TERRE HAUTE —
Jimmy Maples was prepared to help West Vigo contend for a Western Indiana Conference title in 2012, but the Viking junior planned to do so as a wide receiver.
When Tyler Hayes broke his leg a week before two-a-days began, Maples was moved under center.
With his speed an integral part of the Vikings’ potent rushing attack and his arm hitting for the occasional big play, Maples quarterbacked the Vikings to a share of the WIC title.
Now he faces his biggest challenge of the season, leading the team against undefeated Greencastle in an IHSAA Class 3A Sectional 21 football game tonight at Jay Barrett Field.
The Tiger Cubs have allowed just 14 points all season and beat the Vikings way back on Aug. 24 by a 44-0 margin.
“Their defense is pretty good,” Maples conceded. “Our offense has improved. We made a lot of errors that game. Can’t do that this time.
“We’ve grown as a team [since then],” Maples added. “I think they’re overlooking us. I think we’ll have a pretty good chance at winning the game.”
Vikings coach Jeff Cobb agrees that his team is much improved on both sides of the ball since early in the season.
“We’ve got kids that have kind of grown up into the positions they’ve been given,” Cobb said. “Really started noticing about week 5, in the South Vermillion game and Week 6 with the Edgewood game, kids feeling more comfortable with where they were. In Week 2, we still had a lot of new kids, some of them playing new positions. We’re familiar with what we’re doing. We feel a lot better about ourselves as a team.”
The No. 4 Tiger Cubs are just one of three teams in the toughest 3A sectional in the state; No. 3 Indianapolis Chatard (7-2) and No. 7 Brebeuf Jesuit (7-2) loom on the opposite side of the bracket. Chatard’s first-round opponent, 7-2 Danville, is just outside the top 10.
Greencastle’s schedule strength shows the West Central Conference isn’t at its strongest in 2012, but Cobb knows Tiger Cubs quarterback Nick Gilliam and a veteran defense will be ready to play.
“Everything goes through him, he’s got some great receivers, great lineman. Very good offense,” Cobb said.
The Vikings’ defense has only allowed seven points the last two weeks, holding a pretty good Sullivan passing attack to just one touchdown last week.
“The Sullivan game taught our defense they could bend but couldn’t break,” Cobb said. “I think we have a chance. Some things need to roll our way.”
Class 5A Sectional 6
Terre Haute North (5-4), ranking 18th overall in the state Sagarin rankings with a schedule rated the sixth toughest, will try to take down city rival Terre Haute South (3-6) twice in the same season. (See related story).
Terre Haute North dominated the line of scrimmage in the first meeting as Brother Scank, Ricky Brookins and Kai Stratten led the Patriots to 265 yards rushing. Linebacker Lee Davis and the defense held South to 84 yards on the ground.
South showed improvement in that department last week, with sophomore running back Michael Watt rushing for 140 yards in the Braves’ victory over winless Lawrence North.
Watt and Ian Newton will have to get the South ground game so that quarterback Danny Etling and Tyler Seibert can have opportunities to make big plays in the passing game. South was held without an offensive touchdown in the first meeting, Watt providing the only TD with a kickoff return.
The winner will earn a home game with Avon (5-4) or Decatur Central (4-5). Ben Davis (8-1), Zionsville (7-2) and Brownsburg (9-0) will duke it out in the opposite side of the bracket.
Class 4A Sectional 14
Don’t be fooled by Indianapolis Cathedral’s 4-5 record. With Warren Central, Ben Davis, Louisville Trinity and Cincinnati Moeller on the schedule, the Fighting Irish play a schedule as tough as any team in the state.
The Knights’ young team has shown improvement all year long but they’re likely to be overmatched in this one.
Class 2A Sectional 32
Sullivan (6-3) finally caught a break in a very tough sectional field after drawing traditional power Evansville Mater Dei on the road in the opening round the past two seasons.
The Golden Arrows will have a home game against South Spencer (3-6) and would play 1-8 Forest Park with a victory.
Mater Dei (7-2) and Southridge (6-3) play in the first round of the opposite bracket, with North Posey (9-0) likely playing the winner of that contest in the second round.
Sullivan coach Trent Olson isn’t counting on a trip to the championship game just yet.
“If we switched schedules [with South Spencer], we could very well switch records. Not that our schedule’s terrible but they play in a tough league,” Olson said of the Pocket Athletic Conference that includes Southridge, Heritage Hills and Gibson Southern.
Plus, Sullivan is coming off a game in which it left a lot of potential points on the field. Quarterback Payne Fortner passed well at times, but the Golden Arrows only scored one touchdown in an 8-7 loss.
“We threw it around well last week,” Olson said. “We bogged down in the red zone. Have to find a way to get those tougher yards.”
Looking on the bright side, the loss was a wake-up call to the Arrows.
“We’ve got to be more physical,” Olson said. “The big thing was for us last week, probably a little overconfident. I think it grounded us a little bit. Might have been a good thing going into the tournament.”
Class 2A Sectional 30
South Vermillion (2-7) coach Chuck Sorrell made progress this season with the Wildcats, but he runs into an undefeated and No. 1-ranked Indianapolis Ritter team in the opening round.
Ritter is averaging 51 points a game, including a 56-33 victory over Class 3A Chatard, a team that ranks in the top 10 overall in the state in the Sagarin rankings.
Class A Sectional 38
North Vermillion is the team to beat after a 9-0 regular season in which the Falcons outscored opponents by an average of 38 points per game.
Junior quarterback Brayden Woodard has ran for more than 1,200 yards with 21 TDs and passed for over 1,100 with 15 TDs.
“He’s a talented young man, but he’s humble about it too,” coach Brian Crabtree said. “A big part of his success is the five guys in front of him.”
While the Falcons, who play 2-7 Covington in the opener, are known for a high-powered spread offense, the defense has been strong recently, Crabtree said.
“Ethan Kunkel, a linebacker’s just a really good football player on that side of the ball,” Crabtree said. “A lot of talented kids around him as well. Sometimes the defense is overlooked because of the amount of points we’re scoring.”
A first-round win would set up the Falcons for another matchup with North Central (7-2), which was Crabtree’s first head coaching job. North Vermillion won the first meeting 48-0. The Thunderbirds play 3-6 Turkey Run at home tonight.
“They’re such a good football team, so athletically talented,” said Crabtree, who hopes the Falcons can make an extended run in the state tournament.
“I think if we’re playing our best football, no reason we can’t look at that as a possibility,” he said of the state finals. “You set goals big but approach it with humility and realize you’re vulnerable every Friday night.”
Riverton Parke (0-9) and Cloverdale (0-9) will be looking to advance to the second round with a first victory of the season.
Rockville (4-5) plays Attica, and coach Herb King said the Rox are a much better team than they were early in the season.
Lightning fast Kiontre Wilkey (5-foot-5, 135 pounds) took over at quarterback and Ryan Lewis moved to wide receiver in the fifth week of the season.
“We think both of those moves have helped us,” King said. “The offensive line has improved drastically. Those kids have done a job at getting much better. We can see marked improvement on a weekly basis.”
Robby Foster, one of only two seniors on the Rox, leads the defense. He’s led the team in tackles the past three seasons.
The Rox had seven turnovers in a 27-6 loss to Attica in early September.
“We’re playing much better as of late,” King said. “We’re playing extremely hard. I think we’ve gotten a lot better. It’s been an enjoyable group of guys to coach. Early in the year we were turned the ball over a lot.”
Class A Sectional 40
Undefeated Linton is the heavy favorite. The Miners take a 5-0 record against the sectional field into the state tournament.
Linton has averaged 55 points, while its defense has pitched five shutouts.
The Miners go on the road to North Knox (4-5) — a team they beat 64-0 — and then likely visit Perry Central (6-3) next week.
High School
West Vigo, others also set to begin football sectionals
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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. -
Blank, Mundy named McMillan Award winners
Posing side-by-side for photos following Terre Haute North High School’s Senior Awards ceremony, seniors Calvin Blank and Chanli Mundy couldn’t look more different.
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West Vigo baseball advances with 10-0 win behind Stewart's two-hitter
West Vigo got off to a good start in Class 3A high school sectional baseball action Wednesday evening at Dick Ballinger Field.
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. -
Terre Haute South tennis claims regional crown
It was a lot tougher than some thought it would be, but the Terre Haute South girls tennis team won the Greencastle regional for the second year in a row Wednesday evening at DePauw University Tennis and Track Center.
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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. - More High School Headlines
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