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Indianapolis Star
6 days ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
One of state's top basketball seniors gets limited eligibility from IHSAA after transfer to Fishers
The eligibility of one of the state's top high school basketball players is in question for the upcoming season. The Indiana High School Athletic Association ruled Wednesday Kai McGrew, who transferred from Lawrence North to Fishers in the spring, will have limited eligibility for the upcoming season in its initial decision. That ruling would limit McGrew to junior varsity games for 365 days from his last varsity game, which was the Class 4A semistate on March 22. The 6-9 McGrew, an Indiana Junior All-Star and ranked No. 4 in the state by IndyStar in the 2026 in-state class, averaged 14.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists as a junior at Lawrence North, helping the Wildcats to a 22-7 record and Class 4A semistate championship game appearance. McGrew transferred to Fishers after the season, prior to the new first-time transfer from the IHSAA going into effect on June 1, meaning his transfer was processed by the IHSAA under the previous transfer rules. McGrew enrolled at Fishers High School on April 22. McGrew's mother, Keela Buckley-McGrew, declined to comment 'at this time' when contacted by IndyStar on Wednesday night. She explained in April she has lived in the Fishers district the past two years and wanted to make the transfer due to proximity to school for her son. 'I'm able to get him back and forth to school easier and my job is closer,' she said at the time. If the McGrew family chooses to appeal the IHSAA decision, it has 30 days to submit the appeal to the IHSAA review committee. McGrew attended Smoky Hill High School in Aurora, Colo., as a freshman, before moving to Indiana prior to his sophomore season. He averaged 10.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots a sophomore on a Lawrence North team that went 25-4 and won a 4A regional championship. Fishers won the Class 4A state title two years ago and was the runner-up last year, losing by one point to Jeffersonville in the state championship. The Tigers return junior guards Jason Gardner Jr. and Cooper Zachary, but graduate most of the other key contributors from that team.
Indianapolis Star
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana high school football: 10 Indy-area RBs to watch in 2025
As the IHSAA football season gets closer, we take a look at some of the Indianapolis-area's top running backs to watch in 2025
Indianapolis Star
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Breakout performers and key contributors: These are Indy-area baseball top sophomores
Some of the budding Indiana high school baseball stars experienced breakout seasons, while some already had a year of varsity experience under their belt. Here are the top Indianapolis-area sophomore baseball players from the 2025 season. IHSAA baseball: See who made 2025 IndyStar Super Team Ardizzone batted .383 with 37 runs scored, 20 RBIs, 11 doubles, two home runs and 17 stolen bases. The sophomore batted .407 with 33 runs scored, 30 RBIs, five doubles, six home runs, one triple and six stolen bases. Christiansen batted .387 with 24 runs scored, 23 RBIs, five doubles, four triples and six stolen bases. On the mound, Christiansen went 4-0 with a 2.96 ERA and 23 strikeouts over 28⅓ innings. Delp batted .330 with 22 runs scored, 23 RBIs, seven doubles, one home run, one triple and 24 stolen bases. On the mound, Delp went 4-2 with 18 strikeouts over 20⅔ innings. Dubie batted .457 with 22 runs scored, 13 RBIs, five doubles, two triples and 10 stolen bases. On the mound, Dubie had a 0.62 ERA and 12 strikeouts over 11⅓ innings. Grant batted .325 with 29 runs scored, 17 RBIs, six doubles and three stolen bases. Hall went 1-1 with a 2.88 ERA and 30 strikeouts over 17 innings. Hughes went 3-1 with a 1.40 ERA and 34 strikeouts over 35 innings. Keller went 5-1 with 2.40 ERA and 56 strikeouts over 61⅓ innings. At the plate, Keller batted .312 with nine runs scored, seven RBIs, four doubles and three stolen bases. The IU commit batted .320 with 44 runs scored, 18 RBIs, seven doubles, four triples, two home runs and 12 stolen bases. Meyer batted .420 with 11 runs scored, 22 RBIs, four doubles, four triples, three home runs and 10 stolen bases. Moore went 5-1 with a 1.84 ERA and 48 strikeouts over 38 innings. Westerfeld batted .394 with 27 runs scored, 22 RBIs, seven doubles, four triples, two home runs and 12 stolen bases. On the mound, Westerfeld went 5-3 with 2.22 ERA and 74 strikeouts over 53⅔ innings. Winters had a 2.83 ERA and 67 strikeouts over 42 innings. At the plate, Winters batted .250 with six runs scored, 10 RBIs, two doubles, one home run and one stolen base. Bland batted .333 with 32 runs scored, 10 RBIs, three triples and 23 stolen bases. Blondi batted .254 with 17 runs scored, 12 RBIs, two doubles, two home runs, one triple and four stolen bases. On the mound, Blondi had a 4.10 ERA with six strikeouts and one save over 13⅔ innings. Eagen batted .325 with 22 runs scored, 19 RBIs, six doubles, one home run, one triple and 14 stolen bases. Flickinger went 4-3 with a 2.84 ERA and 32 strikeouts over 32 innings. Krienhagen batted .433 with 13 runs scored, 12 RBIs, two triples, one double and four stolen bases. Moore batted .291 with 19 runs scored, 25 RBIs, five doubles, one home run and two stolen bases. Also a standout quarterback and Louisville football commit, Sorgi batted .354 with 22 runs scored, 11 RBIs, six doubles, three triples, two home runs and three stolen bases. Tolan batted .356 with 12 runs scored, 15 RBIs, seven doubles, two home runs and two stolen bases. On the mound, Tolan had a 2.56 ERA and 16 strikeouts over 13⅔ innings. Cripe batted .360 with 36 runs scored, 27 RBIs, five doubles, one home run, one triple and 11 stolen bases. Guyer batted .385 with 26 runs scored, eight RBIs, one double and 20 stolen bases. Haboush went 5-1 with a 0.53 ERA and 25 strikeouts over 26⅓ innings. Jenkins batted .366 with 25 runs scored, 16 RBIs, six doubles, three home runs, one triple and 17 stolen bases. On the mound, Jenkins had a 4.26 ERA and 42 strikeouts over 23 innings. Laughlin went 1-2 with 1.14 ERA and 28 strikeouts over 30⅔ innings. At the plate, Laughlin batted .272 with 10 runs scored, 18 RBIs, three doubles and seven stolen bases. Markus went 1-3 with a 3.98 ERA and 51 strikeouts over 38⅔ innings. Moore batted .274 with 19 runs scored, eight RBIs, six doubles, one home run, one triple and 13 stolen bases. Smith batted .392 with 16 runs scored, 21 RBIs, six doubles, two home runs and three stolen bases.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
End of an Era: Sagamore Conference enters summer of change
With the ending of the IHSAA boys regional golf tournament at Coyote Crossing last Friday, it officially ended the 2024-25 athletic calendar for the Sagamore Conference teams. In doing so, it also ended the way the conference has been for the past quarter of a century. Advertisement With the end of the year, five of the eight members – Crawfordsville, Frankfort, North Montgomery, Southmont and Western Boone – are off to be part of the new Monon Athletic Conference, which will debut this fall with Cascade, Greencastle and North Putnam. Tri-West, who originally was going to stick with the Sagamore, will also be leaving for the newly formed Hoosier Legends Conference. Harrison and McCutcheon will be joining the Sagamore next year, with Terre Haute North and South coming the following year to create a six-team Sagamore Conference with Lebanon and Danville. While it is a lot of change, this isn't the first time the conference has had a makeover. Advertisement Founded in December of 1966, the conference was originally made up of teams with some of the oldest IHSAA histories in Lebanon, Brownsburg, Carmel, Crawfordsville, Frankfort and Noblesville. That group stayed together for seven years before Carmel left in 1973, with Noblesville following them in 1979. North Montgomery was added in 1975, with Western Boone coming in 1983 and Southmont two years later before Brownsburg left the conference in 1985. The six schools remained the same until the 1999-00 season, when Tri-West and Danville joined to become the eight teams the conference had for the next 26 years. Advertisement During the last 26 years, the conference has been one of the more successful conferences for its size in Indiana. The eight schools have combined to win 380 sectional titles over the past 26 years, with every school capturing at least 23. They have added 66 regional titles and 15 semi-states. The schools have won 12 state titles over the last 26 years, coming in four different sports, and seven of the eight teams have played for a state title during that time frame. The eight schools added 23 individual state champions as well and numerous All-State athletes. In a perfect world, the conference would stay together. Advertisement But in the changing world of sports at the high school and collegiate level, it just wasn't realistic for the long run. Size wise, Lebanon already has 200 more students than the second largest school in the conference in Danville, and is expected to continue to grow as LEAP district continues to develop. With 1,033 students, Lebanon has more than twice the enrollment of Western Boone, Southmont and North Montgomery. And while the overall conference titles were fairly evenly distributed across all sports – Lebanon, Tri-West and Danville dominated the big three sports of football, boys basketball and girls basketball – especially in recent years. In football, Lebanon, Tri-West and Danville combined to win at least 19 of the 26 titles, with only nine other schools earning at least a share during that stretch (Western Boone had five of those). Advertisement Over the past five years, those teams went 64-7 against the five schools leaving for the Monon (Western Boone accounting for five of those wins) with an average margin of victory of more than four touchdowns. In boys basketball, the three schools have won at least a share of 23 of 26 conference titles, with seven other teams earning at least a share at some point. Lebanon, Tri-West and Danville have a record of 63-11 in 74 games against the five leaving for the Monon, with an average margin of victory of 18.6 in the wins. Girls basketball has seen the three win 22 of 26 titles, with only six other teams earning at least a share over the past 26 seasons. They won 70 of 73 games against the teams leaving over the last five years, with a average margin of 34.1 points a game in those 70 wins. In the end, the five schools leaving did what they had to do to find a more competitively balanced conference to help all of their athletic programs, and will be in a conference with every school being in the the upper enrollments of Class 2A or in Class 3A. Advertisement And Lebanon and Danville were able to find some new conference partners that will test them and help elevate them in the years to come. The good news is the schools agreed to separate on good terms, and they will continue to play in non-conference action in several sports – keeping together some of the good rivalries that have been created over the decades. And while it is technically the end of the Sagamore Conference as we have come to know it, the legacy that it created over the past 26 years will be remembered.
Indianapolis Star
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
How Samaya Smith overcame mental adversity to become Warren Central's first tennis state champion
INDIANAPOLIS — After Samaya Smith lost the first set 6-2 in the IHSAA girls tennis individual state finals on June 14, Warren Central coach Jonn Patterson knelt next to his star player as she sat during the set break. Patterson reassured Smith victory was inevitable. 'I knew she was going to win it then because she took her opponent's best shot, and she was still standing,' Patterson said. 'I told her, 'We got it.'" Smith nodded in response. 'It was over after that,' Patterson said. Smith proceeded to win the following two sets 6-1, 6-2, becoming the first Black girls tennis individual state champion from Indianapolis. With the win, the junior also became Warren Central's first tennis state champion. Smith said it was 'amazing to hear' she became the first Black tennis player from Indianapolis to accomplish the feat and is 'just trying to be the best tennis player I can be, and it's an amazing honor to make history along the way.' Smith's rise to becoming the best tennis player in the state wasn't easy. She spent her first freshman and sophomore years competing in track and tennis. After helping lead Warren Central to the 2024 girls team state track title alongside her sisters, Laila and Kyra, Smith committed full-time to tennis in her junior year with hopes of competing in college. As a dual-sport athlete, Smith would miss four months of tennis training to focus on track. When Smith returned to the court last summer, she said she 'struggled to find her game,' which caused self-condemnation. ''Why would you do this? Why would you take a break? You were improving so much and took four months off,'' Smith would ask herself. Eager to overcome the mental hurdle, Smith and her parents agreed for her to start meeting bi-weekly with sports psychologist Austin Halcomb in October 2024. Halcomb helped Smith forget previous match points and adjust on the court when things weren't going well. The two worked on having a focal point to reset during matches and utilized deep breathing, high-level self talk and mental reset routines to help Smith stay present in game. 'It's really easy to get down in tennis because it's such a mental sport,' Patterson said. 'It's the only sport that you can miss, and not only is it a point against you but a point for your opponent, so now it's easy to beat yourself up because you're also elevating your opponent.' Halcomb assessed early in their meetings that Smith's thinking geared toward, 'If it wasn't perfect, it wasn't good enough.' Over time, Smith saw adversity as a positive and key to growth. Smith understands she can't escape negative thoughts altogether but says she's able to recover and compliment herself during 'tough situations.' 'What we went through in those sessions helped out so much after dropping the first set 2-6. In my head, I was going crazy, and the nerves were a little rocky. I just had to remember my plan and what I was going to do,' Smith said. 'His plan that we had set out with a focal point and resetting helped get the second and third set.' Halcomb praised Smith for finding real-world examples of their exercises and for 'always smiling and actively listening.' Her attitude and quick-to-listen approach weren't a facade. Though intrusive thoughts flooded Smith's mind at times, her inclination to care for others and receive feedback from coaches didn't waver. A day before the May 10 conference tournament, Patterson praised one of his players for nearly completing a set without surrendering a point, also known as a golden set. Unfamiliar with the term, Smith consumed the knowledge her coach provided. As Patterson surveyed his player's matches the following day, he kept hearing, 'Crack, crack, crack,' on Smith's court. 'I was there like, 'Is she trying to go after that golden set?'' She was. And she did. And did it again the next day. 'Anything new she can learn about the game, she's going to absorb it and try to replicate it. She's a sponge,' Patterson said. 'Usually, she doesn't show up her opponents right away and blast winners. She'll hit around with them, and when she's ready for the point to end, she'll hit a winner or leave it up to the opponent to make a mistake. Those days, she just hit the winners. 'I tell anyone I talk to that she will be a pro in four years.' Warren Central coach Daryl Whitley was hitting partners with Ashlee Davis and Tiffany Welcher, two of the four Black women to win the tennis state championship. In 2019, Whitley was inducted into the State High School Tennis Hall of Fame. In his 50 years of playing and coaching tennis, Whitley has never witnessed a player like Smith. 'They can put her in the Hall of Fame today,' said Whitley, who likened Smith to Coco Gauff because of her speed and forehand grip. 'She's been playing tennis for seven years and wasn't fully committed. She was probably unknown when tennis season started; mid-way through, her name spread quickly. With what she's accomplished in seven years, she's a tennis prodigy. I've never worked with someone who picks up things in tennis that fast.' Though a force on the court, Smith's opponents enjoy playing against her. Westfield's Alexandra Grilliot played Smith in the state finals. The two are friends and have trained together at the Indianapolis Racquet Club the past year. Grilliot believes Smith forcing her to 'move in and hit the better shot instead of keeping the ball in play' during the finals made her grow as a player. While Smith's game is more counter punch, she knew she had to 'up her angles and racquet speed' to defeat Grilliot. 'It's easier to play against someone like Samaya, who is a fair player and that you know won't do anything mean to you,' Grilliot said. 'That's why I like playing doubles with her; she's easy to get along with. She makes me a better person as well because of her kindness and how much of a good example she is to everyone.' Throughout the tennis season, it was common for Smith to inquire about her teammates after he matches. Smith would also watch her teammates play and offer encouragement. Both coach Whitley and Patterson credited her humble spirit to her parents. 'She could have a big ego with her championships, but she has no ego at all,' Patterson said. More: Warren Central's quest for IHSAA girls track state title is a family affair. Smith's mother, Le'gretta, is a coach at Warren Central and has led the Warriors to three team state track championships. Smith's father, Stephen, won silver in the 1994 Pan American Games in high jump. Laila, Smith's older sister, won the 300 hurdles outdoor state championship in 2024. The youngest Smith, Kira, won the indoor state girls high jump championship in March. Sweat droplets from the Smith family are seeped into every piece of clay that makes up Warren Central's track. So, when Smith relinquished her track duties, tradition was sacrificed to forge a new path. 'We know everyone is pursuing track in my family, so I think it's amazing that I get to extend the family name in tennis and in a completely different sport,' Smith said. Smith has her parent's utmost support. Le'gretta, a tennis fan for 25 years, practices with Smith often. Smith acknowledged her parents for picking up balls, recording film and grabbing a tennis racquet to play with her when she wanted to train. Le'gretta admires Smith for 'taking the leap of faith into something different.' When Smith started taking the sport seriously about four years ago, Stephen knew tennis was meant for his daughter because of her consistent desire to play. He believes her decision to choose tennis inspired Kira to pursue softball. Stephen views Laila as the 'nailgun' who goes after a challenge and labeled Kira the 'cerebral' daughter. To Stephen, Smith is the 'gladiator' because of the fight she endured to become tennis champion. 'I'm so proud of her because it was hard. For her to step out of that lane and decide, 'I want to do tennis, but my family is track,'' Stephen said before pausing to process his emotions. 'I'm about to cry because for her to be able to hopefully go to college and play and get her education by doing something that she loves to do, that makes a girl dad proud.' With immense gratitude expressed in a gentle tone, Stephen repeated himself. 'That makes a girl dad proud,' he said.
