The MIC will start the swimming season with the normal high
level of respect from coaches around the state. Three conference teams are
listed among the top 20 programs in the state, including two of the top four.
North Central sits atop the poll as Indiana’s projected best. Longtime rival Carmel is not far behind.
The Greyhounds come in at the $4 spot in the preseason rankings. Terre Haute
South also made the list. The Braves are tied for 16th best in
the Hoosier state.
Center Grove spent the weekend re-paying a debt and then
winning the Perry Meridian sectional. Terre Haute South spent the weekend
fighting for their lives and then winning their own sectional. The two teams
are the only MIC squads to advance to regional play this coming weekend.
Center Grove had been waiting for a year for the sectional
rematch with Perry Meridian. The Falcons upset the Trojans last year, ending
Center grove’s stranglehold on that sectional. Coach Deb McClurg and her
charges were looking for retribution. They got it, but it certainly wasn’t
easy. The Trojans defeated Perry Meridian in three games in the semi-final
round Saturday afternoon. The scores indicate the intensity of this one. Center
Grove prevailed 25-21, 26-20, 26-24. The championship match was far less of a
battle. The Trojans dispatched of Greenwood
in three games 25-15, 25-19, and 26-11.
The championship sends Center Grove into the state’s
premiere 4A regional this coming Saturday. The Trojans will host the event.
Center grove will face Hamilton Southeastern in the opening round. It marks the
Royals first trip to regional competition since 1992. The other half of the
bracket features powerhouses Avon and
Indianapolis Cathedral.
Terre haute South emerged from a nerve fraying sectional on
home ground. Of the five matches played in the tournament, three of them went
the five game distances and the other two went four games. The Braves were
involved in one of the five game nail biters. They defeated traditional power Martinsville in five
games in the semi-finals. South then dispatched of Northview in the finals in
four hard fought games. 22-25, 25-22, 25-15, 25-19.
The Braves now head to Seymour
for regional play. They will meet #5 Floyd Central in the second semi-final.
Castle and Columbus East will tangle in the other half of the bracket.
The Ben Davis Giants didn’t start out to make any friends,
but along the way they certainly found a fond spot in the hearts of Center
Grove fans. Ben Davis traveled to 5A #1 Carmel
Friday night and for the second year in a row upset the Greyhounds in the regular
season finale. The Giants raced to a 17-3 lead and hung on for a 24-17 victory.
Coupled with Center Grove’s stunning dismantling of Warren Central, the action
gave the Trojans a share of the 2008 MIC championship.
Balance was the key for Ben Davis on this night. The Giants
ran the ball for 198 yards and passed for another 145. They also intercepted Carmel quarterback Morgan
Newton twice, the second sealing the victory. Meanwhile, Center Grove was
putting an old fashioned Johnson County beat down on
Warren Central. The Trojans complete dominance in the contest is likely to
propel them to the #1 ranking in 5A heading into the tournament next week.
Elsewhere in the conference Friday night, the Lawrence North
Wildcats assured themselves of an upper division finish by downing Terre Haute
South 28-10. North Central picked up their first win of the year by defeating
Terre Haute North in a shootout 36-28.
Carmel
will get a chance to bounce back next week as they begin defense of their state
championship from last season. The Greyhounds will host HamiltonCounty
neighbor Noblesville in their sectional opener. The headline match up for MIC
teams comes in sectional five where Warren Central will try and rebound from
their shocking downfall last night when they meet HCC power Hamilton
Southeastern. For Center Grove, the opening round of the tourney will just be
an extension of the conference season. The Trojans will host Terre Haute South
in the first round of the sectional.
The MIC performed solidly in sectional action this week. All
eight conference teams advanced to regional competition this Saturday. The
league was led, of course, by the #1 rated Carmel Greyhounds who totally
dominated their own sectional. The hosts scored just 20 points on their way to
the title and placed all five runners in the top eight positions individually.
Two other MIC schools won sectional tem titles. North
Central claimed the Brebeuf sectional with a total of 40 points. The Panthers
boasted the overall individual champion in Emily Mosler. Lawrence North
finished fourth in that same sectional with a score of 105. In Terre Haute, TH North
cruised to victory in their own sectional. The Patriots had only 29 points and
swept the top three individual places in the race. Terre Haute South ended a
distant third at that site with a total of 79 points.
Center Grove and Warren Central captured second place team
finishes in their respective sectionals. The Trojans claimed that spot behind
champion Columbus North at the Edinburgh
sectional. Center Grove did claim the top two individual positions behind race
winner Emily Higgins and runner-up Sarah Burnett. Warren Central tallied 64
team points and ended second to #4 Franklin
Central at the New Palestine sectional.
Ben Davis claimed a fourth place finish at their own sectional
with a total of 89 points. That site was dominated by a trio of Conference Indiana schools.
Historically, the final week of the regular season has
played a huge role in determining the MIC football champion. It has been
showdown week among the big four powers in the conference. Ben Davis squares
off with Carmel
and Warren Central does battle with Center Grove. This year will be no
different. However, we enter the week already knowing two things. First, Carmel has clinched at
least a tie for the title. Secondly, this time around the big four may have a
new member.
The second of those realities emerged Friday night at
Lawrence North where the host Wildcats upset an error prone Ben Davis squad
14-10. The result leaves both teams at 3-3 in the league. While the Giants have
to travel to top rated Carmel
this coming Friday, Lawrence North travels to 2-4 Terre Haute South. It is a
prime opportunity for the Wildcats to crack the upper half of the conference
standings this season.
Carmel
assured themselves of at least a share of yet another MIC title by downing
Terre Haute North 35-7. Quarterback Morgan Newton threw for 183 yards and
rushed for another 83 and a touchdown as the Greyhounds remained undefeated.
The loss dropped Terre Haute North to 1-7 overall and 1-5 in the MIC.
Center Grove and Warren Central both exploded offensively
Friday night. The Trojans posted 70 points in a 60-3 demolition of winless
North Central. Warren central rebounded from
their second half collapse the week before against Carmel by laying 70 points on a Terre Haute
South team that was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Warriors coasted
to a 70-7 victory.
The winner of the Warren
central-Center Grove showdown this coming Friday still has a chance to claim a
portion of the conference crown. That victory combined with a Ben Davis upset
of Carmel would
leave the title race in a tie at the top.
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