BEDFORD, Ind. —
hen the question common to two of your high school cross country coaches concerns whether their teams have peaked early, you’ve probably had a pretty good day, and that was the case for Vigo County athletes Saturday at the Bedford North Lawrence Regional.
And, for the record, the answer both coaches gave was “No.”
“We’re still without our third and fourth runners,” coach Mike Dason of the Terre Haute North girls said incredulously when asked the peak question — although the other Patriots aren’t running like they’re saving spots for anyone. On Saturday, North had two of the top three runners, four of the top six, and all seven ahead of at least one top-five runner on every other team in the field.
The Patriots, ranked seventh going into the meet, were expected to win, however — although probably not in such dominating fashion. Terre Haute South’s boys were another story.
“People were predicting us third, or maybe second,” Jackson Bertoli of the Braves said after his race but before the scores had been revealed, “but I think we got the upset today [against eighth-ranked Bloomington South]. We had six ahead of their four.”
The South runner was right on both counts. The 14th-ranked Braves had six of the top 14 runners overall, in fact, and their seventh man beat a scoring runner from all but the runner-up team.
They too can do better, their coach said.
“I think we’ve got a lot more left,” Kyle Walsh said. “We’re still training very hard. I was wondering if we could overcome tired legs today … I think we’ll be ready for [personal records] at the semistate.”
Also advancing to Brown County next Saturday are the girls from South — who finished third, ahead of all the unranked teams — and the boys from North, who were fifth led by Justin Clapp’s 12th-place finish.
West Vigo’s girls placed ninth; Northview was eighth in the girls race and sixth in boys competition, North’s closest pursuer as it turned out; Shakamak’s boys were eighth; and Sullivan’s girls and Clay City’s boys both placed 10th.
It was a good day for Greene County runners too. None of the Shakamak boys will be going on as individuals, but Savannah Turner of the Lakers will be after placing eighth in the girls race. Joining her will be Alli Workman of Bloomfield (11th) and Hannah Resler of Eastern Greene (13th), and Linton freshman Janzen Franklin didn’t advance but, in 25th place, was the top boys runner not on a contending team.
Northview’s Nic Yocom is moving on after a strong sixth-place finish in the boys race, while other individuals from the Wabash Valley who competed were Bailey Hayes of Rockville, Kelsey Wright of Clay City, Dean Danner of North Central, Parker Ramsey of Bloomfield and Ethan Sparks of Owen Valley.
Bertoli won the boys race, gradually pulling away to beat Bloomington South’s Kyle Burks by nearly 10 seconds. Good preparation for the following week, he indicated.
“I just wanted to come out and get a win for my team,” Bertoli said, “and stay comfortable in the process.”
“It’s amazing,” Walsh said as he contemplated the possibility of his team being the regional champion. “The guys really stepped up today and followed the game plan exactly as it was drawn up. From one through seven, each one executed — from the start, through the midpoint, and then kicking like crazy.”
North’s Chanli Mundy was runner-up to Bloomington South’s Alex Warzyniak in the girls race. Mundy the competitor wasn’t all that happy, but Mundy the team leader was thrilled.
“I’m a little disappointed [at being second],” she admitted, “but I’m even more excited for the team. We came out and did what we needed to do. We came in as the favorite, but we still had to run … and stay focused.”
“Oct. 27 [the state finals] is the date we’re looking at for [Mundy],” Dason said. “The big deal is this team, and the big deal is doing work … I’m ecstatic. I’m so excited the way everybody finished and the way everybody pushed.”
North had five runners in the top 15 — “two of them freshmen [Lindsay Welker and Anna Nagy],” Dason pointed out — and its missing runners have given other Patriots some well deserved time on the course. “I’m happy for Erin Buckallew for working so hard to be in the top group,” Dason added.
South’s girls aren’t quite in the position yet where they can add new runners to the lineup for injury relief, although time off wasn’t much help to top Brave Nikki Thiede earlier in the season.
Gutting her way through the season with a variously diagnosed foot ailment, Thiede isn’t at her best right now, but still good enough to lead her team in its own state-finals quest.
“I’m not feeling that great,” she said after the race, tears in her eyes and smiling through gritted teeth, “but I knew I had to do it for the team. There’s only two more weeks [to the season]; I think I can make it.”
High School
Vigo County cross country teams have big day at BNL Regional
- High School
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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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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
The fun that the Terre Haute South high school softball team had Saturday — including those five home runs — was all the result of the hard work the Braves had put in before the game, coach Dwayne Stout said after the game.
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Pirtle takes medalist, leads Sullivan to WIC title
Sullivan took team and individual honors in the Western Indiana Conference boys high school golf championships played Saturday at Idle Creek.
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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. -
Pairings drawn for high school softball sectionals
The IHSAA announced Thursday its pairings for the 2013 sectional softball tournament slated for May 20-25.
Regionals will take place May 28. -
North boys make it three consecutive Vigo County golf titles
Terre Haute North made it three in a row in Vigo County boys high school golf championship action Wednesday at Hulman Links.
The Patriots shot 161 to edge Terre Haute South with 165. West Vigo carded 222. -
PREP ROUNDUP: Wolf homers as North baseball wins 16th game
Terre Haute North erupted for seven runs in the third inning on its way to routing visiting White River Valley 14-1 in 41⁄2 innings of high school baseball Wednesday afternoon at Don Jennings Field.
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Northview's Carter strikes out 19 in 10-inning win against South Vermillion
Northview’s Taylor Carter and South Vermillion’s Daphne Dunegan locked into a 10-inning all-star softball pitching duel Tuesday night at Northview High School.
Unfortunately, one of them had to lose. -
PREP BASEBALL ROUNDUP: South Vermillion 4-0 in WIC after 4-3 win at Northview
Jordan Branz won his ninth game of the season, scattering six hits over eight innings to lead South Vermillion to a 4-3 victory at Northview in a Western Indiana Conference battle.
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Thompson going into Indiana High School Football Hall of Fame
Former Terre Haute North High School standout Anthony Thompson is the newest member of the Indiana High School Football Hall of Fame.
- More High School Headlines
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