High School | DeKalb TV

Lady Barons Open With Loss to Angola

Dekalb & Angola got together on Friday night at the Baron gym to do battle in girls basketball. It was the season opener for Dekalb, while the Hornets already had one game under their belts, as they had defeated Bishop Luers this past Tuesday.

In what was truly a game of streaks, Angola broke a 47-all tie with just over 3 minutes to play, and were able to score the final 8 points of the contest, as they won by the score of 55-47.

The Barons jumped out to 9-0 and 11-2 leads early in the first quarter, fueled by what would turn out to be a monster game from junior Hayley Martin. But to the Hornets credit, they dug in and displayed some true veteran savvy, and by midway in the second period, they had turned the game around and led 27-15. The teams went to the locker room with Angola on top 29-20.

Dekalb must have “drank the kool-aid” during the break, as they came out and scored the first 10 points of the third stanza to regain the lead at 30-29. It stayed back & forth until the Barons inched ahead by five at 38-33 heading to the final 8 minutes.

But that savvy that I mentioned earlier reared its head in the form of Rachel & Ericka Rinehart, as Angola was able to roar back and take a 5 point lead at 47-42 at the midway point of the fourth. Martin would score the next five for Dekalb to knot the score, but those points would be the last for the Barons on this night, and Angola would walk out of the gym with a hard fought win to go to 2-0.

Martin would end up with 26 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 blocks in what was an outstanding performance. Equally impressive was the game of Rachel Rinehart for the Hornets, as she tallied 24 points, 5 steals, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists.

Bayley Rinehart added 12 points for Dekalb, while Ericka Rinehart had 11 for Angola.

Dekalb will play again tonight as they travel to Fort Wayne to take on Northside. Angola will host West Noble this coming Tuesday.

Barons & Railroaders Ousted, Blazers Move On

High school football sectionals from around the area geared up on Friday night, and just one of the Dekalb County teams will be moving on to next weeks second round action.

The Dekalb Barons, playing at home against the Wawassee Warriors, went to the halftime lockerroom tied at 7 apiece. But in the second half, Wawassee scored 3 touchdowns to Dekalb’s one, and won by the score of 27-14. The Barons got 2 TD passes from senior quarterback Evan Cochran, an 11 yarder to Dylan Cagle, and a 5 yarder to Logan Schilling. Dekalb finished 2-8 on the season.

The Garrett Railroaders led the Whitko Wildcats 16-7 in the second quarter of their contest. But Whitko, with touchdowns in the second & fourth stanzas, came from behind to end Garrett’s season 21-16. The Railroaders finished 7-3, including a share of the ACAC conference title.

The Eastside Blazers will be the only team from Dekalb County playing next Friday, as they ran roughshod over Bluffton on Friday by the score of 52-12. Quarterback Blake Blaker accounted for 412 yards of total offense, including 7 total touchdowns. He had 3 TD passes, and 4 TD runs. Eastside will have their hands full in the second round, as they will travel to Fort Wayne to take on the defending state champs, Bishop Luers High School.

Other results involving NHC teams saw East Noble lose to Concord on a last second field goal 38-35, Homestead lost to FW Snider 30-20, Columbia City beat Leo 14-7, Norwell got its first win by defeating Logansport 22-0, New Haven was all over Marion 43-20, Bellmont lost to Yorktown 31-20, and Carroll won big over LaPorte 49-7.

Tough Loss For Dekalb in Final Regular Season Game

Captains for Dekalb & Carroll Meet Before Friday’s Game

The less said about Friday night’s regular season finale for the Dekalb Baron football team, the better. The Barons went into the contest looking to knock off one of the powers in the NHC, the Carroll Chargers, to help prepare them for their sectional opener next Friday night against Wawassee.

As has been the case for most of the season, Dekalb found themselves in an early hole that they just couldn’t recover from. The Barons trailed 21-0 after the first quarter, and the Chargers would go on to a 63-11 win.

Dekalb was able to score on a 10 yard TD pass from Evan Cochran to Cody Krumlauf, a 2 point conversion reception by Kenny Knick, and a 40 yard field goal by Landon Cochran.

The Barons will play their first sectional game at home in 5 years starting this coming Friday at 7:00 pm against the aforementioned Warriors.

In other NHC games on Friday, Homestead won their 6th straight conference title, as they beat New Haven 24.13. East Noble, who seems to be peaking at just the right time, defeated Bellmont 51-10, and and Columbia City won over Norwell 26-6.

High School Football Sectional Pairings Announced

Earlier this week, the Indiana high school football sectional pairings were announced. Each year, when this time arrives, it is a time of anticipation as the players and coaches eagerly await word on who they will be playing in the first round, and where that game will take place.

The Dekalb Barons, competing in the Class 4A sectional 11, will host Wawassee in their opening contest on Oct. 19th. The Warriors record stands at 4-4, while the Barons are at 2-6. Dekalb is coming off of a 34-6 loss to Bellmont. They will be playing at Carroll in their regular season finale this Friday, looking to gain back some of that momentum that they created when they defeated Norwell the previous week.

The winner of the Dekalb-Wawassee game will take on the winner of the Plymouth-Northwood game in the second round. Other games in the Dekalb sectional are Angola at Northridge, and Concord at East Noble. On Friday, listen to the Barons-Carroll game LIVE.

The high-flying Garrett Railroaders have one of the best records in NE Indiana, as they stand at 7-1 going into their final regular season game Friday at Heritage. Garrett will travel to Whitko to play their first sectional game. Whitko has a record of 3-5.

The Railroaders had a great win last Friday against the previously undefeated Leo Lions. Garrett won that game 20-6, and they will be looking to win the ACAC title outright if they can get the win against Heritage. The Railroaders will be competing in the Class 3A sectional #18. The winner of the Garrett-Whitko game will play the winner of the Concordia-Jimtown game in the second round.

In the Class 2A sectional 27, the Eastside Blazers will open play at home against Bluffton. Eastside currently stands at 4-4, while Bluffton has a record of 5-3. The Blazers can finish over .500 on the regular season if they can win at Prairie Heights this coming Friday. Eastside has been on a roll as of late, as they won their last 2 games over Fremont & Central Noble by a combined score of 115-22. The winner of the Eastside-Bluffton game will play the winner of the Bishop Luers-Woodlan game in the second round.

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.

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.

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.