Hendricks County schools found plenty of success during the 2009-10 season. Some turned in winning seasons and hoisted long overdue sectional trophies, while others made runs all the way to state. Here's a look back at the county's top 10 stories of the year.



10. Track teams excel at state

Local track and field athletes took home eight medals from the 2010 state meet.

A pair of county runners reached the podium twice.

Brownsburg junior Maddie Webster finished seventh in the 3200 (11:15.93) and ran on the ninth-place 4x800 relay team with Sydney Lesko, Kirsten Gaerke, and Veronica Goduto (11:15.93).

Avon senior Shayne Cureton earned two medals in field events finishing seventh in the high jump (6-04) and ninth in the long jump (21-10).

Avon senior Brad Vivace and Brownsburg senior Scott Vicenzi had the highest county finishes at state. Both finished sixth in their respective events Ð Vivace in the shot put (55-07.5) and Vicenzi in the 1600 (4:13.76).

Two Quakers also reached the podium at state - senior Morgan Ford finished eighth in the discus (130-10) and sophomore Kasey Johnson was ninth in the 400 (58.50).



9. Quakers take triple crowns

County, conference, and sectionals - Plainfield won all three this season in boys' tennis and girls' track.

The Quakers boys' tennis team took those three titles for the second year in a row. They sported a 16-2 record and No. 9 state ranking. The only two teams to beat Plainfield were No. 6 Cathedral and state champion Park Tudor.

Jake Bradley (No. 1 singles), Jake Bouvy (No. 2 singles), and Caleb Knust (No. 3 singles) all earned sectional crowns. Bradley and Bouvy were also all-state honorable mention.

In addition to taking two medals at state, the Plainfield girls' track team also emerged victorious at county, conference, and sectional. The Quakers' sectional title was their first since 2006.

 

8. Bulldogs, Bruins end droughts

It's been quite a while since the Brownsburg football and Tri-West girls' basketball teams could call themselves sectional champions.

They can now.

With a 42-14 win over rival Avon, the Bulldog football team earned its first sectional championship since 1985 - when head coach Brett Comer was a player on the school's last state title squad. Led by quarterback Robby Robbins (1,118 passing yards, 10 TD) and running back Darryl Jordan (1,275 rushing yards, 11 TD), the Bulldogs went 9-4 and finished a respectable third in the brutal Hoosier Crossroads Conference.

Tri-West girls' basketball hadn't cut the sectional nets since 1999. That changed this year, as the Bruins avenged last year's controversial sectional title game loss to Covenant Christian by beating the Warriors in convincing fashion, 53-40.

Sam Ricks averaged 17 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game on her way to being named the Hendricks County Flyer's Female Winter Athlete of the Season. She also became the Bruins' all-time leading scorer.



7. Wrestlers reach podium

at state

Six total wrestlers from five Hendricks County schools earned trips to the 2010 state finals at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Of those six, three reached the podium - Plainfield's Dustin Parrish, Avon's Blaine Hall, and Tri-West's Ryan Kolb.

Wrestling at 152 lbs., Parrish had a standout season for Plainfield. He won county, conference, and sectional titles before placing sixth at state - the best finish for any county wrestler.

Hall (140 lbs.) earned victories at county and sectional before turning in a seventh-place finish at state.

Kolb (160 lbs.) was a major contributor to the Bruins' team, winning county, conference, and his second straight sectional. Kolb was also runner-up at regional and seventh at state.



6. Swimmers earn three state medals

County swimmers turned in some high finishes at the 2010 state championships.

Tri-West senior John Van Dyke earned the top spot on the podium with a third-place swim in the 100 fly (50.60). Van Dyke was only three one-hundredths of a second behind the second-place time in the event.

Avon junior Emmie Ryan brought home a medal at the girlsÕ state championships by finishing sixth in the 500 free (4:57.78).

Plainfield senior Michael Mohler capped his high school career by earning his first medal at state with a seventh-place finish in the 200 free (1:43.02).

All three athletes competed in multiple events at the state meet Ð Van Dyke (ninth, 200 free) and Mohler (ninth, 500 free) were each one place away from winning a second medal.



5. Vicenzi places third at state

Few could catch BrownsburgÕs Scott Vicenzi on the cross country course in 2009.

The senior had little trouble winning big meets throughout the season. He was county, conference, sectional, regional, and Southport Invitational champion.

He went on to finish second at semistate and reached the podium at the state finals with a third-place finish (16:02.5).

Vicenzi also excelled as a distance runner on the track team. He turned in a sixth-place finish in the 1600 at the 2010 state finals.



4. Doubles team reaches state

The Brownsburg girls' doubles team of senior Hannah Kenninger and sophomore Katie Bullock went nearly two months without losing a match.

Along the way they racked up 30 straight victories, went unbeaten through the sectional and regional team tournament, and won a Hoosier Crossroads Conference title at No. 2 doubles.

The duo switched to No. 1 doubles late in the season and advanced to the state tournament after the Bulldogs were eliminated in the regional title match.

Kenninger and Bullock had no problems in the opening round of the state tournament, dropping PrincetonÕs doubles team 6-2, 6-0.

In the state quarterfinals the Brownsburg duo's season came to an end. They lost 5-7, 1-6 to South Bend St. Joseph's doubles team which went on to finish second in the state tournament.

Kenninger and Bullock finished the season 30-1 and were named to the all-state second-team for doubles.



3. Soccer teams take regional titles

Two soccer squads from Hendricks County - the Avon boys and Brownsburg girls - played deep into the fall.

The Orioles had one of the best seasons in program history, going 17-2-3, grabbing a No. 6 ranking, and taking sectional and regional titles. A 2-1 victory over Center Grove provided the regional championship.

Avon nearly advanced in semistate, but was tripped up by eventual state champion Zionsville in overtime. Chris Maloney, Ian Klotz, Trevor Schmidt, and Mike Grossnickle were all-conference selections. Maloney also made the all-district first team, while Klotz and Schmidt were all-district second team.

Winning a regional title was nothing new for the Brownsburg girls' soccer team. The No. 5-ranked Bulldogs won their third straight regional, but were edged 1-0 by No. 7 Zionsvile in the semistate opener. Brownsburg finished 18-2-2.

Nicole Duncan had a strong senior season, being named all-conference, all-district, and setting new school records for most goals in a season (25) and career (62). Duncan and Casey Strouder were all-state selections, while Rio James and Rachel Fulkerson earned all-district honors.



2. Danville makes deep run

It didn't end the way they had hoped, but the Danville boys' basketball team had a memorable run in 2009-10.

The Warriors (25-2) cruised through the regular season, won a county title, and notched a spotless 7-0 record in the Sagamore Conference.

That momentum carried into the postseason, where Danville beat Lebanon 68-52 for the program's 13th sectional title and topped Mount Vernon 47-43 to reach semistate. But that's where they bowed out to eventual Class 3A state champion Washington.

Indiana All-Star Travis Carroll became the school's all-time leading scorer, averaging team-highs of 19.6 points and 12.1 rebounds per game. Jordan Weidner was second on the team in scoring (16.0 ppg) and rebounding (5.0 rpg). Tyler Hall added 10.1 points per game and a team-high 5.9 assists per contest.



1. Rodgers wins it all

Patrick Rodgers took his golf game to new heights in 2010.

A year ago, he tied for second overall at the state tournament and led Avon to its first-ever state championship.

Flash forward one year, and though the Orioles were unable to defend their state title (finishing sixth), Rodgers returned to the medal stand.

This time, he took first.

Rodgers' two-day total of 131 (67, 64) earned him the individual title by four strokes over Carmel's Connor O'Neal at the Legends of Indiana.

Rodgers also helped Avon start the season undefeated for more than a month. Without him, the Orioles won county and finished runner-up at sectional. Rodgers returned to contribute to the Orioles' second place finish at regional.

A few weeks after the season, Rodgers got what he called the biggest win of his career at the 93rd Western Junior Championship in Wauwatosa, Wisc. He then traveled to Johnson, Ark. for the American Junior Golf Association Tournament of Champions.

Rodgers will attend Stanford after next season.