TERRE HAUTE —
A few minutes after being announced as one of his high school football team’s four captains for the upcoming season at the conclusion of Monday morning’s practice, Danny Etling called it the best thing that had happened to him since the end of the 2011 campaign.
So if Terre Haute South fans are looking for a good omen for the upcoming season, that should be one. After all, Etling’s offseason didn’t lack for other highlights.
“I was offered [a football scholarship] by ISU, Purdue, Iowa and Colorado, and Wisconsin came in late,” the senior quarterback said in listing some of them. “I accepted a scholarship from Purdue [in the spring], I went to a bunch of Elite 11 camps [with the best quarterbacks in the nation], I got my ranking up to 169 in the nation [among all senior players] and I got voted team captain. [Being chosen by my teammates] was the best so far.”
“Obviously he had a great offseason,” coach Mark Raetz said of Etling, who neglected to add the Manning Passing Academy — where he hung out with the son of one of his biggest fans, former Brave and current Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron — to his list of activities. “He’s taken part in some camps and some events that to my knowledge no one else around here has been invited to.
“[Those honors] represent the level and amount of hard work and commitment he’s put in to be the best quarterback he can be,” Raetz continued. “Everything he’s done, he’s earned.
“Now we just need it to translate onto the field this season.”
That’s where his own focus is too, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Etling said Monday.
“I think we have a really good team, and will have a lot better season [than last year’s 3-7],” he noted. “All the guys have great chemistry, and we all look out for each other.”
A little luck wouldn’t hurt either. South started 3-0 last fall and looked like an offensive powerhouse — until Etling ran out of people to throw to, and the Braves’ offense wasn’t hard to figure out.
“I think three receivers got hurt the first three weeks,” Etling recalled, “and after that we couldn’t get over the hump.”
Two of those injured receivers, current seniors Tyler Seibert and Logan Steward, have proven to be fully recovered — and there were others who got some experience when they were unavailable a year ago.
“Having Seibert [another of the South captains, along with lineman Brandon Russell-Cherry and defensive back/linebacker Derik Whalen] and Stewie back will be a big help,” Etling predicted. “We’ve got a lot of weapons.”
Unquestionably the quarterback is one of the biggest of those weapons. Although Etling didn’t make the final Elite 11 list for its televised final — 25 quarterbacks competed for 11 spots in a five-day session at Redondo Beach, Calif. — he was very close, and had first-place votes from some of the selectors.
Of course this year’s South opponents are aware of that too.
“They’re not going to take us lightly,” Etling said of the teams on South’s schedule. “I’m going to have a target on my back … and we’re not a sleeper team anymore. But my teammates will help take a lot of the pressure off my back; they’ll bear it with me.”
“It’ll be a little different,” Raetz said as he looked forward to the season. “We know teams will be coming at us, and doing what they can to take away what Danny does well.
“But we have most of our offense back, outside of the running backs. We’ve made some adjustments and we’ve added some things,” the coach continued. “And with the schedule we play, it’s always going to be a challenge, no matter what we do offensively.”
High School
Related Photos
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Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza He'll keep this one: Terre Haute South quarterback Danny Etling fakes the handoff to teammate Ian Newton during the Braves' first practice of the season Monday at South.
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Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza Long range: Terre Haute South quarterback Danny Etling spots an open wide receiver down the field during the Braves' first day of practice Monday at South.
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Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza Grab and go: Terre Haute South's Tyler Seibert cuts through the defense after he caught a Danny Etling pass during the Braves' first day of practice Monday at South.
Discussion
Arm cocked & ready, feet firmly grounded
Of honors, team captain most precious to Etling
- High School
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Big group of Wabash Valley boys head to Evansville looking for state berths
The top four finishers in each event from last week’s Terre Haute North, Evansville Central, Jasper and Princeton boys high school track and field sectionals will converge on Evansville Central today for regional competition.
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West Vigo comes up short against 19-9 Brown County softball
West Vigo got off to a good start but Brown County finished better in Class 3A high school softball sectional semifinal action Tuesday night at Edgewood.
The Eagles bested the Vikings 7-5 and will meet South Vermillion, a 12-7 winner over Owen Valley, for the sectional championship on Thursday starting at 6 p.m.
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Valley baseball teams have been keeping busy heading into sectionals
When high school baseball sectionals begin around the Wabash Valley today, one complaint that’s not expected to be heard from any coach is that his team has had too much time off.
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Northview powers way past Terre Haute South in sectional semifinal
Northview unleashed power rarely seen in high school girls softball Tuesday night to eliminate Terre Haute South 8-1 in the Class 4A Sectional at Martinsville High School.
The Knights hit three home runs in an eight-run third inning to reach the championship game. -
Terre Haute North dominates field at regional
Keirra Porter took first place in two individual events and helped Terre Haute North win one of its relays as the Patriots captured the Evansville Central Regional team championship in girls high school track and field Tuesday night.
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PREP ROUNDUP: South tennis cruises into regional final
Terre Haute South didn’t lose a game en route to blanking Seeger 5-0 in girls high school tennis Tuesday to advance to today’s championship match against Crawfordsville in the Greencastle Regional.
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Terry enjoys strong year with Wildcats, and still enjoying suiting up to play
South Vermillion’s Tim Terry is the longest tenured coach in Wabash Valley high school baseball as his Wildcats are set to begin sectional play Thursday against Owen Valley.
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. -
West Vigo softball holds off nemesis Edgewood in softball sectional
Ice cream was enough of a reward Monday night after the West Vigo Vikings beat eight-time defending champion Edgewood 6-2 in extra innings in the opening game of the Class 3A softball sectional at Edgewood High School. But that’s not what Vikings want.
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PREP ROUNDUP: Shakamak's Green hits two homers in win over West Vigo
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. -
PREP ROUNDUP: North slips past Northview in eight-inning baseball game
Colton Pittman drew a bases-loaded walk to score Zach Milam with the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning as host Terre Haute North edged Northview 8-7 in high school baseball Thursday at Jennings Field.
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PREP ROUNDUP: North and South to face off for tennis sectional title
The winner of the Terre Haute sectional for girls high school tennis will come down to Terre Haute North and Terre Haute South.
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Terre Haute North gets 10 event victories to claim 12th straight sectional crown
Terre Haute North won 10 events Tuesday night while winning the Indiana High School Athletic Association girls track and field section at South Putnam High School for the 12th straight year.
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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. -
Track sectional titles on the line
Expect one heck of a high school dual track meet Thursday night when Wabash Valley boys visit Terre Haute North for sectional action.
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Prep report: Patriots, Braves favored to advance from tennis sectional 1st round
Persons attending this week’s girls tennis sectional championship match at Terre Haute North might want to pack a lunch.
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Local ADs happy to see spring come to a close
Brian Mancuso is the most experienced of the high school athletic directors in Vigo County — and that’s a very relative term — but even he wasn’t quite ready for the headaches that have accompanied spring sports the last few weeks thanks to rain, rain and more rain.
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South baseball remains in first-place tie with Center Grove
Heading into Saturday’s Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference baseball doubleheader against Center Grove, coach Kyle Kraemer of Terre Haute South wasn’t completely optimistic.
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