A Year to Remember: A look back at some of the best sports stories from 2021

HANCOCK COUNTY — What a year!

Back to competition after a year of uncertainty in 2020 — and the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic — the athletics landscape produced countless memorable moments for Hancock County sports fans and supporters.

From historic firsts like Mt. Vernon High Schools’ Class 4A football state title to a record-setting season that many witnessed in Charlottesville as the Eastern Hancock softball team crushed home runs as if they were routine singles.

Trying to narrow down the best sports stories from 2021 was no easy task and much like all-star voting, the debate will live on for at least the next 12 months when discussing who made the cut and who got snubbed.

While these are the 10 chosen story lines for 2021, there were so many more deserving recognition, and The Daily Reporter staff applauds every single student-athlete, coach, program, team, administration and community. Without them, there wouldn’t be a list to showcase nor choices to be made.

Congratulations on every win, trophy, title and dream realized. Here’s to another incredible 365 days ahead of us in 2022!

Below are 10 unforgettable sports moments from 2021.

1. Marauders football wins it all

Where were you on Nov. 27, 2021?

From here on out, that will be a trivia question in Fortville/McCordsville. More than likely, if you live (or lived) in one of those communities, you were in downtown Indianapolis inside Lucas Oil Stadium that day supporting the Class 4A state champion Mt. Vernon Marauders.

Making their first-ever state finals appearance, the Marauders (14-1) concluded their historic gridiron journey by defeating Northridge, 45-14, in the state title game for the program’s first football state championship and 14th consecutive victory.

More impressive than the Marauders’ dominating performance at state was their postseason journey, which included sectional wins over Hoosier Heritage Conference rivals Pendleton Heights and Greenfield-Central.

For an encore, the Marauders avenged their 2020 season-ending, postseason loss, 35-14, by upending defending state champion and top-ranked Roncalli at regional this past November, 27-21, to setup another rematch at semistate against Evansville Memorial.

The Marauders, who repeated as outright HHC champions, won their third straight sectional, second regional title in three years and first-ever semistate championship by defeating state-ranked Evansville Memorial, 42-28, at Enlow Field to make up for Mt. Vernon’s 2019 semistate loss, 28-3.

Powered by the program’s winningest senior class led by Gehrig Slunaker, Keagan La Belle, Ashden Gentry, Max Hayse and many more, the Marauders cemented their place in football history by rising as one.

“It’s amazing to finally say, we won, and now, we’re going to celebrate forever,” Slunaker said. “We get to hold on to this for the rest of our lives. No one can ever take this away from us.”

2. Voelz runs after Olympic dream

Every dream has an origin story.

For Notre Dame senior Samuel Voelz, his initially grew roots roughly a decade ago, unbeknownst even to himself when his father, James, gifted him a framed photo of Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon that hung over his bed until this past year.

His running journey began taking shape long before he became a 2017 IHSAA track and field state champion for New Palestine High School in the 800-meter race.

The foundation was set years prior to his prayers finally being answered as he worked his way up from NCAA Division-III DePauw University to South Bend, where he’s been named a three-time All-American runner.

Voelz didn’t just take in the sights while at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, this past June. Instead, he was a 2021 Tokyo Olympics hopeful, and he nearly made the U.S. Olympic Team cut.

Competing in three rounds of races over four days during the 2020 Olympic Team Trials, Voelz reached the 800-meter race final on June 21 and finished sixth in 1 minute, 45.54 seconds, which set both a Notre Dame program record and a new standard for the fastest Hoosier to ever run the event.

Voelz set a new personal-best in the 800 during the semifinal round with a 1:46.39. He later shattered the previous Olympic Trials record time ever set by an Indiana competitor, which was established by Shelbyville’s Daniel Kuhn (Indiana University) at 1:46.06 in 2018.

Voelz finished the trials two spots ahead of 2019 world champion Donavan Brazier, who took eighth in 1:47.88.

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime memory. I think, it might be one of those things, before I get married and have kids, where if I had my life flash before eyes, that would probably be a memory I would think of,” Voelz said. “It’s pretty emotional running around the track, doing my stride out for the first race and looking up and seeing my parents and coaches up there.”

3. Noble chases down record book

It took five grueling years, but Christian Noble at last achieved greatness this past March during the 2021 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships in Birmingham, Alabama.

Noble, a Mt. Vernon graduate, became the first NCAA Division II National Champion in Lee University school history by winning the 5,000-meter race.

Noble, an All-American, was the No. 1 seed entering the race after he set a Division II record of 13 minutes, 37.39 seconds on the same track inside the Birmingham CrossPlex on Jan. 24.

During indoor nationals, Noble covered the same distance in 13:47.45 to win over Isaac Harding of Grand Valley State University by 0.91 seconds.

The next day, Noble, a four-time individual Gulf South Conference cross-country champion, added to his legacy by winning the 3,000-meter run to edge Harding for his second NCAA Division II title in a time of 8:00.45. Noble is the first Lee University runner to win multiple individual national championships.

A graduate student at Lee University, Noble was named a South Region Track Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) for the 2021 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field season.

“I’m really happy with the way that I raced, and I’m glad I could pull away with the win,” Noble remarked after winning his first national title. “I haven’t made an indoor nationals. This is my first time ever competing at one, so five years of just going for it. I’m glad. I’ve worked really hard for this. This is something I thought about since I got recruited by coach (Caleb) Morgan. I’m glad we could see it through. I’m super happy, and I’m glad I could represent Lee.”

4. Marauders athletics reigns supreme

With the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down schools across the nation during the early months of 2020, the IHSAA’s remaining winter sports season’s state tournaments were eventually canceled, and for the first time, there weren’t any spring sports.

Yet, as many Hancock County coaches and student-athletes remarked throughout the 2020-21 school year, once competition resumed in August 2020, there was a new perspective and purpose.

Nothing was taken for granted.

A message the Mt. Vernon sports community took to another level and have continued into 2021-22.

Overall, Mt. Vernon athletics captured 12 sectional team titles in 2020-21, earned both the boys and girls Hoosier Heritage Conference All-Sports awards by the end of the school year and capped the return of prep sports with a complete sectional sweep in the spring.

“It was pretty amazing to see the kids get a chance to not only complete the seasons but to complete them with success as well. That made it a little bit more meaningful to them,” Mt. Vernon athletics director Brandon Ecker said. “We were calling it the COVID revenge tour because they were coming out and leaving nothing to chance. I think, they really showed that they were dialed in and ready to compete.”

In the fall of 2021, Mt. Vernon’s winning ways led to HHC team titles in football, girls golf, girls soccer and both boys and girls cross country. Sectional championships were earned by the girls golf team and football team.

5. Mt. Vernon baseball tears through history

Records are meant to be broken and so are droughts. This past spring, the Mt. Vernon baseball team took care of both as “Trailblazers.”

Led by head coach Brad King, the Class 4A Marauders reached the IHSAA state tournament’s final four by setting a program record for wins in a single season at 26, while also vanquishing several longstanding team-title dry spells along the way.

The Marauders’ sectional title this spring marked the team’s first since 2011, while its outright Hoosier Heritage Conference championship was the squad’s first ever. Mt. Vernon finished 12-2 in the HHC, one game ahead of rival Greenfield-Central for the title.

Without a regional title since 1971, the Marauders ended their 50-year drought by toppling state powerhouse Cathedral, 6-3, in comeback fashion during the regional finals for their 11th consecutive victory.

Beforehand, they won their first regional game in 49 years during the semifinals with another come-from-behind win against Franklin Central, 6-2.

“Trailblazers. That’s what we talked about. Blaze that trail, be that team that is the standard for every team going forward,” King said. “Now, we set a standard that we have to reach every year.”

The Marauders’ run ended, 17-2 in five innings, to host Jasper, the eventual 4A state champion, at Alvin C. Ruxer Field during semistate, but they raised the bar for years to come.

Senior star Hunter Dobbins, one of many team leaders for Mt. Vernon, was named a 2021 IHSBCA South All-Star.

6. Mt. Vernon softball nearly breaks through

Mt. Vernon head coach Veronica (Weaver) Kirby’s softball journey ran full circle this past spring.

A student-athlete on the softball program’s last state championship team in 2000, the Mt. Vernon graduate nearly steered the modern-day Marauders to a state title run of their own in 2021.

Finishing 23-6, the Marauders reached the final four in Class 4A this past season, winning a second sectional title in three years and the program’s first regional crown since 2002.

The most impressive part wasn’t what the Marauders achieved, but what Kirby’s squad had to do to get there. After a 9-1 start to the season, minor injuries and a few Hoosier Heritage Conference setbacks foreshadowed a potential letdown by late May.

Instead, the Marauders caught fire, winning eight straight while avenging a pair of regular-season losses in the postseason against rival Pendleton Heights at sectional and Lawrence North in regional to meet eventual state champion Roncalli in the semistate title game.

A team with multiple heroes, Kirby found a way to keep her Marauders focused on the process and the team’s chemistry responded with 52 home runs in 29 games and 278 runs scored behind a pair of aces in Madison Taylor and Karlee Franklin.

Their final loss of the season at semistate required 10-innings of tug-of-war softball before Roncalli narrowly escaped, 1-0.

“I don’t know if I actually understood what was accomplished at that young age (winning state), and I don’t know if the girls really do either at this point. One day they will, and I’m excited for them to have that moment of reflection,” Kirby said. “When you look back, it’s like, ‘Oh my, gosh.’ Just what it took to get there and what it took for them. What really had to occur for them to get to the final four in the state in 4A. That’s a huge accomplishment.”

7. Royals softball crushes expectations

The Class 2A Eastern Hancock softball team was simply historic.

While the No. 7 Royals didn’t reach their ultimate goal of winning a state championship this past spring, falling to No. 3 Union County, 4-2, at regional, they rewrote history at every turn during what could be described as the golden era of softball in Hancock County.

As neighboring top-ranked 4A New Palestine remained a powerhouse in the state and 4A Mt. Vernon reached the final four, Eastern Hancock became not only a factor in the softball landscape but a true contender to watch in the future.

The proof is in the numbers, beginning with 27, marking the games won consecutively to set a new school record for longest streak and most victories in a single season.

After losing their season opener 4-3 to New Palestine on March 22, the Royals didn’t lose again until regional in early June.

In the process, the team captured the Mid-Eastern Conference championship, a second consecutive sectional title and fourth in six years while setting 10 single-season team records, including home runs (51), and seven individual season records.

The Royals beat Union County during the regular season prior to their postseason rematch and only graduated three players with one starter in senior ace Maddie Turner, a Huntington recruit.

“We’ve had quite a season. There’s nothing I can complain about. I just hate going out the way we played. We’re a better team than what we showed tonight, and the girls know that,” Eastern Hancock head coach Terry Stephens said after the regional loss. “We helped them too much, and that team doesn’t need any help, and we still only lost by two.”

8. Gibson named MLB All-Star

It was a whirlwind summer for Greenfield-Central graduate Kyle Gibson this MLB season.

Signed with his second professional team in his career, Gibson, who came up with the Minnesota Twins, solidified himself as the Texas Rangers’ ace after a trying 2020 season. By the Midsummer Classic, the right-hander was named an MLB American League All-Star for the first time.

Later, he was traded to the National League as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, but in the process, Gibson became a household name.

His 2021 season got off to a rocky start as his ERA ballooned to 135.00 following a one-third inning performance in Kansas City on April Fool’s Day. From there, however, he systematically chiseled away at the gaudy figure with 15 consecutive quality starts from April 7 to, at one point in July, leading the league in ERA at 1.98.

“When you don’t execute well that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have confidence in yourself. It just means maybe that inning wasn’t your best inning,” Gibson said.

“Obviously, when you’re throwing well, you’re confidence stays a little bit higher, but I still think it’s important to remember that there’s still possibly a bad outing right around the corner, and you can’t allow one bad outing to impact your confidence because if you’re going out there and not throwing pitches with conviction and confidence, then it really doesn’t matter any preparation you do. You’re probably not going to put out your best work and that goes for about anybody in any job or in any walk of life.”

At Colorado’s Coors Field for the Midsummer Classic on July 13, Gibson pitched one complete inning and allowed a hit as the American League won 5-2.

Perhaps one of the oldest players on the AL roster at 33, Gibson’s journey to the MLB All-Star game unfolded in his eighth full, big league season after getting called up in 2013 with the Twins.

At the All-Star break, his 2.29 ERA through 102.0 innings pitched ranked him sixth in the AL. By the end of the season, Gibson finished 4-6 with a 5.09 ERA for the Phillies with 155 strikeouts total with both clubs.

9. Hall heads to the Big Dance

When Tate Hall called Greenfield-Central High School home, the former Cougars’ standout wouldn’t go a day at practice without glancing upwards.

Back then, the all-state guard’s vision was perpetually tunneled, much like it remains today.

Winning was all that mattered to Hall, and as his eyes gazed above the rim while shooting free throws inside the Cougars’ gymnasium, he often pondered to himself. How can his Cougars put a new sectional championship banner on that wall, like the 1998 team?

Hall’s answer was always the same — just keep moving forward, don’t give up on your dreams.

While Hall couldn’t achieve that particular goal, he never stopped following his own advice once he joined the collegiate ranks in 2016-17, and his pursuit to win put him on the national stage this past March.

From Hancock County to the Big Dance, Hall and the Missouri Valley Conference champion Loyola-Chicago Ramblers made some noise during the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

The former Great Lakes Valley Conference Freshman of the Year in 2016-17 at the University of Indianapolis, Hall transferred to Loyola-Chicago and began playing for the Ramblers in 2019-20.

During the NCAA Tournament, Hall and Ramblers played spoiler, upsetting No. 1 seed Illinois, 71-58, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis to reach the Sweet 16 for the second time in four seasons.

The win marked Loyola-Chicago’s eighth in a row before the Ramblers lost to Oregon State, 65-58, during the NCAA Midwest Regional semifinals in Indianapolis.

Hall, a graduate student, has returned to Loyola-Chicago for his final year of eligibility in 2021-22.

“Coming out of high school, I knew this was my dream,” Hall said. “It was a huge decision (leaving UIndy). I’m definitely glad I made that decision, especially to Loyola. At UIndy, I had a great experience, but I knew I wanted to do this. Be in the March madness and how fitting is it to be in Indiana (for the tournament), right in my backyard where I grew up.”

10. Marauders boys swimming makes waves

When asked to describe his Mt. Vernon boys swim team’s achievements in 2020-21, no other word came to mind for Marauders head coach Brad Grieshop but “awesome.”

Historic would be another, and the Marauders upheld both by finishing the season undefeated in dual meets while also capturing the program’s first Hoosier Heritage Conference team title and first sectional championship since 2005.

When senior Aiden Tierney’s second-place, school-record state swim in the 100-yard breaststroke is included, it’s only fitting to agree with Grieshop. The Marauders put together a season to remember, punctuated by Tierney, who set three school records during the IHSAA state meet on the campus of IUPUI this past February.

The team’s senior leadership and collective depth halted Greenfield-Central’s 10-year stronghold on the HHC and at the sectional meet, while also building a wave toward a 16th overall placement at state.

Tierney concluded his prep career a three-time state finalist for the Marauders and medaled in consecutive years with a sixth-place swim in the 100 breaststroke in 2019-20.