FALL SPORTS WRAP UPS

Senior quarterback Will Pettit prepares to hand the ball off against Portage on Sept. 11.

PHOTO BY GILLAN GATLEY

Seniors look back on career as football team ends season 4-3

BY KEELEY BERNARD co-sports editor

The football team’s season ended against Merrillville in the sectional semifinals on 0ct. 30, where they lost 39 - 0. Despite the loss, Coach Kevin Enright is proud of the hard work his team put in this season.

“We feel all members of our group worked extremely hard through difficult and unprecedented adversity to reach its potential, and we’re proud of that,” Enright said.

Although Enright feels all members of the team worked hard, he highlighted the leadership from the seniors as important to the team’s success.

“Our seniors lead our group with the courage and determination that exemplifies success,” Enright said. “Their willingness, selflessness, and sacrifice for the goal of playing football with their buddies was, without a doubt, inspirational for everyone.”

Senior captain Matthew Walters reflected on the last game against a whole.

“I think that the team as a whole could have performed better against Merrillville but not playing any games for almost a month definitely took a toll on all of us,” Walters said. “But the team’s overall season I think went pretty good given the situation we were dealing with and I think everyone got better every week.”

With this season over, Enright looks forward to next season and what his team will be able to do.

“We will continue to challenge all members of our football program to develop an unbelievable work ethic, and a willingness to accept personal differences, for amazing team chemistry,” Enright said. “ If we accomplish this, we will achieve true success, and reach our potential both academically and athletically.”

Girls golf wraps up season with 11th at state

BY NOAH THOMAS co-editor-in-chief

Girls golf ended their season on a high note, finishing 11th at the state meet at Carmel. The girls assistant coach Johanna Hess says the girls were successful this season due to their teamwork and cohesiveness.

“Our team put in a lot of hard work over the season. It took a lot of determination, skill, and smart course management to get to that level of play, especially on a very difficult state course. Our team this year, including everyone from the number one spot to the JV squad, functioned as a great cohesive unit,” Hess said. “When one person didn’t play their best round, someone else stepped in to fill the role we needed that day. We didn’t have any athletes that were out for themselves – everyone was focused on what they could do to help the team. Even though golf is in many ways an individual sport, it is still very much a team effort. We needed everyone to play a consistent game this season to get to the point Merrillville and the team’s season as

where we won our sectional and qualified for state.”

Senior Isabella Weiss helped contribute to the state team this season, looked back to the last four years she was on the team and how that contributed to her season to the hard work her teammates and herself put in.

“We practiced everyday with each other and on our own and I think of hard work and just trying to have fun while doing it,” Weiss said. “We are a very competitive team so just competing against each other and ourselves really helped. We have had a very successful four years being able to compete at state three times which is a huge accomplishment for me and the twins [seniors Delaney Adams and Madelyn Adams].”

The issue facing all high school teams this year was the COVID-19 pandemic. Though golf is a non-contact sport, the pandemic’s danger still lies. Sophomore Jasmine Harper believes the team handled the pandemic in a very safe manner.

“I feel we navigated the pandemic very well. We all would socially distance whenever we could, wore masks around others, stayed home if we didn’t feel well, and didn’t go out with large groups. Golf is a team sport, but it is also very independent. We were able to practice safely very easily because we don’t need to be near each other to practice,” Harper said.

The future of the program will have to replace seniors Delaney Adams, Madelyn Adams, and Isabella Weiss next season. Harper believes her and the other underclassmen are up to the task.

“I feel very confident about the future of our program. I think we can get to state again with our girls we have now and the ones coming up. Our coaches and teammates really push us to get better. Although, the seniors were a huge part of our team, and I think we all are going to really miss them. They were phenomenal varsity players all four years, and they really lifted our team mentally and physically,” Harper said.

INKLINGS Boys cross country celebrates state 12th place finish

BY KEELEY BERNARD co-sports editor

The boys cross country team is coming off of a successful season with a win in DAC for the second time in school history, a first place win at sectionals, a first place win at regionals, a third place finish at semi-state and a 12th place finish at state. Coach Erik Forehand believes that the team’s success was due to training.

“The boys were consistent in their training,” Forehand said. “When track and school were shut down on March 13, we focused on the cross country season - that was 233 days of training. The boys did some virtual racing with some great teams throughout the spring and continued that momentum into the summer. Distance training is highly complex from a physiological standpoint and yet also very simple in that ultimately you get out of it what you put into it.”

Training and practice are very important aspects of cross country because it allows athletes to learn. However, athletes are not the only ones who train and learn. With former head coach Keith Iddings retiring from coaching after 23 years, Forehand has had to use his first season as head coach as a learning experience.

“It’s been a great learning experience and I look forward to improving off year one,” Forehand said. “The season was initially anxious, occasionally overwhelming, and eventually exhausting, but I am definitely very pleased with the season. Between coaching and teaching, it’s been a seven day per week process dating back to early August. My level of respect for those who coach at the high school level and

Junior Cameron Zimmerman runs at sectionals on Oct. 10.

PHOTO BY GILLAN GATLEY teach grew immensely this season.”

Coaching is vital for a team’s success, but so is the leadership from members on the team. Forehand highlights the leadership from the seniors.

“The seniors provided a tremendous amount from leadership and competitive standpoints,” Forehand said. “The seniors were vital in the team’s success this season and will be missed. Their leadership in keeping everyone on the team accountable when we weren’t able to meet up was outstanding.”

One of the seniors vital to the team’s success was Cole Simmons, who managed to place 36th at state.

“I was happy with my individual performance at state, and am happy I ended my high school cross country career the way I did,” Simmons said. “At state, I placed 2nd among boys in our regional and 3rd in the semi state. While all state would’ve been nice, I’m proud of what I did and finished first on our team in the process. Overall, we had a very successful season. “

With the success of this season, the current underclassmen will be looking to replicate or possibly better the results next year.

“In the future I can see next year’s team qualifying for the state meet down south and having some really fast new incoming guys,” junior Cameron Zimmerman said. “My goal for the team is to have us qualify at semi-state for the state meet and also have an undefeated season. My personal goal for next season is to go low 16, possibly even sub 16 and go to state.”

Sophomore Evan Turner, who finished 146th at state, also shares high goals for the team and himself.

“I would like to win sectionals, regionals, and semi state as a team and get top 10 at state,” Turner said. “If we can stay healthy, injury free, improve times and be consistent then we should do well next year.”

Forehand hopes that his team can build upon their goals and also their success from this season.

“We’ve had a lot of success this year and in recent years under Coach Iddings,” Forehand said. “Success starts with learning to be a high character individual first. If we are a team full of high character individuals, success will take care of itself.”

Boys tennis looks ahead succeeding loss in sectional finals

BY SAMUEL BREWER co-sports editor

On Oct. 1 the boys tennis team lost the sectional final to Hanover Central in a very close 3-2 competition. Junior Seth Gozo was upset with the way the season had ended, as the team had worked hard.

“The team was very sad and upset that the season had to end that way. We worked hard all season, everyone improving their game,” Gozo said.

Although senior Tyler Kuss was disappointed with the way the team ended their season, he was grateful for the memories his tennis career gave him as well as his teammates.

“Even though we didn’t win sectionals this year, I’d say that my favorite memories were when we won sectionals the three years prior. Everyone on the team was always really happy and we were all proud that our hard work all season paid off,” Kuss said.

Now that the season is over, the juniors are ready to step up and compete for a deep postseason run. Only one senior had graduated off of the varsity team. Gozo is ready for the challenge.

“I’m expecting our team to be at its best. Everyone’s training hard during the off season and we’re not gonna lose another sectionals title. My plan is to continuously practice year round and compete in higher leveled tournaments around the Midwest,” Gozo said.

Head coach Carl Davis was unavailable for comment.

20 SPORTS Boys soccer loses sectional finals in shootout

BY KEELEY BERNARD co-sports editor

The boys soccer team faced Chesterton in the finals of sectionals on Oct. 10. The game was tied 1-1 in regular time and went to penalties, in which Chesterton converted from the spot four times while the bulldogs only converted three times. Even though the loss is tough to cope with, coach Michael Bazin sees the positives with the game’s results.

“It was heartbreaking for everyone to lose on penalties, but we played great,” Bazin said. “Our goalie, senior Jared Hecimovich, played the game of his life. I was so happy that he was able to perform at his best under the pressure of the situation.”

Hecimovich managed to make 14 saves during the game and was selected player of the game. He reflected on what his performance means to him.

“It means a lot being selected player of the game and playing one of the best games of my life in the final game of my career. I was just dialed in and hoping to give my team a chance to win the game,” Hec-

Midfielder senior Kobe Perez fights for the ball with a player from Hobart during a game on Oct. 7. The bulldogs won the game 4-0.

PHOTO BY GILLAN GATLEY

imovich said. “I gave it all I had and I’m proud of the way we played. I felt we played really well against one of the best teams in the state. We had a good season.”

The end of the season allows for players and coaches to look ahead to the future. Saying goodbye to the seniors and transitioning into a new season is tough, but Bazin recognizes that his team has talent at every grade level.

“We will miss our seniors dearly, but we are a program that always has quality at each grade level,” Bazin said. “This year’s juniors will be ready to fill the outgoing seniors shoes next year. Gavin Stagg and Kyle Alb will be our returning players with the most minutes from this year. They’ll be looked to as leaders for next year’s team.”

Alb is looking forward to being a leader next season.

“Next season I will try to lead the team the exact same way I did it this year: work hard with them and always be someone that they can ask questions to if needed,” Alb said. “I will be good at being a positive senior that the underclassmen will look up to.”

Alb hopes that in his senior year he will be able to lead the team to a sectional championship.

“My team goals for next season is to win a sectional championship because we have yet to win one in the past three years,” Alb said. “I definitely think we have a great chance at sectionals next year. I think the team will have a good next season.”

Volleyball says goodbye to seniors after regional loss

BY SAMUEL BREWER co-sports editor

The girls volleyball team finished their season in the regional finals against Munster High School in a 3-2 loss. While the team was disappointed with the result against Munster, coach Alison Duncan is happy about the success they had with their performance in sectionals and regular season tournament wins.

“Losing in the postseason is always difficult, and it doesn’t matter if it was close or by a large margin. It is always emotional and we never like losing to Munster because we have a very competitive environment between our two programs. We had a really strong season, we won three tournaments this year, which is something our team has never done before,” Duncan said.

Junior Rachel Rossman was also happy about their sectional success, and knew that the team did what they could to compete in regionals.

“We were all so happy that we had the opportunity to play, and were so thankful that our season didn’t get taken away. We all believed that we could have gone farther this season, but left everything on the court,” Rossman said.

The conclusion of this season causes the volleyball team to say goodbye to their seniors. One of those seniors is Kylie Gurgevich, although she wishes they won regionals, she is grateful for the time she has had playing at the high school.

“I will remember the great memories of the program I got to be a part of. It truly is a family,” Gurgevich said.

Even with the loss of the seniors, Duncan is very confident in the ability of the strong junior class that will be coming back next year.

“Our junior class is really strong across the board, we have every position filled almost in the junior class right now. They command a lot of the playing time right now,” Duncan said.

INKLINGS Girls soccer ends season with sectional championship, misses out on regional title

BY NOAH THOMAS co-editor-in-chief

The girls soccer team finished 13-5-1 this season and lost in regionals to Chesterton 3-2 in overtime. And while the girls were eliminated, Coach Mirkut was impressed with the season and the effort the girls gave this season.

“It was an outstanding season. We finished 13-5-1 with our losses to the number three,four and five teams in the state rankings and Chesterton twice in overtime. The girls worked extremely hard all year and accomplished some of the big goals we set at the beginning of the year for them,” Mirkut said. “We talked about the season as a whole and all that was accomplished. We laughed together, cried together, and celebrated together as a soccer family, and the memories made over the years they were in the program is what we will talk about in the future, not the loss.”

Senior Grace Wells says that although she is sad her career is over, she was happy to still have a full senior season throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think the season went good considering we weren’t even sure we’d get a season let alone make it all the way through,” Wells said. “Losing to Chesterton affected me because it became real that this was the end of our season and that I’d never play high school soccer again, it was sad.”

The girls varsity soccer team got a scare earlier in the season when a girl on the JV team tested positive for COVID-19 and the JV season ended two weeks earlier than planned as a result. Mirkut thanks the COVID-19 protocols put in place that prevented the spread and protected the players’ health.

“There’s no question that we were concerned about the season ending, especially when the JV finished two weeks early. The coaching staff was happy that the positive case was contained to one player and that by following the protocol no other players had to be tested. I was sad for the girls for their season ending early, but their health today and in the future is the most important thing we wanted to protect,” Mirkut said. “The girls were great about follow-

Fullback junior Abbey Chidsey makes a play during a girls soccer game on Oct. 8. The lady bulldogs finished their season with a 13-5-1 record after losing regionals to Chesterton in over time.

PHOTO BY GILLAN GATLEY

ing all the protocol at CPHS as well as at the protocols at other schools we played at. The girls understood that our season was at stake and if they could follow the rules we could make it through the whole season, and we did. I’m not going to lie, it was very stressful, especially towards the end of the season, but it was worth it in the end.”

Looking to the future of the program, the girls soccer team will be losing ten seniors due to graduation, and will be looking to fill the hole that these seniors are leaving behind. Junior Emma Adams looks to step up along with her underclassmen teammates.

“We have great underclassmen who will definitely step up and fill in the spots of the seniors we are losing. I can tell they are excited and ready to give it all next season. I’m excited to be a senior next year and hopefully lead our team to another sectional championship,” Adams said.