W-Ugly!

I am coining a new phrase. W-ugly. Winning-Ugly = W-Ugly. We won tonight. We defeated Prairie Heights girls basketball team by the final score of 47-41. A win is a win even if it's a little ugly. Really, Prairie Heights battled tonight and hustled throughout the entire game. They were in it to the very end. But, the Lady Railroaders had just enough to pull off the win. Garrett had 16 turnovers and PH had 15. Garrett was 13 of 21 at the free throw line to barely beat the Panthers  who shot 11-20. Finally Garrett was able to shoot 47% from the field while Prairie Heights shot only 38%. But, throughout the game it felt like we were losing and we had he lead for nearly the entire game. We just couldn't get into a rhythm and Prairie Heights had a lot to do with that. 

The leading scorer for the Lady Railroaders was Brandi Dawson who had 10 of her game high 14 points in the second half. Katie DePew was the only other Railroader in double figures. She ended with 10 points.

The girls take on ACAC rival Leo on Saturday night at Leo. This is a very important ACAC game and the Lady Railroaders will have to play well to beat the always tough Lady Lions! Good Luck!

Game On!

The Garrett Girls vs Prairie Heights Varsity/JV Basketball game WILL be played tonight with a JV tip-off at 6pm.  The main roads are just wet and slushy. The backroads may still be slick in spots. SO, be careful if you plan on attending the game or one of the scheduled practices.

The Wrestlers are practicing NOW and the Boys Basketball team is practicing at 2pm. The girls team will come in early, 4:40pm to shoot around before the game.

IF you can not arrive at the practice or game safely, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO COME! Players will not have consequences for players who feel they can not get to the school safely.

Cancellation!

The first cancellation of the season hit early this year. The Garrett Girls vs Prairie Heights Basketball game scheduled for tonight has been postponed to tomorrow night, Wednesday. The game will start with a JV Tip-off at 6pm.  The High School teams practiced right after school and should be sent home shortly after 5pm.

Let's hope this doesn't get to be a habit!

ACAC Standings 11/28/2011

2011-12 ACAC Winter Standings

Boys Basketball

                                    Conf.

Bluffton                      0-0

Leo                              0-0

Adams Central           0-0

Heritage                     0-0

Garrett                        0-0

Southern Wells          0-0

South Adams             0-0

Woodlan                     0-0

Girls Basketball

                                    Conf.

Bluffton                      1-0

Garrett                        1-0

Leo                              1-0

Southern Wells          1-0

Adams Central           0-1

Heritage                     0-1

South Adams             0-1

Woodlan                     0-1

Wrestling

                                    Conf.

South Adams             0-0

Adams Central           0-0

Leo                              0-0

Garrett                        0-0

Woodlan                     0-0

Heritage                     0-0

Southern Wells          0-0

Bluffton                      0-0

IHSAA Student-Athlete Tip of the Week (11-28-11)

IHSAA Student-Athlete Tip of the Week (11-28-11)

"Promoting education-based athletics in Indiana."

Can you put a bad game or performance behind you?  How would you react if you missed a last second shot or made a foolish play costing your team a chance to win a game?  What about just playing a poor game?

It happens all the time.  Most sporting events are not decided until the last few minutes of play.  Don't be afraid to take the shot, make the last out, or be on that defensive stopper that decides the game.

However, don't make excuses if you fall short.  Accept the responsibility in knowing that you did your best and try to learn from the experience.

Never dwell on the negatives!  Remember, the first play of the game is just as important as the last play of the game.  That's why you should play hard and smart all game long!

For more on the student-athlete and sports stories go to www.askbillyshep.com.

Content property of Billy Shepherd Sports Inc.

This week at GHS -- 11/27/2011

Busy FULL week for the Winter Sports Teams

Monday - 11/28 - Freshman Boys Basketball at Bishop Dwenger 6:30pm

Tuesday -- 11/29 - Varsity and JV Girls Basketball teams host the Lady Panthers of Prairie Heights High School. The JV tips off at 6pm.

Thursday -- 12/1 - The wrestling team opens the ACAC season and hosts its' first home match of the season. The ACAC Champion Starfires of South Adams will travel to Garrett. The wrestling will begin at 6:30pm in the Bateman Gym.

Friday -- 12/2 - The Boys open their ACAC season, hosting the Woodlan Warriors. The Freshman and JV games will tip-off at 6pm. The Freshman will play in the Middle School Gym and the Middle School entrance will be open again.

Saturday -- 12/3 - The girls Basketball Team will travel to Leo High School to take on the always tough Leo Lady Lion Basketball team. The JV will tip-off at 6pm.

Good Luck Railroaders, Players, Coaches, and Fans. Let's have a great week!

Boys Basketball gets 2nd Win!

The first home game of the season ended with the same result as on the road. The Railroaders defeated Prairie Heights 63-51.

The Railroaders had 3 players in double figures with Connor Meehan leading the team with 19 points, Drake Landes had 18 points and Brandon Porter had 11 points. The entire team played great defense during the first half ending the second quarter 38-25. But, Prairie Heights fought back in the 3rd quarter and got is as close as 4 points on several occasions.  The officials called a very close game and the Railroaders had a difficult time adapting to the calls. The Railroaders played everyone on the bench and really wore down the Panthers. Connor Meehan became a real force on the inside. They had a real tough time keeping him down. He was a force scoring and rebounding.

The Boys host Woodlan next Friday Night in the first ACAC matchup of the young season. Good Luck Team!

Wrestling Results!

Garrett went 2-3 on the day at the Yorktown Super Dual, going undefeated was Travis Carunchia at 220lbs.  Austin Gibson, Hayden Lee and Bo Davis all went 4-1 on the day.

Huntington North 36 Garrett 33

106- Double Forfeit

113- Hayden Lee(Gar) pin Alex Beal 1:01

120- Tanner Shipley(HN) forfeit

126- Dustin Alwine(Gar) forfeit

132- Ian Hiers(HN) pin Zak Kashmere :45

138- Kyle Jolas(HN) dec Austun McCray 5-2

145- August Novy(Gar) dec David Grover 12-8

152- Christian Little(HN) forfeit

160- Alex Robinson(HN) pin Gabe Gunion 1:59

170- Bo Davis(Gar) pin Ricky Wedlake 1:52

182- Corbin Clarke(HN) dec Che Fuentes 5-0

195- Austin Gibson(Gar) pin Layne Emery 2:42

220- Travis Carunchia(Gar) pin Josh Danals :45

285- Andrew Mason(HN) pin Jake DenHartigh 3:13

Garrett 57 New Albany 22

106- Hayden Lee(Gar) pin Tre Lynch 1:29

113- Chase Loughead(NA) Forfeit

120- Bryce Peaver(NA) Forfeit

126- Austin Jamison(NA) pin Derrek Metzger(Gar) 1:24

132- Hunter Castleberry(NA) maj dec Dustin Alwine(Gar) 10-2

138- Zak Kashmere(Gar) forfeit

145- Austun McCray(Gar) pin D Fredricks :52

152- August Novy(Gar) pin Steven Berks 1:08

160- Gabe Gunion(Gar) pin Michael Lites :34

170- Bo Davis(Gar) pin Cameron Mason 1:00

182- Che Fuentes(Gar) dec Ethan Lee 7-6

195- Austin Gibson(Gar) pin Nick Lynch :44

220- Travis Carunchia(Gar) pin Cody Caedor 5:14

285- Jake DenHartigh(Gar)pn Micah Cross 2:31

Yorktown 59 Garrett 12

106- Devonne Clark(Yor) forfeit

113- Brock Bevans(Yor) dec Hayden Lee(Gar) 3-1

120- Schuyler Phillips(Yor) Forfeit

126- Logan Campbell(Yor) pin Dustin Alwine(Gar) 4:18

132- Chandler Carroll(Yor) tech fall Zak Kashmere(Gar) 20-5

138- Dalton Baysinger(Yor) dec Austun McCray(Gar)5-1

145- Devon Jackson(Yor) Forfeit

152- Rhett Hiestand(Yor) pin August Novy(Gar) :49

160- Jeff Barr(Yor) dec Gabe Gunion(Gar) 9-7

170- John Wales(Yor) dec Bo Davis(Gar) 9-6

182- Hunter Hiestand(Yor) pin Che Fuentes(Gar) 1:35

195- Austin Gibson(Gar) pin Cody Smith 1:29

220- Travis Carunchia(Gar) pin Noah Little :23

285- Matt Murray(Yor) pin Jake DenHartigh(Gar) 4:15

Garrett 42 Delta 32

106- Double Forfeit

113- Hayden Lee(Gar) pin Cole Mitchell 1:09

120- Courtney Gray(Del) Forfeit

126- Adam Gordon(Del) tech fall Dustin Alwine(Gar) 16-0

132-Justin Dilts(Del) pin Zak Kashmere(Gar) 2:33

138- Austun McCray(Gar) pin Tristan Noble 2:33

145- Anthony Webb(Del) OT dec  August Novy(Gar) 4-3

152- Tanner Anderson(Del) Forfeit

160- Gabe Gunion(Gar) Forfeit

170- Bo Davis(Gar) pin Mason Bechdolt 1:59

182- Che Fuentes(Gar) Forfeit

195- Austin Gibson(Gar) pin Brendon Gilt 3:00

220- Travis Carunchia(Gar) Forfeit

285- Jim Schafer(Del) pin Jake DenHartigh(Gar) :24

Bellmont 57 Garrett 21

106- Hayden Lee(Gar) pin Trevor Gray 2:45

113- Jon Poling(Bel) Forfeit

120- Bobby Keuneke(Bel) Forfeit

126- Blake Adams(Bel) pin Dustin Alwine(Gar) 1:00

132- Diego Hulker(Bel) pin Zak Kashmere(Gar) :57

138- Austun McCray(Gar) pin Brock Braun 3:01

145- Brooks Faurote(Bel) pin August Novy(Gar) 1:15

152- Jacob Bergman(Bel) Forfeit

160- Brett Baker(Bel) pin Gabe Gunion(Gar) 1:54

170- Bo Davis(Gar) pin Landen Baker 5:00

182- Brad Busse(Bel) pin Che Fuentes(Gar) 1:19

195- Ben Baker(Bel) dec Austin Gibson(Gar) 3-1

220- Travis Carunchia(Gar) dec Isaac Birch 2-1

285- Skyler Hayes(Bel) pin Jake DenHartigh(Gar) 1:30

106- Hayden Lee(Gar)

113-

120-

126- Dustin Alwin(Gar)

132- Zak Kashmere(Gar)

138- Austun McCray(Gar)

145- August Novy(Gar)

152-

160- Gabe Gunion(Gar)

170- Bo Davis(Gar)

182- Che Fuentes

195- Austin Gibson(Gar)

220- Travis Carunchia(Gar)

285- Jake DenHartigh(Gar)

Lady Railroaders get on Track!

After 2 rough games that ended in losses, the Lady Railroaders turned it around tonight in convincing fashion getting it's first ACAC win of the season against Woodlan. The final score was 52-36. But, the score doesn't speak to the dominance of Garrett over Woodlan. The first quarter score says a whole lot more. At the end of the 1st quarter was 24-6. The great defense and potent offense could have scored 100 points. But, Coach Lapadot and his staff used the entire bench for the rest of the game and worked on increasing his bench strength for the future. It is important to note the Lady Warriors have been a great offensive team so far this year, but our defense was just too much for them. They  had 14 turnovers and shot only 22% from the field for the game. The Railroaders shot 47% from the field and 73% from the Free Throw line in a good offensive effort. Brandi Dawson once again led the Railroaders with 22 points. Jordyn Knott contributed 10 points and Katie DePew had 7 assists with her 6 points.

The Ladies will host Prairie Heights next Tuesday Night and the Boys host Prairie Heights tomorrow night. Good Luck Teams!

Thankful for GHS Coaches!

Just ask my family, Thanksgiving is my favorite Holiday of the year. It's not about getting stuff. It's about family, friends and most of all--Thanking God for the blessings we have received!

I count it a pure blessing to be the Athletic Director at GHS. We have such a fantastic staff! I enjoy walking into an environment where teachers, principal, assistant principal, office staff, support staff, and coaches are all working toward the same goals. We are a family. It starts with our great Principal. I have been blessed to work with some great principals, Tim Holcomb, Kim Lobsiger, Brent Lehman, and now Matt Smith. All of these men have a genuine heart for kids and their staff.  Matt has a great passion for and cares for his staff and students. Our Assistant Principal works hard to hold our kids to a standard of excellence and is our greatest teacher of Character. He's on the front line to Graduate productive citizens at GHS.  Our Office Staff is also such a key part of our Great School. From the Guidance Staff to the Front Office Staff, to my wonderful Athletic Secretary, we couldn't find better people ANYWHERE. This teaching staff is second to none. They work with all their heart to give our kids the best tools to be successful. I am SO Thankful for these people. But, I have to say I have an even deeper gratitude for the teachers we call Coaches at GHS.

People don't often see Coaches as teachers. They aren't looking close enough. Out of the 14 Head Coaches we have at GHS, we are blessed that 12 are full time teachers in our school. The other two may not have the license of teacher, but they ARE also teachers in every way. I'm not sure our community appreciates how rare that is. I was talking to another area Athletic Director just this week and he was ENVIOUS of our coaching staff. He said, "You have a great mix of young and old coaches. They all seem to work together so well. How do you get so many teachers to want to stick with coaching? We can't get teachers to coach and our community just wants to complain. They don't want to support."

I am so Thankful we have coaches who aren't just trying to win contests. I am equally Thankful our community supports these coaches and what they are trying to accomplish. They ALL are trying to teach kids about life and prepare them for their future. Every choice for planning a practice, every starting line-up decision, every choice to reward or discipline, is to teach. We very rarely see or appreciate all the work that goes in to preparing our teams. The long hours scouting, viewing film, practicing, learning the newest strategies and coaching methods, are never seen by the parents or players. With budget cuts that have been made at GHS and throughout education, they have always found a way to keep the kids first. Our Coaches have a passion to TEACH KIDS and are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to see our kids succeed. They are great LEADERS and great TEACHERS.

So, today when you're watching all those PROFESSIONAL COACHES and PLAYERS (who get paid millions-of-dollars to entertain us on Thanksgiving Day), remember to Thank God for your GHS coaches. They don't earn the money they deserve. If you calculate the pay by the hour, it's below minimum wage. We may not be able to give them all a raise. At the very least, we can Thank God for their tireless dedication to the kids of our community. We can also pray God will grant them the wisdom to teach our kids in the best way they can.

Thanks Coaches! Happy Thanksgiving

Boys Baseball - Cisco Mireles
Boys Basketball - John Bodey
Girls Basketball - Bob Lapadot
Cheerleading - Amanda McGrew
Boys Cross Country - Troy Minton
Girls Cross Country - Stephanie Rhoades
Golf - Tom Kleeman
Softball - Scott Bishop
Boys Soccer - Doug Klopfenstein
Girls Soccer - Terry Yarde
Boys Track - Jake Clifford
Girls Track - Bob Lapadot
Volleyball - Sallie Richardson
Wrestling - Lucas Fielden

Basketball Season Opens with Track Meet

WOW! We can get up and down the court. The first half of the game tonight at Eastside, I thought I was watching a spring track meet. We can really run the floor. A fast game and playing 8-12 players will make our team tough to play against as the season prgresses. Speed is definitely our strength. We're not big, so it's good we are quick. The final result, a "W" for the Railroader Basketball team over the cross county rival Blazers, 60-53.  Garrett was led in scoring by Drake Landes with 22 points. Brandon Porter had 18 points.  Joe Martin also had a good game in his first as a Railroader.

Not only are we quick up and down the court, we play a pesky defense. Todd Frickey and Quentin Fiandt are like little "gnats".  They just keep bugging you and won't go away.

Next up for the Railroaders.........Prairie Heights comes to the Paul Bateman Gym this Saturday night. The JV and Freshman will play at 6pm. Since the freshman are playing in the Middle School Gym we will open the main Middle School entrance. You can park in the Middle School lot to get to any of the games. You'll pay $5 to watch all 3 games! Good Luck to the team as the season gets under way!

Half a win?

Unfortunately, Half a win is just like a loss. After a terrible first half, we finally started playing Basketball, but it was too little too late. The final score was 60-38 after getting down 40-15 at the half. Not much went right in the first half. Angola's pressure defense forced 17 first half turnovers and 3 of 14 shooting for the Railroaders. While Angola shot 43% in the first half and only committed 4 turnovers. The second half was better offensively and defensively. We shot 43% in the second half and had only 8 turnovers while we kept the Lady Hornets down to a 29% shooting percentage.

Brandi Dawson had 18 points and played much better in the second half. Katie DePew continued her hardnosed play with 11 points. Laura Moynahan had 5 points. The best news of the night for Garrett was the 81% free throw shooting.

Not much rest for the team. They get a small break on Thursday before opening the ACAC regular season on Friday Night at home vs Woodlan. We have to keep our heads up, work on our weaknesses and focus on the team! EVERYONE has something they need to do to get better. If we do, we have a lot of wins ahead of us.

Directions For Angola "Old Central Gym"

Click on the link below for directions to the Central Gym in Angola. This is the location for the Girls Basketball game on Tuesday.


Click Here for Directions to Angola Girls Basketball Game

Student-Athlete Tip of the Week (11-21-11)

Student-Athlete Tip of the Week (11-21-11)

"Promoting education-based athletics in Indiana."

Some student-athletes don't see the importance of a proper diet and getting the right amount of sleep.  Are you one of those people?

Eating the right foods and getting the proper amount of sleep are important fundamentals of any athlete.  It plays a big part in being in top physical condition.

Take pride in what you eat and the amount of sleep you get.  It could end up being the difference maker in your game day performance and classroom performance.

For more information on the student-athlete go to www.ihsaa.org

Content property of Billy Shepherd Sports Inc.

This week at GHS -- 11/21/2011

This week marks the officials first complete week of the winter season. Although there are 5 football teams playing for State Championships on Friday and Saturday, The Railroader Winter Season is finally in full swing. Here's what the Mighty Railroader Athletes are doing this week:

Monday -- All Area Pictures at East Noble -- 6:45pm

Tuesday -- Lady Railroader Basketball Team travels to Angola to take on the always tough Lady Hornets. NOTE - The game is played in the Old High School gym not at the High School. The JV game begins at 6pm.

Wednesday --  NO SCHOOL -- The Railroader Boys Basketball team opens their season at Eastside on Wednesday Night. The freshman and JV games begin at 6pm. The varsity game will start at approximately 7:30pm.

Thursday -- NO SCHOOL -- Thanksgiving Day. No practices, No games. Enjoy Family and Friends. Be thankful, rest, and relax!

Friday -- NO SCHOOL -- Black Friday - The Lady Railroaders open their 2011-2012 conference season hosting the Woodlan Lady Warriors in the Bateman Gym. JV tip-off 6pm.

Saturday -- The Varsity Wrestling Team opens it's season at Yorktown for a Super Dual tournament. The wrestling begins at 9am.
                  The Varsity Boys Basketball team Home Opener vs the Prairie Heights Panthers. The Freshman and JV will play at 6pm followed by the Varsity game. The freshman will play in the middle school gym. The JV and Varsity will play in the Bateman Gym.

Good Luck to all the Railroaders!

Fall Awards for Railroaders!

The fall season is over but the awards keep coming in. KPC Media Group has released the Student Athletes to be honored with Northeast Indiana All-Area Awards. The success of all our programs is highlighted by these awards. We are proud of all the teams and coaches this season. It is quite an honor for Ron, Todd, and Jordyn to be recognized with the highest honor in the area for their sports.

2011 All-Area Honors:

Boys Cross Country — Jaron Somers. Honorable Mention: Kendall Slabaugh.
Girls Cross Country — Ariel McCoy. Honorable Mention: Amanda Stump.
Football — Ron Frickey (coach of the year), Todd Frickey (prep of the  year), Brayden Moreau, Austin Gibson, Brandon Porter, Connor Meehan. Honorable Mention: Ricky Colwell.
Boys Soccer — Kele Jennings, Nathan Sliger, Trent Leverenz. Honorable Mention: Ethan Hood, David Argast.


Girls Soccer — Honorable Mention: Miranda Miller, Katrina Miller, Allie Murley, Emily Somers.
Volleyball -- Jordyn Knott (prep of the year), Katie DePew, Laura  Moynahan, Myranda Gibson.  Honorable Mention  — Alaina Creager.

Tough Game!

The Lady Railroaders traveled across the county to face Dekalb tonight in Girls Basketball. The game was very hard fought with the Lady Barons coming out on top. The key to the game was the great Dekalb Defense and physical play inside. Garrett just couldn't get a shot to fall and had difficulty getting rebounds.

Katie DePew was the bright spot of the night with 15 hard earned points. They had difficulty guarding her but in the end she didn't have enough to overcome the Lady Barons.

 Even toward the end of the game we were down less than 10, but couldn't get points off the turn-overs. The Railroaders fall to 3-1 and have some things for the coaching staff and players to work on before the Angola game on Tuesday night.

RAILROADER: IHSAA SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD!

Matt Smith, just got this email from the IHSAA. I just had to share it with the greatest Coaches, Student-Athletes, and Fans in the WORLD!

To:          Selected Member School Principals

From:    Bobby Cox, Commissioner

Re:         2010-11 IHSAA Sportsmanship Award

 

Good afternoon and congratulations to you and your school for earning a 2010-11 IHSAA Sportsmanship Award.  Your school is being recognized for exemplary behavior during the previous year by not incurring any IHSAA by-laws violations, having any coaches or students ejected from an interscholastic contest and implementing an active sportsmanship program in your school.

On behalf of the IHSAA staff and our Board of Directors, please accept my sincere congratulations for this important achievement.  Within the next few days, your school will be receiving a sportsmanship banner representing this accomplishment if it is your school’s first award.  If you are a repeat winner of this award, a year placard is being shipped to your school.  We hope you will proudly display this award in your gymnasium and take occasion to recognize your accomplishment before your school community.  Should you wish to make such a presentation, members of the IHSAA staff or Board of Directors are most willing to be present as you mark the occasion.  Please contact me or any of our Assistant Commissioners if you desire a staff or Board member to be in attendance.

Again, congratulations on your award and continued best wishes throughout the remainder of the school year.

GARRETT RAILROADERS ARE THE BEST!

Boys Basketball Scrimmage Info

The Boys Basketball team travels to Norwell High School tomorrow to take on the Knights in a Scrimmage before the regular season begins next Wednesday Night at Eastside. The Scrimmage Tip-off will be at 6pm. The cost for admission is $3.  Only the varsity team will play. There is no JV scrimmage.

Also, mark your calendars for the Season opener at Eastside next Wednesday night at 6pm. Both the JV and Freshman will play at 6pm  followed by the Varsity game at approximately 7:30pm.

Then the Railroaders will host Prairie Heights a week from this Saturday at Home with the exact same schedule. The freshman and jv will play at 6pm followed by the Varsity game.

Good Luck Team!

TEAM EFFORT!

Nearly everyone on the varsity roster got a lot of playing time tonight and contributed to a comfortable win for the Lady Railroader Basketball team. The Railroaders forced 35 Central Noble turnovers on the way to a convincing 56-19 win over Central Noble. Once again defense was the key. Our opponents just can't handle the pressure which is applied by nearly every player. Central Noble shot only 19% from the field (5 of 27) while the Railroaders were 23 of 48.

Offensively the Railroaders were led by Katie DePew with 18 points. Becca Oliver had 11 points. Brandi Dawson had 9 points, Jordyn Knott 8 points, Laura Moynahan 6 points, and Emma Riedly had 4 points. Katie DePew also had 6 assists. Defensively Becca Oliver led the team with 4 steals, a blocked shot and 5 rebounds.

Every category of the game was led by the Lady Railroaders.

Now comes a couple of tough tests on the road. The team travels to Dekalb on Friday Night (6:15 JV Tip) and then to Angola next Tuesday Night (6:00pm JV Tip). These two games are great tests to see where we're at and what we need to do to contend for Conference Championships and Sectional Titles.

Good Luck Ladies!

C-Team game Added!

The Boys C-Team has added a game AT Southern Wells on Monday, December 12th, 7:15pm.  Please add this to your schedules. The Bus is scheduled to leave at 5:00pm.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Athletic Office!

IHSAA Student-Athlete Tip of the Week (11-14-11) "Promoting education-based athletics in Indiana"

Your character may best be described by "How you act when no one is watching.”

In all circumstances, behave in a way that will make you, your family, and your school very proud.  You shouldn't have to be reminded on a daily basis.

Today and throughout the rest of your life you will be faced with decisions between right and wrong.  Make a commitment to do the right thing!

For more on the student-athlete go to www.ihsaa.org

Content property of Billy Shepherd Sports Inc.

This Week at GHS

The winter season schedule starts to get really busy this week.

Tomorrow we have Winter Team Pictures for all the middle school and High School Sports teams. Pictures will begin directly after school for High School Wrestling, High School Cheerleaders, Girls Basketball, and Boys Basketball teams.

Tuesday the Varsity and JV Girls Basketball teams travel to Central Noble for a 6pm JV start.

Wednesday the Varsity Boys travel to Norwell to Scrimmage the Knights. That scrimmage will begin at 6pm.

Friday Night the Girls Basketball team travels to Dekalb for a big Dekalb County Basketball game. That game will begin with the JV tip-off at 6:15pm.

Saturday the JV wrestlers travel to West Noble to get their season in gear.

Come out and cheer the Girls Basketball team, get a sneak preview of the Boys Basketball team before their season begins or get your Wrestling season in gear by making the trip to West Noble.

Good Luck Railroaders!

D-Fence!

For the 2nd game in a row the Railroader Defense set the tone for a walk away victory for the Lady Railroader Basketball team. The defense gave up only 6 points in the first quarter and 4 points in the second quarter to go up 40-10 at the half. Lakewood only shot 16% from the field for the game. The home team had 20 steals and 7 blocked shots to totally dominate the night.

The Railroaders shot 51% from the field and were led in scoring by Brandi Dawson with 20 points, Jordyn Knott had 18 points, and Katie DePew had 13 points. Katie DePew had 6 steals and 5 assists. Jordyn had 5 block shots.

Great Night Ladies. Keep the Big Train Rolling!

Garrett Lady Railroader Basketball -- The Tradition Continues!

It is great to see an athletic program never really rebuild. The faces and the names change, but the winning tradition continues. It's Bob Lapadot instead of Dan Feagler and the cast of characters always has new faces, but the Railroaders rolled to another season opening victory against the Lady Eagles of Churubusco 43-28. Once again the offense was good but the defense was the best. The Lady Railroaders only gave up 9 first half points and came out in the third quarter with the same defensive intensity.

Brandi Dawson led the team with 11 points. Katie Depew had 9pts. Laura Moynahan 8pts., Jordyn Knott 8pts., and Becca Oliver 7pts. Katie DePew had 4 steals. 

It is great to see the Railroader Basketball crowd support the girls teams. The JV team was impressive with a come from behind win from a very young team. This program is solid and it will be fun to see them develop as the season progresses. 

Next up, the Lakewood Park Lady Panthers. Come out Thursday Night to support the girls as the season progresses!

IHSAA Student-Athlete Tip of the Week (11-7-11) "Promoting education-based athletics in Indiana”

If you get injured in a practice or game, don't be ashamed or afraid to go to your coach or team trainer and let them know about your injury.

Injuries are a part of all sports and it is hard to compete when you are not at full strength. You can also cause serious injury to your body if you don't correctly address the issue.

The same reasoning applies in the classroom.  If your grades aren't up to par and you need to see them improve, turn to your teacher and ask for help.

More serious injuries and academic deficiencies can sometimes be prevented by early intervention!

For more on the IHSAA go to www.ihsaa.org

Content property of Billy Shepherd Sports Inc.

Basketball games - What Door? Chuck-A-Duck, and More!

This week the Lady Railroader Basketball team will open the Winter season with two home games. The question of the Day? What Door can we use to get to the Bateman Gym?

For Both Boys and Girls Basketball games, the "Performing Arts Center" entrance will be the main entrance. However, we will also have door #3 open for all games. Door #3 is located on the Northside of the school off of Houston Street and is located between the Elementary and the High School.  Parking for this entrance can be found in the Temporary Faculty lot, visitors lot, and some spots between the two schools. There are not many parking spots so if you arrive late, your best chance for parking will be Door #10 (PAC entrance).

This year  CHUCK-A-DUCK will once again be THROWN from the Upper Deck. HOWEVER, we will NOT have a special toss for the little kids. ALL DUCKS WILL BE THROWN FROM UPSTAIRS REGARDLESS OF AGE. When we had the ducks thrown from the floor, we had several people LIE about the ages of those kids. It became difficult to mointor. SO, ALL Ducks will Fly from the Balcony at Halftime of the Varsity games. We have some great prizes so by your ducks and support a variety of groups and organizations!

Cost for all games is $5 or your Big Train Ticket. IF YOU FOGET YOUR BIG TRAIN TICKET, you will have to pay to get in the game or go home and get your ticket. Why? Believe it or not we have people who are giving their Big Train tickets to others to use. You can NOT transfer your ticket to someone else. It is only for your use AND you must have separate tickets for all your family members.

Sometimes you're not the best team!

Tonight the Railroaders got beat by a better team. Not because Jimtown has a tradition, not because we had to play on the road. We simply got beat by a team that had better players than we do. That's not a mean comment. We have a great team. Our record and our accomplishments this year are nothing to be ashamed of. Our conference had 4 of it's 7 schools in sectional championship games tonight. 2 of the 4 are sectional champions. We were one of the best teams in that conference and the area. But our great players, our great coaches, our great team, got beat by their great team. Simple enough. You don't get to a sectional championship game, you don't get a 9-3 record unless you have a great team. We are only the fourth team in Garrett History to win at least 9 games. We set all sorts of records because we had a great team.

I am proud of our kids, our parents, our coaches, and our community for making this a great year for the Garrett Athletic Department. We were so much fun to watch. We got great crowd support from our fans and we displayed a lot of pride and character all season long.

Don't hang your heads and toil in gloom because of getting beat. We gave our best and we lost. Nuf said!

Thank You seniors for all your hard work over these last four years. We could not ask for a better group of young men.

Love that Railroader Football!

Good Luck to the Railroader Football team. I am not the only one that loves this team. I had a chance to talk to Coach Frickey about this team and he continues to tell me how much he loves these kids. He said this is the best team he has ever coached. They enjoy being around each other, they listen and try to do what the coaches ask. They are unselfish and don't care who it is that helps them win, they just want to win. They don't quit and aren't deterred by setbacks.

We have had some setbacks with injuries and OTHER things, but we continue to play hard. I am excited for them to play a very good Jimtown team. WHEN THEY BEAT THE JIMMIES, it will give them the credit they deserve.

Good Luck Players, Coaches, and the great Railroader Fans!

Sportsmanship Blog!

Please take a look at the Sportsmanship Blog. Just click on the link on the right and enjoy great inspirational articles, debates about sportsmanship, and valuable information for Parents, Coaches, Players, and Fans. The Blog is produced by the Josephson Institute -- the founders of our Character Counts Program.

We value Character as one of the most important lessons our Student-Athletes learn at GHS.