The Mail-Journal, Volume 19, Number 51, Milford, Kosciusko County, 5 January 1983 — Page 8

THE MAIL-JOURNAL —Wed., January 5,1983

Sports

Warriors will battle tradition, crowd Friday

•' By GARY LEWIS Warrior fans making the trip west to Plymouth Friday night, will be seeing one of the class programs in the state when the Pilgrims battle the Warriors. It’s going to be quite a test for coach Johh/Wysong s crew. Not only does Plymouth present a formidable challenge on the basketball floor, but simply playing at Plymouth could be an experience for Wawasee. Everyone knows the, storybook tale of Plymouth's state basketball championship last season. Gone from last year’s squad are all-star Scott Skiles and Trester Award winner Phil - Wendel. ! But there won’t be many area coaches crying too loudly for the Pilgrims because Plymouth boasts several returnees who will make for another outstanding season.

Perspectives distorted

By PETE FRITCHIE WASHINGTON, DC. - The free agent business tn Major League baseball seems to get perspectives distorted. Take the case of Steve Garvey He says he expected to stay in L.A., with the Dodgers. He loved Dodger blue, he says. Well, the Dodgers offered him $5 million and a four-yea r contract. If he liked L.A. so well, and he and his sparkling wife wanted to stay there, that wasn’t bad. But he wanted more. And got it. Three clubs offered him a higher pay or longer package and he chose Diego. Will that make him, and his wife, happier? One it. Will he ever know the difference between five million in four years and perhaps eight but a guaranteed $6.6 million for five? One doubts he’ll ever feel the difference Then there’s Eloyd Bannister. The White Sox paid him a similar bundle of millions on the hope Bannister will be a superstar While his stats for 1982 look good, he has a losing record. And no one realK knows if he’s worth all that. Os course, if they can get it. if clubs are willing to pay such enormous sums for their . ser vices, players will take it. And for players who feel mopey is the important thing, a move to another club is. secondary. But. on the other hand, there are those who after twelve years in one organization would feel dis- * ferently, and would see $5 million for four years as good enough Loyalty works both ways. Clubs have stuck with players and. in effect, made them with

WAWASEE ADULT BASKETBALL LEAGUE ' /Monday, Jan. 3, 1983 - Team Overall Team Score Record High Point Player Topeka Imp. vs . • 68 4 0 D Thwaits 22 Syracuse Rubber 43 1-3 Guhl 16 Hot Shots vs 40 0-3 Knepper Quality Carpet 56 2-1 R. Stahley 22 Pilcher's vs 63 2-1 B. Smith 24 Stichter's 83 3-0 P. Stichter z 26 Merchant's vs 55 1-2 Geiger 23 Love Furniture 67 3-0 Troup & Sylvester 14

School Calendar Week Os January 5 i To January 12 MONDAY . - Key Club meeting , 5:30 p.m.. Case Annex at Wawasee

(JACKSON) Remodeling II ; COKSTHOCTIOM, «C.)' General Contractor -Fir. Sy «S IN - 457-5417* »>”-■**

patient instruction, faith and effort. Then, when stardom arrives, the dollar is all that’s considered by some, especially by agents earning commissions. Cheerblock organized at Milford The eighth graders at Milford Junipr High School decided it was time for a cheerblock for their sporting events. They enlisted the aid of Cyndi Thornburg as cheerleading sponsor to help them organize a block for the girls' and boys’ basketball seasons. Currently, there are 56 students from sixth through eighth grades signed up as members of the group. Since many of the members are also involved in team sports supported by the block, an average of 25 to 30 students cheer at a given game. Mrs. Thornburg is in charge of keeping attendance and whether or not members participate in the activities. After paying for and cheering at three home games, a cheerblock member receives a free pass to the next home event. So far. the cheerblock has worked out well with members receiving many compliments from coaches, faculty and parents while learning new cheers at the same time. Everyone at the junior high hopes interest and enthusiasm for the new organization continues and spreads into all school activities. \

Currently 5-3, coach Jack Edison’s club has beaten Triton, LaPorte, Valparaiso and LaSalle. Losses were registered against Elkhart Memorial, Mishawaka and South Bend Saint Joe in the holiday tournament. Junior Jamie Johnson (6-4), senior Mark Stukenborg (6-2) and Todd Samuelson at guard make up a solid nucleus for the starting five at Plymouth. After a season either on the bench, or coming off the bench as in Stukenborg’s case, the skills and talents of Skiles and Wendel are bound to rub off. That’s exactly the way Wysong feels about the ’B2-83 edition of the Pilgrims. a-—< “They have had some good players to look at,” says Wysong. “It will be a real challenge to go over there and play,” he said. “ Going over there” is quite a task in itself for most basketball squads. Like most schools in northern Indiana, winning games against Plymouth at Plymouth is a difficult task. Wawasee is no exception, and Wysong will be looking to see how his players react to such an atmosphere. Plymouth's forte, and a major reason why it won the state - title last season, is passing skills. The Pilgrims patient passing style enable their offense to take high percentage shots. “They pass the ball so well, they are going to hit the open shots, ’ ’ said Wysong. “ “They anticipate where the ball is going on defense,” he said. Wysong holds the upmost respect for Jack Edison. ‘‘You’ve got to learn when playing against people like Skiles and Wendel. The state championship really benefited them. He (Edison) is the reason why they won’t let up,” said Wysong. “Their mental attitude was the reason why they won the state,” Wysong explained. “ They have tremendous leadership and Addison is one of the best coaches in the state and a class individual.” he added. The Warriors will return home Saturday to battle West Noble in front of the home folks. And this contest, the first home game since vacation, could give Warrior fans an indication of things to come. Under new head coach Gary Goshert, the Chargers are 2-4 on the season. With wins against Bethany Christian, Westview, and impressive performances against Whitko and Northridge, Goshert hopes he can turn things around quickly in the new year. This will be the Chargers first game since the holidays. Junior Larry Sommerset, a 6-5 center, should give West Noble strength inside. He is one of the team’s leading scorers with a 12 point average. Another Charger key will be Rod Lung at forward. He also scores 12 a game and along with Mike Kendall should figure in the'Chargers scoring. Goshert said his team expects to be playing a top-notch / team. ‘‘Vitaniemi is a good ball player. We’ve got to stop him and try to control Spunar off the boards,” he said.

Sports Calendar Week Os January 5 To January 12 WEDNESDAY. Syracuse Junior High girls’ basketball 6 p.mvs South Whitley at Syracuse Intramurals 7P.E. at Wawasee c -THURSDAY Nohth Webster sixth grade boys’ basketball Ip.m., at Millersburg Syracuse seventh and eighth grade boys’ basketball. B-team game) 4/14 p.m., at West Noble Syracuse sixth grade boys’ basketball A: 30 p.m., at Pierceton Webster Junior High seventh and eighth grade boys’ basketball 6 p.m., vs Wakarusa at North Webster Freshman basketball 6:30 p.m., at Whitko * Wawasee wrestling " 7 p.m., vs Plymouth at Wawasee FRIDAY Junior varsity and varsity basketball 6:15 p.m., at Plymouth SATURDAY Wawasee wrestling 9 a.m., at East Noble invitational Wawasee girls’ basketball » 1 p.m., vs Penn at Wawasee Junior Varsity and Varsity basketbail 6:15p.m., vs West Noble at Wawasee ’ MONDAY Milford Junior High sixth grade boys’ basketball 4 p.m. vs Millersburg at Milford North Webster sixth grade boys’ basketball 4 p.m., at Pierceton Milford Junior High girls’ basketball 5 p.m., vs Syracuse at Milford Syracuse Junior High girls’ basketball 6 p.m., at Pierceton Giris’ basketball 6:15 p.m., at Goshen-Wawasee Adult basketball league 7:15 p.m., at Wawasee TUESDAY k r / ■ ■■ Syracuse Junior High boys’ basketball 4:30 p.m., vs Nappanee at Syracuse -y Milford Junior High boys’ basketball 6 p.m,, vs West Noble at Milford North Webster Junior High boys’ basketball 6 p.m., vs West Noble at Milford Freshman basketball 6:30 p.m., at North Wood Wawasee boys’swim 6:30 p.m., at Penn Wawasee wrestling 7p.m., vs NorthWoodat Wawasee WEDNESDAY Milford Junior High boys’ basketball 3:45 p.m., vs North Webster at Milford North Webster girls’ basketball 3:45 p.m., at Milford Milford sixth grade boys’ basketball 4:30p.m., at Ox Bow

By GARY LEWIS To say Mark Simpson has improved since his days at Wawasee High School would be an understatement. At Catawba College, located in Salisbury, N. C., Simpson is an example of what hard work can do for an athlete. The school’s media guide says Simpson is a “bona-fide All-American candidate. ” In 1979, Simpson had just completed his first season as a starter for the Warriors. Unlike some college-bound athletes, most of whom started at least two years during their prep years, Simpson didn’t get his chance to start until his senior year in high school. Most of his high school days were spent on the JV squad. That’s a rather humble beginning for a future AIl-America basketball player “I was a couple of years behind coming up in high school. I wish I would have bad another year to play in high school” Simpson said matter-of-factly. “I wasn’t as strong as I should have been ” But after finding out about Catawba from a former basketball coach, Simpson made the trip south and quickly found out how different college basketball was. Playing against guys his own size or bigger in high school was rare. At college, it was the rule rather than the exception. “You know you don’t have to jump in high school. ” So that meant Simpson had to rediscover an important part of an athlete’s anatomy — legs. “I got really discouraged, but ’ the harder I worked on the weights the higher I started jumping. You find out you got to use your legs,” he said. Simpson ended up having a good initial year at Catawba, averaging 9.1 while appearing in 28 games. After working on his outside game — Simpson was converted to a swing man in the Indians' offense — and ballhandling skills, he was getting prepared for what he hoped would be his best season. But a pre-season injury spoiled his plans. “I was coming down on a fast break... we play on one of those tartan floors . . . you don't get any slide at qll. I stopped ■ and it (knee) just popped out, blew all of my ligaments apart. ” So Simpson spent the 1980-81 season on the sidelines. As he sat on the bench, he started to plan his recovery and hopefully his return as a starter. “I started going down to the gym and doing upper body weights with my cast on. I lifted about the whole time during the season,” Simpson said. In retrospect, getting red-shirted his sophomore season wasn’t all that bad for him. Although getting left behind in the basketball dorm took some adjusting, he said the experience helped both his studies and his physical development. “It gave me a year to get stronger upper-body wise and it gave me a year to catch up on a lot of my studies, ’' Simpson said. Simpson averaged eight points a game last season as the Indians finished with a sparkling 26-7 record — the most wins ever in the school’s history. Catawba finished its season at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics national tournament in Kansas City, Mo The Indians were seeded seventh, but were eliminated in the first round of the 32-team marathon tournament. “Last year it was weird. Coach (Sam) Moire has been there for some 23 years now but he’s never been out to Kansas City. Catawba has been out there before, but it was his first time. “Our goal, ever since I have been there, was to get to Kansas City. That was the thing for NAIA, get to Kansas. City. When we got there, we reached our goal and forgot about playing out there. ’ ’ Despite having one of the bigger teams in the tourney, with six players on the roster 6-6 or bigger, Moorehead State ended the Indians bid for further advancement 82-75. With an enrollment of about 1,100, Catawba’s liberal arts program attracts students from all over the eastern seaboard, said Simpson. Majoring in business administration, Simpson hopes to land a job as a sales representative for a sporting goods wholesaler. Simpson is part of the “Hoosier pipeline' ’ at the college that has recruited heavily from basketball-rich Indiana. Simpson is one of four Hoosiers on this season’s roster. In Indiana, small-college basketball means very little community following and even smaller crowds. But at Salisbury, it’s an entirely different story. “You’d really be surprised. I tell everybody that’s familiar with Grace, Goshen and Tri-State, (that) we pack them in. They

• The Mail-Journal 1982-83 J I BASKETBALL CONTEST I CONTEST RULES Ms Et If I W and write them in the spaces provided. ■VKbLIuL| cjJ Pick the winners of the tie breakers end ■ fill in the difference in score in the box ~ uDIjL mF provided. ■ | HI&K WW 2) All mailed entries must be received / ) no later than 4 p.m. on Friday of the week w All Weekly Winners Will Be Eligible For / I of the contest to: "Basketball Contest", * ■ A Grand Prize Contest ? 1 The Mail-Journal, P.O. Box 188, Milford. S —————— / IN 46542 or submit your entry in person ■ — at 7he Mail-Journal office at 103 East G wlgUMlg I ~AV Main. Syracuse or 206 South Main, Milford. ■ eReUeeSWUP ■ ■ ■■■ / g e sure your entry reaches us before 4 " M■■■ H / JdCb? p.m. Friday. You may use the drop slot £ Si HMf |> V x at each office on Wednesday and Thurs- x ■ I RIAL 1 LXZ j a y nights. Entries received after the M w ~ Tt- .A,- )\ gr deadline will not be considered. ■ I Grand Prize Contest Durina The State Tournament 3) Weekly winners will receive $5 and " Grand Prize Contest During The State Tournament | < will be eligible to compete for the grand | a \ \ prize of SIOO. In.the event that a weekly ” . \ winner wins more than once, he or she £ J/W',— Z YZ \ \ will be allowed to submit one entry in the x * / - / X—\ grand prize contest for each weekly con- x Yj . Z/ • / X / t\ \ WQn - The winner of the previous ij v T~> y / / / I / /1 I week’s contest will appear on this page. L/X y \ / // J contestant may submit no more ■ _\ / Z| than two entries. Submission of more —■ —\ than two entries will result in automatic A | — LAST WEEK'S WINNER — wA Sx'JS’zx' 0,1bv,h “’ p *' ? I ' V. \ 5) The entrant's name, address and ■ ■ \ \ phone number must be clearly printed on li— A-— - \ th ® sntry blank. * ■ W . JHR uillliCl 6) Anyone ten years of age or older S is eligible far the contest except employ- * R. 2, Syracuse L ees of The Papers Incorporated and jK their immediate families. 7) Decisions of the judges will be final. M || Swes‘"""”"SSs" ""““gawes ““picks’ j (G) Denotes High School Giris' Game — || ■ WaMSMotHyuMtt TippeUalleja.Sortweod ! i . R-SMTer- -p - Mum-J INI IVawaSCC at evSneW (VOrulWQUu at KUCTCSIBi ■ EUdurt Mem. □, Goshen Grace«, Gordon | WarsaWcCotaehiaGt) Indiana □, Ohio State Hi — -—i ii! Be Breakers W( „„er N A M E |! ji - t _ m. ADDRESS || MSMHatIVWR QTY -j I Mara at Ohio State i . PHONE _ 11

Simpson stones ot Colombo

go nuts down there for small-college basketball, ” said Simpson The Indians play in a gym that seats about 5,500, and that gym is packed at about every home date. “I was shocked when we startai to get such large crowds. There s quite a few people there every home game,” he said. Winning has a lot to do with fan support and Simpson 's crew has been keeping on schedule so far this season. With several conference games still to go. the Indians are 8-2 on the season so far. At 641, Simpson plays both forward and center on a starting five that lists 6-9, 6-8. 66 and 6-5. He is one of three returnees from a star-studded squad that lost one All-American and two four-year starters to graduation. Simpson shares responsibility for the ball-handling chores, playing the perimeter rather than underneath the basket An important change for Simpson's squad is the introduction of a 30-second shot clock and a three-point circle. Those changes are welcomed by Simpson. “It has opened our game up because we run.” he said. Last season, the Indians were big and strong. This season. Simpson thinks the team will be big and quick. ‘ ‘We’re a quicker team this year." As for Kansas City. “I think this year we can do really w ell out there. ” Although his post-graduation plans are not certain, he is entertaining thoughts of professional basketball overseas. “1 think I would like to play pro ball in Europe.” said Simpson, who would favor either France or Italy. mbh k'Q> MML •* rl ml & I \W/ xv w WAWASEE GRADUATE — Mark Simpson has been doing some growing up lately. He’s turned himself into one of the leaders of a North Carolina small college basketball squad that’s taking a serious look at a NAIA national championship. Simpson graduated from Wawasee in 1979.