We shall Overcome!

The Railroaders took on a tough Columbia City team in the final regular season game of the year. The Railroaders have had to overcome some adversity this past week and make some changes in the line-up. After a very slow first half the Railroaders played with a lot more passion in the second half. But, the Railroaders lost by a score of  58-41. We now have exactly 7 days to prepare for the IHSAA Sectional tournament. WOrking through adversity and adapting to change is never easy, but this team has the talent to overcome anything. The season isn't over, It's just beginning. We can bring home another championship!

Tonight was a busy night and a good crowd came to honor our lone Senior Basketball -- Eric Custer and our 3 senior cheerleaders -- Elizabeth Shultz, Alex Harris, and Becca Christensen. We also were entertained by  over 100 elementary age Cheerleaders between games.  Our Cheer Coach, Amanda McGrew and her helper Ashley Hornbrook did a great job with the cheer camp considering it ran in to numerous weather cancellations.

The Final piece of the busy night was honoring our newest members of the Wall of Fame. Becky Ashenfelter (Hefty), Travis Hampshire, and Josh Vanderbosch were inducted into the Garrett Wall of Fame tonight at halftime of the varsity game. All three of these athletes are very deserving and it was fun getting to honor them. They are a great example of the pride we have in our community. We thank them for their commitment to Railroader Athletics.

Garrett will host the IHSAA sectional starting this coming Tuesday evening. Churubusco will take on Fremont in game #1 and will be followed by Prairie Heights vs Eastside. Then on Friday Night our very own Railroaders will take on the winner of game #1. The second game on Friday will have the Central Noble Cougars will take on the winners of Game #2. The Championship game will be played on Saturday Evening at 7:30pm.

Good Luck Railroaders~

Boys Sectional Pairings

Garrett High School will host Sectional #36 of the IHSAA BOYS BASKETBALL tournament and the pairings have been set;

Churubusco and Fremont will play game #1 on Tuesday, March 1st and Garrett will play the winner of this game on Friday Night at 6pm.

Game #2 on Tuesday Night will set the Prairie Heights Panthers against the Eastside Blazers. Central Noble will play the winner of Game #2 on Friday Night. Both these games will start at approximately 7:30pm.

 The Championship game will be held at Garrett on Saturday Night, March 5th  starting at 7:30pm.

Tickets will go on sale Wednesday in the Athletic Office. Good Luck G-Men in the tournament!

Are you Proud to be a Railroader?....................... YES, WE ARE!

Well, two of our Winter Sports Programs are finished for the season.
 Brayden Moreau lost in the opening round of the IHSAA wrestling state meet. He got an early lead 2-0, then got behind and couldn't recover. We are so proud of Brayden and his contribution to our wrestling program. We can't wait to see what he does next year. Coach Fielden and Caprino have done so much for a floundering program. They get so much out of our wrestlers while maintaining a very high standard of character and ethics. THey are building a program and we are proud of them also.

The Girls Basketball team lost a hard fought defensive battle at Culver this morning.  Garrett took an early lead and really out played Fairfield in the first half. But, the defense of both teams was tougher in the second half and the Lady Falcons inched ahead in the 4th quarter.  Garrett had chances down the stretch with under a minute and couldn't convert.

We are so proud of this team and especially our seniors. These girls have made a major impact on Garrett Athletics in their four years. Heather House is such a great example for all of our students. She has the type of attitude and work ethic that you want everyone to have.  Megan Getts has played so hard throughout her four years and has stepped it up even more in the tournament. She has been so focused. Kelly Singleton has done everything she has been asked to do. Jessica LaTurner has been so key in her support role. She also has contributed as she has been called on and never complained. While the seniors made their mark. The rest of the team are also the best. They are great in the classroom and coachable. I mean this from the c-team players all the way through the seniors. We hope for the best and know that even moving up a class next year won't be a challenge to great for you!

Our Coaching Staff of Bob Lapadot, Lindsay Weller, Kraig Kelham and support from Butch Olver are the best girls basketball coaching staff in Northeast Indiana. No questions! What can you say about Dan Feagler? He coaches with such passion and transfers that to his team. He is such a great example of dedication and leadership. I have had the fortune of seeing him throughout his career and there is no one who works harder for our girls at GHS. Thanks Coaches for all your time and effort. Take some much deserved time off. We love you and thank you!

TEAM WIN!

You can't out hustle us and now you can't beat us either. The young Garrett Boys Basketball team continues to make improvements and are maturing right before our eyes. This team has been playing hard all year. But, now we are starting to see the results. Hard work and effort always pays off. Always! The proof is in the final score of the 48-40 over a good Churubusco team. Going into this game, the Busco Eagles have been chosen as the favorite to win their first ever sectional title. But, hold the boat, the Railroaders aren't going to give that Trophy away without a fight. The records might not show it but the 10-5 Eagles and our 7-10 Railroaders were pretty evenly matched and when it came to the second half. They just couldn't out play us.

Everyone is contributing on this team. From our leading scorer Drake Landes, to our all important point guard, Brandon Porter, to key roll players off the bench like Connor Meehan, and Ricky Colwell, everyone is doing their part on this team.  Todd Frickey hit some key free throws at the end of the game to ice the victory, Andrew Johnson continues to play hard and had a couple of key steals/rebounds.

The worst part of the night is that we had very few people there to enjoy this team. We are playing good quality Basketball and we are fun to watch. We continue to have good student support and are proud of our students, as always. Come out and support this team, We are good, we are young, and we continue to get better. We have every chance to win us a sectional title and move forward in the upcoming tournament.

Girls Regional Plans/State Wrestling Plans/Adopt-a-Railroader

We traveled to Culver High School today to meet with the Coaches and Administrators from Fairfield, Culver, and Wheeler to finalize plans for the Regional Tournament.  Garrett Girls will play at Culver on Saturday morning. The Tip-off is scheduled for 10am. The second game will feature the host Culver Lady Cavaliers vs Wheeler. The Championship game is scheduled for 7pm Saturday Night.

The team will travel to Culver Friday to practice and remain at a local hotel until the game Saturday morning. A Pep Session is scheduled at the School on Thursday.

Season Tickets are on sale in the Athletic office for $9. Tickets for each session cost $6 and are only available at the door.

Brayden Moreau and the Garrett Wrestling Coaching Staff will also leave school on Friday to head to Indianapolis for the IHSAA State Wrestling Championship tournament. Wrestling will begin at 6pm on Friday. Brayden needs to win the match on Friday to make it to the Saturday Tournament. The second round tournament will begin at 9:30am on Saturday. Brayden and the coaches will stay in Indy for the entire tournament. The cost is $8.00 for each session or $20 for the entire weekend. These tickets are only sold at Conseco.

Adopt-A-Railroader Program
For the 3rd straight year the Garrett Athletic Department is taking donations for the Adopt-A-Railroader Program. This program was started 3 years ago to offset the cost of the IHSAA tournaments. The IHSAA only reimburses a minimal amount of money when teams or individuals progress in the State Tournament. The Railroader Athletic teams have been very successful over the past several years and the  success has come at a cost. "We want to make sure our athletes are well taken care of when they progress in the State Tournament series. We provide good meals, comfortable places to stay, and a schedule which puts our student-athletes in the best position to be successful" In order to do this we spend beyond the IHSAA alotment.

We are asking those people who are able to provide a donation to be used for this specific purpose. We will have around 30 athletes and coaches traveling to IHSAA tournaments this weekend. If we can get $100 per athlete/coach, we can provide support without causing a drain to the athletic  budget. If you are able to provide support of any amount, please contact the Athletic Department at 260-357-4116 or stop by the Athletic Office during school hours. Thank You for your support and Good Luck to all the Railroaders participating this weekend in IHSAA tournaments!

We are the Champions!

 Total domination of Sectional 36!  With a final score of 75-28 in tonight's championship game agains Churubusco, the Lady Railroaders scored a total of 195 points to the opponents 85 points for the tournament.

Garrett will take the familiar trip west to Culver Community to take on former NECC Rival Fairfield in the IHSAA Regional tournament next Saturday. The Lady Railroaders will take on the Lady Falcons in the 10am game at Culver (the time will be verified on Tuesday).  Tickets will go on sale Tuesday Morning in the Garrett Athletic Office.

I also want to say a big congratulations to Brayden Moreau who placed 3rd today at the Semi-State Wrestling Tournament in Fort Wayne. Brayden will advance to the IHSAA State Tournament held next Friday at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indy.  Our other two Semi-State Qualifiers lost their second round matches but certainly represented our community with class. So, we also want to congratulate them on a great season. Hayden and Logan Lee both won their opening matches with clear victories but lost in the TIcket round. Thanks Logan for a great season but also a great Wrestling Career at GHS. Hayden had a great season with only 1 loss. We are proud of you, Hayden, and your accomplishments as a freshman. We can't wait to see your progress over the next 3 years.

Rumblin', Bumblin', Stumblin'

We might have stumbled out of the gate (ask Becca!) but the Lady Railroaders dominated the entire 32 minutes of the IHSAA Sectional Semi-Final game against Central Noble. The game was never in question and the final score of 65-24 says it all.  Megan Getts, Brandi Dawson, and Jordyn Knott dominated the scoring with 19, 13, and 10 points each. Garrett had the best shooting percentage, the best free throw percentage, the most assists, rebounds, steals, and blocks. They committed fewer fouls and had fewer turnovers.  Great game Ladies! Now take it to the Lady Eagles of Churubusco to bring home another Sectional Title.

The game will be played at Prairie Heights and will start at 7:30pm.  Good Luck Lady Railroaders, Roll Big Train!

Championship Weekend!

This is a big weekend for two of our winter sports programs. The Girls get started tonight taking on the Central Noble Cougars in the Semi-Finals of the IHSAA Sectional tournament. The girls play the second game tonight which will start at about 730pm. The Championship game will be tomorrow night with the winner of game #1 (Prairie Heights or Churubusco) playing the winner of our game. That game will also start at 7:30pm.

Tomorrow at the memorial Coliseum, the Railroader Wrestlers, Hayden Lee, Brayden Moreau, and Logan Lee, take the final step to a trip to Indy and the Wrestling State Championships.   The Semi-state wrestling will begin tomorrow morning at 9am.  Good Luck Wrestlers, ALL THE WAY TO STATE!

Live and Die by the 3!

I grew up with out the 3 point shot. We did everything we could to get the ball inside or take that jumper at the free throw line. When the 3 pointer cam to High School Basketball, it really changed the game. Tonight the Railroaders traveled to Heritage High School for a key ACAC game. The first half we were nailing the 3 point shot. We missed a few, but we were hard to stop. We got in some foul trouble in the first half, but we overcame that and went into halftime with a 2 point lead.

Then came the second half. We missed a bunch of the long shots, got behind and couldn't fight our way back. The Railroaders fell by a final score of 73-63.

I know we have been losing some games, but our guys are working very hard and I really can't say we have been out hustled by any team. Tonight was not exception. We are making progress, even though the wins haven't been coming.

Keep working Railroaders, the future is bright. Things will get better!

Roll Big Train!

32-33 turns to 55-33

Eastside Lady Blazers always give us fits. They are a hard nosed basketball team with a very talented leader in, Megan Strock. Through 3/4ths of tonight's sectional match up, that hard nosed basketball continued. Then the Lady Railroaders took over!  Our girls got down 32-33 at the end of the 3rd quarter, then we went on a 23-0 run to win the game easily by a score of 55-33.

The last quarter was one of the best quarters of basketball we have played all year. Katie DePew had the daunting task of guarding Strock. It was one of the most physical one on one battles I have ever seen. The pushing and shoving on both sides was classic. But in the end, Katie prevailed. She definitely frustrated Megan and never let her get in to any kind of rhythm.

I don't have all the scoring stats yet. But, the Lady Railroaders advance to Friday Night's semi-finals to face the Central Noble Lady Cougars.  The game will start at about 7:30pm at Prairie Heights. Good Luck Ladies and Coaches!

New IHSAA Classifications!

The IHSAA has announced the new classifications for the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 school years. The Garrett Railroaders will be playing in the 3A classification in all sports for the next two years.  Garrett enrollment for this school year was officially 598 students.  The range of enrollments for Football Class 3a ran from the largest Indianapolis Northwest HS  at 897 to the smallest Western Boone at 592. Football has 5 classes, while Basketball, Baseball, Softball, and Volleyball all have 4 classes, and Soccer will be class for the first time with 2 classes.

For Basketball, Baseball, Softball, and Volleyball class 3A ranges from the largest school, Kankakee Valley at 1087 to the smallest school, Tipton HS at 565.

In Soccer the cutoff between class 1A and 2A was Hamilton Heights HS at 742 students.

Local schools that join Garrett in the 3A Football class are:Whitko, Jimtown, Glenn, Lakeland, West Noble, Blackford, Tippecanoe Valley, Concordia, Eastbrook, Peru, Heritage, and Bellmont.

In the 4 class system (basketball, baseball, softball, and volleyball) local schools are: Dwenger, Leo, Angola, Norwell, Bellmont, West Noble, Heritage, Lakeland, and Concordia.

In the Soccer 2 class system local schools are: West Noble, Lakeland, Heritage, Concordia, Whitko, Luers, Eastside, Central Noble, Canterbury, Lakewood Park, Blackhawk, and Hamilton.

The actual sectional alignments for each of these sports will be released in early spring. Until that time, we can only speculate who will be in our local sectionals. No matter where we go, our students can complete with anyone! ROLL BIG TRAIN!

Hockey Canada PSA - Relax, It's Just a game - Potato Sack

Great Day!

The wrestlers had a great day at Carroll today. Hayden Lee and Brayden Moreau both finished the day as Regional Champions in the IHSAA tournament. Logan Lee ended up in 4th place and will advance with Hayden and Brayden to the Memorial Coliseum Semi-State Tournament next Saturday.

Hayden continued his season undefeated and Brayden's record is only scarred with one loss. The Fort Wayne Semi-State tournament is one of the toughest in the State and all three of our wrestlers will have a tough road to qualify for Indianapolis. Congrats to Coach Fielden and Caprino for all their hard work in making sure these men are ready for each step of the tournament.

The Boys Basketball game vs Churubusco was cancelled as the predicted 1" of snow ended up at more like 5" of snow.  The game hasn't been rescheduled yet, but we will post the reschedule date and time when we get a date set on Monday.

A little Rusty!

Both Garrett Boys and Girls Basketball Teams were a little rusty tonight when they traveled to East Noble for a Doubleheader Baketball game. The girls were able to fight through the rust and come up with a win, defeating the Lady Knights 48-32. The Lady Railroaders only shot 46% but held East Noble to just 25%. But, Garrett also had 13 turnovers to East Nobles 9 TO's.

I haven't gotten the boys stats yet. But, the Railroaders were out rebounded by East Noble and were greatly over matched inside. I can't count the number of put-back baskets we gave up inside. The final score was East Noble 59-43.

The girls head into the sectional with just two losses and are defintely the favorites. But, Eastside will put up a good fight. All we have to do is look back to the 2009 Sectional where a grossly over matched Churubusco team took us to the end of the game. The girls had to pull off the win with a last second shot by Madison Diederich.

The Boys continue the regular season when they host the Churubusco Eagles Saturday Night in the Paul Bateman Gymnasium. This is an important game against a good sectional team.

Good Luck Teams!

Games On!

All the Boys and Girls Basketball games at East Noble will be played as scheduled tonight. 

The Girls JV and Boys JV games will be played at 6pm. The Varsity girls will play at approx. 6:30pm and the Varsity Boys will play at approximately 7:45pm.