TERRE HAUTE —
Last Friday, the Indianapolis Star reported that the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference — home of Terre Haute North and Terre Haute South — is exploring expansion. The league could grow to as many as 16 schools.
MIC expansion could — emphasize … could — signal the end of the line for North and South, members of the MIC since 1998. The article by Kyle Neddenriep said that the MIC has only invited schools “in the Indianapolis donut.”
The article openly speculated about North and South’s future in the league and one would-be expansion candidate — Indianapolis Pike — expressed interest in the MIC, but admitted its interest would cool off if it had to travel to Terre Haute.
The story jives with rumors from multiple sources several of us at the Tribune-Star had heard prior to the article being published. Sports reporter Andy Amey has been working on a story of his own on the topic.
At this point, it must be stressed that anything regarding the MIC is speculative, but it also must be noted that the handwriting on the wall is ominous.
Noting that the North and South MIC purge could be very real, I expressed multiple reservations about it on Twitter last Friday. What I got in response from some — not all — folks was joy.
The reaction ranged from good riddance to let’s use this opportunity to join up with the Bloomington/Evansville/west-side Indy schools.
If only it were that simple.
The comments pre-suppose two things: 1. That there’s a perfect-fit conference out there the Terre Haute schools can just slide into to replace the MIC. 2. That Bloomington/Evansville/westside Indy schools want to pair up with North and South in the first place.
Independence isn’t an option. There are only 26 independent schools in Indiana. Travel would be an unmitigated nightmare for North and South if that’s the route they elected to take.
Unfortunately, geography is an enemy Terre Haute can’t conquer. There isn’t another 5A/4A school within 50 miles of Terre Haute.
Yes, the schools in Bloomington (also vulnerable if Conference Indiana is picked over) and Lafayette (definitely vulnerable if the Hoosier Crossroads Conference is decimated as is likely if the MIC expands), or Evansville might make some semblance of sense to hook up with on paper.
But in reality, those schools and their conferences have concerns and parameters of their own that aren’t just going to be shoved aside for North and South’s benefit.
My biggest concern, however, is for North and South’s student-athletes.
Though the MIC losses have piled up for North and South in some sports, so have opportunities that might not have been there if not for the MIC. Opportunities that would be harder to come by if the Patriots and Braves beat up on smaller schools for the sake of better W-L records, which is what some fans want.
Right now, Terre Haute’s athletes and teams get to be tested against the best of the best. There’s a lot to be said for that, even if on a year-to-year basis it can be frustrating to absorb defeats given the depth of talent in the larger schools in the MIC.
On my Indiana State beat, I look at a player like Jake Odum, who was initially ignored as a potential recruit at South.
One selling point Odum had was that he proved he could perform in the MIC. It led directly to scholarship rather than a walk-on offer from ISU. Three years later, not only has Odum had a successful Sycamore career, but he’s considered one of the best point guards in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Does any of that happen if Odum hadn’t played in the MIC? Perhaps … perhaps not.
Though North and South’s teams are often on the short end in the MIC, not all have been. Does Terre Haute South’s girls basketball team win its state title in 2002 if it hadn’t been tested in the MIC? One of South’s two losses in 2002 was to Lawrence North and it beat Ben Davis in a tense semistate game.
Terre Haute North and South’s tennis, golf, volleyball, baseball and softball teams have been pushed to some high peaks, partly because of participation in the MIC. Even football, the sport where North and South are at the biggest disadvantage against the cream of the MIC crop, there have been beneficiaries.
In my time, at ISU alone, athletes like Jamie Petrowski, Daniel Millington, Brock Lough, Michael Mardis and several others have proved they could thrive at the Division I level. Take away the MIC and are those players as ready to perform at that level as they would’ve been otherwise? Perhaps … perhaps not.
Current football athletes like North’s Calvin Blank (Ball State) and Austin Lewis (Western Michigan) as well as South’s Danny Etling (Purdue) are FBS-bound. Without the MIC, does that happen?
I hope the MIC speculation is just that and both North and South stay. Perhaps a bigger MIC can be a more fair MIC. If the MIC goes to 16 schools, perhaps it can have large and small-school divisions — or more accurately — gargantuan and mega divisions.
North and South might not have the depth of talent that a 3,000-enrollment school has, but it gets proven time and again that there is talent here. The MIC gives Terre Haute’s athletes a chance to show it.
But if North and South are compelled to leave the MIC, a choice that admittedly might not ultimately be theirs, just be careful what you wish for. Departure from the MIC might improve W-L records, but it could also come at the expense of opportunities for Terre Haute athletes.
Todd Golden is sports editor of the Tribune-Star. He can be reached at (812) 231-4272 or todd.golden@tribstar.com. Follow Golden on Twitter @TribStarTodd.
High School
TODD GOLDEN: MIC detractors: Be careful what you wish for
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West Vigo softball holds off nemesis Edgewood in softball sectional
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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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Kehrt Award goes to Emily Bell, Lee Davis
Emily Bell of Terre Haute South and Lee Davis of Terre Haute North are the 2013 recipients of the Willard M. Kehrt Mental Attitude Award.
Bell and Davis were nominated by their schools and chosen in a vote by the Kehrt Award panel. Both will be recognized at awards assemblies later in the month at the schools.
Bell played varsity basketball four years at South and is competing in track this season, running the 800 and two relays. “I wanted something to do my senior year,” Bell said.
She plans to attend DePauw University and play basketball. DePauw is the reigning NCAA Division III champ in women's basketball.
Bell tore an AÇL playing in a basketball tournament the summer after her sophomore season. She missed most of her junior season but came back to play her senior year and was second leading scorer and leading rebounder her final season.
Bell also was leading rebounder her sophomore year. -
South softball's power display earns Braves share of MIC
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Pirtle takes medalist, leads Sullivan to WIC title
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Prep roundup: Patriots drop doubleheader to Carmel baseball
Host Terre Haute North saw its Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference baseball championship hopes suffer what was probably a fatal blow on Saturday as the Patriots lost a doubleheader to Carmel by scores of 8-7 and 11-8.
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Timely hits: After slow start, Terre Haute North rallies to beat Mooresville
No-hit through three innings, Terre Haute North’s bats came alive — especially Sam Wolf’s — just in time to rally for a 4-2 home victory over Mooresville in high school baseball Friday evening at Jennings Field.
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Linton’s Weber to coach at BNL
Bedford North Lawrence High School has announced that Steve Weber will be the Stars’ head coach for the 2013 season.
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Freshman group adds to Big Four teams' baseball tradition
The Terre Haute North-Terre Haute South high school baseball series wasn’t an inning old last week before T.J. Collett of the Patriots lashed a run-scoring single.
That hit helped the Patriots take a 2-0 lead, but in the top of the second inning a three-run double by Justin Jenkins sparked the visiting Braves to a four-run inning.
North tied the score in the bottom of the second inning, Collett driving in another run. And just before rain caused the game to be suspended, South called Logan Ames in from its bullpen for some solid pitching.
Not bad for a trio of freshmen. And the weekend hadn’t even started yet. - More High School Headlines
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