TERRE HAUTE — There were no reports of worms being gathered, but on Monday the early birds — in Vigo County, that would be Terre Haute South and Terre Haute North — may have had the advantage on the first day of high school football practices in Indiana.
The Braves and Patriots had their first official workouts in the relative cool of the morning — “The first practice was nice and cool,” coach Chris Barrett of North joked after it was over — while West Vigo, which traditionally meets in the afternoon and evenings for coach Jeff Cobb, ran into a steamy beginning before temperatures moderated for an early-evening session.
“We’ve been pretty lucky, weather-wise,” Cobb said Monday as the Vikings hit the weight room prior to their evening meal (prediction: the watermelon didn’t last long). “But we had a reality check today. We adjusted some of what we did [because of the heat].”
Not a lot of adjustments were necessary. By mandate, teams are limited to a pair of 90-minute sessions on the first two days before donning pads on Wednesday. By that time the days are predicted to be a little more fall-like, although today’s practices are expected to provide another endurance test.
By the weekend, all three Vigo County teams will be ready for at least some kind of scrimmage activity: the Vikings with a 10 a.m. workout open to the public for the admission charge of soap or a towel; the Braves with what coach Mark Raetz called “full team activity” from approximately 10 to 11:30 a.m.; and the Patriots with their annual soap game at 6 p.m. Preseason scrimmages are Aug. 15 — Northview at South and North at Decatur Central at 7 p.m., West Vigo at North Montgomery at 7:30.
West Vigo has the smallest squad among the three schools, with approximately 60 players, but the Vikings have one thing the other two teams don’t: a returning starting quarterback in senior Landon Keith.
“Nothing can replace that varsity experience,” Cobb said of Keith, “and he’s worked hard in the offseason.”
Keith may still have a few things to learn, however; the Vikings have added Ernie Simpson to their staff as offensive coordinator, and Simpson — who’s spent the last several years at South Vermillion — may try to meld some of his spread principles to the Vikings’ wing-T.
North and South, on the other hand, have the same offenses but will have to replace a pair of all-Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference quarterbacks, John Garvin at North and the county’s Humphrey Award winner, Koby Kraemer, at South.
Bryn Schwartz and Mitchell Dagnon are competing for Kraemer’s old job, where Raetz has approximately 105 players to work with, while Chris O’Leary appears to be inheriting Garvin’s job with the Patriots. North has almost 130 players right now.
“They’ve been working hard all offseason,” Raetz said of his players. “This is the second season in this system, both offensively and defensively, so we hope we can improve on the field this year.”
O’Leary won’t be the most experienced member of North’s backfield, but he won’t be the youngest either. Ben King is still just a junior but has earned two letters at running back, and slotback Daniel Gabbard is a sophomore who also got some starts as a ninth-grader.
Another relative newcomer for the Patriots is coach Ethan Tyler, who takes over as defensive coordinator after Greg Barrett, the youngest of the coaching sons of the late Jay Barrett, took his first head coaching job at North Putnam.
“He’s going to do a great job,” Chris Barrett predicted of Tyler. “He worked with Greg real closely, and he brings a ton of knowledge and enthusiasm.”
South has 14 starters returning from a 2-8 team, while North and West Vigo have 13 starters each back from teams that were 3-8 and 4-6 respectively.
High School
High schools hit the gridiron
- High School
-
-
South’s Lough to wrestle for state title
The day didn’t start in a promising fashion for Wabash Valley high school wrestlers at the Evansville Semistate in Ford Center on Saturday — but it got better as it went along.
-
TERRE HAUTE NORTH SECTIONAL: Mooresville tops South for fourth straight title
For Terre Haute South High School girls basketball fans, it might sound good that the Braves did not miss a shot in the first four minutes of their Class 4A Terre Haute North Sectional championship game Saturday.
-
BLOOMFIELD SECTIONAL: Sullivan rebounds from tough start for title
It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.
Sullivan struggled mightily in the first half, eerily reminiscent of its eventual elimination in the final seconds of overtime by Edgewood in last year’s Class 3A girls basketball sectional. -
CLAY CITY SECTIONAL: Eels take third straight sectional crown
Clay City stood up to the pressure and to the Shakamak Lakers on Saturday night to win a third straight Class A sectional championship in the Eel Dome.
-
NORTH VERMILLION SECTIONAL: Twenty years in the waiting
The Super Bowl came to a new city. A presidential election was ongoing. And Riverton Parke won a girls basketball sectional.
-
PREP ROUNDUP: Rox clinch WRC
Class A No. 8-ranked Rockville knocked off Attica 50-35 in boys high school basketball Saturday afternoon, clinching the Wabash River Conference championship in the process.
-
THN SECTIONAL: Braves to play Mooresville for sectional title tonight
Terre Haute South continued to show what’s new and Terre Haute North unfortunately reverted back to what’s old in Class 4A high school girls basketball sectional action Friday night at North.
-
OWEN VALLEY SECTIONAL: Eagles bring Vikes down to earth
Baby steps. A baby takes that first step and grins, then attempts the second step and tumbles. The West Vigo High School girls took their first step with a victory Tuesday night in the Class 3A basketball sectional at Owen Valley.
-
BLOOMFIELD SECTIONAL: Sullivan jumps to early lead in sectional victory
Sullivan jumped out to a 9-0 lead and were never threatened in a dominant 48-25 win over Eastern Greene in a semifinal game of the Class 2A Bloomfield girls basketball sectional inside Glover Gymnasium on Friday.
-
North Vermillion Sectional: Panthers, Falcons to meet for NV title
Outstanding defense and quality passing landed Riverton Parke in the championship game of the Class A North Vermillion Sectional. The Panthers will have to get through the host school tonight in order to secure the program’s first sectional crown since 1992.
-
South swimmers don’t advance at Finals
Terre Haute South’s trip to the IHSAA girls swimming state finals at the Indiana University Natatorium was a short one Friday night.
-
South runs into talented North Central team
Terre Haute South players and coaches knew when they got off the bus Saturday afternoon that they couldn’t run with the Class 4A No. 3-ranked Indianapolis North Central Panthers.
But they tried anyway. -
BASKETBALL ROUNDUP: Duncan’s OT free throws help Marshall down H-P
Jacob Duncan hit four free throws in overtime Friday night as visiting Marshall defeated Hutsonville-Palestine 51-49 in Little Illini Conference action.
-
O'Leary pours in career-high 34 for Terre Haute North
Matt O’Leary poured in a career-high 34 points, 17 in each half, to lead Terre Haute North to a dominant 69-46 home victory over Center Grove in Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference boys high school basketball Saturday afternoon.
-
Davis hits layup in double overtime to lift Terre Haute North at Bloomington North
Playing without their two leading scorers against a team that — most of the time — seemed more determined to win than they did, Terre Haute North's Patriots got a driving layup from Steven Davis with 2.8 seconds left in the second overtime to escape Bloomington North with a 54-52 win in high school basketball Thursday night.
-
Sullivan stays on top of WIC for third straight year
Western Indiana Conference boys basketball teams have been trying to storm the Sullivan castle for three years now. The Golden Arrows have endured nearly every kind of strategy in the effort to breech their wall. West Vigo tried a few more on Thursday in a showdown for the WIC championship.
-
South girls looking for solid performances at swimming state finals
One individual and one relay team, which includes that same individual, will represent Terre Haute South in the IHSAA girls swimming state finals today and possibly Saturday at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis.
-
PREP ROUNDUP: Cesinger, Jones each score 24 in Clay City win
Blake Cesinger and Brylan Jones poured in 24 points apiece to lead visiting Clay City over North Central 67-53 in SouthWestern Indiana Athletic Conference boys high school basketball Thursday night.
-
Teutopolis knocks off record-setting Marshall girls in regional championship
Marshall jumped ahead 4-0 only to watch Teutopolis score the next 11 points Thursday in the championship game of the Class 2A Teutopolis Regional.
-
Sullivan wins battle in low post
Sullivan dominated the low block at both ends of the court Wednesday to defeat South Knox 43-30.
-
State wrestling berths won't come easily
If high school wrestlers thought regional competition was tough last weekend, they can expect the competition, as Keegan Michael Key used to say on MADtv, taken to “a whole notha level” on Saturday.
-
South pulls upset
Plainfield’s 16-5 record made the Quakers the team to beat in the Class 4A Terre Haute North Sectional.
-
Vikings break long sectional drought
You’ll have to forgive West Vigo for celebrating just a wee bit prior to the postgame handshake with South Vermillion, but its first victory in a sectional game in 11 years was worthy of celebrating.
-
PREP ROUNDUP: RP rolls past Attica
Riverton Parke jumped to a 20-point halftime lead and easily defeated Attica 59-34 in the Class A North Vermillion girls basketball sectional on Tuesday.
-
They’re the pride of Marshall
With a 24-1 record, coach Kathy Miller’s Marshall team earned the top seed in the Class 2A Teutopolis Regional.
-
Union season more fun with Talpas around
The Union boys basketball team has had its share of fun moments in the past, arguably the most fun being its Class A state runner-up in 2000.
-
Injury bug follows girls into postseason
Who’s healthy is the question at least three of the four teams will be asking tonight when Class 4A girls high school basketball sectional play begins at Terre Haute North.
-
Rockville needs late run to stop West Vigo
It was a game of fits and starts, but host Rockville finally overcame a stiff challenge from visiting West Vigo in a 53-46 victory in boys high basketball action on Saturday.
-
Northview holds off Plainfield
Northview got its sixth victory in boys high school basketball action Saturday night, defeating Plainfield 59-56.
-
PREP ROUNDUP: Cloverdale helps Rady to career win No. 714
Brandon Dorman and Joe Fidler combined for 37 points and six 3-pointers Saturday night as visiting Cloverdale defeated Turkey Run 63-45 in boys high school basketball.
- More High School Headlines
-
South’s Lough to wrestle for state title
Raw Video: Greek Rioting Ahead of Austerity Vote
Coroner: Houston Autopsy Results Weeks Away
Greece Passes New Austerity Deal Amid Rioting
Pop Music Superstar Whitney Houston Dies at 48
Raw Video: Child Rescued After Kosovo Avalanche
Whitney Houston's Church Mourns Her Passing
Reaction to Houston's Death at Clive Davis Party
Raw Video: Whitney Houston's Last Performance
Severe Cold Wreaks Havoc in China
Police: Houston Found Dead in Her Hotel Room
Fuel Removal Under Way on Capsized Italian Ship
Fans 'Speechless' Over Houston's Death
Snow Strands Italian Towns
79 Turtles Seized at Shanghai Airport
Video of M.I.A's Obscene Halftime Gesture
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
'Rumor Has It' Adele's Rolling in the Grammys
Today in History for Tuesday, February 12th
Recording Superstar Whitney Houston Dead at 48
Stocks Fall Sharply As Greek Deal Is Held Up
Adele's revealing "60 Minutes" interview
Exclusive Video: Bobbi Kristina Leaving Hospital
Lusetich: AT&T Recap
Raw Video: Aurora Borealis As Seen From Space
2012 Grammys: Rihanna
2.12: Pebble Beach Pro-Am -- Phil Mickelson
2012 Grammys: Taylor Swift
Exclusive Video - Whitney's Bodybag
FUEL TV: Punk Payback Gym tips
Whitney's Final Days - EXCLUSIVE
Romney Tops Santorum in CPAC Straw Poll
First glimpse of Blue Ivy Carter
Angry Dad Shoots Teens Laptop
Peek inside Barbie's closet
Absolute Lin-sanity
Madonna's Daughter Shaves Head
5 Killed in Wrong-way Crash on I-10 in La.
