The Mail-Journal, Volume 21, Number 7, Milford, Kosciusko County, 29 February 1984 — Page 9

Sports

He watches the men who keep things under control

By TOM CHARLES Sports Editor As basketball sectionals get. underway this week, fans will fix their eyes on one group of men

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KEEPING AN EYE ON THE GAME — Marion Acton, principal of Milford Junior High School, is one of 25-30 people who evaluate basketball officials for the Indiana High School Athletic Association. A former official himself, Acton worked four state final contests. He has been involved in evaluations for the past eight years. (Photo by Tom Charles)

Do Warriors have the guns to stop the Tigers' charge?

By TOM CH ARLES Sports Editor With an offensive attack as sharp as a cutting winter wind, the Warsaw Tigers are the team to stop in this week's Triton Sectional Action tips off Thursday night, weather permitting, with Tippecanoe Valley facing Triton. The winner of this contest will meet Rochester at 8:30 p.m. on Friday. However, most fans are already looking forward to Friday night’s opening showdown between Warsaw and Wawasee. The Tigers, ranked seventh in the state, are the sectional favorites. But John Wysong's crew has shown brilliance at points in the campaign and cannot be counted out. Warsaw defeated Wawasee by 11 points early in the season, but both coaches know that records and past results are of little significance when it comes to tournament play. "These kids have put together a fine season, but anything can happen in the state tourney.” cautioned Rhodes. “We have -to be pleased with our performance so far. but we can’t become satisfied,” said Wysong. The Warriors ended their season on a less-than-satisfying note by dropping an overtime decision to Bremen in the season ender. But that may just provide

WAWASEE STARTERS Total Plavers G FGM-FGA % FTM-FTA % Pte. PPG RB RPG Joel Rhoades , 20 44- 99 44.0 16- 23 70.0 104 5.2 64 3.2 Jon Vitaniemi 20 149-256 58.0 Kim Zurcher ' 18 123-233 53.0 52- 71 73.0 298 16.6 78 4.3 Jeff Atwood 20 15- 47 32.0 27- 48 56.0 57 2.9 64 3.2 Brooks Koble- - 75 69.3 306 15.3 66 3.3 Starter Totals 458-883 52~0 246-358 69.0 1162 58.1 496 24jF Bench Totals 47-112 42.0 47- 84 56.0 141 7.0 77 3.8 Team Totals 505-995 51.0 293-442 66.0 1303 65.2 573 28.7

Bowling

Thursday Night Ladies Kidd's Marshmallows 62 30 Jones Food Center 57 35 Wawasee Bowl 54 3* Monsanto *s3Vj avy Golden Razor 53 39 Louie's Bar & Grill 51 4] Buy Rite Auto Supplies 50V» 41W Stop Inn 47 45 Quacker's 44 46 Sandi's Clip & Curl 46 46 Lake City Bank II 45 47 Stanley Steemer 43 49 Liberty Homes 42Vs 49Vi Flexsteel 490, Pilcher's Shoes 42 50 Thornburg Drugs 41 51 Dana 41 51 Beeline Fashions 36 56 Lake City Bank I Richard'sot Elkhart 32'4 $9Vi High team game and trtjg Jones Food Center - 906-2495 '** SOO series: B Miller 513. L. Jones 540. R Garrity 514. E. Slabaugh 523. M Pautf $27. C. Shepherd 547. R White 510. S. Kern 514. K. Knisley $27, J. Anderson SO4. D. Fink $29. S. Keim $22. E. Price 514, S Wolterman $33. C. Clifton sl9. C. Miller s4l. J. Eldridge $54, G. Chalk 532. D. Long Sl4 490 series. T. Swlhart 470, M. Henning 409, L Brower 401. N. Gail 470, C. Boyd 47X E.

who do not get a great deal of sympathy or respect — the officials. Although only two men carry whistles, it seems as tlfough every ticket holder claims to be an official.

some extra incentive to play well in the sectional. Warsaw, on the other hand, takes a nine-game winning streak into Friday’s contest. The Tigers have not tasted defeat since a 63-48 loss to South Bend Adams in the South Bend Holiday Tournament. Both teams have a trio of players who are threats on the offensive end of the court. For the Warriors, 6’3” forward Jon Vitaniemi leads the scoring parade with a 19.8 average. Guards Kim Zurcher and Brooks Koble are also in double figures with 15.8 and 15.3 averages respectively. The Tigers’ trio is composed of Marty Lehmann. Jeff Grose and Rob Randels. Lehmann, despite missing a few games due to a wrist injury, is averaging 19.1 points and 11 rebounds per contest. Grose, a 6’2” junior, carries a 21.3 average into the sectional. Randels scores at the rate of 14.3 points per contest. As impressive as those offensive statistics may be. the key to Friday’s game may lie in other performers. Wawasee's Jeff Atwood is not the area’s biggest offensive threat, but the 5’11” senior fills an important defensive role for the Warriors. His outstanding defensive performance against Whitko’s Jeff Peters nearly won that contest for Wawasee. His services will be of equal importance on Friday night.

Kiefer 455, P Maresch 472. S Price 402. J. Slabaugh 499. J. Brown 465. J. Wortinger 471. N. Shields 497, N. Anderson 469. D Dean 474. V Bennett 494. J Kausal 45. N. Reeve 497, P Schopf 466. S. Hewitt 454. S. Zarse 490. N. Schlagenhauf 470. N. Spurting 491, S. Batesia 464. J Reed, 46*. J Galloway 452. S. Gilbert 469, C. Becher 466, P, Pollock 492. 200 games: B. Miller 204. P. Pollock 200. M. Pautf 233, J. Wortinger 201, C. Miller 210, J. Eldridge 223. M. Henning2ol 170 games: J. Eldridge 170. T. Swlhart 171, G. Chalk 104, 192, S. Com 171. D. Long 191. ISO. C. Clifton 191. 172. C. Boyd 177, C. Miller 173, E. Kiefer 192. P. Maresh 177, S. Price 170. E. Price 191, 175. S. Wolterman 176. 190. J. Slabaugh 191, N. Shields 192, N. Anderson 105. S. Keim 101. 197. D. Doan 170. D. Fink 19$. 179, D. Coburn 193. V. Bennett 104. J. Kausal 174. C. Moneyheffer 170. N. Reeve 193. 179, L. Hawn 17$. S. Kern 177, 176. K. Knisley 170, 192. S. Hewitt 107, J. Anderson 179, N. Hayes 102, S. Zarse 170. N. Schlagenhauf 176. B. Hammon 190. R. White 170. 17$. S. Batesia 190. J. Reed 179. E. Slabaugh 192, C. Shepherd 100. 173. 194. B. Miller 170. S Gibtort 170, L. Jones 194. 103. 103. C. Becher 176 Friday Night Mixed Classic *S 3* RalstonPurtna 64 40

However, there are some people who attend games and watch the officials with a different purpose in mind. One of these people is Marion Acton, Milford Junior High School principal and one of 25-30 people who evaluate officials for the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA). Acton, who was an active official for 25 years, has been involved in evaluating officials for the past eight years. He does this as a part of the IHSAA’s program to determine which officials are assigned to tournament games. “Any official who wants to work sectionals has to apply before the beginning of the season and send in their schedule of where they work,” Acton said. “Then the IHSAA takes that schedule and asks several observers to go and see them.” Each official is evaluated by several observers in order to ensure a measure of fairness. Once the observers file reports, officials are also rated by the schools. “The observers watch them and then the schools are asked to rank them,” said Acton. “The IHSAA comes up with what they refer to as a coaches’ vote, which is a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ as to whether this person is capable of working a sectional. That is looked at as well." Once these evaluations have been completed, there is still more sorting out to be done. Due to the fact that most officials keep tournament assignments from year to year, there are a limited number of openings. Ac-

The Tigers’ “no-name” standout is 6’o” senior Scott Long. Like Atwood, he does not light up the scoreboard. His value lies in his ability to handle the ball and dish off timely assists. For Warsaw, Friday is the first step to defending last year’s title. For the Warriors, it is a chance to gain some revenge and move closer to regaining the title they held in 1982. For both clubs, that is enough incentive to produce an outstanding clash. NLC Results W'arsaw captured the Northern Lakes Conference title this year with a perfect 7-0 loop record. The Warriors, last year’s conference champions, finished fourth with an overall mark of 4-3. Bremen and Plymouth tied for second with identical 5-2 marks. The Lions gained a second-place tie by virtue of their 61-59 overtime win over Wawasee last weekend. Here is a complete listing of the conference teams and where they finished at the end of the season: WARSAW 7-0 BREMEN 5-2 PLYMOUTH 5-2 WAWASEE 4-3 CONCORD 3-4 ROCHESTER 2-5 NORTHWOOD 1-6 GOSHEN 1-6

Stover's 61 Vy 42 Vs Miller's $5 49 Todd 49 $$ Sleepy Owl 46Vy 57 Vs Riblet Products 44 60 St. Charles 32 72 High team game and series: Millers - 735-2076 500 series: A. Epert 904. B. Hamilton SO4. K. Soiina SIS. G. Hamilton 517, D. Hamilton 540, P White 900. G. Knisley $99. K. Knisley "544. K. Knisley 524. J. Maher s7l. E. Harr ingtan $29. W. Akterter 515. $. Yoder sls, P. Schopf 565. B. Penick $44. D. Armbruster 550 450 series L. Yoder 464. C. Harrington4oo. L Akferfer 4». 8. Epert 490. L. White 467 200 games: K. Knisley 307. D. Hamilton 223. K. Sollna 221. J. Maher 307, 301. P. Schopf 209, B. Penick 304. D. Armbruster 301. K. Knisley 213 170 games: L. Yoder 170. P. Schopf 102. 174, C- Harrington 199. R. Burbank 193. L. Aktorter 177, B. Epert Ml, 171. S. Beaty 173, B Hamilton MS, 197, K. Knisley 17$ Goohen Auto-Elect. 22 M Kurty's Kegtors 20 12 Charger House 19 13 K-OfC. 19 13 Worker Bros. 19 13 Doc's Hdw M 14 American Bldgs. 10 14 Syracuse Legion 17W Uh

ton estimates that the IHSAA must fill 10 to 20 spots from a group of 200 to 300 applicants. “It may be three, four or five years before an official gets a sectional assignment,” Acton noted. “And he may never get one.” Once an official is assigned to work in a sectional, he can move up or down the ladder. Tournament officials are evaluated during post-season play and must continue to receive positive evaluations in order to keep their assignments. “The officials are rated at the sectional level on a scale of 1-5,” said Acton. “Each of the final four schools in a sectional also rates them on a scale of 1-5. The officials take a test each year. Coaches rate the officials. All this is added up and a score is computed. On the basis of this score the IHSAA decides which officials will move up from the sectional to the regional.” So much for the organizational end of the job. What does an observer look for during a game? For one thing, it is not a job that encourages second guessing. “Our job is not to question his judgement,” said Acton. “He is the one who is on the floor and has the responsibility to handle the game. It is not our place, sitting up in the stands, to say that he should have called that or not called that. Our situation is to judge whether or not he was in position to call the play.” Most of what Acton and his fellow observers evaluate is how closely an official adheres to procedures set forth in the rule book. “During the regular season we

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READY FOR A REMATCH — Warsaw’s Joe Sands (31) and Marty Lehmann (45) got the better of Wawasee’s Kyle Swarts and Jon Vitaniemi when the two teams met earlier in the season. However, the Warriors are primed for a rematch when they face Warsaw at 7 p.m. - on Friday night. The sectional begins Thursday night at 7:38 p.m. as Triton takes on Tippecanoe Valley. (Photo by Tom Charles)

Shrimpboat 17W 14V» Whitacre's 17 IS Nancy's Kitchen 16 16 Ligonier Elks 16 16 Dari-Point ISVS 16 Vs Sea Nymph 15Vy 16V» State Bank of Syracuse IS 17 Wawasee Bowl IS 17 Cromwell Lbr 13 19 Sylvan Marine >0 22 Cocinero's • » Low Rollers • 24 High team game and series: Wawasee Bowl - 1036-1665 600 series: R C00k631. M Godfrey 406. M. Yoder 607,6. Sorenson 635 SOO series: R. Williamson. B Hartsough. T. Ervin. M. Durham. M. Simon. L McGriff. G. Henning. T. List. R Beers. T. Edwards. D. Meyer. C. Worker. B Cartoon. R. Mathew. D. Taylor C Sommortot. S. Butt. G. Price. C. Fink, N BkWto. D Smith. H. Dziak, J. Sheets. R Hostetter. $ Richmond. K. Knisley . L. Newman, 0 Stone. R. Treft, M. Hoile. Cliff Walton 300 games: W Aktorter 300. M. Wappes 300. R Cook 336, M Yoder 319. Ml. M. Godfrey 307. M. Durham Ml. L McGriff 302. G. Henning 200. T List 344. S Butt 300. G. Price 2a H. Dziak 224. 307, $ Richmond 219. G. Sorensen 277. G Ktonke 300. L. Newman 302 Hefty A Smith °* l “ C ***** „ I 3

go with the idea of evaluating an official on whether or not he follows the rule book as far as his procedures,” said Acton. “The officials manual indicates proper flow coverage in all situations and how an official is supposed to relate to the bench.” Officials and coaches seem to have a habit of being at odds with each other. Acton points out that seasoned officials can often be spotted by the way they deal with coaches. “I talk a lot about preventative officiating,” said Acton. “By that I mean that an official learns when he can talk to a coach without causing a problem — like before the game or during a time out. That just comes with time. A seasoned official usually won’t have much trouble with the bench.” According to Acton, officials should also look the part. A clean uniform, good physical conditioning and sharp, clear signals help to create an air of authority which enables an official to control a game. And, just like the teams they watch, officials must be prepared for a game. “People sometimes think that all an official does is come in, get his whistle out and go to work,” said Acton. “But they need to go through pre-game preparations much like the teams.” Acton thinks that this program has been a positive step in upgrading the quality of officiating because it gives the officials ideas on how to improve. So, as the 1984 tournament gets swings into high gear, he will be out on the road keeping his eyes on the men in black and white.

Daffron A Whetten ' 30 14 Lund A Anderson 29 IS Lemeh A Meyers 30W 15V* Gammiere A Blanchard 25 19 Jewson A Farmer 25 19 Owen A Wellbaker 24W I9M> Kammerdtoner AGrothaus 23W 20W HarmonAElward 23 21 Hippe A Robinson 22 22 Davis A Lewallen 19 25 LlstolAßestul M 20 Dial A Sanders 19 29 Ort A Reber 19 29 Chalfant A Calhoon 14V9 29M Trim A Rude >1 » High team game: Gammiere A Blanchard -690 High team series: Daffran A Whetten - 1094 900 series: P. Luno 999, R. Undzy 954. D. Rensberger 949. T. Hippe 969. T. Gammiere 936. G Whetten 943. G. Deffron 9M R. Harmon 934. J. Jones 904. R. Laman 90S. R.Kam

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FUTURE WARRIORS — Pictured above are team members of Milford Junior High’s sixth grade girls basketball team. From left to right are, front row, Tisha Galloway, Heidi Lehman, Krissy Eisenhour, Shanda Gelegor, Bobbi Jo Mollette, Tina den Hartog. Second row: Coach Phil Metcalf, Julie Hollar, Teresa Mussleman, Kristin Robbins, Sonya Anderson and Julie Bender. Third row: Julie Fulp, Pam Shock, Evelyn Stricklin, Krista Zimmerman, Stephanie Hobbs, Sara Wilkinson, Shawna Miller and Melissa Islas. (Photo by Mark Weinstein)

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SYRACUSE SIXTH — Pictured above are Syracuse’s sixth grade girls basketball team. From left to right are, front row: Lisa Donley, Shelley Hutchings, Darla Ringler, Aimee Bales and Daphne Byrd. Second row: Coach Stacy Kline. Amy Hoene, April Rensberger, Tonya Bryant. Heather Ritchie and Sylvia Cole. Third row: Kristy Van Diepenbos, Julie Gunn, Jamie Edsal, Christine Wilhite, Kacy Yoder, Angie Wineland and Shadow Newcomber. Fourth row: Janelle Jennings. Angela Kistler, Teresa West, Jennifer Melendez, Darci Smith, Kelli Solina and Michelle Smith.

ONE MINUTE SPORTS QUIZ 1. Which batter has more lifetime strikeous than base hits? (A) Reggie Jackson; (B) Dave Kingman; (C) Greg Luzinski; (D) Bill Buckner. 2. Who was the only player to bat behind Hank Aaron and Sadaharu Oh? (A) Joe Pepitone; (B) Davey Johnson; <C) Mike Lum; (D) Charley Chan. 3. Who was the youngest coach (age 24) in NBA history? (A) Dave Cowens; (B) Dave Deßusschere; (C) Al Attles; (D) Red Auerbach. 4. Which NFL player averaged a record 30.6 yjirds on kickoff returns? (A) Gale Sayers; (B) Abe Woodson; (C) Buddy Young; (D) Mercury Morris. 5. Which NFL wide receiver caught the most career passes? (A) Charlie Taylor; (B)Freddie Scott; (C) Otis Taylor; (D) Rosey Taylor. SPORTS QUIZ ANSWERS jo|tei aqjßqo S uaXes a(B£> fr ajatps»nga<] saeq £ uosoqor Xsabq z ÜBt iSuiyj 3ABQ i

450 series: J. Gon ales SOO, J. Anderson 472, J. Lewallen 4a B. Smith 401. J. Daffron 452 200 games: P. Lune 200, T. Hippe 225, T. Gammiere 223. R. Undzy 224, R. Kammerdtoner 229. R. Harmer 1214 170 games: J. Gor zatos 201, J. Lewallen IOS. J. Anderson 193. R. Calbeck 169, L. Bestul 174. C. Hefty 100. B. Smith 100. S. Howitt 171. K.Hujpe:l79 Thursday Merning Earty Birds Dirty Birds 60V5 27VS Tweety Birds $319 34VS Humming Birds 30M 49Vk Thom Birds 23V» 64Vk High team game a id series: Tweety Birds - 407-1350 490 series: J. Gray 469. J. Hostetler 499, J. West 471 190 games: B. Kline 192. 172. J. Gray 199, 171. J. Rudasics ISO. 90, J. Hostetler 140.160, J. West 179,155

Wed., February 29,1984 - THE MAIL-JOURNAL

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DISTRICT FREE THROW WINNERS — Darin Atwood, left, and Chris Conkling, right,' were winners in the recent district competition of the Knights of Columbus Free Throw Contest. Atwood won the 14-year-old division and Conkling won the 11-year-old division. Tony Staley, from Knights of Columbus Council <323. is pictured with the winners. The district contest was open to all local winners from Warsaw, Walkerton, Plymouth and Syracuse. District winners will advance to the regional competition in LaPorte on March 4. Regional winners advance to the state competition. (Pljpto by Bob List)

Sunday Nite Mixed Slabaugh Canvas 64 24 'Fairmont 61 35 Dreamers S 3 43 Wawasegßowl an Syracuse Rubber 46W 49VS Miller's Heating 45Vy 50Vy Wallace Welding 45 51 Logan-Rogers Realty 42 54 Tom Stiver Insurance 37 59 Ace Pest Control 35 61 High teem game A series: Ace Pest Control - 911-2166 700 series: S. Richmond 730 500 series: H. Gray 551. J. Wallace 507. M.

SYRACUSE 1N4M47 TMMCBOM • Room Additions • Rtnodnllng • Fin • Insuranaf Ropolr • Storms, Etc.

Rensberger 532. J. Leamon 911. C. Summerlot 555. R. Knisley 504, C. Fink 545, K. Knisley 520. L. Hawn 917, A. Slabaugh 541, C. Wooomans33 490 series: M. Leamon 461, N. OConnel 457. J. Milter 470, A. Long 474. C. Vanvorst 456, P. Bailey 401 200 games: A. Slabaugh 202, S. Richmond 252. 270, 200. P. AAoney 200, M. Rensberger 209. C. Summerlot 202 160 games: A. Long 177, C. Vanvorst 161, P. Bailey 177, J. Miller 100, M. Rensberger 197, M. Leamon 160, N. O'Connel 163. L. Hawn IK, in, E. Slabaugh 104,171. S. Price 163

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