Preps Plus

Snider baseball plays at home, finally

Snider managed to make its debut on its new field, just a year later.

The Panthers played every game on the road last season, coming off a 2006 Class 4A state championship.

But in Snider's 6-3 win over Gross Pointe (Mich.) on Wednesday, the Panthers got to unveil their new field on Long Road.

Field conditions were never ready for the new field and so a young Snider team was a little road weary at the end of the season.

- By Greg Jones, The Journal Gazette

More Luers success?

Is more success on the horizon for Bishop Luers?

After the football and boys basketball teams both won Class 2A state championships, the SAC baseball coaches gathered Monday at Bishop Luers to predict a conference champion.

And they selected - Bishop Luers.

The Knights were picked to finish ahead of Northrop for the conference crown. The selections by the league's coaches were: 1. Luers, 2. Northrop, 3. Dwenger, 4. Snider, 5. Concordia, 6. North Side, 7. (tie) Elmhurst, Wayne, 8. Harding, 9. South Side

On the baseball roster are names of kids who also played football like Isaac Baker, Tyler Watts, Tyquan Hammock and Kevin Kiermaier.

Don't forget as well that the Bishop Luers softball team advanced to the state finals last year with a relatively young team.

- By Greg Jones, The Journal Gazette

More on Tyler Zeller

I didn't mention some things about Washington's 7-foot senior Tyler Zeller in Tuesday's state finals story.

Tyler (who is the younger brother of former Mr. Basketball Luke) has a "little" brother of his own. Cody Zeller is a 6-foot-5 freshman on the Hackets' team. Word is that Cody grew eight inches since the end of his middle school basketball season last year.

That's not that amazing for the family because Tyler grew like 14 inches in 22 months when he was a little younger.

Luke hit a half-court buzzer-beater in 2005 to beat Plymouth in the 3A title game and Harding is hoping there isn't a repeat with Tyler this Saturday.

Luke's buzzer-beater secured him the Mr. Basketball award over the more celebrated Dominic James and Josh McRoberts. Tyler won't have to worry about any heroics because I see him winning Mr. Basketball pretty easily.

- By Greg Jones, The Journal Gazette

SAC showing strength of conference

Two SAC boys basketball teams in next Saturday's boys basketball state finals is a pretty remarkable feat.

In fact, it is unprecedented.

Never, even during the decade-plus-old class basketball, has two teams from the conference been at the state's big dance.

Bishop Luers will play in the 2A title game, while Harding is in the 3A game. The Hawks know a little something about the state finals, having been there five times since 2001. The Knights will be making their maiden voyage at state.

Historically, South Side has been there the most times, six, while Harding is now at five, North Side three while Elmhurst, Northrop and now Bishop Luers have both been there once.

The other four SAC schools - Bishop Dwenger, Concordia, Snider and Wayne - have never been there.

The closed Fort Wayne Central leads all city schools with nine state appearances.

The SAC has been on an upswing getting to the state finals in this decade. With the help of class basketball, Harding, Elmhurst and Bishop Luers, have been there since 2001. But Harding's 2001 2A state championship is the lone class winner.

We'll see if Harding and Bishop Luers change that Saturday at Conseco Fieldhouse.

- By Greg Jones, The Journal Gazette

Christner makes Warriors click

Back in 2006, I noticed a skinny little freshman for Westview by the name of Adam Christner.

Christner had scored 14 points in a 64-48 loss to Harding in the Class 2A semistate at Kokomo. I recall Westview coach Rob Yoder speaking of the experience Christner got and how good he was as a freshman.

Fast forward two years and Westview and Christner are back in the 2A semistate, facing another SAC team in Bishop Luers on Saturday at Warsaw.

Christner makes this Westview team go. The Warriors are very balanced, but Christner is the key cog with 10 points, 4.7 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game.

This kid really makes the Warriors click offensively and defensively.

- By Greg Jones, The Journal Gazette

Different coach, same Plymouth

Harding's opponent on Saturday in the Class 3A will have some experience on the floor, but not on the sidelines.

The defending 3A state champion Plymouth is without its veteran coach, Jack Edison, who retired after last season. He was initially replaced by his son, Michael. But Michael got in a little trouble with viewing some things on the school's computer that shouldn't have and was let go.

Michael Edison was replaced by John Scott on an interim basis. Scott has said he doesn't want the job full-time and will not coach the Pilgrims after this season.

But Hawks coach Al Gooden said Plymouth runs the same kind of offense and defense that Jack Edison ran for years and will be similar in a lot of ways.

The big key for Harding will be shutting down sharpshooter Randy Davis, who scored 28 points in last year's 3A state title game and hit the game-winning free throws last week in the regional finals.

- By Greg Jones, The Journal Gazette

Diesel powers Luers

With some prior knowledge of the gym, the "Diesel" could have another big game in the Class 2A semistate against No. 2 Westview on Saturday at Warsaw.

Bishop Luers sophomore DeShaun Thomas, known as The Diesel, is coming off a school-record 48 points in a 94-81 regional finals win over Northfield.

The 6-foot-7 Thomas hit 17 of 19 from the free-throw line to account for almost half his points.

Teams with more than a couple of hours to prepare for Thomas have had a measure of success in controlling Thomas through double and triple teams. Northfield didn't have that luxury on Saturday.

But even though Westview has had a week to get ready for Thomas, we know he likes the baskets and shooting background at Warsaw. He has already gone for 41 points once this year at Warsaw in a 70-61 win over the Tigers on Feb. 15.

- By Greg Jones, The Journal Gazette

South Adams names new coach

South Adams has hired former Norwell defensive coordinator Jason Arnold as its new football coach.

Arnold was the Knights’ defensive coach for the past seven seasons and helped the team to the Class 3A state title game, a 7-0 loss to Chatard.

A graduate of Adams Central, Arnold replaces Kirk Sorg, who retired after 23 years.

- By Greg Jones, The Journal Gazette

Smith lost to Hawks

The semistate-bound Harding Hawks boys basketball team will be one Rod Smith light Saturday.

The sophomore was lost to the Class 3A No. 6 team because of academic issues. Smith was tied with Marquelo Suel for the team lead in rebounds (8.2).

Smith, a future Division I football player, had emerged this year on the basketball court as a physical presence.

- By Greg Jones, The Journal Gazette

Huntington looking for another hoops coach

Huntington North boys basketball coach Eric Foister has joined his girls coaching counterpart, Don Burton, in stepping away from the Vikings' program.

Foister announced his resignation as coach during a school board meeting Tuesday.

Foister was 123-99 in a decade at Huntington North, but 9-33 the last two years after the graduation of Chris Kramer.

Burton resigned last month after a turbulent final season where four players quit either before or during the year. He was later fired as the girls tennis coach.

- By Greg Jones, The Journal Gazette