BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Grace Roth Adrianna Hall Winamac junior softball pitcher Adrianna Hall pitched a one-hitter with 11 strikeouts against Jimtown in the Class 2A, Sectional 34 final at Bremen Thursday. It was not enough to win. Jimtown’s Claire Carlson pitched a six-hitter with 13 strikeouts as the Lady Jimmies knocked No. 6 Winamac out of the sectional for the second straight year

Popejoy takes 9th in discus BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Girls track Avery Wegner Sadie Popejoy Avery Wegner finished seventh in the 800 meters in 2:26.14 at the Portage regional Tuesday in the final race of her high school track career. Wegner accounted for the two points Winamac scored as a team. Winamac finished in 23rd place. Merrillville won with 109 points, 12 more than runner-up Lake Cent

Next: vs. Jimtown, 6:30 p.m. today at Bremen in sectional final BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Softball Maggie Keller Brooke Rausch Winamac 18, LaVille 0 (5 innings, Tuesday): Maggie Keller went 3 for 3 with two doubles and a homer and two RBIs, and Brooke Rausch spun a four-hit shutout with one walk and five strikeouts for No. 6 Winamac in a rout of LaVille in a Class 2A, Sectional 34 semifinal at

Class 2A, Sectional 38 at Rochester QUARTERFINALS (MONDAY) Eastern (Greentown) 8, Wabash 3 Lewis Cass 17, Manchester 3 (5 innings) SEMIFINALS (TUESDAY) Rochester 11, Eastern (Greentown) 0 Oak Hill 5, Lewis Cass 2 FINAL: Rochester vs. Oak Hill, 7 p.m. Thursday Class 3A, Sectional 20 at NorthWood QUARTERFINALS (MONDAY) Fairfield 11, Wawasee 0 (5 innings) Tippecanoe Valley 6, NorthWood 1 SEMIFINALS (TUESDAY) Fairfield 22, West Noble 1 (5 innings) Tippecanoe Valley 5, Columbia Ci

Class 2A, Sectional 38 at Rochester QUARTERFINALS (MONDAY) Eastern (Greentown) 8, Wabash 3 Lewis Cass 17, Manchester 3 (5 innings) SEMIFINALS (TODAY) Rochester vs. Eastern (Greentown), 5:30 p.m. Oak Hill vs. Lewis Cass, 7:30 p.m. FINAL, 7 p.m. Thursday Class 3A, Sectional 20 at NorthWood QUARTERFINALS (MONDAY) Fairfield vs. Wawasee, 5:30 p.m. Tippecanoe Valley vs. NorthWood, 7:30 p.m. SEMIFINALS (TODAY) West Noble vs. Fairfield, 5:30 p.m. Columbia City vs. Tippecanoe Valley,

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Softball Brooke Rausch Grace Roth Winamac 16, Triton 0 (5 innings, Tuesday): Brooke Rausch pitched a five-hit shutout with one walk and six strikeouts, and she also had two hits and two RBIs at the plate for the host Lady Warriors as they clinched the Hoosier North title in a rout of Triton Tuesday. Grace Roth went 3 for 3 with a single, two doubles and an RBI Seven

Keller also homers; Molebash, Milam homer for Lady Cavs BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Adrianna Hall Maggie Keller CULVER — Maggie Keller and Adrianna Hall hit back-to-back homers as part of a four-run first inning, and Hall struck out 11 batters in the circle to lead the Winamac softball team to an 11-3 win over host Culver at Cavalier Park Monday. Winamac clinched a share of the Hoosier North title

Pioneer’s Bowditch claims 800; NM’s Towles wins long jump BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Nathan Pierzchalski Winamac’s Nathan Pierzchalski won the 1,600 and 3,200 meters, and he also ran a leg on the victorious 4 x 800 relay, and Charles Disinger won both the discus and shot put to help the Winamac boys track team finish second out of eight teams at the Hoosier North boys track meet at Culver Tuesday. Winamac scored 120 points. Triton won with 135 points. Among other a

Sprinter Popejoy, distance runner Wegner win 3 titles each for Winamac; high jumper Sailors, shot putter Hoover win for NM; Caston repeats as 4 x 400 relay champs BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Aspen Moolenaar Pioneer senior Aspen Moolenaar won the 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, long jump and pole vault at the Hoosier North track meet at Culver Tuesday, helping the Lady Panthers finish in second place. Pioneer scored 109 points. Triton won with 123.5 points. The other Pione

NM places 4th, Rochester 6th, Winamac 7th BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Boys golf Wes Parker Isaac Heishman Tippecanoe Valley senior Wes Parker shot a 4-over-par 76 to take medalist honors and help his team finish 3rd out of 10 teams at the Valley Invitational at Round Barn Golf Club at Mill Creek Friday. Parker bested a field of 51 golfers. His round includes birdies on the 14th and 18th holes

Valley draws NorthWood; Caston gets state champs; Pioneer to face No. 6 Tri-County; Argos to match up with Elkhart Christian; Culver to take on O-D BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Of the three ranked RTC area softball teams, two of them received byes during the release of the IHSAA softball draw Sunday. Meanwhile, Caston drew the defending state champions, Pioneer drew a ranked team, and undefeated Culver drew a conference rival. This is the 41st annual IHSAA softball t

Valley to meet Columbia City; Caston to face S. Newton; Pioneer to meet W. Central; Argos to face No. 2 Triton; Culver gets S. Central; Winamac to meet Jimtown after bye; NM draws defending sectional champs BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Playing in a sectional with three ranked teams, the Rochester baseball team drew one of them in their postseason opener but not before receiving a bye, according to the IHSAA draw released Sunday. Meanwhile, Class 1A, No. 6 Caston, the

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Boys golf The Pioneer boys golf team shot a 329 and finished seventh out of 17 teams at the Logansport Invitational at Dykeman Park Golf Course Saturday. Meanwhile, Rochester shot a 356 and finished 10th, Winamac shot a 406 and placed 15th, and Caston shot a 410 and took 16th. Six of the participating schools will also play at the Logansport sectional at Dykeman Park June 5. Ivan Reyes led Pioneer with a 77, Dane Bowditch added an 80, Mic

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Kaden Runk Liam Spence WINAMAC — Freshman Bryant Galbreath drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI double in the bottom of the fifth, and he also pitched 1 ⅔ scoreless innings of relief on the mound for the win as the Winamac baseball team edged visiting Rochester 3-2 Tuesday. The game was shortened to five-and-a-half innings due to rain. Lightning was spotted at the

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Boys golf Ashton Musselman Jack Reffett Rochester 188, Winamac 220, Culver 260 (Monday): Jack Reffett and Ashton Musselman each shot a 44 to share medalist honors as the Zebras won a three-way dual against visiting Winamac and Culver over the front nine at Round Barn Golf Club at Mill Creek Monday. Isaac Heishman added a 47, Adam Reinhold and Brevin Nicholson each shot a 5

Heishman’s 80 helps Zebras take 10th, Winamac finishes 16th BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Ivan Reyes Isaac Heishman The Pioneer boys golf team shot a 346 and finished fifth out of 16 teams at the Rochester Invitational at Round Barn Golf Club at Mill Creek Saturday. Other area teams in the tournament included Rochester, who shot a 358 and finished 10th, and Winamac, who shot a 443 and placed 16th

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Baseball Winamac 21, Argos 1 (5 innings, Tuesday): Cody Wheeler struck out 13 of the 17 batters he faced in pitching a no-hitter for Winamac in a Hoosier North road win over Argos Tuesday. Wheeler also doubled, walked and had three RBIs at the plate. Xavier Adriano and Hutch Martin each went 3 for 3 with two RBIs to spearhead a 15-hit Winamac attack. Will Malchow had two singles and two RBIs, and Bryant Galbreath singled, walked twice and

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Softball Winamac 10, Morgan Township 0 (5 innings, Tuesday): Brooke Rausch and Adrianna Hall combined on a five-hit shutout, and Grace Roth, Brody Goodman and Makayla Werner had two RBIs each for Winamac in a road win over Morgan Township Tuesday. Maggie Keller singled twice and doubled. Freshman Kylie Fisher singled twice and drove in a run, and Adrianna Hall had a double and an RBI. Trinity Harlan also had an RBI. Corinne Ulerick and Ra

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Softball Winamac 14, Argos 0 (5 innings, Monday): Maggie Keller had three hits and three RBIs, and Grace Roth added a pair of singles and three RBIs, and Brooke Rausch pitched a no-hitter for the visiting Lady Warriors in a shutout win over Argos in the Hoosier North opener for both teams. Brody Goodman added three hits and two RBIs, and Corinne Ulerick also had three hits. Makayla Werner had two hits and two stolen bases. Trinity Harlan,

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Softball Winamac 14, Carroll (Flora) 2 (5 innings, Friday): Maggie Keller had two hits and three RBIs, and Brooke Rausch singled twice and had two RBIs for the host Lady Warriors in a season-opening rout of Carroll Friday. Rausch also pitched three hitless innings for the win. She walked one and struck out two. Adrianna Hall allowed two hits and two runs in two innings with three walks and five strikeouts in relief, but by then, Winamac h

Triton’s Patrick named conference MVP BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Lane Hook Logan Mollenkopf Ryan Meredith Karston Black Eight RTC area boys basketball players, including three from runner-up Winamac, were selected first-team All-Hoosier North in voting done by the conference’s coaches and released to the media. The eight players included Winamac’s Justin Potthoff, Will Malchow and Jaybin Hines; Caston’s Lane Hook and Loga

Caston, N. Miami, Pioneer in same 1A football sectional BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC The Rochester girls and boys basketball teams both lost to Oak Hill in their respective sectional finals, and they might see them again the next two years. They will also remain in the same volleyball sectional with powerhouse Southwood. Those were among the revelations when the IHSAA released new sectional assignments for fall and winter sports for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school yea

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC RTC Boys Basketball Player of the Year Logan Mollenkopf It was early in the Caston boys basketball team’s sectional quarterfinal game against North White in which Logan Mollenkopf dribbled quickly down the court and dunked. One could say that it was a microcosm for Mollenkopf’s season. He did things all year that put him head and shoulders above everybody else – literally. And for that, the sophomore guard-forward is our RTC4 Player of th

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC RTC Girls Basketball Player of the Year Kandace Kroft One can tie the improvement with Winamac’s girls basketball program with Kandace Kroft’s improvement as a player. Winamac won four games her freshman year. They won 14 in both her sophomore and junior years. And as a senior in 2025-26, Winamac won 19 games. It was Winamac’s most wins in a season in 14 years. Their team scoring average increased by almost nine points per game. Kroft had

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC RTC4 Boys Wrestler of the Year Hartley Hoover North Miami senior Hartley Hoover is everything one might want in a wrestler. He is strong enough that he can overpower most opponents. And if you are one of the few that can match him in strength, he moves so well that he is a great defensive wrestler. It all clicked to the point where he became the first wrestler in the history of his school to make it to a state championship match. Hoover l

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC RTC Girls Wrestler of the Year Laine Peppler Laine Peppler could have rested on her laurels after her junior year. The Rochester wrestler had just finished sixth at the IHSAA state finals at 170 pounds. Her performance was more than admirable. Instead, she spent more time in the weight room and worked on her technique to become a better offensive wrestler. Matched with her formidable defensive skills and positioning, she went from being o

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Girls basketball Kandace Kroft Winamac senior Kandace Kroft has signed with Franklin College to continue her academic and basketball careers. The signing was announced on the Winamac athletic department social media account. Kroft, the Hoosier North MVP in 2025-26, averaged 18.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 3.2 steals per game for the Lady Warriors. She led the team in scoring, assists and steals and guided Winamac to a 19-7 ove

Pioneer’s H. Zeigler, 8 area boys players earn honorable mention BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC The Indiana Basketball Coaches Association has named Winamac’s Kandace Kroft, Pioneer’s Mia McKaig and North Miami’s Grace Sailors first-team Academic All-State. They are among 87 seniors – 44 boys and 43 girls – statewide chosen for the honor. In addition, 233 more boys and 181 more girls were recognized as being honorable mention Academic All-State. “The IBCA Academic All-

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Will Malchow Justin Potthoff Jaybin Hines Boys basketball DeMotte Christian 61, Winamac 58 (Feb. 26): Justin Potthoff scored 24 points, and Jaybin Hines added 15 for Winamac in a home loss to DeMotte Christian in their regular season finale. Will Malchow added eight, and Ethan Burgess had six, all in the second half. Tony Bos led DeMotte Christian with 25 points, and Tanyon Ba

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Winamac announced the hiring of Eric Davis as its new football coach after he was approved at a school board meeting Monday night. Davis has previous head coaching experience at Blackford, Greencastle, Taylor, Tri-County (two stints), Frankfort and Bellmont. He has a career record of 27-94. He also was previously an assistant coach at Rochester. Winamac went 2-8 in 2025. Josh Burgess stepped down after the season. Winamac has not had a w

Caston’s Craig, Douglass, NM’s Donaldson make Underclass Honorable Mention BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Kandace Kroft Madi Douglass Allison Craig Two RTC area girls basketball players were selected Senior Honorable Mention All-State, and three others were selected Underclass Honorable Mention All-State in voting done by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association and released to the media. Winamac’s Kandace

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Boys basketball Justin Potthoff Knox 53, Winamac 49 (OT, Tuesday): Justin Potthoff scored 20 points, and Ethan Burgess added 10, but Knox avenged a regular season loss to Winamac in a Class 2A, Sectional 34 quarterfinal at LaVille Tuesday. Parker Zeider added seven, and Will Malchow had six for the Warriors, who finished 19-5. Myles McLaughlin scored a game-high 35 points for Knox (8-15). He had 21 of Knox’s 30 points after halftime, incl

Class 2A, Sectional 38 at Manchester QUARTERFINALS (TUESDAY) Wabash 68, Eastern (Greentown) 62 Oak Hill 73, Manchester 30 SEMIFINALS (FRIDAY) Rochester vs. Wabash, 6 p.m. Lewis Cass vs. Oak Hill, 7:30 p.m. FINAL, 7:30 p.m. Saturday Class 3A, Sectional 20 at Columbia City QUARTERFINALS (TUESDAY) Columbia City 75, West Noble 33 Wawasee 49, Tippecanoe Valley 38 SEMIFINALS (FRIDAY) Fairfield vs. Columbia City, 6 p.m. NorthWood vs. Wawasee, 7:30 p.m. FINAL, 7:30 p.m. Saturday Clas

BOYS Rochester 56, Maconaquah 48 Elkhart Christian 70, Argos 41 Bremen 65, Culver 22 Tri-County 61, Pioneer 46 Three Rivers Conference boys Rochester 56, Maconaquah 48 Wabash 71, Peru 62 Tri-Central 53, Northfield 45 (nonconference) Southwood 67, Bluffton 52 (nonconference) Mississinewa 48, Manchester 47 (nonconference) Lafayette Central Catholic 59, Lewis Cass 46 (nonconference) Whitko 53, Lakeland Christian 26 (nonconference) Hoosier North boys Elkhart Christian 70, Argos 4

Popejoy, Iverson, Culver’s McCune, Berndt, Caston’s Douglass, Pioneer’s McKaig, Argos’ Bollenbacher also make first team BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Girls basketball Kandace Kroft Winamac senior Kandace Kroft was named the Hoosier North MVP in voting done by the conference’s coaches and released to the media. Kroft averaged 18.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 3.2 steals per game for the Lady Warriors. She led the team in scoring, assists and steals and guided

Valley to see former teammates vs. Wawasee; Caston draws N. White for home sectional while Pioneer gets DeMotte Christian; Argos gets O-D while Culver gets N. Judson; Winamac to face Knox; NM draws Southern Wells BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Rochester was the only RTC area team to receive a bye in the boys basketball draw released Sunday. In addition, the Zebras would not have to face No. 2 Oak Hill until the sectional final. Also, Tippecanoe Valley will not have to

Winamac’s Wolford ousted, but NM’s McIntire, Moore, Hoover still alive BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Brant Beck Layne Horn INDIANAPOLIS — Layne Horn and Brant Beck, the two winningest wrestlers in Rochester history, remain in contention for a state championship after Day 1 of the IHSAA state finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse Friday. However, the season for two of their teammates ended as did

Junior is latest 215-pounder from Winamac to make state BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Tearson Wolford Last year, it was Talen Garner. This year, it is Tearson Wolford. Once again, a 215-pound wrestler from Winamac has made the IHSAA state finals.Wolford finished fourth at last week’s East Chicago semistate to make his first state finals appearance. “It’s a great feeling,” Wolford said. “All the work that I put in since I was younger, going all over the state, going to

Winamac’s Wolford advances to state for first time BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Rochester’s Layne Horn won his second consecutive semistate title at 132 pounds at East Chicago Saturday. Ranked No. 3 in the state per IndianaMat.com , Horn will face Southridge’s Owen Blessinger at the IHSAA state finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis Friday. Horn will be participating in his fourth state finals. EAST CHICAGO — Three Rochester wrestlers added to their already

M. Keller, Popejoy score 8 each for Lady Warriors BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Girls basketball Bremen 58, Winamac 39 (Saturday): Eliana Grubbs hit three 3-pointers and scored 22 points, and Emma Lawmaster added four treys and 16 points for No. 7 Bremen in a win over Winamac in the Class 2A, Sectional 34 final at LaVille Saturday. Maggie Keller and Sadie Popejoy led a balanced Winamac attack with eight points each. Marissa Iverson had seven, Corinne Ulerick had six,

L. Horn wins 4th regional, joins Beck, Gard, Robbins, Holloway, Winamac’s Wolford as champs BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Layne Brant Declan Grant Jackson Horn Beck Gard Holloway Robbins MISHAWAKA — Led by four-time regional champion Layne Horn and three-time champion Brant Beck, the Rochester boys wrestling tea

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Sadie Popejoy Marissa Iverson Girls basketball Winamac 48, LaVille 34 (Friday): Sadie Popejoy scored 14 of her game-high 15 points in the second half, and Marissa Iverson added 13, including 11 in the second half, as the Winamac girls basketball team pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat host LaVille in a Class 2A, Sectional 34 semifinal Friday. Kandace Kroft added

Class 2A, Sectional 38 at Wabash QUARTERFINALS (TUESDAY) Rochester 56, Manchester 55 Wabash 44, Eastern (Greentown) 41 SEMIFINALS (FRIDAY) Rochester 38, Lewis Cass 36 (2 OT) Oak Hill 70, Wabash 43 FINAL: Rochester vs. Oak Hill, 7:30 p.m. today Class 3A, Sectional 20 at Tippecanoe Valley QUARTERFINALS (TUESDAY) Columbia City 58, West Noble 26 Fairfield 46, Wawasee 38 SEMIFINALS (FRIDAY) Valley 54, Columbia City 41 Fairfield 43, NorthWood 20 FINAL: Valley vs. Fairfield, 7:30 p.

Popejoy, Iverson add 19 each, Ulerick has 10 BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Marissa Iverson Sadie Popejoy Kandace Kroft Girls basketball Winamac 77, South Bend Career Academy 25 (Tuesday): Kandace Kroft hit five 3-pointers and scored a game-high 21 points, Sadie Popejoy and Marissa Iverson added 19 each, and Corinne Ulerick had 10 as the Winamac girls basketball team routed South Bend Career Academy in a Class

Class 2A, Sectional 38 at Wabash QUARTERFINALS (TUESDAY) Rochester vs. Manchester, 6 p.m. Eastern (Greentown) vs. Wabash, 7:30 p.m. SEMIFINALS (FRIDAY) Lewis Cass vs. Rochester-Manchester winner, 6 p.m. Oak Hill vs. Eastern (Greentown)-Wabash winner, 7:30 p.m. FINAL, 7:30 p.m. Saturday Class 3A, Sectional 20 at Tippecanoe Valley QUARTERFINALS (TUESDAY) Columbia City vs. West Noble, 6 p.m. Wawasee vs. Fairfield, 7:30 p.m. SEMIFINALS (FRIDAY) Valley vs. Columbia City-West Noble

Warriors beat Trojans for 18th consecutive meeting BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Boys basketball Justin Potthoff Winamac 64, West Central 61 (OT, Friday): Ethan Burgess and Justin Potthoff scored 19 points each as the visiting Warriors handed Class 1A, No. 4 West Central their first loss Friday. Parker Zeider hit a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter and finished with 10. Jaybin Hines and Will Malchow added eight each. Malchow had Winamac’s only field goal in the

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Kandace Kroft Girls basketball Winamac 59, Twin Lakes 39 (Thursday): Kandace Kroft hit seven 3-pointers, including five in the first quarter, and scored a game-high 30 points for the Winamac girls basketball team in a road win over Twin Lakes in their regular season finale Thursday. Sadie Popejoy added 13 points, and Marissa Iverson and Corinne Ulerick had eight apiece. Taylor Oliver led the Lady Indians with four 3-pointers and 22 points

Iverson scores career-high 32 in win over Oregon-Davis BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC Kancace Kroft Marissa Iverson Sadie Popejoy Kylie Fisher Jordan Compton Girls basketball Winamac 55, Pioneer 51 (Wednesday): Kandace Kroft hit six 3-pointers and scored 24 points, and Marissa Iverson added 12 for the host Lady Warriors as they knocked off conference rival Pioneer on senior night Wednesday. Sadie Popejoy knocked down three treys and had nine.

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC The following sporting events scheduled for Tuesday were postponed due to inclement weather: Girls basketball The Western-Rochester game has not been rescheduled. The Wawasee-Tippecanoe Valley game has not been rescheduled. The Carroll (Flora)-Caston game has been rescheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Caston. The Caston-DeMotte Christian game scheduled for Thursday has been postponed to Saturday. Start time is 2:30 p.m. at DeMotte Christi

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS Sports Editor, RTC The following sporting events have been postponed due to inclement weather: Boys basketball The Winamac-Delphi game postponed Saturday has been rescheduled for Feb. 17. Start time is 7:30 p.m. at Delphi. Swimming The Manchester-Pioneer meet scheduled for Monday was canceled.