Garrett Golfers Open the Season!

The Garrett Golfers opened their season today at the East Noble Invitational. Here are the results:

Team Scores:
1) Canterbury - 315
2) DeKalb - 321
3) East Noble (gold) - 325
4) Angola - 343
5) Garrett - 345
6) East Noble (blue) - 373
7) Churubusco - 382
8) Westview - 405
9) Prairie Heights - 413

As you can see we were right in the middle of things and it was a great start for the season. We have a great core group of seniors along with some talented underclassmen. We are looking forward to a great seson.

Bennett Rieke shot a 74 (37-37) and was tied for first. He lost the tiebreaker and ended up 2nd to Justin Lomont of Angola.
Here are the rest of the teams results:

Karsten Cooper - 90 (42-48)
Cameron Stockdale - 92 (40-52)
Noah Getts - 89 (46-43)
Jake Stafford - 100 (50-50)

We certainly have room for improvement, but it is early. Good Luck Golfers as the season gets under way.

Garrett Baseball Splits with Dekalb

The Railroader Baseball team battled with cross county rival Dekalb today in a Baseball Double Header. The first game was won by the Railroaders and it was a real pitching duel. Brett Schendel went the distance and some. The game went 9 innings. The final score was Garrett 3 - Dekalb 2. Both pitchers pitched real well. Schendel had 16 strike outs. Schendel also hit the game winning Home Run!

Garrett fell in the second game 6-3.

The Boys will play again on Monday at home vs. Angola. The game begins at 6pm.

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.

Proud to be a Railroader!

Well, SA soundly defeated our Railroaders tonight by a score of 21-7, Bandon Porter delivered the only score of the night for GHS as he intercepted the ball and ran in for the touchdown. I was proud of our coaching staff for keeping a lid on the emotions during and after the game. I can say I know at least two Starfire families who have a lot of class and I am proud of them Dustin Wanner comes from a great family and he is a great young man. He is an exceptional athlete and he is first class all the way. I am also proud of my Sophomore Grandson #71 for the Starfires. Great work on special teams Klayton and we'll see you on Monday Night! I will always be proud of you.

I think it is so important to be able to lose with class and win with class. I am so happy that our Railroader Coaching Staff and players no how to do both. It would be great to see all teams make that a priority. Keep your heads up high Railroaders. We are proud to be Railroaders, YES, WE, ARE!

Saturday Results

The Volleyball team traveled to Wawasee for a tournament this morning. They started off slow and were defeated by Elkhart Christian. Then, after waking up, they defeated Columbia City and Wabash. We ended up defeating the host Warriors to take third place. Jordyn Knott was placed on the All- Tourney team.

The Boys and Girls Cross Country team competed at West Noble today. With more than 30 teams competing, the boys and girls finished 15th and 17th respectively. The top runners for Garrett were Amanda Stump (38th) and Jaron Somers (29th). Kendal Slabaugh and Ariel McCoy also placed high. A lot of really good teams compete at West Noble and we will be back there in a few weeks for sectionals and regionals.

Good Luck Railroaders in the upcoming week!

It's still a "W"!

Well it wasn't pretty, but it still counts as a WIN and the Railroaders are 5-0.

Tonight the Railroaders defeated a very good Bluffton team by the score of 35-28. We had a very diffiuclt time stopping a potent Tiger Offense. In the end it came down to a key turnover late in the game. The Railroaders offense scored 28 points in the second half and came from behind to get the win

Homecoming is always awesome at Garrett thanks to the Student Council and sponsors, Kristen Maksimchuk and Becky Wright. Tonight was no different. It was a perfect night for football and all the festivities. There is nothing better than winning to cap off Homecoming week.

Congrats to the Railroaders!

Good Luck to the Volleyball team at Wawasee tomorrow and the Cross Country teams at West Noble.

Powder Puff 2011

Slow night in Athletics EXCEPT - POWDER PUFF 2011.

The Seniors dominated the Powder Puff games tonight. They soundly defeated the Freshman class 22-0 and then the Sophmore class 12-0.

It was a rainy night but everyone had a great time. The games were competitive but everyone played under control and were exciting despite the outcome. The Highlight of the night was Coach Rich Wisel and Coach Ryan Hathaway halftime performance of YMCA. Trey Obran did a great job announcing but I think he needs to spend more time in Mrs. Wrights English class. "The Catched her"?

Mr. Smith was in charge of the sound system. I think he played every sound effect in the computer.

The Snake Dance and Bonfire were a little wet. But, the donuts and cider hit the spot. Thanks Garrett Fired Department for the escort and fire. You are great!

Once again the Student Council did a great job planning the night and now we move to the Homecoming Game on Friday.

BUT FIRST, everyone needs to come out and support the volleyball team tomorrow night as the Lady Railroaders take on the Leo Lady Lions in another important ACAC game. We are still undefeated in conference and we are on our way to another ACAC championship! Go Coach Richardson and Lady Railroaders.

ACAC CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Railroader Boys Soccer Team won it's first EVER ACAC Championship in convincing style tonight defeating the Leo Lions 2-1. As a matter of fact, no other team has won an ACAC Boys Championship except the Lions. What a game!

The Railroaders finished the ACAC season undefeated 4-0. I didn't score a goal. I didn't have an assist or a save, but I felt like I played the entire game and I am worn out. I think all the fans and all the coaches could say the same thing.

We got down in the first half 1-0. But, before the end of the half the Lions had a hand ball in the box. Nathan Sliger drilled the penalty kick and we were even going into halftime. The second half was dominated by the swarming Railroaders. We had opportunity after opportunity and then it happened. On a corner kick Kaleb Hoover had another opportunity and he put it in to go up 2-1. For the next 3 + minutes my heart was beating a hundred miles per hour and I didn't dare take a breath. We had great defense and focus tonight and we held on to get the big win.

I have never seen the Soccer Coaches so focused and I couldn't be more proud of the staff Doug has put together. James Degitz and Matt Cordes have been through the trenches with this program. Austin Freels comes with a lot of experience and Joe Silva has worked hard with our middle school program. They all deserve a piece of the victory. I couldn't be more proud of our kids. They deserve this so much. I get chills when kids that work hard get rewarded for all their efforts. We keep telling them just to keep working hard. But, you always wonder when they are going to see the fruits of that work. Tonight was the night. I am thrilled to be there, to be part of history. GREAT WIN RAILROADERS!

ACAC Standings

The ACAC Conference season has begun and the Railroaders Fall teams are working to win a Conference Championship. Below are the 2011 ACAC Fall Standings through Tuesday, September 6, 2011. The standings are compliments of Clint Anderson at the Berne Tri-Weekly.

   

   

Varsity Football   Conf.

   

Heritage              1-­‐0

Leo                      1-­‐0

South Adams      1-­‐0

Garrett              0-­‐0

Adams Central    0-­‐1

Bluffton              0-­‐1

Woodlan              0-­‐1

   

Varsity Volleyball Conf.

   

Adams Central         1-­‐0

Garrett                         1-­‐0

South Adams         1-­‐0

Woodlan                         1-­‐0

Bluffton                         0-­‐1

Heritage                         0-­‐1

Leo                                 0-­‐1

Southern  Wells             0-­‐1

   

Boys Cross Country Conf.

Leo                                 2-­‐0

Adams Central         1-­‐0

South Adams                 1-­‐0

Bluffton                         1-­‐1

Southern Wells             0-­‐1

Woodlan                        0-­‐1

Garrett                        0-­‐2

   

Girls Cross Country Conf.

   

Leo                                2-­‐0

South Adams                1-­‐0

Southern Wells        1-­‐0

Garrett                        1-­‐1

Adams Central        0-­‐1

Woodlan                        0-­‐1

  

Monday Scoreboard

Girls Varsity/JV Volleyball swept Central Noble tonight. 3-0, 2-0
Boys Soccer defeated by Lakewood Park 4-0
Girls Soccer defeated by West Noble 3-1

Storming the Field in Style!

Rivalries can be ugly. Before our game last night I was talking the officiating crew about their experience with rivalries. They had some horror stories about fights and ugly games. NOT IN OUR HOUSE! Last night was a perfect example for the rest of the world how a rivalry can be positive.

Last night was one of the hardest hitting, well fought Football game, I have ever been to. We did have one unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Dekalb. Not to give an excuse, but it came at a time they were getting really frustrated. It was a battle in the trenches but it was a clean battle.

The best part of the night wasn't the awesome play of our line, the great catch and interception by Jamison Wisel, the 6 touchdowns and record for Todd Frickey, or the ending of a 35 year drought against the Barons. The best part of the night was the character displayed by our student section when they stormed the field. They actually waited for the traditional midfield handshake before the celebrated with our team. No one gave them instructions, not one set it up ahead of time. They did it on their own because they are awesome. Now I've committed  to Sundaes for these senior girls on Tuesday. It's worth it!

Baseball Season Ends

Well, I don't have a lot of good news. The Railroader Baseball team battled to the end but they were off their game and the Blazers were on tonight. The first 4 innings were very well played and both pitchers didn't give up a run. Then Eastside found their bats and Garrett didn't. No Bats, with too many errors, too many walks and you end up with a 12-2 score.

As with the softball team, it's not how we wanted to end the season but we can be proud the Baseball team fought to the sectional finals with a lot of class. I am proud of our Coaches. I am proud of our players, and I am proud of our Fans. We are doing great things. Sometimes I look at the other teams and wonder why they act the way they do. Eastside won, but they do not hold a candle to the program we have at Garrett. Thanks Railroaders!

Softball season ends and Baseball season continues!

The girls softball team season ended yesterday as they were defeated in the sectional championship game at Denny Feagler Softball field. The lady railroaders were defeated by a hard hitting Prairie Heights team. The Garrett girls hit the ball hard, but most of the time they hit it straight to one of the fielders. PH hit the gaps and had a monster home run late in the game to seal the championship. We say farewell to our seniors Kelly Singleton, Jessica LaTurner, and Kortney Holliday. Thanks Ladies for great Softball careers. We will miss you!

The Boys Baseball team matched the girls by defeating Central Noble to make the Sectional Championship 4-3.  This was another exciting game where the Railroaders held on to a close game. Once Again Andrew Johnson made a great play from Right Field. His diving catch in Right field saved a run and the Central Noble base runner was called out at second because he thought the ball was dropped.

The Railroader Baseball program has not won a sectional championship since 1973 and this team is one win away. The game will be played Tuesday Night at the Railroader Baseball field. The first pitch will be 6pm.  Everyone needs to come out and cheer on the team. The cost for the single game admission is $5.  GOOD LUCK RAILROADERS!

Softball Sectional Postponement!

We tried! But, the efforts of our grounds crew were wasted on a couple of heavy rain cells and the field was just too wet to host the first round of the Softball Sectional at Denny Feagler field. The entire schedule will be moved back one day. Tomorrows schedule is: Churubusco vs Eastside at 5pm followed by the Central Noble Prairie Heights game. Wednesday the winner of these two games will play at 5pm and Fremont vs Garrett will follow. The Championship game will then be played on Thursday.

PRAY FOR THE RAIN TO STOP!

Boys Track Sectional

Tonight the Railroader Track team traveled to East Noble to participate in the IHSAA Track Sectional. The weather was terrible but our results were good. Todd Frickey once again led the team as he has done all season. He finished a strong 1st in the 100m dash, 2nd in the 400m run, and was the anchor of the Regional Qualifying 4x100 team.  Todd has had a phenomenal track season and I can't wait to see what he can do at regionals.
The only other champion for the Railroaders was Drake Landes. Drake won the long jump.

Jaron Sommers qualified for Regionals in the 1600m run with a 2rd place finish.

The team finished 4th over-all and Todd, the 4x100 team, Drake, and Jaron will all participate in regionals next Thursday Night at Wayne High School. Good Luck Railroaders.

Seniors go out with a Blast!

Tonight was Senior Night at GHS with the Girls Softball and Boys Baseball teams hosting non-conference opponents.

The Softball Seniors Kelly Singleton, Kortney Holliday, and Jessica LaTurner were honored before the game against Prairie Heights. The Seniors led the way! Kortney Holliday pitched 7 strong innings giving up two runs early in the game. Jessica LaTurner cranked a home run early in the game and Kelly Singleton iced the game with a two run shot in the bottom of the 6th inning.   Prairie Heights displayed stellar defense . The Lady Railroaders hit the ball hard but most of the time the Heights defense had some great plays to keep us off the base paths most of the night.. The girls are now 11-11.

A pick up game with Adams Central will be played tomorrow night at Adams Central.(5pm). Both the Lady Railroaders and the Lady Jets lost several games this year to rain-outs. So, both coaches are interested in playing games instead of practicing.  The Lady Railroaders also will host the Snider Lady Panthers this Saturday in the final regular season game before Sectionals. Sectionals start on Monday but the girls will not play until late Tuesday night against Fremont in the bye game. The game will start at approximately 7pm. The championship game will be played next Wednesday night at 7pm.  Good Luck Ladies in the tournament!


The Boys Seniors also gave a great effort tonight. After being down 2-0 early in the game. The Railroaders fought back to take a 3-2 lead on a James Weber Bomb in the 4th inning. They added another run and were in the lead 4-2 going into the top of the 7th. However, Hamilton had a little fight left in them and came back to take a 6-4 lead. In the bottom of the 7th Logan Lee hit is 2nd home run in less than a week and 2nd of his career to bring the game to 6-5. But, that was all the Railroaders could put on the board and lost by that score. Seniors Elliott Yarian, Logan Lee, and Tyler Barrientes were honored before the game.  Thanks guys for your dedication to Railroader Baseball. We are proud of you.

The Boys end their season on Saturday with the Garrett Invitational tournament. The Host Railroaders take on the Prairie Heights Panthers in a Preview of the first round of Sectionals. Then the Wayne Generals and the Heritage Patriots play in game #2. Losers play in game 3 at approximately 3pm, followed by the championship game at near 5:30.

The Boys Baseball Sectional will also be played at Garrett and the Railroaders will take on Prairie Heights on Thursday night in the opening round. Good Luck Guys! We have faith in you to win the tournament and Sectionals!

Girls Sectional Track

The Lady Railroaders didn't have there best night. But, 3 individuals qualified for Regionals next Tuesday.

Laura Moynahan place 3rd  in the Shot and Discus to qualify for Regionals. She expected to qualify in the Shot but the Discus was an added bonus. She threw great!

Heather House barely missed qualifying in the 100 hurdles and qaulified easily in the 300 hurdles.

Jordyn Knott also qualified in 2 events by placing 3rd in both High Jump and Long Jump. She didn't jump her best, but this time of year it is about moving to the next level.

All 3 girls will compete in the Northrup Regional next Tuesday Night. Good Luck Ladies!

Cat and Mouse Loss

Both Garrett and Central Noble were playing it close to the vest tonight at the Denny Feagler Softball Field.  Neither team wanted to show too much considering in a little over a week they could be facing each other in the IHSAA Sectional. The game was back and forth with the Lady Railroaders losing 12-9. Kortney Holliday only pitched one inning. Macy Sturgis and Kelly Singleton pitched the middle innings. The bright spot on the pitching staff tonight was  Hannah McCoy. She pitched two strong innings of shut out ball. Garrett and Central Noble hit the ball pretty well tonight. But, errors made by both teams factored into the final outcome.

The girls face Homestead on the road tomorrow night before coming back to Garrett for Senior Night on Wednesday. We will honor Kortney, Kelly, and Jessica before the game.

I haven't heard from the Baseball team after their trip to Fremont tonight. I will let you know when I here the outcome. Wednesday is also Senior Night for the Baseball team. We will honor theses seniors before the game also.

Let's Play 2!

The Railroader Baseball team took on the Columbia City Eagles in a double header today in Garrett. The teams dodged the rain drops that seemed to surround Garrett but the team could not match the offensive fire power of the Eagles. Garrett started out strong in game 1 with back to back home runs for Brandon Porter and Logan Lee. Lee's Home Run was the first of this seniors career! However, we managed only a couple of other hits and lost the game 14-2.  Game #2 did not go much better. The final score of that game was 9-2.  The Railroaders gave up too many "extra opportunities" to hold off CC.  The team enters the final week of the regular season and completes that season next Saturday with the Garrett Invitational Baseball Tournament.

Senior Night is this Wednesday, May 18th for both the Baseball team and the Softball team. Good Luck teams as the season winds down and we head toward the tournaments.

Can't keep a good man down!

I know the players win and lose the games. I have never heard a coach get a hit, score a run, strike out a batter, or make a great defensive play. But, I have to give Coach Bishop a "gold star" for today! Coach Bishop is struggling with severe back pain that doesn't allow him to get any sleep. The our girls softball team scores 4 runs early in game 1 of our tournament, only to lose the game in 8 innings. Then he gets a nice comfortable lead in the consolation game. Then he gets drilled by a ball, WHERE? In his back! Does he complain, does he stop coaching? NO. What a great example for our kids. He has had some really tough losses this year and doesn't give up. I can't be prouder of his coaching and his coaching staff. They are working hard to get the best out of our kids! He challenges them and never gives up! Thanks Coach!

The team leaders for the day: Kortney Holliday 4 of 7 and 3 RBI's and Macy Sturgis / Kortney Holliday battled to win the 2nd game.

A very good Bishop Dwenger team defeated Manchester in the Championship game 10-1.  Great work by Rich Wisel and Mike Andrews to keep the field playable all day. Thanks to Greg Griffin for supervising and managing the tournament for me while I was out this morning. I love GHS and the team work that goes into pulling off an event like this.