The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/106438
B-1 Wednesday, January 30, 2013 E-Mail Sports Items to: sports@pressdispatch.net Sports Tidbits From the Mini Mac By Mike Johansen C ongratulations to the Pike Central Middle School Chargers eighth grade boys for winning the PAC Tournament last week. This talented group of boys did a fine job as did Coaches Kyle McCutchan and Greg Mullins. It was great to have them bring home the championship to Pike Central. They had a couple of close games, but triumphed in the end and showed their class all the way through. Also congratulations to the Lady Chargers eighth grade girls basketball team for getting some good wins at the end of the season and giving an excellent effort in the tournament taking second place. They went a lot further than many thought they might and that is a credit to Coaches Eric and Justin Knight. To end up second in the PAC Tourney is outstanding and a great accomplishment. I also want to congratulate the PCMS sixth grade girls basketball team for finishing in second place in the PC Invitational to end their season at 10-4. They won two games before running into a tough Heritage Hills team in the finals. They did a great job as did coaches Marla Stemle and Lori Marchino. ******** Friday was a rare night off thanks to the ice storm resulting in a postponement of the Pike Central at South Spencer boys basketball game to Saturday, Feb. 9, with the JV game at 1 p.m. and the varsity game at 2:30. They are afternoon games because of the girls Sectional Tournaments that week. That is Sectional finals night on Saturday, Feb. 9. The ice sure caused a problem with 35 accidents in and around Pike County Friday. Fortunately, I was not in one. However, it took about 20 minutes or more to get my car unfrozen enough to move around Petersburg. I was already for the game Friday night, but I was not sure how the roads would be that night despite the thawing. By the time the game would have been over the roads could have easily been iced up again making the drive home more treacherous. I am glad I did not have to find out. vSaturday was spent at the wrestling tournament in Evansville and the trip was just fine. It was the first time I have been to Evansville Central for a Sectional since it was the first time for Pike Central in the Evansville Sectional with Evansville Mater Dei, Central and North as well as several other teams (See the results elsewhere in this issue). I went to The Fresh Market on Saturday to get some unusual foods that are not offered up here as well as a special salad dressing I have not found in any stores around here. They offer a wide variety of prepared salads, desserts, meats as well as a good butcher market for fresh (uncooked) meat and seafood. They have many things you can't get in many ordinary markets and have good prepared foods. I also stopped at Biaggis to eat and always enjoy their Italian food and offerings. It is difficult to go to Evansville and not find a good place to eat in any price range. I tend to go for the uncommon restaurants, like Acropolis, Biaggis as well as a few normal ones like The Cross-Eyed Cricket, Cracker Barrel and then other more elite restaurants for a special occasion. That is one of my favorite things to do in Evansville, eat out. I like to look for new places as well as the more familiar ones. There are many good restaurants of all types to go to. That is one very good thing about Evansville. ******** "If God is for us, who is against us?"—Romans 8:31 (NRSV). Remember, God is for us! Have you felt abandoned or dejected? Have you felt miserable, humiliated and very afraid. Remember, in the midst of all that fear, anxiety, shame and anger, God speaks to you in many ways. One is through Psalm 139, "Do you think I don't know? Do you think I don't care? Do you think I can't be trusted with your future? My grace is sufficient for you, even in this." (See 2 Corinthians 12:9.) And time proved that to be true. God and God's people got me and many of us through that struggle and loss. I think the Apostle Paul heard a similar message on the road to Damascus. (See Acts 9:1-19.) Paul came to see and to say that "in all these things we are more Continued on page 4 The Pike Central Middle School Chargers eighth grade boys basketball team won three games last week to win the Pocket Athletic Conference Tournament championship. They beat South Spencer in the finals. The team, front row (l tor) includes: cheerleaders Grace Nelson, Jalen Blocker, Sylvia Henson, Mikala Nolan and Sydney Dame. Second row: Keegan Simmons, Cole Leighty, Trey Wornica, Tanner Meadows, Jared McCord, Jacob Marchino and Colton White. In the back row are: Head Coach Kyle McCutchan, Manager Colton Potter, Gabe Elliott, Kane Osgatharp, Josh Riley, Chase Davis and Assistant Coach Greg Mullins. Not pictured are cheerleaders Brooklyn Aldridge, Lillian Willis and Brianna Schaller and Assistant Coach Cody Lee and Manager Reid Craig. Eighth boys win PAC Tourney Take three to finish first in tournament By Mike Johansen The Pike Central Middle School Chargers eighth grade boys basketball team had a couple of scares, but they came out as champions of the Pocket Athletic Conference Tournament Saturday at Heritage Hills and Tecumseh High Schools. The tournament took place Thursday and Saturday on the road both days for the Chargers. The Chargers started the PAC tourney Thursday night at Heritage Hills and pulled out a 35-27 victory. "We struggled offensively but got enough stops to move on," said PCMS Head Coach Kyle McCutchan. Colton White and Gabe Elliott each scored 11, Chase Davis scored 7, Trey Wornica and Cole Leighty each had 2, Kane Osgatharp and Josh Riley each had a point. Jacob Marchino also saw action. Saturday morning at Tecumseh the Chargers eighth graders beat Southridge 52-38 in a game that had no flow to it. "There were way too many whistles blown but we played well enough to reach the finals," said the coach. Elliott led us with 19 points, Davis had 14, White had 13, Wornica had 4 and Osgatharp had 2. Leighty, Riley, Marchino, Jared McCord and Keegan Simmons also played. Saturday afternoon the Chargers won the PAC championship beating the South Spencer Rebels 50-1. "We played a very well executed game and played with a lot of intensity for having to play back-to-back games," said Coach McCutchan. White led PCMS with 12 points, Elliott had 10, McCord 7, Wornica and Davis each had 6, Osgatharp had 4, Marchino and Simmons had 2 and Riley had a point. Leighty and Tanner Meadows also played. Colton Potter and Reid Craig are the managers. Cody Lee is also an assistant coach. "I am very proud of these young men for all of the work they put in and the effort they have given this season. I couldn't be happier for these 13 kids who play for each other and represent themselves on and off the court so well," said Coach McCutchan, who was assisted by Greg Mullins. "It is always very special to win the conference championship and we still have one more tourney to go. We are 24-1 so far on the season. good year for the eighth grade boys team." Three PC wrestlers advance By Mike Johansen Three Pike Central Charger wrestlers have advanced to the Castle High School Regional Wrestling Tournament as the next step in their quest to try for the state tournament in two and a half weeks. The three Chargers each finished third in the Evansville Central Sectional last Saturday including Devin Phillips at 138, Mason Roberson at 160 and Dalton Miller at heavyweight. Finishing fifth and first, alternates in case one of the top four drops out, include Caleb Hawkins at 106, Nick Baker at 126, Austin Bolin at 132. Finishing sixth were Jacob Day at 182 and A.J. Ronk at 152. The Regional will be this Saturday at Castle High School. It is the first year for Pike Central in the Evansville Sectional at Castle Regional. Phillips (34-9) will take on second place finisher Charlie Allen of Boonville (38-6) at 138; Roberson (28-15) takes on Andy Wimpelberg of Evansville Reitz (35-12) at 160; and Miller (32-5) will take on Cody Osborne of Tell City (2612) in the first round of the Regional. The Regional begins at 10 a.m. (Pike County time) at Castle on Saturday (3344 Highway 261 in Newburgh). They must finish in the top four to advance to the Evansville Regional at Ford Center in downtown Evansville on Feb. 9. The State Tournament is the following weekend with the top four Devin Phllips has Alex Huelsman in trouble during a second round match at the Evansville Sectional on Saturday. Phillips finished third to move on to the Regional. Dalton Miller works to get Austin Little of North Posey on his back during a semifinal match at 285. place winners at Semi-state advancing to State. Evansville Mater Dei advanced 13 wrestlers and won the Sectional with 317 points, Evansville Central 226.5, Gibson Southern 163.5, Evansville North 125, North Posey 123, Pike Central 103, Princeton 97, Vincennes Lincoln 94, Tecumseh 85.5 and Wood Memorial 56. The Chargers did not have wrestlers at 113, 195 and 220 pounds. Devin Phillips was the first to qualify for the Chargers and received a first round bye. He met up with Alex Huelsman of Gibson Southern in the second round getting the takedown in the opening period. They started in neutral again in the second and Phillips got a takedown again. Huelsman reversed him, but Phillips escaped to lead 5-2. Huelsman began down in the third period and escaped. Phillips scored another takedown and pinned him in 5:37 to advance to the semifinals. In the semifinals, Phillips dropped a major decision to Branson Schroeder of Evansville Mater Dei by a 15-3 score. Phillips came back in the consolation semifinals to meet Jordan Frymire of North Posey. Phillips got the first period takedown to lead 2-0 at the end of the period. They started in neutral again in the second period and Phillips got another takedown for a 4-0 edge. Frymire reversed him and Phillips gained a reversal before the end of the period to lead 6-2. In the final period, Frymire escaped, Phillips took him down, but Frymire reversed him for an 8-5 score and that is how the match ended with Phillips moving on. Phillips again met Huelsman in the consolation finals. The first period was scoreless. They started in neutral in the second period and Phillips got the takedown to lead 2-0 going into the third period. In the final period, Huelsman escaped, Phillips got a takedown, Huelsman a reversal, Phillips reversed him and Huelsman escaped and the match ended with Phillips winning 6-4 for third place. Mason Roberson was the second third place finisher for the Chargers at 160 pounds. Roberson met Walker Beltran of Wood Memorial in the first round of the tournament and picked up a fall in 13 seconds of the first period. In the second round, Roberson met Wesley Mandel of Evansville Central. Roberson scored a takedown in the opening period to lead 2-0 at the end. Mandel started down in the second quarter and escaped Continued on page 4