Sports Round-Up by Paul Beitler

Undefeated Knights roll on
Norwell improved its boys’ tennis record to 6-0 with a 4-1 victory over Columbia City in Northeast Hoosier Conference action on Thursday at Columbia City.
Kyle Fillman, Reid Imel and Thye Petty won their singles matches to lead the Knights, while the No. 1 doubles tandem of Kyle Reinhard and Ross Mathews notched a win for another Norwell point.
The Knights also captured the junior varsity match 5-0 to rise to 6-0.
NORWELL 4, COLUMBIA CITY 1
At Columbia City
VARSITY SINGLES: Kyle Fillman (N) d. Dylan Hinen 6-2, 2-6, 6-3; Reid Imel (N) d. Matt Sewell 6-3, 6-4; Thye Petty (N) d. Travis Johnson 6-2, 6-4.
VARSITY DOUBLES: Kyle Reinhard/Ross Mathews (N) d. Alan Murphy/Andy Moog 6-0, 6-4; Derrick Hinen/Gabe Boles (CC) d. Jasson Werling/Kyle Isch 6-3, 6-1.
NORWELL 5, COLUMBIA CITY 0
JUNIOR VARSITY SINGLES: Mitchell Wilson (N) d. Cole Craven 8-3; Tanner Mathews (N) d. Ryan Flauding 8-5; Sean Cole (N) d. Devin Moore 8-5; Damon Gerber (N) d. David Petterson 8-0.
JUNIOR VARSITY DOUBLES: Brandon Taylor/Tanner Bowen (N) d. Craven/Petterson 6-0.

Tiger netmen fall to Blackhawk
Blackhawk Christian defeated Bluffton 3-2 in boys’ tennis Thursday by sweeping the singles matches.
Jackson Bates and Cameron Gerber were the No. 1 doubles winners for Bluffton, while teammates Chandler Okey and Michael Vanderkolk won their No. 2 doubles match.
Bluffton won the junior varsity match 6-0.
BLACKHAWK CHRISTIAN 3, BLUFFTON 2
At Fort Wayne
VARSITY SINGLES: Brennan Wieland (BC) def. Cody Cochran 6-2, 6-3; Jake Brauner (BC) def. Nick Huffman 7-5, 7-5; Caleb Targgart (BC) def. Bryan Bowman 6-1, 6-1.
VARSITY DOUBLES: Jackson Bates/Cameron Gerber (B) def. Ben Eimer/Aaron Rachlow 6-2, 6-1; Chandler Okey/Michael Vanderkolk (B) def. Jon Eimer/Andrew Anguiano 6-2, 6-0.
BLUFFTON 6, BLACKHAWK CHRISTIAN 0
JUNIOR VARSITY SINGLES: Carlos Vergara (B) def. Andrew Schnurr 8-0; Dillon Myers (B) def. James Valmassi 8-0.
JUNIOR VARSITY DOUBLES: Zach Mezera/Alex Penrod (B) def. Justin Matthews/Andrew Miller 8-0; Luke Bertsch/Josh Buckland (B) def. Jacob Hoover/Justin Matthews 8-0; Matt Dann/Brendan Baumgartner (B) def. Valmassi/Miller 8-0; Austin Okey/Seth Thompson (B) def. Hoover/Matthews 8-1.

Homestead golfers down Knights
Homestead defeated the Norwell Knights girls’ golf team 187-200 in a Northeast Hoosier Conference match on Thursday at Timber Ridge golf course in Bluffton.
Brianna Blumenhurst shot a 44 on the back nine to lead the Spartans and take medalist honors. Taylor Lamphier added a 46 for Homestead, while Ally Stanley shot a 48 and Jasmine Jennings bagged a 49.
Cassie Herndon led the Knights with a 48. Kristen Springer and Megan Evans each shot a 50 and Hannah Porrata netted a 52. Olivia Shapley added a 57.
Homestead also won the junior varsity match, topping Norwell 207-251. Jennifer Sirleuis led the Spartans with a 44. Haley Toliver and Kristie Morgan each shot a 62 for the Knights.

Starfires surpass Leo, SW golfers
The South Adams Starfires defeated Leo and Southern Wells in a three-way girls’ golf match on Thursday at Dogwood Glen golf course in Warren.
Tricia Crider shot a 50 to lead South Adams, which tallied a team score of 210. Emily Barker led Leo, tying Crider with a 50, and the Lions posted a 212 team score. Southern Wells finished with a 232, led by Sadie Herr with a 52.
Morgan Perry added a 57 for Southern Wells, while Acacia Herr shot a 60, Kendra Mounsey a 63 and Jayde Sills a 64.

Jay County girls blank Knights
Mallory Poole scored two goals to lead the Jay County Patriots girls’ soccer team to a 2-0 victory over the Norwell Knights on Thursday at Portland.
Norwell (1-5) had seven shots on goal by Tasia DeLeon and Lauren Johnson. Caitlin Ailor had five shots and Morgin Imel four Jay County goalkeeper Mollie May blanked the Knights with 18 saves. Norwell goalkeeper Haley Heller had seven saves.

Norwell girls second at conditioner
The Norwell girls’ cross country team continued to make progress with a second-place performance at the Bellmont Conditioner on Tuesday in Decatur.
The Knights’ sophomore combination of Kaitlyn Best and Jami Reinhard finished third for the second year in a row with a total time of 25:12.
Each team is split up into pairs of runners, with each member running a mile loop in relay fashion until each member has completed two loops.
Homestead was the winning team with a total time of 74:37. Norwell posted a time of 81:06. Bellmont was third in 82:55 and Fort Wayne Bishop Luers fourth in 87:25. New Haven did not have a complete squad.
The next Norwell duo of Kelsey Worrel and Halle Sweet was 10th in 27:14, followed by Alexis Searles and Alex Wall, 14th, in 29:46 and Katherine Gordon and Corinne Eckert, 19th, in 29:46. There were 31 pairs of runners.

Norwell freshmen beat Heritage
Tailur Szarenski scored on runs of 14 and three yards to lead the Norwell Knights’ freshman football team to a 20-7 victory over Heritage Thursday night.
Grahm Smith added a four-yard touchdown run and Szarenski scored the two-point conversion. Szarenski ran for 163 yards, Smith 97 and Luke Rinkenberger 53. Offensive linemen Cameron Dohrman, Spencer Newell, Drew Giltner, Heath Bumgarner and Dan Wood opened up holes for the running backs.
On defense, the Knights were led by Alex Mills with an interception, and Jordan Retherford, Cale Schumm, Blake Wyatt, Max Morgan, Rinkenberger and Newell.

Lose U.S. Open doubles match
J.T. Sundling and David Nguyen, two 18-year-old tennis players from California, came up short in their first experience in the U.S. Open Thursday.
Sundling and Nguyen lost their first-round men’s doubles match to Maximo Gonzalez and Juan Monaco of Argentina 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.
Sundling is the grandson of David and Carol Dale and Mary and the late Lester Sundling of Bluffton, and the son of Jennifer and Tom Sundling of Thousand Oaks, Calif.

SW Jr. High girls run to victory
The Southern Wells Junior High School girls’ cross country team defeated Hartford City 18-44 on Thursday at Hartford City.
Ivy Maddox won the girls’ 3,000-meter race for Southern Wells in 13:17. Other Southern Wells finishers were: 2. Meghan Yencer; 4. Timber Tucker; 5. Chloe Maddox; 6. Brooke Penrod; 7. Autumn Stevens; 9. Carissa Carter; 10. Jordan Sills; 11. Ashton Prible; 13. Ashley Lefebvre; 14. Chloe Elam; 17. Kennedy Rhodes.
Hartford City won the boys’ meet 26-31, while Southern Wells’ Taylor Thompson took first place in the 3,000-meter race in 11:47. Other Southern Wells finishers were: 5. Kedrick Barr; 6. Josh Markley; 7. T.C. Perry; 14. John Harris.

Tigersharks needs diving coach
The Bluffton High School Athletic Department is seeking candidates and taking applications for diving coach. Applicants should have a strong background in the technical skills of diving, along with the leadership abilities to work with student-athletes and coaches. Interested applicants should contact Athletic Director Steve Thompson at 260-824-3724 as soon as possible.

Bluffton boosters to be tailgating
The Bluffton Athletic Boosters will be having a tailgate party on Friday before the football game against South Adams from 5:30 p.m. until game time. Anyone is welcome and should bring a side dish and lawn chairs. Sandwiches will be provided.

Become a camper at the Hoosier Outdoor Experience

Indiana DNR Release:

Find out why camping is such a popular outdoor recreational activity and how to enjoy it by going to the Hoosier Outdoor Experience, Sept. 26–27, and learning the basics of this family-friendly pastime.

“Family camping trips are some of best memories I have of time spent with my wife and children,” said Bob Stum, DNR budget analyst and avid camper. “If you want to know what’s going on in kids’ lives, take them camping.”

At the Hoosier Outdoor Experience, volunteers from Camptown Inc. and Jameson Camp will provide education on camping equipment, fun camping activities and camping destinations. Participants should leave armed with the necessary information on how to start camping.

“Camping provides a wonderful opportunity for families to bond,” said Don Schafer, executive director of Camptown Inc.

The Hoosier Outdoor Experience is a family-friendly event that is the first of its kind in Indiana. Unlike traditional trade shows, visitors will be able to enjoy hands-on experiences in a wide range of outdoor activities, such as fly fishing, target shooting, archery, kayaking, mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing and much more.

The Hoosier Outdoor Experience is presented by the Department of Natural Resources and the Indiana Natural Resources Foundation, with sponsorship support from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust; Ball Brothers Foundation; WXIN-Fox 59, Indianapolis; and numerous other sponsors.

Parking, admission, activities, demonstrations and seminars are free to the public, but online registration is required. To register, go to hoosieroutdoorexperience.IN.gov and click on the yellow registration icon.

Event updates can be found at hoosieroutdoorexperience.IN.gov or on Facebook and Twitter.

DNR campsites near full for Labor Day weekend

Indiana DNR Release:

With DNR campgrounds and cabins virtually booked to capacity for Labor Day weekend, those who have yet to make plans may want to consider a day at a DNR property with family and friends, and reserve a shelter.

Those who still have the urge to camp can reserve one of the roughly 100 sites left for the weekend by visiting www.camp.IN.gov or calling 1-866-6CAMPIN (1-866-622-6746). Shelters can be reserved at the same Web site and phone number.

Halloween weekend and the weekends surrounding it have become popular camping dates. Campsite reservations for the Oct. 31 weekend are already one-third full, so those who want to mix treat-or-treating and camping, or take part in one or more of the many other fall-related festivals at individual properties should make plans now.

Become an archer at the Hoosier Outdoor Experience

Indiana DNR Release:

Hit the bulls-eye by participating in the Hoosier Outdoor Experience, Sept. 26–27.

Archery is for more than hunting. In fact, archery is an Olympic sport that is practiced and enjoyed across the world. Many archers hunt; many others never shoot anything but targets.

Volunteers from the Indiana Bowhunter Association, as well as DNR employees, will teach participants the basics of field archery at the Hoosier Outdoor Experience. Participants will have the opportunity to shoot a compound bow under the guidance of an experienced archer.

"The Indiana Bowhunter Association is extremely excited to be part of the Hoosier Outdoor Experience. New shooters secure the future of our sport, and this event will allow us to reach a large audience of potential archers," said Tim Labbe, president of the IBA.

Many hunters enjoy pursuing game with archery equipment over hunting with firearms.

“Hunting with archery equipment is about honing skill and challenging yourself. It makes the reward that much sweeter,” said Mark Reiter, DNR public lands program manager and an avid bow hunter.

The Hoosier Outdoor Experience is a family-friendly event that is the first of its kind in Indiana. Unlike traditional trade shows, visitors will be able to enjoy hands-on experiences in a wide range of outdoor activities, such as fly fishing, target shooting, archery, kayaking, mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, camping and much more.

The Hoosier Outdoor Experience is presented by the Department of Natural Resources and the Indiana Natural Resources Foundation, with sponsorship support from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust; Ball Brothers Foundation; WXIN-Fox 59, Indianapolis; and numerous other sponsors.

Parking, admission, activities, demonstrations and seminars are free to the public, but online registration is required. To register, go to www.hoosieroutdoorexperience.IN.gov and click on the yellow registration icon.

Event updates can be found at www.hoosieroutdoorexperience.IN.gov or on Facebook.

Protect our trees; don't move firewood when camping

Indiana DNR Release:

The DNR asks for campers' help keeping Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), an invasive insect that attacks ash trees, out of its camping properties during the last busy camping weekend of the year. Restricting hardwood firewood brought through the gate is the best way to do so.

The tiny insect is devastating to ash trees, killing millions in Michigan, Ohio, northeastern Indiana and several other states in the past few years.

To help manage EAB and preserve the shade, campers should not bring any type of hardwood firewood with them from any Indiana county under EAB quarantine. Hardwood firewood of any type, not just ash, may not be brought into any Indiana state park, reservoir or state forest campground. An interactive map showing quarantined Indiana counties is at http://www.IN.gov/dnr/entomolo/5349.htm.
Visitors from quarantined counties should not bring hardwood firewood from home as it will be confiscated. Visitors may bring pine or scrap, kiln-dried lumber, or packaged firewood that has a federal certification label or a state-compliance agreement label, or campers may purchase firewood after entering the property.

Under a federal quarantine, no firewood may be brought into Indiana from Michigan, Ohio or Illinois, or from parts of Pennsylvania, New York, Minnesota, Missouri, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia. A map of federal quarantine locations is at http://www.IN.gov/dnr/parklake/files/ep-MultiState_EABpos_20090401.pdf.

For more information on Emerald Ash Borer, visit www.entm.purdue.edu/EAB or call Purdue’s EAB Outreach and Education program at (765) 494-0822.

High School Sports Calendar

Tuesday, Sept. 1
GIRLS GOLF: Norwell at DeKalb, 4 p.m.; Southern Wells at Mississinewa, 4:30 p.m.
BOYS TENNIS: Bluffton at Manchester, 4:30 p.m.; Norwell at Huntington North, 4:30 p.m.
CROSS COUNTRY: Adams Central, Bluffton, Eastbrook, Mississinewa at Blackford, 5 p.m.; Norwell at Bellmont, 5 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER: Norwell at Bellmont, 5 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER: Bellmont at Norwell, 5 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL: Bluffton at Southwood, 6 p.m.; Norwell at FW Wayne, 6 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 2
BOYS TENNIS: FW South Side at Bluffton, 4:30 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL: Bluffton at Huntington North, 6 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 3
GIRLS GOLF: Homestead at Norwell, 3:30 p.m.; Leo, South Adams at Southern Wells, 4:30 p.m.
BOYS TENNIS: Bluffton at FW Blackhawk Christian, 5 p.m.; Norwell at Columbia City, 4:30 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER: Jay County at Norwell, 5 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER: Norwell at Jay County (Varsity only), 5 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL: Northfield at Southern Wells, 6 p.m.; Norwell at FW South Side, 6 p.m.
FRESHMAN FOOTBALL: Heritage at Norwell, 6 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 4
FOOTBALL: South Adams at Bluffton, 7 p.m.; Norwell at Carroll, 7 p.m.; Garrett at Southern Wells, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 5
GIRLS SOCCER: Marion at Norwell, 11 a.m. (Varsity followed by JV).

Sports Round-Up by Paul Beitler

Tee times announced for USGA event
The USGA Women’s State Team Championship will tee of Tuesday at Sycamore Hills Golf Course in Fort Wayne. The three-person team format features the top women amateurs from 47 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.
Indiana’s representatives will tee off Tuesday at approximately 2 p.m. and Wednesday at approximately 9 a.m. The top two scores from each team will count as the team score. Tee times for the concluding day, Thursday, will be set after play Wednesday. Play begins at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, the latest starting time is 2:21 p.m.
The event is open to the public with free admission. Free parking also is available, accessible off of West Covington Road on Fort Wayne’s southwest side.

Earlier date for Parlor City Trot
This year’s Parlor City Trot will be held on Sept. 5, because the Fort 4 Fitness event is being held in Fort Wayne on the final weekend of the Bluffton Free Street Fair.
The Ouabache River Runners will be heading up the Parlor City Trot with the addition of a 10-mile race to the schedule that includes the half-marathon Trot and 10-kilometer run.
Race entry forms are available in the Oupatient Rehabilitation Clinic at the Bluffton Regional Medical Center’s South Campus, Hot Cakes and FPC.
For additional information, e-mail at macmcavoy@gmail.com.

Tigersharks needs diving coach
The Bluffton High School Athletic Department is seeking candidates and taking applications for diving coach. Applicants should have a strong background in the technical skills of diving, along with the leadership abilities to work with student-athletes and coaches. Interested applicants should contact Athletic Director Steve Thompson at 260-824-3724 as soon as possible.