By Anthony Mock
MaxPreps.com
The Evansville F. J. Reitz football program became only the second in Indiana history to reach 600 wins on Friday, as the Panthers squeaked by Jeffersonville, 34-33.
Despite this being his first year at Reitz as a head coach, the accomplishment was not lost on Tony Lewis, who was an assistant coach for the Panthers for 12 years. Lewis is coming off a six-year head coaching stint with a successful Wheelersburg, Ohio program, where he boasted four conference championships and a 47-21 overall record. Having had such success in his coaching career, he is ready to lead the Panthers as they try for capitalize on their first undefeated season since 1971.
Sophomore quarterback Matt McIntosh looked solid on Friday, completing 11 of 14 passes for 160 yards, including a 50-yard bomb to older brother Ryan, which tied the game and allowed for the Panthers to gain their one-point edge. Reitz held off Jeffersonville on three consecutive drives in the fourth quarter to secure the win.
Warren Central Knocks Off No. 2 Merrillville
Warren Central was the four-time defending state champion until last year, and now the Warriors are attempting to re-establish themselves as the dominant program in their class.
Ranked sixth in class 5A at the beginning of the season, the Warriors’ first major undertaking was to host the powerful Merrillville Pirates. Merrillville walked into Warren Central as the second-ranked team in 5A, but walked out having received the wrong side of a thumping as the Warriors won 42-0.
The game belonged to Warren Central from the opening play, which saw running back Eric Williams dash 80 yards for a touchdown. Warren Central continued to dominate through the first half, totaling 301 yards on the ground, while the Pirates’ offense was non-existent. Merrillville managed only one first down through the first two quarters of play, the chains having moved due to a Warrior penalty.
Dolapo Macarthy, Merrillville’s star quarterback, managed only six yards, going 8-for-25 in passing attempts against a swarming Warrior defense.
This victory was an especially good one for Warren Central, whose 21-game winning streak was snapped a year ago by Merrillville.
No. 1 Carmel Wins Indiana’s ESPN Debut
Carmel played host to Cathedral in Indiana’s first nationally televised high school football game on Saturday, and secured the bragging rights in overtime as the Greyhounds topped the Irish 28-21.
Not only did Carmel make a mark by being the first school to host a game on ESPN, the Greyhounds solidified their No. 1 ranking in the 5A state polls by defeating the winningest program in Indiana history. Now that the most distracting of the Greyhounds’ games is over, head coach Mo Moriarity can focus on the rest of his team’s very promising season.
The Greyhounds are coming off a state championship and have several key players returning from last year’s squad. Among them is standout quarterback Morgan Newton, who scored the final three touchdowns of the day to snatch away a victory from Class 4A No. 1-ranked Cathedral.
Despite having to deal with leg cramps all afternoon, Newton managed to go 16-for-21 for 194 yards while amassing 89 yards on the ground.
Volleyball: Avon Takes Out Carmel
Carmel may be defending regional champions, but they are no longer ranked 10th in the state after a tough loss to Avon in straight sets 25-20, 25-19, and 25-9.
Despite returning seven of its 12 players from last year’s 25-8 squad, the Greyhounds faltered against a strong offensive attack spearheaded by Avon’s Katie Griffin who amassed 16 kills.
The Orioles’ big win come on the heels of a solid victory against Hamilton Southeastern and prepares them for a home stand where they will face Westfield and host the Avon Invitational.
Girls Golf: Avon, Martinsville Fair Well at Center Grove
After both teams shot a collective 315, the Martinsville Artesians were able to come away with the fifth score tie-breaker in the Center Grove Invitational on Monday.
Martinsville has high expectations for this season, but also have a lot to live up to as they are coming off of a state record 10th team title. The Artesians have had to replace five seniors from last year’s team, but should have little problem contending for another title as long as head coach Sharon Most is leading the squad. Most has captained the Artesians to all 10 of their state titles.
Despite the loss of the tie-breaker, Avon expects to be solid throughout their line-up and turn in a good season. The Orioles already posted a win in the Lafayette Harrison Invitational earlier this month by shooting a school record-tying 310.