A quick start by the Warsaw Tigers spelled the end Friday night for the Plymouth Rockies. In the Northern Lakes Conference opener for both teams, the host Tigers scored on the second play of the game, a 46-yard run by senior speedster Julius Jones, as they raced to a 29-0 lead in the first quarter and cruised to a 43-14 victory in the 102nd meeting of the longtime rivals.

Not much went right for the Whitko Wildcats in a 35-6 loss to Rochester Friday night. The Wildcats showed fight in the first quarter, but a rough second quarter and half dropped the team’s record to 0-3 in the early season.

Wawasee knew it would face a strong Northridge team Friday in the Northern Lakes Conference football opener for both teams on Interra Field at Jane Allen Athletic Complex.

I stumbled into a day off today (Friday) because I forgot my parent company extended the Labor Day weekend to include the Friday preceding it. I read an e-mail from the night shift supervisor discussing his team’s results, and his closing salvo was a wish to enjoy the extended weekend. It was like finding my day’s earnings in a pants pocket while sorting the laundry. I thought of a recurring line in Monty Python’s Holy Grail to sum up my feelings, “…and there was much rejoicing.”

Following a 7-0 loss to Winamac Tuesday, coach Dan Miller challenged his Lakeland Christian Academy boys soccer team. Playing without two starters Thursday evening, the Cougars - in Miller’s words - competed with the Argos Dragons before falling 3-0.

The Manchester University cross country teams opened their season with their annual Hokum Karem races on campus.   The Spartans welcomed competing athletes from Trine, Huntington, St. Francis (Ind.), and St. Mary’s (Ind.)  

The Manchester University men's soccer team dropped its season opener to Trine on Wednesday afternoon in Spartan Stadium by a final score of 3-1. All four goals were netted in the second half.

The Manchester University volleyball team opened the 2021 season in dramatic fashion on Wednesday night inside a raucous Stauffer-Wolfe Arena. The Spartans overcame a two-sets-to-one deficit and rallied to defeat visiting Olivet College in five sets.

A hard-fought match went Taylor’s way on Wednesday, spoiling the home opener for Grace’s volleyball team. All three sets of the 3-0 sweep were tightly contested, including two sets which went to extra points.

The beginning of the school year is usually an exciting time. Kids get to see their friends after summer break, friendships are renewed and the lights shine bright on Friday night football games. It’s a time of year most look forward to, and the memories can last a lifetime. But for a large chunk of this community, that excitement has been overshadowed by heartbreak.

he business world will have to wait its turn for Kyle Mangas to bring his leadership skills, his intellectual horsepower (evident through his top-flite grade point average), and his impeccable character to the corridors of a fortunate gaining company. Mangas will, instead, ply another skill he’s been honing, playing professional basketball in Prague, Czech Republic for USK Praha (the local name and pronunciation for the ancient Central European city).

Plymouth (0-2, 0-0 Northern Lakes Conf.) at Warsaw 1-1, 0-0 NLC); Wawasee (0-2, 0-0 Northern Lakes) at Northridge (2-0, 0-0 NLC); Tippecanoe Valley (2-0 overall, 1-0 TRC) at Peru (1-1, 1-0); Caston (1-1, 0-1 Hoosier North Athletic) at Triton (1-1, 0-1 HNAC); Rochester (1-1, 0-1 TRC) at Whitko (0-2, 0-1); Winamac (2-0) at Manchester (1-0)

As the old saying goes, when it rains it pours. Such was the case in Tuesday evening’s Three Rivers Conference boys soccer match between the Manchester Squires and the host Tippecanoe Valley Vikings.

Manchester High School football was back on the practice field Tuesday for the first time in five days — about an hour or so after learning of an opponent change, too. The Squires, after being forced to cancel their game last week against Bluffton under COVID protocols, will now host Class 1A No. 10-ranked Winamac on Friday instead of Wabash.

I had already written my column for this week when my phone started dinging Saturday, and it wouldn’t stop. I picked up my phone, I read what it was telling me, and then I put it back down and stared out into the withering heat of Saturday. It said: “Triton football player killed in crash Saturday."

Friday’s Hoosier North Athletic Conference football game between Caston and host Triton has been moved to 1 p.m. Saturday. The Trojans will still be the home team.

Wawasee Falls Twice; Warsaw Splits NLC?Matches; Warrior Boys Soccer Falls; Viking Tennis Edges Cavemen

Experience is defined as: practical knowledge, skill or practice derived from direct participation in events or in a particular activity.   For the 2021-22 Grace men’s golf team, experience will be the key to moving up the ranks in tournament play and producing even more success against the quality competition in the Crossroads League. Seven golfers return for the Lancers, giving Coach Denny Hepler one of his most seasoned squads.

LAKELAND, Fla. – For the second straight match, Grace’s men’s soccer team went to overtime with its opponent. Unfortunately for Grace, the Lancers (2-2) came up short in extra time again, suffering a 3-2 defeat at Southeastern on Saturday.

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Grace’s women’s soccer team won its second straight match in the early days of the season, routing Point Park 3-0 on Saturday. Grace has now won its past two outings by a combined score of 9-0, including a 6-0 win over Saint Mary one week ago.

Riding the high of a four-match win streak, the latest triumph being a 4-1 victory over conference rival Plymouth, the last thing Warsaw boys soccer coach Ryan Burgher wanted to see was a letdown. Hosting the undefeated Mishawaka Marian Knights Saturday, the Tigers trailed 2-0 at halftime, evened the score after the intermission, but wound up falling 4-2.

Michigan City’s senior quarterback Gio Laurent managed to score three rushing touchdowns Friday night despite being called for six false start penalties. When he wasn’t getting in his own way, he was successfully getting out of the Warsaw Tigers’ way en route to a 35-16 victory at Ames Field.

The temperature was hot. Tippecanoe Valley’s offense was explosive. That was the story Friday night as the Vikings blasted Three Rivers Conference guest Northfield 44-13 in high school football action.

Regulation wasn’t enough to settle a defensive battle between visiting Triton and LaVille Friday night in a Hoosier North Athletic Conference football matchup.

My thoughts today are way too long for Psalms, and way too short for a single, long-form weekly column. When this type of situation takes place in my vocation, and a meeting is not necessary, I don’t want someone to eb stuck in my office, so I tell them, “Let’s walk and talk.” Readers, let’s walk and talk.