The cross-country regional that takes place on Saturday has been run at Ceraland Park the past three years, but that is going to change this year. The regional will be held at Blue River Park in Shelbyville.
There are renovations being made to the baseball and softball diamonds at Ceraland, and those areas would impede the start line for the runners, thus the need to move it to Shelbyville.
The local teams competing are the second-ranked Columbus North girls team and the third-ranked Bull Dog boys team, along with the Columbus East and Jennings County boys and girls and the Brown County boys team.
Individuals competing from Hauser are Nolan Dailey, Colin Kistler, Collin Buck and Ledger Gelfius in the boys race and Lucie Asher and Madison Hollman in the girls race. The Brown County girls that are competing as individuals are Hadley Gradolf and Sadie Hiatt.
The top five teams and top 10 individuals on non-advancing teams qualify for next week’s Brown County Semistate. North will be the heavy favorites to claim the regional team titles.
“From a preparation standpoint, we’re excited about going to Blue River course because it’s got a similar feel to the course at Terre Haute,” North boys coach Andy Keffaber said. “It’s more of a looping course and more wide open as opposed to our course, which had a lot of long straightaways. We’re excited about it, although we loved our home course.”
“It’s good for us in the idea that it’s easy to get in the same routine,” North girls coach Rick Sluder added. “Racing somewhere new gives us a little excitement and something to look forward to. I think the girls are pretty excited about it. It is a shame not getting to race in Columbus on our home course. We’ll miss that a lot.”
Horn sets school receiving record
Senior Cooper Horn set Columbus North’s single-season receiving record in Friday night’s win against Bloomington North. He now has 1,119 yards this season, breaking the record of 995 set by Jaylen Flemmons in 2017.
Cooper Horn also has 52 receptions this season, which is third in school history. Brandon Butler has the record of 57 from 2006.
Horn’s cousin, senior Zac Horn, is third in the single season touchdown passes list with 21, which is four behind Ryan Genth (1989) and Trenton Kelley (2017). Zach Horn is fifth on the single-season passing list with 2,005 yards.
The Bull Dogs have at least two more and likely at least three more games this season. They finish the regular season Friday at Terre Haute South and open sectional play Oct. 28 at Jeffersonville.
Bull Dogs receive exemplary report
The Columbus North football team received an Exemplary Behavior Report from official Greg Patterson for a display of sportsmanship in Friday’s win against Bloomington North.
In his report to the IHSAA, Patterson wrote:
“During an EXTENDED injury timeout for an injured Bloomington North player, the CN O line players reached out to the Bloomington North defensive players and just began a conversation. This was a moment that I wish all of the coaches and fans could have witnessed. It was just kids reaching out and chatting with other kids! Learning about each other and learning about the young man that was injured! It’s what high school sports is supposed to look like.”
Volleyball tourney starts tonight
Columbus East hosts a Class 4A Sectional and will open against Whiteland at around 7:30 p.m. tonight. The winner will play Shelbyville in the second semifinal at around 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Columbus North, meanwhile, drew a first-round bye in the East Sectional and will play in the first semifinal at 11 a.m. on Saturday against the winner between Franklin and East Central. The sectional final is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday.
Hauser has bumped up from Class A to 2A this year and hosts its sectional. They’ll face North Decatur in the opening round at 6 p.m. tonight. Milan and Southwestern (Hanover) will follow in the second first-round match, and that winner will face South Ripley in the second semifinal. The Hauser-North Decatur winner will meet Switzerland County in the first semifinal at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
Kennedy to host 5K walk Saturday
Columbus East softball senior Megan Kennedy will be hosting Dash for Diabetes 5K Walk as part of her senior project on Saturday with a 9 a.m. start time. The event will begin at the Mill Race Tower and end at Noblitt Park.
At 4 years old, Kennedy was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes. She is raising money in helping to find a cure.
All proceeds will benefit the American Diabetes Association.
James Pence is a sports writer for The Republic. He can be reached at [email protected] or 812-379-5632.
