Indiana State | Archive | September, 2006

“When you weigh all
the evidence, there are just too many athletic things that are unexplainable in
any other fashion than they are athletically motivated,” Ress said by
telephone Wednesday night.

Both players are seeking
to play basketball after transferring — Lee from McCutcheon and Lewis from
Lafayette Central Catholic — to Lafayette Jeff in early August. An appeal is
likely by both families.

“I’m just very
surprised with the ruling … with the interlocal agreement and open
enrollment,” said Lewis’s father, Dwight. “It’s just mind-boggling.
With the issues we raised and our concerns … they dealt with none of
that.”

Lewis is referring to an
agreement between the Tippecanoe School Corp. and the Lafayette School Corp.
where any TSC student may attend any LSC school. TSC officials have said the
agreement applies to transfers made for academic, not athletic, reasons.

The Lewises also sent a
letter to Ress outlining several alleged racial incidents that occurred at
Central Catholic during Broderick’s sophomore year.

“We followed all the
rules,” Dwight Lewis said.

Lamar Lee’s mother,
Sherry, refused a request to be interviewed when reached by telephone Wednesday
night.

“I don’t have a
comment right now,” she said.

Ress sent his decision to
the families in a letter that was received Wednesday.

“It was a very brief
statement,” Dwight Lewis said.

The next step for the
families, if they choose, is an appeal to a review committee comprised of IHSAA
executive board members.

If the IHSAA review
committee upholds the commissioner’s decision, then the families can either
elect to have the matter heard by a committee from the Indiana Department of
Education or seek a legal ruling through the courts.

“There were some good
points by the families, but there is enough evidence … that this is a
winnable case,” Ress said. “If I didn’t think it was a winnable case,
I wouldn’t have made the decision I made.”

McCutcheon athletic
director Tim Slauter said the school agrees with the decision.

“We felt like we had
put together a pretty good case based on what we felt were the facts
surrounding the situation,” Slauter said. “Because of that, we felt
confident the IHSAA would rule that it was a transfer for athletic reasons.”

Central Catholic principal
Joe Brettnacher previously agreed to the athletic transfer for Lewis, but then
the IHSAA asked Harrison, the district where
the family resides, for its opinion. After their own investigation, Harrison principal Doug Lesley and athletic director
Jerry Galema believed Lewis selected Lafayette Jeff for athletic reasons.

Galema was unable to
comment because the school had not yet been notified of the ruling.

“We were granted a
release (from LCC), but why would we go back there? We’re sort of stuck,”
Dwight Lewis said. “It’s mind-boggling that IHSAA would make a ruling like
that. They’re giving us no option but to appeal.

“We don’t have a
school to go back to. It’s amazing to me that they would want to hurt a kid
like that. We’re talking to some lawyers.”

Lewis, a junior, is
ineligible for 365 calendar days. If he loses the appeal, he would be eligible
for varsity basketball as a senior. Lee is a senior.

Lafayette Jeff athletic
director Maurie Denney said he was told by Ress that the IHSAA found no
evidence of undue influence by anyone associated with the school.

“Both Broderick and
Lamar are outstanding young men,” Denney said. “Since their
enrollment at Jefferson
High School, we have
wanted what is best for them. That has not changed. We will support whatever
decision they and their families make as far as their future plans are
concerned.”

The next IHSAA review
committee meeting is Oct. 5, but Ress did not believe that was enough time to
get the potential appeals on the agenda.

“But I will schedule
another review meeting in October because this is a winter sports issue, and I
do not want to drag this into November,” he said.

Lee, a 6-foot guard,
played his first three seasons at McCutcheon and was named to the Journal &
Courier’s Big School All-Area First Team after averaging 15 points, 3.2
rebounds, and 3.2 assists as a junior.

The 6-foot-6 Lewis started
all 25 games for Central Catholic last season as a sophomore and averaged 10.2
points and 5.6 rebounds, earning honorable mention on the Journal &
Courier’s Small School All-Area team.

Jim D. Stafford contributed to this report.

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think? Share your thoughts in our Boys Basketball forum.

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By Mike
McGraw
Executive Director

INDIANAPOLIS — Brebeuf has just about
everything you could want in a volleyball team. The Class 3A No. 9 Braves have
size, speed, and skill. There is only one thing they donâ�?��?�t possess — Paige
Weber.

That
treasure belongs exclusively to Roncalli, and that is why the 3A third-ranked Rebels
are moving on in the Marion
County Tournament.

Don���?�t get
me wrong. Roncalli is a talented team, but the Rebels���?� strongest asset is that
they know they have the biggest dog in the fight, and they ride her talents
from beginning to end. Weber did everything but sell popcorn Sept. 27 in
leading Roncalli to a hard-fought 23-25, 25-16, 25-22, 24-26, 15-11 victory on
opening-round action.

It was a
match that had to leave both coaches with mixed emotions.

It
appeared early on as though Roncalli would have little trouble in this battle
of 3A powers. The Rebels surged to a 19-12 lead in Game 1, but it was at that
point that Brebeuf exerted what would be a consistent theme through the
evening: superiority at the net. The Braves, aided by some inconsistent Rebel
play, roared back and took the first game.

However,
there is a reason coach Kathy Nalley-Schembra has been winning at Roncalli for
over a generation. Adjustments were made, and Brebeuf���?�s power at the net was
nearly completely nullified in the next two games. Weber���?�s rare talents at
controlling the ball and Roncalli���?�s lack of unforced errors seemed to have the
match in control by midway in Game 4.

That is
when things took a frustrating and bizarre twist.

Brebeuf
coach Brian Murphy made a substitution error that was apparently not caught by
anyone but Murphy himself. The Brebeuf mentor immediately called attention to
the mistake and tried to do his best to rectify the situation. But sometimes
the best-laid plans go awry, and that is certainly the case in this instance.

His
efforts, and what would have to be called an oversight by an official, simply
led to more confusion. The result was 15 minutes of down time late in the game.
In the end Brebeuf was penalized, and the adjusted score gave Roncalli an 18-15
lead. Bad break for Brebeuf, right?

Wrong. The
disruption gave the Braves both a chance to rest and some immediate motivation,
and they surged back to take the game 25-23. And the momentum seemed ready to
carry Brebeuf to what would have been a great comeback victory in the match as
the Braves jumped to a quick 6-1 lead in the deciding Game 5.

Weber,
however, would have none of that. The Rebels���?� nationally regarded setter simply
took control of the match at that critical juncture. She led the Rebels back
and eventually to a 15-11 Game 5 win and the match victory. The match ended on
a service error by Brebeuf, which was something that plagued the Braves all
evening.

Just how
dominant was Weber? Try this stat line on for size: five aces, 12 kills, and 37
assists. Repeatedly throughout the contest, Weber made plays at critical times
to put a dagger in the hearts of the Brebeuf faithful.

Roncalli���?�s
prize for winning this marathon is a date Sept. 28 with 4A second-ranked Warren
Central in Round 2. The Warriors already own one match victory over Roncalli
this year.

So what do you think? Share your thoughts
in our Volleyball forum.

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By Bubba Harnist
Staff Writer

INDIANAPOLIS ���?? ���?Don���?�t give up, don���?�t ever give
up.â�?�

The quote
above came from Jim Valvano when he was describing his battle with cancer that
eventually claimed his life. After watching Shelbyville win its second game by
one point in the last three weeks on Sept. 23 at the RCA Dome, one could argue
that���?�s the theme for this year���?�s Golden Bears football team.

That quote
rang especially true as Shelbyville battled back from a 21-3 second-quarter deficit
to beat Mount Vernon
(Fortville), 22-21. The Golden Bears got a 17-yard field goal with two seconds
left from Michael Parks for the win, keeping Shelbyville in a first-place tie in
the Hoosier Heritage Conference with New Palestine, a 28-14 winner over Yorktown earlier in the day.

���?Our
desire not to quit was the key,â�?� said Shelbyville coach Pat Parks, father of
the team���?�s kicker. ���?We had a lot of adversity in that game with two kids (senior
quarterback Josh French, sophomore wide receiver David Brown) going down. But
our offensive line just really stepped up, then our defense stepped up. I mean,
we held them to no points in the second half.

���?It was
just a battle throughout. Our kids just kept believing and made the plays we
need to make.â�?�

Shelbyville
got on the scoreboard first on the opening drive of the game, settling for a
31-yard field goal from Michael Parks to give the Golden Bears a 3-0 lead.

Mt. Vernon responded by going 84 yards on 10 plays, scoring
on a seven-yard touchdown run by senior Chase Page. The key play of the drive
was a magnificent one-handed catch from wide receiver Todd Miller on 3^rd
and 10 to keep the drive alive. The extra point from junior Eric Meyer made it
7-3, Mt. Vernon.

After
Shelbyville turned the ball over on downs, the Mt. Vernon
offense went right back to work. Another 10-play drive that covered 64 yards
culminated with one-yard touchdown from senior Ryne Weppler on a quarterback
keeper. The ensuing extra point made it 14-3 with 7:14 left in the half.

On the Golden
Bears���?� next possession, Mt.
Vernon sophomore Tyler
Stafford recovered a fumble at the Shelbyville 48, giving the Marauders the
ball back with excellent field position for their next drive.

The Mt. Vernon
offense struck quickly ���?? very
quickly. On the very next play, senior Josh Mitchell scampered 52 yards to the
end zone, giving the Marauders a 21-3 lead after the extra point from Meyer.

At that
point, the Marauders were clearly in control, but Shelbyville had another
chance to score before the half ended. Starting at their own 30 with 3:46 left
in the half, the Golden Bears went 70 yards on eight plays, scoring on a
22-yard touchdown pass from French to Brown with 1:08 left. The extra point
made it 21-10 as the half arrived.

The start
to the second half was a sloppy one for both teams. The Marauders fumbled on
their first drive, only to see Shelbyville fumble it right back the very next
play. The two teams then each turned the ball over on downs, only furthering
the disjointed effort.

Shelbyville
finally got going on its third drive of the half. Starting at their own 46, the
Golden Bears marched to the Marauder 7 but had to settle for a 23-yard field
goal from Parks. That made it 21-13 with 11:06 left in the game.

The
Marauders took over at their own 35 after the kickoff went out of bounds. Mount Vernon converted
two key third-down plays to further the drive and **** time off the clock. But
on 4^th and 3 at the Shelbyville 17, Marauders coach Doug Peacock decided
to go for it instead of attempting a field goal that could have made it a
two-possession game.

Weppler
ran for only two yards, however, giving the ball back to Shelbyville and
keeping the Bears���?� hopes alive. The dream was achieved on the very next play.

Shelbyville
struck swiftly as sophomore quarterback Kris Skipton hit junior Derek Atwood
for an 84-yard touchdown pass, making it 21-19 with 2:56 left.

���?It was
the impact play,â�?� Atwood said. â�?��?We were down big and it was getting late in the
game, and we knew we had to make a play. I knew if they could get it to me, I
could make the play.â�?�

���?When Josh
got hurt, that really took the spread away from us,â�?� coach Parks said. â�?��?We had
to go back to the wing after that and it was effective ���?? we were able to move
the ball. Again, the offensive line stepped up, and [that] really helped us get
after it.â�?�

The Golden
Bears went for a two-point conversion to tie the game. After a pass
interference penalty on the first attempt gave Shelbyville the ball at the
1.5-yard line, Shelbyville elected to try and run the ball in. But the rush by
Atwood came up just short, leaving the Golden Bears down two points at 21-19
with 2:56 left.

Mt. Vernon took over at its own 30, but three
consecutive runs failed to get a first down, giving Shelbyville one last
chance. Or so it seemed.

On 4th and
5 at the Marauder 37, Mt.
Vernon shocked everyone
at the RCA Dome going for a fake punt instead of kicking to pin the Golden Bears
deep in their own territory. But the fake attempt failed, and the Golden Bears
took over at the Mt.
Vernon 35 with 2:24 left
and still one timeout.

���?I told
the kids in the huddle to make sure the ball goes to the punter and don���?�t jump
offsides because they were shorter than five yards,â�?� coach Parks said. â�?��?We were
aware, but surprised? Yes.â�?�

Riding the
back of Atwood, the Golden Bears marched all the way inside the Marauder 1. On
the drive���?�s ninth play, Michael Parks nailed the game-winning field goal with
two seconds left, giving Shelbyville its first lead since 3-0.

���?We were
only down two points, and we know we have a solid kicker,â�?� Atwood said. â�?��?We
knew we just had to get to his range, and that���?�s all I was thinking about. We
just had to set up a chip shot for him, and he got in there and put it in.â�?�

The
exciting comeback improves the Golden Bears���?� record to 4-2 overall and a
perfect 4-0 in the HHC, while the Marauders fall to 4-2 and 2-2. The Marauders
next host Greenfield
while the Golden Bears will entertain New Palestine in a battle of league
undefeateds for first place in conference. Kickoff for both of those games is
set for 7:30. p.m. ET.

���?I feel
real good, real fortunate,â�?� said coach Parks. â�?��?Thatâ�?��?�s the second game we have
been able to win at the wire. To be 4-0 is a positive thing for this program,
and these kids have the confidence that everyone we put in can play.â�?�

So what do you think? Share your thoughts in our
Football forum.

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