TERRE HAUTE —
Calvin Blank has been a prominent basketball player since being one of the biggest sixth-graders in the Vigo County middle school ranks several years ago, but he’ll say goodbye to that sport in a few months.
The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Terre Haute North senior was an all-state tight end in football this fall — and could just as easily have been an all-state defensive end — and will be heading to Ball State to continue his career in that sport.
You’d expect, therefore, that he would have plenty of plans in mind about how to celebrate his final season on the court, and he does. Those plans don’t center around Calvin Blank, however.
“It’s sad … I’m looking at [this season] as the last year I’ll play basketball with teammates I’ve played with my whole life,” Blank said earlier this week.
And to commemorate the occasion?
“Just finish out on top,” he answered. “Win the sectional again, win the Pizza Hut [Wabash Valley Classic] again … set a standard for the younger guys coming in to follow through and work toward.”
Those younger guys could do worse than following Blank’s example, coach Todd Woelfle pointed out.
“The biggest compliment I can give Calvin is that he’s a fierce competitor — and a winner,” Woelfle said. “A lot of athletes want to win, but a select few are willing to pay the price it takes to be successful.”
North coaches knew what they could expect from Blank long before he got to high school, and it had little to do with the way he was dominating games for Otter Creek.
“He’s very passionate about basketball, and very much a student of the game,” said Woelfle, who remembers Calvin tagging along to practice with his three older brothers — and remembers him being able to give details on past Patriot games that he watched his brothers play.
Playing with and against Ben, Luke and Nate while growing up gave Calvin a leg up on his early competition too — and probably helped keep him from being complacent with his middle school success.
“I could see where my genetics were going to take me,” Calvin said this week when asked about his Otter Creek years. “I wanted to be the best player I could be, and I wanted to expand my game.”
The expansion got an unexpected boost three years ago, when Blank became a trusted reserve as a freshman on the Patriot varsity.
“Once he accepted being a role guy, he grew as a player,” Woelfle pointed out. “Now he’s our main scorer, and he accepts those responsibilities and he responds to that challenge.”
It’s a change, admitted Blank, who was third on the team in scoring as the Patriots reached the regional championship game a year ago but who is averaging 22 points per game so far this year.
“Since Matt O’Leary and Ross Sponsler [last year’s top two scorers] left, I need to pick up my scoring somewhat,” he admitted, “and I have to step into a leadership role, set a standard.”
Woelfle has been happy about what he’s seen in those areas.
“He continually brings effort and enthusiasm every single day,” the coach said, “and the true test of his character is how hard he works when no one is watching. He’s a tremendous all-around athlete … he makes everyone around him better, and he’s very unselfish on the court.”
Although Blank is big and strong, a good shooter inside and outside and a talented and willing passer, he says his main strength as a player is “my will to win.”
He feels he has good company in that area.
“We have a lot of work to do from now until March,” he said, “but we have a good group of seniors who are about playing as a team and not about being individuals and we have a great group of coaches who prepare us to the best of their abilities.
“We just want to win championships.”
High School
Related Photos
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Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza Wait for it...wait for it...: Terre Haute North's Calvin Blank, center, readies for a rebound with his teammates during practice Thursday at North.
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Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza Defensive stance: Terre Haute North's Calvin Blank guards teammate Patrick Hart during the Patriots' team practice Thursday at North.
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Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza Don't be the last one: Terre Haute North's Calvin Blank runs with his teammates during practice Thursday at North.
Discussion
PREP PROFILE: Calvin Blank taking on larger scoring role for Terre Haute North
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North baseball pulls away from South in sectional opener
In high school baseball little things mean a lot, and the crack in the door doesn’t have to be open very wide.
Terre Haute North burst through that crack in the bottom of the second inning Wednesday evening at Terre Haute South, scoring seven two-out runs and going on to a surprisingly easy 12-2 victory over the host Braves. -
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The Vikings scored four runs in the first inning of the first sectional game and went on to defeat Brown County 10-0 in five innings with Kevin Stewart hurling a two-hitter. -
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The Knights hit three home runs in an eight-run third inning to reach the championship game. -
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But on the Yankees, a 35-and-over team in the Terre Haute Men’s Senior Baseball League, Terry is “just a youngster” if you ask Larry Roesch, his 68-year-old teammate on the Volkers Group Yankees. -
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Shakamak improved to 22-3 on the season behind a complete-game effort from Brett Yeryar, and Patrick Green hit two solo home runs in a high school baseball game Monday.
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Terre Haute North offense unable to get going in loss to Mooresville
Jack Kirchner chose to give credit Monday night to Mooresville pitcher Taylor Chitwood, not to the Greg Maddux-size strike zone she seemed to enjoy.
But if there were no excuses forthcoming from Kirchner and his Terre Haute North High School softball team, it wouldn’t have been hard to find a spectator or two to come up with extenuating circumstances about the Patriots’ 4-1 loss at the Class 4A Martinsville Sectional. -
Terre Haute North looking strong going into girls track regional
Terre Haute North might need an off night for anyone to catch them in the girls track regional at Evansville Central.
The Patriots are as well-rounded as they’ve ever been, and two relay teams are state contenders with times ranking No. 2 in Indiana among times recorded all spring.
Terre Haute South, Northview and Sullivan have athletes among the contenders in multiple events as well. -
South tennis ready for potential challenge in regional
Terre Haute South and Northview take respective records of 10-5 and 11-5 into the Greencastle Regional today.
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Softball sectionals up for grabs
All three Vigo County high schools and Northview appear to have a realistic chance of winning sectional championships in softball this week.
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Terre Haute South, Northview vie for tennis regional title
Terre Haute South and Northview take respective records of 10-5 and 11-5 into the Greencastle Regional today.
Coach Bill Blankenbaker’s Braves will play Seeger at 4:30 p.m., while coach Emily Goff’s Knights will take on Crawfordsville about 6 p.m. -
Vikings win in extra innings at Rockville
West Vigo scored six runs in its first two innings Saturday, then needed a ninth-inning single by Lucas Fagg to escape with a 7-6 extra-inning win in nonconference high school baseball at Rockville.
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TH South beats Northview in Big Four makeup baseball game
Terre Haute South wrapped up a share of the MIC baseball title and finished up the Big Four Classic with an 8-1 victory over Northview in less than 24 hours on Saturday morning.
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Olds pitches South to share of MIC baseball title
Friday night, winning the second game 5-0 and earning a share of the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference high school baseball title.
Damon Olds was dominant on the mound for the Braves, striking out 14 and walking just one while pitching a three-hit shutout. -
South wins first half of doubleheader against Lawrence North
Host Terre Haute South kept its Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference high school baseball title hopes alive — and clinched no worse than second place in the process — by downing Lawrence North 4-1 in the first game of a doubleheader Friday night.
The second game, which started after Senior Night festivities between games, ended past the Tribune-Star deadline. -
PREP ROUNDUP: Calleja pitches West Vigo past South Vermillion
Brandon Calleja had 13 strikeouts to lead West Vigo to a 5-1 victory against South Vermillion in high school baseball Friday.
Brandon Behringer went 2 for 4 with two RBI for the Vikings, who secured second place in the Western Indiana Conference.
Kaden Lawson had double for South Vermillion (15-7), which finished 4-2 in the WIC. -
Seibert returns from injury to win three events as Braves win sectional crown
His baseball equivalent might be Rick Sutcliffe of the 1984 Chicago Cubs.
When Tyler Seibert returned to the Terre Haute South track and field lineup Thursday for sectional action at Terre Haute North, it was like the midseason trade the Cubs made for Sutcliffe that earned them a playoff spot. -
South switches up lineup to defeat North in tennis sectional
Terre Haute South coach Bill Blankenbaker said two weeks ago that he would change the Braves’ lineup after the 3-2 dual-meet loss to Terre Haute North.
The Patriots knew it was coming, but they couldn’t do anything to stop it. -
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Terre Haute North gets 10 event victories to claim 12th straight sectional crown
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North, South to meet in first round of baseball sectional
The Indiana High School Athletic Association announced pairings for the baseball state tournament Tuesday and the draw offered up a Vigo County battle in the opening game.
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PREP ROUNDUP: West Vigo softball clinches share of WIC title
West Vigo clinched at least a share of the Western Indiana Conference softball title with a 6-4 victory over Edgewood on Tuesday.
Jacy McClain and Bailee Waters had RBI singles in the fourth inning to break the game open for the Vikings. - More High School Headlines
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