TERRE HAUTE — Because the high school football season is so short — and because almost all of its games are played on the same night every week — the annual Wabash Valley Football Coaches Association All-Star game will probably continue to remain one of my highlight events of every year.
Judging by the number of fans who sat out in 90-degree weather to watch it on Saturday night, it appears others may share that opinion.
Thanks to conference affiliations and to the job description that gives me a Vigo County team to watch each Friday, there are a lot of names in the Wabash Valley that I know only from telephone exchanges much later on those Friday nights. If I see North Central play, for example, it’s almost always the Panthers from Indianapolis and not the Thunderbirds from Farmersburg.
There are plenty of high school football players around here that I rarely get to see — or more importantly, walk their sideline.
Thus my opinion that the WVFCA is the greatest thing since sliced bread, and that First Financial Bank and the Terre Haute Convention and Visitors Bureau deserve pats on the back for helping the enterprise get off the ground. Ditto to Sir Thomas Automotive, Pete Varda and anyone else who kicks in money for scholarships for so many of the players.
With that, a couple of observations on Saturday’s game.
• Statistical issues — Rockville’s Aaron Bridge probably has the Wabash Valley Football Coaches Association All-Star game record for most passes announced as having caught without catching any.
Bridge and Terre Haute North’s Frank Willis — who caught four balls for 28 yards in Saturday’s game on my stat sheet — were both wearing No. 5 for the North All-Stars. Both are about the same size. And to make matters worse, Bridge was wearing a Terre Haute North helmet just like Willis was.
Like I said, I think Frank caught all four (and Aaron himself told me Frank caught the first two; I didn’t have a chance to ask about the others). But if I’m on the sideline and I can’t tell for sure, I can’t imagine how frustrating it was for the public address announcer and for Kevin Lanke and his Rose-Hulman stat crew up in the box.
The three No. 4s in the North lineup, by the way, were a little easier to sort out. Matt King of Rockville, the tallest one, was playing quarterback and occasionally wide receiver. Kameron Silcock of West Vigo was the one gaining yardage in the middle. And Jarrett Ban of North Putnam was the one breaking away for long receptions or punt returns.
• Speaking of Rose-Hulman — I’m thinking that Rose-Hulman coach Steve Englehart is going to enjoy Casey’s Mitch Snyder.
Snyder’s 27-yard bullet to Billy Sisson of North in the third quarter was the eye-opening throw of the night, and he even showed a lot more maneuverability than I realized he had when he pulled the ball down and gained seven yards on one play. But it’s the arm that Steve is going to like.
Mitch throws a lot like that kid I spotted as a freshman at Terre Haute North’s Midnight Madness practice quite a few years ago (or when he was North’s ball boy before that). What was that North kid’s name again?
• Speaking of North Putnam — Greg Barrett and Tom Jones were the two people crazy enough to think this all-star game might work in the first place, so I’ll always have a soft spot for them for that. But, as I’ve already told Greg, I have bad news for him.
After three of the most prominent players Saturday were Ban, Seth Vondesaar and Josh Keyt of his Cougars, he’s not going to be nearly as good a coach next year. And the North Putnam guy who was supposed to be the best of the four, Griffin Dahlstrom, didn’t even play because of recent shoulder surgery.
• The only bad news — I half-eavesdropped my way into finding out the news about the automobile accident involving Rockville underclassman Billy Bettis. Join me in praying for his full recovery, and maybe we’ll see him back in uniform pretty soon.
Andy Amey can be reached after 4 p.m. for comments or news items at (812) 231-4277 or 1-800-783-8742; by e-mail at andy.amey@tribstar.com; by mail at P.O. Box 149, Terre Haute, IN, 47808; or by fax at (812) 231-4321.
Amey Takes Aim
Amey Takes Aim: All-Star football game ‘greatest thing since sliced bread’
- Amey Takes Aim
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Getting ready for the dance
Terre Haute North got the good news Sunday night — or did it?
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Harrowing path for state hopefuls
The bad news is that the winner of Class 4A Sectional 13 in boys basketball heads northeast instead of southeast for regional play in March — to Hinkle Fieldhouse instead of Seymour as a result of Indiana High School Athletic Association’s changes.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: A superior all-star arrangement
I don’t work on Wednesdays, so I wasn’t able to attend the first Wabash Valley Football Coaches Association draft last week to set up the annual all-star game that will be June 23 this year.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: The biggest & baddest of a holiday classic
There are more things to love about the Pizza Hut Wabash Valley Classic than could fit in this newspaper, but one of this year’s best things was that for an hour or so on Wednesday, it was Justin Paddock’s world and we were just living in it.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Taking note of ISU’s latest football win
The biggest difference I’ve noticed, as I transition from the high school football beat to quasi-official status as the Indiana State football beat writer for a few weeks, is the length of the games.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: IHSAA playoff draw not as bad as it could have been
First reaction to the Indiana sectional football pairings drawn late Sunday by the Indiana High School Athletic Association? It could have been a lot worse.
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ANDY AMEY: Between the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & a hard place
Just in case any of you noticed — with some anticipation — the recent lack of my bylines, I can tell you that your wish (and mine) did come true. It was vacation week for the Amey family.
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Amey Takes Aim: UFC fighter’s bloodines traced back to ISU brothers
As a mild-mannered reporter from a great metropolitan newspaper — or thereabouts — I admit I haven’t paid much attention to the burgeoning mixed martial arts scene.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Predators’ win is music to new fan’s ears
For many, many years, the number of live games televised on WGN has been cited as perhaps the main reason for the popularity of the Chicago Cubs (it’s got to be something besides masochism, right?).
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AMEY TAKES AIM: You’ll be having a good ol’ time on vacation with the Ameys
When one of the first people you meet is Tammy Wynette’s stepdaughter, when you’ve stepped on the feet of people you haven’t met while trying to navigate Ernest Tubbs’ old Silver Eagle tour bus, and when the activities director of your resort is, well, Elvis, you might be vacationing in Nashville.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: The Annual All-Amey basketball teams close out the prep season
The most encouraging boys high school basketball event I’ve attended so far in 2011 has been the Lafayette Semistate a couple of weeks ago.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Family remembers Cheryl Weatherman as caring grandmother
As far as Riley and Keely Davis are concerned, Cheryl Weatherman was simply their grandmother, and a pretty darn good one at that.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Honor to see Turkey Run girls close out memorable career
I don’t know if anyone in this part of the state could actually say they enjoy going to Fort Wayne and back, but I was glad to see the Turkey Run Warriors play one last time during the girls basketball state finals Saturday.
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So many matches, so many favorites
Go ahead, ask me anything about the 224 wrestlers who competed last week at the Indiana state finals — or at least about the 112 wrestlers who survived Saturday’s first round.
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ANDY TAKES AIM: A sportwriters’s lament: Oh, the games we missed
I was already tired of winter by the time that first bitterly cold snap passed through in mid-December, so it’s safe to say the season hasn’t grown on me.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Time of the season for teams to tough it out
In the last month or so I figure I’ve seen at least four boys high school basketball teams with legitimate state-championship dreams as the season heads into its dog days.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: It's the fall 2010 Amey Awards
I won’t get to know the kids from Casey and North Putnam until they come to Terre Haute in droves next June for the Wabash Valley Football Coaches Association All-Star game, so I guess it’s not too early for the high school football awards from this space.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: An early look at Indiana prep football playoffs
I wasn’t at all surprised to watch Linton pick up a 20-point win over previously unbeaten North Knox in high school football last Friday, one week after the Miners had lost by 40 to North Daviess.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Baseball season rounding third for an exciting ending
Major League baseball is coming down to an interesting week for the National League, then a couple of interesting weeks for the American League.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Look for me in the yellow shirt
I won’t be wearing pink or blue tonight for the Terre Haute South-Terre Haute North volleyball match at North, but I’m anticipating that plenty of you will be.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Little QB had big moments in ISU blue
You won’t find his name easily in the Indiana State record book, but for my money the best quarterback the Sycamores have ever had was Verbie Walder.
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Amey Takes Aim: Biggest baseball pet peeve … Nibbling
Having seen some outstanding baseball — and some not-so-outstanding baseball — at literally every level of play this spring and summer, I have identified what without a doubt is my main pet peeve with the sport. Nibbling. I’m not referring to popcorn or pretzels or nachos or cheese sticks or corn dogs or snow cones or candy or ice cream. Those can also be a serious problem — particularly if the kids are with me — but one that can be solved by simply running out of money.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Head to the high seas: Ameys’ vacation cruise
It’s good to be king. Abdication? Not so good.
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World Cup replaces void opened when Stanley Cup ended
It’s niche sports day here at the Tribune-Star, so we’ll start with a test of how much you learned while watching the recent National Hockey League season.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Win or lose, a softball season to remember
Well, this is awkward. I’m writing this late Monday night, with my Tuesday and Wednesday days off in the future, not knowing entirely how happy I am with state-finals softball.
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Amey Takes Aim: Wabash Valley is a softball powerhouse
Greetings from the high school softball capital of Indiana. Your Tribune-Star will be spending all day Saturday at Ben Davis, dominating the press box and elbowing those other newspapers to the back row where they belong. No other paper has as many teams to cover as we do (go Panthers, go Miners and go Patriots); The Times and Post-Tribune get off to a good start with Whiting (against Riverton Parke) and Wheeler (versus Linton), but couldn’t get anything going among the bigger schools (now that my cousin Keith Hauber no longer coaches at Lake Central).
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Amey Takes Aim: NHL playoffs > NBA playoffs
Eavesdropping, as I often do, at a couple of sporting events recently, I heard conversations that warmed my heart. At both the Rose-Hulman baseball game recently and the Terre Haute North-Terre Haute South girls tennis match a week ago, I heard spirited arguments involving — the NHL playoffs.
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Amey Takes Aim: Amey family travels to Astros land
I have an uneasy feeling that I know what I’m getting for Fathers Day. Not sure how your family celebrates that holiday, but mine uses it to get me things I wouldn’t otherwise buy for myself. It’s probably the only reason I ever got a cell phone, and a couple of years ago it was a good excuse for a flat-screen TV for the living room. Yes, I use both of them now.
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Amey Takes Aim: Favorite group for boys basketball Amey Awards ... Most Improved team
As much as I enjoyed the girls high school basketball season this past winter, I liked the boys season even better; something about a team winning its last game — or another team practically becoming the 2010 version of “Hoosiers” — will do that for you. Maybe that’s the excuse for having a record number of captains for some of the Andy Amey teams, as you are about to see.
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ANDY AMEY: Butter your popcorn! It’s time for the Amey Awards!
Yes, you’re right. The high school girls basketball season has been over for awhile, which can only mean the Andy Amey teams are getting out a little late this spring.
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