BENNETT'S MINUTES: Local academic/athletic connections impressive

Many things have impressed me about the quality of young people in Putnam County whose paths I have crossed over the past seven months in various athletic endeavors, but none more so than the outstanding academic successes that these athletes are also able to achieve.

No better example of this underrated trend came recently with the announcement of the four Putnam County finalists for the Lilly Endowment Scholarship, a life-changing award that can be the difference between potentially racking up thousands of dollars in student loan debt not covered by other academic awards and being able to start saving money from part-time jobs for that starter home.

The four finalists are Gabby Selvia and Nathan Gobert of Greencastle and David Flannelly and Lyndi Parent of North Putnam.

Not only are these outstanding scholar-athletes, but they are MULTI-SPORT athletes with seasons that occur back-to-back and create competing training obligations for the summer months.

Selvia was a member of the Tiger Cub golf team that set a record this fall by claiming three spots on the 16-member academic all-state team, and also competes this winter on the school’s swimming team.

Gobert was a member of the Western Indiana Conference and sectional champion Greencastle boys’ tennis team in the fall, and also swims this winter.

Flannelly was a member of the Cougar football team, and will compete again in track and field in the spring after placing 16th in the sectional last spring in the discus.

Parent is an even rarer breed as a three-sport athlete – competing in volleyball, basketball and track and field.

All athletes should be commended for the dedication and effort they put into their sports, as should all students who achieve academic success. Those who manage to excel at both, however, should earn an even greater amount of respect in our eyes.

In other student-athlete honors:

• Flannelly and South Putnam senior punter Jonah Sanders were both named to the Indianapolis Colts’ Academic All-State football team.

The 25-member team contains 17 players expected to be valedictorians and six others who will be the salutatorians at their schools. All players are ranked in the top 1.5 percent of their graduating classes.

Flannelly was an offensive lineman for the Cougars this fall, while Sanders earned all-Putnam County honors for his 37.5-yard-per-kick punting average.

• Gobert and Whitney Weinschenk of Greencastle, as well as Lauren Meek of Cloverdale, were honored by their schools in the Wendy’s High School Heisman program for their academic and athletic achievements.

Gobert was not only the school’s male award winner but also was named as a state finalist in competition for a Wendy’s High School Heisman Scholarship. Weinschenk, who participated in soccer and football this fall, was the school’s female winner.

Meek was the school winner from Cloverdale, and the volleyball, basketball and softball participant drew praise from school administration.

“We are excited and honored that a program like Wendy’s High School Heisman is also recognizing their hard work,” said Beth Sewell, Cloverdale High School guidance counselor. “These students are known by their teachers and friends for their commitment to excellence.”

Holiday leftovers

• High school football state champions crowned over the Thanksgiving weekend were Linton-Stockton (Class A), Indianapolis Ritter (2A), Fort Wayne Concordia (3A), Indianapolis Roncalli (4A), Westfield (5A) and Carmel (6A).

Don’t think field goals matter in high school football? The Carmel-Center Grove championship game in Class 6A, won 16-13 by Carmel, featured five field goals – including one by Center Grove with no time left on the clock in regulation to force overtime, and another by Carmel in overtime for the win.

Westfield got three field goals in its 16-13 win over Columbus East.

Among teams of local interest, Indianapolis Lutheran – led by former North Putnam head coach Dave Pasch – advanced to the final four in Class A before losing 43-14 to Linton-Stockton.

Monrovia, which eliminated North Putnam from the sectional, also advanced to the final four before losing 14-13 to Ritter. Trailing 14-7 in the fourth quarter, Monrovia scored on a 17-yard touchdown run by Clay Whitney to cut the gap to one point.

The Bulldogs opted to go for the win, faking the point-after kick and trying for a two-point conversion that was unsuccessful. Monrovia had defeated Evansville Mater Dei 35-28 in the regional round.

• The Associated Press preseason boys’ basketball poll contains a few teams who appear on Putnam County schedules.

In Class 3A, Park Tudor is the top-ranked team despite the transfer of Michigan State-bound Jaren Jackson Jr. to the LaLumiere prep school in northern Indiana. Cloverdale will meet the Panthers in the Southport Shootout on Dec. 10 at 4 p.m.

Tri-West is ranked No. 9 in Class 3A, and will play at Greencastle on Jan. 28. Danville is ranked No. 11 in 3A, and will play at Greencastle on Tuesday. The Warriors will also play at Cloverdale on Feb. 4 in a late addition to the Clover schedule.

In Class 2A, the No. 2-ranked team is Northeastern, which eliminated Cloverdale last year in regional competition. The Clovers are ranked No. 16. Covington, ranked No. 20, will host North Putnam on Feb. 17.

• The Indiana Pacers, the Indiana High School Athletic Association, the Indiana Fever and Fox Sports Indiana have designated Dec. 10 as “Basketball Day in Indiana” with five live games to be played locally and broadcast on the cable network.

The schedule is:

10 a.m. – Center Grove girls vs. Carmel at Bankers Life Fieldhouse

Noon – Lapel boys vs. New Castle at Bankers Life Fieldhouse

2 p.m. – North Central boys vs. New Albany at Southport High School

4:30 p.m. – Butler men vs. Cincinnati at Hinkle Fieldhouse

7 p.m. – Indiana Pacers vs. Portland Trail Blazers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse

A live tip-off show will begin broadcasting at 9 a.m. from Georgia Street on FSI.

“We expect Basketball Day in Indiana to become an annual event,” said FOX Sports Indiana senior vice president/general manager Jack Donovan. “Indiana has such a rich basketball tradition. Basketball Day in Indiana is a full day dedicated to celebrating the sport.”

• North Putnam soccer standout Kaelynn Abner, who will play collegiately for the College of the Cumberlands in Tennessee next year, was recently named the MVP of the Indiana Elite North-South All-Star game.

• Cloverdale senior softball standout Kelsey Helterbrand has made a verbal commitment to play collegiately at DePauw.

• Several Putnam County fall sports coaches have resigned their positions – volleyball coaches Kathy Moore of Cloverdale and LeeAnn Bryan of North Putnam, as well as North Putnam soccer coaches Chase Hiland and David Moeller.

• Through an extensive fundraising program involving more than two dozen schools, Greg Barrett and the Indiana Football Coaches Association collected more than $32,000 this fall for the “PS We Love You” fund to fight pediatric cancer.

The fund was created in honor of Barrett’s son, Patrick, who passed away in March from the dreaded disease. Participating schools wore gold shoelaces during selected games to draw attention to the cause, and sold T-shirts and conducted other fundraisers to collect the money.

Barrett and the IFCA will have a special presentation and luncheon on Wednesday in Indianapolis. The day will start at 11 a.m. at Riley Hospital with a gathering and networking session, followed by speakers and lunch. A tour of Riley Hospital will start at 1 p.m.

Anyone interested in attending should contact Barrett today at gbarrett@nputnam.k12.in.us.