Capping off a successful spring
Jun. 8—Well, 2022 is in the books.
After what 2020 and 2021 were like, 2022 seemed downright normal and we can't complain about that.
One thing we can complain about was the weather. I can never remember a spring with as many rain-outs. When that was coupled with the umpire shortage, that made rescheduling a real problem for everyone, it was a killer. If you are a college kid and you want to make extra money, I can guarantee that if you get certified, there are plenty of nights you could find work next year, especially for elementary and middle school games.
In just a quick recap of the spring, we had a tremendous season from Washington tennis. The team may have lost some very talented seniors, however, they will continue to be very strong and very young, meaning there may be some great matches with Jasper for the next few years. Loogootee also had a great year, while Dylan DeCoursey and Sydney Swartzentruber of Barr-Reeve made it all the way to the individual doubles regional.
Track was another big success for B-R, as Abby Ballengee went to state for the second time in pole vault and she was joined by sophomore teammate Elle Knepp in hurdles. That would be a huge accomplishment for any school but the kicker is Barr-Reeve doesn't have a track or pole vault facilities.
Ballengee was also named to the Indiana Track All-Stars and will compete against Michigan and Ohio on Saturday at Indiana Wesleyan.
It would be hard to mention track, without thinking of Hatchet runner Davidson Saint Victor, who passed away just after sectional. I can't claim to have known him, but in a strange twist of fate, it was his picture I choose for the track sectional story, several hours before the accident. From what I was told, he was a very friendly young man who got along with everyone and will be missed by all.
Both softball and baseball sectional titles currently reside in Montgomery. The Lady Vikes will return a very strong team again next year as well, while the boys lose six seniors, but also threw two freshmen during the tourney, giving them a tough one-two punch for the future. North Daviess also had a solid year under their new coach, while the Hatchets said goodbye to a senior class that included Nichols Sandullo who will be moving on to play at Oakland City.
Jaylen Mullen of North Daviess got a chance to face the state's best as part of the Junior All-Stars, who played on Saturday in Bedford. He is the first Cougar to be part of the All-Star program.
Golf saw only one player advance to regional and that was Washington's Simon Parsons, who had been the No. 1 all season. Barr-Reeve had a record setting season, they tied for third, but the advancement to regional came down to the fifth players score. Regional will be Thursday at Country Oaks.
Keep kickin' it around, we are about two months away from the fall season.
