Preps Plus

Bayer can win with different styles

Leo senior Andy Bayer either wins close races or by large margins, there is no in between.

Bayer sprinted his way to a win the 3,200 meters at Saturday's boys state track meet in Bloomington, winning by .12, over Lafayette Jeff's Tito Medrano.

“That’s how I have ran some of the bigger races this year,” Bayer said of his sprint over the final 200 meters that left him dehydrated at the end.

Bayer had dominated his way through most of the regular season and wasn't pushed through the postseason until the state meet, when Medrano and three other runners took turns competing with Bayer.

“It helps a lot to push the pace and not do it by yourself," Bayer said. "It helps a lot.”

Bayer's state title is the school's second of the year after Justin Woods won the 215-pound title at the state wrestling meet.

- By Greg Jones, The Journal Gazette

Andy Bayer, Leo

Shank's double

Almost immediately after winning the pole vault at the state track meet Saturday in Bloomington, Northrop junior Corey Shank sprinted over to join his 400-meter relay teammates in that event.

Shank has just done battle with Bishop Dwenger's Kevin Schipper, went 16 feet, 6 inches and had to pole vault in the hot sun and wind for three hours, and his reward was the first leg on the 400 relay team that finished a solid third.

Shank has been running in the sprints since he ran a 10.8 100 against South Side in the third meet of the season.

It is quite unusual to see a pole vaulter running sprints. And if Shank's battle with Schipper would have gone any longer, Shank would have paused from the pole vault to run in the relay.

“I love running that relay," he said. "It is great working with them. I was planning on running it no matter what. If I had to take a break from the pole vault to help our team with the 4x1, I was going to do it.”

- By Greg Jones, The Journal Gazette

Harding 1,600 relay team still gets through

What an effort by the Harding 1,600-meter relay team at the Wayne Regional on Thursday.

Missing maybe the best all-around athlete the school has ever seen, Marquelo Suel, the team that was ranked second in the state after the sectionals finished third at the regional in a respectable 3:23.40.

This was after the Hawks were basically in last place after the first leg. Xavier Carr, who also won the high jump, almost made up the different by himself on the second leg.

Northrop won the event with a 3:21.26.

Suel was declared not medically fit to run after collapsing at the sectional. He saw a doctor Wednesday and might have what is called athlete's asyma.

His status for the state finals won't be known until next week.

- By Greg Jones, The Journal Gazette

Bayer makes right choice

Entering the postseason, Leo's Andy Bayer had a choice to make. To run the 1,600 or 3,200 meters in a chance at a state title.

He chose the 3,200 and set a new regional record Thursday at Wayne in 9:07.18.

It really wasn't a difficult choice for Bayer, who has ran the 3,200 well the last couple of years but has only been doing really well in the 1,600 this season.

"I was thinking about doing both during the tournament, but (the 3,200) is what I have always done," Bayer said. "I was most comfortable with the two mile."

- By Greg Jones, The Journal Gazette

Schipper comes back strong

Kevin Schipper admitted this was a better week.

That would seem obvious because of his 17-foot regional record-setting performance Thursday at Wayne. But that's also the case because last week's sectional wasn't that pleasant for him.

He qualifed for the regional and finished with a 14-8. But because he was tied among four jumpers who made 14-8 with Bishop Luers' Andy Lemaster because they had the fewests attempts, a jumpoff was required by the meet officials at North Side. With a sore ankle, Schipper wanted no part of a jumpoff.

But the meet officials insisted and said he couldn't advance if he didn't. So he gave a token trek down the runway as an "attempt." He tried to call his doctor to get a medical reason not to jump, but the physican couldn't be reached.

Lemaster won the event, and Schipper finished second.

"This is definitely a better week than last week," Schipper said.

- By Greg Jones, The Journal Gazette

Another Northrop streak ends

A week after the Northrop girls track team had its 10-year run as sectional champions end, the Bruins didn't take home the regional trophy for the first time in five years.

The streak was the third longest active streak in the state. Northrop still leads the state with 16 regional titles.

The Bruins not so long ago were looking for seven straight state championships. That streak ended at six, but my how far the program has fallen in three short years.

Carroll won the regional title, its first in 34 years. The coach that led the Chargers to that regional title in 1974, Elise McAlexander, was there with this crop of runners and throwers for Carroll, celebrating and even getting into the team picture.

The balance of power in girls track around this area might be switching sides.

- By Greg Jones, The Journal Gazette

Leo baseball clinches at least tie for ACAC

Leo's 10-0 win over Bluffton on Thursday clinched at least a share of the ACAC championship for the Lions.

The shutout came courtesy of sophomore Brandon Alger. Leo also beat Adams Central 7-4 Tuesday behind senior Ryne Harding.

Leo (12-4) is 6-1 in the ACAC.

- By Greg Jones, The Journal Gazette

Area track starters assigned for sectionals

I got an e-mail the other day from the chairperson, Carter Lohr, of the Northeastern Indiana Athletic Officials Association letting me know who the starters were going to be at the area boys and girls track sectionals.

The girls are on Tuesday and the boys on Thursday.

So for those out there thirsting for this information. Here you are.

Girls

Ron Fecher at East Noble

Carter W. Lohr at Northrop

Richard Boyd at Madison-Grant

Don Schaffer at Marion

Steven Caswell at Bluffton

Boys

Steven Caswell at North Side

Richard Boyd at Huntington North

Don Schaffer at North Side

Ron Fecher at Muncie Central

Carter W. Lohr at Penn

- By Greg Jones, The Journal Gazette

Another rainy night in Bluffton

I think I blog on this every year (or at least the couple that I have had a blog) but why does it rain every single year the ACAC track meet is at Bluffton.

On Friday, it was a constant rain that didn't really affect the competitors, but the fans didn't seem to like it.

It wasn't as cold and stormy as some years at Bluffton, but it was miserable enough.

"Luckily our coaches constantly tell us (the weather) is going to suck," Leo senior Jackie Cottrell said. "Whether it is good weather or bad weather, that is just the mindset we have. Yesterday someone said it was going to be 60-70 (degrees) and no rain, and I was the first person to say no it won't be."

Last year when they held the meet at Garrett, it was almost perfect weather. Good thing they are now rotating the meet between Bluffton and Garrett so there will be good weather every other year.

- By Greg Jones, The Journal Gazette

Northrop makes solid choice for football coach

Not as splashy as their last big hire, but Northrop's choice for football coach seems to be a solid one.

According to multiple sources, Bishop Luers line coach Greg Gehl will be the next Northrop football coach. It is all pending Fort Wayne Community Schools board approval, which could come Monday.

A Bishop Dwenger graduate, Gehl's been around football for 20 years as an assistant coach at places like Luers, Dwenger, South Side, Alabama State, Cincinnati, Ohio Northern and Saint Joseph.

This will be his first head coaching position, which is why he is not a household name like boys basketball coach Al Rhodes, who was hired last year after stints at Warsaw and Logansport.

But Gehl comes from a program known for winning in Luers. He has been part of three of the Knights' recent state titles, 2001, 2002 and 2007.

He'll have his work cut out for him at Northrop, a program with only one sectional championship and no winning records since 2003.

But it appears that Northrop athletic director Bob Shank has made another good hire.

- By Greg Jones, The Journal Gazette