May 15, 2008 - 9:53:15 AM

Girls' Tennis Team Winning Streak Now At Seven
08 May 2008 - ( Sports )

The girls’ tennis team continued its winning ways, upping its winning streak to seven straight with wins over Whitko, Peru, Wabash, and Tippecanoe Valley.
Win Over Whitko
The tennis team edged Whitko in a TRC match up 3-2.
Once again, it came down to the singles matches, and once again, Manchester’s singles players came through.
Kristen Lahman won her match 7-6, (3), 6-4, while Tara Gnagy won 6-1, 6-4, and Julie Seifert won 7-5, 7-5.
The number one doubles team of Katherine Tate and Jenna Alexander lost 6-0, 7-6 (4), and the number two doubles team of Whitnee Hidalgo and Sadie Preston lost 6-4, 6-1.
“Kristen fought through a tough match to pull out the win for the team,” head coach Tim McLaughlin said. “She was very determined and it showed on the court.
“Julie and Tara continue to play consistent, smart tennis, and it’s working well for them,” he continued.
The JV team lost to Whitko 3-2.
Winning matches were Bri Dahlstrom 8-4, and the doubles team of Rebecca Ruppert and Lauren Wagoner 8-4.
Win Over Peru
The singles players had no trouble with Peru in another 3-2 win last week.
Lahman won 6-2, 6-2, Gnagy won 6-3, 6-2, and Seifert won 6-4, 6-3.
Tate and Alexander lost 6-3, 6-2, and Hidalgo and Preston lost 6-3, 6-2.
“We continue to get very consistent play from all the singles players,’ McLaughlin said.
The JV team lost to Peru 4-1.
Skye Haywood was the only Lady Squire to win, pulling out an 8-4 victory at three singles.
Win Over Wabash
The Lady Squires won their sixth straight match with a 3-2 win over Wabash Saturday afternoon, but this time, the singles player needed some help from the doubles teams, and they got it.
Lahman had little trouble with Katie Honeycutt 6-1, 6-2, while Gnagy won the deciding match over Laura Merriman 6-1, 4-6, 6-3. Seifert lost her match at three singles 6-4, 6-1.
Hidalgo and Preston stepped up and pulled out a 6-3, 6-1 win at two doubles to help secure the win for Manchester.
Tate and Alexander lost a tough three setter 6-7 (7), 6-2, 6-2.
“I am very proud of Whitnee and Sadie,” McLaughlin said. “It was their first win of the season.
“Tara fought back in the third set and did a great job to clinch the win for the team,” he continued.
Win Over Tippecanoe Valley
Despite winning their seventh straight match, Monday night’s win over Tippecanoe Valley was Manchester’s first 5-0 win.
Both doubles teams fought for three set wins, while the singles players had no trouble with the Lady Vikings.
Tate and Alexander pulled out a 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 win, while Hidalgo and Preston battled for a 6-3, 0-6, 6-4 win at two doubles.
“I was very proud of both doubles teams for not giving up,” McLaughlin said. “They fought hard, played some good tennis, and helped us get the 5-0 win.”
Lahman won her match 6-2, 6-2, Gnagy won 6-1, 6-3, and Seifert won 6-2, 6-1.
The win puts the Lady Squires at 4-1 in the TRCand 7-3 overall. and will travel to Southwood on Monday to try to clinch sole possession of second place in the Three Rivers Conference.
The JV team tied with Valley 3-3. Winning matches were Skye Haywood 8-7 (1), and the teams of Kaitlynn French/Lauren Wagoner 8-6, and Haywood/Bri Dahlstrom 8-2.
The tennis team will be at Southwood on Monday, and will host Mississinewa on Tuesday to end the regular season.

MHS Softball Team Shuts Down Northfield
08 May 2008 - ( Sports )

The Manchester High School softball team won three straight before falling to Southwood on Monday.
Win Over Canterbury
The Lady Squires jumped ahead early and poured it on Canterbury in a 21-5 win.
Katie Bowers set a school record with eight RBI in the game on five hits, including three doubles. Makayla Sainsbury had three hits and four RBI on the night.
Manchester took a quick 5-0 lead in the first inning. Canterbury hung in there, scoring four in the bottom of the fourth to cut the Lady Squire lead to 10-4, but a 10 run seventh shut the door on the Cavaliers.
Brittany Watson was the winning pitcher, improving to 2-2 on the year.
“I was worried we would be a little rusty having not played in a week, but the girls were really focused from the moment we stepped off the bus,” coach Todd Volk said.
Win Over Northfield
After season after season of close battles with Northfield, the Lady Squires left no doubts against the Lady Norse, winning 10-0 in five innings.
Jama Runkel improved to 3-4 with the shut out win on the mound.
Sainsbury went 3-3, while Allison Mussey had two hits and two RBI.
Manchester led just 4-0 heading into the top of the fifth, but scored six runs to take a 10-0 lead.
In the bottom of the fifth, Runkel and the Lady Squires defense took care of business to earn the win.
“Jama did a great job of throwing strikes and letting our defense back her up,” Volk said. “Offensively, everyone through the line up is putting the bat on the ball.”
Win Over Harding
The Lady Squires kept things rolling with another five inning 10-0 win, this time over Harding.
It was the fifth win in six games for Manchester.
Runkel got the win on the mound, throwing her second straight shut out.
Amber Fratus had three hits and four RBI.
“The girls did a good job of staying focused and doing what they had to do to get the win,” Volk said.
Loss To Southwood
The winning streak came to an end Monday night against Southwood, as the Lady Squires were on the wrong side of a shut out, losing 4-0.
Southwood scored two runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth for their four runs.
Runkel took the loss on the mound, despite striking out eight.
Bowers led the Lady Squires with two hits.
“Southwood came up with the big hits when they needed them, and did a great job of shutting us down on the offensive end,” Volk said. “I thought Jama pitched a great game.”
The softball team will host Tippecanoe Valley on Wednesday, will be at Rochester on Friday, will host Taylor in a doubleheader on Saturday, and will be at North Miami on Monday.

Tennis Team Wins Two Straight Matches
24 Apr 2008 - ( Sports )

by Eric Christiansen
The Manchester High School girls’ tennis team snapped a 16 match losing streak that dated back to the 2006 season in a loss to Logansport in the Peru Regional by beating Wawasee in a dramatic fashion, 3-2.
With the team score tied at 2-2, Julie Seifert, who lost her first set 6-3, and fought back to win her second set 7-5, had the match riding on her racquet.
Seifert, a senior, but playing her second year of tennis, had no trouble, winning the third set 6-1.
“Julie said she wasn’t nervous at all (heading into the third set),” head coach Tim McLaughlin said. “She is a basketball player, and is used to playing in front of a large crowd in pressure situations. She did a great job to fight back to win the second and third sets.”
Also earning singles wins were Kristen Lahman, 6-4, 6-0, and Tara Gnagy, 6-3, 6-2.
“Kristen did a great job of playing mistake free tennis,” McLaughlin said. “Tara controlled the entire match.”
The doubles team of Katherine Tate and Jenna Alexander lost a close 7-6 (10), 6-3 match at one doubles, and the team of Whitnee Hidalgo and Sadie Preston lost 6-2, 6-1.
The JV team fell to Wawasee 5-0 with Shelby Rager, Marina Meinert and Skye Haywood all losing singles matches, and Rebecca Ruppert/Casey Brandenburg and Anisa Adam/Caitlynn French losing doubles matches.
Win Over Rochester
The girls’ tennis team won its second straight match Monday night with a 3-2 win over TRC rival Rochester. ....Read More

Golf Team Off To Great Start
24 Apr 2008 - ( Sports )

by Eric Christiansen
The Manchester High School boys’ golf team improved to 2-0 in dual matches with a 174-241 win over West Noble last week.
Brecken Kennedy earned medalist honors with a 41, while Andrew Chinworth turned in a 42. Josh Troyer shot a 44, David Cable shot 47, and Matt Budnik shot a 55.
“We had three solid scores out of the top five golfers, but putting and chipping kept us from breaking into the 160s,’ head coach Gary Goshert said.
Three Way Win
The golf team made it 4-0 with a three way win over Lakewood Park and Churubusco. Manchester shot a solid 160, while Lakewood Park shot a 188, and Churubusco shot 204 at Eel River Golf Course.
Kennedy once again earned medalist honors, sharing it with Chinworth, who both shot 39 on the day. Troyer and Scott Spaulding both shot 41, and Cable finished with a 42 on the par-35 front nine. ....Read More

Girls' Track Team 4th At Churubusco Relays
24 Apr 2008 - ( Sports )

The MHS girls’ track team finished fourth at the Churubusco Relays Saturday with 59 points. Garrett won the meet with 106 points, while Central Noble was second with 63, and Churubusco was third with 62. Manchester tied with Westview with 59 points, Heritage was sixth with 52, Fremont was seventh with 49, Eastside and Bluffton tied for eight place with 43 points, Canterbury was 10th with 30, Woodlan was 11th with 28, and Prairie Heights was 12th with 19 points.
Mackenzie Coulter-Kern was the only Lady Squire to win an event, pulling out a first place in the 400m dash with a time of 1:02.63.
The Lady Squires finished second in two relays. In the 1600m relay, the team of Mackenzie Coulter-Kern, Audrey Johnson, Kari Miller, and Addy Naragon was second with a time of 4:26.27, while the 3200m relay team of Katelyn Wade, Jordain Wade, Andy Sharfman, and Liza Terrill was second with a time of 10:55.94.
The 400m relay team of Taylor Byers, Coulter-Kern, Shea Rager, and Naragon finished seventh with a time of 57.07.
Audrey Johnson was third in the 800m run (2:30.84), while Coulter-Kern was fifth in the 200m dash.
Andy Sharfman was fifth in the 1600m run (6:01.70) and the 3200m run (13:14.16.)
In the 1600m run, Sydni Terrill was sixth (6:03.56);
In the 400m dash, Kari Miller was 13th (1:09.21);
In the 300m hurdles, Gabi Nearing was seventh (54.05);
In the 800m run, K. Wade was 11th (2:47.91);
In the 3200m run, Sydni Terrill was seventh (13:18.92);
In the shot put, Leah McNeeley was 11th (26’ 6 1/2”), and Brittany Seivers was 14th (26’ 1”).
“We did not score in five of the first seven events, but the girls pulled themselves up by the bootstraps to end up four points from the second place trophy,” coach Julie Cassell said. “This meet is a great learning experience for our underclassmen.”
The track team will be at the Ebrite Relays at Carroll (Flora) this Saturday.


Olingers Dominate News Journal Brackets Contest
10 Apr 2008 - ( Sports )

Final Standings
156
Eric Olinger
145
Aaron Olinger
142
Dave Wendel* (3rd place via tie-breaker)
Jerry Hoerdt
Harold Bolinger
140
Kathy Singpiel
139
Tina Clapp
138
Derek Self
135
Jason Groninger
134
Jackie Moore
133
Jeremy Johnson
131
Rosemary Bolinger
129
Matt Webb
124 ....Read More

Squire Softball Comes From Behind To Win
10 Apr 2008 - ( Sports )

For nearly two hours, the Manchester-Bluffton softball game was all Bluffton.
In the end, it was the Lady Squires celebrating an 8-7 comeback win in the opening game of the 2008 season.
Bluffton led 7-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, but an eight run explosion from Manchester sent the Lady Tigers home frustrated and bewildered.
“Unbelievable heart!,” first year head coach Todd Volk said. “The girls never gave up. Even when they were down 7-0, they kept encouraging each other.”
Bluffton took control of the game early, scoring a run in the second inning, and one in the third for a 2-0 lead.
They added one in the fifth inning, and appeared to put the game away with four runs in the top of the sixth inning to take a 7-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Bluffton retired the first nine Manchester batters, and allowed just three hits in the first five innings.
In the sixth inning, however, the phrase “it ain’t over ‘til it’s over” was proven once again.
Katie Bowers led off the inning with a single, which led to eight straight Lady Squires reaching base. Jama Runkel followed with a single, followed by a single from Kobie Marks. Makayla Sainsbury walked, followed by Scarlett Melton reaching on an error.
Marissa Johnson and Emily Hill both walked, and Allison Mussey reached on an error.
After Brittany Watson struck out, Bowers singled, and Runkel followed with the go ahead RBI.
Runkel pitched five innings, and Watson got the win in relief, including shutting down the Lady Tigers in order in the top of the seventh inning.
Bowers led Manchester from the plate going 4-4, while Runkel was 2-3 on the day.
The Lady Squires will host Churubusco Wednesday, will be at Wawasee on Friday, and will host Fremont in a doubleheader on Saturday.

MC Baseball Team Now 7-4 In HCAC
10 Apr 2008 - ( Sports )

The Manchester College baseball team moved to 6-2 in HCAC action following an 11-10 win over visiting Bluffton University on Tuesday. Manchester trailed 4-1 after two innings of play, but HCAC Player of the Week Shawn Baker connected on a grand slam in the bottom of the third to give Manchester a 5-4 lead. The Spartans scored two in the fifth and three in the eighth in route to the 11-10 win.
Matt Holycross picked up win, relieving Shaun Carrico after two innings. Holycross pitched 4-2/3 innings with four strikeouts. Joe Egner recorded the last out of the game to pick up the save, his first of the year.
Baker ended the game 3-5 with a home run. David Tatham was 2-4, Ty Foster went 2-4, Josh Buell went 3-5 and Adam Pitrowicz went 1-3 with a pair of sac bunts and a double.
Manchester’s baseball team fell 11-2 to host Franklin College in the first of the conference three-game series on Friday.
Franklin jumped to a 6-0 lead after two innings against MC’s Colin Denihan, who suffered his first loss of the year. Denihan threw four innings with two strikeouts and five hits allowed. Wes Bucher threw for three innings with five hits and four runs allowed.
Offensively, Kaz Kalita paced Manchester with a 2-3 performance, while Adam Pitrowicz and Josh Buell finished the day 1-3. Buell drove in both of Manchester’s runs in the eighth inning on a two run homer to put MC on the scoreboard.
Manchester lost 8-7 in an extra inning of play, but rallied to pick up an 8-5 win in the second game to close out the three-game series with Franklin College.
In game one, Derek Hanson suffered the loss after 3-1/3 relief innings of action. He had two strikeouts with seven hits and three runs allowed. Matty Miller finished the game 2-5 with a double and an RBI while Jeff Mendenhall went 2-4 with two RBI.
In game two, Manchester posted an 8-5 win, giving pitcher Curtis Mallery his his fourth win of the season. Mallery threw four innings with three strikeouts and Shaun Carrico closed out the remaining three innings to pick up the save.
Danner Partridge was 2-4 with four RBI, two runs scored and a two-run homer for MC. Matty Miller also homered and was 2-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Josh Buell scored three of the Spartans’ runs with an 0-1 performance.
Manchester moves to 14-12 overall, 7-4 in the HCAC. They return to action Friday at Anderson and Saturday at home against the Ravens.

Standings After 2 Rounds-NCAA Brackets
27 Mar 2008 - ( Sports )

51
Brent Frantz
Pat Sainsbury
50
Jackie Moore
49
Pattie Webb
Rosemary Bolinger
Kevin Watson
Kendra Binkley
Chris Walters
Jim Rogers
Jeremy Johnson
Julie Frieden
Matt Frieden
Jerry Southworth
Teresa Johnson
Aaron Olinger
Dave McIntyre
Andrea Clingaman
Chris Bisch
48
Nathan Self
Tyson Gordon
Karla Coble
Peg Workman
Harold Bolinger
Jerry Hoerdt
Mike McKee
Brecken Kennedy
Kathy Singpiel
Janelle Walters
Hilary Wagoner
Andy Butterbaugh
Dave McKee
David Kline
Dale Sainsbury
Eric Olinger
Theresa Sites
Ray Felgar
47
Monica Herrera
Connor McLaughlin
Kari Speicher
Rose Garman
Kim Sparks
Adrienne Kamphues
Ned Bowman
Sue Gnagy
Melissa Shorter
Evan Olinger
Tina Clapp
Sue Butterbaugh
Heidi Stout
Jabin Burnworth
46
Gary Goshert
Anne Myers
Todd Speicher
Evan Speicher
Dave Wendel
Adam Penrod
Jeff Kamphues
Tim McLaughlin
Marsha Schannep
Lisa Southworth
Jim Sainsbury
Makayla Sainsbury
Kurt Stout
Eric Christiansen
Scotty Kelly
Larry Schuh
45
Luke Donathan
Annie Baker
Matt Webb
Eric Garman
Piper Garman
C.J.
Dorothy Coe
Steve Priest
Rolissa Underwood
Jerry Johnson
Kindra Clapp
Bertha Butterbaugh
Caleb Isaacs
Dick Norwood
Doug Westendorf
Mike Clark
44
Reed Christiansen
Joe Frantz
David Cable
Nicole Binkley
Dan Binkley
Kelley Bowers
Aaron Johnson
Kellie Pembroke
Steven Gidley
Karl Merritt
Karen Bechtold
Tim Garman
Aja Garman
Steven Camp
Brad Camp
Emily Penrod
Mike Leckrone
Chad Laughlin
Ben McLaughlin
Kevin Shorter
Bill Hippensteel
Alan Binkerd
Greg Hicks
Kevin Clapp
Kendra Beck
Mike Burgess
43
Jason Groninger
Chris Singpiel
Tim Baker
Andrew Baker
Jo Hays
Sam Frieden
Klay Bechtold
Craig Wagoner
Diane Binkerd
Ryan Lehman
Dave Lehman
Angela Johnson
Jerry Pottenger
Bryce Pyrah
Jim Barnes
42
Mark Donathan
Kathy Dierks
Derek Self
Roselene Brown
Stan Singpiel
Richele Binkley
Cary Walters
Kevin Bechtold
Mike Clark
Shannon Carter
Jon Gnagy
Larry Miller
Jack Rupley
Lori Sorg
Janet Dome
Kylee Clapp
41
Alexa Donathan
Ryan Binkley
Rex Holloway
Dennis Sites
Jeff Butterbaugh
Kyle Wieland
40
Scott Baker
Rita Haecker
Tawn McLaughlin
Donna Rogers
38
Jon Clark
Brett Tracy

Random Negative Thoughts From The Sports Editor
27 Mar 2008 - ( Sports )

by Eric Christiansen
This is a fun time of year for sports fans and non-sports fans alike.
The NCAA men’s basketball tournament, especially the first two days, has become a fictional national holiday. Work production decreases, gambling revenue increases. And everyone thinks they are a genius.
The News-Journal received 151 entries to our bracket contest, smashing the record of 94. More families seemed to get into the contest this year. Could it be the $500 first place prize donated from R & B Car Company? Either way, thanks for your interest, and thanks for giving me more work.
Other thoughts.
Phrases that have been coined to coincide with the tournament are driving me batty. Bracketology is the newest one that makes me want to hit somebody in the Adam’s Apple every time I hear it. Who puts that on their resume? I’m a bracketologist. Can a bracketologist write a prescription?
Of course Sweet 16 and Elite 8. I understand Sweet 16. That’s been in our language for decades. There was even a doo wop song called Sweet 16, I think. Elite 8 still just sounds forced. It’s like the ugly kid thinking if he gels and spikes his hair, he might get the girl.
And what about everybody talking about their picks? I know its fun, but when I go to get a burger, I mean, a salad, I don’t need the guy behind the counter telling me his entire bracket, and the upset he picked correctly. Picking Davidson over Georgetown doesn’t make you smart, it just makes you lucky. You didn’t know a thing about Davidson before last week. I still don’t know if Stephen Curry’s dad is Eddie or Del. They keep showing his dad and his crazy mom, and now we are all experts on Davidson.
I'm not buying it.
Enjoy the weekend.

Girls' Track team Wins Opener
27 Mar 2008 - ( Sports )

The Manchester High School girls’ track team opened its season with an impressive win over Southwood, 70-52.
Manchester won seven of the 15 events, but depth was the key to the win for the Lady Squires.
MHS won two relays, with the 4x800m relay team of Katelyn Wade, Jordian Wade, Hanna Sharfman, and Audrey Johnson winning with a time of 11.37.8.
The 4x400m relay team of Addy Naragon, Mackenzie Coulter-Kern, Gabi Nearing, and Jessica Nearing won with a time of 4:45.5.
The 4x100m relay team finished second with a time of 57.4.
In individual events, Johnson won the 800m run with a time of 2:42.7, while Andy Sharfman won the 3200m run in 13:47.5, Coulter-Kern won the 400m dash in 1:04.4, Taylor Byers won the 100m dash in 14.2, and Brittany Sievers won the shot put with a throw of 30’ 3 3/4”.
Coming in second was Sievers in the discus (103’3”), Naragon in the high jump (4’4”), G. Nearing in the 100m hurdles (18.6) and the 300m hurdles (55.5), A. Sharfman in the 1600m run (6:04), J. Wade in the 800m run (2:57.2), Sydni Terrill in the 3200m run (13:45.5), Coulter-Kern in the 200m dash (29.7), and Katelyn Eberly in the 100m dash (14.4).
Finishing third was Crystal Fuller in the discus (74.9), Katie Eash in the long jump (11’ 9”), S. Terrill in the 1600m run (6:07), Liza Terrill in the 800m run (3:04), Claire Brumbaugh-Smith in the 3200m run (14.4), Johnson in the 400m dash (1:08), and Nearing in the 200m dash (30.5).
“The distance girls did an amazing job dominating their events,” head coach Julie Cassell said. “We also had several freshmen stand out like Naragon in the high jump, Gabby Nearing in the hurdles, and Taylor Byers in the 100. As always, Coulter-Kern, Johnson, and Sievers were outstanding. Those ladies lead by example, and set the bar high for their teammates. We still have some obvious kinks to work out, but I’d have to say it was a great start.”
The track team will host Rochester and Wabash on April 8.

Thoughts On The NCAA Tournament
20 Mar 2008 - ( Sports )

by Tim McLaughlin
I love the NCAA tournament. It’s absolutely a sports lovers dream. All the top teams playing with a common goal in sight. Unpaid athletes playing for the love of the game, laying it on the line for the ultimate prize, the national championship.
Along the way, we’re certain to see unforgettable upsets (see George Mason, Valparaiso, and Cleveland State in past years), some of them of monumental proportions.
We all sit back and hope for the top teams, or at least our favorite teams, to be remaining at the end. Some people (the crazy ones with no life) actually enter numerous NCAA brackets contests, hoping to either win some monetary prize, or more importantly, have inner-office bragging rights over co-workers that last until the tourney rolls around again.
For those of you who have been entering the News-Journal contest for years, you know without a doubt that my picks are, year in and year out, basically terrible.
I actually do log on to espn.com every day three or four times. I also watch Sportscenter every night and listen to the so-called “experts” rattle off who they think has the best chance to end up in San Antonio, the site of this year’s Final Four. ....Read More

McLaughlin New MHS Girls' Tennis Coach
20 Mar 2008 - ( Sports )

A former Squire will lead the Manchester High School girls’ tennis team into the 2008 season.
Tim McLaughlin, a 1991 MHS graduate, takes over the head coaching duties from Eric Christiansen, who left to take the head coaching position for men’s and women’s tennis at Manchester College. McLaughlin was an assistant coach under Christiansen with the MHS boys’ team in 1998 and 1999, and with the girls’ team in 2000.
“I’m excited to be able to coach the girls this spring,” McLaughlin said. “It’s a young team, but everybody is back from last season. I’m still getting to know the girls and learning all their names.”
McLaughlin played tennis for four years at Manchester High School from 1987-1990, and one year at the University of Indianapolis.
He inherits a team that went 0-13 last season but is optimistic about the upcoming campaign.
“We didn’t lose anyone, and by the end of last season, they were really improving,” he said. “I’ve been impressed with quite a few of the girls so far, and the newer girls are learning and working hard.” ....Read More

Youth Soccer Deadline March 28
20 Mar 2008 - ( Sports )

The 2008 Manchester Area Youth Soccer Program is open to all boys and girls in North Manchester and the surrounding areas currently completing grades K through 8. Those completing kindergarten must be six (6) years old by July 1.
Games will be played on seven Saturday mornings (May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, and June 7 and 14) from 9:30-11 a.m. at the Manchester College athletic fields, south of the Physical Education and Recreation Center (PERC).
Coaches will hold additional mid-week or early Saturday morning practices. There will be a $12 registration fee for each child. The fee will provide a color team shirt for each child and soccer ball for team play.
To register, please pick up forms at the Manchester Area Programs, located at 603 Bond Street, North Manchester, or at the North Manchester Community Pool. Forms must be received by Friday, March 28.
The program is organized and conducted entirely by volunteers. Players will be divided by age into separate leagues and teams within leagues for purposes of coaching and teaching fundamentals, conditioning, practicing drills and playing games. Emphasis will be placed on participation, sportsmanship, conditioning, skills, teamwork, and especially having fun. Each player will be given equal playing time in games regardless of skill level.

MC Baseball Team Splits Doubleheaders
20 Mar 2008 - ( Sports )

Manchester’s baseball team returned to action after a two-week break to split with Taylor University in doubleheader action.
In game one, Colin Denihan picked up his second win of the year in a 4-2 win. Denihan recorded five strikeouts in six innings of action, allowing just four hits while Derek Hanson picked up the save. Shawn Baker was 2-3 with an RBI and Josh Beuell went 1-3 with two RBI.
In game two, Taylor scores two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to pick up a 2-1 win over Manchester. Wes Bucher took the loss for MC, facing four batters in the seventh. Corey Oetting and JT Podell were each 1-2 at bat, with Oetting picking up an RBI.
Manchester’s baseball team split a doubleheader with Tri-State University on Sunday for MC’s season home opener on Gratz Field.
In game one, Manchester won 4-2 as Shaun Carrico picked up the win with seven complete innings and four strikeouts. Jay Sheets and Josh Buell were 1-2 with an RBI to lead MC.
In game two Joe Egner took the loss as Manchester fell to the Thunder 3-0. Buell went 2-3 with Kaz Kalita, Corey Oetting and Shawn Baker going 1-3 at bat.
Manchester’s baseball team remained home on Monday to face Lakeland College and opened with a 4-2 win but fell in the second game 8-2.
In game one, Corey Oetting finished 2-2 with a pair of RBIs while Matty Miller and Josh Buell ended the game 2-3 with an RBI as Manchester defeated Lakeland 4-2. Curtis Mallery was the winning pitcher, going all seven innings with a pair of strikeouts and three hits.
In game two, Josh Atkinson suffered the loss, giving up five earned runs in six innings of action as Manchester lost 8-2. Six Spartans recorded one hit each in the contest with Josh Buell and David Tatham recording RBIs.
Manchester moves to 5-6 on the year.

Volk Takes Over As Softball Coach
13 Mar 2008 - ( Sports )

by Eric Christiansen
Todd Volk has coaching and softball in his blood.
Volk, who has been coaching basketball at Manchester Junior-Senior High School for the past nine years, four years with the eighth grade girls, and five years with the high school JV team, and coaching volleyball at the junior-senior high for five years, and the past two years at Whitko, is now taking his coaching outdoors to the softball field.
Volk takes over the position from Jim Troyer, who resigned late last year.
He is excited for the opportunity to coach a sport he grew up playing, and a sport that runs deep in his family.
“Growing up in Michigan, we played two sports, baseball and fast pitch softball,” Volk said. “It’s something that’s been in my family. My grandfather played, my uncles, my aunt, my sisters, my dad. I grew up on that. It’s a sport that I am probably most comfortable. It’s been real natural for me.”
Volk is looking forward to running a program, and is thankful for the preparation he got from coaching with MHS girls’ varsity basketball coach Mark Underwood.
“I owe it all to my brother from another mother,” he said of Underwood. “I have learned so much from him…not just x’s and o’s, but how to run a program. I thank him a thousand times over. It was hard for him to recommend me, because he probably knew that meant he was going to lose me as a JV coach. I am forever grateful for that. I have learned how to run a class program, where family, grades, and stuff like that are really what it’s all about.” ....Read More

MC Women Win HCAC Tourney; Heading To Nationals
07 Mar 2008 - ( Sports )

Manchester College won their third straight women’s basketball conference tournament championship Saturday following a 52-50 win over Anderson. Manchester’s Sarah Bose connected on an 18-foot baseline jumper with 0.9 seconds remaining to give Manchester the victory, mirroring the previous two HCAC Tournament championship games where Manchester posted a 67-65 win over Franklin in 2006 and a 70-69 win over Transylvania in last year’s tournament.
“Coach (Josh Dzurick) drew up a play for Kelley (Meiklejon) and me on the left side, and if I wasn’t open, I was supposed to get the ball to Kelley,” Bose explained. “I just felt like I had it.”
“I’m so proud of this group,” Dzurick said. “I keep going back to my seniors, and I know everybody contributes to the success of this team, but Sarah (Conwell) and Jess (Henn) have done so much for this program. As a coach, you just want them to go out with another tournament."
Manchester was looking for revenge against a team that defeated them 75-44 a weak earlier.
“When we played them the first time last week, it gave us a sour feeling leaving here, and we kept that in the back of our minds,” Meiklejon said. “We knew we had to come out strong, and we were ready to play, and so enthused to come here and run them out of the gym.”
“It feels amazing to come in here wanting to prove ourselves that we are better than what we showed last week,” Henn said. “It really showed on the court. It was a great team effort.” ....Read More

2nd Half Comeback Thwarted At Sectional
07 Mar 2008 - ( Sports )

by Eric Christiansen
A furious second half comeback was thwarted by mistakes, as the Manchester Squires ended their season with a heartbreaking 61-59 loss to Wabash in the opening game of the Lewis Cass Sectional Wednesday night.
Wabash dominated the first half, taking a 34-16 halftime lead.
The Squires responded with a fury, cutting the lead to 46-42 at the end of the third quarter, and actually led by six points, 57-51 with 2:47 left in the game.
Wabash, however, took advantage of Manchester miscues to outscore the Squires 10-2 over the last 2:30 of the game to advance to the semi-finals.
“This kind of game hurts because of the lead we had, and we let it slip away,” Manchester coach Gary Goshert said. “We weren’t ready to play in the first half and Wabash was. They took it to us.
“I couldn’t be happier with how we played for 14 of the last 16 minutes of the game,” he added. “We could have easily folded up our tents, but these kids showed that they have heart. I really liked how we played in the second half.”
The first half saw Manchester miss five inside shots in the first three minutes of the game, while Wabash started the game on fire, scoring 15 points in the first 4:30 of the game.
Niko Macaluso gave the Apaches a quick 8-2 lead with three free throws and a three pointer.
Travis Ritter scored two straight baskets, followed by a free throw from Luke Harness, and a basket from Greg Lane to end a 13-0 run.
Aaron Medley hit a basket inside, but the Apaches went on a 9-0 run to lead 24-4.
Dan Bourne did his best to keep the Squires in it, scoring nine points in the second quarter, and a David Cable three pointer made it 34-16 at halftime.
“That’s as well as we played all season,” Wabash coach Matt Stone said. “We did everything right in the first half.” ....Read More

Four Swimmers Heading To State After Record Days
21 Feb 2008 - ( Sports )

by Eric Christiansen
Records were made to be broken.
It’s an old cliché, but it couldn’t have been more true this past weekend at the Warsaw Swimming and Diving Sectional.
Four swimmers combined to break three Manchester High School swimming records, two of them twice in three days, and in the process, all four will be representing MHS at the state finals this weekend.
D.J. Brown, Gavin McNeeley, Josh Kissinger, and Joey Rich teamed up to break the record in the 200 medley relay and the 200 free relay, while McNeeley broke the record in the 100 breaststroke.
Despite McNeeley’s success in the breaststroke, all he wanted to talk about were the relay teams.
“I thought it was a possibility, but everything kind of clicked and we all swam our hearts out,” he said. “It just all came together.”
Brown was overwhelmed at the possibility of having his name in the record books and going to state. ....Read More

MC Women To Battle For Conference Title
21 Feb 2008 - ( Sports )

Manchester College’s women’s basketball team maintained a half game lead over Anderson in the conference standings following the Spartans 74-64 win over Defiance on Wednesday night.
Manchester used a 13-2 run midway through the first half to take a 27-15 lead with seven minutes remaining, and held a 35-26 lead at halftime. Defiance cut the lead to three, 43-40 with 14 minutes remaining in the game, but MC outscored Defiance 17-6 over the next eight minutes of action to take an 11-point lead, 60-49 with six minutes remaining.
Rachel Wilkinson scored a game-high 18 points on 5-9 shooting from the floor and 8-10 free throws to go with her six rebounds. Kelley Meiklejohn and Sarah Bose added 16 points each, with Meiklejohn adding nine rebounds and Bose recording six assists and seven steals. Jessica Henn added 15 points and nine rebounds in the Spartans’ win.
Manchester’s women’s team picked up a 47-41 win over Rose-Hulman on Wednesday and remain a half game up over Anderson in the league standings. A win by Manchester on Wednesday would lock the conference title outright for Manchester.
Manchester held a 25-18 lead at the half and were outscored by the Engineers 23-22 in the second period after shooting 5-16 from the field.
Rachel Wilkinson led Manchester with 15 points, hitting 8-10 free throws and adding two steals. Kelley Meiklejohn added nine points and two rebounds while Sarah Bose had seven points, four assists and a steal.
Manchester improves to 16-7 overall, 11-3 in the HCAC. They travel to Anderson on Wednesday before returning home for the final game of the regular season Saturday at home against Hanover. The women tip-off at 3 p.m. followed by the men at 5 p.m., all part of the Manchester College M Association Winter Homecoming weekend.

Squires Winning Streak Ends At Columbia City
21 Feb 2008 - ( Sports )

by Eric Christiansen
The Columbia City Eagles had an answer for everything the Manchester Squires threw at them Friday night, running away with a 61-43 win.
The loss stopped a two game winning streak for the Squires, dropping them to 5-13 on the year.
“We just didn’t come ready to play tonight,” Manchester coach Gary Goshert said. “We fell behind early, and when you fall behind even six or seven points against a team like Columbia City, it’s almost like a 15 point deficit.”
The Eagles jumped out to a 6-0 lead with a patient, deliberate offensive attack.
Manchester finally got on the board with 3:44 left in the first quarter as Dan Bourne cut the lead in half with a three pointer.
Columbia City’s Jordan Moss and David Cable traded baskets, but the Eagles closed the quarter with a 7-2 run, including a three point play from Moss. Moss scored nine first quarter points to help the Eagles take a 15-7 lead at the end of the first.
“We didn’t double down on Moss as well as we wanted to and he hurt us inside,” Goshert said of the 6’4” post player. ....Read More

Miller Advances To Wrestling Semi-State
07 Feb 2008 - ( Sports )

by Eric Christiansen
One Manchester High School wrestler fell, but one survived and advanced to the Woodlan Semi-State at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum this Saturday.
Senior Blaine Miller (215) finished third at the Peru Regional, which advanced him to the semi-state.
Miller made quick work of his first opponent, Marq Reser of Western, getting a pin in just 23 seconds.
In the semi-finals, Miller was pinned by eventual champion Will Hawkins of Taylor.
“I got a quick take down, but made a mistake, he put me on my back and stuck me,” Miller said. “It’s one of those I kind of want back.”
The loss sent Miller into the third place match, with the winner moving on, the loser seeing his season end.
Miller had to face off with Maconaquah’s Josh Cade, who beat Miller in the sectional finals a week earlier.
“Last week, I shot on his left leg and got in trouble,” Miller said. “This time, I shot on his right leg, got him to the ground, which is where I like to be. I was able to get the pin after that.”
Miller improved to 29-3 on the season, and is looking forward to next week’s semi-state.
“I’ve never been at the coliseum for a sporting event,” he said. “It feels good to be there. There are only going to be good wrestlers there. There won’t be any 23 second pins.”
Freshman Dominick Byrns’ day didn’t last as long.
Byrns faced off with top seed Quintin Burkett of Northwestern.
Burkett got a quick take down, and recorded a pin in 19 seconds.
“He just took me down, laid on top of me, and I couldn’t move him,” Byrns joked after the match.
Burkett ended up winning the heavyweight division.
The semi-state begins at 9:00 a.m. in Fort Wayne.

Girls' Swim Team Ends Season At Sectional
07 Feb 2008 - ( Sports )

The Manchester High School girls’ swim team may have only competed in five events in the Warsaw Swimming and Diving Sectional Finals, but coach Kyle Wieland couldn’t have been happier with his team’s performance in both the preliminaries and the finals.
“Out of a possible 13 swims, we had 12 personal bests,” Wieland said. “The girls swam their best at the end of the season, which is what really matters, and shows their improvement.”
Diver Catherine Chapman was Manchester’s top finisher, placing fifth, just missing advancing to regional.
Chapman scored 243.14, 14 points behind Logansport’s Erin Landis.
“Catherine continued to improve as the season went on,” Wieland said. “She had a really good year.”
Three relay teams also competed in the finals.
The 200 free relay team of Kaytlyn Eberly, Shelby Minnix, Mackenzie Coulter-Kern, and Scarlett Melton finished seventh with a time of 1:54.37.
The 200 medley relay team of Amelia Flora, Ashton Bradford, Eberly, and Minnis finished eighth with a time of 2:16.62.
The 400 medley relay team of Chapman, Coulter-Kern, Leah McNeeley, and Melton was disqualified, and didn’t place.
“I was really happy with how the girls swam at sectional, but more importantly, how they improved all season long,” Wieland said. “We’re going to miss our seniors, but I’m looking forward to seeing what our younger swimmers will do next season.”
The boys' swim team will be at the Wawasee Sectional on Thursday, February 14, and Saturday, February 16.

Girls' B-Ball Team Ends Regular Season With Win
07 Feb 2008 - ( Sports )

by Eric Christiansen
The girls’ basketball team wrapped up its season with a big road win, beating South Adams 44-32 to finish the regular season 7-13, winning four of their last five games.
“We told the girls at the beginning of the year that it was going to be a process,” Manchester coach Mark Underwood said. “We had a team with basically very little varsity experience. The girls understood that, and have never given up. You have to give them credit for that.”
The Lady Squires fell behind early at South Adams, trailing 15-11 at the end of the first quarter.
Two three pointers from Jessica Bedke helped cut the lead to 21-20 at halftime.
The Lady Squires grabbed a 28-27 third quarter lead, outscoring the Lady Starfires 8-6.
The fourth quarter, however, was all Manchester.
Katie Bowers scored seven of her team high 13 points in the fourth, while Becka Guthrie scored four, and Audrey Johnson nailed a three pointer to help Manchester outscore South Adams 16-5, and pull out the 44-32 win. ....Read More

Column, Sort Of, By Eric Christiansen
07 Feb 2008 - ( Sports )

I normally don’t like writing about the Super Bowl. It is probably the most written-about sporting event in our country, everybody has an opinion, and mine will probably just get lost in the shuffle.
I will not talk about the commercials. I will not talk about the halftime show. I will definitely not talk about Paula Abdul’s new song and her pre-game “performance”.
Never mind, yes I will. All I will say is that the former Laker Girl and choreographer made Britney Spears’ performance at the Video Music Awards look inspired.
I will not talk about the Manning family ruling the football world.
I will not talk about the horrible idea to put House on after the game.
I will not talk about the Patriots and their place in history.
What I will talk about is the greatness of the game, and where it ranks in the history of Super Bowls.
I can’t remember ever being so engrossed in a football game, except one, but I won’t talk about Montana to Clark and “The Catch”, and how a handsome, young, dapper 11 year old’s dreams of a Dallas Cowboys championship were crushed.
Sunday’s game had a great story line. There was a villain, and the leader of the villains in his hoodie.
There was the underdog QB, fighting to get out of the shadow of big brother, and fighting for the hearts of New Yorkers and New Jerseykers every where. (I think he got both.)
There was “The Catch 2”. Enough said. ....Read More

Two Wrestlers Advance To Regional
31 Jan 2008 - ( Sports )

by Eric Christiansen
Two Manchester High School wrestlers advanced to the Peru Wrestling Regional, and the team finished eighth at the Peru Sectional last Saturday.
Senior Blaine Miller finished as runner-up at the 215 pound weight class, while freshman Dominick Byrns finished fourth at the 285 pound weight class.
Miller had no trouble in his first two matches, winning by pin in under a minute.
“Those two matches weren’t much of a struggle,” he said.
In the championship match, however, Miller met Maconaquah’s Josh Cade, and dropped a 12-5 decision.
“I had a better record than he did, but he had more experience,” Miller said of his final match. “We just locked up for a while, the ref told us to work a move, and I tried to shoot. He didn’t do much, and waited for me to make a mistake.” ....Read More

Lady Squires Win 3rd Straight
31 Jan 2008 - ( Sports )

by Eric Christiansen
The Lady Squires basketball team won its third straight game last week, taking care of Triton 47-34. Manchester improved to 6-12 on the season with the win.
Triton led early, taking an 8-4 lead at the end of the first period, and held on to a 19-16 halftime lead.
But, just like their last game against Rochester, the Lady Squires exploded in the third quarter, outscoring Triton 18-6 in the period to lead 33-25 after three quarters.
Jessica Bedke and Audrey Johnson both hit three pointers in the fourth quarter, while Becka Guthrie hit 4-4 from the line, and Laci Welches hit 2-2 free throws to give the Lady Squires a cushion in the 13 point win.
“We had a great second half both offensively and defensively,” Manchester coach Mark Underwood said.
Kyla Zile led a balanced Manchester scoring attack with 10 points and added four rebounds. Johnson had eight points, Katie Bowers had seven points, nine rebounds, eight assists, and five steals, Guthrie had six points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals, Noelle Patrick had six points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals, Welches had three points and four rebounds, Bedke had three points, while Amber Fratus and Julie Seifert both had two points each. ....Read More

Valley Too Much For Squires
31 Jan 2008 - ( Sports )

By Eric Christiansen
A year ago, the Tippecanoe Valley Vikings raced out to a 19-2 lead over the Manchester Squires and never let the Squires back into the game.
That was a scenario the Squires didn’t want to see happen again Friday, but it almost did.
Valley took a quick 13-2 lead, but thanks to some hot shooting from Dan Bourne, the Squires climbed back into the game, but never took the lead, and eventually let the Vikings pull away for a 75-46 win.
Valley improved to 6-0 in the conference, while the Squires dropped to 0-5 in the TRC.
The Vikings led 39-30 midway through the third quarter, but used an 11-0 run to jump to a 50-30 lead, and used another 17-0 run in the fourth quarter to slam the door.
“I was disappointed in the way we played tonight, especially in the third and fourth quarters,” Manchester coach Gary Goshert said.
“We played pretty good basketball at times tonight; other times we were careless with the basketball and made some bad decisions with the ball,” Valley coach Bill Patrick said. “We should have put the game away in the first half.”
The Vikings weren’t able to put the game away in the first half, thanks to the offensive explosion of Dan Bourne. ....Read More

Swim Teams Have No Trouble With Canterbury
31 Jan 2008 - ( Sports )

The Manchester High School swim teams handled Canterbury at home last week, with the girls winning 107-68, and the boys winning 120-37.
For the girls, Manchester won seven of the events, and finished second in seven.
Winning events were the 200 medley relay team of Scarlett Melton, Mackenzie Coulter-Kern, Leah McNeeley, and Kaytlyn Eberly (2:19.94), McNeeley in the 200 IM (2:49.41) and the 100 free (1:06.53), Eberly in the 50 free (29.45), Catherine Chapman in diving (158.30), Melton in the 100 butterfly (1:16.20), and the 200 free relay team of Coulter-Kern, Shelby Minnix, Chapman, and Elizabeth Schilling (2:00.04).
Coming in second place was Schilling in the 200 free (2:26.93) and the 500 free (6:46.90), Amelia Flora in the 50 free (30.78), Chapman in the 100 free (1:07.11), Melton in the 100 back (1:19.12), Marina Meinert in the 100 breast (1:29.92), and the 400 free relay team of Coulter-Kern, Schilling, McNeeley, and Melton (4:28.88).
Finishing in third place was the 200 medley relay team of Casey Brandenburg, Liza Terrill, Sydni Terrill, and Shelby Rager (2:33.35), Ashton Bradford in the 200 IM (3:13.90), Minnix in the 50 free (30.83) and the 100 free (1:08.52), Paige Woods in the 100 butterfly (1:31.05), Eberly in the 500 free (6:57.40), Rager in the 100 breast (1:32.02), and the 400 free relay team of Minnix, Flora, Bradford, and Eberly (4:40.30). ....Read More

Big Second Half Boosts Lady Squires To Win
17 Jan 2008 - ( Sports )

by Eric Christiansen
After suffering through four straight losses, the Manchester Lady Squires got back on the winning track Monday night, rolling to a 41-24 win over Blackhawk Christian.
Manchester used a 15-3 run to turn a four point game late in the first half into a rout.
“I’m happy to get a win, but I’m not happy for me, I’m happy for the girls,” Manchester coach Mark Underwood said. “They worked really hard tonight, and played a total team game.”
The Lady Squires used a balanced scoring attack, and smothering defense to take control of the game.
Laci Welches and Julie Seifert used back to back baskets to take a 4-0 lead, but Blackhawk went on a 7-2 run to lead 7-6.
Bucka Guthrie responded with an inside basket, followed by back to back three pointers from Noelle Patrick to give the Lady Squires a 14-7 lead.
Late in the second quarter, Blackhawk cut the lead to 18-16, but Manchester went on a 17-3 run, with five different players scoring, to take a 35-19 lead.
“I really liked our effort the entire game,” Underwood said. “We sometimes go through some offensive slumps, but defense is always something that you can work at. I really liked our defensive effort tonight.
“Blackhawk Christian is a young team, and give them credit for coming in here and playing a good game,” he continued. “They’re going to get better, and next year, when we go to their place, we know they’ll be ready to play.”
Patrick led Manchester with 11 points, while Katie Bowers and Welches both had eight points. Guthrie had six points, Kyla Zile had four, and Seifert and Jessica Bedke both had two points. ....Read More

McNeeley Wins Two Events At Oak Hill Invite
17 Jan 2008 - ( Sports )

The boys’ swim team finished second at the Oak Hill Invitational, edging Rochester in the final event, the 400 free relay.
Oak Hill won with 475 points, while the Squires were second with 313, and Rochester was third with 307. Tippecanoe Valley was fourth with 151 points, while Northfield was fifth with 32, and Alexandria was sixth with 12.
Manchester and Rochester were tied heading into the 400 free relay, but both of Manchester’s teams beat out Rochester’s to pull out second place.
The team of D.J. Brown, Nate Cain, Ryan Henderson, and Gavin McNeeley finished second with a time of 3:39.89, beating Rochester’s team by three seconds, and the team of Collin Buzzard, Andrew Baker, Alex Sharfman, and Joey Rich finished sixth with a time of 3:11.59, edging Rochester’s second team by two seconds.
Gavin McNeeley had a big day individually, winning the 100 free with a time of 50.82 and the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:03.34. McNeeley was also part of the second place 200 medley relay team, along with Joey Rich, Brown, and Josh Kissinger, with a time of 1:47.28.
Also in the 200 medley relay, the team of Andrew Blankenship, Jacob Vogel, Nate Cain, and Max Mattern finished fifth (2:06.43).
In the 200 free, Buzzard was seventh (2:14.28), and Blankenship was 11th (2:21.48).
In the 200 IM, Grey Harris was fifth (2:33.63), and Vogel was ninth (2:48.59).
In the 50 free, Brown was third (24.01), and Kissinger was fourth (24.05).
In the 100 butterfly, Brown was third (1:04.13), and Cain was fifth (1:08.27).
In the 100 free, Ryan Henderson was seventh (59.59), and Mattern was 10th (1:04.45).
In the 500 free, Buzzard was sixth (6:12.47), Harris was seventh (6:14.13), and Baker was 10th (6:26.67).
In the 200 free relay, the team of Henderson, Mattern, Baker, and Buzzard was fourth (1:47.29), and the team of Blankenship, Vogel, Sharfman, and Harris was sixth (1:57.97).
In the 100 back, Cain was fifth (1:10.41), and Blankenship was sixth (1:16.49).
“This was by far our best meet of the year,” coach Kyle Wieland said. “We had so many lifetime bests that it’s difficult to determine who did the best. If we can better this performance at sectional, this will be a very successful season.”
The swim team will host Columbia City on Monday.

MC Women Win Two, Stay Perfect In HCAC
17 Jan 2008 - ( Sports )

Manchester’s women’s basketball team picked up their 19th straight conference win Wednesday night as the Spartans defeated Bluffton 61-58.
Manchester held a three point lead at the half 29-26, but Bluffton rallied to take an eight point lead, 47-39 with 11 minutes remaining. Manchester went on a 13-2 run over the next six minutes of action to take a three point lead with five minutes to go in the contest.
Sarah Conwell led Manchester with 14 points, hitting 5-8 shots from the floor, 3-5 three point attempts and had six rebounds. Kailey Honn went 4-5 from the field and 4-4 from the free throw line for 12 points. She added six blocked shots and three rebounds.
Manchester’s women’s basketball team posted their 20th straight conference win Saturday following a 57-45 road win.
Manchester held a 21-12 lead at the half, limiting Rose-Hulman to 5-21 shooting from the field, yet connected on 6-20 shots themselves. The Spartans regrouped in the second half to shoot 12-22 from the field in route to the 57-45 win.
Jessica Henn led Manchester with 15 points, shooting 4-5 from the floor and 7-8 at the free throw line. She added six rebounds in the win. Kelley Meiklejohn added 13 points and three rebounds with a pair of steals. Lauren Kalis chipped in seven points and five rebounds for the Spartans.
Manchester moves to 10-4 overall, 5-0 in the HCAC. They host Anderson on Wednesday.

Byrns, Miller, Kennedy Win In Team Wrestling Loss
17 Jan 2008 - ( Sports )

The Manchester High School wrestling team fell to Eastbrook in their first home match of the season, 66-18.
Manchester’s points came from Blaine Miller, who got a first period pin for six points, Brecken Kennedy, who won by forfeit for six points, and Dominick Byrns, who won by pin for six points.
Byrns, who was wrestling in the heavyweight class, wrestling up a weight class, pinned his much taller and bigger opponent in the first period.
“I was nervous before the match because I was wrestling in the heavyweight class,” Byrns said. “I thought I was going to get killed.”
The rest of the Squire line up all lost by pin.
The wrestling team hosts Rochester on Wednesday, Maconaquah on Thursday, and will be at North Miami for the TRC Meet on Saturday.

MJSHS Sports Round Up
17 Jan 2008 - ( Sports )

Girls’ C-Team Basketball
The MHS girls’ basketball C-team fell to 2-3 with a 27-22 loss to Triton.
Shea Rager and Lauren Wagoner both had five points.
“The girls played hard for not playing in over a month,” coach Sarah Purdy said.
8th Grade Girls’ Basketball
The eighth grade girls’ basketball team defeated Peru 35-19 in their season opener.
“It was a solid effort defensively, as our pressure defense made it difficult for their guards,” coach Matt Webb said.
Hannah Little led the Lady Squires with seven points, while Malyssa Bedke had six points. Hanna Schmidt had five points, Amy Collett, Meika Kennedy, and Natalee Cain had four points each, Mikie Crate had three points, and Kaylee Watson added two points.
The B-team also beat Peru, winning 26-20.
Katie Smith had 10 points, Cain had eight points, Bailey Al-Khateeb had four points, while Hannah Lochner and Amy Collett both had two points.
7th Grade Girls’ Basketball
The seventh grade girls’ basketball team beat Peru 36-11 in their season opener.
Kayla Flack led Manchester with 24 points. Kalene Freshour had four points, while Chloe Leifer, Lindsey Budnik, Bekah Brunn, and Autumn Brewer all had two points each.
The B-team edged Peru 13-11.
Stephanie Buss had six points, Renae Blocher had five points, and Cassie Nybo had two points.
8th Grade Boys’ Basketball
The eighth grade boys’ basketball team fell to Columbia City 31-17.
Caleb Thomas had seven points, while Logan Brunn had six points.
7th Grade Boys’ Basketball
The seventh grade boys’ basketball team lost to Indian Springs Eagles 42-16.
Jeff Henson had four points.
“We were down by three points at the half, but got outscored 22-2 in the third quarter,” coach Brandon Baker said. “We need to learn how to play a complete game.”

Donation From Speicher Family Makes Virtual Wall Of Fame A Realtity
10 Jan 2008 - ( Sports )

Two ideas merged into one reality at Manchester High School.
Talk of a virtual wall of fame at MHS has been circulating for a couple of years, and with the help of community member Jim Speicher, the final touches were put into place last week.
Speicher wanted to donate some money to the high school in memory of his wife, Barb, who passed away last year. Barb Speicher was a cook at Manchester High School from 1975-2002.
“I told (MHS principal) Nancy Alspaugh that I wanted to donate some money, but didn’t know exactly what for,” Speicher said.
Alspaugh mentioned that the school was looking for an ice cream machine in the cafeteria, but that wasn’t something Speicher wanted to do.
When Speicher heard about the virtual wall of fame, he thought that sounded like a good idea.
“Barb would have liked it,” he said. “It’s good for the school and the community. It’s neat for all the athletes to see their pictures, and possibly their parents’ pictures. It’s a good idea, whoever had it.”
Speicher donated $2,500 for a 56” LCD television, which is part of a trophy case in the high school commons, displaying recent conference, sectional, regional and state championships.
“We’ve been wanting to do something to display the history of the athletic program, and thanks to the contribution made by the Speicher family, we were able to do it a lot sooner than we’d hoped,” Manchester High School athletic director Kyle Wieland said.
“I just donated the money, the school did it all,” Speicher said. “I’m just glad we could do it. Barb loved Manchester High School.”

Sammy Squire Turns 50; Help MHS Celebrate
10 Jan 2008 - ( Sports )

Sammy Squire has turned 50 years old and we need your help in celebrating his birthday. The party will take place at the boys’ basketball game on January 18th, and everyone is invited. To begin the night, the Athletic Booster Club is hosting a fundraising dinner with a Hawaiian theme being served from 5:30-8:00. The menu includes a Pork Bar-B-Q Sandwich, Chips, Hawaiian Fruit Cup, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, and your drink will be served in a commemorative cup marking the first 50 years of Squire Athletics. The cost is $6.50 and tickets can be purchased at the door.
We encourage everyone to dress in their Hawaiian attire to join in the celebration. Besides the dinner, the night will include give-aways, contests, and memories. We invite all former Squire coaches of any boys’ or girls’ sports to attend and be introduced at halftime of the varsity game. Please let us know you are coming and we will provide you with free admission to the game.
Whether you attend every event or just come once in a while, you won’t want to miss this night. Sammy Squire will only turn 50 once, and we need your help in celebrating this special occasion. We hope to see you all there.

Girls' Basketball Team Comes Up Short At #8 North Miami
10 Jan 2008 - ( Sports )

Less than two minutes into the Manchester Lady Squires’ contest with 8th ranked North Miami, Manchester coach Mark Underwood called a time out.
With his team trailing 6-0, and having given up two three pointers, Underwood told his team they weren’t ready to play, and challenged them to improve their effort.
After the game, despite a 52-35 loss to the Lady Warriors, Underwood couldn’t have been happier.
“We can talk about the opponent, and tell them how good they are, but seeing is believing,” Underwood said. “North Miami came out ready to play, and played very well. They are doing a lot of damage to a lot of good opponents.
“What I’m most proud of is the way we competed,” he continued. “It wasn’t just the starters, or just a couple of people I brought off the bench…every person came into the game and did positive things.”
North Miami raced out to an 8-0 lead, thanks to three pointers from Amy Mathias and Alicia Burrus, and another basket from Mathias. ....Read More

MC Women's Team 3-0 In HCAC
10 Jan 2008 - ( Sports )

Manchester’s women’s basketball team posted a 70-59 road win over Franklin Saturday to improve to 3-0 in conference play.
Manchester and Franklin went into the half with a 36-36 tie, and the Spartans held FC to 26 percent field goal shooting in the second half to take the 70-59 win.
Kelley Meiklejohn led MC with 16 points, connecting on 7-13 shots from the floor and had nine rebounds and three blocked shots on the day. Kristen Lancaster added 13 points on 6-6 shooting from the field and added two steals defensively. Rachel Wilkinson and Jessica Henn added nine points each, while Sarah Bose had eight rebounds to go with her seven points, five steals and five assist performance.
Manchester improves to 8-4 overall, 3-0 in the HCAC. They host Bluffton on Wednesday night.

MHS Wrestlers End In Tie With Wabash, Lose On Criteria
10 Jan 2008 - ( Sports )

In high school wrestling, sisters are never kissed.
Manchester and Wabash battled to a 36-36 tie, but Wabash picked up the team win on criteria, scoring more pins than the Squires did to pull out the win.
The match included two double forfeits, and eight wins by forfeit.
Wabash was without six of its varsity wrestlers for disciplinary reasons.
In the four matches that actually took place, Manchester was only able to win one of them.
Brecken Kennedy started the match with a win by forfeit at 171.
At 189, Bryant Wiley took on Shawn Gatchel. Wiley took control early, scoring a takedown for a 2-0 lead.
With three seconds left in the second period, Wiley took a 4-0 lead on a reversal.
In the third, Wiley nearly pinned Gatchel with 49 seconds left, but Gatchel recorded a quick reversal and got the pin to tie it up at 6-6.
At 215, Blaine Miller won by forfeit, followed by a forfeit win by Dominick Byrnes.
Both teams forfeited 103 and 112, and Manchester forfeited 119, 125, and 130 to put Wabash ahead 24-18.
John Dill lost by pin at 135, but Jacob Hutchinson got a pin over Tyler Ferguson in 1:27.
“Tyler probably wrestled the best match of the night,” Manchester coach Ryan Good said.
Kyle Coffey won by forfeit at 145 to tie the team score up at 30-30.
With Dillon Gable accepting a forfeit at 152, freshman Josh Amick faced off with Wabash junior Blake Bozarth for the deciding match.
Bozarth scored the pin over Amick with 40 seconds left in the first period to tie it up at 36-36, but Wabash took the win on the first criteria.
In action last December, the Squires came close, but couldn't pull out their first win of the season.
Manchester lost to North Miami 36-34 with Coffey, Gable, Kennedy, Wiely, Miller, and Byrnes picking up wins.
The Squires lost to Northfield 66-12 with Miller and Byrnes winning by pin.
The Squires lost to White's 48-24 with Gable, Dill, Rex Tharp, and Byrnes all winning.
"It's hard to win team matches with you have to forfeit so many spots," Good said. "We're wrestling well, just aren't deep enough."
The Squires will host Eastbrook Thursday for their final home match of the year, starting at 6:00 p.m.

Squire Boys Win Overtime Thriller; Claim County Title
03 Jan 2008 - ( Sports )

by Eric Christiansen
Hollywood couldn’t have scripted it any better.
The team with the worst record in the tournament, with a head coach walking the sideline for the first time in three weeks due to an automobile accident, not only wins the county championship, they do it in dramatic fashion, at the buzzer, in overtime, Hollywood style.
Spenser Penrod’s 15 footer as time expired in overtime gave the Squires an improbable county championship over Northfield 55-54.
With 6.9 seconds remaining in overtime, Northfield’s Jordan Culver hit two free throws to give the Norse a 54-53 lead.
Penrod got the inbounds pass, drove right down the middle of the floor, stopped near the free throw line, and let his shot go.
“It felt good the second it left my hand,” Penrod said.
The shot was good, hitting nothing but net, sending the Squires and their fans into pandemonium.
Penrod has dreamt about this moment his entire life.
“Every kid imagines this situation,” Penrod said. “You go out and shoot for a while, and that last shot is always a buzzer beater. If you can hit more than you miss, when you get into a situation like this, chances are you are going to make it. We’re on top of the world right now, the whole team is.”
Dan Bourne, who was named the tournament’s MVP, couldn’t have been happier for Penrod, and for the team.
“When he shot it, I thought, ‘Please, God, let it go in,’” the Squire senior said. “We deserve one.” ....Read More

Squire Boys Defeat Wabash In First Round
03 Jan 2008 - ( Sports )

by Eric Christiansen
Some teams live and die by the three pointer.† Friday night, the Manchester Squires were living all night long.†
Senior Dan Bourne was 5-8 from behind the arch, while classmate Spenser Penrod went 3-6 from three point range to lead the Squires to a 63-42 win over the Wabash Apaches in the opening game of the Wabash County Tournament.
“We got some big shots from both Dan Bourne and Spenser Penrod,” Manchester coach Gary Goshert said.† “They were both feeling it, and that was a big boost for us.”
“Bourne has been killing us for three years,” Wabash coach Matt Stone said.† “Penrod also had a really nice game for them.”
The Squires advanced to the championship game against Northfield with the win.
Nolan Holloway got things going for the Squires early, hitting Manchester’s first two baskets, on assists from Bourne and Aaron Medley.
Niko Macaluso made it 4-3 with a three pointer, followed by David Cable hitting from 10 feet to make it 6-3. ....Read More

Lady Squires Fall To Wabash In County Finals
03 Jan 2008 - ( Sports )

by Eric Christiansen
It was over almost before it started.
After defeating Northfield in the opening round of the Wabash County Tournament, the Lady Squires faced off against defending champion Wabash in the championship game.
Wabash raced out to a quick 6-0 lead and never let Manchester back into the game in a 55-28 win.
“Wabash had a total team effort,” Manchester coach Mark Underwood said. “They were the aggressor in every facet of the game, and we were just letting them do what they wanted to do. We didn’t bring the competitive nature, and we kind of played scared.”
Wabash controlled the opening minutes of the game, including getting two early baskets from Jordan Fox, one a three pointer, to take a 6-0 lead.
Audrey Johnson finally got Manchester on the board at the 4:09 mark with a three pointer of her own, but freshman Kaleigh Hensley answered with a three pointer, followed by another basket from Fox for an 11-3 lead.
Manchester hit four three-pointers in the first half, two from Jessica Bedke, but could never get the inside game going. ....Read More

JV Boys 3rd At County
03 Jan 2008 - ( Sports )

The Manchester High School JV boys’ basketball team finished third in the Wabash County Tournament, losing to Northfield in the opener, and handling Wabash in the consolation game.
Friday morning, Northfield raced out to an 18-4 lead and held on for a 35-22 win.
“We just dug ourselves in too big of a hole,” coach Eric Christiansen said. “You can’t to that and expect to win. I do like how we played the last three quarters, but four minutes in that first quarter just really hurt us.”
The Squires cut the lead to 27-20 with four minutes left, but couldn’t get any closer.
Ryan Binkley and Scott Baker led the Squires with seven points each, while Nate Miller had four, and Austin Gidley, and Austin Blankenship both had two.
In the consolation game, the Squires outscored Wabash in every quarter to take a 35-21 win.
Baker led the Squires with 15 points and seven rebounds.
“We played our first complete basketball game so far this year,” Christiansen said. “We kept attacking the basket, and I really liked our defensive effort.”
The Squires led just 4-3 at the end of the first quarter, and took a 14-7 lead into halftime.
“We brought up two freshman from the C-team, Devan Knecht and Austin Flack, and they did a great job of handling the ball,” Christiansen said. “We had a lot of players do some good things. Ryan Binkley did a great job of getting us into our offense, and our big guys, Nate Miller, Broc Skaar, Scott Baker, and Austin Blankenship controlled the boards. I hope we continue with this effort the rest of the way.”
Along with Baker, Binkley had six points, Skaar and Blankenship both had four points, while Austin Gidley, Miller, and Skyler Dingess all had two points.
The Squires will host North Miami on Friday in a TRC match up.

JV Girls 3rd At County
03 Jan 2008 - ( Sports )

The JV girls’ basketball team finished third in the Wabash County Tournament, falling to Southwood in the opener, and beating Wabash in the consolation game.
Against Southwood, the Lady Squires had their chances to win, but missed free throws in the fourth quarter gave the win to the Lady Knights, 22-18.
The Lady Squires trailed 18-16 heading into the fourth quarter, but missed their last eight free throws of the game, including three front ends of one and ones.
“We did everything right,” coach Todd Volk said. “Our effort was outstanding, but you have to knock down your free throws. That was the difference in the game. We missed eight, but I look at it as 11 because of the one and ones. It’s a matter of having confidence and just shooting them and shooting them.”
Nicole Binkley led the Lady Squires with eight points and five steals. Emily Hill had four points, while Erika Milam, Jama Runkel, and Brittany Sievers all had two points.
In the consolation game, Manchester had no trouble with Wabash, pulling out a 31-20 win.
Volk was concerned about the mentality of his team heading into the game.
“It’s pretty hard to motivate kids for the consolation game,” he said. “But, I’m pleased they came out motivated and ready to play. They had every reason to have excuses, whether it is the holiday, or not playing for first place. But, they came out and did a good job.
“We played a pretty good game, and thankfully, we didn’t need the free throws in the end,” Volk added.
Erika Milam led Manchester with six points and eight rebounds, while Nicole Binkley had five points and five rebounds. Jama Runkel and Marissa Johnson had five points each, Tara Gnagy and Sievers had four points each, and Brittany Wagoner had three.

Girls Win Double-Overtime Thriller
27 Dec 2007 - ( Sports )

by Eric Christiansen
Free throws have been a thorn in the Manchester’s Lady Squires’ side at times this season.
Thursday night against Northfield, the Lady Squires attempted just two free throws through 32 minutes of play, but nailed 9-11 in two overtime periods to pull out a 61-57 win over their county rivals.
Sophomore Jessica Bedke led the Lady Squires in the overtime periods, hitting 5-5 from the free throw line and scoring seven points.
“I’ve always said that free throws are mental, and tonight, the girls showed the mental toughness it takes to not only hit the free throws in pressure situations, but to pull out a close game,” Manchester coach Mark Underwood said. “We’ve shot free throws in practice, and put them in every possible situation to put pressure on the girls, but it’s impossible to simulate a game situation. I’m really proud of them for stepping up and knocking them down.”
Northfield coach Marlene Richter was also happy with her team’s effort, and looks forward to the teams’ rematch this weekend in the Wabash County Tournament.
“I told the girls that we played a good game, and it may help us next week, where we get to play them on our turf,” she said. “I think we’ll be ready to go.” ....Read More

MC Women Fall
27 Dec 2007 - ( Sports )

Illinois Weselyan snapped a three-game win streak by the women’s basketball team as number eight in the nation IWU defeated Manchester 87-55.
Manchester and IWU were tied at 9-9 six and a half minutes into the game, but the Titans went on an 11-0 run to take a 20-9 lead with 11 minutes remaining. Manchester pulled to within five points, 20-15 with seven minutes left, but IWU closed out the first half with a 22-7 run to take a 42-22 lead at the break.
Kelley Meiklejohn led Manchester with 12 points on 4-10 shooting. She added three rebounds, one assist and a steal. Sarah Bose, Rachel Wilkinson and Kelsey DeMott added seven points each. DeMott added five rebounds while Bose added four rebounds and six assists.
Manchester falls to 6-3 on the year, and travel to the Wittenberg Tournament on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 28-29. Manchester opens against John Carroll at 12:30 p.m.

MC Men Edged In Tourney Play
27 Dec 2007 - ( Sports )

MC’s men’s basketball team fell to host Franklin and Marshall 64-49 Tuesday night.
After a 4-4 tie five minutes into the first half, F & M went on a 15-4 run to take a 19-8 lead with eight minutes left in the first half, and held a 27-16 lead at the end of the first half.
The Spartans scored six straight to start the second half, but F & M scored ten unanswered to take a 37-22 lead with 14 minutes remaining in the game.
James Reed led MC with 16 points on 4-8 shooting, 4-7 from behind the arc and 4-4 at the free throw line. He added four rebounds and two steals. Jamaal Wade added 16 points and five rebounds, while Jeff Grabowski added nine points on 4-6 shooting.
The University of Mary Washington’s Ben Stokes sunk a three-pointer at the buzzer to defeat Manchester 56-53 on Thursday.
Manchester jumped out to a 19-9 lead in the first 12 minutes of the game, but UMW scored 10 unanswered to tie the game with four minutes left in the half, but the Spartans rebounded to take a 26-23 lead at the break.
MC took a 38-30 lead early in the second half, but UMW ran off nine straight points to take a one-point lead with 11 minutes remaining. The Spartans went ahead seven, 48-41 with seven minutes to go, but the Eagles tied the game at 51-all with three minutes to go. Jeff Grabowski tied the game at 53-53 with 24 second remaining before the Stokes’ three-point game winner.
James Reed continued his streaky shooting as he led the team with 18 points, hitting 7-8 shots from the field. He added four rebounds and two assists. Grabowski was 4-8 from the floor for nine points and five rebounds with two blocked shots. Mitch Schaefer added eight points while Jake Koziel had eight rebounds.
The Spartans fall to 3-7 on the year, and return to action Wednesday, January 2 as they travel to Elmhurst.

Wrestling Team Claims Three Individual Titles At County
06 Dec 2007 - ( Sports )

by Eric Christiansen
The Manchester High School wrestling team had three champions at the Wabash County Meet Saturday at Northfield.
Bryant Wiley, Blaine Miller, and Dominic Byrnes were all named county champions by finishing first in their respective weight classes.
The team went 1-3 on the day in the team competition, beating White’s 54-15, and losing to Southwood 60-21, to Wabash 57-18, and losing to Northfield 54-24.
Wiley (189) went 4-0 on the day, and never saw the second period of any match. The Manchester senior pinned White’s in 55 seconds, Wabash in 1:49, Northfield in 1:32, and Southwood in 1:15.
“Bryant is an experienced wrestler, and very aggressive,” head coach Ryan Good said. “He will try a move, and if it doesn’t work, he’ll instantly go to another one. Sometimes, it’s too much for kids to handle. He is always looking for something, and eventually, he’ll find it.” ....Read More

Girls' Edged By Lewis Cass
06 Dec 2007 - ( Sports )

by Eric Christiansen
The Manchester High School girls’ basketball team enjoyed a halftime lead, and trailed by just two going into the fourth quarter, but couldn’t pull it out in the end, falling to 1-5 with a 51-45 loss to Lewis Cass last week.
The Lady Squires led 11-10 at the end of the first period, with five different girls scoring, and led 22-19 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Taylor DeHaven went off for Lewis Cass, scoring 13 points, including three 3-point plays to help the Lady Kings take a 38-36 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Despite seven fourth quarter points from Katie Bowers, and two free throws from Becka Guthrie, it wasn’t enough, as Cass shot 7-8 from the line down the stretch to close it out.
“Improvement was seen tonight,” Manchester coach Mark Underwood said. “We’re going to get there. We just need to stay positive and be patient.”
Bowers led the Lady Squires with 15 points, 11 rebounds, four steals, and three assists. Julie Seifert had six points and six rebounds, Noelle Patrick had six points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals, Audrey Johnson had five points, Amber Fratus had four points, Brittany Sievers had three points and six rebounds, Kyla Zile had two points and three rebounds, Guthrie had two points, and Kristen Lahman had two points.

Bourne Scores 33 In Basketball Win Over Alexandria
06 Dec 2007 - ( Sports )

Thirty three points from Dan Bourne, including 20 in the third quarter, helped propel the Manchester Squires to its first win of the season, 65-43 over Alexandria.
Bourne led all scorers with 33 points, and scored 20 of Manchester’s 21 points in the third quarter to turn a close game into a 17 point lead heading into the fourth.
“Dan shot the ball really well, and he really didn’t force too many shots,” Manchester coach Gary Goshert said. “Most of his shots were within the rhythm of our offense.”
Manchester raced out to a 9-2 lead, and held a 15-8 lead late in the first quarter, but Alexandria went on a 9-0 run to take a 17-15 lead midway through the second.
“We kind of started rushing our shots in the second quarter,” Goshert said. “We struggled with that in our first two games, and we need to quit doing that. When we run our offensive plays, we usually seem to get good looks.”
After a Manchester time out, the Squires slowed things down, and closed out the half on a 12-3 run to take a 27-20 lead.
Aaron Medley scored six straight points for the Squires, including one on a offensive rebound put back, and the other two on assists from Cornelius Cuffy and David Cable.
Cable hit two free throws, and Bourne scored inside to cap off a 10-0 run. ....Read More

Girls' Swim Team Picks Up Win
06 Dec 2007 - ( Sports )

The Manchester High School girls’ swim team lost a 110-67 decision to Huntington North to open its season.
Scarlett Melton and Catherine Chapman both won events for the Lady Squires.
“We really needed a meet to get things going,” head coach Kyle Wieland said. “We have been practicing for five weeks without a competition, and I could tell they were starting to get bored. It was good to have a meet.”
Melton won the 50 free with a time of 28.68, and Chapman won diving with a score of 130.15.
Coming in second place was the 200 medley relay team of Melton, Ashton Bradford, Leah McNeeley, and Amelia Flora (2:18.51), the 400 free relay team of Elizabeth Schilling, Shelby Minnix, Mackenzie Coulter-Kern, and Melton (4:36.39), Schilling in the 200 free (2:29.62) and the 100 free (1:07.72), Kaytlyn Eberly in the 50 free (29.11), and Cindi Myers in diving (117.90).
Third place results were McNeeley in the 200 IM (2:44.86), Minnix in the 100 free (1:07.82), Bradford in the 500 free (7:02.61) and the 100 breaststroke (1:27.47), the 200 free relay team of Flora, Eberly, Paige Woods, and Schilling (2:06.36), Melton in the 100 back (1:21.08), and the 400 free relay team of Eberly, Flora, Bradford, and McNeeley (4:45.64). ....Read More

Boys' Team To Rely On Size, Experience
23 Nov 2007 - ( Sports )

by Eric Christiansen
The Manchester Squires finished last season on a high note, getting to the sectional finals, and holding a third quarter lead over Lewis Cass in the championship game. They hope this is the year they get over the hump.
The Squires lost three players to graduation, Brandon Shepherd, Lucas Renz, and Zach Sievers, but return their top seven players from last season, and have added two juniors and a freshman to the varsity mix, and hope they find the right combination for success this season.
Manchester will once again be led by a trio of big men, Dan Bourne (17.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg), David Cable (11.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg), and Aaron Medley (8.9 ppg).
“We will look to those three a lot this year, just like we did last season,” Manchester coach Gary Goshert said. “They are all pretty versatile players who can score inside and outside.”
Also returning for the Squires will be seniors Spenser Penrod, Ian Pattison, Nolan Holloway, and Jody Griggs, who will all see playing time at guard. Juniors Corey Thomas and Ryan Binkley will also handle the ball and look for varsity minutes.
“Our guard play will be very important this year,” Goshert said. “If we struggle handling the ball, it’s going to be tough to score. All of our players have worked hard in the offseason at all facets of the game.”
Freshman Cornelius Cuffy moved into the area and will be a force inside for the Squires this season. ....Read More

Shooting Woes Haunt Girls' Team In Loss
23 Nov 2007 - ( Sports )

by Eric Christiansen
The Manchester Lady Squires took 66 shots and pulled down 26 offensive rebounds against Mississinewa Friday night.
Normally, those types of stats would mean a victory, but for Manchester, it just meant a dismal night of shooting.
Mississinewa, who had been shooting 25 percent from the field in their previous two games, shot 50 percent, while the Lady Squires struggled to find the hoop, shooting 23 percent (15-66) in a 37-33 Lady Indian win.
“It seems that one time a year, every team has a game where it’s like they can’t even throw it in into the ocean from a row boat,” Manchester coach Mark Underwood said after the game. “That was the case for us tonight. We’re going to continue to shoot in practice, and we’ll try to make those shots game-like, and hopefully, the next time we come out, we’ll be able to get a few more of them to drop.”
It looked like Manchester was going to run away with the game, taking a 5-0 lead in the first quarter, while Mississinewa committed five turnovers on their first five possessions.
Kyla Zile and Jessica Bedke both scored inside, and Julie Seifert hit 1-2 from the line, but Mississinewa went on a 10-0 run over the next five minutes to take a 10-5 lead, until Katie Bowers hit a three pointer to cut the lead to two.
Seifert kept things close, scoring the Lady Squires final six points of the half, but the Lady Indians took an 18-16 lead into the locker room.
Manchester’s shooting woes really showed in the third quarter, going 1-12, as Bedke scored Manchester’s only basket, on an offensive rebound put back.
Mississinewa led 29-19 early in the fourth quarter, but then the tide shifted, but only for 2:10.
Manchester rallied to tie things up at 29-29 with a 10-0 run.
Audrey Johnson grabbed a defensive rebound, brought the ball up the floor, and found Bowers for a jumper.
Johnson hit a jumper, followed by an offensive rebound put back from Seifert. Bedke stole the ball and got an assist on a Bowers lay up, and Kyla Zile hit Bowers for a bucket with 4:16 left in the game, and all of a sudden, Manchester was back in the game.
Mississinewa regained the lead on two free throws, but Zile scored on a pick and roll with Bowers to make it 31-31 with 2:15 left in the game. ....Read More

Football Team Bows Out In Sectional Finals
08 Nov 2007 - ( Sports )

by Tim McLaughlin
For 23:45 seconds of the sectional championship game between Manchester and Lewis Cass, the Squires gave the host Kings, 9-2 and ranked #10 in Class 2A, all they could handle.
Then, in a period of just under ten minutes, Cass ran off four unanswered touchdowns to squash any hopes the Squires had of winning their first sectional title since 1991.
“They (Cass) are very good. For a half, we gave them everything they could handle. Turnovers just killed us, and we knew we wouldn’t be able to make mistakes (and win),” said head coach Brandon Baker.
Both teams came out of the gates ready to play, but it was the defense of each that set the tone early on.
Manchester got the ball first. After a Blaine Miller first down run, the Cass defense held to force MHS to punt.
Cass then strung together two consecutive first downs, but a Nolan Holloway quarterback sack on third down forced the home team into a fourth and long.
On their second possession, Manchester again was able to muster a first down, this time on a Dylin Kennedy to Jon Walker pass, but Cass once again held, forcing the Squires to punt.
Cass then went to work offensively. Beginning at the Squire 48-yard line, the Kings kept the ball on the ground, relying on a series of fakes and trickery to keep the Squire defense off balance. After three first downs, Cass punched the ball into the end zone at the 9:37 mark of the second quarter. The converted PAT gave the home team a 7-0 lead.
Manchester didn’t score on their third possession, but was able to pin Cass on their own 10 yard line after Miller’s punt.
The Squire defense stepped up, forcing Cass to a three and out, which led to Skyler Howard’s 16 yard punt return. Manchester was in business with the ball at the Cass 31 yard line.
Dylin Kennedy wasted no time connecting with Brecken Kennedy for 14 yards, and two plays later, lofted the ball towards the endzone where Howard was being single-covered. Howard made a great adjustment to the ball, fought off the defender, and caught the ball with one hand for the score. Broc Skaar added the PAT, and with 2:47 remaining in the half, the game was tied 7-7.
“It would have been easy for us to start feeling sorry for ourselves when they scored, but we came out fighting,” said Baker. “Dylin made a great throw to Skyler for the touchdown,” he added.
Momentum was clearly on the side of the Squires, and if MHS could keep Cass from scoring before half-time, they had to like their chances of winning.
Cass quickly moved the ball to midfield as quarterback Rory Mannering connected with a pass for a first down. Two more first downs followed, and with 15 seconds still to play in the second quarter, Cass had the ball on the Squire 12-yard line.
Mannering dropped back to pass and lofted a pass towards the corner of the end zone where Cass receiver Damon Foreman was headed. Foreman managed to keep his feet inbounds, and hauled in the pass with 11 seconds showing on the clock.
The PAT followed, and the Kings took a 14-7 lead into the lockerroom. “That was an amazing first half of football,” said Baker. “It was the best we have played all year. The emotion, the intensity, and the execution were great.
“To Cass’s credit, they never got in a hurry before the end of the half, they just marched it down the field and made a great throw and catch to put us down at the half,” Baker added.
Cass got the ball first in the third quarter and took it right down the field on MHS. At the 7:29 mark, Cass ran it in from 25 yards and led 21-7.
Then, on the Squires’ next two possessions, Kennedy was intercepted by Cass defenders, both of which led to King touchdowns. With 2:51 still to play in the third quarter, Cass had stretched their lead to 35-7. “They are a very well coached and disciplined team,” said Baker of Cass. “We knew they would come out and make adjustments in the second half, just as we did, they just beat us up in the second half,” he added.
Although not out of the game, Manchester clearly would need a miraculous turn of events to climb back into the game.
MHS was able to manage a score in the fourth quarter when Holloway plunged into the endzone from three yards out, but it was too little, too late for the Squires.
Cass claimed the Sectional title with a 42-14 win and will play against 11-1 Wheeler in Friday’s Regional game.
“It was a very trying season,” said Baker. “We started off pretty bad and weren’t playing together, but as the year went on, it was great to see us come together as a team. We got better each week. The defense played well all year. The offense started to pick it up, and it was great for our program to play for the sectional championship,” said Baker. “The seniors will be missed. They have put a lot of time and effort into the program. The main thing I want the seniors to know is that when they come back and watch us play for more sectional championships, that it is because of their hard work that we are as good as we are. When we are winning in the future, it is because of them,” Baker concluded.

Lady Squires Open Season With New Faces
08 Nov 2007 - ( Sports )

by Eric Christiansen
After a four year run that saw the Manchester High School girls’ basketball team win three sectional titles, the Lady Squires enter the 2007-08 campaign with a lack of varsity experience.
Manchester coach Mark Underwood doesn’t see that as a problem.
“Last year is gone,” the Squire coach said. “You won’t hear me talk about last year, because that is not something we can get back. What we can try to do is be the best we can be this year. We have control on how hard we work, the kind of attitudes we have, and how we stay together as a group. So far, I’m really pleased with what I’ve seen.”
There will be plenty of new faces for the Lady Squires, but one face that will be familiar, especially to opposing teams, is that of Katie Bowers.
Bowers, a junior, returns for her third year of varsity action, and will be looked upon as a leader on and off the court.
“Katie is a pretty good athlete,” Underwood said. “Putting myself in the other coaches’ shoes, we have played plenty of teams that had a really good player. We could think about that person, but whenever we did, it seemed someone else stepped up and hurt us.
“But, Katie will be a hard one to completely stop,” he continued. “She is very athletic, and is probably going to make some things happen in a positive way, even if she is getting some attention from the other teams.”
However, Underwood stressed that it isn’t a one person show. Two other Lady Squires saw significant varsity action last season, seniors Audrey Johnson and Kyla Zile.
“We have six seniors,” Underwood said. “Four of those six played JV last year, but now is their chance. Even though they are new to the varsity, they are not new to our program.”
Denae Pyle, Kristen Lahman, Carrie McLain, and Julie Seifert will all begin their senior seasons looking to contribute on the varsity team.
“We have a lot of new faces, but this is a situation where we have players who have been in the program, and have been with us and preparing for this day since they were in seventh grade, or even before that in camps,” Underwood added. “They are hungry and ready to get on the floor and see we what they can do. Unless I miss my guess, it’s going to be a group that is going to work hard, have great attitudes, and stay together.”
One area that Underwood feels will be a strong point will be outside shooting.
“We’ve got kids who can knock down shots from the perimeter,” Underwood stated. “We hope any of them, when they are out there, and have the opportunity to score, won’t hesitate to pull the trigger.”
And, a Mark Underwood coached team wouldn’t be complete without a strong focus on defense.
The Lady Squires gave up just 36 points per game, and Underwood hopes that trend continues this season.
“We always hang our hat on our defense,” he said. “If we’re playing good defense, and we should be doing that every game, we will be fine. There will be some games when the shots aren’t falling, but if we are concentrating on the defensive end, and make it hard for a team to score, that can keep you in a game. Defense is just determination.”
Determination is what Underwood is expecting from his team, especially with an unseasoned roster.
“We knew with an inexperienced group, we just have to take things one game at a time,” he said. “Our goals are the same all the way through. Our main goal to keep improving, and be playing the best at the end of the year. We will make adjustments as we go, work with the kids, and talk about changes we need to make. We hope to be playing our best basketball at the end of the season and be ready for the tournament.”
Underwood will once again be assisted by JV coach Todd Volk, as well as the returning junior high coaches, Matt Webb and Bill McNeeley.
Former Lady Squires Brit Rager and Sarah Purdy are also joining the coaching squad, with Rager as a volunteer assistant coach, and Purdy walking the sideline for the C-team. Jen Howard, a teacher at Laketon Elementary, will be the sixth grade coach.
The Lady Squires open their season this Friday at home against Bluffton, and will travel to Prairie Heights on Saturday.

Squires Beat Whitko; Advance To Sectional Finals
01 Nov 2007 - ( Sports )

by Eric Christiansen
The Manchester Squires had so much fun the first time, they decided to do it again.
One could be referring to winning their first sectional game in nine years, or beating Whitko 16-6 in week four of the regular season.
Either way, the Squires are playing for the sectional championship for the first time since 1998, after shutting out Whitko 20-0 on a cold, windy night.
“This is just great for our program,” said head coach Brandon Baker. “The guys have worked hard to get to this point and it’s nice for the younger players to continue to get work,” he added.
The Squires moved the ball well on their first drive, using a combination of a solid running game and big play passing from quarterback Dylin Kennedy.
Twice on the drive, Kennedy came up with big third down passes to keep the drive alive.
On third and four, Kennedy found Skyler Howard for a 24 yard strike to put the ball on the Wildcat 37 yard line.
After two rushes from Nolan Holloway for a combined six yards, Kennedy found his older brother Brecken for a 10 yard pass to keep the ball moving.
The Squires faced another third down, but an incomplete pass brought up fourth down, and kicker Broc Skaar.
Skaar calmly booted a 33 yard field goal to give Manchester a 3-0 lead with 7:45 left in the first quarter.
Whitko took over on their own 24 yard line, but on the second play of their drive, Ryan Brumbaugh was hit by Blaine Miller, and fumbled the ball. Kyle Henderson recovered, giving the Squires the ball on the Whitko 18 yard line.
Manchester took little time to make Whitko pay for the turnover. Dylin Kennedy hit Brecken on a post pattern for an 18 yard touchdown. Skaar’s extra point made it 10-0 midway through the first quarter. ....Read More

Football Team Wins Sectional Opener
25 Oct 2007 - ( Sports )

by Tim McLaughlin
The Squire football team wasn’t necessarily out for revenge Friday night against Bluffton, but when the game came to a close, Manchester players had avenged an early-season loss against the Tigers, and in the process, secured the schools’ first post-season win since 1998 with a 21-7 victory.
“The win was huge for us,” said Squire coach Brandon Baker. “The guys set the goal at the beginning of the season to win sectional. We got a good draw, and we have been continuing to improve as the year has gone on,” Baker added. “I knew we could play with Bluffton. The first time we played them, it was probably the worst game I’ve been associated with since being at Manchester. We had to prove to ourselves that we could win this game, and we came out on top,” he continued.
Manchester set the tone early.
Bluffton got the ball first, but the Squire defense forced the Tigers to punt after three unsuccessful plays.
After two quick first downs by the Squire offense, Dylin Kennedy hooked up with Skyler Howard on a 24-yard pass play that set the Squires up with a first and goal opportunity on the Bluffton two yard line.
On a third and goal from the one-yard line, Blaine Miller powered the ball across the goal line for a touchdown. ....Read More

Doubles Team Falls Short at State
25 Oct 2007 - ( Sports )

by Eric Christiansen
Going into the doubles state finals, David Cable and Bryant Wiley knew they had to play their best tennis to advance to the semi-finals. In the end, they played well, but not enough to topple a powerhouse Delta team of Dan Klingenberg and Jeff Price, falling 6-2, 6-2 to end the season with a 24-2 record.
Klingenberg and Price, who entered the match with a 27-0 record, finished runners-up, losing to a Center Grove team that won its second state doubles title. The Delta team was 55-2 over the last two seasons.
“I couldn’t be happier with their performance today,” Manchester coach Eric Christiansen said of Cable and Wiley. “They didn’t play their best match of the year, but they competed with a very strong team, one of the best in the state.”
The Squire duo’s only other loss was to Floyd Central, who was named second team all-state. Cable and Wiley were also named second team all-state. (See related story on page 3B.) Cable and Wiley had a match point in that loss, but eventually fell in a third set super-tiebreak. ....Read More

Wiley, Cable Named All-State
25 Oct 2007 - ( Sports )

One final post-season honor was bestowed upon the Manchester High School boys’ tennis team.
David Cable and Bryant Wiley, who represented MHS at the state finals, were named Second Team All-State Saturday at the All-State Meeting.
This is the first time tennis players from Manchester High School have been named to the first or second team in the All-State voting. Brad and Eric Simcoe were named Honorable Mention All-State in 2003.
“This is a great accomplishment for David and Bryant,” Manchester coach Eric Christiansen said. “These two have worked hard as tennis players, and as a doubles team. They have continued to improve their teamwork throughout the season, and really deserve this honor. They played their best tennis against the best teams in the state, and proved they deserved to be at the state finals. I’m really proud of them.”

Volleyball Season Ends At Sectional
25 Oct 2007 - ( Sports )

by Eric Christiansen
The Manchester High School volleyball team ended its season at the Southwood Sectional, falling to Northfield in three games, 25-11, 25-16, 25-21.
Manchester fell behind early in the first game 7-2, and never recovered, losing 25-11.
Game two wasn’t much different, as the Lady Norse never trailed in a 25-16 win. The Lady Squires were only able to win more than one point in a row three times in the game.
Manchester looked to make a match out of it in game three, jumping out to an 8-3 lead.
Katie bowers served an ace for a 3-1 lead, and after a Northfield point, and two Lady Norse errors, Tara Gnagy made it 6-2 with a tip winner.
Northfield cut the lead to 8-6, but a Katelyn Wade kill, followed by three aces from Amber Fratus gave the Lady Squires a 12-6 lead.
Manchester held onto a 15-9 lead after a kill from Wade, but Northfield went on a 3-0 run on a kill and ace from Holly Reed, and a kill from Karyn Wilcox.
The Lady Squires didn’t back down, however, as Wade and Becka Guthrie got a huge block on Wilcox for a 17-12 lead.
Brittany Sievers made it 18-15 on a cross court kill, but a defensive error, a Riley Blatz winner, and a hitting error from Manchester made it 18-17.
Sievers and Wilcox traded points, as the Lady Squires held onto the lead 19-18, but Northfield made their move.
A 4-hit call against Manchester tied it up at 19-19. Northfield took the lead 21-19, but Reed was called in the net to cut the Lady Norse lead to 21-20.
Northfield, however, took the next three points on two Manchester errors and a tip from Reed to make it 24-20.
Julie Seifert cut it to 24-21 on a tip winner, but a serve from Fratus went into the net on the final point of the match.
Manchester finishes with a 6-26 record.

Doubles Teams Academic All-State
18 Oct 2007 - ( Sports )

The honors keep rolling in for the Manchester High School boys’ tennis team.
The number one doubles team of David Cable and Bryant Wiley and the number two doubles team of Steven Camp and Kyle Lahman both made the All-District team.
Cable and Wiley were ranked second in the district behind Westview among all doubles teams, while Camp and Lahman tied for eighth with Carroll’s and Fairfield’s number one doubles teams. Camp and Lahman were the only number two team selected.
“This is a great honor for these guys, and shows the respect they have earned from the other coaches in the area,” Manchester head coach Eric Christiansen said. “Brad Simcoe and Eric Simcoe were the only other players that I know of in the history of the school to make All-District, and they were ranked eighth. To have two teams ranked in the top 10 is unbelievable.”
The All-District teams are determined by the coaches in attendance at the district meeting.
“It’s a two hour selection and argument meeting,” Christiansen said. “We all sit in a classroom and fight for our kids. Our strength of schedule really made a difference in the minds of the other coaches, especially with both doubles teams beating #15 Homestead and #13 Canterbury, Camp and Lahman beating #11 Floyd Central, and Cable and Wiley coming up one point short against Floyd Central.”
Cable and Wiley still have a chance to make the either First or Second team All-State, while Camp and Lahman are still in the running for honorable mention All-State. Those teams will be announced this Saturday.
Cable and Wiley are still in the hunt for a state title, and will be competing at the state finals this weekend at Park Tudor High School. They will face ******** Friday at 2:00 p.m.

Cable, Wiley Heading To State
18 Oct 2007 - ( Sports )

David Cable and Bryant Wiley aren’t quite ready for their tennis season to come to an end.
The senior duo improved to 24-1 on the year and advanced to the state finals with wins over Crawfordsville and New Haven to win the regional title last Saturday at Ben Davis High School.
“This is awesome,” Wiley said. “I didn’t really have any nerves, which shocked me. I was pretty calm, but I think that’s helped me a lot.
“It feels good to have all the hard work pay off to go to state,” Cable added. “I thought we would have a chance to go far as a team, or as a doubles team.”
“It’s every kid’s dream to compete at the state championship, and David and Bryant get to live out that dream,” coach Eric Christiansen said. “I know they are happy, not only for themselves, but for the team.
“They played very well in their first match,” he continued. “They were focused, and played a very dominant match.”
Cable and Wiley beat Crawfordsville’s Jonathan Streetman and Joshua Rogers 6-3, 6-1 in the first round.
They got off to a quick 3-0 lead, and back to back aces from Cable gave the Squires a 5-2 lead.
Crawfordsville held serve to make it 5-3, but Wiley recorded back to back aces of his own to take the first set 6-3.
Wiley and Cable both held serve twice in the second set to help them take the second set 6-1, and the match.
“We pretty much stuck to our game plan of being aggressive and didn’t make too many errors,” Wiley said. ....Read More

Football Team Wins On Senior Night
18 Oct 2007 - ( Sports )

by Eric Christiansen
Manchester Squire coach Brandon Baker has been looking for a complete game all season from his team. Friday night, they delivered, beating Northfield 14-6,while the defense shut down Northfield’s offense.
“We played a full game,” Baker said. “We actually came out ready to go, and that is the first time we have done that. Part of that is because these guys know each other. They run around with each other. But, that’s what we need to do.”
The win improves Manchester’s record to 3-6, 3-4 in the TRC, while Northfield drops to 5-4, 3-4 in the TRC.
Both teams moved the ball in the first quarter, but neither team could find the end zone.
Manchester looked to be in good shape to score early after a Brecken Kennedy interception on the Manchester 30 yard line and a 14 yard return.
Manchester got a first down on a fake punt from Blaine Miller, but after a five yard run from Nolan Holloway put the ball on the 37 yard line, Trenten Quinn intercepted Dylin Kennedy.
Northfield punted, giving the ball back to Manchester with 1:50 left in the first quarter.
The Squires went on a 14 play, 81 yard drive, highlighted by a 25 yard catch from Brecken Kennedy, and a 19 yard catch from Skyler Howard. Three plays later, Nolan Holloway found the end zone on a six yard run with 8:55 left in the half. Broc Skaar’s extra point made it 7-0.
After another Northfield punt, Manchester got the ball to the Northfield 33 yard line. Skaar tried to make it 10-0, but was short on a 51 yard field goal attempt.
Northfield finally got a drive going, moving the ball from their own 20 yard line into Manchester territory. ....Read More

Volleyball Team Wins Season Finale
18 Oct 2007 - ( Sports )

by Eric Christiansen
The Manchester High School girls’ volleyball players went out in style in their final home match, outlasting Blackhawk Christian in five games, 16-25, 25-23, 23-25, 25-22, 15-13.
The first game was all Blackhawk, who jumped out to an 8-2 lead.
Manchester cut the lead to 12-11, but an 8-0 run put the game out of reach.
In game two, Blackhawk led for the most of the game, holding an 18-17 lead.
Tara Gnagy tied things up with a kill. Two Blackhawk errors gave Manchester a 20-19 lead, but a tip and a kill from the visitors gave them a 23-21 lead.
Manchester coach Sarah Dillon called a time out, slowing down the Blackhawk momentum.
Brittany Sievers came out of the time out on fire, getting two kills and a block for three straight points and a 24-23 lead.