Women’s basketball aims to improve upon last year’s post-season results
January 23, 2008
By: Stephanie Walstrom <swalstrom@hilite.org>
Coming off of what it calls a disappointing post-season finish last year, the women’s basketball team heads into its last two games of the season with a 14-2 record and a Number-4 ranking as of Jan. 22.
“So far this season we have had a lot of ups and downs, but now the team is on the upside of things and hopefully will stay there,” Danielle Havel, returning varsity basketball player and senior, said.
“I think going into Sectional we will have the advantage playing on our home court and considering we haven’t lost at home yet, we hope to keep up that record,” she said. With two games left to play in regular season, the team has a perfect home court record.
According to Assistant Coach Joe Stuelpe, the team is continuing to work on goals it established earlier in the season, namely improving team chemistry. “They’re working on it,” he said. “They’ve made some progress but there’s still some things we can do better on and off the floor. The goal is to do those things better in the tournament and we’re still working on that. The goal is to have thirteen girls on the same page, playing for and with each other.”
“The things we have been working on in practices are carrying over to the games, and it shows we are ready to start the tournament strong,” Havel said.
The team faces Ben Davis tonight at 7:30 p.m., and Center Grove at home on Tuesday. They will play in the first round of Sectional on Feb. 5 at home. Their opponent has yet to be determined. Currently Carmel is ranked higher than any team they will face in its Sectional. Only two teams they will face in Regional are ranked higher: North Central and Ben Davis.
“As a team we have really done well this season. When times get rough during a game we know how to pick one another up so we can strive to do well. That’s what is called team chemistry and that is what will help as in Sectional,” Ashlee Spearman, varsity basketball player and senior, said. “If we continue to play together as a team we will do big things. Our team goal this season is to get out of Sectional and continue going ‘just one more.’”
Men’s swimming focuses on last meets
January 23, 2008
By: Mitch Ringenberg <mringenberg@hilite.org>
On Feb. 23, the men’s swimming season will officially come to an end with the State meet.
Before then, however, the swimmers will face Ben Davis at home on Tuesday at 6 p.m., the team’s Senior Night, and the team’s performance in that and other subsequent meets, including Sectional and Regional meets in February, will determine its success at State, according to Josh Jordan, varsity swimmer and junior.
Jordan said, “We need to focus harder than ever on all the upcoming meets. The end of the season is already very soon and we’re all very dedicated to giving our all having one of the best seasons this school has ever had.”
Head Coach Chris Plumb said, “The end-of-the-year meet determines how well you did that season. (The end of the year) is extremely important as it is what we continually focus (on) throughout the year.”
In addition to that, Plumb said that the swimmers are much more confident with themselves and what they are doing in the pool. “They know that we drop a tremendous amount of time at the end of the year and they are confident that we will do that having gone through it before with me as their coach,” he said.
Jordan said, “We need to make it back to where we were before, back in the glory days.”
As for the State championship, the season’s last meet, Matt Segar, varsity swimmer and senior, said, “The end of this season will be a culmination of four years of effort and hard work. This year we hope to go further than we have in a really long time.”
Wrestlers look forward to Sectional
January 23, 2008
By: Jessee Jordan <jjordan@hilite.org>
Coming off of a second-place finish in this past weekend’s MIC tournament and with only two losses on its record, this year’s wrestling team looks competitive as it heads into the Sectional tournament tomorrow at Zionsville beginning at 8:30 a.m.
Chris Mascaro, returning wrestler and senior, said, “I believe that we have a good chance (tomorrow at Sectional). We have done pretty well so far and I believe that we can keep it up and hopefully pull off a big win at State. I think that we have worked hard for it, and I believe that we have earned it as a team.”
The team’s record this year is 17–2 in dual meets. The team has also placed either first or second in all of its invitationals including this past weekend’s MIC championship meet where the team lost to Lawrence North, a team it lost to on Dec. 5.
According to Head Coach John Kopnisky, “The team has really pulled through this year as individuals and as a whole. There (are) hopes for us to go far this year and I hope we will be able to pull of the State title this time around.”
If the team wins tomorrow at Sectional, it will head to North Montgomery on Wednesday to wrestle for a chance at a team Regional championship. Only the varsity wrestlers will have a chance to wrestle in both the team Regional and individual Regional.
But before the team wrestles at Regional, it must get past the Sectional, where it will face several teams from the area. Earlier this season the team faced and defeated several opponents that it will meet again in Sectional. These teams include Lebanon, Zionsville, Frankfort and Westfield.
Icehounds take on Braves
January 23, 2008
By: Andrew Browning <abrowning@hilite.org>
Tonight the Icehounds Gold team takes on Brebeuf Jesuit at the Carmel Ice Skadium at 9:15 pm. Defenseman and senior C.J. Aulby said he has been pleased by the team’s performance so far this season.
“We’ve done a really good job,” Aulby said. “We tied (Hamilton Southeastern) 1-1 and they were ranked Number-1 in the state. That really tells us where we’re at the moment.”
After taking on the Braves tonight, the Gold team will face the Blue team for Senior Night at the Ice Skadium tomorrow at 5:30. According to both Aulby and forward and senior Tom Coyne, the main focus will be on fun and honoring the seniors, rather than the game itself.
“Senior Night’s kind of fun. We get to play our B team and the game’s not usually that close, but it’s something you look forward to each year to the recognize the seniors,” Aulby said.
“It’s just a fun night to be able to go out there in front of everyone and play your last home game, and the whole thing is dedicated to the us,” Coyne said.
Jack Manard, Gold team head coach, said via e-mail that the seniors have played an important role in the team’s success this season. “As for the role of the Gold seniors, I can’t say enough positive things,” Manard said. “They have demonstrated maturity and leadership on and off the ice.”
After Senior Night the Gold team has four games left before the State tournament begins. Aulby said that the team needs to be playing its best hockey in the games leading up to the tournament.
“That’s probably the most important time when we can set ourselves up for a State championship,” Aulby said. “We won last year, and that’s when we played our best and when you need to play best: leading up to the State championship.”
Manard said that the coaching staff has taken extra time scheduling to ensure that players are properly prepared for the tournament. He said, “We have scheduled our practices and games to facilitate a growing intensity towards the end of the season. Our guys are hungry for the hardware.”
Coyne said that the team must have confidence in itself if they are to continue to have success and ultimately capture a second straight State title.
“If we believe we can beat teams and don’t get intimidated by good teams, I believe we can beat anyone we play against,” Coyne said. “We need to keep a good mindset going into tournament time.”
“These players have more heart, intensity and guts than most teams at this level,” Manard said. “You take a combination like that into a hockey game and watch out.”
Shooting for Perfection
January 23, 2008
By: Jon Haslam <jhaslam@hilite.org>
The men’s varsity basketball team has a perfect record as it approaches the middle of its season. The team has had a fairly balanced schedule up until this point, with five home wins and six away wins. Tomorrow’s game against Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) is an away game, but not like the team is used to seeing.
The team’s 13th game of the season against HSE will take place at Conseco Fieldhouse. Both players and coaches agreed that it is a different type of atmosphere.
“It’ll be fun to play in a different environment, and Conseco is a cool gym,” forward and junior Brandon Wojcik said. He has never played at Conseco. While he thinks the Fieldhouse is new and different, he says in the end it’s the same type of game.
“It’s just another game just in a different place,” Wojcik said. “The rims might be a little different but that really doesn’t matter. It doesn’t change the fact that it’s Carmel vs. HSE.”
For players like Senior Jordan Brewer and Junior Morgan Newton, playing on the professional venues is becoming something of a habit. After the State football tournament that took place in the RCA Dome, Newton said he still looks forward to games in large venues.
“It is always fun to play those games. I still get excited for them because for most people, they might not ever experience playing in a place like that,” Newton said.
Newton said that although the size of the venue is changed immensely, it doesn’t affect his game play. He said the game will still follow its same course, and there is really no reason to be nervous.
Not only are players like Newton experienced to the play of big stadiums, but Head Coach Mark Galloway has also seen his fair share of sport venues.
Galloway played for basketball in high school at Plainfield, and continued playing in college at Bethel.
“Being a Division II school, our gym wasn’t that big, and when we went on the road we played at bigger places. I really like the atmosphere along with a bigger crowd,” Galloway said.
Galloway said that anytime there is an away game it is different, with a new shooting background and it’s not always as comfortable.
Even though tomorrow’s game is at a larger and more well known arena, the team looks to remain focused for the remainder of the season.
“We still have to play one game at a time, and continue to play well on the road,” Galloway said, “We have to take games slowly and not lose focus.”
Choral students prepare for ISSMA
January 23, 2008
By: Min Qiao <mqiao@hilite.org>
Bellowing out the lyrics to “At the River” in her Applied Music Class, Lauren Carpenter, member of the Accents, rehearses her solo for the ISSMA vocal solo and ensemble contest, which will occur on Feb. 2 at Westfield High School. Like the other 50-plus students in the Applied Music class, Carpenter’s participation in the vocal contest is mandatory for the class.
“It is just supposed to be a good experience because we will all perform a solo and we’ll be judged on it,” Carpenter said. “I guess it’s to get us prepared to be able to perform in front of an audience.”
Choir director Lamonte Kuskye said that since the objective of the class is to study solo singing, competing at the ISSMA contest was a great opportunity for the students to apply what the learned in class. While the students learn how to sing in a large choir in class, they rarely sing in a solo environment at school. This contest is one of the only times many of the students in that class get to perform a solo outside of class.
“(The vocal contest) is totally optional for everyone in the choirs, except for Applied Music,” Kuskye said. “However, since some of the students in that class are in choir as well, there are actually several choir students singing (at the contest).”
In addition to the 56 students in his two Applied Music classes, Kuskye has another 30 students from the various choirs who have signed up to compete at this contest as well. Of the 86 total students signed up for this event, all of them will be performing vocal solos, so there are no ensembles singing at the contest this year, Kuskye said.
Carpenter also said that the students often practice with the directors who help them and also act as the accompanist. Since the contest is a required event, she said that the students get class time to work with the directors on their individual solos. For even more practice, the students actually perform their solos in front of the entire class.
The contest is a statewide opportunity for solos and ensembles of all levels, according to Kuskye. The contest centers are crowded with participants.
“All the choir directors and I have to be (at Westfield High School) the entire day to play the piano accompaniment for all the students,” Kuskye said. “Some of the students have voice teachers, and their teachers are their accompanist, but still, it’s going to be a long day.”
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