Rochester Lady Zebra golf awards for the 2023 season:

Laynie Migonis (Most Improved)

Ava Thomas (MVP, Captain, Academic All TRC)

Payton Moore (Captain, Academic All TRC, Academic All State Honorable Mention)

Olivia Bailey (MVP, Captain)

Ella McCarter (Most Improved, Academic All TRC)

Lexi Haughs (Mental Attitude)

Rochester may be more rested and healed up from nicks and bruises than the Zebras would normally be in the second week of the postseason.  Following a bye week granted by the IHSAA bracket selection show the Zebras hit the road to avenge last season’s sectional championship loss.

The 2022 season closed for Rochester when Lafayette Central downed the Zebras, 24-8.

This time, a berth in the 2A Sectional 34 championship game on the line.

Seventh-ranked LCC (7-3) advanced to the second round with a win over Winamac in the first round, 42-14.

Rochester is 7-2 and was ranked tenth in the final 2A coaches poll.

Zebras head coach Ron Shaffer says the bye week was helpful.

Shaffer says practice time has dealt with the many options LCC has to offer.

The Zebras will have to contain LCC junior quarterback Bobby Metzger.  Metzger has passed for 2197 yards with 26 touchdowns and only six interceptions.

GIANT fm Sports will have coverage starting at 6:30 p.m.

Culver Community, Caston and North Miami combined to win two games in the 2023 football season.

And one of those was Caston’s lone victory over Culver.

That’s what makes this second week of the IHSAA playoffs so surprising.  All three are still alive.

The Cavaliers, Warriors and Comets ombined to go 3-0 last week including Caston’s 34-28 victory over seventh-ranked and previously undefeated North White, who beat the Comets during the regular season.

An encore in this week’s sectional semifinals will be more challenging.

Caston (2-8) advanced last week by, in part, containing Vikings senior quarterback Eli Quasebarth who rushed for 1855 yards in the regular season, better than 200 yards per game.

Caston head coach Chris Ulerick.

Caston sophomore Jabez Yarber rushed for 112 yards in the quarterfinal win on 10.2 yards per carry as the Comets played with the lead throughout the game.

Caston’s reward for the upset win is another road trip. And another ranked, undefeated opponent.  Third-ranked Carroll (Flora) (10-0) was a 42-8 winner last week over Tri-County.

The Comets will have to do something no one else has done against Carroll, score.  The Cougars defense is allowing only 3.5 points per game. No opponent has scored double digits and Carroll has five shutouts on the season.

For Culver Community there were no wins to be found in the regular season. But in 1A Sectional 41 there is a wide margin between the top two Sagarin-rated teams, North Judson and Triton, down to the rest of the field. That included the Cavaliers opponent, South Central (Union Mills). The Satellites were only rated two points better on a neutral field than the Cavaliers despite winning at Culver in week 2, 44-22.

First year Cavaliers head coach Austin Foust on last week’s sectional quarterfinal win at South Central, 40-15.

As with Caston, the test in the playoffs second round is more difficult as (1A) #9 Triton (7-3) visits Culver for the second time this season. Last time the Trojans were in town in the fifth week of the season, they posted a 58-6 win.

The least advancement from the opening round was in 1A Sectional 44 by North Miami (2-8). Despite only one regular season win over Whitko, the Warriors were a Sagarin-rated favorite over their quarterfinal opponent, Southern Wells who hadn’t won since a season opening 29-26 victory over Elwood.

North Miami’s 27-6 win last week has also earned them a second round game against a ranked opponent, #11 Madison-Grant (7-3). The Argylls shut out Northfield last week, 50-0.

Warriors head coach Joe Grant says his team has some familiarity from a postseason meeting last year.

The NBA announced changes Wednesday to the format for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game, which will be played on Feb. 18 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, home of the Indiana Pacers.

As the league celebrates basketball's deep roots in the state of Indiana, the 73rd NBA All-Star Game will feature the return of both the classic matchup between the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference and the traditional scoring system with four 12-minute quarters. The voting process to determine the NBA All-Stars will remain the same, with 12 players selected from each conference.

While the NBA All-Star Game will no longer have an untimed fourth quarter or conclude when one team reaches or surpasses the Final Target Score, the teams will continue to compete to win each quarter for a charitable organization of their choosing.

NBA All-Star Game team captains will still be named to lead their respective teams. The captains will be the All-Star starter from each conference who receives the most fan votes in his conference during NBA All-Star Voting.

The 2024 NBA All-Star Game will air on TNT in the United States and reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories in more than 50 languages.

Indianapolis will host the NBA All-Star Game for the first time since 1985.

Wesley Steininger led three Rochester boys who competed Saturday in the New Haven cross country regional.

Steininger came in 93rd place in a time of 17:32. 

Junior teammate Reece Johnson ran an 18:04 to finish 147th out of 247 total runners. Fellow Zebra Lane Shank completed the course in 19:14 for 218th place.

Allyson Calloway represented Rochester in the girls race and finished in 21:23 and 107th place.

For Tippecanoe Valley, Bailey Bussard, Chris Marquez and Chesnee Miller was regional commpetitors with Miller advancing to the state cross country meet. The Vikings senior finished in 19:20 which was 27th overall and among the top 15 individuals not on an advancing team.

Caston's Edison Byrum completed the boys cross country regional at Brownburg Saturday in 17:15.

Byrum finished in 92nd place out of 246 competitors.

Meanwhile, Camila Hernandez-Rios finished in 23:05 to come in 171st of 246 competitors in the girls regional at Brownsburg.

At New Prairie, Winamac's Maggie Smith was 23rd overall. That placed her among the individual runners without an advancing team and puts her into the state finals competition.

Overall, the Winamac girls were 19th of 24 teams in the field at New Prairie. The Winamac boys finished 24th in the 25 team field.

Addison Zimpleman’s story is not yet complete at Caston High School. Her goal is to leave a legacy that inspires future Comets to achieve greatness.

“I think we are already a very known group, including myself,” said Zimpleman. “I hope we leave a legacy with the younger athletes that we overtook the boys at Caston.”

Zimpleman, a senior, is a three-sport standout at Caston, playing volleyball, basketball and softball. In 2022, she helped the softball program collect its first semistate championship and make its first ever appearance in the Class A state finals.

“I remember that day like it was yesterday,” she said. “Walking in to (Bittinger Stadium at Purdue University) and seeing the crowd wearing red, white and blue.”

The Comets did not get to finish that special season with a state championship, falling 6-0 to Tecumseh, who captured the program’s fifth state championship.

“We knew we had to play at a great level,” said Zimpleman. “It’s probably my favorite memory so far in my career.”

Remember, she said, “so far.”

Caston volleyball (24-7) takes on Southwood (26-4) Saturday at 11 a.m. in its sectional opener. And with the postseason at hand, Zimpleman is experiencing the first of what will be three athletic seasons coming to a conclusion.

“Senior Night made it feel like it would be coming to an end,” admitted Zimpleman. “It is emotional but it won’t compare to softball.”

Zimpleman cited her father’s influence for her love of softball.

“In T-ball, I wanted the ball,” she said. “I had a passion for it. It’s a sport of failure and that has shaped me into who I am today.”

And today she is a Division I caliber softball player after announcing her commitment to play collegiately at Purdue University Fort Wayne.

“You hear it all the time but it felt like home,” said Zimpleman of her college choice. “Taking softball out of the equation, it felt like home.”

Zimpleman was impressed with the coaching staff and the campus and the proximity to home – just 90 minutes away. She intends to major in Business, or potentially Marketing.

Before that happens, Zimpleman has a volleyball season to finish and a basketball season to fire up. The Comets finished 20-3 last season with Zimpleman averaging 11.3 points (second most on the team), 4.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.3 steals per game.

“We should have a good season in basketball,” she said. “I have a great group of girls surrounding me. I am looking forward to it.”

And with the pressure of a college commitment now behind her, Zimpleman feels the Comets have unfinished business ahead in the 2024 softball season.

“Only two players graduated,” said Zimpleman of a 22-5 squad. “We have players that can step up.”

That includes Zimpleman, who will rise from the team’s No. 2 pitcher to the No. 1 spot in the circle, a role she has carried during recent travel ball seasons. She was 6-2 with a 3.14 earned run average with 84 strikeouts in 51 innings pitched for Caston as a junior.

When not pitching, she is a middle infielder, which will be her primary role at Purdue Fort Wayne. As a junior, she hit .500 for Caston with 13 doubles, 10 home runs and 30 runs batted in.

Ideally, a return to Bittinger Stadium in June would be a great way to cap off a stellar career, one that helped her accomplish a major life goal when announcing her college commitment.

“It’s definitely a relief,” she said of the commitment. “I can focus more on high school and enjoy my time with my family and friends. I know now I’ve accomplished this little girl’s dream.”

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The Three Rivers Conference has released the 2023 All Conference tennis team.

Rochester's Robert Bozzo earned Honorable Mention status.

All Conference Singles Team

Grant Ford – Wabash

Bryon Hurst – Lewis Cass

Ian Potts – Peru

Jayleb Walsh – Peru

All Conference Doubles Team

Alex Dinkins & Cooper Long – Wabash

Connor Trump & Cole Henderson – Manchester

Jacob Boswell & Jackson Boswell – Peru

Honorable Mention

Eli Mattern – Wabash

Liam Ellington – Lewis Cass

Sammie Lambert & Owen Harshman – Manchester

Jackson Rogers – Peru

Aiden Baldridge – Whitko

Landon Adams – Maconaquah

Robert Bozzo – Rochester

Rochester head football coach Ron Shaffer was named Region IV Colts "Coach of the Week" for Week 8.

Coach Shaffer and the Zebras defeated Southwood 41-0 to improve to 6-2.

The Zebras running game overpowered Southwood as it has many opponents in the team's wins this season. Alex Demming topped the yardage chart with 135 on 17 carries.

Brant Beck ran for 88 yards on just 11 carries while Colton Fervada added 68 yards on 14 carries.

Each rusher, including Trevor Wally, had a rushing touchdown.

Beck added a fumble recovery for a touchdown, also.

Rochester plays at Maconaquah to finish the regular season Friday. Both teams are 6-2 overall and tied for second in the TRC with 6-1 conference records.

The winner will get sole possession of second place in the TRC barring an upset of undefeated Peru by Manchester in their Week 9 meeting.

Rochester received a bye into the semifinal round of Class 2A, Sectional 34.

The Zebras (6-2), ranked No. 12 in the most recent Class 2A state coaches poll, will face either Winamac (3-5) or No. 11 Lafayette Central Catholic (5-3) on Oct. 27 with a berth in the sectional championship game at stake. Because Rochester received a bye, it will automatically be the visiting team in the semifinal game.

In the other half of the bracket, Benton Central (1-7) travels to Seeger (6-2) while Delphi (3-5) is at Lewis Cass (4-4).

The sectional tournament begins Oct. 20 with quarterfinal round contests. The semifinals follow on Oct. 27 with the sectional championship games on Nov. 3.

The Indiana High School Athletic Association presented the 51^st Annual State Football Tournament Pairings Show Sunday.

In other sectionals featuring area schools:

Class 3A, Sectional 28

Four teams in the top 15 of the Class 3A state coaches poll were bunched in the top half of the bracket. And a fifth top-10 ranked program avoided that quartet by landing in the bottom half of the bracket.

No. 2 Guerin Catholic (6-2) opens at No. 13 Peru (8-0). And No. 8 Tippecanoe Valley (8-0) travels to No. 1 Indianapolis Chatard (8-0).

If Tippecanoe Valley wins, it would host the semifinal contest.

The winners meet in the semifinal round on Oct. 27.

In the other half of the bracket, Northwestern (3-5) is at Maconaquah (6-2) and No. 7 Hamilton Heights (8-0) is on the road at Oak Hill (4-4).

Class A, Sectional 41

Culver (0-8), still searching for its first win of the season, drew South Central (Union Mills ) (3-5) for its sectional opener on Oct. 20. The winner advances to battle either Class A, No. 10 Triton (5-3) or North Newton (0-8) in the semifinal round on Oct. 27.

In the other half of the bracket, Bowman Academy (1-4) is at South Newton (3-5) and Pioneer (5-3) travels to North Judson-San Pierre (4-4).

Class A, Sectional 43

Caston was the first team slotted into the 8-team field. The Comets (1-7) will travel to Class A, No. 9 North White (8-0) for their sectional opener on Oct. 20.

The winner will face either No. 3 Carroll (Flora) (8-0) or Tri-County (4-3) in the semifinal round on Oct. 27.

In the bottom half of the bracket, West Central (7-1) travels to Taylor (1-7) and Tri-Central (2-6) is at Frontier (4-4).

Football fans interested in finding out who the first sectional opponents will be for Rochester, Caston and Tippecanoe Valley can listen to GIANT fm Sunday at 6 p.m. to hear the live broadcast of the IHSAA Football State Tournament Pairings Show.

Aired locally on 92.1 fm (WROI), Bob Lovell, host of Indiana Sports Talk, and Paul Condry of the Regional Radio Sports Network will break down the sectional pairings for all six classes of IHSAA football.

The pairings show also will stream exclusively on IHSAAtv.org.

Rochester (5-2) will compete in Class 2A, Sectional 34 along with Lafayette Central Catholic (4-3), Seeger (6-1), Benton Central (1-6), Winamac (2-5), Lewis Cass (3-4) and Delphi (2-5).

Caston is in Class A, Sectional 43. The eight-team field includes No. 9 North White (7-0), No. 3 Carroll (Flora) (7-0), West Central (6-1), Tri-County (3-3), Tri-Central (1-6), Frontier (4-3), Caston (1-6) and Taylor (1-6).

Tippecanoe Valley is in Class 3A, Sectional 28 where four teams are ranked in the top 10 of the state coaches poll. The eight-team field includes No. 7 Hamilton Heights (7-0), No. 1 Indianapolis Chatard (7-0), Peru (7-0), No. 8 Tippecanoe Valley (7-0), Oak Hill (3-4), No. 2 Guerin Catholic (5-2), Maconaquah (5-2) and Northwestern (3-4).

The first round of sectional games for Class 4A, 3A, 2A and A are Oct. 20. Semifinal games follow on Oct. 27 with sectional champions being crowned on Nov. 3.

Regional championship games are Nov. 10 and Semistate champions are crowned on Nov. 17.

The six state championship games are scheduled for Nov. 24 and Nov. 25 at Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis.

Temperatures are cooling.

Combines are rolling.

Leaf colors are changing.

And high school football teams are prepping.

Not only is the countdown on with two weeks of regular season football remaining and conference championships being decided but the IHSAA will hold the bracket draw Sunday for sectional play.

On the mind of Rochester Zebras head coach Ron Shaffer – the opportunity that still exists to grab a share of the Three Rivers Conference regular season title.

Entering Week 8, Peru is the only undefeated team in conference play. Meanwhile, Rochester and Maconaquah are a game back tied for second.

Rochester (5-2, 5-1 TRC) travels to Southwood tonight. The Knights (4-3, 4-2) figured prominently in last year’s three-way tie for the TRC championship when they upset what was an undefeated Tippecanoe Valley team.

Southwood saw a four-game win streak come to a close with a loss to Peru last week, 61-7.

Coverage tonight begins at 6:30 p.m. with a 7 p.m. kickoff on GIANT fm Sports WROI.

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The Indiana Pacers announced their 2023-24 training camp roster, which currently stands at 18 players.  

Training camp is underway at the Ascension St. Vincent Center in Indianapolis. The Pacers will begin their 2023-24 preseason schedule Sunday, Oct. 8 at Memphis.  

Indiana will open the regular season Wednesday, Oct. 25 at home against the Washington Wizards. 

Rochester boys and girls soccer saw seasons come to a close in sectional play Tuesday while Argos, Culver and Caston prepare for boys semifinal action on Wednesday.

Boys soccer sectionals

2A Sectional 22

Tippecanoe Valley 2, Rochester 0

The Vikings defeated the Zebras for the second time this season and advanced to the sectional semifinal at Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran. 

Tippecanoe Valley will play the host host school Wednesday.  Concordia defeated Wabash in Tuesday's other quarterfinal, 5-0.

1A Sectional 37

Semifinal play happens tonight in Argos as Caston plays North White at 5 p.m. North White defeated the Comets on September 5, 4-0.

That will be followed by Argos - Culver Community at 7 p.m.

Girls soccer sectionals

1A Sectional 35

Argos 6, Culver 2

Katie Schouton 11 saves. Culver's Giselle Villegas and Kassidy Banks held to one goal each.

Hayna Willis scored three goals to lead Argos.

Trinity 9, Rochester 0

Trinity matched its regular season win over Rochester with another 9-0 win. The match was stopped after 20:00 under the mercy rule.

Rochester closes its season 0-14.

Thursday's semifinals at Argos will feature #17 Argos  - #7 Trinity, at 5 p.m. That will be followed by #16 Bremen - LaVille at 7 p.m.
 

Volleyball

Tippecanoe Valley def. Rochester, 18-25, 18-25, 28-26, 25-17, 15-7

Triton def Caston, 23-25, 25-23, 26-24, 25-21

Westville def Culver, 26-24, 25-19, 23-25, 12-25, 15-12

For the second time in five days Caston posted a boys soccer win over Winamac. 

This one kept the Comets season alive.

Caston built a 4-0 lead and went on to a 4-1 soccer sectional quarterfinal win at 1A Sectional 37 at Argos Monday.

Last week, Caston knocked off Winamac, 6-1.

Monday's win puts the Comets into a Wednesday semifinal against North White. North White made the semifinal with a win over North Miami, 1-0.

The two squads met during the regular season with North White defeating Caston, 4-0.

Wednesday's other semifinal will pit Argos against Culver Community.

At Fort Wayne Concordia, Rochester (5-10) and Tippecanoe Valley (10-5-1) will meet tonight with a semifinal berth on the line. In their regular season meeting on September 13, senior Gio Arriaga scored two second half goals in the Vikings 2-0 win.

The Rochester - Tippecanoe Valley winner will play the winner of the FW Concordia Lutheran - Wabash quarterfinal in the next round.

In the other half of the bracket, #12 (2A) Culver Academies advanced with a 4-2 win over Machester.  Culver Academies will play FW Bishop Dwenger in the sectional's other semifinal.

In 1A girls sectional play at Argos, two quarterfinals are set for Tuesday.  At 5 p.m., Giselle Villegas and her 48 goals on the season will lead Culver (13-2-1) against #17 (1A) Argos (5-9-1).

The winner of that match will play in the semifinal against the winner of the #7 (1A) Trinty - Rochester quarterfinal. Trinity (14-1) defeated Rochester in August, 9-0.

Rochester (0-12) is still looking for the season's first win.

#16 (1A) Bremen and LaVille received the bye to meet in the other girls semifinal at Argos. 

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Rochester's Olivia Bailey and Ava Thomas competed in the IHSAA State Golf Finals Friday and Saturday.

For Bailey, a strong first day was countered by a tougher day two.  Bailey finished 2-over 74 on the first day of competition. The sophomore was 13-over on the second day to finish +15 in a tie for 26th place.

Thomas, a junior, opened competition 17-over on day one and followed with a 14-over on the second day. Her +31 left her in a tie for 60th place.

Carmel claimed its second-straight state championship at Prairie View Golf Club. The Greyhounds finished with a 608 score, nine shots better than runner-up Westfield. Homestead (622) and Noblesville (635) rounded out the top four.

For Carmel, the title is the fourth in program history, winning previously in 2013 and 1980. The 608 score is also the fifth-best in state finals history.

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