Advertisement

Big goals in play for long prep sports weekend

andy amey, the tribune-star, terre haute, ind.
·3 min read

May 24—Is it better to meet a team in high school sports postseason play that you've already beaten? Terre Haute South's girls tennis team is hoping so and so is Terre Haute North's baseball team.

How about postseason familiarity? Softball teams from Sullivan and Riverton Parke have revenge motives, while Clay City's softball team might like to continue a trend.

And the ultimate question, or two: How about those Knights? Or Wildcats?

The upcoming three-day weekend will take care of some tennis questions on Saturday and the baseball situations Monday, weather permitting of course. For sectional champion softball teams, the weekend feel will stretch though regional games Tuesday.

The group closest to its goal is South's tennis team, ranked 27th in the state and facing a Floyd Central team it defeated 3-2 during the regular season.

"We beat [the Highlanders] at No. 2 singles and both doubles," said coach Dallas Kelsey, whose team is currently 19-7. "We match up well at all positions."

If the Braves can win Saturday, they'll be in the state finals. They would play either 25th-ranked Culver Academies or eighth-ranked Harrison (West Lafayette) in a quarterfinal match next Friday at Carmel.

North, which survived a classic North-South baseball game that very few Vigo County residents got to see on Wednesday, goes back to Decatur Central on Monday morning to face the home team. The Patriots beat the Hawks in a regular-season game on Don Jennings Field, but should the Patriots repeat that outcome they'd still have to meet either Avon or Plainfield on Monday night to win the sectional.

The one baseball sectional involving Wabash Valley teams that has already determined its finalists is at Edgewood, and they are unexpected finalists. In a tournament almost completely filled with Western Indiana Conference teams, the consensus was that WIC leaders Indian Creek and Edgewood were the favorites — until Thursday, when Northview's Brayden Kreiger shut down Indian Creek 7-1 and when South Vermillion shocked the home team 7-3.

The rest of the baseball sectionals play all day Monday, with Parke Heritage, Cloverdale and Greencastle playing at Greencastle; Linton and Sullivan at Sullivan; Riverton Parke at Lafayette Central Catholic; and Bloomfield, North Central and Dugger Union joining the host team at Shakamak.

There are only three softball regionals involving the Valley on Tuesday, but all involve teams that could win state championships.

In a Class 2A game, Sullivan visits North Posey. The unbeaten Vikings needed extra innings to win last year's regional at Sullivan, then went on to win the state.

In a Class A game, host Riverton Parke and Rossville, both top-10 teams, meet for the third straight season at this level.

And in the other Class A game, Clay City will either be at Bethesda Christian — a team the Eels have beaten in three straight regional games — or at the Indiana School for the Deaf. Those two teams play in a sectional championship game Saturday.

Girls tennis

Saturday

Jasper Semistate — Terre Haute South vs. Floyd Central, 11 a.m.

Baseball

Monday

Class 4A Decatur Central Sectional — Terre Haute North vs. Decatur Central, 10 a.m., followed by Avon vs. Plainfield; championship 7 p.m.

Class 3A Owen Valley Sectional — Northview vs. South Vermillion, championship, 11 a.m.

Class 2A Greencastle Sectional — Parke Heritage vs. Cloverdale, 11 a.m., followed by Southmont vs. Greencastle; championship 6 p.m.

Class 2A Sullivan Sectional — Linton vs. South Knox, 10 a.m., followed by Mitchell vs. Sullivan; championship 7 p.m.

Class A LCC Sectional — Fountain Central vs. Lafayette Central Catholic, 11 a.m., followed by Attica vs. Riverton Parke; championship 7:30 p.m.

Class A Shakamak Sectional — Bloomfield vs. Shakamak, 11 a.m., followed by North Central vs. Dugger Union; championship 7 p.m.

Softball

Tuesday

Class 2A regional — Sullivan at North Posey, 5:30 p.m.

Class A regional — Clay City at Bethesda Christian or Indiana School for the Deaf, 6 p.m.

Class A regional — Rossville at Riverton Parke, 7 p.m.