News

Four returnees from 2011 -- two defending state champions and two runners-up -- make up half the field competing in the four championship games of the 19th Annual IHSAA Boys & Girls Soccer State Finals.

After culminating at Indianapolis’ Kuntz Stadium for the last 18 years, the 2012-13 state finals will be played at a different venue as Michael A. Carroll Stadium on the IUPUI campus will serve as host for the first time. The Class A boys final will begin the day at 10:30 am ET, followed by the Class A girls at 1 pm, 2A boys at 3:30 pm and the 2A girls match at 6 pm. All four matches will be streamed live at IHSAAtv.org.

The Class A girls championship is a rematch of last year’s inaugural final between No. 3 Mishawaka Marian (17-4-2) and No. 4 Providence (14-4-3). With both making their first appearance last year, it was Providence claiming the school’s first state title in any sport winning a penalty kick shootout 3-1 to break a scoreless tie.

Both teams turned away a pair of top 10 teams during last weekend’s semi-state to set up the rematch. The Pioneers shut out No. 8 Evansville Mater Dei 4-0 and the edged No. 9 Indianapolis Bishop Chatard, 3-2. The Knights topped No. 2 West Lafayette and No. 6 Fort Wayne Bishop Luers by identical 4-1 scores.

The 2A girls final involves a pair of the state’s all-time winningest teams as No. 4 South Bend St. Joseph (21-2) meets No. 5 Evansville Memorial (20-3).

Memorial will be making its 10th state finals appearance and St. Joseph, its seventh. Both teams have won two state championships including St. Joseph’s 2-1 victory over Memorial in the 1998 championship match. This will be the third time the two schools have encountered each other at the state level with St. Joseph also taking a semifinal victory in the first state tournament in 1994. St. Joseph’s biggest win of this tournament was a 2-1 overtime decision over No. 2 Hamilton Southeastern last Saturday.

The Class A boys championship features No. 5 Fort Wayne Canterbury (15-6-1) and No. 6 Covenant Christian (Indianapolis) (10-12-1).

Canterbury is the defending state champion after beating Evansville Mater Dei 3-0 a year ago. A win on Saturday would be a state record-tying fifth championship (1997, 1998, 2001, 2011 (A)) for the Cavaliers equaling North Central of Indianapolis. They are 4-2 in previous state championship contests and already have shut out the top two teams in the tournament – No. 2 Fort Wayne Bishop Luers, 3-0, at the regional and No. 1 Guerin Catholic, 2-0, in the semi-state final. Canterbury coach Greg Mauch has been the coach for each state championship team and would move into a tie with North Central’s Jerry Little for the most IHSAA titles with a fifth.

Covenant Christian is making its very first state finals appearance in a team sport after joining the IHSAA as a member school in the fall of 1998. The Warriors hurdled the regional round for the first time this season after four previous attempts and have three victories over top 20 opponents this tournament including a 3-0 win over No. 17 Greensburg last Saturday.

The Class 2A boys matchup calls for No. 2 Warsaw (13-8-2) to face No. 6 Columbus North (16-1-4).

Columbus North returns to the state finals for a fourth time and second year in row after it was edged out by Crown Point in a penalty kick shootout in 2011. The Bull Dogs lost only one match during the regular season but avenged that by beating No. 17 Bloomington South 4-0 for the regional crown and then clipped No. 4 Center Grove, 3-1, in the semi-state.

Two years after advancing to the state finals in the single class format, Warsaw finds itself playing in the 2A championship match. The Tigers won their fifth straight regional crown with a 4-1 win over No. 12 Elkhart Central and then eliminated No. 14 DeKalb and Hamilton Southeastern on consecutive 2-1 decisions in the semi-state.

You may get to know the four girls teams here and the four boys teams here.

19th Annual IHSAA Boys & Girls Soccer State Finals
Date: Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012.
Site: Michael A. Carroll Track & Soccer Stadium, IUPUI, 1001 W. New York Street, lndianapolis, Indiana, 46202. 
Admission: $10 per person.
Webstream: All four state championship matches will be streamed live at IHSAAtv.org

Boys State Finals Brackets | Girls State Finals Brackets

Class A Boys | Covenant Christian (Indianapolis) (10-12-1) vs. Fort Wayne Canterbury (15-6-1) | 10:30 am ET
Class A Girls | Providence (14-4-3) vs. Mishawaka Marian (17-4-2) | 1 pm ET
Class 2A Boys | Columbus North (16-1-4) vs. Warsaw (13-8-2) | 3:30 pm ET
Class 2A Girls | Evansville Memorial (20-3) vs. South Bend St. Joseph (21-2) | 6 pm ET

State Finals Media Credentials – The 2012-13 IHSAA State Finals Media Credential issued previously for the girls golf and boys tennis state finals is good for admission. For those outlets without credentials and planning to cover the event, please apply by e-mailing your request (with name of individual applying) to IHSAA Sports Information Director Jason Wille (jwille@ihsaa.org). E-mail requests MUST originate from a recognized business account; e-mails from personal accounts (ie: yahoo.com, aol.com, etc.) will not be accepted. Approved requests will be available for pickup at the ticket trailer across New York Street from the northwest corner stadium entrance.

Parking – While no specific media parking is available, we recommend using the parking lots/garage directly across New York Street to the north of the stadium. Please be aware that IUPUI will charge a nominal parking admission.

Media Services – IHSAA Communications Assistant Toni Polizzi will be on site to assist you in your coverage on Saturday in the press box. Official programs will be available along with computer box scores following each championship match. Interviews may be conducted with players and coaches on the sidelines following the award ceremonies. Electrical power and wireless access will be available in the press box for filing stories and photographs.

Website Updates – The IHSAA.org website will be updated during the course of the day with final box scores and a recap of each of the four matches. Please look for the “Scoreboard” link on the state finals page.

 

***

 

Girls Cross Country State Finals Record to Fall Saturday?
Two of the best female cross country runners in state history lead the way into Saturday’s state finals at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute. The girls race begins at 1 pm ET with the boys race to follow at 1:45 pm ET.

Defending state champion Ashley Erba of Warsaw and Mishawaka’s Anna Rohrer appear to be the prime contenders for this year’s individual crown. The two split a pair of meetings in September one week apart with both setting records in the process.

Last Saturday, the Erba set a semi-state record at New Prairie by 46 seconds running a 17:06.9. The senior set the 5,000 meter state finals record in winning a year ago in 18:05.6. Rohrer, just a sophomore and running at New Haven, broke the course and semi-state record by a minute in 17:03.96.

If either happens to falter, eight others who finished in last year’s top 10 could be there at the end including Mackenzie Caldwell of Columbus North and Bobbie Burgess of West Lafayette. Caldwell has won each of her three tournament races while Burgess won the sectional and regional before finishing second to Erba at the New Prairie semi-state. Avon’s Mary Abramson has also burst onto the scene this year winning at all three tournament levels after placing 98th overall in last year’s state finals as a freshman.

Carmel’s girls will be attempting to win their third consecutive team championship on Saturday and the Greyhounds appear to be the favorite having rolled to first place finishes at each tournament stop thus far.

On the boys side, the door is open for a new champion as you won’t see the name Futsum Zienasellassie again as the North Central phenom graduated after winning the last three years and taking second place as a freshman in 2008.

Only two of last year’s top 10 finishers in the state meet return including Hamilton Southeastern’s Troy Reeder and Valparaiso’s Ari Coulopoulos. Reeder finished third overall a year ago and has won each of his tournament contests in recent weeks.

Also sweeping their tournament races and expected to contend for the individual state championship are Connor Sorrells of Barr-Reeve and Zach Panning of Fort Wayne Concordia. Morgan Township’s Alec Kostelnik won his sectional and semi-state races and finished runner-up at the regional.

In the team competition, No. 5 Columbus North will attempt to become just the third school to win four or more consecutive championships. The Brown County semi-state champions would join Anderson, which won seven straight beginning in 1946 and Carmel, which won four in a row from 1976-79.

67th Boys and 32nd Girls Cross Country State Finals
Date: Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012.
Site: LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course, Wabash Valley Sports Center, 599 S. Tabortown Road, Terre Haute, IN  47803
Course Layout
Times: Girls at 1 pm ET; Boys at 1:45 pm ET.
Admission: $8.00 per person.
Feeder Semi-States: Brown County, Carmel, New Haven, New Prairie.

Boys Lane Assignments | Girls Lane Assignments

State Finals Media Credentials – The 2012-13 IHSAA State Finals Media Credential issued previously for the girls golf and boys tennis state finals is good for admission. For those outlets without credentials and planning to cover the cross country state meet, please apply by e-mailing your request (with name of individual applying) to IHSAA Sports Information Director Jason Wille (jwille@ihsaa.org). E-mail requests MUST originate from a recognized business account; e-mails from personal accounts (ie: yahoo.com, aol.com, etc.) will not be accepted. Approved requests will be available for pickup at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center adjacent to the course beginning at 11 am ET. Please have media identification available and enter the grounds using the east gate nearest the Sports Center.

Media Services – IHSAA Sports Information Director Jason Wille will be on site to assist in your coverage of this year’s state finals. Official programs will be available at the Sports Center facility along with computer-generated results following the races. Electrical power and wireless access will be available in the Wabash Valley Sports Center adjacent to the course for filing stories and photographs. Please be aware that the building will close promptly at 6:30 pm ET/5:30 CT.

Notables

Girls Teams Qualified (24)
Avon, Bloomington North, Bloomington South, Carmel, Carroll (Fort Wayne), Chesterton, Columbus North, Eastern (Greentown), Evansville Memorial, Fishers, Fort Wayne Concordia, Franklin Central, Hamilton Southeastern, Homestead, Huntington North, Northridge, Penn, Portage, Terre Haute North, Terre Haute South, Valparaiso, Warsaw, West Lafayette, Westfield.

Girls Qualified without a Team (27)

Angola	Ericka Rinehart
Center Grove	Jordan Timmons
Columbia City	Samantha Roush
Elkhart Memorial	Sierra Moore
Evansville North	Michaela Ward
Floyd Central	Lydia Kotowski
Fremont	Anna Aldrich
Fremont	Abigail Hostetler
Griffith	Taylor Austin
Heritage Hills	Sienna Crews
Indianapolis Cathedral	Katherine Free
Indianapolis Cathedral	Emma MacAnally
Jasper	Hannah Welsh
LaPorte	Elena Lancioni
Leo	Jennifer Emery
Mishawaka	Anna Rohrer
New Prairie	Rachel Thompson
Noblesville	Kendra Foley
North Harrison	Ashton Bosler
Northfield	Jenna Halderman
Oldenburg Academy	Sarah Billingsley
Perry Central	Cathryn Peter
Plainfield	Samantha Woodford
Rochester	Anna Bearss
Seymour	Zoey Johnson
South Bend Clay	Amanda Farrough
Twin Lakes	Madeline Lilly

Most Consecutive Girls Team Appearances
32 by Carmel, 1981-current.

Active Streaks of Girls Team Appearances (Three or more years)
32: Carmel.
20: Valparaiso.
9: Carroll (Fort Wayne), Terre Haute North.
6: Bloomington South, Columbus North.
5: Huntington North, Portage.
4: Evansville Memorial.
3: Fort Wayne Concordia, Terre Haute South, West Lafayette, Westfield.

Team Appearance Droughts Broken (10 or more years)
None.

First Team Appearance
Fishers

Former Girls State Champions in the Field
Ashley Erba, 12, Warsaw (defending state champion).

Boys Teams Qualified (24)
Bedford North Lawrence, Bloomington North, Bloomington South, Carmel, Carroll (Fort Wayne), Columbus North, Evansville North, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, Franklin Central, Goshen, Hamilton Southeastern, Hobart, Homestead, Indianapolis Cathedral, Lawrence Central, Lowell, McCutcheon, Mishawaka, Northridge, Terre Haute South, Valparaiso, Warsaw, West Lafayette, Westfield.

Boys Qualified without a Team (26)

Barr-Reeve	Damon Pruett
Barr-Reeve	Connor Sorrells
Brebeuf Jesuit	Zack Snider
Central Noble	Ryan Smith
Corydon Central	Levi Taylor
Crown Point	Alex Ray
DeKalb	Mark Beckman
Eastbrook	Joshua Neideck
Elkhart Christian	Joel Hartman
Evansville Central	Mitchell Harris
Evansville Memorial	Alec Sievern
Fishers	Calvin Kraft
Fort Wayne Concordia	Zachery Panning
Heritage Hills	Ben Woolems
Glenn	Luke Runyan
LaPorte	Anthony Didion
Mooresville	Michael Passmore
Morgan Township	Alec Kostelnik
New Prairie	Nickolas Arndt
North Central (Indianapolis)	James Huffman
North Harrison	Jonathan Reynolds
Northfield	Caleb Augustus
Pike	Samuel Tebeje
Prairie Heights	Nicholas Lagemann
West Noble	Brandon Arnold
Wheeler	Joel O’Shea

Most Consecutive Boys Team Appearances
37 by Carmel, 1976-current.

Active Streaks of Boys Team Appearances (Three or more years)
37: Carmel.
7: Bloomington South.
6: Columbus North.
5: Valparaiso.
4: Hamilton Southeastern.
3: Bedford North Lawrence, Carroll (Fort Wayne), Mishawaka, Terre Haute South.

Team Appearance Droughts Broken (10 or more years)
52: Indianapolis Cathedral (1960).
16: Homestead (1996).

First Team Appearance
Lowell, Westfield.

Former Boys State Champions in the Field
None.

 

***

 

State Statistical Leaders
The following lists of statistical leaders are compiled by VarVee.com, the IHSAA’s official statistics gathering partner. The IHSAA encourages each of its member schools to participate by registering at www.varvee.com and updating statistics by each Monday through the end of the season. Weekly reports will be issued each Tuesday throughout the season.

Football: State Statistical Leaders | Weekly Report 
Volleyball: State Statistical Leaders | Weekly Report
Boys Soccer: State Statistical Leaders | Weekly Report
Girls Soccer: State Statistical Leaders | Weekly Report

 

***

 

About the Indiana High School Athletic Association, Inc. (IHSAA)
Founded in 1903, the purpose of the Indiana High School Athletic Association, Inc. (IHSAA) is to encourage, regulate and give direction to wholesome amateur interschool athletic competition between its 408 member schools. The Association provides state championship tournament series in 20 sports, 10 for girls and 10 for boys. Approximately 160,000 student athletes participate in IHSAA sports on an annual basis.