The Press-Dispatch
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The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, November 1, 2017 B-1 SPORTS Submit sports items: Call: 812-354-8500 Email: sports@pressdispatch.net or bring in a hard copy: 820 E. Poplar Street, Petersburg Chargers, Lady Chargers in chase for PAC boys', girls' all-sports trophies By Ed Cahill Press-Dispatch Sports Editor sports@pressdispatch.net The Pike Central High School boys' and girls' ath- letics programs are off to another good start in the annual chase for the Pock- et Athletic Conference's all- sports trophies. The Chargers – who placed fourth in the PAC's all-sports standings last year – are currently in third place with 220 points after finishing seventh in tennis (30 points), fourth in cross country (60), first in soccer (100) and tying for sixth in football (30) this past fall. At the same point last year, the Chargers were in fourth place with 225 points after finishing fifth in ten- nis (50 points), sixth in cross country (40), second in soccer (85) and tying for fourth in football (50). Gibson Southern is cur- rently first with 332.6 points while Heritage Hills, which is seeking its second straight boys' all-sports trophy, is second with 315 By Ed Cahill Press-Dispatch Sports Editor sports@pressdispatch.net Brent Myers and his family were literally loaded for bear during a recent hunting trip to the Smoky Mountains in eastern Tennessee. Brent, his wife Melody, their two sons, 21-year-old Brent II, and 19 -year-old Stanton, and two daughters, 15 -year-old Suzannah and 10 -year-old Rhoda, all bagged one black bear each during a three-day period in late September, exceed- ing their most optimistic expectations. "We were hoping everybody would get one, but we were figuring possibly two bears," said Brent, a Petersburg na- tive who now lives in Huntingburg, where he serves as pas- tor of the Huntingburg Holiness Church. "We weren't ex- pecting all six to get one." Brent and his family are longtime hunters – mostly for deer and small game such as rabbits and squirrels – but had never hunted for bear until this year. "My wife always had wanted to go bear hunting," Brent said. "As long as we've been married, it's been one of the things that, someday, we wanted to do." "I'd always wanted to go for years, even when I was a teenager," Melody said. "I had a friend that bear hunted. It was an older man, (and) his daughter hunted with him. We just thought that we'd like to do it someday." Brent and Melody, who will celebrate their 23rd wed- ding anniversary next April, spent their first anniversary at a cabin in the Smoky Mountains and have returned to that vicinity every year since. "The owner, we got acquainted with him, and we stayed with him different times over the past 23 years," Brent said. "Two years ago, he said, 'You need to bring them boys down here and let them shoot a bear.'" "So we scheduled for the next year to go bear hunting, but then, last year, there was such a supply of acorns that they just went back up in the mountains earlier," Brent con- tinued. "We cancelled and we rescheduled to go this year. There were times he'd call me and say, 'We're seeing bear everywhere. There's lots of them this year.'" Originally, Brent said, the plan was that only he, Melo- dy, Brent II and Stanton would hunt. "I asked him last year, 'Out of four of us coming to hunt – me, my wife and two boys – how many bear do you expect us By Ed Cahill Press-Dispatch Sports Editor sports@pressdispatch.net Pike Central High School senior middle blocker Brook Nalley re- ceived honorable mention all-around accolades for the second straight year when the Pocket Athletic Conference's All-Confer- ence Team for volleyball was announced on Mon- day, Oct. 23. Nalley led the Lady Char- gers in ace serves with 50 and kills with 138. She al- so had 29.5 blocks, two set-assists and 66 digs. As a junior, Nalley had 37 ace serves, 203 kills, 18 blocks, one set-assist and 121 digs. In eight matches against PAC opponents, Nalley – who underwent reconstruc- tive knee surgery last De- cember after tearing the ACL in her left knee during basketball season – had 12 ace serves, 42 kills, 5.5 blocks, one set-assist and 20 digs. "Brook worked really hard this summer to get her knee ready and worked on jumping again, post-sur- gery," Pike Central head coach Tonya Walton said. "She worked through the season with the setters on quicker offensive hits and hitting hard shots to the corners." Named to the PAC All-Conference Team were Abby Wetzel of Her- itage Hills and Emily Ab- ernathy of North Posey as setters; Madison Duncan of Tell City and Kaleigh Johnson of Gibson South- ern as defensive special- ists; and Abby Wahl of Her- itage Hills, Melissa Bell of Heritage Hills, Kammie Jo Hayes of Tell City, Breanna Metzger of Tecumseh, Alix Stoermer of South Spencer, Shealyn Riggs of Gibson Southern, Chloe Holder of Tecumseh and Annemarie Cardin of North Posey as all-around players. Also receiving honor- able mention were Mor- gan Schuetter of Tell City, Boo Polley of Southridge and Bre Adamson of South Spencer as defensive spe- cialists; and Kenzie Lubbe- husen of Southridge, Gray- sen Chambers of Gibson Southern, Elise O'Risky of North Posey, Hannah Compton of South Spencer and Taylor Bayer of Forest Park as all-around. Heritage Hills finished first in the PAC, going 8 - 0 while compiling a regu- lar-season record of 28 -4. Tecumseh was 7-1 in the PAC and 21-5 overall; Gib- son Southern was 6 -2 in the PAC and 19 -8 overall; Tell City was 5 -3 in the PAC and 23-7 overall; North Posey was 4-4 in the PAC and 10 - 18 overall; South Spencer was 2-6 in the PAC and 10 - 16 overall; Pike Central was 2-6 in the PAC and 9 -20 overall; Southridge was 1- 7 in the PAC and 7-18 over- all; and Forest Park was 1-7 in the PAC and 6 -18 overall. Brent Meyers Brent Meyers ll Suzannah Myers Pike Central High School senior Brook Nalley follows through after hitting the ball during the semifinals of the sectional volleyball tournament against Princeton on Saturday, Oct. 14, at Sulli- van. Ed Cahill photo Pike Central High School senior Eri- ka Hendrixson (right) tries to drive to- ward the basket as sophomore teammate Lauren Vaughn (left) sets a screen during a girls' basketball scrimmage on Thurs- day, Oct. 26, at Northeast Dubois. The La- dy Chargers will open the 2017-18 season on Thursday, Nov. 2, when they will host Evansville Reitz. Ed Cahill photo Pike Central High School senior Demi Croak (with ball) looks to pass the ball while being defended by Northeast Dubois sophomore Amberly Jacob during a girls' basketball scrimmage on Thursday, Oct. 26. The Lady Chargers will open the 2017-18 season on Thurs- day, Nov. 2, when they will host Evansville Reitz. Ed Cahill photo Nalley receives All-PAC recognition for volleyball See BEARS on 3 See PAC on 2 MYERS FAMILY BAGS SIX BEARS DURING HUNTING TRIP TO SMOKIES WE ARE PROFFESIONAL GRADE uebelhorgm.com 1-800-937-8721 Jasper, IN Girls Basketball Scrimmage vs. Northeast Dubois