Latest news with #Greenfield-Central
Indianapolis Star
a day ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Center Grove gets off to hot start, buries Brownsburg for baseball regional title
Center Grove scored six runs in the first inning and never looked back, earning a 14-3 win over Brownsburg in the Class 4A regional championship game Saturday. The win clinches Center Grove's second regional title in the past three years. The Trojans advance to face Franklin next Saturday in the semistate semifinals. "The offense came out firing today," Center Grove starting pitcher Gannon Grant said. "I felt really comfortable. All I had to do was throw strikes and let my defense work." IHSAA baseball regionals: Statewide pairings, schedule, scores Elsewhere: North Central outlasts Greenfield-Central ace, wins first regional title since 1994 Grant allowed three runs over six innings, striking out six and walking one. Brownsburg did a great job getting hard contact on Grant, but the Trojans' defense made plays on the ball, limiting the damage. Colin McNeer and Ty Jarvis each had an RBI. Cayon Koonce had two hits and two runs scored. Carson Bush, Tristan Yerman and Hudson Stewart all drove in runs in the first inning. Bulldogs' reliever Ryan Murphy held the Trojans in check until the six innings when Center Grove scored four more runs. The Trojans added four runs in the seven as well. Yerman led Center four with four hits and seven RBIs. Gannon Grant had three hits and one run scored. Andrew Krupa had four hits and three RBIs. "That is a fabulous offensive team, so for us to come out and put six (runs) on them, maybe tighten them up a little bit, it was awesome," Center Grove coach Keith Hatfield said. "It really set the tone. Maybe we relaxed a little bit for a few innings, but when you build that kind of a lead it gives you a little leeway to not play well."
Indianapolis Star
a day ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
IHSAA softball: Greenfield-Central falls to Floyd Central
Interview with Josie White, Leilani Forshey and Savvanna Riall following Greenfield-Central's 6-1 loss to Floyd Central in the Class 4A semistate semifinals. Brian Haenchen IHSAA softball: Noblesville seniors remember Craig Lutz IHSAA basketball: Addi Baxter scores 13 points, eight assists in All-Stars win Cathedral 2B Connor Christiansen on leading Irish to City championship Savvanna Riall helped Greenfield-Central blast its way into semistate
Indianapolis Star
a day ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
IU softball commit overcame 3 ACL tears to lead Greenfield-Central. 'She's a different breed'
GREENWOOD — Josie White remembers sitting with her Greenfield-Central softball coach at an IU camp a few years ago, forced to watch off to the side as she recovered from a torn ACL. 'If I have to do this again, I'm quitting. This sucks,' she told her coach. "And that was just the first time," White said. 'I went through it two more times.' The second half of that quote is enough to make most anyone do a double take. Greenfield-Central senior Josie White — who just last week announced her commitment to IU softball — tore her ACL three times during her high school career. The second occurrence limited her to just 18 games as a sophomore, then the third ended her junior campaign after only 12 games. And each time, the sure-handed shortstop worked her way back. Noblesville honors assistant's memory: 'If you were coached by him, you knew what love was.' IHSAA softball semistate: Statewide scores, schedule, recaps "I knew I wasn't ready to be done," she said following Saturday's 6-1 loss to Floyd Central in the Class 4A semistate semifinal. "I love softball and even before I committed, I was like, 'I'm not done. I can't give up this sport. I have no reason to quit.'" 'She's a different breed,' added senior first baseman Leilani Forshey. 'Not very many people would tear their ACL three times and be like, 'Yeah, let's go back. Let's try it again.'' White played the entirety of her senior season and used those 27 games to make up for lost time, batting .500 with 51 hits, 41 runs and 13 RBIs. She was nearly perfect in the field, recording 95 putouts and 16 assists on 116 chances with 12 double plays, and showed off her wheels, swiping a team-high 16 bases. A career .467 hitter (134 hits in 80 games), White scored twice as part of a stirring come-from-behind win over Pendleton Heights (trailed 7-0) in the sectional, then went 3-for-4 with three runs scored amidst a regional rout of Lawrence North. On Saturday — one year since her most-recent knee surgery — White clocked a couple hits and scored Greenfield-Central's (19-8) lone run against the Highlanders. "It's been great (having White as a teammate). I couldn't be more thankful that she's been healthy this year," junior third baseman Savvanna Riall said, fighting back tears as she continued. "I've been playing with her since I was 10, so to see her have a full season and have a great one — that's pretty special." Those long-running ties and deep connections with her teammates helped White keep going these past few years, pushing her through the moments of doubt. She also played with junior second baseman Kristen Wineinger growing up, the two starting out at pitcher's helper and first base before moving to their current positions. At home, her parents — former college baseball and softball players themselves — have been a constant source of motivation. "I wanted to be like them — to be better than them," White smirked. "(My parents) got me here and I'm trying to use what they helped me build, my skills and everything." Asked what it's meant to play for Greenfield-Central and to lead the Cougars to their first sectional and regional championships since 2017, White replied: "It's just been huge." "I think everyone around me knows I try to lead by example as best I can and these people are just so amazing, as softball players and outside of it," she continued. "Great friendships have been built. I just loved being here."
Indianapolis Star
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indianapolis Star
Greenfield-Central has new HR record holder, Cougars slug way to first regional title since 2017
GREENFIELD – Savvanna Riall didn't think she'd get a pitch to hit during the IHSAA softball Class 4A Regional 5 championship Tuesday night. Greenfield-Central coach Gary Roberts assumed the same after his junior third baseman crushed two home runs during sectionals, including a grand slam for a total of eight RBIs the past three games. 'We talked about not getting a pitch at all. I thought I was going to get walked every single time, but thankfully, they did throw to me,' Riall said. Surprisingly, Lawrence North (13-16) decided to offer Riall six pitches in total. She hit two for singles, and the final one never stood a chance. Riall took two balls in the bottom of the fourth, and then as she's done 14 times this season, blasted a solo home run over the right-centerfield fence at Greenfield-Central to become the program's single-season record holder. Her leadoff home run jump started a five-run frame as Greenfield-Central (19-7) bested their 21-run sectional championship showing with a 23-3, five-inning run-rule victory to capture the program's fourth regional title all-time and first since 2017. 'I've been a little bit too antsy at the plate. I've kind of been swinging to try to get a home run, and then finally it happened,' Riall said. 'Oh, yeah. I bat flipped, which I kind of got scared with after, but, I mean, you gotta do it. It was one of the greatest feelings. Honestly, I couldn't be happier, and my teammates were right there with me the whole time. They knew I could do it.' The previous home run record belonged to former Cougars' all-state slugger Morganne Denny at 14, but the record-breaker Tuesday held special meaning for Riall, who was mobbed at home plate by her jovial teammates. Riall's longball was the exclamation point for a Cougars program that has won 11 games in a row with its last loss dating back to May 12 at Triton Central, 6-1. 'They refuse to lose,' Roberts said. 'When we were down seven to Pendleton (in the sectional semifinals), I looked in the dugout, and they were all positive. They were like, we'll get one or two here, and we'll do this and this, and they did it. They made a believer out of me.' Greenfield-Central rallied to beat rival Pendleton Heights, 8-7, after trailing the first two innings. Riall's grand slam highlighted the comeback before she hit another home run against Anderson in the sectional final, while the Cougars posted 20 hits to score 21 runs. On the season, the Cougars are hitting .354 with 30 home runs and 215 runs scored in 26 games. Greenfield-Central had 18 hits against Lawrence North and two home runs. Senior Leilani Forshey (3-for-4, 5 RBIs) belted a two-run homer to cap Greenfield-Central's five-run bottom of the first and a two-run double in the second. An 11-run second inning put Greenfield-Central ahead 16-1, while junior Charlotte Riehle (2-for-4, 3 RBIs) gave the Cougars four extra-base hits with a two-run double in the second. Riall was intentionally walked twice, including with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth for the game's final run, but she still finished a perfect 3-for-3 with four runs scored and two RBIs. On the season, she carries a .658 batting average with 58 RBIs. 'Technically, she should have had 17 (home runs). We were a half inning short at Rushville. She hit two before we got rained out in four innings,' Roberts said. 'If we'd have got another half inning in, she'd have two more and four more RBIs. She's been wanting that record real bad, and how about starting that triple play?' Riall ended her milestone day by catching a line drive before doubling up two base runners at third and first base for a triple play in the top of the fifth, clinching another banner for the team's outfield wall. Along the inside of the fence, Greenfield-Central has eight sectional banners hanging in left field where No. 9 awaits, and three regional banners in right-centerfield next to a 1987 state finalist and 2015 Hoosier Heritage Conference sign. After a 12-12 campaign in 2024, the Cougars are surging following a 7-7 start to the 2025 season. 'It's huge for the community, really. We were kind of underdogs. A lot of people think in semistate, we're not going to make it far, but I have different thoughts. I think we can really make it far,' Riall said. 'We're just glad that we can put a banner on the board for everyone and keep building as a team. It's going to take a lot of grit, and right now, that's exactly what we have.'
Indianapolis Star
30-05-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Preps Insider: 'First-time' transfer is here, high rate(?) of coaching changes, other moves
I need a catchy name for this style of article/column/Insider. This is not necessarily a mailbag – maybe more of a human, word of mouth discussion group than the usual electronic reader feedback style. I need somewhere to unload some thoughts, notes, information, etc., that are maybe not fully formed but things that have been on my mind, and/or news relevant to readers. So, for lack of a better idea, let's call this 'Fourth and long.' Or not. It's a working title. The new Indiana High School Athletic Association 'first time' transfer rule will go into effect June 1. I am aware of roughly 8-10 basketball players just in Central Indiana who will be using the rule to transfer to a new school. Of more interest to me than each individual transfer is how the new rule will impact how coaches use June. This is a key month for football and basketball as players are able to practice with their high school teams, go to camps and play in events (like the Charlie Hughes Shootout at the end of the month). One local football coach told me he told his assistant coaches that there will be no depth charts in the summer. Interesting. It makes sense, though. Why potentially run kids off by burying them on the depth chart? As a coach, you might like that athlete's potential. But a player going into their sophomore or junior year – or maybe more specifically their parents – might see that as a sign to bounce to a different school. And I am not sitting at my computer thinking that is a bad thing, necessarily. Every case is different, right? But it is going to be interesting how this plays out as it relates to the management styles of coaches who are trying to keep kids (or, on the other hand, sending a message that they might want them to transfer). As usual, the players you see on teams in June might not be the same once the school year starts in August (or late July, in some cases). My quick 2 cents: After these first few weeks and months, I think the first-time transfer will ultimately be a more black-and-white rule that kids and parents will come to understand and know what they are getting into. There will be less gray area than the old rule, where 'the best interests' of the athlete transferring were often left to be decided by schools who would either benefit or lose out on the transfer decision. I think it is a little misleading to think of this as the transfer portal of college sports. The freedom only applies to the first transfer, not a clean slate every year like in college, though certainly some of that is filtering down from there. But this change was pushed by the state legislature, which wants school choice to apply to athletics as well. We will see how it all unfolds. I was asked recently during a radio interview why there seems to be so many high school basketball coaching changes during this cycle. Anecdotally, there does seem to be a lot. In boys' basketball in Central Indiana, we have changes at Danville, Greenfield-Central, Greenwood Christian, Guerin Catholic, Hamilton Southeastern, Tindley, Martinsville, Pendleton Heights, Speedway and Western Boone. But after checking with the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association, the coaching changes – so far – are down overall, believe it or not. Currently, there have been 130 total changes (77 boys, 53 girls) for this coaching cycle (there will almost assuredly be more). How those numbers compare over the last several years: 2024: 171 (79 boys, 92 girls) 2023: 198 (105 boys, 93 girls) 2022: 176 (77 boys, 99 girls) 2021: 158 (96 boys, 62 girls) 2020: 179 (86 boys, 93 girls) I remember the 2023 season being a massive year for changes, which it was. But in the big picture, it is interesting that these big numbers are consistent since 2020. There are currently 406 IHSAA member schools. In some of those years, nearly one quarter of the schools in the IHSAA are changing boys or girls coaches. The highest number before 2023 was 197 changes in 2014. Before that, the highest mark was 188 in 2007. Since 2000 (when there were 125 changes), the number has trended upward. If you have spent any time around the Danville boys' basketball program in the past 2 ½ decades, you probably recognize Mark Artman. Artman, 58, joined the staff at Danville when Brian Barber was hired as coach in 1999. And for the next 26 years, Artman worked with Barber to make Danville one of the most consistent basketball programs in the state, winning 462 games, 12 sectional titles and four regional crowns. The only losing season was an 11-12 mark in 2011-12. Artman was hired as Barber's replacement earlier this month. Barber was 462-168 overall in his time at Danville and won 501 games overall before resigning after the season 'to pursue other career interests.' 'I really enjoyed what we had here and we definitely worked well together,' Artman said. 'Brian was really great about making it easy to work with him. He always wanted to hear from me or Rick Foster, who has been here the whole time too. We learned how to coach with each other. That was something coaches at other schools would talk about. They couldn't believe how long we'd been together.' This is the first head coaching job for Artman since he spent two seasons at Fort Wayne Bishop Luers from 1995-97. The Lebanon native also coached at Lebanon and LaVille. Artman said Foster and Matt Stewart, another longtime assistant and former player at Danville, will stay on the staff. 'I know what I'm getting from those guys,' he said. Artman said it is difficult to say how things will be different moving one seat over on the Danville bench. He did fill in as head coach when Barber was hospitalized following hernia surgery. It was a relatively seamless transition because Artman already had a major role. 'When one person tries to do everything, none of it is very good,' Barber said in 2017. 'You're going to miss something. I try to tell young coaches that the key to this is to surround yourself with good people. Good things will happen.' Artman said he 'didn't always have the same ideas' as Barber, which made for a good working relationship. 'We always bounced ideas off each other,' he said. 'I think that's the way it will continue to be. I've always been kind of a basketball crazy guy, so hopefully I can just keep it going as long as I have my health.' At one time, Corey Smith was committed to a Big Ten program. The former Brownsburg star ended up taking a different route, decommitting from Minnesota and playing his freshman year at Tulsa. But Smith said the opportunity to play in the Big Ten came back around and he committed to Purdue last month. 'I really like what they have going,' Smith said of Purdue. 'Really from the head coach to everybody on staff, including coach (Cornell) Ford, the wide receivers coach. The offensive coordinator (Josh Henson) came from USC and we ran a lot of his offense.' Smith, who caught 76 passes for 1,597 yards and 14 touchdowns in his three seasons at Brownsburg, said 'definitely could have had a better season' at Tulsa. 'I feel like I didn't get much run as I wanted to,' he said. 'I got some real experience, though. It took a little bit just matching the physicality of all of the other players. I gained more weight to be more physical.' Smith caught 12 passes for 179 yards and two TDs at Tulsa as a freshman. Coach Kevin Wilson was fired in late November with the team on its way to a 3-9 season. Wilson, the former IU coach, was 7-16 in two seasons at Tulsa. New coach Tre Lamb was hired in December from East Tennessee State. Smith said he felt like was Tulsa's best receiver in spring practices, but sensed with the coaching transition it might be a good time for a change. He said Indiana, Syracuse, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Louisville were among the schools he talked to after entering the portal. Purdue has also added receivers David Washington (Utah), Michael Jackson (Georgia) and Nitro Tuggle (Georgia) in the transfer portal. Smith said he has added about 15 pounds of weight to his 6-foot-1 frame. 'I definitely feel like I got some good playing time (at Tulsa) that would have been harder at a Big Ten school as a freshman,' he said. 'I think getting into that environment, I kind of got a feel for it. Being an hour from home and having family and friends close by will be nice. I'm trying to represent Brownsburg.'
