Athletics

Academic Eligibility

In order to remain academically eligible to compete in athletics, students must be passing FIVE of their seven classes. 

By IHSAA rule, an “I” (incomplete) is considered a failing grade when determining eligibility. Grade checks are made after 9 weeks and at the semester. Any student-athlete who has not passed FIVE (5) credits on the following date(s) at 4:00 p.m., will be declared ineligible for the remainder of the next grading period. 

End of Grading Period Dates: March 15th and May 29th

Gymnastics

On February 1st, the varsity team had a strong win over Huntington North 107-90. The gymnastics team is full steam as they finish up the post-season!

Sectional results!

Girls Basketball

The girls basketball team entered the postseason with some fight! They won a close match-up in the sectional championship against Columbia City. They headed to regionals the following weekend and beat McCutcheon 51-34. They traveled to LaPorte the following weekend and played a tough Lake Central team and lost 55-42. The last time the girls basketball team made it to semi-state was in 2017. Part of what made this team successful was the chemistry they built that helped them work together on the court. To help build team chemistry, they spent a lot of time together outside of basketball by going out to eat after games and practices and creating fun memories to build strong relationships on. Senior Emma Reust reflected on the season and how her team gave her the encouragement she needed to come back late in the season from her knee injury. While she was not anticipating a major recovery for her last year of high school basketball, it helped her become more mentally tough. She plans to carry over the hard-work mentality to the next level when she plays at Saint Francis!

Champions Together Basketball


The champions together basketball team had another successful season. They played many games and worked together on and off the court to perform at their best. The team became local celebrities after Jude Price made a huge shot for Homestead. Jude says this was his favorite moment of the season because everyone was so encouraging to him, jumping up and down after he made the shot. Not only is Jude a star basketball player, he is also an exceptional hurdler and looks forward to competing on the unified track team this spring. 


Senior Ben Jones has been on the Champions Together basketball team his entire high school career. One of Ben’s favorite things to practice with his teammates is dribbling. The team huddle before games helps get Ben into the right mindset to play his best. Ben also participates in Unified Flag Football and looks forward to the long jump on the track this spring. 


Brittany has also been on the basketball team throughout all of high school. Brittany worked hard all summer preparing for this season. As a child, Brittany's Uncle Tony inspired her to play basketball. He taught her different skills that have helped her to become the player she is today. This spring, Brittany is the most excited for the long jump and shot put on the track. 


Lilly Conner's favorite part of playing basketball is "the relationships." Being a 3-sport athlete (dance, basketball, and track and field), Lilly feels these sports have given her a sense of community and have helped her feel part of something bigger than herself. 


Senior Taylor Ruggles had a blast her last season on the basketball team. She "learned a lot about the strength of students with disabilities." Overall, it was a very successful season. 

Boys Swim

With the sectional in mid-February, the swim season has come to a close for our swimmers. There was a lot of growth for this group in and out of the pool. Nicholas Norton felt like a big factor that helped the team was communication. "A constant sense of affirmation and compliments made everyone feel like they were in it for the team and not just individual gain." Throughout the season, each swim was better and better, swimmers being able to see their growth on a time sheet. Denver Gilmer says that when "everyone supports and socializes with others on the team, it helps to make an environment where you want to continue to improve." Gilmer dropped more than 7 seconds at sectional finals in his 500 freestyle. Senior Jacob Martin joined the swim team for the first time this year. He feels like this was a very advantageous experience for him, learning how to adapt quickly under pressure. He loved the social aspect of the season. He remembers going to breakfast together after morning practice, giving him something to look forward to when he woke up at 4:30, making it easier to work hard and stay motivated during the practices. Overall, the boys had an enjoyable and successful season!

(From left to right) Ben Morton, Graysen Mays, Nick Norton, Jacob Martin

See swim and dive sectional results below!

They placed 4th place as a team!

200 IM Relay; 6th (Graysen Mays, Nick Norton, Ben Morton, Jacob Martin)

100 Butterfly; 7th Nick Norton

100 Freestyle; 7th Ben Morton

100 Backstroke; 7th Ben Morton

100 Breaststroke; 3rd Nick Norton

4x100 Free Relay; 4th (Denver Gilmer, Graysen Mays, Nick Norton, Ben Morton)

Diving;

1st - Thomas Davis

2nd - Liam Clapper

Girls swim and dive

The swim and dive season has finished up for the girls as well! They had a very successful season with many girls going to State. Senior Lilly Heine's favorite moment of the year was shaving off 6 seconds on the 200 medley relay at Sectionals, qualifying her relay for the state meet. She is proud of the team coming together this year and encouraging each other to do their best no matter the skill level. To keep the team united, the swimmers would do breakdowns after every practice which gave them a chance to recognize people that had an amazing practice and give them a shout out for everyone to recognize. Elle Hollingsworth, the highest scoring freshman at state for Dive, learned a lot from her first high school state appearance, including how to persevere. She had a little bit of a rocky start to the state weekend but was able to push through and ended up making finals at state!

200-yard Medley Relay - Macartney Mahler, Milla Bercot, Natalie Kramer, Lilly Heine - 2nd at sectionals and qualified for the state meet

Diving Sectionals - Elle Hollingsworth - placed 2nd

Diving sectionals - Ellie Murotani - placed 3rd

100-yard Butterfly - Macartney Mahler - placed 1st

200-yard Freestyle Relay - Natalie Kramer, Addison Knoblauch, Allison Heine, Chloe Hunter - 2nd at Sectionals and qualified for State

400-yard Freestyle Relay - Lilly Heine, Addison Knoblauch, Allison Heine, Macartney Mahler - 2nd at Sectionals and qualified for State

200-yard Individual Medley - Macartney Mahler - 3rd at sectionals and qualified for State