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THE REGION SPORTS NETWORKRegion Sports Monthly

Volume VI I Issue IJanuary-February 2010

Published by The Region Sports Network, Inc.Publisher/Executive Editor: Chris RamirezChris.ramirez@regionsports.com Managing Editor: Chris LanninChris.lannin@regionsports.comLayout & Design: Chris RamirezContributing Designers: Chris Geiger, Jason RussellStaff Writers: Chris Lannin, Nathan LairdContributing Writers: Kerry MitchellRSN Photography: Roland LewisVP of Sales: Chris LanninSales Associates: Rich Castillo, Jeff Walker, Nathan Laird. Jim BarrettCirculation: Nathan LairdNathan.Laird@regionsports.com Bookkeeper: Angela RamirezResearch: Richard W. Ramirez Sr.Technical Assistance: Josh Harvoth, Mike Bonaventura

Region Sports MonthlyPO Box 1927 Highland, IN 46322Phone – 219-923-9393 Fax – 219-923-6321E-Mail – Editor@regionsports.com Website: www.regionsports.com The opinions expressed within this publication do not necessarily coincide with those of the publisher. Region Sports Monthly is a publication of the Region Sports Network, Inc. All rights reserved. The contents of this magazine are strictly copyright, the property of The Region Sports Network and may not be copied, stored in a retrieval system, or repro-duced without the expressed written consent of the publisher.THIS MEANS YOU BUDDY!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Pg 4 Incoming / Region Sports TriviaPg 5 Region Fans Getting Cheated - Fans Deprived of Chance To See Top Local Talent by Chris LanninPg 6 With A Heavy Heart - Calumet’s Axel Draws Inspiration From Deceased Mother by Nathan Laird Pg 8-9 A Decade of Growth - Crimson Wave Enters Second Decade of Athletic Growth by Kerry MitchellPg 11 Gone But Not Forgotten - Closed Gary Schools Produced Many Great Teams, Stars by Kerry Mitchell Pg 12 Catching Up With: David Martin III - Former Griffith Running Back Sets His Sights On Pro Boxing by Nathan LairdPg 13 Aqua Man - Chesterton’s Whitaker Is A Swimming Superhero by Nathan Laird

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REGION SPORTS TRIVIA1) Jim East is tops among active Region boys basketball coaches in career victories, enter-ing the 2009-10 season with 490 wins at Merrillville and more than 600 for his career. Who’s number one on the girls side? A. Jack Campbell – Chesterton B. Rod Fisher – West Side C. Ken Markful – Andrean D. Dori Downing – Calumet

2) Entering the 2009-10 season, which of these schools have won the least amount of sectional championships in boys basketball? A. Crown Point B. Hammond Clark C. Munster D. Gary Wallace

3) In high school, Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody was coached by which of the following individuals? A. Mark Horvath B. Clint Swan C. Carson Cunningham D. Tom Pellar

4) The original nickname of the Purdue Calumet sports teams was? A. Lakers B. Pipers C. Crusaders D. Steelers

5) This building was home of the Gary sectional for over 40 years? A. Civic Center B. Memorial Auditorium C. Genesis Center D. Froebel Gymnasium

6) The legendary LaTaunya Pollard led what school to two state basketball championships in the 1970s? A. Bishop Noll B. East Chicago Roosevelt C. Gary Roosevelt D. East Chicago Washington

7) True or False? Chesterton head basketball coach Tom Pellar was a three-sport star at now defunct Gary Horace Mann in the 1970s?

8) Purdue’s Rob Hummel now wears Boilermaker black and gold. But what colors did he wear in high school? A. Blue and White B. Red and White C. Green and White D. Maroon and Gold

9) Which of the following schools is credited with winning exactly 50 sectional championships in boys basketball through the 2009 season? A. Hammond High B. East Chicago Washington C. Valpo D. Gary Froebel

10) In almost sixty years of existence Hammond Morton has captured only won sectional title in boys basketball. Who was the head coach? A. Bob Bradtke B. Nino Muffaletto C. Russ Marcinek Jr. D. Russ Marcinek Sr.

(Answers on pg.11)

INCOMING....You talkin da me???What’s happened to the Highland Lady Trojans? What is wrong with the Highland girls bas-ketball program? I know there aren’t any more Jenny Demuth type players around but when Chris Huppenethal was coach, the program excelled even after she was gone. Since Hupp left, three coaches have held the position and each have managed to take the program down a notch or more. Now the Lady Trojans are one of the worst teams in the area and the “House that Jenny built” is nearly empty on game nights, which is a far cry from the days

when fans waited in long lines to enter the gymnasium. So I repeat my question, what is wrong with the Highland girls basketball program? Jerry B. – Highland, IN CR: There isn’t enough space to cover all the reasons for the downfall of the area’s former number one girls program. I will agree that coaching has been a factor. No offense to those who came after him, but none of them have the coaching and leadership abilities of Chris Huppenthal. He is and likely will

continue to be missed for many years to come. Look at this way; at least the Lady Trojans now can talk about their “golden age.”

Digging the webcasts of high school hoops… Thanks for broadcasting (or is it webcast-ing?) the basketball games on your website. I’m a big fan and I used to go to games all the time, but because my employment situa-tion has changed, I now work evenings and can’t get out except for Saturday nights. I also happen to have younger relatives playing both boys and girls basketball and thanks to regionsports.com I can listen to my choice of games while I’m at work. Great job and keep those games comin!!! Cindi from Cedar Lake

Globetrotters rock the house… I took my kids to see the Harlem Globe-trotters at Crown Point High School. I last saw them at the old Chicago Amphitheater back in the late 1960s, in the glory days of Mead-owlark Lemon and Curley Neal. Although I didn’t know any of the current Globetrotters by name, the performance was just as thrilling and my kids loved it. Kudos to Crown Point High School for staging such an event. I hope to see more of these type things in the future. It was fun, affordable and sure beat driving to Chicago! Robert DeLuca, Merrillville

CR: My wife, daughter and several friends attended and all came back with glowing reviews. I agree, kudos to Crown Point High School!

Peak Performers… Let me preface this email by saying first that your website (regionsports.com) is re-ally cool and I visit it almost daily. One of my favorite features is the Peak Performers category. The problem is I see the same names most of the time. Can you tell me what the cri-teria is for choosing who’s a Peak Performer and who is not? Lawrence Anderson, Gary

CR: Picking the Peak Performers is not done with any scientific formula. It’s sim-ply based on players stats for a given week. Unfortunately, we don’t always get every player’s stats turned in. So if a player has a great statistical game and doesn’t make the list, we probably didn’t get his or her num-

bers. So consider it an error of oversight, not omission.

Vikings going all the way!!! This is turning out to be a great year in region basketball. A recent statewide coach’s poll had three Region teams in the top five with Valpo-4, Munster-5, East Chicago Cen-tral-6. The problem is that they’re all 4a and only one can come out of the regional. Who will it be? My prediction is that the Valpo Vi-kings will be the last northwest Indiana team standing and they will make it all the way to Indianapolis. Just wanted to write in and get it on the record. Bart Stone, Kouts

Great coverage of the Chesterton-Munster swim meet… I watched the photo gallery from the Chesterton-Munster swim meet. Your photog-rapher did a very nice job. It was good to see your organization there covering the sport of high school swimming. It often gets over-shadowed by football and basketball but what most people don’t realize is just how good the quality is of our local swimmers, and not just in Munster. The swimming community hopes to see more coverage from regionsports.com in the future. Julie (former Northwest Indiana high school swimmer and current swim parent)

CR: The Munster Natatorium was filled to the rafters and the house was definitely rockin that night. If we had to be baptized into the world of Region swimming, that was the right night. I think we’ll be back for more coverage.

Wanting more coverage of different sports… Let me start by saying you do a great job of covering football and basketball. But what about wrestling, volleyball and swimming? I realize those sports won’t go over well on the radio but perhaps you could consider some coverage in your newspaper or on your web-site. Thank you for the great job. Hopefully we’ll start to see more of the lower profile sports in the RSN coverage.Mike Huett – Crown Point

CR: I agree the RSN needs more coverage of those sports. We’re working on it. Hope-fully 2010 will be the year.

When Bowman Academy hosted Fort Wayne Luers and Ohio State bound DeShaun Thomas recently, something happened that doesn’t happen very often in Region basket-ball anymore: A capacity crowd. Granted, Bowman Academy’s gym only holds about 1,500 fans, but the point is they were turning fans away at the door. Even with the much anticipated game between Munster and Valparaiso taking place a few miles to the east, Region basketball fans turned out en masse to see some top talent on the floor. But in spite of being overshadowed by the Bowman-Luers meeting at the last moment, the Munster and Valparaiso game still drew a near capacity crowd of 4,500 plus at Viking gym. That’s 6,000 fans in those two gyms on a cold night in January. And something else happened recently that hasn’t happened in a long time in Region basketball: Four Region teams were ranked in the Indiana Coaches poll top ten. Three of those teams, Valparaiso, Munster and Bowman Academy were ranked numbers two, three and four respectively and Mer-rillville represented the Region in the second five. Not since the golden age of Region basket-ball in the late sixties and early seventies has Northwest Indiana basketball received that kind of recognition. But what do these two things have in common? Well, the capacity crowds mean that Region fans will still come out for a big basketball game, just like in the old days. And the rankings mean that Northwest Indiana is undergoing a renaissance of sorts in quality of play. Yes, the Region has had a couple of state titlists over the last decade. And yes, there have been one or two top teams and a couple of top players each year over the last few years. But when compared with the golden age, Region basketball has been in a relatively dormant state. But this year, there is exciting talent all across the Region and legitimate state title contenders in all classes. Bowman Academy, Wheeler, Lew Wallace, East Chicago Central, Merrillville, Munster and Valparaiso all have state title potential. DeJuan Marrero and Christopher Bond of Bowman could start for any team in the state. Lew Wallace has an exciting tandem in Branden Dawson and LaTroy Taylor. Wheeler has stud players in Andrew Rudakas and Petar Todorovic and East Chicago Central has a whole roster full of talent. The list goes on and on. But Region fans are getting cheated because they don’t get much of a chance to see these players.

To date, Bowman Academy has only played six home games out of sixteen games played. The Eagles have played teams from Illinois, Kentucky, Iowa and Michigan as well as teams from around the state but have only played one local opponent; that is if you can count La Porte La Lumiere. In seventeen games Lew Wallace has played teams from Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan. The Hornets have played three Indianapolis teams and six Chicago schools, enough to qualify for membership in the Chi-cago Public League. But sadly, L-Dub has played at home just four times and including La Lumiere has only faced three local opponents. And bad weather has added to the situation, forcing cancella-tion of a much anticipated match-up with East Chicago Central. So why don’t these Region teams play each other and give Region fans the chance to see our local talent? Sure, the Duneland round robin schedule limits non-conference scheduling opportuni-ties. And I know there are issues between the Gary schools and Bowman Academy. But the Northwestern conference consists of just three teams, leaving plenty of schedul-ing opportunities. And call me crazy, but in these tough economic times couldn’t school corporations save some precious dollars by cutting down on travel and playing locally? Whether the issues between the Gary School Corporation and Bowman are real or perceived, shouldn’t administrators on both sides accept the reality of the situation, overcome the pettiness and grasp the bigger picture? The acrimony that has resulted between East Chicago Central and Lew Wallace after the two schools failed to reach an agreement to reschedule their game is a perfect example of the type of short sighted pettiness that af-fects the student athletes and fans from both schools. The point is this: The resurgence in atten-dance at games and the renaissance of Region basketball cannot continue without Region fans getting the chance to see Region stars. Administrators and coaches should remem-ber that their primary mission is the pursuit of what is in the best interests of the student athletes in their charge. The kids have done their part. They have worked hard in the classroom and in practice and deserve the same effort from those that they depend upon because the rest is beyond their control.

Chris Lannin can be E-Mailed at Chris.lannin@regionsports.com

Page 6 www.regionsports.com

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With a Heavy Heart - Calumet’s Axel Draws Inspiration from Deceased Mother By: Nathan Laird – RSM Staff Writer

It’s not often you see a young man in high school describe himself as a “mama’s boy”,

but Calumet’s Terrence Axel says the phrase with a smile. When talking about his mom DeAngelia Guy, who raised him and his two younger sisters as a single parent, Axel speaks with a sense of pride and love that reflects the special bond between a mother and her only son. In his first varsity football game, Terrence scored a touchdown against Gavit, a thrilling moment for any player, but it might have been more exciting for Guy. “She was so happy,” Axel said. “It was all that she talked about.” The double overtime win over Gavit would be only one of two varsity football games Guy would see her son play. The 37 year old moth-er of three passed away in November after a five year fight against cervical cancer, leaving behind her two daughters and Terrence – the mama’s boy who had to grow up fast. Before the 2009 football season even be-gan, Axel knew that his mother’s cancer was terminal. Knowing that she did not have a lot of time left, Axel found it hard to spend more time away from home by going to practice ev-eryday after school, but it was his mother and her strength that kept him going. “She was the one that told me to play. She told me to do it to get my mind off of all the stress at home. She said ‘I want you to have your chance at becoming something.’ It really motivated me a lot to see her in the stands, even though she was sick.”When Guy passed away on November 28, Axel and his sisters moved in with their great aunt, Yvette Chafen. Now with a new set of

responsibilities, including helping care for his sisters, Axel rededicated himself to his academics and family, even at the expense of athletics. A member of the Warrior basketball team at the start of the season, Axel left the program when his grades not only failed to meet a personal goal, but also to a promise he made his mother. “I still talk to my mom and I told her that I would get all A’s and B’s,” Axel said. “When my grades started slipping I realized I couldn’t play basketball anymore.” But it wasn’t only for his own well-being that Axel left the hoops team. “My little sister started getting in trouble too and I wasn’t there for her as much as I needed to be,” he said. “This is the time that I really need to be there for them.” Axel will continue his athletic career this spring as a member of the Warrior track team, but on the gridiron is where he feels most comfortable. Axel played primarily as a wide receiver and cornerback last season, but is expected to make a change to running back in 2010. Calumet head coach Ivan Zimmer credits Axel’s work ethic for his success on the football field. “He’s a dedicated kid, he works hard at practice,” Zimmer said. “You hope that when your kids go through the season they get bet-ter and Terrance did that. He was one of those types of kids that is a joy to be around and worked really hard.” Zimmer not only played a role as head football coach, but he was also there to help Axel deal with the difficulties of losing a

loved one, even drawing on his own family experiences. “I tried to talk to him and give him comfort,” Zimmer said. “I lost my sister to the dreaded disease and I told him that if he needed someone to talk to about it, I would be there for him.” Terrance Axel draws motivation from the words of his coaches, teachers and friends, but whenever he needs a little extra push to get himself over the hump on the field, in the classroom or at home, he remem-bers some-thing his mother told him before she passed: “Your father was never around, but I can honestly say I raised a young man”. Ms. Guy was right – a young man who, despite having more responsibility and pressures than most, is well on his way.

Terrence Axel in action for the Calumet Warriors Photo Provided by Terrence Axel

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Whiting – Calumet College is a major presence in the pantheon of Calumet Region athletics now that its athletic docket is filled with 19 sports. Broken down into 10 sports for women and nine for men, Crimson Wave teams represent a diverse selection for the aspiring student athlete. The campus on the Hammond/Whiting cusp offers up everything from competitive dance to baseball and rare is the day during the school year that a Calumet

College team is not in action. “We have made nice progress in our pro-gram,” said Peter Haze Haring, who took over as Calumet College Athletic Director in 2006. “Right now the feeling is that we want to let the current sports gain a maturity and get a foothold. We think that we will stay with what

we have for now and let some of the newer sports become more established.” Calumet College has had a dizzying growth spurt since its inception ten-years ago when Jim Adduci, a graduate of Calumet Col-lege and then Director of Alumni Relations, had an epiphany that athletics just might work at well at his alma-mater. “I had the idea that athletics would be a great way for the school to reach out into the

Hammond and Whiting corridor,” Adduci said. “We also wanted to give our students something to identify with while they are going to school here. I thought that basketball would be the best way to go early on.” To get a program going Adduci needed to get President Dennis Rittenmeyer on board

A Decade of Growth which proved to be a quick proposition. They also needed an athletic director, which was taken care of when Rittenmeyer took a stroll into a Whiting sport shop and found his man. “I was in my shop doing some work and in walks this fellow and in essence asks me if I wanted to become the athletic director at Calumet College,” said Andy Juscik. “That fellow was Dennis (Rittenmeyer) it did not take me long to say yes.” The personable and efficient Jusick also became the women’s basketball coach. The search for the men’s basketball job was a little more labor intensive. The job was thought to be filled once but the original candidate left when business opportunities proved to be too big a temptation. “We thought we were in a bind but then we got lucky,” Juscik said. “Through my daughter I heard about someone who was looking for a job and who had a basketball background. That’s how we found Nate. Nate Pomeday played basketball at North-western and was looking for a job. Juscik offered Pomeday the job and at 23 he found himself in charge of his own program. “Coaching at Calumet College was the greatest break I could have gotten,” Pomeday said during a phone interview. “When I think about it I was taking on something new so everything we were learning we were learning together. Everyone there was so great to work

for. They gave a young guy like me the space to get a new program off the ground. The entire four years I was there were great and I would not trade a second of it.” Pomeday, with such players as Mike Hayes (Gavit) and Keenan Browder (Bishop Noll) was competitive early on in the Chicagoland

Collegiate Athletic Conference. “I was fortunate to have some good players early on and they were also good people,” Pomeday said, “Andy Juscik, Jim Adduci, and President Rittenmeyer are all good people and I have great memories of all of them.” The early groundwork laid by Pomeday eventually led to the school’s first ever CCAC regular season championship in 2007, which came under the expert coaching of Gary Hayes.

After handing over the reins of the depart-ment to Haring, Juscik took on a job that is fundraising intensive and is currently listed at the school as Development Coordinator for Athletics and Assistant Athletic Director. “It’s been a lot of fun,” Juscik said. “There is a lot of local talent around here and it is

great to see so many of them come here. This is a great school and anyone who attends here has the chance to play sports and get a great education.” “This is an area with so many good ath-letes,” Adduci agreed. “They can come here and get a great education. I will tell you one thing. This program has grown beyond what we initially thought it would become. There have been other successes. The bowling programs have tapped into the local

talent pool and have become respected teams. The wrestling program under Leroy Vega is growing and is expected to be a source of suc-cess in years to come. The biggest success recently has been the recent opening of the Student Activity/Com-munity Center, the first truly on site home

the athletic program has ever had. Home to the volleyball and basketball teams it is the first time the Wave has ever had a home court advantage. “It is a place that we are proud of,” Haring said. “The people at the Civic Center (the basketball program’s first home) were good to us but now we don’t have to share with anything else. We hope that the students see it as something they can be proud of.” The other teams play around the area. Baseball plays at Calu-met High School while softball uses Standard Diamonds in Whit-

ing. Tennis uses East Chicago Central while

bowling uses Olympia Lanes. “We are grateful to the area schools and entities that let us their facilities,” Haring said. “We have great working relationships with all of them.” So there you have it. An idea in the fertile imagination of Jim Adduci has grown to a 19 sport program in 10 short years. There have been growing pains but there have also been relationships forged and the future looks good. “They have done a great job,” Pomeday said. “I am proud to have been a part of it.”

By Kerry Mitchell - RSM Correspondent

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Crimson Wave enters second decade of athletic growth

The trophy case at CCSJ isn’t full yet, but it is growing. Photo Provided by Calumet College

Left to right: Athletic Director Peter Haring, President Dennis Rittenmeyer, Vice President of Development Jim Adducci and Athletic Development Coordinator for Andy Jusick, are the men behind the growth of Calumet College Athletics. Photo Provided by Calumet College

The Calumet College building in Whiting Photo Provided by Calumet College

Page 10 www.regionsports.com Page 11 Regionsports.com

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN Gary-Great athletes and quality teams have been a Gary legacy for many years. With a cursory search of the memory banks, long time fans can pull up many names from the city’s proud athletic past. These are names and teams that precede John Boyd’s recent state championship basketball team. Individuals that left their mark in the days before Glenn Robinson led the Roosevelt Panthers to their last state title. The people and teams we are thinking about only exist in dusty yearbooks and faded programs. But the images they bring up are as crisp as any produced by a modern digital camera. Think of the Horsemen of Horace Mann. The now defunct west side school’s most famous athlete was the legendary Tom (Old 98) Harmon. A 1937 graduate of Horace Mann, he led the Horsemen to a 9-1 record his senior season and then went on to a life of legendary status. Harmon won the Heisman Trophy at Michigan before serving with gallantry in World War II, before going on to a distinguished career as a sportscaster. Think of Emerson High School. The Kar-ras brothers alone would give any alumni a chance to stand up proud. Lou (‘45); Ted (‘52); and Alex (‘54) were esteemed football players all of earned all-state honors. Alex went on to Iowa where he earned All-Ameri-can honors and was later named to the College Football Hall of Fame and played a long and distinguished career with the Detroit Lions. But it is basketball excellence that has long given Gary its proud name. Fans of a certain vintage can recall the days when the Gary sectional was a meat grinder. The team that escaped Gary earned it and usually put fear into its regional opponents. Long before the mergers left Gary with few schools there was a tournament that tested the strongest of wills.

There have been plenty of sectional championships to go around. Emerson cut down the sectional net 14 times and won two regional titles, the last of which came in 1975, when the Golden Tornado were led by 7 footer Wallace Bryant. The Blue Devils of Froebel, which had long been known for their basketball prowess, captured 10 sectionals and five regional titles and was a perennial state top 10 power in the days of single class basketball. Mann had most of its hoops success early on and won its final sectional in 1977. It was the final of five sectional titles. Tolleston was another team long noted for its running style of basketball. The Blue

Raiders won four sectionals, two regional titles, the 1969 semi state and pushed George McGinness and Indianapolis Washington to the wire before losing by three points in the state title game in the last varsity game the school would ever play. The Wirt Troopers closed up shop a couple of years ago and took two sectional titles with them, the last under the unique coaching style of Omar Vasquez. The Gary basketball legacy is one of great teams and stellar individuals. It is a shame that so many of the schools that contributed to this legacy are gone, some of them long gone. The days when Gilroy was packed for football and Memorial Auditorium for hoops were exciting

times, filled with large, intimidating crowds and talented athletes. It is sad that the color and the pageantry of the huge Gary sectional are now just memo-ries. But ask anyone over 50 what it was like and you’re likely to hear a story about those good old days when Gary basketball was at its zenith.

Closed Gary high schools produced many great teams, starsBy Kerry Mitchell – RSM Correspondent

Trivia Answers1) B-West Side’s Rod Fisher has 392 victories to his credit, leading Jack Campbell by more than 100.2) C-Munster. Clark, Crown Point and Wallace all came into the season with seven sectional championships, while the Mustangs came in looking for their seventh.3) A-Mark Harvoth.4) B-The Purdue Calumet sports teams were originally known as the Pipers, then the Lakers and currently are called the Peregrines.5) B-Historic Memorial Auditorium was home to Gary sectional from the late 1920s until the early 1970s.6) B-Legendary LaTaunya led the Lady Roughriders of East Chicago Roosevelt to state titles in 1977 &1979.7) False. Although Pellar spent his early years in the Horace Mann school district, the family moved to Merrillville and Tom enrolled at Andrean High School where he was a multi-sport star for the 59ers.8) C-Rob Hummel proudly wore the green and white of the Valparaiso Vikings while in high school.9) C-Believe or not Valpo has captured more sectional titles in boys basketball than any other school from Northwest Indiana – 50!10) D-Hammond Sports Hall of Famer Russ Marcinek Sr. was the head coach of the only sectional championship team in Morton basketball history in 1976.

The Calumet Region Sports Historical Society Presents......

Tom Harmon(#98), a 1937 Horace Mann graduate, won the 1940 Heisman Trophy while at the University of Michigan. Photo courtesy of bleacher report

Page 12 www.regionsports.com Page 13 Regionsports.com

Aqua-Man - Chesterton’s Whitaker is a swimming superhero

Every four years during the summer Olym-pics, swimming transforms from a leisure activity to an exciting event that captures the interest of the nation. In 2008, the sports-viewing public in the United States, and around the world, became enthralled with the achievements of Michael Phelps and his quest for eight gold medals. For once, the country’s sports hero didn’t play with a bat and a ball, wear a helmet or have a sneaker contract. The sports idol in the United States glided through water faster than anyone before and became swimming’s biggest star in years. But seemingly as soon as the two week global games were over, the swimming craze died off. High school sports are no different. Football, basketball and baseball will always draw a crowd because they are ingrained in the fabric of the Region. Football’s blue-collar mentality, the piece of Americana that is bas-ketball in Indiana, and the rite of spring that comes with baseball will always trump sitting in a natatorium to most fans. But, those fans who only think about the aquatic sport every four years are missing something special right here in Northwest Indiana. The last Region program to win back to back state champion-ships doesn’t play on hardwood, a muddy field or freshly mowed grass. They reside in the water at Chesterton High School. In the past, boys swimming in the Region has been mainly defined by one school –

Munster. The Munster Seahorses lead the state with 39 sectional championships to their credit and have won seven state titles. But recent history has been on the side of Coach Kevin Kinel and the Golden Trojans. After having no state title appearances in the school’s history, Chesterton has captured the last two state swimming titles, including a victory over Munster in the finals last year. The two schools have developed a rivalry that is as intense as any in the Region. “It’s always an intense environment when we swim against Munster,” Kinel said. “I think meets in a hostile environment help you when you get down the road to state and all your fans aren’t necessarily there.” While Munster defeated Chesterton in the January duel meet between the schools, the Trojans have bringing home the state hard-ware that Munster has failed to do since 1980. Chesterton swimmers have not only been tak-ing home championships from Indianapolis, they’ve been writing their names in the state record books. Chesterton standout Kyle Whitaker holds two individual state titles and is part of a relay team that holds a record as well. His time of 47.85 seconds in the 100 yard butterfly is the best the state has ever seen, but even more impressive is his 200 yard individual medley time of 1:45.25 – it’s a national record. The Trojans also have the state record in the 200 yard medley relay with Whitaker, Matthew

Rosiecki, Bill Bass and Tyler Fozkos set-ting the mark with a time of 1:32:01 last year. Whitaker, Rosiecki and Fozkos are all still members of the Chesterton team while Bass has taken his swimming ability to Notre Dame. While the Trojans boast a number of impressive swimmers, Whitaker is the one to watch when he enters the pool. The senior is headed to Michigan next year on a swimming scholarship and will participate in an interna-tional completion competition this summer in Barcelona, Spain. In his first three years at Chesterton, Whitaker has captured nine state

titles between individual and relay events, but as if that wasn’t enough, the team captain says he has plenty more to accomplish during his final high school season. “This year I’ve been looking forward to

setting a lot of records and leaving my mark,” Whitaker said. “I’m just looking to continue what I’ve been doing – swim fast at state, win a couple state championships and better the records that I have. There are actually still a couple of other records that I would like to get too.” Whitaker’s swimming success should come as no surprise to anyone who knows the family. His mother Beth swam collegiately at Ball State, his father, Steve, swam at Wabash and his sister Talor is currently on the swim-ming team at Washington State. Even with the strong aquatic genes in his family, Kyle

has little doubt who would win in a race between the members of the Whitaker clan. “I would have to say myself, even though my parents and sister would put up a pretty good fight and even my brothers. It would pretty interesting.” Even though Whitaker will not be with the Trojans next season, Kinel knows that the foundation that has been laid the past several seasons means great things for the future of the pro-gram. “We have a great feeder program,” Kinel said. “I’ve got a great staff of coaches. We have a lot of kids coming out and we have a nice tradition and we would like to keep it up.” Whether or not the

Trojans can continue capturing state titles and setting records remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure: something special is happen-ing in the water at Chesterton. Don’t let it be four years before you notice

By Nathan Laird – RSM Staff Writer

Chesterton’s Kyle Whitaker has won nine state championships - three shy of the state record Photo by Roland Lewis

Kyle Whitaker & the Golden Trojans are seeking their third consecutive boys swimming state title Photo by Roland Lewis

Catching Up With: David Martin IIIFormer Griffith Running Back Sets his Sights on Pro Boxing

By: Nathan Laird – RSM Staff Writer

Running backs take a lot of punishment on the football field. With defensive linemen, linebackers and defensive backs all trying to take you down, ball carriers have to be tough and able to take a hit if they want to succeed. Taking a hit has a new meaning to David Mar-tin III. The former Panther running back and wrestler has turned to boxing. While he no longer has to worry about a linebacker leading with his helmet, he has to worry about his op-

David Martin III prepares for his next fight with the help of Region boxing legend Jack Callahan Photo Provided by David Martin III

ponent leading with a hard right. After finishing his high school football and wrestling career at Griffith, Martin enrolled to play football at Harper Junior College in Illinois. When Martin was told he was going to be redshirted during his freshman season, he decided to hang up his cleats and pick up the gloves. “I’ve always wanted to box, but my parents didn’t want me to keep getting hit in the head,” Martin said. “When I went

to college for football and I was redshirted, I didn’t agree with the decision and after a lot of prayer and thought I decided to go into boxing.” While the skills needed to succeed in the ring, greatly differ from what’s needed to be great on the field or on the mat, Martin takes the lessons and skills he used as a Griffith Panther with him every time he puts on the gloves. “The discipline I got in wrestling and in football have definitely helped in boxing. With football, the extra hard work you’ve had to put in has helped a lot and I am used to be-ing alone in the ring from when I wrestled, so I didn’t have any nerves with that.” When Martin first began training, he weighed 210 pounds, but wanted to make the drop to 175. Dropping the pounds were not a problem for Martin, who was used to making weight. “The training was very similar to what I would do in wrestling.” Martin soon realized that he was more comfortable in a higher weight class. He now weighs between 220 and 225 pounds when he fights, but feels even bet-ter than he did at the smaller size. “My body wanted to stay heavy and I am comfortable with where I’m at now. I feel just as fast and I

feel even stronger” Martin began his career with amateur bouts, finishing with a 7-2 record. But, as impressive as his amateur record is, Martin found the experience he gained training and sparring was more important than the actual fights. “I got more experience sparring profes-sionals than I did with the amateur fights,” Martin said. “It’s a completely different style of fighting. You waste more punches in the amateurs than in pros.” Martin’s professional career is just starting, but the former Panther has big goals for him-self. “I want to be known as the greatest boxer of all time. I believe everyone in every sport should want to be the best at what they do, never selling themselves short of anything. In the end, I want to be known for more than just boxing, including charity work, a man of God and a great family man. All of that will come in time. I pray it will and I work hard in the gym and stay humble so I can take advantage of the gifts God has given me to succeed.” Time will tell if Martin accomplishes all of his goals, but the “Loyalty, Pride and Dedication” he learned at Griffith gives him a great head start.

Page 14 www.regionsports.com

Region Football Recruits – 2010

Ryan JohnstonHS: Andrean

Benedictine

Brandon GrubbeHS: Lowell

Butler

Nick ThompsonHS: Valparaiso

Drake

Joe BellHS: Lowell

Holy Cross

Michael PerkinsHS: Valparaiso

Jackson State

Kyle MenefeeHS: Andrean

Marian

Tony DeMarioHS: Lowell

Ohio Northern

Coleman GidcumbHS: Andrean

Olivet-Nazarene

Ryan IssacsHS: Michigan City

Purdue

Tito QuinonesHS: Bishop Noll

St.Francis (IN)

Matt SpyrkaHS: Lake Central

St.Francis (IN)

Greg NowakHS: Chesterton

St.Francis (ILL)

PJ MasonHS: Andrean

U of Indianapolis

Blake SurfaceHS: Michigan City

U of Indianapolis

Mike SkinnerHS: Andrean

Wabash

Zach BreuckmanHS: Chesterton

Wabash

Photos By: Roland Lewis Jenine Ravesloot Bob Wiberg