IHSAA

MEDIA INFORMATION

October 29, 2008

Contact: Jason Wille, Sports Information Director

CROSS COUNTRY STATE FINALS IN TERRE HAUTE SATURDAY

New individual champions are assured while last year’s team champions have a shot to repeat as the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute plays host to the IHSAA Boys and Girls Cross Country State Finals this Saturday.

With seven runners from 24 teams plus 27 individual boys and 31 individual girls, there will be nearly 200 competitors that take to the 5,000 meter course in each race.

Nine of the top 25 individual finishers in last year’s boys race return including sophomore James Martin of Carroll (Fort Wayne) who finished as state runner-up in 2007 and senior Drew Shields of Fishers, last year’s fifth place finisher, who helped lead the Tigers to the school’s first team title in any sport. Martin has won each race this tournament and Shields has settled for second each time to Futsum Zeinasellassie, a freshman from North Central of Indianapolis. Zeinasellassie has won at each stop of the tournament thus far including setting course records at the regional and semi-state levels. Grade levels of individual state champions are only available going back to 1973, but no freshman has won the state meet since that time.

Including Shields, Fishers returns three of its seven runners from last year’s team champion – brother Alex Shields and Josh Millares. The Tigers have finished second to Carmel at each race during the tournament trail this year, however. The top-ranked Greyhounds have six of their seven runners from last year’s third place team on the roster including senior Logan Rosenberg, who finished 18^th overall last year. At last Saturday’s semi-state, all five scoring Greyhounds finished in the top 15. In addition to Carmel and No. 4 Fishers, No. 2 Carroll (Fort Wayne), No. 3 McCutcheon and No. 5 Terre Haute North also will be chasing the team trophy.

For the girls race, three-time champion Alex Banfich has graduated leaving the door open to a new champion and there are plenty of contenders. Last year’s top 25 includes 13 underclassmen who have returned this weekend attempting to grab that top spot on the podium.

Lake Central junior Dana Payonk, who finished 26^th last year in Terre Haute, has won each of her tournament races edging Valparaiso senior Megan Ranegar, the 2007 runner-up, last Saturday. Other semi-state winners include North Central’s Emily Mossler, who set a course record last Saturday, Autumn Beachy of DeKalb and Nicole Lucas of Bloomington South. Other contenders for the individual title might include Center Grove’s senior Sarah Higgens, Wheeler’s Christina Blair, Jasmine Al-Anzi of Franklin Central and Renee Wellman of Carmel.

The top five teams in the latest coaches poll will each be represented this weekend including No. 1 Carmel, which finished fourth a year ago, No. 2 Lake Central, which was runner-up in 2007, No. 3 Valparaiso, No. 4 Noblesville and No. 5 Northridge. Three-time defending state champion Westfield is also back and returns four of its seven runners from 2007.

Should Carmel pull off the team title in both races this weekend, it will be the seventh time that a school has done so with Carmel having accomplished it four times previously (1982, 1987, 1988, 1996). The others were Floyd Central in 1991 and Valparaiso in 2000. Both Greyhound teams are coached by Chuck Koeppen, who has stated this is his last season as coach. He is the state’s coaching leader in state championships with 21 to his credit (10 in boys cross country, 10 in girls cross country and one in boys track).

63rd Boys and 28th Girls Cross Country State Finals

Date: Saturday, Nov. 1.

Times: Girls 1 pm ET; Boys 1:45 pm ET.

Admission: $8.00 per person.

LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course, Wabash Valley Sports Center, 599 S. Tabortown Road, Terre Haute, IN 47803 | Course Layouts and Driving Directions

Internet: IHSAASports.org will produce a highlight reel of both girls and boys races and post it to their website Saturday evening.

Boys Lane Assignments | Boys Participants

Girls Lane Assignments | Girls Participants

State Finals Media Credentials – Deadline is Thursday, Oct. 30, 4 pm ET. The 2008-09 IHSAA State Finals Media Credential issued previously for the girls golf and boys tennis state finals is good for admission. For those outlets without credentials and planning to cover the cross country state meet, please apply for credentials by e-mailing or faxing your request on company letterhead (with name of individual applying) to IHSAA Sports Information Director Jason Wille (jwille@ihsaa.org or 317-575-4244). E-mail requests MUST originate from a recognized business account; e-mails from personal accounts (ie: yahoo.com, aol.com, etc.) will not be accepted. Approved requests will be available for pickup at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center adjacent to the course beginning at 11 am ET. Please have media identification available and enter the grounds using the east gate nearest the Sports Center.

Media Services – IHSAA Sports Information Director Jason Wille will be on site to assist in your coverage of this year’s state finals. Official programs will be available at the Family Center along with computer-generated results following both races. Electrical power, phone lines and wireless access will be available in the Wabash Valley Sports Center adjacent to the course for filing stories and photographs. Please be aware that the building will close promptly at 7 pm ET.

INDY’S JOHN YANTISS NAMED CROSS COUNTRY’S TOP OFFICIAL

John Yantiss is the recipient of the 2008 Interscholastic Athletic Official Association Award for excellence in the sport of cross country and will be honored during Saturday’s state finals.

A licensed official for 19 years, he has worked every level of the state tournament, including 15 sectionals, 15 regionals, six semi-states, and three state finals.

Each year, the Indiana High School Athletic Association, in cooperation with the National Federation of Interscholastic Officials Association, recognizes and honors an outstanding official in 11 sports.

The Indianapolis resident was nominated for this award by his peers representing the Indiana Officials Association, one of 26 organizations located throughout Indiana made up of men and women who give up their personal time to assist in providing wholesome, worthwhile and healthy activities for the student-athletes of our state. This honor comes as a result of his selection by a committee of representatives from those 26 associations. Statewide, there are more than 8,000 licensed IHSAA officials in 11 sports.

A member of both the Indiana Officials Association and the Fall Creek Officials Association, John is also licensed in basketball, volleyball, and track and field. He has been as a rules interpreter for five years and a clinician for 10. In addition, John has served the IOA as a track and cross country consultant, golf committee chairman, board member, vice-president, and is currently fulfilling his duties as president.

John is a retired school teacher from the Indiana Public School System and Indianapolis Baptist High School. After graduating from Triton High School he earned his Bachelor’s degree from Taylor University before going on to receive his Master’s degree from Ball State University.

John has three children: Danette, Jacob, and Amy, and two twin granddaughters, Abby and Aubree.

SOCCER STATE FINALS THIS SATURDAY

The No. 1 girls team and the top-ranked and defending state champ boys team headline the field for the 15^th Annual IHSAA Soccer State Finals at Kuntz Memorial Stadium in Indianapolis on Saturday.

Girls semifinals are set for 10 am ET with the championship match at 6 pm ET, while the boys semis begin at noon ET and the championship match at 8 pm ET.

No. 1 and unbeaten Noblesville (19-0-2) will take on No. 5 Evansville Memorial (20-2) in one girls semifinal while No. 20 Culver Academies (17-0-3) will face unranked Fort Wayne Snider (15-5-2) in the other match.

Noblesville, which has not given up a single goal all season, has advanced to the state finals for the second time (2000) in its history. The Millers have faced plenty of tough competition in its five tournament matches beating co-No. 1 Carmel and No. 4 Zionsville in the sectional and No. 18 East Central and No. 8 Indianapolis Cathedral who was also the defending state champ. Memorial is making its eighth overall appearance in the state finals and haven’t given up a goal this post-season. The Tigers, whose last trip to state was two years ago, beat No. 9 Evansville Reitz for the regional title and No. 14 Center Grove in Saturday’s semi-state.

The girls from Culver Academies earned the school’s first trip to state on Saturday winning a pair of one-goal matches – 2-1 over No. 12 Penn and 1-0 over No. 6 Lake Central. Snider had to wait until Tuesday evening before their championship match was decided after heavy rains in Fort Wayne last Friday postponed the Fort Wayne Semi-State to a Monday-Tuesday format. The Panthers, who are playing in their third state finals and first since 2004, beat Homestead on penalty kicks in Monday’s semifinals before dispatching Guerin Catholic, 3-0, for the title on Tuesday.

The boys matches feature a showdown between No. 1 and defending champ Evansville Memorial (21-0-2) and No. 2 Homestead (21-0-2) while No. 5 Zionsville (19-3-1) meets unranked Mishawaka Marian (15-6).

Memorial is making its fourth consecutive trip to state and sixth overall after breaking through to the title game for the first time a year ago where they won it all. This year’s Tigers have won 10 straight and have only allowed one goal this post-season and took a 1-0 victory from No. 4 Columbus North for the semi-state crown. Homestead will make the trek to Indianapolis for the first time since 1999 after patiently waiting through the Fort Wayne Semi-State postponement. The Spartans have won 15 consecutive matches including a win over No. 11 Fort Wayne Canterbury and No. 16 Warsaw, for the regional and semi-state championships, respectively.

No. 5 Zionsville has knocked off three straight ranked opponents to advance to the school’s first boys state finals. The Eagles beat No. 14 Pike at the regional and took down No. 18 Center Grove and No. 10 Noblesville at the semi-state. Marian also finds itself in Indianapolis for the first time having avenged three regular season defeats at tournament time. They beat Penn in the sectional opener, South Bend Clay in the regional final and edged No. 17 Munster, 3-2, for the semi-state title.

Remarkably, this is the third time in the 15 years of the state tournament that the Evansville Memorial girls and boys have played in the state finals at the same time (1994, 2006 and 2008). Three other schools – Carmel (1997), South Bend St. Joseph’s (2003) and Lake Central (2005) have also accomplished the feat. The former two had both teams play in their respective state championship matches but neither managed to pull off both titles.

Meet the State Finalists: Girls | Boys

15^th Annual State Finals

Dates: Saturday, Nov. 1, 2008.

Admission: $8 per session; $12 all sessions.

Kuntz Stadium, 1502 West 16th St., lndianapolis, Indiana, 46202 | Stadium website | Map.

Webcast: IHSAASports.org will webcast live video and audio of both state championship matches Saturday evening.

Girls Semifinals

Fort Wayne Snider (15-5-2) vs. Culver Academies (17-0-3). 10 am ET

Evansville Memorial (20-2) vs. Noblesville (19-0-2). 10 am ET

Girls Championship, 6 pm ET

Boys Semifinals

Homestead (21-0-2) vs. Evansville Memorial (21-0-2). 12 pm ET

Mishawaka Marian (15-6) vs. Zionsville (19-3-1). 12 pm ET

Boys Championship, 8 pm ET

Media Services – IHSAA Communications Director Chris Kaufman along with staff assistant Toni Polizzi will be on-site to assist you in your coverage on Saturday. Official programs will be available along with computer box scores following the championship matches. Interviews may be conducted with players and coaches on the sidelines following the semifinals and after the award ceremonies in the evening. Electrical power, phone lines and wireless access will be available in the press box for filing stories and photographs.

PERU’S GLENN RUSSELL NAMED SOCCER’S TOP OFFICIAL

Glenn Russell is the recipient of the 2008 Interscholastic Athletic Official Association Award for excellence in the sport of soccer and will be honored during Saturday’s state finals.

A licensed official for 15 years, he has worked every level of the state tournament, including 12 sectionals, ten regionals, five semi-states, and five state finals.

The Peru resident was nominated for this award by his peers representing the North Central Officials Association, one of 26 organizations located throughout Indiana made up of men and women who give up their personal time to assist in providing wholesome, worthwhile and healthy activities for the student-athletes of our state. This honor comes as a result of his selection by a committee of representatives from those 26 associations. Statewide, there are more than 8,000 licensed IHSAA officials in 11 sports.

A member of the North Central Officials Association, Glenn has served as a rules interpreter for ten years and a clinician for one. He is also the soccer referee coordinator for the North Central Region.

Glenn is a retired United States Air Force command pilot and has worked as a commercial pilot and flight instructor. He attended Sparta High School in Sparta, New Jersey. He then went on to receive his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Cincinnati, after which he received his Master’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the Newark College of Engineering.

Glenn and his wife Bonnie have three children: Christine, Shawn, and Kevin.

VOLLEYBALL TEAMS AIM FOR STATE FINALS BERTH SATURDAY

Sixty-four teams head to regional action as the 37th Annual IHSAA Volleyball State Tournament Series continues this Saturday, Nov. 1.

The format calls for four teams at 16 sites across the four classes of competition. The regional champions will earn a spot in the state finals on Saturday, Nov. 8, which will be hosted for the second year in and around the Muncie area.

Marquette Catholic (Class A) and Muncie Burris (2A) will each attempt to keep pace with the other by winning a state record 12^th consecutive regional title in volleyball. Burris (32-4) takes on Park Tudor (22-6) in the second match at Knightstown, while Marquette (32-4) faces Pioneer (31-4) in the second match at Caston.

State Finals Media Credentials – Deadline is Thursday, Nov. 6, 4 pm ET. The 2008-09 IHSAA State Finals Media Credential issued previously this fall is good for admission. For those outlets without credentials and planning to cover the event, please apply for credentials by e-mailing or faxing your request on company letterhead (with name of individual applying) to IHSAA Sports Information Director Jason Wille (jwille@ihsaa.org or 317-575-4244). E-mail requests MUST originate from a recognized business account; e-mails from personal accounts (ie: yahoo.com, aol.com, etc.) will not be accepted. Approved credentials will be left to claim at any of the sites specified by the news organization and will be good at any of the four venues during the day. Directions on where to claim credentials at each site will be communicated next week.

Regionals

Date: Saturday, Nov. 1, 2008.

Admission: $5 per session; $8 both sessions.

Regional Brackets: 4A | 3A | 2A | A

State Finals

Date: Saturday, Nov. 8, 2008.

Admission: $8 per session; $12 both sessions.

Regional Notables

Defending Regional Champions Still Alive (11 of 16)

4A: Elkhart Memorial, Floyd Central.

3A: Bellmont, Brebeuf Jesuit, Mishawaka Marian.

2A: Brownstown Central, Fairfield, Muncie Burris.

A: Lafayette Central Catholic, Marquette Catholic, Morristown.

Active Regional Championship Streaks (Three or more years)

11: Marquette, Muncie Burris.

6: Brownstown Central.

Most Consecutive Regional Championships

11 Marquette Catholic, 1997-2007; Muncie Burris, 1997-2007.

Top 10 All-Time Regional Championships

23: Muncie Burris

18: Mishawaka

16: Indianapolis Cathedral, Jasper.

13: Columbus East.

12: Martinsville.

11: Bellmont, Marquette Catholic, Muncie Central, Roncalli.

EIGHTY FOOTBALL SECTIONAL SEMIFINALS TO BE PLAYED FRIDAY

Sixteen undefeated teams survived the opening weekend of the 36^th annual state tournament and have moved into the sectional semifinal round. All eighty games are scheduled for Friday night as the state tournament enters its second of six weeks.

One game will match a pair of 10-0 squads. In Class 4A, Sectional 10, No. 7 Plymouth visits No. 2 Lowell. Several others are pairings of top 10 teams in their respective coaches poll. In 4A, Sectional 15, No. 9 Shelbyville (9-1) visits No. 10 East Central (9-1). In 3A, Sectional 20, No. 2 West Lafayette (10-0) travels to No. 10 Eastbrook (8-2). In 2A, Sectional 27 has No. 3 Fairfield (10-0) at No. 1 Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (7-3) and Sectional 26 features No. 10 Rochester (9-1) at No. 6 Oak Hill (10-0) and; the big matchup in Class A, Sectional 36, calls for No. 2 and three-time defending champ Sheridan (9-1) at No. 7 Lafayette Central Catholic (9-1).

Sheridan, which had its 45-game unbeaten streak halted in the regular-season finale by West Lafayette, will be gunning for their 20th straight tournament win after beating Tri-Central in the sectional opener last week.

Scores from each sectional game will be posted to ihsaa.org as they become available Friday night.

All-Time Consecutive Tournament Victories

26: Warren Central, 2003-07.

23: Roncalli, 2002-05.

22: Penn, 1995-98; Indianapolis Bishop Chatard, 2001-04.

19: Sheridan, 2005-current.

Active Consecutive Tournament Victory Streaks

19: Sheridan, 2005-current.

12: Indianapolis Bishop Chatard, 2006-current.

7: Carmel, Evansville Reitz, Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (2007-current).

FRIDAY ON IHSAASPORTS.ORG: AVON AT SOUTHPORT

The Class 5A, Sectional 6 game featuring Avon (8-2) at No. 5 Southport (9-1) will be webcast live at IHSAASports.org beginning at 7 pm ET on Friday.

Sectionals

Dates

Semifinals: Friday, Oct. 31.

Championships: Friday, Nov. 7.

Times

7 pm local time or as determined by host school.

Admission: $5.00.

Determining Home Team

Semifinals: The team without a home game will host. Exception: The bye team will always be the visitor. If both teams were home or both were visitors, the second-named team in the quarter bracket will host.

Championships: Host team will be the team that has played the most away games. If both teams have played the same number of away games, the bottom bracket team shall host.

Sectional Semifinals

Class 5A

Sectional 1

Merrillville (7-3) at Munster (7-3).

Chesterton (8-2) at Valparaiso (9-1).

Sectional 2

LaPorte (2-8) at South Bend Adams (4-6).

Penn (7-3) at Mishawaka (7-3).

Sectional 3

Fort Wayne South Side (5-5) at Huntington North (8-2).

Fort Wayne Snider (9-1) at Fort Wayne North Side (7-3).

Sectional 4

Harrison (West Lafayette) (5-5) at Kokomo (9-1).

Carmel (9-1) at Lafayette Jefferson (6-4).

Sectional 5

Richmond (6-4) at Lawrence Central (8-2).

Fishers (7-3) at Warren Central (7-3).

Sectional 6

Avon (8-2) at Southport (9-1).

Ben Davis (7-3) at Brownsburg (5-5).

Sectional 7

Terre Haute North (2-8) at Bloomington North (5-5).

Center Grove (9-1) at Bloomington South (8-2).

Sectional 8

New Albany (6-3) at Castle (8-2).

Jeffersonville (5-5) at Floyd Central (6-4).

Class 4A

Sectional 9

Hammond Morton (6-4) at Hammond (7-3).

Hobart (9-1) at Griffith (6-4).

Sectional 10

Northridge (2-8) at South Bend Clay (5-5).

Plymouth (10-0) at Lowell (10-0).

Sectional 11

Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger (10-0) at Columbia City (3-7).

New Haven (2-8) at Fort Wayne Wayne (4-6).

Sectional 12

Delta (10-0) at Mount Vernon (Fortville) (2-8).

Marion (4-6) at Muncie Southside (7-3).

Sectional 13

Indianapolis Broad Ripple (7-3) at Plainfield (8-2).

Mooresville (8-2) at Zionsville (6-4).

Sectional 14

Indianapolis Cathedral (7-2) at Greenfield-Central (4-6).

Greenwood (4-6) at Whiteland (10-0).

Sectional 15

Shelbyville (9-1) at East Central (9-1).

Columbus East (10-0) at Madison (2-8).

Sectional 16

Evansville Harrison (0-9) at Evansville Central (5-5).

Evansville Reitz (9-1) at Jasper (9-1).

Class 3A

Sectional 17

Hammond Clark (6-4) at Knox (6-4).

New Prairie (7-3) at Andrean (4-6).

Sectional 18

NorthWood (8-2) at Culver Academies (5-5).

South Bend St. Joseph’s (8-2) at Mishawaka Marian (4-6). 7:30 pm

Sectional 19

Bellmont (9-1) at Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran (4-6).

Leo (7-3) at Heritage (5-5).

Sectional 20

West Lafayette (10-0) at Eastbrook (8-2). 7:30 pm

Western (9-1) at Yorktown (8-2).

Sectional 21

Western Boone (3-7) at Southmont (5-5).

North Montgomery (10-0) at West Vigo (8-2).

Sectional 22

Indianapolis Bishop Chatard (8-1) at Greensburg (7-3).

Hamilton Heights (5-5) at Rushville (6-4).

Sectional 23

Charlestown (7-3) at Heritage Hills (6-3). 7 pm CT

Brown County (2-8) at Edgewood (9-1).

Sectional 24

Vincennes Lincoln (3-7) at Evansville Memorial (8-2).

Evansville Bosse (3-7) at Washington (7-3).

Class 2A

Sectional 25

Winamac (6-4) at Rensselaer Central (5-5).

North Judson (7-3) at Seeger (7-3).

Sectional 26

Rochester (9-1) at Oak Hill (10-0).

Whitko (7-3) at Cass (9-1).

Sectional 27

Jimtown (8-2) at Harding (6-4). 7:30 pm

Fairfield (10-0) at Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (7-3). 7:30 pm

Sectional 28

Northwestern (6-4) at Tipton (7-3).

Elwood (3-7) at Madison-Grant (5-5).

Sectional 29

Heritage Christian (9-1) at Shenandoah (9-1).

Lawrenceburg (9-1) at Centerville (9-1).

Sectional 30

Monrovia (6-4) at South Vermillion (6-4).

North Putnam (10-0) at Speedway (7-3).

Sectional 31

Mitchell (2-8) at Paoli (9-1).

Brownstown Central (8-1) at Indian Creek (7-3).

Sectional 32

Southridge (9-1) at North Knox (8-2). 7:30 pm

North Posey (7-3) at South Spencer (7-3).

Class A

Sectional 33

Triton (6-4) at LaVille (2-8).

South Newton (7-3) at Lake Station Edison (2-8).

Sectional 34

Southern Wells (10-0) at Adams Central (4-6).

Churubusco (9-1) at Southwood (8-2).

Sectional 35

Pioneer (8-2) at Tri-County (4-6).

Frontier (4-6) at North Miami (6-4).

Sectional 36

Clinton Central (7-3) at Guerin Catholic (5-5).

Sheridan (9-1) at Lafayette Central Catholic (9-1).

Sectional 37

Indianapolis Scecina (5-5) at Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter (10-0). at Indianapolis Northwest HS

South Decatur (5-5) at Milan (7-3).

Sectional 38

Tri (4-6) at Lapel (8-2).

Northeastern (7-3) at Hagerstown (9-1).

Sectional 39

Attica (7-3) at Riverton Parke (5-5).

North Vermillion (5-5) at Rockville (10-0).

Sectional 40

North Daviess (7-3) at Perry Central (10-0).

West Washington (6-4) at Linton-Stockton (10-0). 7:30 pm

STATE STATISTICAL LEADERS

ATTENTION COACHES / STATISTICIANS

Please be sure to report your final statistics of the season at DigitalSports.com upon your team’s elimination from the state tournaments so that your players will continue to appear in the weekly state leaders listings through the end of the state finals. The last compilation of each respective sport will follow the week after its state finals.

Football Leaders | Volleyball Leaders | Boys Soccer Leaders | Girls Soccer Leaders

NEWS & NOTES FROM AROUND THE STATE

Have an interesting note? A conference or school record, coaching milestone or something else of interest? Please e-mail IHSAA Sports Information Director Jason Wille at jwille@ihsaa.org for consideration.

Trent Busse, senior running back at Bellmont, broke a 36 year-old school record for rushing with 282 yards in a game against New Haven on Oct. 3. The old record of 274 yards had been held by former Bellmont baseball coach Jon Stevens set in 1972. Busse also scored four touchdowns in the game.

One of the legendary football venues in the state of Indiana will be closing at the end of this season after 69 years. Hobart’s Brickie Bowl was celebrated in the school’s regular season finale on Oct. 17, a 56-6 victory over Highland which featured the players running onto the field through seven decades of alums and a post-game fireworks display over Don Howell Field. Four Hobart teams that played there and for the legendary Howell went on to win a state championship -- 1987 (4A), 1989 (4A), 1991 (4A), 1993 (4A). Hobart drew a first round home game in the tournament beating Gary West Side, 59-12, and could host the sectional final should they top rival Griffith (6-4) this Friday. The Brickie Bowl was recently rated as the sixth-best high school stadium to spend a Friday night in the fall by ESPNRise.com.

Jeremi Schortgen, volleyball coach at Adams Central won her 100th career game at with the Jets on Sept. 29 against Norwell.

IHSAA 08-09/12