The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/985526
The Press-Dispatch Sports Wednesday, May 23, 2018 B- 3 crossbar be set at 14 feet, 1 inch. "Honestly, once I got to 13-8, I didn't really think I was going to clear that," he said. "But after I did that, I thought, 'You know what? This is my chance right here.'" "It was an exciting meet by that time," Knight said. "Most of the running events were over and the majori- ty of the athletes and fans worked their way down to the pole vault pit to watch Tyler. With everyone clap- ping and cheering him on, it gave him another boost of energy, and his adrenaline took over." Tyler Kirby was able to make the record-breaking jump on his second attempt. "It was kind of magical," he said. "Once I got over it, my mind stopped, and I got up, and all my teammates run over to me, and Eric. Er- ic gave me a big hug when I got off the mat. It was nice." "Watching Tyler break the record was a pretty cool moment," Pike Central head coach Chris Kramer said. "He got rushed by some of his teammates, but also right there celebrating was Coach Knight." "He has been pushing any pole vaulter he has coached to break his record," Kramer added. "To see him celebrat- ing with Tyler and his team- mates as his record was be- ing broken shows his great attitude and willingness to help these kids succeed in the track program, and any other teams he helps with here at Pike Central." Both Tyler Kirby and Gavin Boyd automatical- ly advanced to the regional meet, which will be held on Thursday, May 24, at Evans- ville Central. Tyler Kirby is the top-seed in pole vault at 14-1, while Borden sopho- more Eric Wheatley is seed- ed second at 14-0. Gavin Boyd, who won the section- al title in pole vault in 2016, is seeded fourth at 13-4. Last year, Wheatley placed third at the region- al with a leap of 13 feet, 6 inches. Floyd Central se- nior Kyle Zeineman was first with a jump of 15 feet, 2 inches. "Honestly, it feels differ- ent," said Tyler Kirby, who tied for fifth – along with Gavin Boyd – with a leap of 12 feet, 6 inches in last year's regional meet. "I remem- ber last year going in, and I looked at ( Wheatley) vault- ing and was, like, 'Dang, that guy's good.' Now I'm coming in seeded over him. I mean, it's weird." "I am very proud of Tyler and Gavin for all the work they have put in and the ex- tra time spent after practice each day, jumping and work- ing on technique," Knight said. "Both Gavin and Tyler know they can jump those high heights, and they both push each other to get their personal-best ( jumps) each meet." Tyler Kirby said that he felt confident going into the regional meet, where the top three finishers in each event automatically advance to the state finals on Satur- day, June 2, at the Robert C. Haugh Track & Field Com- plex on the Indiana Univer- sity campus in Bloomington. "But I want to stay hum- ble, though, you know, and make sure I don't dog it in practice," he said. "My wrist is still a little bit roughed up, but once I get it taped up, I should be ready to go." The last Charger to ad- vance to the state finals was Cain Parker, who placed 12th in the 1,600 -meter run as a senior in 2013. Gavin Boyd and Tyler Kirby also teamed up with sophomore Sam Theising and freshman Colt Arm- strong to place second in the 400 -meter relay with a time of 46.00 seconds. However, at the regional meet, junior Colton Carpenter and fresh- man Garrett Boyd will run in their places so they can focus on the pole vault com- petition, Kramer said. Also advancing to the regional meet in individ- ual events are sophomore Nate Woolery, who placed third in the 3,200 -me- ter run with a season-best time of 10 :35.21; and Arm- strong, who – after placing sixth during preliminaries for the 200 -meter dash with a time of 24.15 seconds – placed fourth in the 200 -me- ter dash finals with a time of 23.89 seconds. Placing fifth in indiviu- dal events for the Chargers were freshman Ijaa Cham- bers in the 1,600 -meter run with a season-best time of 4:46.47 and junior Andrew Krieg in discus with a throw of 120 feet, 3.5 inches. Placing sixth in the 300 -meter hurdles was The- ising with a season-best time of 44.36 seconds. Placing seventh in an in- dividual event for the Char- gers was Woolery with a sea- son-best time of 4:47.11. • Finishing 10th in the 400 -meter dash was Carpen- ter with a season-best time of 55.79 seconds. • Finishing 11th in the 110 -meter hurdles was The- ising with a time of 18.84 seconds. • Finishing 12th in the 800 -meter run was junior Christian Benson with a time of 2:20.39. • Finishing 12th in the 110 -meter hurdles was freshman Connor Young with a season-best time of 20.65 seconds. • Finishing 13th in the 400 -meter dash was junior Adam Kirby with a time of 56.76 seconds. • Finishing 13th in the 300 -meter hurdles was Young with a time of 51.56 seconds. • Finishing 16th in pre- liminaries for the 100 -me- ter dash was Garrett Boyd with a time of 13.18 seconds. • Finishing 17th in pre- liminaries for the 200 -meter dash was freshman Ethan Huck with a time of 26.37 seconds. • Finishing 19th in pre- liminaries for the 100 -meter dash was sophomore Blake Henson with a time of 13.45 seconds. In shot put, freshman Stephen Krieg had a sea- son-best throw of 36 feet, 11 inches, but did not place. In addition, the team of Benson and freshmen Col- son Dillard, Sam Jones and Lane Potts placed eighth in the 3,200 -meter relay with a time of 10 :08.26; and the team of Theising, junior Ja- cob Vest and freshmen Re- ece Ashley, Ethan Huck fin- ished ninth in the 1,600 -me- ter relay with a time of 4:04.14. As a team, Pike Central placed fifth with 48 points, trailing Princeton (162 points), Gibson Southern (119.5), South Knox (73) and Washington (54). North Knox was sixth with 41 points, followed by Tecum- seh (34), Vincennes Lin- coln (31), Barr-Reeve (24), North Daviess (23.5) and Wood Memorial (11). "We had one of our best meets of the year in terms of getting our best performanc- es out of these guys," Kram- er said. "They have worked hard all year and have been a great group of guys to coach. We hope these guys that have advanced to the re- gional meet will do even bet- ter Thursday." SPORTS BRIEFS Pike Central Youth Wrestling Camp to be held in July Wrestlers who are in- terested in improving their skills and knowl- edge of the sport are in- vited to participate in the Pike Central Youth Wres- tling Camp. The wrestling camp is for students who will be in kindergarten or first through sixth grades in the 2018 -19 school year. The camp will run from Monday, July 16, to Friday, July 20, from 6 p.m.-7:10 p.m., at the Pike Central High School gym. The wrestling finale will be held on Wednesday, Ju- ly 25, at 6 p.m. In-person sign-ups will be held Thursday, May 24, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the Pike Central High School gym. The sign-up fee is $45 ($25 for any additional sib- lings) and includes a T- shirt and a medal. Registration forms, which can be found on Facebook on the Pike Central Wrestling page, can be also be mailed to Ryan McCain, 110 West Crestview Drive, Peters- burg, IN 47567. For more information, contact McCain by calling 812-789 -6381 or by e-mail- ing him at ryanfmccain@ gmail.com, or visit the Pike Central Wrestling page on Facebook. Pike Central Boys' Basketball Camp set for June 4-7 The 2018 Pike Central Boys' Basketball Camp – for boys who will be enter- ing first through eighth grades this fall – will be held Monday, June 4, through Thursday, June 7, at the Pike Central Middle School gymnasium. The cost of the camp is $25 per child. The cost for two campers from the same family is $40. Each camper will receive a Pike Central Basketball T-shirt. The camp, which will be conducted by Pike Central coaching staff and players, will feature five hours of instruction time. The camp is designed to assist and enhance bas- ketball fundamentals, fo- cusing on the fundamen- tals of dribbling, passing, shooting, ball handling, team strategies and de- fense. The camp will be split into two sessions. The session for campers en- tering first through fourth grade will be held from 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. each day, while the session for campers entering fifth through eighth grade will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. each day. Registration forms, which are available at ar- ea school offices, can be mailed to Hunter Elliott, 1810 E. State Rd. 56, Pe- tersburg, IN 47567. Make sure to indicate the T- shirt size on the regis- tration form, as well as what grade the camper will be entering this com- ing fall, and be sure to make checks payable to "Pike Central Boys Bas- ketball." Sign-ups will al- so be accepted at the door. For more information, call the Pike Central High School Athletic Office at 812-354-8478, or e-mail Coach Hunter Elliott at helliott@pcsc.k12.in.us. Pike Central Chargers to host soccer clinic June 15 The Pike Central Char- gers soccer coaching staff and players will be host- ing a one-day clinic on Fri- day, June 15, for boys and girls who will be entering kindergarten through eighth grade this fall. The clinic will be held at the Gospel Center Church's soccer field on east Illi- nois Street in Petersburg. Session 1 – from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. – will be for boys and girls kindergar- ten through fifth grade. Session 2 – from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. – will be for boys and girls sixth through eighth grade. Members of the Pike Central High School boys' soccer team and coaches will run the clinic, with age specific drills and in- struction. The registration fee is $20 per player. A clinic t- shirt will be provided to those who are pre-regis- tered. Check-in is 15 to 20 minutes before the start of each session. Registration will also be conducted the day of the clinic, but no clinic t- shirts will be provided. Registration forms and payments are due by Fri- day, June 1, in order to re- ceive a clinic t-shirt. Com- pleted registration forms, along with checks made payable to "PC Boys Soc- cer," should be mailed to Amanda Howald, 941 South State Road 61, Winslow, IN 47598. All players attending the clinic should arrive with shinguards and a wa- ter bottle, as well as their own soccer ball. For more information, or to obtain a registration form, call Pike Central High School head boys' soccer coach Chad West- ern at (812) 789 -3312. Lady Charger Basketball Camp set for June 25-28 Girls who will be enter- ing third through eighth grades this fall will have a chance to improve their skills and learn more about basketball during the Lady Chargers Bas- ketball Camp, which will be from Monday, June 25, through Thursday, June 28, at Pike Central High School. Pike Central High School head coach Kyle McCutchan and his staff will be conducting two separate camps. The first will be for incoming 3rd through 5th graders from 6 p.m.-7 p.m. The second will be for incom- ing 6th through 8th grad- ers from 7 p.m.-8 p.m. The camp will focus on fundamentals and learn- ing the game of basket- ball. There will be games and contests each day. Each camper will receive individual instruction from coaching staff and high school players. The cost is $20 per play- er, or $ 35 for two players from the same family, and includes a camp t-shirt. Forms are available at each school's office. Completed registration forms, along with checks made payable to Kyle Mc- Cutchan, should be mailed to: Kyle McCutchan, 410 S. 8th St., Petersburg, IN 47567. Please be sure to note each player's incom- ing grade and their shirt size. Registrations must be received by Saturday, June 9, so shirts can be or- dered on Monday, June 11. KIRBY Continued from page 1 We will be visiting: Petersburg & Evansville, IN Saturday, June 2 For time, location, and to place an order, call us at 870-729-8619 http://arkansaspondstockers.com WALK-UPS ARE WELCOME! FISH DAY!!! Now is the Time for Stocking with Arkansas Pondstockers! Channel Catfish • Large Mouth Bass Bluegill ( Regular & Hybrid) • Redear Black Crappie (If Avail.) • Koi (If Avail.) 6-11" Grass Carp • Fathead Minnows CASH OR CHECK ONLY Above: Pike Central High School senior Gavin Boyd competes in pole vault during the boys' track and field sectional meet on Thursday, May 17, at Princeton. Boyd placed second with a per- sonal-best leap of 13 feet, 4 inches to advance to the regional meet on Thursday, May 24, at Evans- ville Central. Andy Heuring photo Below: Pike Central High School sophomore Nate Woolery competes in the 1,600-meter run during the boys' track and field sectional meet on Thursday, May 17, at Princeton. Woolery placed seventh with a season-best time of 4:47.11. Wool- ery also paced third in the 3,200-meter run with a season-best time of 10:35.21 to advance to the regional meet on Thursday, May 24, at Evansville Central. Andy Heuring photo Over the sound of run- ning water, the lantern hiss- es steadily. The leaves on the limbs that droop low over the water glow greenly in its light. Past the edges of the light, the river is a dark mass moving quietly in the night. The lantern brings a certain level of comfort to a man fish- ing alone, a beacon in the wil- derness providing light by way of fire. I look away from the lan- tern and over to my fishing rod, which rests securely in a piece of a three-inch PVC pipe I jammed vertically in- to some tree roots on the wa- ter's edge. I watch the rod-tip for signs of movement; noth- ing yet. I'm fishing for catfish with a night crawler on the bottom. A good method, as long as you know you're on a firm bottom of gravel or solid rock. You don't want your night crawl- er lost in river-muck where fish can't find it. I know an experienced riv- er-rat (a person who loves river fishing so much that during summer months they tend to disregard anything that doesn't have to do with catching and eating fish. Per- sonal appearance goes by the wayside. Shirtless, clad in tat- tered shorts only, they'll of- ten sport a 2-to-3-day old, or perhaps a 2-to-3-month-old, beard. They subsist on a diet of mostly fried fish, become nocturnal in hot weather, and their equipment is noth- ing fancy but highly effec- tive for river conditions) who searches for a solid bottom by standing in his boat and prob- ing the bottom with a long piece of PVC. When he hits on a solid surface in deep wa- ter, he fishes that spot. Seems like a lot of work to find a fish- ing spot but...the man catch- es fish. I continue watching my motionless rod-tip as the lan- tern hisses steadily in the darkness. I look at my phone. 9:30 p.m. Over the years, I've found the summer catfish bite typically starts around 9:30 p.m. I believe it's dark enough by then for bigger cats to feel comfortable com- ing out of deeper waters to hunt for prey. I find the bite usually lasts for an hour or so and then trails off as the night wears on. With no movement from the pole, my mind begins to wander. Those thoughts that live in the shadows of my mind start creeping in. I be- gin to worry about the bills I need to pay and the back deck that needs scrubbed and stained. I think of the overdue oil change I need to do on the family vehicle. There is one thing that will drive those thoughts away quicker than anything though – a fish on the line. And, sure enough, my rod tip starts moving. First it dips slowly before rising back up again. It dips and rises sev- eral times before sudden- ly dropping hard towards the water. This time, it stays down. I jump up from the bank and grab the pole. I put a lit- tle pressure on the fish and it runs up river. I feel it in my forearms and know that it's got some size. I keep the pressure on and reel in line every chance I get. The fish is pulling hard and steady, but I know the real fight is yet to come. When I've got it about five yards from the bank, it turns up the heat. Thrashing from side to side, it doubles down on the fight and plows to- wards the middle of the riv- er. My heartbeat quickens and rises into the base of my throat. The worry thoughts are all gone and my mind is focused solely on the fight; it's just me and the fish. Moving away from the bank, it takes back line from my reel in small surges. Final- ly, the fish slows down and I start taking in line again. With a slow sweep, I drag it to the edge of the water. It's a decent-sized flathead catfish. Its smooth green skin shines in the light of the hiss- ing lantern. I grab my pliers and free the hook from the corner of its mouth. It lies on the bank for a second, its black eyes peering brightly. I carefully pick the fish up and place it back in the wa- ter. With a violent thrash, it returns to the depths of the river. I decide to end my night on a high note, so I stow my pole and gear for the hike back up to the cabin. I pause to look out over the river one last time. Its dark waters beckon me to stay a little longer but I know all good things must come to an end. I grab the lantern and flip the knob to off. The woods go dark, and the steady hiss- ing that's accompanied me all night slowly fades away. PATOKA VALLEY OUTDOORS By Sam Whiteleather Night Fishing