Host with the Most, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2012

It’s not uncommon to expect certain privileges as a high school senior.

Maybe the rules are a little more lax, some schools allow open campus, and there is of course the all-important spot on the front row of the student section riser. In recent years, that front row at Twin Lakes High School had not been met with more support than a row or two in total for the Twin Lakes Roadies, the club name for the boys basketball student section, but as anticipation for a senior-laden Indians team combined with an 8-2 start, the crowd size across from the scorer’s table at TLHS began to climb higher and higher in the sometimes over-large home gym.

The larger crowds come at a pivotal time for the Indians and for the Roadies, as Twin Lakes opens its first sectional tournament since 1995-96. It will be the largest stage for Ruben Flores and the rest of the Roadies, and the Twin Lakes senior and unofficial yell leader has already put out a guarantee for tonight’s crowd.

“All I have to say is that we will not disappoint,” said Flores, who has set the bar for audacious outfits with his elderly woman look earlier in the season, including a cane.

“We’re going to be loud, we’re going to be good, and we’re not going to stop yelling.”

The Roadies are somewhat of an anarchist club at Twin Lakes, with no set leaders or organization beyond simple seniority along class lines and the level of creativity a student can bring. Organization does become apparent, however, when the coordinated costumes are seen and game-specific cheer sheets begin to be passed around. Twin Lakes senior Holly Adams credited several members with doing a higher level of research, while the recent swelling of the student section’s ranks could be attributed to a certain level of wrangling on the older students’ part.

“Cole Guingrich has always come up with a lot of ideas, and him and Jordan Crabb have looked up chants that we can do,” Adams said. “We also invited the middle-schoolers to stand behind us, so that lets us look bigger. Other schools have roadie sections too, so now it’s like a competition to see who can be best. We’re there to watch the game, but we also want to outdo their roadie section too.

“It’s kind of a competition.”

That kind of competition was likely at its most fierce in an overtime thriller in Monticello against Delphi. The Oracles student section, with more than a few other White County students in attendance to take on the county bully, was a sea of black in the otherwise red-tinted crowd, and each played to the other’s newest barbs. Other senior members of the Roadies, including Wyat Ezra, Levi Lotz and Harry Dickson, put a greater emphasis on being clever in their chants as opposed to driving for a skewering line. The crowd isn’t above playing to the stereotypes surrounding an opposing community, though.

“It’s a lot more about the school’s location, and if you know people there it’s a lot easier to takes stabs at them without being too mean,” Dickson said.

While the crowd size has grown to a level not seen in several years, Twin Lakes has not been without its own controversy this season. In a heated matchup against Hoosier Conference rival West Lafayette, a plastic cup full of ice was hurled onto the court in the closing seconds. The following technical helped ensure the Red Devils’ win, and the question remained on how the Roadies would respond, even if the thrower was not technically a member of the club.

The response has been a lesser emphasis on singling out certain players, and the student section along with the members of the basketball team (many of whom are in the club on top of on the team) showed a high level of maturity in the aftermath.

“We talked about it, that obviously we don’t want to be like that, we want to have good sportsmanship as well as making our cheers more clever and not making fun of people,” Adams said. “We want to have good sportsmanship and keep people thinking about what we’re saying.”

For the remaining seniors, the status of the Roadies heading into sectional play has already been lifted, but they hope that the tradition endures even after they step down from the stands for the final time.

“I think we’re setting it to where next year it’s going to be just as intense, just as good,” Lotz said.

Ezra added that the future is safe with several underclassmen ready in the wings.

“There are always a couple people in each grade that like to step up and show an example for the next grade,” Ezra said.

- Article on the growth that a local student body has seen in its student section as the new host of a local sectional playoff tournament.

Boys basketball sectional preview, Monday, Feb. 27, 2012

Front page layout for previews of the boys basketball state tourney games.

Football sectional preview, Friday, Oct. 21, 2011

Sectional preview for county schools for 2011 playoff season.

Indians wronged? Saturday, December 3, 2011

Controversial call sets stage for TL semifinal loss.

By Chad Husted

LAFAYETTE — With time winding down in what would be remembered as either a bitter defeat or a rousing victory between Twin Lakes and Lafayette Jeff, nothing in between, a scrum ensued for an awkwardly loose ball just outside of the three point arc of the Twin Lakes basket.

Out of that tangle of limbs and bodies, Bronchos senior Rashad Richardson heaved the ball in the direction of the basket, and with a whistle came the call that ultimately left the Twin Lakes crowd searching for answers in Jeff’s 52-51 win.

Richardson’s shot came after a furious comeback for the Indians, which had appeared to have the game under control with four minutes to play when Lafayette Jeff put together a finish by DeShonte Townsend on a tipped ball and a steal and finish from Peter Ripke to gain a 48-43 lead. Senior Jordan Crabb then drew a charge call, sandwiched by a driving finish and two made free throws from senior Brian Moore to pull the Indians back to a 48-47 deficit with 2:00 to play.

Jeff sophomore point guard Darian Green then traveled under pressure, allowing Crabb to find a cutting Ryan Connell under the basket to take a 49-48 lead with 1:12 to play. Jeff again turned the ball over on the ensuing possession, allowing Moore to pad the lead to 51-48 with 0:54 to play with two made free throws.

Richardson nailed a pair of free throws in the ensuing minute of play to bring the Bronchos within one point, setting up the scrum. Twin Lakes’ Sam Hickman made a play for Richardson’s dribble, with the ball eventually coming out with four seconds to play. The officials called for a shooting foul, as Jeff was not in the bonus, but allotted only two shots for the shooter instead of the three that would have been required had the shot taken place from the vicinity of the tussle.

Richardson hit both free throws, topping off his night with 8-for-11 from the line in a game that the Bronchos only shot 14 free throws total to TL’s 21. Moore’s sprint down the right sideline and finish at the basket was completed before time ran out, but the final Indian shot bounced twice off of the rim as time expired.

“Nothing. Not a word, I have no idea,” Twin Lakes coach Kent Adams said when asked what explanation he had received for the apparent misappropriation of shots for the final free throws. A technical had also been called on the TL bench in the second quarter.

“They said it was shooting foul, but if it was shooting it was shooting three because he was behind the 3-point line. It’s unbelievable.”

Twin Lakes’ own chance to secure the win had several stages, with the Indians holding Lafayette Jeff to just 38 percent shooting on the day as a zone defense kept the Bronchos from developing too much at the rim. Twin Lakes buzzed out to an early lead that came back down with a 19-12 second quarter going to the Bronchos. Lafayette Jeff coach Scott Radeker saw his team become frustrated with the TL zone, opting for too many 3-pointers, but wouldn’t have wanted anyone but Richardson taking those final shots.

“(Twin Lakes) deserved to win the game as much as we did today. We didn’t get the ball inside against the zone enough,” Radeker said, adding that the call went Jeff’s way in the end and his team took advantage. “There were certain times in the game that we executed and got the ball inside, but … our execution on offense wasn’t very good to be honest with you. I was pretty disappointed with our execution offensively.

“I wasn’t sure what they were going to call, but of course I was wanting a shooting foul. It kind of looked like he was shooting, and I don’t know who he would have been passing to. The call went our way, and we went to the line and capitalized.”

Radeker was also adamant with an apology for his team leaving the court after the final buzzer.

“It’s not excuse, but they got caught up in the heat of the moment and sprinted off the floor. We came and got them and we ran back out, but of course I wouldn’t have waited for them either. I just want to apologize to the whole Twin Lakes community,” Radeker said. The Bronchos had stationed themselves outside the TL locker room after the game, but left before exited.

TL couldn’t rely on late free throw shooting the way it had in previous games, however, with the Indians going 5-for-10 from the line in the fourth quarter. The chance to put the Indians up three before the final possession was lost when a long inbound intended for Connell resulted in a hard foul on the TL senior. He was forced to leave the game with blood on his head, with sophomore Cody DeBoy then entering the game and missing the pair of free throws.

A win would have been Twin Lakes’ first against Lafayette Jeff since as far back as 1993-94, and would have been for the Indians’ first appearance in the J&C Hoops Classic championship game.

“Our kids played so hard and we played so well. Sure we made some mistakes, we did some things that we would like to take back,” Adams said. “We’d like to make some more free throws, and we made some turnovers that were baskets for them, but I think for the most part I think we did everything that we could possibly do and we fell a little bit short.”

Moore led all scorers with 20 points, while Crabb snagged eight rebounds to lead the Indians. After posting a 20-plus game Monday, sophomore Cameron Bennington couldn’t find room on the outside for long range shots, taking just two and hitting one. Bennington had five points, while Crabb placed second with 12 points for TL.

Twin Lakes will now face McCutcheon in the third place game. Lafayette Jeff will still miss junior Lucas Wallace with an ACL injury, but expects to have Jarlon Garrett back after serving his suspension in the first three games. The Bronchos will play West Lafayette at 8 p.m. tonight.

Accompanying column

Rapid reaction to final call at Lafayette Jeff

There’s a reason that the fans in the stands don’t call the game. The vast majority of so-called bad calls are judgment calls, likely to be colored by whatever tint your glasses have developed by flag you wave, and anyone who looks at a basketball game impartially knows that they have a way of evening out.

The righteous indignation and frustration exhibited by Twin Lakes’ contingent at Lafayette Jeff Friday night had something else to it. It wasn’t so much the call for the shooting foul (whether a player should be rewarded for a desperation heave from the floor in the final seconds is debatable, but well within the official’s rights to call), but Friday night’s game became a martyr when the outcome didn’t match what was being called on the floor.

Through several quick conversations with media members and with my own account from the opposite corner of the floor, a consensus was quickly developed that Rashad Richardson had been beyond the arc when the ball went up. The call hadn’t been for an intentional foul, as Jeff would have retained possession after the shots, and the Bronchos were not in the bonus. The call makes sense only if Richardson was within the arc, but this isn’t the NBA, there weren’t 20 cameras to show every angle to anyone’s satisfaction. Coach’s tape will have to be the final determining factor on whether that was true.

Even if the final call doesn’t match up, it comes down to the players on the court. Richardson made the shots he was allotted, while Twin Lakes’ strong free throw shooting abandoned the Indians in the fourth. Even after the shots, TL coach Kent Adams said the Indians perfectly executed their final play to get a shot with four seconds remaining, and it was a breath at the wrong time from going in. The saddest part is how some will try to take away how much both teams battled by blaming circumstances outside their control.

Article and column written on deadline after local team fell just short of first win over largest school in Lafayette, Ind., and six-time winner of tournament.

All-County designs, November 25-26, 2011

Full page designs for the 2011 All-White County volleyball and football teams. Cutouts done for the volleyball players, while the football team was designed to resemble old-school football cards with de-saturated photos.

Just out of reach, Saturday, October 15, 2011

Just out of reach

Bluejays unravel Indians with big plays

By Chad Husted

For the briefest of moments, momentum visited the Twin Lakes sideline on a Friday night.

Not just an interception, but a leaping, field reversing interception from first-year Indian Will Rogers. Not just a score to break a tie that had lasted into the second half, but a 22 yard scoring run from backup fullback Michael Griffin. After four straight losses, Twin Lakes had a lead and the confidence to go with it.

All was undone in two plays from North Judson. The Bluejays answered on the ensuing drive with a 46 yard run from Wes Derflinger to tie the score 6-6, then finished in the fourth quarter with a 66 yard pass from Caston Sanchez to Erik Beckman.

Both scores came on effective plays that became game-breakers with broken tackles, Derflinger bouncing off of a TL linebacker and reversing field for the score, Beckman breaking Josh Hankins’ tackle after a 30 yard catch before running the final patch of green to put the Bluejays up for good, 13-6.

“We thought things were going good, but we let them go down and answer (after Griffin’s score). That was big, really, really big,” Twin Lakes coach Brad Urban said. “But it is what it is. We just didn’t make the plays down the stretch. They made one more play than us.”

Both Twin Lakes’ and North Judson’s defenses were ready when most needed, as both allowed the other to gather in the yards in gulps while still keeping the score to goose eggs through two quarters. Twin Lakes again totaled over 200 yards on the ground, led by Hankins’ 63 on 13 carries, while Sanchez threw for 125 yards against TL’s pass defense. While not the prolific passing that has been TL’s downfall in recent weeks, on a windy night that sent a mild chill plunging into hat-and-gloves weather, Sanchez was able to sling seven completions and put the ball downfield on plays that caught the breath of TL fans and defenders alike.

Twin Lakes’ offense switched smoothly between its QB duo of Zach Diener and Sam Thomas, with clearly defined roles forming through the game. Diener made the most with his athleticism, including a crucial first down run on the Indians’ doomed drive to tie, while Thomas’ rainbow pass to Tyler Widner set up Griffin’s sprint to the end zone.

The buckling of the Indians’ chance to force overtime came before the final drive, however, as Diener made two pinpoint passes with seven minutes remaining in the game, only to see both bounce off of hands and onto the dirt. The first to Widner, the second to Jared Thayer on third and fourth down respectively from the NJ 45 yard line, but the Bluejays couldn’t keep the Indians from another offensive possession after the turnover on downs.

After Diener’s run, Thomas sent two off target throws downfield, followed by Griffin’s run that finished inches short of the first. On fourth down, the Indians lined up incorrectly for the intended dive. That allowed a Bluejays outside linebacker to make the tackle for loss, ending the comeback attempt.

“Anytime you lose the close game, and this is the second one, that’s tough and it’s tough for the kids. They’re really positive we had a great week of practice,” Urban said. “Defensively we played well enough to win. We gave up two big plays in really the whole game. That’s unfortunate and we have to get better.”

Following senior Christian Winkle’s exit in the second half with an apparent head injury, Griffin finished with 55 yards on nine carries. He twice broke through to the second level, both times just barely being brought down before a chance at the wide open field.

“Michael did a good job, he has a burst of energy and is probably the quickest guy on the team,” Urban said. “He could have lowered his shoulder a bit, but that’s his inexperience. A little bit different style of running (from Winkle), and with the way the game was running that was a change of pace for us.”

Hankins also left the game late, as did Diener. Hankins is the more crucial situation, Urban said, as the junior tailback looks to have a pulled hamstring. Urban called Winkle questionable for sectional play at Western Boone.

“(Hankins is) probably the one that we’re worried about the most,” Urban said.

Photo, Herald Journal, Friday, April 15, 2011