Sports | DeKalb TV

Trine Gets Big Conference Win Over Albion

Saturday was a cool, crisp Autumn day up in Angola, Indiana, on the campus of Trine University. It was Homecoming weekend for the Thunder, as the Albion Britons came charging into town, looking to end Trine’s 2 game football winning streak.

As usually occurs right before kickoff, fireworks are set off to help get the crowd going. On this day, major fireworks went off right after kickoff, as just 2 minutes & 9 seconds into the game, the Thunder were sitting on a 14-0 lead.

Twenty-six seconds after the game got underway, senior quarterback Ryan Hargraves, who hails from Taylor, Michigan, made his way into the secondary on an option run over the left side, and he raced 83 yards to paydirt virtually untouched.

Then, when the Britons took over, Trine’s defense got into the act, as they forced a fumble, and another senior, defensive back Myron Puryear II, from Canton, Michigan, scooped up the loose pigskin over along the right sideline, and raced 79 yards for the Thunder’s second touchdown.

From there on out, it was a back and forth tussle, For the remainder of the first half, Trine would get a 4 yard touchdown scamper from Michael Inge, as well as a 32 yard field goal from Tyler Keck on the final play of quarter number 2, and the Thunder went to the lockerroom with a 24-12 lead.

But when Darrin Williams scored for Albion on a 10 yard run early in the fourth, the Trine lead was down to 2 at 24-22. Things were getting a bit antsy for the home team.

The defense for the Thunder would then rise up and take over, keyed by an incredible game from junior defensive back Blaek Combs. Combs, from Rushville, Indiana, seemed to be everywhere, and seemed to be in on every tackle. It was appropriate that on the final play for the Britons, a desperation pass down near the Trine goal line, Combs would be there to pick it off, and seal the game for the Thunder. For his superb effort, Combs was our “Dekalb TV Player of the Game.”

With the victory, the Thunder now stand at 4-2 overall on the season, and more importantly, they sit at 2-0 in the MIAA Conference, going into a very tough road battle next Saturday at Adrian College. Game time is 4:00 pm.

Barons Looking For Third Win on Senior Night

On Friday night, starting at 7:00 pm, the Dekalb Barons will be hosting the Bellmont Braves in varsity football action. The Barons will be looking for their 3rd win of the season on what is the traditional “senior night” celebration.

Dekalb is coming off of a hard fought defensive battle at Norwell last week. Dekalb held on with a great defensive stand in the final minutes, and won by the score of 7-6.

If you recall, earlier this season when the Barons defeated Garrett, it ended a 22 game losing streak. The win last week at Norwell ended another dubious streak for Dekalb. Before the victory over the Knights, the Barons had not won a road game since October 17th, 2008, when they defeated Carroll 21-7. Streak over.

The way the contest started last week, it looked like the Dekalb offense would have its way with the Knights. The Barons scored a touchdown on their first possession, the score coming on a 35 yard TD pass from Evan Cochran to Logan Schilling. Little did we realize at the time, that would be the final points of the evening after Landon Cochran converted the PAT.

Norwell would retaliate with a touchdown of their own early in the third quarter. But the Knights could not convert their extra point attempt.

Both teams would drive between the 20’s, but neither would mount a scoring threat until the final minutes. Norwell put together a nice drive, and had the ball 1st & goal at the Dekalb 7 with just under 3 minutes to play.

The Knight’s quarterback Piercen Harnish would roll out to his right and throw a TD pass to Cale Schumm. The Norwell crowd was in a tizzy as it looked as if the Knights might be in line for their first win of the season. But on the far side of the field, there was a little piece of “yellow laundry” sitting on the field. Illegal formation Norwell, 5 yard penalty, no TD.

After another motion penalty, the Knights ended up with fourth and goal from the 17. Harnish lined up under center, faked a handoff over the right side, and lofted a pass towards his tight end who was streaking toward the goal line. For a moment, he looked wide open. But seemingly out of nowhere, sophomore defensive back Chad Ramus cut in front of the receiver with a perfectly timed interception, and after a return to the 15 yard line, the Baron victory was virtually sealed.

Come on out to Cecil E. Young Field at Dekalb High School on Friday, and cheer the Barons on as they look to put another one in the “W” column. Also, come out to salute all of the Dekalb seniors on their special night.

Big Win For the Buckeyes Over the Spartans

Is Another National Title Possible in the Next Few Years?

Up until this point in the college football season, I have been somewhat hesitant to post a story about my beloved Ohio State Buckeyes. Even though the hiring of one of the best college coaches in the country, Urban Meyer, was a great move to get OSU past the final season of the Jim Tressel tenure, I wanted to see a signature win before I began to “chat them up.”

Well, this past Saturday up in East Lansing, Michigan, Meyer & his Buckeyes certainly provided that, as they won a hard fought, physical battle with the Michigan State Spartans by the score of 17-16. It was a win against a tough opponent, on the Spartans home turf no less, that have people starting to say, that yes, the Buckeyes might be back.

OSU dominated at the line of scrimmage. That was in my mind, the key to the game. They held Columbus, Ohio native Le’Veon Bell, one of the nation’s leading rushers, to just 45 yards on 17 carries. His longest run was 8 yards, and more impressive, it was the first time since his freshman season that one of his carries did not result in a first down.

Once again, it was the Braxton Miller show on the offensive side of the ball, as the sophomore had over 300 yards of total offense. His 63 yard scoring strike to Devin Smith in the 3rd quarter gave OSU a 17-13 lead, and the defense would make it stand up the rest of the way.

After wins over Miami of Ohio, UCF, Cal, and UAB, the victory over the Spartans makes the 5-0 start a little more impressive. It doesn’t get any easier though, as Ohio State will come home to host the Nebraska Cornhuskers this Saturday. Nebraska came from 17 down on Saturday to get a win over Wisconsin.

Go Bucks! O-H-I-O!

Trine Loses Volleyball Match to 4th Ranked Hope College

I had the opportunity on Wednesday evening to venture up to Trine University in Angola to cover the Thunder volleyball team, as they would be doing battle with the number 4 ranked Hope College Flying Dutch.

Coach Wozniak Gives Instructions to Her Players

Trine went into this match with a 5-2 MIAA conference record, and a 12-4 record overall. The Flying Dutch were 5-1 in the conference, and 13-2 overall. Hope’s only losses were at the hands of the number 2 & 3 ranked teams in NCAA Division III.

Up until last week, The Thunder were 12-2, with their only 2 losses being to Ohio Northern & Hiram, both non-conference opponents. But then last Friday & Saturday, Trine suffered back-to-back 3 games to none defeats at the hands of MIAA foes Alma & Calvin.

So a win over the highly ranked Flying Dutch would be just what the doctor ordered to “get the house back in order” before they would leave for a tourney in Washington D.C. this weekend.

The first game was a hard fought battle, but Hope would prevail by the score of 25-21. Trine got to 22-21 late in the game, but the Flying Dutch would score the final three points for the victory.

The second game wasn’t nearly as close, as Hope dominated throughout, and they would win by the score of 25-11.

The third game was more of the same, as The Thunder just couldn’t make a sustained run at the tough defense of Hope. The final would be 25-15, and Trine would drop to 5-3 in the conference, and 12-5 overall.

From my perspective, I felt that freshman Lauren Verkamp, as well as senior Betsy Irwin both played well for coach Jamie Wozniak’s Trine squad.

As I stated, The Thunder will be in our Nation’s capital this weekend playing in a tournament against Gallaudet College, Wheaton College, Marymount College, and a yet to be determined opponent.

Dekalb & Norwell Promises to be a Great Game

On Friday, the Dekalb Barons travel to Ossian, Indiana to play their NHC foe, the Norwell Knights. In my opinion, this is one of the premiere high school football games in the area on that evening.

You look at the records, with the Barons being 1-5, and the Knights at 0-6, and you might say, how can that be?

I look at 2 factors that I think will loom quite large in the game. First, no matter what sport you play, you NEVER want to go through an entire schedule without a win. I’m sure Norwell, looking at their docket, probably figure that this is a game they have a chance to win. Their closest game to date has been an 8 point loss to Bellmont. Playing at home, they will be fighting tooth and nail to get a “W.” Secondly, from the Dekalb perspective, I’m sure that they want to prove that the “win” they had over Norwell last year was no fluke.

If you recall, when these 2 teams met up last year, both were 0-6, and both desperate for that elusive win. In cold, wet, windy, & blustery conditions, the Barons “won” 14-0, and a huge weight had been lifted from their backs.

Oops. A few days after that contest, it was announced that Dekalb had to forfeit the game due to use of an ineligible player. So the record books say that Norwell “won” the game. It was Norwell’s only “win” of the season. The Barons finished 0-10.

So for those 2 reasons alone, make the drive to Ossian on Friday, and watch one of the best match-ups in high school football in the NE Indiana area.

Trine Dominates Second Half

The eventful sports weekend started Friday night at Dekalb High School covering the DHS varsity football game as they were taking on their NHC foe, the Homestead Spartans. The Barons fought hard, but the Spartans had just too many weapons, and they defeated Dekalb by the score of 44-6.

The Barons only score came on a 6 yard TD pass from Evan Cochran to Dylan Caegle. This coming Friday, Dekalb will travel to Ossian, Indiana to take on the 0-6 Norwell Knights. If you recall, the Barons defeated Norwell last year 14-0, but they ended up having to forfeit that contest because of an ineligible player.

Action During the Dekalb – Homestead Game

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The high point was the Trine Thunder ending their 2 game losing streak, as they defeated Taylor University on Saturday afternoon by the score of 28-13.

The Trine Thunder in Angola trailed at the half of their contest in Angola vs Taylor 10-0. But keyed by the pass catching and punt returns of JaVontae Hence, as well as a punishing running game delivered by Mike Inge, Trine completely dominated the second half to win by that final 15 point margin.

The Thunder will open MIAA conference play this Saturday when they travel to Kalamazoo, Michigan to take on Kalamazoo college. A big thanks to Austin and Ethan for their coverage of the contest.

We are bringing you Dekalb football games live!. Listen Friday at 7:00 pm!!

A Tremendous Basketball Team From a Bygone Era

In our lives, as we are approaching, living, and even moving towards the latter part of our “middle age” years, we have a tendency to reminisce in a positive way about our high school years. Remembering and embellishing the good, putting the not so good far back in the recesses of our minds.

Something that I like to reminisce and think about, and is always a positive & happy thought, is that when I was in high school, we had a GREAT basketball team. I graduated in 1973. But from my freshman year, until the year 1974 when Manchester won the state championship, Friday & Saturday nights were always “rockin” in the small gym just South of Akron, Ohio.

I look back at those times, and think that it was truly a time of massive cultural change for people who grew up during that period. When Manchester won the title in 1974, one of the most turbulent 10 year periods in American history was coming to an end. It started with the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, and over the next decade, we experienced the Vietnam War, violent & peaceful demonstrations everywhere, The Beatles, drugs, clothes & hair styles, the killings of Bobby Kennedy & Martin Luther King, Kent State, Muhammad Ali, Black Civil Rights, the Cold War, landing on the moon, Richard Nixon & Watergate, just to name a few.

Back then, there were 3 classes in high school basketball, and Manchester was one of the smaller schools in “Class AA.”

Manchester was led by 6-10 center, Mike Phillips. After he graduated, Phillips went on to star at Kentucky, where he helped lead them to a National Championship in 1978. But the Panthers also had great players besides the big, burly center. The other starters during the 1973 & 1974 seasons were Tommy Thompson & Tim Neff at forwards, and Jack Sliger & Jeff Roberts at guards.

My senior year in 73, we were undefeated until regional play. Phillips was injured in the district title against Hudson. He couldn’t play the next game, and our season ended in a game against a team from Youngstown.

In 74, Manchester came back with a vengeance. They rolled through their schedule with ease. Included during this time was the last time I ever saw them play before moving to Florida to attend college. It was an early season game against the same, and very much disliked Hudson Explorers. The Panthers won 102-49, which included what I consider the greatest quarter I ever saw a team play. In the second stanza, Manchester outscored Hudson 37-5.

The Panthers had 2 separate 6 point wins during the season. Other than that, they were pretty much unstoppable until the tourney. Their only close game in post season was a narrow, 4 point win over Beloit West Branch.

Besides the starting 5, Manchester’s supporting cast was excellent. Gary Edwards, Joe Schler, Mike Arnold, Bill Dover, Larry Simmons, Bobby Eckert, and Brian Thompson all played key roles in the Panthers success.

As a sidenote, in his junior & senior years of high school, in games Phillips participated in, Manchester was 49-0.

Ah, the good old days!

Barons & Thunder – Both in Need of a Win

This weekend, the Dekalb Barons, as well as the Trine Thunder, will both be seeking that very elusive second win of their respective football seasons.

The Barons sit at 1-4, while Trine will go into their game at 1-2. Dekalb will be hosting the high-flying Homestead Spartans Friday at 7:00 pm. While the Thunder will host Taylor Saturday at 1:00 pm up in Angola.

Dekalbs’ “Achilles heel” has been the fact that they get down early in the game, and then having to play catch up has proven difficult. They have trailed in the last three games a combined 110-0 at the halves.

Offensively, the Barons have proven that they can move the football, but they have trouble finishing drives. Also, penalties & turnovers have not helped the cause.

Trine’s problems have stemmed from the fact that they are having trouble putting the ball in the end zone. The offense, in what looked to be a real strength going into the season, has sputtered, no more so than in last weeks 13-10 loss to Concordia College up in Wisconsin. The Thunders’ only score came on a blocked punt for a TD.
The week before against Elmhurst College, they scored a TD early, and a TD late, but in between, they gave up 31 points.

If you follow both of these local teams, a win this weekend would certainly fill the bill for both the Barons& the Thunder to get things turned around.

A Visit to Michigan & Trumbull: The Site of Old Tiger Stadium

Bernie In the Batters Box at the Site of Old Tiger Stadium

I was on business in Detroit last week. When my meeting was finished around noon, I decided to take a ride over to where the old Tiger Stadium used to be located. To fans of the Tigers, especially the one’s who remember the heyday of this famous ball yard, all you had to say was “the corner of Michigan & Trumbull,” and they knew immediately what you were referring to.

My 2 older sons, Brandon & Joey, and I had the opportunity to be at Tiger Stadium the last weekend that games were played there back in 1999. It was a weekend series against the Kansas City Royals, and we were there for the Saturday game. We had media passes for the game, so we had the chance to be down on the field before the game taking some video, and doing some coverage of the festivities. It was a great time, but a nostalgic time. My only regret was that I didn’t get the chance to talk with Ernie Harwell, the legendary Tigers radio announcer.

Fast forward to last week, and as I approached the area, I really didn’t know what to expect. As I drove around the block 3-4 times, just looking & observing, you notice right away that the entire structure of the ball park is gone.

There is a group of people who now do take care of the field area. The infield area is in nice condition. It is laid out exactly over where home plate and the batters boxes, as well as where the pitchers mound and base paths used to be. There are also small benches on each side, in the approximate location of where the dugouts were located.

Even though there is fencing all the way around, the section of original gateway along the first baseline is still intact, and you can enter the area through the gate there. It was open and unlocked. Next to the gate is a small sign that simply reads “Ernie Harwell Field.”

For an old baseball fan like myself who truly enjoys the history of the game, walking around the field area was truly a rare treat. I enjoyed standing in the batters boxes where many of the greats of the game plied their trade. To me, it was almost breathtaking knowing that who I consider the greatest of them all, Ty Cobb, hit from that very spot thousands of times. Also Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, and countless other “hall of famers,” did the very same.

I loved walking around the outfield area, taking in the ambiance of it all, and just picturing 50-60 thousand people cheering your every move.

I also recalled the 1971 all-star game, when Reggie Jackson hit one of the longest home runs ever hit there. It would have went completely out of the stadium if not for some construction that was going on atop the roof in right field.

If you love the history of the game, and are in the area, make the trip to “Michigan & Trumbull.” As I like to say, you won’t be disappointed

Barons Drop Third Conference Game in a Row

The Dekalb Barons went into Friday night’s football game vs. Columbia City looking to pick up their first league win after losses to New Haven & East Noble. But for Dekalb, it was the same script once again, as they fell behind early, and were never able to mount a comeback,and they lost to the Eagles 62-10.

Dekalb’s Henry Smaltz was named Homecoming King During Friday Night’s Game

Last week against East Noble, senior receiver Henry Smaltz had a nice game from his wideout slot, and we named him our Dekalb TV – BJP Enterprises player of the game. On Friday, which was the annual homecoming game, Henry had the honor of being named the homecoming king.

Unfortunately for the Barons, this was one of the few highlights on the night. Besides committing a number of costly turnovers, Dekalb’s defense just couldn’t stop the offensive attack of Columbia City. The Eagles mixed a nice running & passing attack that had the Barons on their heels most of the night.

Dekalb did have a nice play of their own in the third quarter when sophomore Riley Seavers helped force a quarterback sack, and the QB then fumbled, and Seavers picked up the loose pigskin and raced 45 yards for the Barons only touchdown on the evening.

Dekalb needs to forget about this one in a hurry, as they go from the frying pan into the fire when the Homestead Spartans come marching into Cecil E. Young field next Friday night.