PREP ROUNDUP
Royals win first conference title in 11 years on the courts
CHARLOTTESVILLE — For the first time since 2008, the Eastern Hancock boys tennis team can call themselves conference champions.
The Royals, hosts of the Mid-Eastern Conference championship on Saturday, won county titles at three of five positions, scoring 22 points to top Shenandoah (16), Blue River Valley (13) and Randolph Southern (9).
Kodey Huff won a conference title at No. 1 singles after falling in the first set. He won 2-6, 6-3, 10-6. Nolan Stout won at No. 2 singles with a 6-3, 7-6 (6-1) win in the championship round. Sammy Blocher and Bryce Wennen also were MEC champs at No. 2 doubles, winning 6-4, 6-0 in the finals.
Freshman Zeke Dixon was runner-up at No. 3 singles, and the No. 1 doubles team of Brady Smith and John McDaniel also finished second for the Royals.
Dragons finish 2nd
New Palestine finished runner-up in Saturday’s New Palestine Invitational. The Dragons beat Southport 4-1 in the opening match, then fell to Greenwood 4-1 in the title match.
In the first round, the Dragons got a 6-1, 6-0 victory from Ben Blachly and a 6-2, 6-0 win from Colin Darley. At doubles, Jeremy Wagoner/Ethan Haeberle won 6-0, 6-1 and Ezra Schwier/Clayton Wesley won 6-1, 6-0.
Against Greenwood, the Dragons dropped four straight-set matches, but got a victory at No. 2 doubles from Schwier/Wesley 6-4, 6-4.
Marauders finish 4th at invite
Mt. Vernon competed in Saturday’s eight-team Richmond Invitational, finishing fourth overall.
Dallas Turner and Owen Koon won the No. 2 doubles flight without ever dropping a set for the Marauders.
Girls soccer
Dragons fall to Flashes
New Palestine traveled to play Franklin Central Saturday morning, with the Dragons falling 3-2 in a back-and-forth game.
After conceding the first goal, the Dragons got the equalizer when Anna Luker found Maddy Miller for a goal.
Franklin Central again scored late in the half and the two teams played evenly in the second half. With 10 minutes left, Miller took a feed from Addie Halter and beat the keeper with a fantastic shot for her second goal of the game. The hosts then scored late to take the 3-2 lead.
Cougars drop match
Greenfield-Central lost at home Saturday, falling 2-0 to Park Tudor.
The visitors, ranked No. 2 in Class 1A, capitalized on two early Cougars mistakes to earn the win. Greenfield-Central is now 4-2 on the year.
Volleyball
Cougars fall in invite final
Greenfield-Central went 3-1 in Saturday’s Shondell Family Invite, losing to the Muncie Burris Owls in the championship match, 25-14, 26-24.
The Cougars topped Carroll and Fairfield each by a 2-0 score, and topped Evansville Memorial, 2-1, to reach the championship round.
Royals fall to Lapel
Eastern Hancock lost Saturday at Lapel, 25-8, 25-12, 25-15.
The Royals are now 4-11 on the season.
Girls golf
Dragons win, senior sets record
Senior Annaliese Fox set the 18-hole school record with a 68, leading the New Palestine golf team to the Shelbyville Invitational championship Saturday at River’s Edge in Shelbyville.
Fox shot six birdies and two bogeys in her four-under par round. She one-putted six times and three-putted only twice. Her score broke the 18-hole school record by two strokes, and came two days after she set the nine-hole record with a 32 at The Links. Fox then shot 32 on the front nine before firing a 36 on the back at River’s Edge.
Izzy Gray shot 83, Megan Diller 88 and Rachel Purnell 100, giving the Dragons a team-score of 339. All four golfers shot their season bests.
Cross-country
Marauders 2nd, 3rd at Marian
Mt. Vernon, New Palestine and Eastern Hancock all competed in Saturday’s Marian Invitational, with the Marauders boys and girls leading the way among county teams.
The Marauders boys finished third in their division, while the girls were second. The New Palestine boys finished sixth and the Dragons girls were 12th in the elite division. Eastern Hancock’s boys finished fourth in their division.
Reyce Morgan from Mt. Vernon was the top county boys finisher in seventh (16:47). New Palestine’s Devon Whitaker was 11th (17:08). Mt. Vernon’s Rilee Hartman was 12th (20:57) in the girls race, while New Palestine’s Brenna Shaw was 35th in the elite race (19:36).
Eastern Hancock’s Daniel Campbell finished fourth in his division (17:33).
Cougars compete in Columbus
Greenfield-Central competed in Saturday’s Columbus North Classic, with the boys finishing sixth and the girls finishing 13th.
The Cougars boys were led by Conner Kinnaman’s 12th-place finish with a time of 16:16. Audrey Brinkruff led the Cougars girls with a fourth-place finish, setting a new school record of 18:54.7.
