tyree were part of the 10-player squad honored for their performances this season.

Also named All-MHC were Edinburgh’s Mackenzie Bieker and Kyah Streeval, Hauser’s Aniston Bostic, Kenze Bostic, Mattie Foster and Kayden Miller, North Decatur’s Hannah Gorrell and Ella Kunz, and South Decatur’s Zsophia Sharp and Makayla Somers.

Five more Shelby County athletes earned Honorable Mention status. They are Waldron’s Alyssa Benson, Morristown’s Kindall Dorsey and Madison Espich, and Southwestern’s Riley Engle and Tanna Tatlock. Also selected as Honorable Mention were North Decatur’s Madi Allen and Sydney Rohls, Hauser’s Gracie Blair, and South Decatur’s Molly Eden and Taylor Somers.

North Decatur’s Ashley Gauck was named Coach of the Year.

Hauser finished its MHC schedule unbeaten at 6-0 (18-5 overall) to earn the championship. North Decatur was runner-up at 5-1 (17-6 overall).

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Shelbyville cross country closed out its regular-season schedule Saturday morning with a pair of strong performances at the Dragon Invitational in New Palestine.

With a pair of top-10 finishes, Shelbyville finished runner-up in the girls standings behind New Palestine, 27-59. Beech Grove was third (69) and Cascade placed fourth (73). Also competing in the invitational but not fielding enough runners for a team score were Bethesda Christian and Indianapolis Lutheran.

Shelbyville’s Hannah Wright (main photo) completed the course in 21 minutes, 56 seconds to secure a fourth-place finish. Aerin Garcia Santiago placed ninth in 23:03.

Also scoring points for the Golden Bears were Kathryn Seal (16^th, 24:35), Courtney Gross (22^nd, 26:32) and Sydney Dudgeon (24^th, 27:38).

New Palestine’s Courtney Study won the race in 21:01.

Shelbyville finished third in the boys team standings with 63 points. New Palestine won the team title with 36 points. Cascade was runner-up at 40. Beech Grove finished fourth (100) with Bethesda Christian and Lutheran not fielding full teams.

Three Golden Bears placed in the top 15. Blake Hughes (photo) was seventh overall in 18:42. Shia Veach finished 13^th (19:16) and Logan Reinhart was 14^th (19:24). Also scoring for Shelbyville were Gavin Harker (18^th, 20:01) and Ben Hinojosa (22^nd, 20:33).

New Palestine’s Jake Cooper won the boys individual title with a time of 17:23.

Shelbyville will host a 16-team sectional Saturday at Blue River Memorial Park’s cross country course. The top 15 individuals from non-advancing teams and the first five qualifying teams from the sectional advance to the regional race.

Competing at the Shelbyville Sectional will be Center Grove, Decatur Central, Edinburgh, Franklin, Greenwood Christian, Greenwood, Indian Creek, Mooresville, Perry Meridian, Roncalli, Shelbyville, Southport, Southwestern, Triton Central, Waldron and Whiteland.

Morristown is assigned to the Mt. Vernon Sectional this season.

Shelbyville also will host the regional races at Blue River Memorial Park on Oct. 21. There are no semistate races in 2023. The top 15 individuals from non-advancing teams and the first five qualifying teams at each regional advance to this year’s state finals.

In other prep events Saturday:

Cross Country

Mid-Hoosier Conference Championships

Waldron had four of the top-10 finishers on its home course Saturday to secure the MHC girls cross country championship.

The Mohawks’ 32 points held off North Decatur (40) and South Decatur (53) – the only other schools to field complete teams.

Waldron’s Riley Price (photo, below) won the MHC title after crossing the finish line in 22:10. She was followed by teammates Sophie Hudnall (4^th in 24:03), Avery Haehl (6^th in 24:05), Audrey Hogg (9^th in 24:58) and Grace Fischer (23^rd in 29:05).

Morristown’s Grace McLaughlin and Audrey Van Dyke finished second and third, respectively, in 23:17 and 23:30.

Southwestern’s Maxine Higdon placed 14^th in 26:34. Fellow Spartan Kyndra King placed 24^th in 30:27.

Waldron’s Will Larrison (photo, above) won the boys race in 16:43 but Hauser had five runners finish in the top 12 to secure the MHC boys championship.

The Jets’ 30 points held off Waldron by eight points. South Decatur (88), Morristown (93) and North Decatur (103) rounded out the team standings.

Following Larrison across the finish line for Waldron were Jared Crosby (4^th in 17:35), Nathaniel Evans (6^th in 18:30), Teegan Ervine (9^th in 18:40) and Sam Jones (22^nd in 19:58).

Competing for Morristown were Ryan Crisman (11^th in 19:02), Thane Cole (19^th in 19:39), Bradley Theobald (21^st in 19:53), Max Compton (28^th in 20:28) and Lexi Singh (29^th in 20:29).

For Southwestern, Jackson Bentz placed eighth in 18:40. Dakota Claiborne finished 18^th in 19:27. Chris Claiborne was 26^th in 20:26.

Morristown won the Junior High girls MHC championship with 23 points. Hauser (36), Waldron (84). Southwestern (93) and North Decatur (105) completed the team standings.

Morristown’s top five performers were Jo Kuhn (1^st in 12:37), Brooke Kuhn (4^th in 13:14), Gracie Theobald (5^th in 13:24), Sawyer Rogers (8^th in 13:49) and Bailey Willard (9^th in 13:50).

Waldron was led by Kassidy Meulen’s 14^th-place performance (14:14).

Harper McInerny led Southwestern with a 10^th-place finish (13:52).

Waldron and Southwestern finished third and fourth, respectively, in the Junior High boys team standings. Hauser won the title with 16 points. North Decatur was runner-up at 67, ahead of the Mohawks (74) and Spartans (80).

Jacob Kuhn finished 5^th for Waldron in 12:08.

Southwestern’s Brynson Harrison was 16^th in 13:37.

Morristown’s Carter Bell placed 13^th in 13:13.

Hauser’s Jace Wright won the boys race in 11:10.

Volleyball

Lawrence North Invitational

Shelbyville finished 0-3 at the invitational to close out its regular-season record at 2-27.

The Golden Bears lost to Lawrence North (25-12, 25-16). Jasmine Glenn led the Wildcats (19-12) with seven kills.

Mt. Vernon defeated Shelbyville, 25-22, 25-17. The Wildcats, located in Mt. Vernon, Indiana, are 12-14 this season.

In its final match, the Golden Bears were bested by New Albany, 25-15, 25-11. Callie Loesch led the Bulldogs (19-12) with six kills.

Shelbyville will face Columbus North  (15-12) Thursday in the second quarterfinal match of the Franklin Sectional.

Steve Bush photos of Shelbyville cross country

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Southwestern’s three-year run as boys soccer sectional champions ended Saturday at Indianapolis Lutheran High School. And Triton Central’s bid for its first girls soccer sectional championship since 2017 ended with a loss in penalty kicks to Muncie Burris.

Girls soccer

Class A, Sectional 44

Muncie Burris 1, Triton Central 1, 3-2 PKs

At Mendenhall Field at Triton Central Saturday night, Sarah Edmonds’ first-half goal nearly was enough to get Muncie Burris a third-straight sectional title.

But Bella Ball, off an assist from Vivian Blye, beat Muncie Burris goalkeeper Sydney Jackson just before time expired in regulation to send the match to overtime.

After two scoreless seven-minute overtime periods, the Owls and Tigers lined up for penalty kicks.

Triton Central (10-8) got PK conversions from Elaina Maurice and Ariel Walker but it was not enough to deny the Owls (10-3-1), who won the penalty-kick session, 3-2.

With the win, Muncie Burris will travel to Class A, No. 4 Park Tudor (12-4-1) Thursday for a regional semifinal match.

Boys soccer

Class A, Sectional 42

Indianapolis Lutheran 3, Southwestern 0

Class A, No. 10 Southwestern never found the back of the net and saw its bid for a fourth-straight sectional championship end.

Lutheran improved to 11-6 with its second 3-0 victory this season over the Spartans, who finished 15-3. All three Southwestern losses were by shutout.

The Saints led 1-0 at halftime on its home field and added two second-half goals to secure the victory.

On Wednesday, Lutheran travels to Class A, No. 2 Covenant Christian (10-7-1) for a regional semifinal match.

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Shelbyville had a 14.3% chance to face the defending Class 4A state champions in the first round of 4A Sectional 23. On Sunday night during the team’s sectional draw gathering, those odds did not play out in favor of the Golden Bears.

The Indiana High School Athletic Association released the sectional pairings via live stream Sunday for the upcoming football state tournament. Shelbyville gathered at Pudder’s restaurant (photo) in downtown Shelbyville to see how the random sectional draw played out.

On Oct. 20, Shelbyville (3-5) will travel to East Central (8-0), winner of 14 straight games including the 2022 4A state championship game, in the opening round. The winner advances to face either Martinsville (5-3) or Silver Creek (5-3).

“It is what it is. You would have liked to have had a little bit better draw. We would have liked to have been away from East Central,” said Shelbyville head coach Scott Fitzgerald. “Obviously, nobody wanted to draw East Central, the No. 1 team in the state and one of the top teams in the state in any division probably. And they have one of the best running backs in the state.”

In eight games this season, senior Josh Ringer has rushed for 1,549 yards and 31 touchdowns.

In the top half of the eight-team bracket, Edgewood (1-7) travels to Jennings County (3-5) while Greenwood (4-4) makes the road trip east to Connersville (2-6).

The sectional semifinal games are Oct. 27 and the sectional championship follows on Nov. 3.

Triton Central

With three teams in the top 10 of the state coaches poll in Class 2A, Sectional 39, the draw had significant meaning.

Triton Central (7-1), ranked No. 2 in Class 2A, will open the 8-team sectional with a long road trip south to Clarksville (0-8).

The other half of the top portion of the bracket features No. 10 Indianapolis Scecina (5-3) at No. 3 Brownstown Central (7-1).

If Brownstown Central wins, the Braves would travel to Fairland to face Triton Central in the semifinal round. If Scecina wins, the Crusaders will host Triton Central.

In the bottom half of the bracket, Brown County (1-7) is at Switzerland County (5-3) and Eastern (Pekin) (3-5) travels to Christel House Manual (2-5).

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In his first varsity start, Mount Vernon freshman quarterback Mason Meyer led his team to five consecutive scoring drives in the first half Friday on the way to a 28-14 victory at Shelbyville.

Meyer, starting for the injured Luke Ertel, ran for a touchdown and threw for another as Mount Vernon built a 25-0 lead at halftime and added a third RylanVinard field goal to complete the scoring and improve to 4-4 (3-3 Hoosier Heritage Conference).

Shelbyville suffered its fourth straight loss to drop to 3-5 (1-5 HHC) but battled to the end.

“I thought all night long all the kids played fantastic. What about the fight in these kids?” said Shelbyville head coach Scott Fitzgerald. “From start to finish, a lot of things didn’t go our way tonight. Things that were out of our control and they continued to fight and that’s what I love about this group.

“All year long, they have continued to fight and fight and fight no matter what the score was, no matter what is happening on the field and continue to fight and do what we ask them to do. I’ve got a lot of love for this group.”

The football program honored 17 seniors and support personnel before the game on Senior Night – the final regular season home game for the Golden Bears. They wrap up the schedule on Oct. 13 at Pendleton Heights (6-2, 4-2 HHC).

Shelbyville’s offense sputtered early while Meyer gained confidence under center.

After the Golden Bears’ initial drive stalled, Meyer leaned on junior running back Joliba Brogan and guided the Marauders on an 8-play drive that resulted in Vinard’s first field goal of the game from 39 yards out.

Meyer finished off Mount Vernon’s second drive with a 20-yard scoring run but his 2-point conversion run was stuffed. The first quarter ended with the Marauders leading 9-0.

Shelbyville had a chance to gain momentum early in the second quarter but a 15-play drive produced no points when Aiden Helfer-Vazquez missed a 28-yard field goal with a blustery wind cutting across McKeand Stadium.

Mt. Vernon took over at the 20 and caught the Shelbyville defense off guard which allowed Tre Jones to slip away for a long catch that resulted in an 80-yard touchdown strike that made it 15-0.

“We got caught peeking in the backfield a little bit and (Jones) went by us,” said Fitzgerald. “They made a play. That’s kind of what the game boiled down to. They made plays when plays needed to be made and, unfortunately, it seemed like every time we made a play there was a little yellow hanky on the field. We have to clean those things up.”

Shelbyville indeed was flagged for 12 penalties totaling 120 yards. Mt. Vernon was penalized 10 times in a frustrating night for both programs.

Vinard added a 27-yard field goal with 4:34 left in the first half and Brogan had a 10-yard scoring run after a short punt into a stiff wind left the Marauders with great field position.

In the second half, Shelbyville’s defense forced two punts, produced a fumble recovery and saw Vinard miss a 41-yard field goal short. And the offense produced a pair of scoring drives.

The first was an 8-play, 71-yard march punctuated by catches of 29 and 20 yards by Axel Conover and a 13-yard catch and run by Donavon Martin (photo), who is growing into a feature tailback as a sophomore.

“We’ve been talking about it for weeks. I just have to be slow and let my team make some blocks. I just have to let everything develop and then work with it,” said Martin, who ran for 132 yards on 16 carries Friday.

After three consecutive penalties on Mt. Vernon, Shelbyville quarterback Eli Chappelow reached the end zone late in the third quarter.

Following Vinard’s missed field goal on the next series, Shelbyville went 80 yards on 10 plays and Chappelow added a second touchdown run, this time from eight yards out.

Chappelow’s two-point conversion completion to Axel Conover made it 25-14 with 4:10 left.

Vinard hit a 28-yard field goal with 1:56 on the clock to complete the scoring.

Mt. Vernon rushed for 222 yards against the Golden Bears with Brogan racking up 161 yards on 21 carries.

Meyer completed 8 of 15 pass attempts for 144 yards and one touchdown.

In his final regular-season game at McKeand Stadium, Chappelow (photo) completed 8 of 17 passes for 134 yards.

Conover, also a senior, had a game-high six catches for 101 yards.

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Triton Central has had its battles with Beech Grove over Tim Able’s tenure. Friday proved no different against the pesky Hornets, who held a 6-3 halftime lead on the Class 2A, No. 2 Tigers.

Triton Central scored 28 unanswered points in the second half and rolled to a 31-6 victory to secure no worse than a runner-up finish to Class A, No. 1 Indianapolis Lutheran (8-0, 7-0 ICC) in the Indiana Crossroads Conference standings.

Levi Dewey (photo) had a 38-yard, second-quarter field goal into a strong wind to open the scoring Friday but Beech Grove (3-5, 2-5 ICC) found the end zone in the second quarter when Jeremiah Lee completed a 33-yard scoring run. Lee’s 2-point conversion run was not successful.

Triton Central quarterback Jace Stuckey ran for two scores and threw two touchdowns in the second half. The Eastern Michigan commit had scoring runs of 2 and 11 yards and completed a shovel pass that Brayden Wilkins (photo) took to the end zone from eight yards out that made it 17-6.

Mason Compton (photo) hauled in a long pass from Stuckey and raced 46 yards to the end zone for an early fourth-quarter touchdown that extended the lead to 24-6.

The Tigers are 7-1 overall and 5-1 in the ICC standings ahead of both Monrovia (6-2, 4-2 ICC) and Scecina (5-3, 3-2 ICC).

Triton Central closes out its regular-season schedule on Oct. 13 at Speedway (2-6, 0-5 ICC).

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Bluelightspecial and Emmanuel Esquivel scored their second premier racing win to close out a special day dedicated to the top Thoroughbred athletes in Indiana. The duo repelled the competition to win the 27^th running of the Cardinal at Horseshoe Indianapolis in Shelbyville.

Starting from post five in the field of seven, Bluelightspecial (main photo, right) left the gate with intentions of being close in the initial stages of the one and one-sixteenth mile race. Mintchocolatechip and Joe Ramos used their inside advantage to gain the first lead, but Bluelightspecial was right on the outside to press the pace to the halfway point of the race.

Heading into the final turn, Bluelightspecial took control of the lead, but had several veteran mares to her back that were gearing up for the stretch drive.

In the stretch, Louder Than Words and Sammy Bermudez came up on the outside to challenge. The two mares dug in gamely as they fought against each other for the top spot. As the wire neared, Bluelightspecial was able to get the edge, winning by one and one-quarter length over Louder Than Words.

Bluelightspecial was the favorite, paying $3.40 for the win. The three-year-old daughter of Super Saver is now four for seven this year and earned her sixth win overall. To date, she has more than $375,000 in earnings for her owners, Andrew Knapczyk and Contreras Stable. Cipriano Contreras trains the filly, who was bred by Allen Poindexter of Indiana. She was purchased for $22,000 from the Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale in Ocala during the spring of her freshman season.

“She is very professional,” noted Esquivel about Bluelightspecial. “Last time, she just wasn’t herself and he had a bad trip, but she has been coming around again to herself. She was good today. She always puts herself in a race. Today, she was all game.”

26^th running of To Much Coffee

King Ice sure makes a race exciting. As track announcer John G. Dooley said in the stretch run, “King Ice conquers again.”

The gelding loves to travel off the early leaders and make a big move from the back of the pack. His style turned out another premier racing win Wednesday in the 26^th running of the To Much Coffee, a race named after one of the first standout thoroughbreds in the state, To Much Coffee, when pari-mutuel racing was introduced in the mid-1990s.

Starting from post six, King Ice (photo) was more than content to watch others rally out of the gate and search for good early positioning. On the Raydar and Sammy Bermudez caught the top spot inside and were joined by Prince Shim and Alberto Burgos on the outside. The top two led the field of 12 into the backstretch as Prince Shim was second from last.

Heading to the final turn, the rest of the field began to close the gap on Prince Shim and On the Raydar. That is when King Ice came into focus. He was moving around horses with every stride around the final turn.

At the top of the stretch, the white blinkers of King Ice were almost unrecognizable as they were brown with dirt, but he was moving with a big stride. Talamo urged the gelding forward and he took off, winning by open lengths in the one and one-sixteenth mile event. 

King Ice was the favorite of the field, paying $4.80 for the win. The three-year-old son of Keen Ice earned his third win in six starts for the season and is now five for 10 overall. Hillerich Racing LLC and Bernie Flint’s LTB Inc. own King Ice, who increased his bankroll to nearly $400,000 with the win. George Leonard trains the standout Indiana bred, who has three premier racing wins this season, all at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

“He (King Ice) really finishes well and I’m very pleased with the way he raced today,” said Leonard, a native of Louisiana who has been involved in pari-mutuel racing in Indiana since the mid-1990s. “We will see what the owners say and see how he comes out of the race before we make any plans for his next start. Bernie’s the boss.”

King Ice captured attention last season when he won the Indiana Futurity, which was also on the special Hoosier Day program with the To Much Coffee. All five of his wins have been at Horseshoe Indianapolis and are days from being within the last calendar year for his connections, who were represented by Wyatt Hillerich for the trophy presentation.

“This horse is unbelievable,” said Hillerich. “I say this every time, but we are overly blessed with a horse like this. We got him off the grass, which he didn’t like, and he was back on the dirt today. Joe Talamo did a great job. It was an unbelievable ride. It’s always a thrill seeing him come down the stretch like that.”

$100,000 Indiana Futurity

Trainer Genaro Garcia purchased Molly’s Town through a private transaction last fall from Swifty Farms in Seymour, Ind. Now, he has an undefeated multiple stakes winner on his hands as Molly’s Town (photo) scored the win in the $100,000 Indiana Futurity Wednesday at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

Guided by regular rider Fernando De La Cruz, Molly’s Town broke from the outside for the first time in his young career and had to tangle with several horses to his inside that left for the lead in the one mile, 70-yard event. When it was apparent Molly’s Town would not secure the top spot easily, De La Cruz did his best to try to tuck the gelding in behind horses in the first turn, but Molly’s Town had other plans. Horses were three wide in front of him and when Kingsbury Road and Eddie Perez move to their outside, they went along with the flow of traffic.

After traveling down the backstretch to the half four-wide, Molly’s Town finally cleared to the lead heading into the final turn. From there, the gelding went on cruise control as the remainder of the field jockeyed for position for the stretch drive.

In the stretch, De La Cruz used one tap of the whip with his left hand and Molly’s Town went to town, striding away from the field. He needed no other encouragement from that point home, winning by seven and one-half lengths at the finish 

Molly’s Town was the heavy favorite of the field, paying $2.80 for the win. The son of Mo Town is owned by Garcia’s Southwest Racing Stables. He now has back-to-back stakes win, pairing the Indiana Futurity with a win in the Circle City in early September.

“I was trying to get him to relax early on,” said De La Cruz, a three-time leading jockey at Horseshoe Indianapolis. “He wanted to go on. I just thank God it worked out. In the stretch, he just kept running. He’s a nice horse. I thank Genaro (Garcia) for the opportunity to ride such a nice horse.”

Molly’s Town, now four for four in his young career, has more than $162,000 on his card. The Indiana Futurity was the first time he stretched out around two turns, proving his versatility for Garcia, a four-time leading trainer at Horseshoe Indianapolis and current leader in the standings for 2023.

$100,000 Miss Indiana

Trainer Ken McPeek followed the same game plan as last year in the Miss Indiana. His strategy produced a win with Corningstone and this year, he earned another victory with Ice Cold (photo) in the 26^th running of the $100,000 Miss Indiana at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Both fillies are half-sisters under the direction of McPeek.

Brian Hernandez Jr. got the call to come in and ride Ice Cold and was more than willing to jump aboard for the first time. The freshman daughter of Mitole had two starts at Saratoga and returned to Indiana for her first try in stakes action, providing the desired result.

Starting from post seven, Hernandez Jr. guided Ice Cold out of the gate with just enough speed to get good positioning behind early leaders Charged Legacy and Joshua Morales on the inside. Si Certo and Rodney Prescott also left alertly to stay close to the leader in the initial stages, sitting in a stalking position on the outside.

Charged Legacy continued to lead the way into the final turn and Ice Cold began to creep up on the top ones midway through the turn. At the top of the lane, Ice Cold was able to get through horses and get onto the lead. Once she had cleared her opponents, she hit another gear and sprinted home, winning by 10 lengths in a time of 1:43.60.

Ice Cold was the favorite of the 10-filly field, paying $3.40 to win. She is owned by Daniel McGreevy’s Tilted Shamrock Stables. She was a $65,000 purchase from the Keeneland September Yearling Sale last fall out of the Deann and Dr. Greg Baer consignment. The Baers have a small but mighty breeding operation near Columbus, Ind.

“This filly is a half-sister to Corningstone, who won this stakes race last year,” said Hernandez Jr. “Ken (McPeek) wanted to follow the same game plan. Corningstone came into this race last year and broke her maiden and this filly (Ice Cold) did the same today. We sat pretty comfortable and found something to finish with today.”

Ice Cold was making her third career start. She boosted her career earnings to more than $61,000 with the win in the Miss Indiana for McPeek, who had back-to-back winners. Although Hernandez Jr. has won many stakes races in Indiana, the win in the Miss Indiana was his first.

“When you ride for Ken (McPeek), you know if they travel within themselves up to about the three-eighths pole, they can get home,” added Hernandez Jr. “This filly did just that today.”

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Football fans interested in finding out who the first sectional opponents will be for Shelbyville and Triton Central can listen to GIANT fm Sunday at 6 p.m. to hear the live broadcast of the IHSAA Football State Tournament Pairings Show.

Aired locally on 96.5 fm and at 106.3 fm in Greenfield, Bob Lovell, host of Indiana Sports Talk, and Paul Condry of the Regional Radio Sports Network will break down the sectional pairings for all six classes of IHSAA football.

The pairings show also will stream exclusively on IHSAAtv.org.

Shelbyville will compete in Class 4A, Sectional 23 against seven opponents. The field includes 4A, No. 1 East Central (7-0), Greenwood (4-3), Shelbyville (3-4), Silver Creek (5-2), Edgewood (1-6), Jennings County (3-4), Martinsville (4-3) and Connersville (2-5).

Triton Central is in Class 2A, Sectional 39, also an 8-team field. Those teams are 2A No. 2 Triton Central (6-1), 2A No. 3 Brownstown Central (6-1), Switzerland County (4-3), Christel House Manual (2-4), Brown County (1-6), Clarksville (0-7), Eastern (Pekin) (3-4) and 2A No. 10 Indianapolis Scecina (4-3).

The first round of sectional games for Class 4A, 3A, 2A and A are Oct. 20. Semifinal games follow on Oct. 27 with sectional champions being crowned on Nov. 3.

Regional championship games are Nov. 10 and Semistate champions are crowned on Nov. 17.

The six state championship games are scheduled for Nov. 24 and Nov. 25 at Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis.

Steve Bush photo

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Shelbyville tennis players Karson Schaf and Aiden Smith are sectional champions.

The Golden Bears’ No. 1 doubles team dropped the first set of the sectional championship match Thursday then rallied to win the next two sets to secure a 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over Indian Creek’s Landon Sichting and Trent Volz.

Due to inclement weather, the match was moved from Center Grove High School to the University of Indianapolis’ indoor facility.

Schaf, a senior (photo, right), and Smith (photo, left), a sophomore, now 22-4 this season, advance to the singles and doubles regional tournament on Oct. 14 at one of four sites – Fishers, Bedford North Lawrence, Kokomo or LaPorte.

In other prep events Thursday:

Girls soccer

Triton Central Sectional

Triton Central 3, Union County 0

Both semifinal contests ended in shutout victories.

Triton Central got goals from Ariel Walker, Elaina Maurice and Vivian Blye to eliminate Union County, 3-0. Tigers goalkeeper Cheyenne Allen tied the program record with her seventh shutout win of the season.

In the other semifinal, Muncie Burris blanked Knightstown, 4-0.

Muncie Burris improved to 9-3-1 and will take on Triton Central (10-7) at 7 p.m. Saturday with the winner advancing to a regional semifinal match on Oct. 12 at either No. 3 Heritage Christian (10-7) or No. 4 Park Tudor (11-4-1).

Volleyball

Greenfield-Central def. Triton Central, 25-18, 25-18, 25-17

At Triton Central, the visiting Cougars closed out their regular-season schedule with a 22-7 record.

Brooklyn Bailey, Brylie Couch and Gwyn Williams each had five kills to lead Triton Central (17-9).

Madi Peterson finished with a team-high 13 digs and setters Hailey Harris and Kate Isley each had seven assists.

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Waldron’s record-breaking tennis season came to an end Wednesday in the regional championship match at Center Grove High School.

Center Grove, ranked No. 12 in the final state coaches poll, defeated the Mohawks, 5-0, to advance to a semistate showdown Saturday with No. 2 Columbus North.

At No. 1 singles, Tyler Lane defeated Lucas Shaw, 6-1, 6-1.

Max Williams bested Charlie Fischer at No. 2 singles, 6-4, 6-0.

And Jack Rydwad topped Jack Fischer at No. 3 singles, 6-3, 6-3.

At No. 1 doubles, Dmitri Kandis and Carson Bush defeated Jacob Lindsey and Caiden Young, 6-0, 6-0.

And Yuvrad Dasari and Quinn Smith produced an identical result at No. 2 doubles, 6-0, 6-0 over Conner Hinchman and Matthew Thomas.

Lindsey and Hinchman were Waldron’s only seniors.

State Doubles Sectional

Shelbyville’s Karson Schaf and Aiden Smith produced a 6-4, 6-2 win over Franklin’s Brady Tucker and Tyler Jones to advance to today’s sectional championship match.

In the other semifinal Wednesday, Indian Creek’s Landon Sichting and Trent Volz defeated Triton Central’s Connor Evans and Eli Sego, 6-3, 6-0.

Due to inclement weather, the championship match between the Golden Bears and Braves has been moved indoors today at the University of Indianapolis at 5 p.m.

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Class A, No. 10 Southwestern will vie for its fourth-consecutive boys soccer sectional championship Saturday at 2 p.m. at Indianapolis Lutheran.

The Spartans (15-2) advanced to their sixth-straight championship game Wednesday with a 6-0 victory over Indiana Math & Science Academy at Lutheran High School in Indianapolis.

Tucker Simmons converted two penalty kicks that gave Southwestern a 3-0 lead at halftime and Michel Weisser, Benjamin Kahler and Josh Karr added second-half goals in the shutout victory.

Jaime Gutierrez DeMessa had Southwestern’s first goal early in the first half.

Lutheran defeated Hauser, 6-0, in the first sectional semifinal contest Wednesday.

Will Hudson scored four goals in the victory and Austin Brandenburg and Jeremiah Anderson added goals for the Saints (10-6).

The Spartans and Saints met on Sept. 14 and Lutheran secured a 3-0 victory. Brandenburg, Hudson and Micah Alexander had goals for Lutheran in that win.

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Franklin College rallied from a 10-0 deficit Saturday to secure a 31-24 Homecoming victory over Bluffton.

The win was the first of the season for the Grizzlies (1-3, 1-0 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference).

Triton Central graduate Hayden Kermode had a career-best and team-high 13 tackles for Franklin College. He also was part of a quarterback sack.

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

Kenneth Gipson

The Triton Central graduate was part of Rose-Hulman’s starting offensive line that produced 300 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns Saturday in a 64-3 Homecoming win over Anderson.

The seven rushing touchdowns was a first for the program since 2017. Rose-Hulman improved to 2-2 (1-0 HCAC).

Lucas Kleeman

The Triton Central graduate was credited with four tackles in Anderson’s loss at Rose-Hulman.

The Ravens are 0-4 (0-1 HCAC).

Dylan Wasson

The Triton Central graduate finished with three tackles, 2.5 for losses, Saturday in Olivet Nazarene’s 58-14 win at Judson in Streamwood, Illinois.

Olivet Nazarene fell behind 7-0 before scoring five unanswered touchdowns to improve to 3-2.

Brooklyn Schiffli

The Triton Central graduate had one service ace and a match-high 11 digs Saturday for Jacksonville State in a 25-14, 25-9, 25-15 loss at the University of Texas El Paso.

In the two-game Conference USA (CUSA) series, UTEP defeated the Gamecocks Thursday, 25-18, 25-16, 25-17. Schiffli finished with three digs.

Jacksonville State is 4-10 this season and 2-2 in CUSA matches.

Maggie Schweitzer

The Triton Central graduate had one kill, five digs and 17 assists Saturday in Hanover College’s 25-13, 25-15, 25-22 HCAC win at Defiance College in Defiance, Ohio.

Schweitzer had 19 assists and seven digs in a 25-17, 23-25, 18-25, 25-29, 15-11 win Sept. 27 at Asbury University (Kentucky).

In another non-conference match Sunday, Hanover topped Adrian College, 25-19, 18-25, 25-23, 25-22. Schweitzer was credited with one kill, 25 assists, one ace and 15 digs to improve the Panthers to 13-4 (1-0 HCAC).

Julia Sanders

The Triton Central graduate had one kill, one assist, one ace and nine digs Saturday in Indiana University Kokomo’s 25-19, 25-9, 25-13 win over Point Park University.

IU Kokomo defeated IUPUC Friday, 25-17, 25-15, 25-18. Sanders had two aces and two digs.

Ranked No. 18 nationally, IU Kokomo is 15-3 this season and 6-0 against River States Conference opponents.

Shelby Lasure

The Shelbyville graduate collected four kills, two assists and 15 digs Friday in Anderson’s 25-13, 28-30, 25-16, 25-22 loss at No. 18 Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The loss dropped the Ravens to 7-9 (0-1 HCAC).

On Sept. 27, Anderson defeated Wilmington, 25-22, 25-15, 21-25, 25-20. Lasure had two kills, eight digs and four aces.

Oliver Gearlds

The Triton Central graduate posted rounds of 80 and 82 Monday and Tuesday, respectively, at Glade Springs Golf Course in Daniels, West Virginia, and placed 35^th overall in the RSC Fall Preview.

Gearlds, playing for IU Kokomo, helped the program finish fourth overall out of 12 teams.

Asher Caldwell

The Morristown graduate carded 77 Saturday at Zollner Golf Course in Angola, Indiana, to finish 25^th overall for Trine in the MIAA Jamboree No. 3.

Caldwell and his Trine teammates finished runner-up in the event to Hope College, 281-293.

Rachel Dewey

The Triton Central graduate had an assist on Aspen Seaich’s second-half goal Sunday in Western Kentucky’s 2-0 victory over Chicago State.

Western Kentucky secured its sixth shutout of the season and improved to 3-2-7.

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Shelbyville football head coach Scott Fitzgerald knew the program’s schedule was end loaded with three of its final five games against programs currently receiving votes in the state coaches poll. Surprisingly, it’s not four of five as Mt. Vernon has lost the state recognition it was garnering at the start of the season.

The 3-4 record does not make the Marauders any less intimidating nor any less challenging to defeat Friday at McKeand Stadium on Senior Night.

“They are very athletic,” said Fitzgerald. “They have made a lot of big plays and scored a lot of points this year. Really, the only team that has kept them down has been Pendleton Heights (24-10). They held them to 10 points but they also kept them from making too many big plays.

“I think that will be a big key (Friday) and that’s easier said than done at times.”

With only 19 points scored total in its last three games, Shelbyville’s offense has struggled which has put more pressure on a defense that has allowed 139 points in what is now a three-game losing streak.

The Marauders’ starting quarterback, sophomore Luke Ertel, has completed 60% of his 148 pass attempts this season for 1,181 yards and 10 touchdowns. Ertel appeared to suffer an injury in last week’s win over New Castle, according to Fitzgerald, and missed significant minutes. His availability Friday is unknown.

“He is a good ball player … an athlete,” said Fitzgerald of Ertel, a highly-regarded basketball recruit at Mt. Vernon. “It always looks a little weird because he is a lefty but he does a nice job of finding those kids. They do a good job of getting him opportunities to be athletic, get out in the open and find his receivers.”

Junior running back Joliba Brogan has gained 1,025 yards on 142 rushes this season with 14 touchdowns.

“The running back is a really nice looking kid,” said Fitzgerald. “He hits the hole hard or can bounce it out on his own. If he gets out in the open he is really fast.”

Four different Marauders have double-digit catches this season led by senior Tre Jones’ 24 catches for 359 yards and five touchdowns. Senior Tyler Etherington, who could be pressed into quarterback duties if Ertel is out, has 17 catches for 206 yards. Fellow seniors Chris Edmonds (15 receptions, 281 yards) and Domanic Barnett (15 receptions, 149 yards) also are productive.

Defensively, Fitzgerald went back to the word “athletic” to describe what the Golden Bears will see Friday night.

“They will get to the ball. They are moving guys around a lot,” he said. “It’s a little different defense than what we’ve seen the last few weeks. Again, they will be very athletic and very quick to the ball. We have to make plays when there are opportunities to make plays.”

Senior Night at McKeand Stadium may take on more reverence in several years if the program can continue its rebuild to winning ways. The class has been part of a program that has won five games total during their tenure under three different head coaches. Senior quarterback Eli Chappelow even quipped in the preseason he is operating his fourth offense in that time period.

However, their dedication to the program that has been through 0-10, 1-6 and 1-9 seasons prior to this year is admirable and has the program climbing back toward consistent Friday night success.

“I keep telling those guys they are the foundation right now,” said Fitzgerald (photo). “They have laid the foundation for us building this program back up. They have done a fantastic job. Over the summer and throughout the season, those guys just continue to fight and show our younger groups what it takes to have success.”

Shelbyville’s 14 seniors on the 2023 roster are Axel Conover, Ben Price, Luke Brinkman, Eli Chappelow, Grant Schene, Kohen Myers, Luke Jackson, Bayler Ward, Connor Duncan, Jacob Harker, Ryan Bradley, Jacob Dupont, Jaylen Sturgill and Josh Eikman.

Duncan and Jackson will not play Friday due to injuries. Duncan will need surgery to repair a knee injury. Jackson suffered a concussion in practice last week and did not play at New Palestine. He could return for the regular-season finale at Pendleton Heights on Oct. 13.

With the potential for favorable postseason matchups in Sectional 23, Shelbyville needs to quickly regain some momentum.

“We knew coming into the season where we were at,” said Fitzgerald of the toughest part of Shelbyville’s schedule. “The kids understood where they were at. We’ve talked about it a lot that we were not going undefeated this season. We still have a lot of things to build on, figure out and do.”

The IHSAA will announce the sectional pairings Sunday at 6 p.m. on GIANT fm Sports on WSVX.

The Golden Bears will meet at a downtown Shelbyville restaurant to watch the pairings show and continue celebrating the season.

“We will enjoy the night and enjoy each other. That’s one thing we’ve talked about from the very beginning, enjoy the journey,” said Fitzgerald. “It’s not always about the games. It’s not always about wins and losses. We want to win football games and we are going to work to do that but enjoy the process. And this is part of the process, spending time with your friends and teammates and brothers.”

QUICK FACTS

Mt. Vernon at Shelbyville

Game Time: 7 p.m. at McKeand Stadium at Shelbyville High School.

2023 record: Mt. Vernon 3-4, 2-3 HHC; Shelbyville 3-4, 1-4 HHC.

Head coaches: Vince Lidy, 23-9 in third year at Mt. Vernon; Scott Fitzgerald, 3-4 in first year at Shelbyville.

Sagarin ratings: Mt. Vernon 70.66, No. 15 in Class 4A; Shelbyville, 49.63, No. 38 in Class 4A; Mt. Vernon is an 18-point favorite.

Last meeting: Mt. Vernon defeated Shelbyville, 57-13 in 2022. Link to the Shelby County Post game story can be found here: https://shelbycountypost.com/sports/656462

Series: Mt. Vernon has won seven straight in the series with Shelbyville and holds an 18-10 advantage over 28 games played since 1997.

Around the HHC Friday: Delta (5-2, 3-2 HHC) at Class 4A, No. 6 Greenfield-Central (6-1, 4-1); New Castle (1-6, 0-5) at Class 4A, No. 3 New Palestine (5-2, 5-0); Pendleton Heights (5-2, 3-2) at Yorktown (4-3, 2-3).

Class 4A, Sectional 23 records: Class 4A, No. 1 East Central 7-0; Greenwood 4-3; Shelbyville 3-4; Silver Creek 5-2; Edgewood 1-6; Jennings County 3-4; Martinsville 4-3; Connersville 2-5.

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With wins in its final two regular-season games, Triton Central will secure a second-place finish in the Indiana Crossroads Conference standings.

The Tigers (6-1, 4-1 ICC) travel to Beech Grove (3-4, 2-4 ICC) Friday and to Speedway (2-5, 0-4 ICC) on Oct. 13 for their regular-season finale. Following an impressive 38-14 win over Indianapolis Scecina last week, Triton Central head coach Tim Able is still prepping his team for a postseason run.

“We’re not worried about wins. We are worried about getting better,” said Able. “We’re still adding schemes that will help us down the road. We need to see the big picture - stay on fundamentals and execution.”

Triton Central’s lofty status in the state rankings polls — No. 2 in the Class 2A state coaches poll and newly-anointed No. 1 in the Associated Press poll — is keeping the program focused on improving week to week.

The Tigers will learn their postseason draw Sunday when the IHSAA announces the sectional pairings at 6 p.m. on GIANT fm Sports on WSVX.

While Able has had success against Beech Grove over the last decade — 8 of 11 wins and five straight in the series — the Hornets typically prove to be competitive against Triton Central.

“They always have talent, speed and athleticism, said Able (photo) who is four wins short of 100 wins as the Tigers coach. “They are close by. They have surely circled this game (on their schedule). They’ve got their mojo back after a big win. It’s important we get off to a good start to keep them from believing they can win.”

The Hornets collected their third win of the season at Ritter last week, 62-20. After starting 0-2, they have won three of their last five.

To have success against the Tigers, Beech Grove needs to control the line of scrimmage and get a strong performance from junior running back Jeremiah Lee (143 carries, 1,038 yards, 15 touchdowns).

“He’s very good,” said Able. “He’s elusive and quick. They have a good-sized line of scrimmage and they play with a tight end. We will have our hands full stopping the running game.”

Senior quarterback Jay’mar Davis has completed 55% of his pass attempts for 793 yards but his touchdowns (9) match his interceptions (9).

Beech Grove’s leading receivers are senior Jarron Murry (33 receptions, 316 yards, 2 TDs) and junior Lacy Stephens (10 receptions, 110 yards).

“They love the screen play,” said Able. “We need to get to them before they take off. They’ve got good speed. They don’t throw the deep ball well, though.”

Triton Central senior quarterback Jace Stuckey suffered a leg injury just before halftime last week against Scecina. The Eastern Michigan commit already helped the Tigers build a 35-0 lead and did not play the second half while noticeably limping around on the sideline

Stuckey is in uniform practicing this week and will be available Friday in Beech Grove.

As to the status of senior running back Ray Crawford and senior linebacker Sam Kemper (photo), they may be in uniform Friday, according to Able, but will not be fully available.

With Crawford out, Able turned to Henry Kemper (photo) against Scecina and the freshman proved productive. He had 43 yards rushing on seven carries and had a 22-yard touchdown reception.

“They’ve played a 4-front most of the time and shown different coverages, said Able of the Beech Grove defense. “They have some size. They are very strong. Their blitzing linebackers have to be picked up. We have got to be able to run inside and outside.”

Triton Central is dealing with key injuries and battling sickness within the program, according to Able. The illness is a product of a close-knit team that is always together — even at other TC sporting events.

QUICK FACTS:

Class 2A, No. 2 Triton Central at Beech Grove

Game time: 7 p.m. at Beech Grove High School.

TC student theme: Pink Out in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

2023 record: Triton Central 6-1, 4-1 ICC; Beech Grove 3-4, 2-4 ICC.

Head coaches: Tim Able, 96-36 in 11^th year at Triton Central, 221-134 in 30th year overall; Brandon Winters, 10-17 in third year at Beech Grove, 37-39 in eighth year overall.

Sagarin ratings: Triton Central 73.81, No. 1 in Class 2A; Beech Grove 53.00, No. 33 in Class 4A. Triton Central is an 18-point favorite

Last year: Triton Central defeated Beech Grove, 27-7, at Mendenhall Field. Link to the Shelby County Post game story can be found here: https://shelbycountypost.com/sports/656470

Series: Triton Central has won eight of 11 meetings with the Hornets and five straight since Beech Grove’s 22-15 win in 2017.

Around the ICC Friday: Indianapolis Ritter (3-4, 1-4 ICC) at Class 2A, No. 10 Indianapolis Scecina (4-3, 2-2); Monrovia (5-2, 3-2) at Cascade (5-2, 1-2 ICC); Speedway (2-5, 0-4) at Class A, No. 1 Indianapolis Lutheran (7-0, 6-0).

Class 2A, Sectional 39 records: Class 2A, No. 2 Triton Central 6-1; 2A No. 3 Brownstown Central 6-1; Switzerland County 4-3; Christel House Manual 2-4; Brown County 1-6; Clarksville 0-7; Eastern (Pekin) 3-4; Class 2A, No. 10 Indianapolis Scecina 4-3.

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Vivian Blye scored a pair of overtime goals to lead Triton Central girls soccer to a 3-2 victory over Wapahani Tuesday in the first match of Class A, Sectional 44 in Fairland.

The Tigers (9-7) trailed 1-0 at halftime on its home field but Elaina Maurice scored off an Ava Bedwell assist to even the contest in the second half.

At the end of regulation, two overtime periods are played in an effort to determine a winner. Maurice had assists on both of Blye’s goals.

With the win, Triton Central advanced into the sectional semifinal round to face winless Union County Thursday at 7 p.m.

In the other semifinal Thursday, Knightstown takes on Muncie Burris.

The sectional championship match is at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Wapahani’s goals were scored by Emilee Thompson and Bailey Carpenter.

In other soccer sectionals Tuesday:

Boys soccer

New Palestine Sectional

East Central 3, Shelbyville 0

East Central goalkeeper C.J. Inderhees kept the Golden Bears off the scoreboard and the Trojans advanced off goals by Zachary Lyness (2) and Ethan Moorman.

East Central (15-1-1) will face Mt. Vernon in today’s semifinal round.

Shelbyville closed out its season with three straight shutout losses and finished 3-14.

Aiden Helfer-Vazquez led the Golden Bears with 11 goals this season. Osvaldo Reyes had six goals.

Girls soccer

Shelbyville Sectional

New Palestine 3, Shelbyville 2

Ava Wilson scored a goal in the game’s opening minute to give the host Golden Bears an early lead but the Dragons scored the next three goals to secure the sectional quarterfinal victory.

Tylar Whitaker and Rylee Hurst tallied first-half goals for New Palestine (10-6-1) and Hannah Sund added an insurance goal with just over 20 minutes left in the second half to make it 3-1.

Hannah Baker scored for Shelbyville (12-5) with just over two minutes left on the scoreboard clock but the Golden Bears never found the game-tying goal.

New Palestine advanced to Thursday’s semifinal match against Class 3A, No. 8 East Central, a 3-1 winner over 3A No. 17 Mt. Vernon Tuesday.

The other semifinal Thursday at Shelbyville pits Greenfield-Central and Richmond.

The championship match is Saturday at 7 p.m.

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Jack Fischer produced Waldron’s deciding win in the sectional championship match at Shelbyville Friday. Four days later he repeated the feat to get the Mohawks a 3-2 win over Connersville in the regional semifinal match at Center Grove High School.

With the win, Waldron advanced to today’s regional championship match against the host Trojans, a 4-1 winner over Perry Meridian Tuesday.

Playing at No. 3 singles, Fischer secured a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 win over Connersville’s Anthony Struewing to give Waldron the victory.

Charlie Fischer scored a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 2 singles for Waldron over Clayton Roszell.

Waldron also won at No. 1 doubles with Jacob Lindsey and Caiden Young defeating Kadin Brock and Tyler Caudill, 6-3, 7-6 (4).

Connersville’s Logan Young and Parker Thumb bested Matthew Young and Connor Hinchman at No. 2 doubles, 6-3, 6-4.

And Kolton DeBoard advanced into the state singles tournament with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Waldron’s Lucas Shaw.

In the opening round of the state doubles tournament, Triton Central’s Connor Evans and Eli Sego advanced with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Franklin County’s Trevor Bruns and Ty Bruns. The Tigers return to Center Grove today to face Indian Creek’s Landon Sichting and Trent Volz in a sectional semifinal match.

Also, Franklin’s Brady Tucker and Tyler Jones defeated Roncalli’s Andrew Heiden and Charlie Baker, 6-2, 7-6 (7), to earn a sectional semifinal match today at Center Grove against Shelbyville’s Karson Schaf and Aiden Smith.

In other prep events Tuesday:

Volleyball

Triton Central def. North Decatur, 25-19, 25-15, 25-17

At Triton Central, Gwyn Williams led the host Tigers with 12 kills, five service aces and 13 digs.

Lucy May had 11 kills and Hailey Harris collected 21 assists to push Triton Central’s record to 17-8 this season.

North Decatur dropped to 17-11.

Oldenburg Academy def. Waldron, 25-17, 25-7, 25-23

At Oldenburg Academy, Kate Weber topped the Twisters (19-6) with eight kills, three aces and 16 assists.

Ali Nobbe added seven kills and Lilly Schebler and Kenlee Martin each had 14 digs.

Lutheran def. Morristown, 25-12, 25-21, 25-12

At Lutheran, Maycee Cole led the visiting Yellow Jackets with four kills.

Kindall Dorsey had eight digs and Katie Theobald finished with 10 assists for Morristown (10-17).

Lutheran improved to 14-15.

New Palestine def. Shelbyville, 25-16, 25-14, 25-12

At Shelbyville, the visiting Dragons secured the three set victory and improved to 24-5 this season (3-3 Hoosier Heritage Conference).

Shelbyville dropped to 2-23 (0-6 HHC).

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Morristown’s soccer season came to an end Monday at the Knightstown Sectional.

The Yellow Jackets battled the host Panthers to a scoreless first half. Each team scored a goal in the second half but the stalemate continued through two overtime sessions.

Knightstown prevailed in penalty kicks to advance to Wednesday’s semifinal round of Class A, Sectional 44 where it will face Oldenburg Academy.

On Monday, the Twisters eliminated Seton Catholic to improve to 15-2 this season. Thomas Lohmueller scored the only goal of the game.

Knightstown improved to 4-7-2. Kelton Weaver had the Panthers’ only goal in regulation. Goalkeeper Chris Roland was credited with 21 saves.

In the other semifinal match Wednesday, Union County will take on Wapahani.

In other prep events Monday:

Volleyball

Triton Central def. Eastern Hancock, 27-25, 25-21, 19-25, 25-21

At Triton Central, Brooklyn Bailey led the host Tigers with 13 kills and three blocks. Gwyn Williams and Lucy May backed the senior with 11 kills apiece.

Kate Isley collected four service aces and a team-high 22 assists. Madi Peterson had 19 digs.

Triton Central improved to 16-8.

Kaitlyn Lowes led Eastern Hancock (18-7) with 24 kills.

The Tigers and Royals could meet again on Oct. 14 in the championship match of Class 2A, Sectional 42 in Fairland.

North Decatur def. Southwestern, 25-6, 23-25, 25-13, 25-12

At North Decatur, Madi Allen and Miley Scudder each had 13 kills to lead the host Chargers to the win over the Spartans. Sydney Rohls and Ella Kunz each added 10 kills in the four-set win.

North Decatur setter Kelsey Haley notched 41 assists as the Chargers improved to 17-10 overall and 4-1 against Mid-Hoosier Conference opponents.

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Waldron tennis will continue the pursuit of the program’s first regional championship Tuesday at Center Grove High School against Connersville.

The Spartans defeated Union County, 5-0, and Rushville, 5-0, to win its own sectional tournament. Connersville last won a regional title in 2019.

Waldron eliminated Southwestern, 5-0, Triton Central, 3-2, and Shelbyville, 3-2, on the way to the program’s third sectional championship (2005, 2019).

The match between the Mohawks and Spartans is one of two regional semifinal matches Tuesday. The other semifinal pits Perry Meridian against Center Grove. The host Trojans are seeking their 33^rd regional title while Perry Meridian is chasing its seventh regional championship.

Tuesday’s match winners will meet Wednesday in the regional championship match. The regional champion advances to the Center Grove Semistate on Oct. 7 to face a regional winner from either Columbus North, Indianapolis North Central or Mt. Vernon (Fortville).

The state singles and doubles tournaments start this week at 16 sites across the state including Center Grove where Shelbyville’s and Triton Central’s No. 1 doubles teams will be competing.

Triton Central’s Connor Evans and Eli Sego will face Franklin County’s Trevor Bruns and Ty Bruns Tuesday in a quarterfinal match. The winner then faces Indian Creek’s Landon Sichting and Trent Volz Wednesday in the semifinal round.

Shelbyville’s Karson Schaf and Aiden Smith received a bye into Wednesday’s semifinal round and will face either Roncalli’s Andrew Heiden and Charlie Baker or Franklin’s Brady Tucker and Tyler Jones.

The doubles sectional championship match is slated for 5 p.m. Thursday.

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The six previous No. 1 ranked teams in the Indiana Football Coaches Association state poll remained atop their respective class polls.

Despite a convincing 38-14 win over previous Class 2A, No. 7 Indianapolis Scecina, Triton Central remained No. 2 in the 2A poll behind Linton-Stockton.

Brownstown Central rose one spot to No. 3 after Bluffton, the only unbeaten left in 2A lost Friday night to Heritage, 27-21. Bluffton dropped to No. 6 in this week’s poll with LaVille and Fort Wayne Luers now in between Brownstown Central and Bluffton.

Alexandria is No. 7 followed by Eastbrook, Heritage Christian and Scecina. Also receiving votes are Lafayette Central Catholic, Rochester, North Posey, Andrean and Evansville Mater Dei.

The top nine teams in the Class A poll are unchanged after week seven.

Indianapolis Lutheran is No. 1 ahead of Adams Central, Carroll (Flora), Providence, Park Tudor, South Putnam, Sheridan, Madison-Grant, North White and new entrant to the poll, Triton, at No. 10.

Pioneer and West Central shared the No. 10 ranking last week. Other programs receiving votes are North Decatur, Clinton Prairie, Milan, North Judson, Springs Valley and West Central, which suffered its first loss of the season Friday, 22-14 to Winamac.

Indianapolis Chatard is one of four unbeatens in the Class 3A top 10. Chatard and Guerin Catholic are No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, with unbeaten Hanover Central, Gibson Southern and Tri-West completing the top five.

Heritage Hills is No. 6 followed by unbeatens Hamilton Heights and Tippecanoe Valley at No. 7 and No. 8. West Lafayette shares that No. 8 rating with Tippecanoe Valley and Lawrenceburg is No. 10

Other programs receiving votes are Batesville, Knox, Peru and Vincennes Lincoln. Knox and Peru are still undefeated.

After starting the season 0-2, New Palestine has won five straight and climbed to No. 3 in the Class 4A poll behind East Central and Evansville Reitz, both 7-0. Kokomo is No. 4 and unbeaten New Haven is No. 5.

Greenfield-Central leads the second five at No. 6 followed by New Prairie, Northridge, Evansville Memorial and unbeaten Mississinewa.

Other programs receiving votes are East Noble, Leo, Indianapolis Attucks, Pendleton Heights, Brebeuf Jesuit, Northview and South Bend Riley.

The top three remained the same in Class 5A with Bloomington North, Fort Wayne Snider and Bloomington South in the top three spots. Valparaiso is No. 4 followed by Harrison (West Lafayette), Plainfield, Merrillville, Decatur Central, Mishawaka and Floyd Central.

Evansville North is the only other program to receive votes in this week’s poll.

The top eight are unchanged in Class 6A with Center Grove leading the way. Ben Davis is No. 2 followed by Brownsburg, Crown Point, Hamilton Southeastern, Cathedral, Westfield and Fishers.

Penn moved up one spot to No. 9 and Carroll (Fort Wayne) is No. 10.

Also receiving votes are Lawrence North, Avon, Warsaw, Carmel and Warren Central.

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Triton Central and Waldron are host sites in the 52^nd Annual IHSAA Volleyball State Tournament. Sectional pairings as well as regional and semistate host sites were announced Sunday.

Sectional play begins Oct. 10 and continues through Oct. 14 in all four classifications (Class A to Class 4A).

Sectional champions will advance to four-team regional tournaments on Oct. 21. Semistate tournaments follow on Oct. 28 with the state championship matches scheduled for Nov. 4 at Ball State University’s Worthen Arena.

Class 4A, Sectional 14

Franklin High School is the host site for the six-team sectional.

The host Grizzly Cubs (18-8) will face East Central (14-10) in the first match of the sectional. The winner advances to take on Columbus East (8-17) in the semifinal round.

The second quarterfinal pits Shelbyville (2-23) against Columbus North 14-10). The winner will face Whiteland (16-8) in the semifinals.

The Golden Bears were swept by Columbus North on Aug. 17.

The sectional champion advances to the Bloomington North Regional to take on the Jasper Sectional champion.

Class 2A, Sectional 42

At Triton Central, the host Tigers (15-8) will battle Indiana Crossroads Conference rival Indianapolis Scecina (17-10) in the opening match. The winner gets Irvington Prep (12-8) in the semifinal round.

Scecina defeated Triton Central, 25-13, 25-21, 25-15, on Sept. 26.

In the other half of the bracket, Eastern Hancock (18-6) will face Indianapolis Riverside with the winner advancing to the championship match.

The Triton Central Sectional champion will travel to the Cascade Regional and face the Hagerstown Sectional champion in the regional semifinal round.

Class A, Sectional 60

Waldron is the host site and received a bye into the semifinal round where it will face either Edinburgh (6-15) or South Decatur (14-6).

In the quarterfinal matchups in the other half of the bracket, Morristown (10-5) will face Southwestern (8-15) and Oldenburg Academy (17-6) drew Jac-Cen-Del (7-12). The two winners will meet in the semifinal round.

The Waldron Sectional champion advances to meet the Indianapolis Lutheran Sectional winner in the semifinal round of the Edinburgh Regional.

Steve Bush photo

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The Shelbyville Tennis Sectional championship came down to one final set at No. 3 singles.

Shelbyville won both doubles matches. Waldron took the first two singles matches bringing the sectional title down to a No. 3 singles match between Waldron’s Jack Fischer and Shelbyville’s Barni Kovacs.

The pair did not face each other in the regular-season match.

Kovacs won the first set but Fischer secured the second set. Fischer raced out to a 5-2 advantage in the third set and finished off Kovacs, 6-3, to set off the championship celebration.

Waldron (19-4), with its first sectional title since 2019, will face the winner of the Connersville Sectional Tuesday in a semifinal match at the Center Grove Regional. Center Grove will face the winner of the Perry Meridian Sectional in the other regional semifinal.

Shelbyville’s No. 1 doubles pairing of Karson Schaf (photo, right) and Aiden Smith (photo, left), now 20-4 this season, advanced into the state doubles tournament with their win Friday over the Mohawks.

They could face Triton Central’s Connor Evans and Eli Sego in the sectional doubles tournament that starts next week at Center Grove. Evans and Sego won their sectional semifinal match Thursday to qualify for the state doubles tournament.

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Shelbyville scored four goals in the second half to secure a 6-3 Hoosier Heritage Conference win Saturday over visiting Yorktown.

With the win, the Golden Bears closed out their regular-season schedule with a 12-4 record (4-3 HHC).

Ava Wilson scored Shelbyville’s first three goals on Senior Night and added another goal late to complete the scoring. Sydney Baker and Cyanne St. Bernard also scored against the Tigers.

Nina Fischer scored twice for Yorktown (10-5-1, 2-5 HHC) and Clara McCammon tallied a goal in the loss.

Shelbyville will host HHC-rival New Palestine (9-6-1) Tuesday in the Class 3A, Sectional 12 opener for both teams. The Dragons defeated Shelbyville, 3-1, on Sept. 23.

In other prep events:

Girls soccer

Triton Central 5, Greensburg 2

At Triton Central, five different Tigers scored a goal to net the win in the regular-season finale.

Vivian Blye, Elaina Maurice, Ariel Walker, Abby Byrd and Farah Coen each had a goal to improve the Tigers to 8-7.

Greensburg dropped to 4-11.

Triton Central hosts Wapahani (9-5-1) Tuesday in a Class A, Sectional 44 contest in Fairland.

Cross country

Nike XC Town Twilight

At Lavern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Shelbyville senior Hannah Wright placed 31^st in the first of two open races in a time of 21 minutes, 15 seconds – a new personal best, and finished 50^th out of a combined 642 total runners in the two open events.

Also for Shelbyville, Aerin Garcia-Santiago placed 170^th in the first open race in 23:44 and Sonora O’Connor placed 246^th in 25:29.

There were 358 participants in the first open race.

Waldron’s Riley Price, also running in the first open race, finished the course in 23:37 to finish 164^th. Audrey Hogg was 284^th in 26:39.

In the first of two boys open races, Waldron’s Will Larrison finished 18^th in 16:59, which left him 68^th in the combined standings of the two races which featured 972 total runners.

Also for Waldron, Jared Crosby finished 129^th in 19:28.

Shia Veach led the Shelbyville boys with a 136^th-place finish in 18:30. Logan Reinhart placed 153^rd in 18:38. And Gavin Harker (226^th in 19:31) and Blake Hughes (237^th in 19:37) also had top-250 finishes in the first open race.

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