Sporting News

STUDENT SPORTS

STUDENT SPORTS

Creating lasting memories around a football

After the Eagles lost to New Prairie in the second round of the IHSAA tournament on Oct. 29, the football team gathered on the field as they do after every game. It would be the last time this group of individuals would assemble on Oliver Field.

Head coach Andy Dorrel picked up a football and stood before his team. He told them everyone — players, coaches, managers — was there because of that ball. They had all bonded and built relationships because of football.

“I mean there were lacrosse players. There were hockey players. There were baseball players,” he would say later. “And the only reason that team was assembled was because of a football. And that gave the coaching staff an opportunity to mentor that group. From a counselor to a math teacher to a chemistry teacher to a humanities teacher to an economics teacher.

“You wouldn’t have the opportunity to have access to all those individuals at one time unless it was through a sport like football.”

Dorrel has been assembling groups of athletes and coaches for 25 years. This year, he became the winningest football coach in Culver Military Academy history, finishing the season with an overall record of 147–123. He passed the legendary Russ Oliver with a dramatic 35-34 home victory over Hanover Central.

With a do-or-die final drive, the Eagles marched 92 yards down the field with quarterback Jimmy Pisani ’22 (Clarendon Hills, Illinois) scoring a scrambling touchdown and then hitting wide receiver Colin Vickrey ’23 (Westlake, Texas) in the back of the end zone for the go-ahead, two-point conversion.

“That was one for the ages,” Dorrel said. “I’m so proud of the kids and that tells me a lot about people. This is what I love about sports. Watching teams execute when they have to. When the game is on the line and there is not going to be a second chance. We’ve had a few teams that have been able to do that over the years, and that’s probably what’s been most thrilling to see — the kids perform at that level.”

Dorrel never thought about breaking Russ Oliver’s record. Oliver coached at Culver for 33 years and is enshrined in the Indiana High School Football Hall of Fame. He was a player at CMA when Bob Peck invited Knute Rockne down to speak to the team. His name is on the field.

“It was never really on my radar,” he said. “I was just trying to help create a great experience for the kids.”

And that experience is what he enjoys hearing about the most. Having former players approach him and talk about how much they enjoyed being part of the team, whether they were a starter or not. “There are stories like that from every class,” he explained. “They just want to talk about what the Culver football experience means to them.”

There are also the players who found themselves on the football field, either during a game or practice. Dorrel has seen players break down in tears because something didn’t go right, a loss of confidence

in themselves, or the team suffered an unexpected loss. But, as they But when the field didn’t drain, the cork floated to the top. matured and graduated, they have become better people because they “You couldn’t see the yard markers and the hashes and lines,” Dorrel developed resilience from those failures. said with a laugh. “So we were out there the day of the game with my

Developing those relationships, watching the players grow is what pickup truck, scoop shovels, and trash cans. We filled the entire back keeps Dorrel coming back year after year. He came to Culver from Crown of my pickup with cork. There were eight custodians out there with us. Point High School because he felt there was something special about We played Indianapolis Howe that night and had success but it’s still the place. He first saw part of the campus as an assistant wrestling funny.” coach during the Culver Invitational in January. The CMA football program can boast two professional players among

“I was just mesmerized with Culver,” he said of his initial visit. the alumni. Terry played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Francisco “The Steinbrenner athletic facility, the architecture, the brick work. 49ers in the NFL and Brescacin has played for the Calgary Stampeders I met a few students and just was blown away. I didn’t see all the and just re-signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football campus because it was January and frigid out.”

Later, Dorrel met now-retired instructor Joe Horvath at a teaching conference. They exchanged numbers and that May, Horvath called him and told him about a possible opening. He applied and started as an assistant coach to Joe Chamberlin in football and Colin Stetson in wrestling. The following year, he took over as head football coach.

After going 7–12 in his first two seasons, Dorrel went 7–6 and won the sectional crown in 2000. It was also the first season of Friday Night Lights at Oliver Field. In that short period, he had already coached a Division I player in tackle Jeb Terry ’99, who went to the University of North Carolina, and won his first sectional. Coaches who helped Andy Dorrel celebrate Dorrel becoming the winning football coach in Culver history gathered on the field after the And through that, he had the opportunity to interact Hanover Central game. Present were (left-to-right) John Meiser, Kevin VanHorn, John Rogers, Andy Strati, Andrew Melshen, Andrew Dorrel,

Ibrahim Fetuga, Ed Kelley, Matt Gerber, Bill Murchie, Joseph Mellor, Paul Patrick, Joe Chamberlin, Sam Mavrick is partially hidden.

with some of the top collegiate coaches. Other assistant coaches who have worked with Andy Dorrel over the past 25 seasons. Some have been on staff and others have served

“I thought this was the perfect job,” he said. His as volunteers. “I may be missing a few but I’m proud to have worked with these men,” Dorrel said. These include: Kurt Christiansen, Andy players were on campus 24/7, he had just had his first Plonski, Greg Farrall, Robert Smith, Gerry Lasko, Brad Timmons, James Walworth, Tommy Mascari, Wayne Booker, Eric Young, Hal Ecksten, Bill Kime, Bob Kime, Kent Kinkade, Mike Goldstein, Jeff Payne, Ted Pajakowski, Michael Pazin, Julian Mastro, Tucker Mizhir, Pat Loughlin, Dan major college player signed, and the football field had Cowell, Brian Rosenau, and Ryan Fought. been upgraded with the lights.

But he realized that his players were not available 24/7 because of League. And Deonate Craig ’20 (Iowa) and Max Miller ’20 (Wake Forest) all the other demands on their time. He doesn’t benefit from summer are currently playing at the NCAA Division I level. The Culver program has team workouts because everyone has gone home. And it would be also produced several Division III players in the past several years. another 11 years before his next NCAA Division I player Momo Kime ’10 Part of the reason for the college recruitment success has been would head to West Point to play for Army. Juwan Brescacin ’11 would Culver itself, Dorrel explains. The rigorous academics, the overall schedfollow in 2011, playing at Northern Illinois. ule, and living away from home, means the players are “a little more

The next sectional crown would come four years later in 2015. The mature” than other high school seniors. College coaches don’t have to Eagles have also reached the sectional championship game — “football worry about Culver students. in November” is one team goal — in 2020, 2017, 2009, and 2006. And part of that maturity comes from the bonds the players and

“Obviously, it has turned out better than we expected,” he said. coaches make. Dorrel believes that the locker room is where great “Learning how to work within the Culver schedule and being fluid and players — and great leaders — are made. able to pivot has been critical to the longevity of the program and the “We talk about the strength of our locker room,” he explained. success that we’ve had.” “We spend more time in the locker room — changing and transitioning

In the past few years, more facility upgrades have been made. The — than on the field. And, then, there is still the walk. sod field has been replaced by turf, and a new scoreboard has been “That’s when you have those conversations. You look at the lake. added. And Eagle Stadium is now under construction and should be It’s just so picturesque. That’s what it is all about. I think that’s why our ready for the first game this fall. alumni are so loyal. They don’t value Culver until they leave. They don’t

But that’s not to say there haven’t been a few hiccups along the way. realize how fortunate they are with the facilities.

A few days before the turf field was going to officially host its first “And the fact that the kids are trusted to be outside around campus game in 2014, it rained — and rained — and rained. To the point that and have that opportunity to grow on their own, with their friends by the drainage system couldn’t keep up. The turf designer recommended their side. It’s special.” putting down ground cork with crumb rubber to keep the field cooler. — Jan Garrison

STUDENT SPORTS

Winning weekend for CMA Hockey

CGA Fencing takes title

CGA Varsity Fencing captured its first Great Lakes High School Fencing Conference championship in seven years, overcoming perennial rivals New Trier and Stevenson.

Women’s Sabre led the way with a big silver medal finish, taking a big 5–4 win against New Trier before dropping a tough 3–5 loss to Libertyville-Vernon Hills. Coach T.J. McNally cited seniors Amelia Leeman ’22 and Ally Barath ’22, and junior Peyton Williams ’23 for setting up the Foil and Epee squads in delivering the overall title.

Women’s Foil cruised to the final with wins over Catholic Memorial, New Trier, and Glenbrook South before demolishing Stevenson with a

All four Culver Military Academy hockey teams won titles over the first weekend in March. U16 won the MidAm District championships with a 4–1 win over Esmark Stars and U18-Prep won the MidAm 1–0 over Pittsburgh Pens Elite. Those two victories move the Eagles on to the USA Hockey National Championships in Rochester, Michigan.

At the state championships, CMA Varsity B won the Class 1A state championship 3–2 in 2OT over Westfield. It was Varsity B’s first state crown since 2013. Varsity A won the Class 4A state championship over Hamilton Southeastern, 4–3. It was the sixth straight title for Varsity A. Both games were played at the Ice Box in South Bend.

5–0 shutout. Captain Alexis Dragne ’23 and senior Emily Luo ’22 were undefeated on the day. Senior Jacqueline Cao ’22 also turned in a solid performance as CGA Foil maintained its dominant position in the conference over the past decade.

Women’s Epee won the gold with a 5-3 upset of New Trier. The Eagles finished off Marian Catholic and Glenbrook South on their way to the final. Led by solid bouts from senior captain Georgia Rice ’22, the epeeists posted two important upsets in the final to claim the gold. Junior Faith Martinez ’23 and English Speaking Union postgrad Caitlin Nicholson finished off the Trevians with two 5–4 thrillers.

CGA basketball wins sectional

Culver Girls Academy won its first sectional championship since 2011 with a convincing 59–27 over Kankakee Valley. Taylor Bowen ’22 scored 32 points and Dionna Craig ’23 had 16 in the win. The Eagles advanced with a 64–32 win over Wheeler in the sectional semifinal. Bowen had 26 points, Brighton Bird ’23 scored 12 and Madi Miller ’22 had 8. They lost to eventual state champion South Bend Washington in the first game of the regional.

The Eagles finished the season 13–13 under first-year head Bill Murchie. Bowen was named to the 3A/4A All State Team by the state coaches. She will be playing at Lipscomb University next year.

CMA basketball takes crown

Culver Military Academy captured its fifth sectional title in six years with a 64–26 victory over New Prairie in the championship game. The Eagles advanced with an opening round 60–46 win over host Kankakee Valley and a 79–17 victory over Wheeler.

CMA had to face two ranked teams in the Class 3A regional. The Eagles defeated the 11th-ranked Peru Tigers in the first game, 66–59. Cooper Farrall ’23 led the team with 18 points, followed by Jokubas Skurdenis ’22 with 17. They dropped a heartbreaker to the second-ranked Mishawaka Marian Knights, 39–38 in the championship game. Farrall scored a team-high 10 points, followed by Skurdenis and Fola Fayemi ’23 with nine each. The Eagles finished the season with a 20–9 mark.

Oberto in top four

Constantino Oberto ’23 finished his season at the Boy’s Tennis IHSAA individual state tournament, finishing as a semifinalist. He defeated Max Renshaw of North Posey, 6–4, 6–2, before losing to state runner-up Alex Antonopoulos of North Central, 7–6 (4), 6–3. Oberto, CMA’s number one singles player, qualified for the state after the Eagles lost in the regional to Bremen, 3–2.

CMA won its 18th consecutive sectional, and 32nd overall, with two 5-0 victories over North Judson and Rochester, respectively.

Cross Country’s tournament run

Balance was the key during the tournament run for the CMA and CGA cross country teams. CMA’s Sam Tullis ’22 and CGA sophomore Celeste Gram ’24 qualified for the state meet at the La Vern Gibson Championship Cross Country Cross in Terre Haute. Tullis finished 53rd overall with a 5-kilometer time of 16 minutes, 33.4 seconds. Gram finished in the 119th spot with a time of 20:31.4.

Tullis won the Manchester Sectional in 16.44.9, nearly eight seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. Hunter Miller ’23 finished sixth, Dionte Obertein ’24 was 11th, and Yiqiao Wang ’24 was 18th to round the top 20 finishers. The Eagles were second overall behind Warsaw.

CGA’s Stella Kinney ’22 was third at the sectional, with Gram finishing 11th, Faith Martinez 16th, and Ella Bilton 19th. The team finished third overall to qualify for the regional, which was held for the first time since the pandemic at Culver Academies.

In the regional, CGA was third with Gram finishing seventh and Kinney 13th. CMA was second with Tullis again taking the top spot in a time of 16:59 — 13 seconds ahead of the runner-up. Miller finished 10th in 17:53.

At New Prairie Semi-State, Tullis finished sixth in 16:25.9. CMA finished 13th overall. CGA was 10th in the team competition with Gram finishing in 14th, strong enough to qualify for the state, with a time of 19:40.4.

STUDENT SPORTS

Volleyball captures No. 2

After not winning a title for 38 years, Culver Girls Academy captured its second straight sectional crown wins over Knox (3–1) in the first round and Kankakee Valley (3–0) in the championship. Second consecutive sectional championship with a 3–0 win over Kankakee Valley.

CGA lost in the first round of the regional, 3–0, to West Lafayette. The team finished with a 26–8 record for a 77 percent winning percentage. Taylor Bowen ’22 became the first CGA player named to the 3A/4A All Star team by the state volleyball coaches association.

Pair invited to sail for Team USA

Culver sailing’s 420 pair Annie Samis ‘25 and Parker Kumler ‘23 have been invited to sail for Team USA in the 420 Jr. European Championship in Vilamorua, Portugal, and the World Championship in Lake Balaton, Hungary. They will travel to Europe in July and early August.

“These two have worked so hard all fall and winter to get to this point,” said head coach Joe Hanko. “We are so proud of them.”

The invitation was based on Samis’ earlier sailing record of achievement, plus the pair’s strong performance this past fall representing Culver Sailing in multiple championships, and their results at the C420 Midwinter Championship in February.

The girls will be training this spring with the Culver team, then compete independently at C420 regattas this summer to prepare for the regattas in Europe.

Samis and Kumler are the first Culver sailors to qualify for Team USA.

16 Playing at Next Level

Sixteen Culver Academies student-athletes made formal commitments to play at the collegiate level next year. They represent six sports and will be attending 15 universities or colleges. Two will be attending Penn.

CGA Basketball Taylor Bowen (Carmel, Indiana) Lipscomb University

CGA Hockey Lauren Tuzik (Frankfort, Illinois) St. Cloud State University Sophie Bellina (Medina, Ohio) Rochester Institute of Technology

CMA Lacrosse Andrew Macheca (South Bend, Indiana) Rutgers University Adam Blind (Powell, Ohio) Harvard University Haydn Sommer (Elizabeth, Colorado) United States Air Force

Academy Jimmy Pisani (Claredon Hills, Illinois) University of Michigan Griffin Scane (Clarkston, Michigan) University of Pennsylvania Cameron Pack (Caledon, Ontario) Ohio State University Nikko DiPonio (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan) University of Utah Frank Coyle (Douro-Dummer, Ontario) Hamilton College

CGA Rowing Samantha Jorgensen (Dyer, Indiana) University of Notre Dame Brenna Cotter (Winnetka, Illinois) University of Pennsylvania Evelyn Tabor (Indianapolis) University of Rhode Island

CMA Swim & Dive Mitchell Schott (Newport Beach, California) Princeton University

CGA Swim & Dive Claire Feick (Dallas) Villanova University

Swim & Dive

The Culver Swim & Dive teams both captured their sectional championships and produced the program’s first individual state champion this winter. Mitchell Schott ’22 (center), who will swim for Princeton next year, won the 200 freestyle in 1 minute, 35.48 seconds to become Culver’s first champion. He also finished third in the 500 freestyle with a time of 4:26.13.

Schott also anchored the 200 free relay team that included Jacob Maibach ’23, Cabot Ellert ’23, and Sam Tullis ’22. The same group swam in the 400 free relay in 3:18.30. They finished 27th in both races. Maibach also qualified for the 50 free, finishing 27th overall.

Reid Omilian ’22 finished 11th in the diving competition, moving up four slots from his 2021 state finals finish. He advanced to the state by finishing fourth at the Valparaiso Diving Regional.

CMA finished 15th in the state after winning its first sectional title in history. CMA ran away with the title, scoring 409.5 points, followed by Warsaw with 298. CGA captured its sixth sectional title in the past 10 years with 407 points, followed by Warsaw’s 394. Diver Claire Feick ’22 paced CGA with a first-place finish at Warsaw, a sixth-place finish at Valparaiso, and 15th place at the state finals. CGA finished 37th at the state meet. Also winning at Warsaw and qualifying for the state meet were Qianning Zhang ’23 in the 100 butterfly (29th in the state), the 200 freestyle relay team of Kari Teglia ’24, Noa Shafeek-Horton ’25, Megan Gifford ’24, and Emily Heim ’22 (27th); Teglia in the 100 backstroke (32nd); and the 400 freestyle relay team of Teglia, ShafeekHorton, Zhang, and Heim (30th).