Banner Graphic, Volume 21, Number 221, Greencastle, Putnam County, 22 May 1991 — Page 7
County athlete of the year
Koosman will miss running, playing with friends
By STEVE FIELDS Banner-Graphic Sports Editor CLOVERDALE Monica Koosman received an arm load of plaques Monday night at the Cloverdale Spring Sports Banquet Like so many other times in her illustrious three-sport high school career, she was the leading scorer for her team, this time in track, as well as being all-county and all-conference. Earlier in the year she was the leading scorer, all-county and all-conference in basketball. THAT, PLUS THE fact she ranks 17th in the Cloverdale senior class of 1991, made her the perfect recipient of the fifth annual BannerGraphic Putnam County Senior Athlete of the Year. Those same eyes that shoot flames of competitive fire through cross country, basketball and track championships didn’t mist up once. The awards program ended. She was congratulated time and time again by classmates, teammates, friends, family, coaches and teachers. She joined classmates Brent Brenneman, Nikki Smith, Jeremiah Lavoine and Larry Hall for a photo of Cloverdale athletes who have participated in 12 sports seasons through their four-year careers. THEN EVERYONE WALKED away. For a minute, Koosman thought about her high school athletic career. Like so many races she has run, Koosman had never looked back before. And the tears came. “I’m going to miss them,” Koosman said while wiping away the tears. “I know I’m going to miss it going to college. I really cherish my senior year.” Koosman’s senior year as an athlete has been one filled with challenges. Some she overcame, some she didn’t
sports
Cubs beaten in sectional
MOORESVILLE The Greencastle High School girls softball season came to a close Tuesday afternoon in the raindelayed Mooresville-IHSAA Sectional. Mooresville’s Pioneers put nine hits together with eight Greencastle errors for an 8-0 victory. The Pioneers will play Monrovia at 4:30 p.m. today (Wednesday) for the sectional championship. Greencastle managed only two hits off Mooresville’s Cox. Mandy Detro and Nikki Sutherlin each had a single for the Tiger Cubs. “We just couldn’t get anything going,” Greencastle coach Paula French said. The Tiger Cubs got off to a
Track regional Thursday
Athletes from Greencastle, North Putnam, South Putnam and Cloverdale will compete in the North Central-IHSAA Boys Track and Field Regional in Indianapolis on Thursday. The field events will begin at
Orioles win fourth game
Helmer Appraisal Orioles defeated Hi-Standard Masonry Saturday to raise its record 4-1-1 in Major League play of the Greencastle Youth Baseball League. B.J. Baynard had three singles for the Orioles and T.J. Phillips
Putnam County Sports (All events subject to change due to weather and condition of the facilities) Wednesday Mooresville-IHSAA Girls Softball Sectional: 4:30 p.m., Championship Game: Monrovia vs. Mooresville. IHSAA Girls Track and Field Regional: 5:30 p.m., Greencastle at Carmel 5:30 p.m., South Putnam and Cloverdale at Shelbyville Cloverdale at Terre Haute South, 6 p.m., baseball. Greencastle Youth Baseball League Majors: Tigers vs. Dodgers, 7:15 p.m., at Greencastle; Hi-Standard Masonry vs. Brian’s Body Shop, 6 p.m., at Bainbridge. Thursday Greencastle, North Putnam, South Putnam and Cloverdale at Indianapolis North Central-IHSAA Boys Track and Field Regional Meet finals. Terre Haute North vs. Greencastle at Windy Hill C.C., 4:30 p.m., golf. North Vermillion at Greencastle, 4:30 p.m., baseball. South Putnam at Southmont, 4:30 p.m., baseball. Cloverdale at North view, 7 p.m., baseball. Greencastle Youth Baseball League Minors: Red Legs vs. Royals, 5:30 p.m., at Greencastle; Spencer Trucking vs. Giants, 6 p.m., at Bainbridge. Majors: Orioles vs. Cardinals, 7:15 p.m., at Greencastle. Reelsville Little League Mets vs. Giants, 6 p.m.
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FOR THE FIRST time since she gave up volleyball her junior year, Koosman had a real county rival in Lori Gamer, a girl who was nearly a teammate, but moved to Greencastle. She ran through the sectional and regional, her season ending at the semistate. Then came basketball season and the transition to new coach and a new philosophy. Koosman averaged 18.8 points per game for the 9-9 Clovers, was named all-county, all-con-ference and was voted Putnam County Outstanding Senior Girl Basketball Player by the Putnam County Coaches Association. There was never enough success in basketball to appease that competitive desire for success. “Our basketball team has always done well, but we never won a sectional,” she said looking back. TRACK, OR MOST appropriately running, has been her sport for... well, before she knew it was. As a freshman on the track team, Koosman was put in the 3200 meter run. Her mother, Nancy, wanted her to quit the team if the coach made run the event. Koosman won the first of her four Putnam County Track and Field Meet 3200-meter run ti-
good start. Sutherlin struck out the first two Mooresville batters and got the third out on a ground ball. That, however, was the high point of the game. The eight defensive errors and lack of hitting cast a cloud over an other wise strong finish. Greencastle won three straight at the end of the year and Angie Hood is the lone senior on a very young team. “We gained experience and experience is the best teacher,” coach French said of the secondyear program. “As long as we can keep these kids in the program I think be all right.” Mooresville 012 104 o—B-9-0 Greencastle 000 000 o—o-2-8 Cox and McClure; Sutherlin and Thomas. WP Cox. LP Sutherlin. LOB MHS 6, GHS 8.
6 p.m., track trials at 6:30 p.m. and finals at 7:15 p.m. The first four places in each event will advance to the IHSAA State Champion Track and Field Meet on June 1 at the lUPUI Stadium.
and Boe Scott one double each to back up winning pitcher Wes Neese. Jason Woodall and (first name not reported) Hamilton each had two doubles for Hi-Standard Masonry.
Fields’ Findings
Some teams gain momentum
With the opening games of the sectional less than a week away, no Putnam County team will enter the state tournament with a winning record. Momentum, however, may be another story. SOUTH PUTNAM, 8-15, and Cloverdale, 4-14, picked up victories Tuesday afternoon. South’s Eagles outslugged host Riverton Parke 8-7 and Cloverdale’s Clovers beat the visiting Linton Miners 7-5. Greencastle’s Tiger Cubs, meanwhile, faced a team of Northview Knights coach Stan Ward believes could, with a break on the tournament trail, wind up in the state finals. The Knights beat the Tiger Cubs 16-6 on the 10-run rule. JIM COLLINS LED off the top of the seventh inning at Riverton Parke with a solo home run to lift South to its eighth victory. Collins’ fourth home run of the season
Patience key for fastest rookie
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Mike Gross, the fastest rookie ever in the fastest Indianapolis 500 starting field, likes the reliability of the Cosworth engine that powers his Lola chassis. “We haven’t blown a motor. The Chevrolets have and the Buicks certainly have,” Gross said Tuesday. “We know we’re not going to outrun them. We just have to keep our car running, not be super conservative, but conservative and see how things unfold.” GROFF IS ONE of five rookies in an historic Indy field and is one of three who qualified last year but were bumped by cars which completed their 10-mile qualification run quicker once the field was full. “When you come here and spend an entire month, give every ounce of sweat and effort and don’t make the race, I’ve never had a letdown like that,” Gross said. “It was an empty feeling and one I don’t ever want to experience again,” The other rookies have distinctions of their own. Willy T. Ribbs is the first black to qualify, Hiro Matsushita is the first Japanese to make the field, and Jeff Andretti and Buddy Lazier have family history as secondgeneration Indy drivers. GROFF, WHO WILL start on the outside of the sixth row, plans no wild dash to the front when the race begins. “It’s a 500-mile race and someone who tries to win it too early is usually out early,” he said. “I just want to go out, gradually move up positions and be there for the end.” The 29-year-old Gross, who set a rookie qualifying record of 219.015 mph, picked up 52,500 for being the quickest rookie qualifier in a field that averages 218.590. HE STANDS TO pick up a lot more Monday night when the purse is divided at the traditional Victory Dinner. The lowest payoff from a record purse of $6,325,803 last
ties. “I hated it,” she recalled. “The first race I ran, I ran so slow, I could have walked that fast” But she won the race and has not stopped running. She will run the 3200 in the Shel-byville-IHSAA Regional on Wednesday (today) with hopes of qualifying for the June 1 IHSAA State Championship Meet. “Track is more fun because it’s so individualized,” Koosman said. “I am what I work hard for.” KOOSMAN BROKE HER own Putnam Country Track and Field Meet record with a time of 12:17.8 while running with an infected sore on the ball of her foot. She ran with the greatest intensity that night “I really felt good that night I was really excited for that race. I was my last county race,” Koosman said. Koosman knew then, she would have to run even faster to achieve her goal of making the state meet. She picked up the pace in the West Central Conference Meet, winning in 12:09.6, again shattering a record she set a junior. SHE WILL LEAVE Cloverdale High School a record holder in cross country, basketball and track. When the new record board is purchased by the Cloverdale Athletic Booster Club and put up in the remodeled school, Koosman’s name will appear on it several times. “I’m still going to run and possibly play ball in college, but it’s not going to be the same because I won’t be playing with the same friends,” Koosman said. ****** BOYS AWARD NEXT The BannerGraphic Putnam County Senior Athlete of the Year Award for boys will be announced later this week.
snapped a 7-7 tie. South scored seven runs in the first four innings. Robert Priest drove in two runs with a pair of singles and Jason Hal tom chased home a run with a single. Jay Mutterspaugh gave the Eagles a 7-5 lead in the fourth inning with a two-run home run. Winning pitcher Cory Robinson helped himself with the bat, connecting for two singles. A base hit by Collins and Jeff Haltom and and Mark McKay rounded out South’s 10-hit attack. GARY COOPER HIT a tworun home run and Larry Hall a tworun double in a four-run sixth inning that propelled Cloverdale to its third win in the last five games. Linton, now 8-9, committed seven fielding errors. All seven of Cloverdale’s runs were unearned and scored with two out, according to coach Sonny Stoltz. Cloverdale took a 2-1 lead in the
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Hiro Matsushita is one of five rookies in the 75th annual Indianapolis 500. Matsushita became the first Japanese driver to qualify for the 500 and will
year was $108,021 to last-place finisher Stan Fox; the highest was $1,090,940 for winner Arie Luyendyk. “We’re real happy with the way things have gone this month,” said Gross, a three-time Grand National champion in quarter-midgets. “We had the car up to 215 right away and it was real comfortable. Ever since then, we’ve built our way up
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Monica Koosman (center) received the Banner-Graphic Putnam County Senior Athlete of the Year Award with the people who have supported
bottom of the second inning with a sacrifice fly RBI by Brad Nees and run-scoring double by Scott Davis. Jerry Minton had two singles, Ryan Ford one single and Cooper a single to round out Cloverdale’s seven-hit offense. Nees went the distance for Cloverdale for his first varsity baseball pitching victory. The sophomore struck out two, walked five and scattered eight Linton hits. GREENCASTLE WAS outhit and outscored at Northview. “It was probably one of the three best hitting exhibitions I’ve seen since I’ve been coaching high school baseball, as far as the way the ball was flying around,” coach Ward said of the Knights’ 15-hit performance. “They hit the ball like a rope.” Yet, Greencastle led 6-3 going into the sixth inning. The Tiger Cubs were still up 6-5 when a dropped fly ball extended the
start his Lola-Buick from 24th position on the outside of the eighth row. (Banner-Graphic photo by Lester Wilson)
and haven’t gone backwards once yet.” The 35-year-old Ribbs made it into ihe race in the final hour of time trials having overcome a series of engine problems and a limited budget. “IT WAS SO close to not happening that I still find it hard to realize it’s happened,” said Ribbs, busy Tuesday trying to attract some
May 22,1991 THE BANNERGRAPHIC
her at all times, her mother Nancy (left) and father David and three-year-old sister Kayla.
Knights to a seven-run inning. “From there (the error) the roof just fell in on the inning,” Ward said. LOSING PITCHER Jarrod Duff was relieved in the fourth inning by Brian Branagin with Greencastle down 10-6. However, only two of North view’s runs a* that point were earned. “This is the second game Jarrod Duff has started and the defense let him down,” Ward said. Greencastle managed only four hits off Northview’s Morris and Gaskill. A.J. Myers led off the game with a two-strike triple and later connected for a two-strike double. “A.J. had his best game of the year all around, offensively and defensively,” Ward noted. A DOUBLE BY Jim Ensley and single by David Duff rounded out the attack. The Tiger Cubs host North Vermillion at 4:30 p.m. Thursday.
sponsors. “Indy is the big apple. There’s no bigger sporting event in the universe, and when you come here, qualifying is a big challenge. “I felt good about it because the car felt good. If the car is good, it’s like going out there and driving to the grocery store.” The 23-year-old Lazier is the youngest driver in the race. His father, Bob, finished 19th in his only Indy race in 1981 when he was the oldest rookie starter. “LAST YEAR, I left qualifying and had a difficult summer trying to cope with it,” said Lazier, who skipped graduation ceremonies at Curry College in Boston last year to drive at Indy. “Last year I was a student. This year I’m a race driver.” Last year, the 30-year-old Matsushita was a race commentator for Japanese television. “I need seat time,” he said. “I guess I’ll have about three hours of it Sunday. I like my seat for this year’s race much better than last year.” Seven other rookie hopefuls are missing this year’s race for a variety of reasons lack of experience, crashes or just plain too slow. SAYS 27-YEAR-OLD Jeff Andretti, one of four Andrettis in the field: “I know the place. I know the track and know the race car and I’m coming back with first-rate equipment. It’s all up to date, a new engine. It’s a whole different ballgame for me this year.” Gross, who won the 1989 American Racing Series championship, tinkers with restoring old Porsches and old houses. But, he wants to stay away from that “I want to be a racer. When that’s going good, I’m not active with the Porsches at all,” he said. “I enjoy doing that. I like working with my hands and getting things done with my hands. I think that’s crossed over to my racing.
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