Eight local players earn IFCA All-State football honors
MUNCIE, Ind. — The Indiana Football Coaches Association announced its 2021 All-State teams on Monday, and eight East Central Indiana players were selected.
The teams for each class are split between the senior and junior teams. Eight local honorees are near the area's total in recent years, and full lists of this year's and past All-State teams can be found at ifca.net.
Here are the ECI selections:
Senior:
1A: TE Gavin Smithson-Burciaga, RB Joel Kennedy, DB Jackson Ullom (Monroe Central)
Junior:
1A: WR Luke Jones, DB Josiah Ullom (Monroe Central)
3A: DL Jackson New, DB Kolton Nanko (Yorktown)
4A: DL Hunter Wallace (Delta)
Ball State bowl game: Ball State football will play Georgia State in Camellia Bowl on Christmas Day
Here's what else happened Dec. 5-7 in Ball State University and ECI high school sports:
High school girls basketball
Blue River dominates Tri
Blue River (5-2) won 66-31 on the road against Tri (5-2) on Monday, extending the Vikings' winning streak to three games.
Related: Blue River girls basketball pursuing school-record 4th straight IHSAA sectional title
Jay County tops Muncie Central
Jay County (7-2) won 51-30 at home over Muncie Central (5-3) on Tuesday. A high-tempo opening frame was halted in the following three quarters, but the Patriots' defense and roster depth carried them through an off shooting night.
The Patriots were led by seniors Midson Dirksen (18 points, seven rebounds) and Izzy Rodgers (17 points), and junior Renna Schwieterman (seven points, six rebounds, six assists).
Delta topples Burris
Delta (2-8) beat Muncie Burris (1-3) 44-10 on the road on Tuesday. The Eagles snapped a five-game losing streak and were led by juniors Kalynn Logan (19 points) and Sydney Stroble (eight points).
Wapahani beats Yorktown
Wapahani (7-2) won 56-49 at Yorktown (2-4) on Tuesday, extending the Raiders' win streak to three games. They were led by juniors Camryn Wise (16 points, nine rebounds), Kendyl Thrasher (12 points, four assists) and Lauren Luce (12 points, eight rebounds).
Monroe Central tops Shenandoah
Monroe Central (7-2) won 36-27 at Shenandoah (3-7) on Tuesday. The Golden Bears were led by senior Macy Shinn (10 points) and freshman Kimber Abshear (eight points).\
Daleville falls to Lapel
Daleville (3-6) lost 62-22 at Lapel (7-2) on Tuesday, extending the Broncos' losing streak to four games.
New Castle edges Connersville
New Castle (5-6) won 42-41 at home against Connersville (4-6) on Tuesday.
Winchester dominates South Adams
Winchester (8-0) kept its strong season going with a 65-37 win at South Adams (5-2) on Tuesday. The Golden Falcons were led by junior Caitlyn Campbell (25 points) and senior Haley Lanter (24 points).
'Tears every night': Winchester girls basketball rebounding from COVID-hampered season
Wes-Del wins at Lincoln
Wes-Del (3-7) won 36-13 at Cambridge City Lincoln (0-7) on Tuesday. The Warriors were led by senior Gracie Gilland scored (13 points) and junior Lauren Cox (eight points).
High school wrestling
Delta wins Jay County Double Duals
Delta, Winchester, Yorktown and the Patriots all competed in the Jay County Double Duals on Tuesday, with the Eagles earning the upset victory over Class 2A No. 3 ranked Jay County in the last matchup.
Delta, now 7-2 on the season, beat Winchester 57-18 in the first round before edging Jay County 43-36 in the the winners matchup. Winning Eagles against the Patriots were Ayden Bollinger (106 lbs.), Neal Mosier (120), Kaeb Stebbins (132), Dalton Tuttle (138, 145), Kolten Rhonemus (152), Garrett Clay (160) and Isaac Moss (285).
Jay County beat Yorktown 42-36 in the first round. Winning Patriots were Cody Rowles (113), Ethan Reiley (120), Tony Wood (132), Camron Gage (152), AJ Myers (170), Bryce Wenk (182) and Ramon Bravo (195).
Wrestlers to watch: 19 East Central Indiana wrestlers to watch this season
Monroe Central dominates Tri
Monroe Central dominated Tri at home on Tuesday, winning 60-6. Winners by fall were Peyton Farmer, James Daniels, Cade Goodrich, Jonah Jones and Jeremiah Ullom.
High school swimming and diving
Delta sweeps double dual meet
Delta traveled to Hagerstown for a double meet against the Tigers and Fort Recovery, with both the Eagles boys and girls teams earning victories over both other schools.
The boys team beat Hagerstown 67-33 and Fort Recovery 87-8. Event winners were Brad Shue (50 freestyle, 100 backstroke) Zach Baty (100 breaststroke), Eli Arnold (200 IM, 500 freestyle), Jackson Condie (1 meter diving), the 200 medley relay team (Baty, Arnold, Cam Berger, Brayden Bowman) and the 400 medley relay team (Baty, Bowman, Arnold, Shue).
The girls team beat Hagerstown 68-33 and Fort Recovery 67-36. Event winners were Annie Jackson (200 IM), Makayla Robles (500 freestyle), Savannah Condie (1 meter diving), the 200 freestyle relay team (Layna Bowman, Robles, Katie Shue, Emma Brown) and the 400 freestyle relay team (Annie Jackson, Katie Shue, Addison Shue, Brown).
Yorktown splits at Pendleton Heights
Yorktown traveled to Pendleton Heights on Tuesday where the boys team won 132-51 and the girls lost 129-56. The boys team is now 3-0 and the girls team is 2-2.
First-place boys finishers were Dray Caldwell (200 freestyle), Henry Ko (200 IM, 500 freestyle), Gannon Crosser (50 freestyle ,100 backstroke), John Hicks (100 butterfly) and Seth McKinley (50 freestyle 100 breaststroke). The Tigers also won all three relays.
First-place girls finishers were Grace Huisman (100 butterfly) and Maria Alexander (50 freestyle and 100 freestyle).
Blackford falls at Huntington North
Both Blackford boys and girls teams lost at Huntington North on Tuesday, dropping the teams to 2-2 and 1-4, respectively.
The boys lost 104-59. First-place finishers were Ethan Hidy (100 backstroke, 200 IM), James Jernigan (100 breaststroke) and the 200 A relay team (Hidy, Jernigan, Keaton Walker, Hayden Cristobal).
The girls lost 100-59, with the lone first-place finisher being Sophia Jennerjahn (100 breaststroke).
Burris splits at South Adams
Burris split its meet at South Adams on Tuesday, with the boys winning 108-17 and the girls losing 84-68.
BSU football defensive coordinator named to AFCA 35 under 35 list
Ball State football defensive coordinator Tyler Stockton was named to the American Football Coaches Association's 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute on Monday. Stockton is one of just 35 to be recognized on the annual list out of more than 200 nominees.
The AFCA 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute, according to the press release, is "a prestigious program aimed at identifying and developing premier, future leaders in the football coaching profession." Stockton and other honorees are invited to attend the "one-day institute that features a curriculum of interactive lectures focused on topics specifically tailored to emphasize leadership in the coaching profession, ethics, influential responsibilities, career progression, and family balance."
Stockton is the second-youngest defensive coordinator in the FBS at age 31 and helped this year's defense hold one of the top turnover margins in the country at plus-0.83. Over the last eight games, Ball State has held a plus-14 turnover margin, as well as being in the top-20 units for fewest penalties and fewest penalty yards among all FBS programs.
Ball State volleyball earns three Midwest Region awards
The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) honored Ball State women's volleyball with three Midwest Region awards on Tuesday.
Head coach Kelli Miller Phillips who was named the Midwest Region Coach of the Year, the first coach in the 50-year history of BSU volleyball to receive this award.
Two players also received honors. Freshman setter Megan Wielonski earned All-Midwest Region honors, and junior middle Marie Plitt was named to the All-Midwest Region Honorable Mention squad.
The pair are the first Ball State players to earn all-region honors since middle Hayley Benson was named a 2014 All-Midwest Region Honorable Mention. Wielonski is the fifth player in program history to earn a spot on the top all-region list.
BSU football safety earns All-District honors
Ball State football safety Bryce Cosby earned 2021-22 Academic All-District honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) this week. This is the second consecutive year that Cosby has earned the recognition.
Cosby, who was voted First Team All-Mid-American Conference, was one of only six defensive backs in the country to amass 100 tackles during the regular season. His 103 stops ranked seventh in the conference overall and second among defensive backs.
The Louisville, Kentucky, native has 385 career tackles, which stands as seventh among all active players nationally and 10th in the Ball State record books. He is the only player in the country to log multiple games of at least 10 tackles, 1.0 sack and one forced fumble on the year, and he did it in back-to-back games at Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan, according to the release.
Ball State men's volleyball releases 2022 schedule
Ball State men's volleyball has released its 2022 schedule as the Cardinals begin a new era under new head coach Donan Cruz.
The Cardinals will open their first five matches at home beginning at 7 p.m. Jan. 13 versus Maryville. Ball State will also host Tusculum (Jan. 15) and George Mason (Jan. 21), followed by a two-match series against the defending National Championship the University of Hawai'i on Jan. 29 and Jan. 31.
The Cardinals then go on the road against national runner-up Brigham Young University (BYU) for back-to-back matches on Feb. 4-5. The team then begins Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) games on the road at Lewis University on Feb. 10 and close their first league weekend at McKendree on Feb. 12.
The Cardinals will host seven MIVA matches in Worthen Arena against Purdue Fort Wayne (Feb. 17), Loyola University (Feb. 19), Lindenwood (Feb. 24), Quincy (Feb. 25), Ohio State (March 19), McKendree (March 31) and Lewis (April 2). The Cardinals will travel to Ohio State (March 16), Quincy (March 25), Lindenwood (March 26), Loyola University (April 7) and Purdue Fort Wayne (April 9) during league play.
The MIVA tournament quarterfinals are on April 16, the semifinals on April 20 and the championship on April 23. The NCAA Play-in match is scheduled for April 30, and the remainder of NCAA Tournament will be hosted by UCLA in Los Angeles, Calif., May 3-7.
Ball State softball releases 2022 schedule
The Ball State softball team released its 2022 season schedule on Wednesday. The team opens on Feb. 11-13 at the DePaul Dome Tournament to play St. Thomas, Murray State, Seattle and Western Illinois.
BSU will then travels to the Winthrop Kickoff Tournament Feb. 18-20 to play Albany, Robert Morris, Towson, Western Carolina, and the host Eagles. Ball State then goes to the Coach B Classic hosted by Southern Illinois for games against Murray State, Northern Kentucky, Northwestern and the host Salukis.
The Cardinals will play at Grand Canyon (March 9) and in the Sun Devil Classic at Arizona State to play the Sun Devils, BYU, Grand Canyon and New Mexico State.
BSU's final non-conference tournament is at the Mizzou Classic for two games against host Missouri and three against Northwestern.
The Cardinals then open league play March 25-26 at Central Michigan. Ball State then hosts Kent State (April 1-2), Ohio (April 9-10), Western Michigan (April 19-20), Bowling Green (April 29-30), and Akron (May 7-8). The Cardinals also travel to Northern Illinois (April 5-6), Toledo (April 15-16), Buffalo (April 23-24), and defending league champion Miami (May 3-4).
NCAA Regional is May 19-21 at campus sites, with NCAA Super Regionals following May 26-28 also at campus locations. The NCAA Division I Women's College World Series will be played June 2-8 at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Gus Martin is a sports reporter at The Star Press. Follow him on Twitter @GusMartin_SP, and contact him at gmartin@gannett.com or 765-729-4742.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Indiana high school football: Muncie players earn All-State honors
