High School Calendar

Friday, May 8
GIRLS TENNIS: Bluffton at ACAC at Adams Central, 5 p.m.
TRACK: Bluffton, Southern Wells at South Adams Invitational, 5 p.m.; Norwell at Carroll Relays (B/G), 5 p.m.
SOFTBALL: Heritage at Southern Wells, 5 p.m.
JV SOFTBALL: Norwell at Adams Central, 5 p.m.
JV BASEBALL: Norwell at Southern Wells, 5 p.m.
———
Saturday, May 9
JV BOYS GOLF: Norwell, Southern Wells at New Haven Invitational, 7:30 a.m.
BOYS GOLF: Adams-Wells Bi-County at Timber Ridge, 9 a.m.
GIRLS TENNIS: ACAC at Adams Central, 9 a.m.
SOFTBALL: Norwell at Bluffton (DH), 9 a.m.; New Haven at Southern Wells (DH), 10 a.m.
BASEBALL: Norwell at FW Bishop Dwenger (DH), 10 a.m.; Elwood at Southern Wells (DH), 11 a.m.

Sports Round-Up by Paul Beitler

Norwell golfers shine in triangular
Timber Ridge Golf Course was a busy place Thursday evening, hosting two three-way golf matches involving all three Wells County boys’ squads.
The Norwell Knights, now ranked 9th in the state, easily handled Southern Wells and Adams Central, led by Drew Imel’s one-under medalist score of 35. He was backed up by teammates McCormick Clouser with 38, Taylor Imel 38, Ross Matthews 39 and Isaac Tomac 41.
Norwell finished with 150, Southern Wells 181 and Adams Central 184.
Southern Wells was led by Blake Huffman’s 41. Alex Trosper and Daniel Schmidt each shot a 46, while Adam Sills shot a 48 and Tyler Cassiday a 52.
Connor Saum and Kaleb Davis led the Adams Central squad with a pair of 43’s.
The Norwell junior varsity golfers also posted a 178, which would have earned them a second-place finish in the varsity meet. Brandon Bennett posted a 42, Chris Clontz 44, Drew Williams 45, Nick Imel 47 and Brendon Renner 48.

Tigers fall in 3-way
Meanwhile the Bluffton Tigers’ linksmen posted a team score of 183, while Bellmont’s 160 took the prize in their three-way match with Jay County, which scored a 176.
Leading the Tigers was Tyler Mohler with a 43, followed by Jason Cook’s 44. Price Kyle and Jackson Bate each shot a 48 and Nick Landrum added a 49.
Bellmont’s Luke Ainsworth was the medalist, posting a one-under 35. Jay County was led by Adam Gray’s 39.
Bluffton netters down Elmhurst
A sweep of the singles matches by Bluffton led the Tigers to a 4-1 victory over the Elmhurst Trojans on Thursday in girls’ tennis action at Fort Wayne.
Bluffton tied the junior varsity match 2-2.
 
VARSITY SINGLES
Kara Fiechter (B) def. Carrie Buschey 2-6, 6-2, 6-1; Amy Baker (B) def. Brittany Derrow 6-0, 6-0; Megan Evans (B) def. Angelika Burwell 6-2, 6-0.
VARSITY DOUBLES
Amee Phaengyquong/Izamar Guzman (E) def. Jessica Ellenberger/Annessa Reiff 4-6, 6-3, 6-3; Samantha Drew/Shelby Neuenschwander (B) def. Edda Arana/Alex Holguin 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.
 
JUNIOR VARSITY SINGLES
Alyssa Pflieder (E) def. Katie Murray 8-3; Jeri Davis (B) def. Vicky Fisher 8-6; Neena Green (E) def. Mykayla Rodenbeck 8-2.
JUNIOR VARSITY DOUBLES
Carsan Cunningham/Katie Murray (B) def. Ashley Best/Magaly Ruelas 8-6.
Norwell wins NHC tennis match
Kaylee Imel and Alyssa Tucker won their singles matches to help lead the Norwell girls’ tennis team to a 3-2 victory over East Noble in a Northeast Hoosier Conference battle at Kendallville on Thursday.
Norwell improved its season record to 5-3 and its NHC mark to 2-2. East Noble slipped to 5-2 and 0-2.
In junior varsity play, Norwell won 5-4 to improve to 6-1-1.

VARSITY SINGLES
Kaylee Imel (N) def. Kim Springstead 6-2, 6-1; Alyssa Tucker (N) def. Anna Pasquali 6-4, 6-2; Carrie Scheiber (EN) def. Rachelle Rodenbeck 6-1, 6-0.
VARSITY DOUBLES
Mieke Tackett/Christa Shriner (EN) def. Haley Chaney/Jaylee Leman 6-3, 6-4; Kourtney Reed/Christy Taylor (N) def. Shayna Anglin/Brittany Wyatt 6-3, 6-1.

JUNIOR VARSITY SINGLES
Nicole Spaw (EN) def. Sara Nahrwold 8-4; Kayla Casselman (EN) def. Lindsey Dahn 8-4; Chelsea Miller (EN) def. Adriene Troxel 8-2.
JUNIOR VARSITY DOUBLES
Jamie Reinhard/Eden Chaney (N) def. Kenzie Stillberger/Ashley Ort 8-5; Sophie Gerber/Mattie Troxel (N) def. Hailey Crawford/Margaret Griffiths 8-2; Chelsey Schwerich/Maley Mullett (EN) def. Addie Williams/Jessica Rupright 6-3; Amanda Horan/Taylor Sprinkle (N) def. Grace Bower/Sam Goddard 6-3; Dahn/A. Troxel (N) def. Daemi Grubb/Liz Nelson 6-0; M. Troxel/Gerber (N) def. Abey Evard/Kerrick Gerst 6-0.

Scoring error makes Raiders second
Due to an inadvertent scoring error in last Friday’s Adams Central Invitational boys’ track and field meet, a couple team scores were incorrect.
Ten points were omitted from the Southern Wells Raiders’ score. With the correction, the Raiders and Adams Central Jets switched places. The Raiders moved up to second and the Jets slipped to third. The actual team scores now are Fremont 135.5, Southern Wells 123, Adams Central 118, Canterbury 41, Monroe Central 29.5, Daleville 10.
Indiana boys’ golf poll
The Indiana High School Golf Coaches Association (IHSGCA) has released the boys’ Top 20 poll. (First-place votes in parentheses):

1. Indianapolis Cathedral (13); 2. Avon (1); 3. Hamilton Southeastern (1); 4. Chesterton; 5. Brebeuf Jesuit; 6. Yorktown; 7. Carmel; 8. Providence; 9. NORWELL; 10. Evansville Central; 11. Terre Haute South; 12. Lafayette Jefferson; 13. Evansville North; 14. Mishawaka Marian; 15. Bloomington North; 16. Lebanon; 17. Roncalli; 18. Homestead; 19. Warren Central; 20. Bedford North Lawrence.
HONORABLE MENTION: Northridge 32; Floyd Central 30; DeKalb 28; Wawasee 25; Zionsville 15; Castle 11; Canterbury 4; Goshen 3; Center Grove 2; Evansville Memorial 2; LaPorte 1.

Lady Tiger Basketball Camp set
A Bluffton Lady Tiger Basketball Camp for girls in K-3 will be held on May 11-14 at the Bluffton-Harrison Elementary School gym. Cost is $15. Registration forms may be picked up at the elementary school or Bluffton High School and returned by Friday, May 8. K-1 will meet from 3:45-4:30 p.m. each day and grades 2-3 from 4:30-5:30. For more information, call Vicki Van Matre at 824-3724, ext. 7304, or 765-748-4450, or e-mail at vvanmatre@bhmsd.k12.in.us

From a Raider to a Cougar

Southern Wells senior Meghan Prible has decided to continue her student-athlete pursuit at the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne, starting next fall. Prible is pictured above from left to right with her parents, Jeff and Karen Prible, and USF women's basketball coach Gary Andrews, Southern Wells Activities Director Kevin Lavanchy and girls' basketball coach John Fouts. Prible, a 5-foot-7 guard/forward, finished her basketball career as the Raiders' second-leading scorer with 1,158 points. She made the Allen County Athletic Conference first team three straight years (2007-09). The Raiders were Class A sectional and regional champions in 2008 and 2009. She helped lead the Raiders to a 20-5 record and 7-0 ACAC mark last season. “Meghan is a very versatile player who can play multiple positions,” said coach Andrews. (Photo by Jerry Battiste)

Suspected marijuana operation shut down

Indiana DNR Release:

PERU – Indiana conservation officers and other DNR property personnel have dismantled a suspected marijuana growing operation at Mississinewa Reservoir, destroying nearly 5,300 young plants with an undetermined street value.

“It can only be left up to one’s imagination as to the pounds of marijuana and the dollar amount this site could have yielded had it been tended until maturity and gone undetected,” said Conservation Officer John Salb, a public information officer for the DNR Division of Law Enforcement.

The discovery was made late last week by a mushroom hunter, who notified a Mississinewa Reservoir employee. The employee in turn contacted DNR Conservation Officer Guido Tims about suspicious activity near Red Bridge State Recreation Area on the south side of the reservoir.

Tims made the initial investigation of the site in an area of dense vegetative cover and quickly determined it had been abandoned due to a large amount of perishable food items left to rot at a makeshift campsite.

“We had two factors in our favor that stopped this operation in its early stages,” Salb said. “One being an individual who made a decision to get involved, and the other that our suspects probably didn’t expect mushroom hunters to be invading their growing areas.”

Tims and other conservation officers eventually uncovered two hand-cut clearings, one measuring 25 by 100 yards and the other 25 by 150 yards. In addition, the officers found six large growing plots of marijuana sprouting from peat pots and other crude growing containers. Plant sizes ranged from seedlings to nearly 4 inches tall. The site also contained hand tools, backpack sprayers, fertilizer and animal repellants.

Conservation officers sifted through items left in the abandoned tents and turned evidence, including the plants, over to the Indiana State Police.
Mississinewa Reservoir personnel and the Indiana State Police assisted in the two-day effort.

“This situation should be a reminder to mushroom hunters, hikers, mountain bikers and anyone else who come across something of a suspicious nature in the outdoors,” said Lt. Mark Farmer of DNR Law Enforcement. “Don’t take matters into your own hands. Contact a conservation officer.”

High School Calendars

Thursday, May 7
GIRLS TENNIS: Bluffton at FW Elmhurst, 4:30 p.m.; Norwell at East Noble, 5 p.m.
BOYS GOLF: Adams Central, Norwell at Southern Wells, 4:15 p.m.; Bellmont, Jay County at Bluffton, 4:30 p.m.
BASEBALL: Norwell at East Noble, 5 p.m.; South Adams at Southern Wells, 5 p.m.; Bluffton at Garrett, 6 p.m.
JV BASEBALL: East Noble at Norwell, 5 p.m.; Garrett at Bluffton, 5 p.m.; Southern Wells at South Adams, 5 p.m.
SOFTBALL: Huntington North at Norwell, 5 p.m.; South Adams at Southern Wells, 5 p.m.; Bluffton at Garrett, 5 p.m.
———
Friday, May 8
GIRLS TENNIS: Bluffton at ACAC at Adams Central, 5 p.m.
TRACK: Bluffton, Southern Wells at South Adams Invitational, 5 p.m.; Norwell at Carroll Relays (B/G), 5 p.m.
SOFTBALL: Heritage at Southern Wells, 5 p.m.
JV SOFTBALL: Norwell at Adams Central, 5 p.m.
JV BASEBALL: Norwell at Southern Wells, 5 p.m.
———
Saturday, May 9
JV BOYS GOLF: Norwell, Southern Wells at New Haven Invitational, 7:30 a.m.
BOYS GOLF: Adams-Wells Bi-County at Timber Ridge, 9 a.m.
GIRLS TENNIS: ACAC at Adams Central, 9 a.m.
SOFTBALL: Norwell at Bluffton (DH), 9 a.m.; New Haven at Southern Wells (DH), 10 a.m.
BASEBALL: Norwell at FW Bishop Dwenger (DH), 10 a.m.; Elwood at Southern Wells (DH), 11 a.m.

Sports Round-Up (today's page 6)

Norwell golfers post two wins
Norwell sophomore McCormick Clouser shot a two-under 34 on the front nine at Brookwood Golf Course in Fort Wayne to lead the Knights to a double victory on Wednesday.
The Knights defeated Fort Wayne Wayne and Fort Wayne Elmhurst. Norwell recorded a strong team score of 151. Wayne was second with 188 and Elmhurst finished with 211. 
Backing up Clouser was Ross Mathews with a 38 and Isaac Tomac with a 39. Drew Imel followed with a 40 and Taylor Imel shot a 41.  
Wayne was led by Wes Reuille with a 37.
Norwell won the junior varsity match with Wayne, 179-225. Drew Williams and Chris Clontz each shot a 44 to lead the Knights. Brandon Bennett was next with a 45, followed by Nick Imel with 46 and Brendon Renner with 49.

East Noble tops Norwell jayvees
Although the Norwell junior varsity girls’ softball team outhit East Noble 12-8, East Noble was able to come up with a 19-8 win on Wednesday at Kendallville.
Norwell’s hitting was led by Haley Toliver with three singles. Losing pitcher Kayla Hanni added a double and single. Ashton Sprunger and Taylor Goodpastor each had two hits. Rachel Lind, Heather Miller and Brittany Caldwell each had one hit. Goodpastor scored three runs, while Toliver and Sprunger scored twice.
Hanni allowed eight hits, walked five and struck out six.

Lady Tiger Basketball Camp set
A Bluffton Lady Tiger Basketball Camp for girls in K-3 will be held on May 11-14 at the Bluffton-Harrison Elementary School gym. Cost is $15. Registration forms may be picked up at the elementary school or Bluffton High School and returned by Friday, May 8. K-1 will meet from 3:45-4:30 p.m. each day and grades 2-3 from 4:30-5:30. For more information, call Vicki Van Matre at 824-3724, ext. 7304, or 765-748-4450, or e-mail at vvanmatre@bhmsd.k12.in.us

High school track polls released
The Indiana Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches boys’ and girls’ track and field polls are listed below as follows:
BOYS
1. Ben Davis; 2. Warren Central; 3. Carmel; 4. Center Grove; 5. Bloomington South; 6. North Central; 7. Pike; 8. Fort Wayne Northrop; 9. Merrillville; 10. Lawrence Central; 11. Homestead; 12. Carroll (Allen County); 13. Elkhart Central; 14. Valparaiso; 15. Zionsville; 16. South Bend Riley; 17. Fishers; 18. Castle; 19. Franklin Central; 20. Lafayette Jefferson.
GIRLS
1. North Central; 2. Warren Central; 3. Carmel; 4. Lawrence North; 5. Penn; 6. Carroll (Allen County); 7. Lake Central; 8. Hamilton Southeastern; 9. Ben Davis; 10. Center Grove; 11. Fort Wayne Northrop; 12. Lawrence Central; 13. Brownsburg; 14. Franklin Central; 15. Columbus North; 16. Valparaiso; 17. Merrillville; 18. Huntington North; 19. West Lafayette; 20. Bloomington South.

Public meeting on paddlefish fishing changes, May 20

The Natural Resources Commission will hold a public hearing on proposed administrative rule changes related to paddlefish and fishing on the Ohio River, Wednesday, May 20, at 6 p.m. local time (EDT), at Sugar Ridge Fish and Wildlife Area, 2310 East State Road 364 in Winslow, in Pike County.

The primary purpose of these changes, which were proposed by the Department of Natural Resources, are to protect paddlefish and prevent their overharvest. Paddlefish are long-lived, slow-maturing smooth-skinned fish with a long paddle-like snout that can reach sizes in excess of 100 pounds. They are highly mobile but their largest populations are in the Ohio River, which is the only Indiana location where commercial harvest is permitted. In recent years, commercial demand for paddlefish has escalated because of the value of their eggs for the worldwide caviar market.

The proposed changes were preliminarily adopted by the NRC and are listed at http://www.IN.gov/dnr/fishwild/2362.htm, immediately after the list of proposed deer-hunting changes, listed on “Paddlefish Rule Package.”

E-mail public comments to the NRC at: nrcrules@nrc.IN.gov, including name and city and state of residence. Comments also can be mailed to: Natural Resources Commission, Indiana Government Center North, 100 North Senate Ave., Room N501, Indianapolis, IN 46204-2200.

All comments must be submitted to the NRC no later than Monday, June 1. All comments sent to the NRC regarding these rule changes will be provided to NRC members and DNR staff, and will be publicly disclosed and searchable on the Internet and in a paper docket as part of the final report.

A copy of this public hearing report will be at www.IN.gov/nrc before final consideration by the NRC. The NRC will likely consider these rule changes for final adoption at its meeting in July. If approved by the attorney general and governor, the changes will become effective later in 2009. Individuals who need reasonable modifications for effective participation in public meetings should call the DNR ADA coordinator at (317) 232-4200 (voice and TDD).

For more information, please contact Tom Stefanavage, the DNR’s Big Rivers Biologist, at (812)789-2724 or by e-mail at: tstefanavage@dnr.IN.gov.