Indiana High School Athletic Association, Inc.

9150 North Meridian Street, PO Box 40650, Indianapolis, Indiana 46240–0650

Phone: 317–846–6601    Fax: 317–575–4244    Website: www.ihsaa.org

Blake Ress, Commissioner

________________________________________________________________________________

MEDIA INFORMATION                                                                                                  August 4, 2006

Contact: Jason Wille, Sports Information Director                                                                    

E–Mail: jwille@ihsaa.org

 

 

SIX SCHOOLS ADDED TO IHSAA MEMBERSHIP LIST

At its first meeting of the 2006-07 school year on Thursday, the IHSAA Executive Committee approved the membership application of four new charter schools and welcomed the return of two others from previous years.

 

Approved for new membership were Thea Bowman Leadership Academy in Gary; Herron High School in Indianapolis; Indianapolis Metropolitan Career Academy and; 21st Century Charter School at Fall Creek, also of Indianapolis. Students at each school will be able to compete in regular season events immediately but, by IHSAA rule, won’t be eligible to participate in state tournament competition for two years (2008-09).

 

In addition to those four, two former member schools – Fishers and Indianapolis Attucks – return to the Association.

 

Fishers, located just northeast of Indianapolis in Hamilton County, closed its doors in 1966 after 56 years of IHSAA membership to consolidate into what became Hamilton Southeastern. The new school will offer grades 9-11 this year and compete as a member of the Hoosier Crossroads Conference.

 

Attucks, which first joined the IHSAA in 1942, was converted to a junior high school in 1986 but will begin to house ninth grade students this year and will add a class each of the next three years. Attucks is perhaps best known in athletic circles for its boys basketball state championship teams in 1955, 1956 and 1959 as well as legendary player Oscar Robertson.

 

With the addition of the six schools, IHSAA membership now totals 406 schools, the highest mark since 1976-77. Peak membership of 820 schools was reached in 1942, the year that private, parochial and institutional schools were first admitted to the Association.

 

Additionally, after a two-year waiting period as new members, Guerin Catholic (Noblesville), Seton Catholic (Richmond) and Greenwood Christian Academy, will each be eligible to enter state tournament competition this year.

 

IHSAA Membership Totals Since 1969-70

1969-70

444

1979-80

401

1989-90

391

1999-00

386

1970-71

438

1980-81

403

1990-91

389

2000-01

387

1971-72

428

1981-82

401

1991-92

389

2001-02

386

1972-73

423

1982-83

400

1992-93

389

2002-03

392

1973-74

424

1983-84

401

1993-94

388

2003-04

396

1974-75

419

1984-85

396

1994-95

388

2004-05

398

1975-76

410

1985-86

397

1995-96

385

2005-06

400

1976-77

407

1986-87

392

1996-97

385

2006-07

406

1977-78

405

1987-88

391

1997-98

384

 

 

1978-79

399

1988-89

390

1998-99

386

 

 

 

 

 

ATHLISTICS THE SOURCE FOR ON-LINE HIGH SCHOOL STATS

For the second year, the IHSAA will use an on-line service for reporting and publishing prep sports statistics and has encouraged each of its member schools to participate in the effort.

 

Athlistics, located at www.athlistics.com, maintains a similar look to last year when it was known as Stats & Go while upgrading some of the existing features and adding a few new ones.

 

Individuals registered to enter school information will be able to access all the data for free but, in the coming days, the service will become a subscription-based site for all others. During the registration process, fans will be able to choose their favorite school with 25 percent of subscription revenue benefiting the participating school designated.

 

The IHSAA will continue to post on a weekly basis a complimentary list of state leaders in several categories in football, volleyball and boys and girls soccer on its website at www.ihsaa.org.

 

In football, the IHSAA will post per game leaders in rushing, passing, receiving and scoring as well as tackles, quarterback sacks and punting. In volleyball, per game leaders in kills, hitting percentage, service aces, assists, digs and blocks will be compiled. And in soccer, goals, assists, points and goals against average will be posted.

 

Schools will need to update their information on a game-by-game or, at least, a weekly basis with reporting to be completed by 10 a.m. Eastern time each Monday of the season. Information available through Athlistics will also be included in the regular IHSAA news releases.

 

 

 

COMCAST LOCAL TO AIR HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREVIEW SHOW

The Indiana High School Football Preview Show will air on Comcast Local five times prior to the start of the 2006 football campaign.  The 30-minute show previewing all five IHSAA football classes features host John Michael Vincent of “The Drive with JMV” sports talk show on WNDE-AM 1260 in Indianapolis, Indianapolis Star reporters Kristen Leigh Porter and Jeff Rabjohns, and former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Mark Herrmann.

 

Show Dates and Times

Saturday, August 12, 6:30 p.m. ET

Sunday, August 13, 12:30 p.m. ET

Monday, August 14, 10:30 p.m. ET

Wednesday, August 16, 8:00 p.m. ET

Friday, August 18, 6:30 p.m. ET

 

Also as part of its Varsity Showcase, Comcast Local will air an IHSAA regular-season game live on Friday, August 25.  Fans can email comcast_local@cable.comcast.com with their school name as the subject line to vote for their team’s game to be shown on Comcast Local.

 

Comcast Local is part of the Indiana Cable Network (ICN), which will broadcast all five state finals games live from the RCA Dome on November 24-25.

 

Comcast Local Indiana Systems (14)

Cable System

Channel

Columbus

14

Connersville

15

Crawfordsville

9

Fort Wayne

9

Frankfort

9

Huntington

9

Indianapolis

14 (simulcast on 96)

Logansport

9

Monticello

9

Muncie

5

Peru

9

Rushville

14

Seymour

14

Wabash

9

 

 

 

IHSAA CALENDAR

 

PDF Files: 2006-07 Seasons at a Glance | Monthly Calendar | Future Important Dates | Corresponding Weeks

 

 

NEWS & NOTES FROM AROUND THE STATE

 

 

  • Brebeuf Jesuit athletic director Brian Brase has resigned his post after nine years at his alma mater (1977) to become director of events and broadcasting for the Indianapolis-based USA Track & Field. His last day at the school will be Friday, Aug. 11.

 

  • Adam Chavez was selected as Hammond’s new football coach earlier this summer. A Chicago native, Chavez comes to Hammond after previous coaching and teaching jobs in Illinois and Nevada. Some of his more recent players include O’Brien Schofield, LB for University of Wisconsin; Karlos Whittaker, RB for United States Naval Academy; and Kevin Green, OLB for Purdue University.

 

  • Andy Conrad was named the boys soccer coach at Lawrence North replacing Tim Labonne. Conrad transitions from being the interim head coach and was previously the freshman coach. He is a 1981 graduate of North Central High School in Indianapolis, where he competed with the Dynamo Football Club. From there he was a walk-on for Indiana University during its national championship season in 1981-82.

 

  • Roger Dodson has been named the new head football coach at Greenfield-Central. Dodson had been the varsity assistant coach at Lawrence North and previously had been the coach at Franklin Community and Indian Creek.

 

  • Whiting’s Mel Dumezich, who will begin her sophomore year this fall, was featured in the July 24 edition of Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd”. As a freshman pitcher, Dumezich helped lead the Oilers to the Class A state softball title ending her season 32-0 as Whiting became the first undefeated (33-0) state champion in state history.

 

  • Kevin Ecenbarger has been named as the boys varsity basketball coach at Bremen. Ecenbarger has served as the school's JV coach for the past eight seasons and previously was the boys coach at Oregon-Davis for five years.

 

  • Aaron Hood has recently named the boys varsity soccer coach at Bremen.

 

  • As of June 14, the Elwood Tennis Complex has been named the Max Hoppel Tennis Complex, in honor of the long-time girls coach. Hoppel has coached the girls high school team for 27 years and the boys team in various years. He is currently the head coach of both programs.

 

·         Portage Athletic Director Bob Mattix announced his retirement effective July 1. Mattix took over as athletic director in 2001 after one year as an assistant. He was the head football coach from 1989 to 1994.

 

  • Hammond Clark named Pat Montalbano as its new athletic director this summer. He finished his first season as baseball coach last spring and led the Pioneers to a 25-6 finish and the school’s first regional championship. He plans to continue coaching the baseball team in addition to his new administrative duties with the school.

 

  • The National Association of Sports Public Address Announcers (NASPAA), the professional association for sports public address announcers, selected Chad Niccum, The Voice of the New Castle Chrysler High School Trojans, as the 2005-2006 NASPAA Indiana High School Announcer of the Year. 

 

  • Lawrence North basketball player Greg Oden became the first Indiana athlete to win Gatorade High School Male Athlete of the Year during ceremonies in Los Angeles in mid-July. Lauren Cheney, a soccer player from Ben Davis, was a finalist for the female Athlete of the Year award that went to Tina Charles, a basketball player from New York.

 

  • Wawasee has named Jeff Phillips as its new baseball coach. Phillips is a Social Studies teacher at Wawasee High School, teaching Economics and US History and was the Assistant Coach this past season for the Warriors.

 

·         Zionsville boys golf coach Dave Sollman, who led the Eagles to state titles in 2002 and 2004, resigned to spend more time with his family. Since Sollman took the reins in 1995, Zionsville qualified for state six times and won nine conference championships. Sollman will continue to teach social studies at the school.

 

  • Curt Trout was named the new football coach at Fountain Central, replacing David Bolin.

 

  • Roncalli recently announced John Wirtz as its new baseball coach. Wirtz, a 2002 inductee into the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame, returns to the school after heading the team from 1977 to 2004. In those 28 seasons, he compiled a .758 winning percentage and took the team to a state runner-up finish in 1982.

 

Have an interesting note? Please e-mail IHSAA Sports Information Director Jason Wille at jwille@ihsaa.org for consideration.

 

 

IHSAA 06-07/01