Indiana

23 statewide awards handed out at Tuesday’s Indiana High School Sports Awards show

Published

2 years ago

April 23, 2024

23 statewide awards handed out at Tuesday’s Indiana High School Sports Awards show

East Central High School’s Josh Ringer was named Boys Athlete of the Year and Hamilton Southeastern High School’s Lauren Harden was named Girls Athlete of the Year on Tuesday night at the Indiana High School Sports Awards, presented by the Indiana Pacers.

Hamilton Southeastern volleyball was the Girls Team of the Year Award while Fishers basketball won the Boys Team of the Year award at the event, which honored athletes, teams and coaches from the entire state. Indiana Fever star Aliyah Boston was the speaker at the event, which was produced with the support of the Indianapolis Colts, The Kiwanis Club of Indiana, USA Today Sports And Golfweek.

In all, 23 awards were handed out:

Coach of the Year: Dave Benter, Brownstown Central High School

Benter, in his 26th year at his alma mater, led top-ranked Brownstown Central to the Class 2A boys basketball state title, the school’s first. Benter’s son, Jack, was the Braves’ star player and helped Brownstown Central to a 28-4 record, including finishing the season on a 19-game win streak culminating with a 55-36 win over No. 2 Wapahani in the state final.

Courage Award: Breece Bass, Franklin Central High School

Breece has persevered through the tragic deaths of her brother Broderick and father Stephen, remaining focused on her personal aspirations and drawn inspiration from the sky-high standard she holds herself to. A three-sport athlete, she led Franklin Central soccer to its first sectional championship since 2018, qualified for state in wrestling and has her sights set on returning to the state track meet this spring. A Murray State soccer commit, Breece will be the first in her family to attend college.

Marion County High School Female Athlete Award presented by the Kiwanis Club of Indianapolis: Lila Mattick, Covenant Christian High School

According to her coach, Lila was the glue that held the Covenant Christian girls basketball team together this season. She is well known as a hard worker and hustler on the court, and a team leader who is constantly encouraging others. She has a 3.95 grade point average and constantly takes on many challenges outside sports, including intense year-round physical training for basketball. And she is cherished by her team for her habit of writing notes or creating cards of encouragement and leaving them around for the person to find. She was always the first person there to help teammates and opponents up from the floor after they fell and is described by her coach as “selfless and devoted, a woman of integrity, an encourager and an overall impressive person to be around.”

Boys Team of the Year (PRESENTED BY USA TODAY SPORTS): Fishers High School basketball

Despite losing one of the country’s top players prior to the season, Fishers finished 29-1, winning its first sectional, regional, semistate and state championships since the school opened in 2007. The Tigers were ranked No. 1 for much of the season and capped off the year with a 65-56 win over defending champion Ben Davis in the Class 4A state final.

Girls Team of the Year (PRESENTED BY USA TODAY SPORTS): Volleyball, Hamilton Southeastern High School

HSE volleyball has been simply dominant. The Royals repeated as Class 4A state champions and have won 67 straight matches. HSE finished this year’s title run 33-0 with a 95-5 set differential led by a seven-girl senior class with five Division I commits. Perfection was the expectation for HSE. And it still raised the bar.

School Spirit Award: Shortridge High School

Shortridge won this award based on a state-wide online vote. Shortridge won $1,000 for its athletic department.

Boys Athlete of the Year: Josh Ringer, East Central High School

Ringer led East Central to back-to-back Class 4A football state championships and finished his high school career with school records of 6,640 rushing yards and 118 total touchdowns. The Miami of Ohio recruit won IndyStar Mr. Football and was named Gatorade Player of the Year.

Girls Athlete of the Year: Lauren Harden, Hamilton Southeastern High School

Harden led the Royals to back-to-back state championships and a 67-match winning streak. The University of Florida recruit was named MaxPreps National Player of the Year. A multi-time All-American, Harden had more than 1,000 kills in her HSE career.

IndyStar Mr. Football (PRESENTED BY THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS): Josh Ringer, East Central High School

The Miami (Ohio) recruit ran for nearly 3,000 yards as a senior and scored 60 total touchdowns in leading the Trojans to back-to-back Class 4A state championships. He owns school records for rushing yards and total touchdowns and is just the second player from East Central to win Mr. Football.

IndyStar Miss Basketball (PRESENTED BY THE INDIANA PACERS): Chloe Spreen, Bedford North Lawrence High School

Spreen played a starring role in BNL’s Class 4A state championship run as a junior last year. For her encore, the 5-10 Alabama commit carried the Stars to a 20-5 record and a13th consecutive sectional title. She averaged career-highs in points and rebounds and finished second on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,869 points.

IndyStar Mr. Basketball (PRESENTED BY THE INDIANA PACERS): Flory Bidunga, Kokomo High School

Bidunga earned a spot on the McDonald’s All American game and won the Gatorade Player of the Year for Indiana for a second consecutive season. The Kansas recruit averaged 19.0 points, 12.9 rebounds and 4.4 blocked shots per game to lead Kokomo to a Class 4A regional appearance this year. In three seasons at Kokomo, Bidunga finished with career totals of 1,609 points, 1,132 rebounds and 402 blocked shots while shooting 80.3% from the field. Kokomo reached the 4A state finals his junior year.

Girls Golfer of the Year (PRESENTED BY GOLFWEEK): Samantha Brown, Westfield High School

Brown completed her run to the individual state championship with an ultra-consistent, two-round total of 2-under-par — four shots better than a group of four golfers tying for the runner-up spot. The Purdue recruit finished the 36 holes with only two bogeys and was also named the IHSAA Mental Attitude Award winner.

Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year: Cameron Todd, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory

A Notre Dame recruit, Todd won the boys individual championship, posting the seventh-best time in state history, and fastest since 2011. At the Foot Locker national championship in San Diego, he finished eighth (the top Midwest finisher).

Boys Soccer Player of the Year: Cole Thompson, Noblesville High School

Voted player of the year by the Indiana High School Soccer Coaches Association, Thompson allowed just 12 goals in 21 games played this past season. He recorded 10 shutouts and stopped nearly half the penalty kicks he faced, which included three straight PK victories to reach the state finals. “We have Cole Thompson. Best keeper in the nation,” one teammate said.

Boys Tennis Player of the Year: Alex Antonopoulos, North Central High School

The individual boys state champion, Antonopoulos picked up North Central’s lone point in a 4-1 quarterfinal loss to eventual state champion Carmel, winning his No. 1 singles match 6-1, 6-2. A Western Michigan recruit, he finished his senior season 22-0 and won the individual singles state final with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Columbus North’s Hank Lin.

Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year: Libby Dowty, Indian Creek High School

The Indian Creek sophomore led most of the IHSAA state finals, until she was passed with 400 meters left, but Dowty regained the lead and in the final 200 meters and went on to become the first Indian Creek girl to win a cross-country state title with a time of 17 minutes, 6.7 seconds. She won a sectional title by more than 30 seconds and a regional title by more than 20 seconds. Dowty finished third at the Foot Locker Midwest Regional and was named Gatorade Indiana Cross Country runner of the year.

Girls Soccer Player of the Year: Hailey Wade, Hamilton Southeastern High School

Named 2023 Player of the Year by the Indiana High School Soccer Coaches Association, Wade allowed just seven goals this season with nine shutouts, helping lead the Royals to a Hoosier Crossroads Conference title. Over her career, the Valparaiso commit had more shutouts than goals allowed.

Girls Volleyball Player of the Year: Lauren Harden, Hamilton Southeastern High School

Just the second player in program history to clear 1,000 career digs, Harden also set HSE’s all-time kills record on her way to helping the Royals become the fourth undefeated Class 4A state champion in state history. The Florida-bound standout closed out her career with 13 kills in the state final vs. Castle.

Boys Swimming & Diving Athlete of the Year: Matthew Klinge, William Henry Harrison High School

Klinge won a third straight state title in the 50 freestyle and repeated as state champion in the 100 butterfly. He was just .07 seconds off the state record in the 50 freestyle, set by NCAA champion and Olympian Drew Kibler. An Ohio State recruit, Klinge will attempt to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials, hosted this summer at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Girls Swimming & Diving Athlete of the Year: Alex Shackell, Carmel High School

Shackell posted four first-place finishes in helping the Greyhounds extend their national record to a 38th straight state team title. She broke her own state record in the 100 butterfly, won the 100 backstroke and was part of two winning relay teams. In December’s East Junior Nationals, the California commit finished first in seven events and featured times that bettered high school state records in six.

Boys Wrestler of the Year: Jake Hockaday, Brownsburg High School

Hockaday finished the season with a 37-2 record and the state title at 132 pounds. He helped guide Brownsburg to its first team title since 2017. An Oklahoma commit, Hockaday has won individual state titles in each of his three seasons so far and is ranked among the top recruits in the 2025 class.

Girls Gymnast of the Year: Elly Kiran, Crown Point High School

The all-around individual state champion, Kiran placed first in the vault and floor exercise and placed second in the uneven bars and balance beam, helping Crown Point to a second team state title in three years. Kiran was also named the Mildred M. Ball Mental Attitude Award winner at the state meet.

Girls Swimming & Diving Athlete of the Year: Alex Shackell, Carmel High School

Girls Wrestler of the Year: Julianna Ocampo, New Haven High School

Ocampo won the girls state title at 110 pounds in January, finishing with a 22-1 record. A month later, she made history becoming the first girls wrestler to medal at the boys state finals. In her third career state finals appearance, Ocampo placed sixth at 106 pounds.

For spring sports, watch list athletes were recognized at the show. The Indystar will announce Player of the Year winners in those sports later in the school Year. Also, athletes who won Athlete of the Week awards during the school year were recognized at the show.

The Indiana High School Sports Awards show is part of the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards, the largest high school sports recognition program in the country.

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Indiana

Pride organizers, ACLU sue Indiana city again, saying it defied court

Published

9 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

Pride organizers, ACLU sue Indiana city again, saying it defied court

An LGBTQ advocacy group is once again suing Loogootee, Indiana, claiming the city is ignoring a recent court decision ruling its actions unconstitutional and is pushing its festival out of the public square illegally.

The Southern Indiana city of 2,600 people and festival organizer Patoka Valley AIDS Community Action Group have fought for years over LGBTQ expression on city property, specifically where the annual PrideFest would be held.

The city had enacted a special events policy that would prevent the group from holding the festival at the public square downtown. The U.S. District Court of Southern Indiana handed the city a major defeat in August, ruling that the policy was too broad and violated organizers’ First Amendment rights.

Now, Loogootee has enacted another special events policy that mirrors several measures in the one that the court struck down. In response, the Indiana chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, which represents Pakota Valley, filed a new lawsuit against the policy and filed a motion alleging the city is disobeying court orders.

“Court orders must be complied with, and Loogootee, by enacting an ordinance that contains provisions enjoined by the Court, is in contempt of its lawful orders,” ACLU Indiana legal director Ken Falk said in a news release. “Moreover, the ordinance it has adopted continues Loogootee’s pattern of attempting to unconstitutionally restrict this celebration of the LGBTQ+ community.”

The new legal twist is the most recent development in what’s been a tense local culture war between the LGBTQ+ community seeking to publicly celebrate their identity and the strong, sometimes threatening, community pushback to their efforts.

Is Loogootee’s ‘new’ policy new?

Judge Richard L. Young listed three primary factors in his August ruling as to why he found Loogootee’s old policy unconstitutional: a 45-day event permit application deadline, small group thresholds, and event location limits. He also disagreed with the city’s health and safety reasoning for such rules.

Public institutions can legally establish restrictions on the time, place and manner of free expression as long as these restrictions are narrowly tailored.

Enacted Dec. 29, the new ordinance reuses the same language regarding the permit deadline and small groups but broadens the locations where an event can be held. Instead of limiting an event to one of two places, an event can now be held anywhere except within 240 feet of the town center’s fountain.

In its complaint, the ACLU argued that the “verbatim” measures and the new location restriction are all unconstitutional.

“The ‘new’ Ordinance is therefore ‘new’ in name only and, in reality, Loogootee has simply reenacted provisions that this Court has explicitly enjoined as unconstitutional,” the ACLU’s complaint reads.

Loogootee Mayor Brian Ader previously told IndyStar that the city planned to appeal the District Court’s decision, but an appeal was never filed.

The USA TODAY Network – Indiana’s coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners.

Have a story to tell? Reach Cate Charron by email at ccharron@indystar.com, on X at @CateCharron or Signal at @cate.charron.28.

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Bryce Boettcher Opens Up About Indiana Ahead Of Playoff Semifinals

Published

21 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

Bryce Boettcher Opens Up About Indiana Ahead Of Playoff Semifinals

The No. 5 Oregon Ducks are preparing to face the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers for the College Football Playoff semifinals. Ahead of the matchup, Oregon star linebacker Bryce Boettcher discussed the game, which will be a rematch of the Ducks’ only loss this season.

The Oregon Ducks are coming off a shutout win against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Boettcher addressed how the team can keep momentum, but called Indiana a better opponent.

Oregon inside linebacker Bryce Boettcher celebrates his win as the Oregon Ducks host the USC Trojans on Nov. 22, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“I mean, we had a really good game. I think it just obviously gives you confidence. You can’t get complacent with that confidence. You got to realize that Indiana is going to be a way better team than Tech. Tech was a good team, but Indiana is better. At this point, it’s win or go home. We’re pumped for the opportunity,” Boettcher said.

What Sticks Out About The Rematch Against Indana

“A couple things defensively. First off, when you stop the run, they’re really good at running the ball. We got to do that. Got to cage your quarterback. Feel like he’s overlooked for how good he is at scrambling at times, getting out of the pocket. Got to do that, just do our job.”

How Oregon Has Changed Since First Game Against Indiana

“We’ve sewn some things up within our defense. As we played them, we installed some new defenses that we’re still working the kinks out of. Now we’re experts at it. Everybody knows their job in and out. We’ve had a lot of reps at it.”

Oregon inside linebacker Bryce Boettcher walks the orange carpet as the Oregon Ducks arrive at Miami International Airport ahead of the Orange Bowl on Dec. 29, 2025, in Miami, Florida. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

How Much The First Matchup Against Indiana Goes Into Playoff Preperation

“It definitely comes into play. I mean, obviously, they’re not a new team but an evolved team, and so are we. I think more so, kind of correcting our errors in where we went wrong in the first game, doing some self-scout and recognizing that. They may try to expose that again in this next game. Yeah, it comes into play a little bit. We also watched new film because they’re an evolved team.”

The Challenge In Beating The Same Team Twice

“I mean, I think obviously that’s a narrative. I know teams have been beaten twice. Sometimes it doesn’t happen. I don’t know, I think Indiana is a good team. We’re also a good team. The better team’s going to win.”

What Being In The Semifinals Means To Bryce Boettcher

“It means everything. It’s a pretty rare opportunity. There’s four teams left. Pretty cool. Surreal. I’ll be happy once we get this win. Honestly, I’m head down, focused on the task at hand. But it’s a cool opportunity.”

MORE: Curt Cignetti Speaks Candidly On Oregon Ducks Playoff Rematch

MORE: Oregon’s Three Most Impactful Transfer Portal Departures

MORE: Oregon Freshman Brandon Finney Turns Heads With Comments After Orange Bowl

How Bryce Boettcher Is Handling The Magnitude Of The Game

“I mean, I’ve played a lot of big games in my year here, whether it be football or baseball. I feel like I do a pretty good job at handling the magnitude of the game. At the end of the day, it’s a football game. We play the game every day in practice. We’ve been in pretty dang big games. It’s just another game, but it’s win or go home, so I’m pumped for that aspect.”

Nov 22, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks linebacker Bryce Boettcher (28) poses for a photo head coach Dan Lanning before the game against the Southern California Trojans at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

How Oregon Is Handling The Long Trips

“It’s always cool when you get to spend some time together. Obviously, most of the time we’re spending time together, it’s pretty locked in at the task at hand. We try not to spend a whole lot of time talking about other stuff other than football. There are other times on the plane or in the hotel room when you have some downtime that you can come together, bond. So it’s been fun.”

How The Defense Can Install New Ways To Stop Indiana

“You can’t be the same team every time you play another team, or else they’ll just scout you, know what you’re in every single time.”

“You got to do your assignment, play hard. At the end of the day, the team that plays the hardest and does their assignment is going to win. Some variables, throw in some new things at a team, which is definitely important. When Indiana comes out, I’m sure they won’t do everything we’ve seen on film. They’ll have a few wrinkles. That’s the exciting part.”

What Went Wrong Against Indiana In October

“Just doing our job within our defense. Honestly, the past Indiana game, couple mental errors where I didn’t necessarily do my job in the body of the defense. Same goes for other guys on our team. I think just sewing that up, better understanding our opponent, having a better game plan going into the game.”

Dec 20, 2025; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning looks on during the fourth quarter against the James Madison Dukes at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

What Makes Indiana’s Offensive Line Good

“They’re smart, fast, and physical. I know up front in their run game, they play physical, and they do their job. They don’t have a lot of unblocked hats. I know in the screen game, they get out and are elite at kind of retracing and blocking for their receiver in the screen game, which was present in our last game. We’ve done a lot of screen drills. They’re a good unit. They play well together and do their job.”

What The Loss Against Indiana Meant For The Rest Of The Season

“I believe everything happens for a reason. I think we needed that to kind of wake us up. We came out of a big Penn State win, kind of thought we were pretty cool going into that week, pretty confident. Got a little lackadaisical with our prep, I think. It was a good wake-up call. The rest of the season leading up to this point is a pretty good testament to the way we responded to that loss.”

FBI thwarted ‘ISIS-inspired plot’ at Indiana school, but won’t say where

Published

1 day ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

FBI thwarted ‘ISIS-inspired plot’ at Indiana school, but won’t say where

At some point in 2025, the FBI helped a local police agency foil an “ISIS-inspired plot” that at least one minor planned to carry out at an unnamed central Indiana school, according to an annual summary released by the federal agency’s Indianapolis field office on Jan. 5, 2026.

FBI agents “disrupted an ISIS-inspired plot targeting a Central Indiana high school through rapid coordination with local partners,” according to the news release.

Beyond that, the agency provided few details, sharing neither the name of the school involved nor the city or town in which the school was located. Nor did the agency clarify why the report characterized the plot as ISIS-inspired.

Chris Bavender, an FBI spokesperson, declined to answer an IndyStar request for additional information about the foiled attack, responding in an email that “this matter is ongoing.”

“Because the student had immediate access to firearms, FBI Indianapolis worked closely with the high school and our local law enforcement partner to remove all firearms from the house, and the student was expelled from school. DOJ did not file charges as the individual is a juvenile,” Bavender wrote.

Bavender did not provide any information on whether the student is facing charges in the juvenile justice system.

Although high schools in both Mooresville and Westfield were the site of high-profile threat investigations in 2025, neither matched the details mentioned in the FBI report.

In February 2025, Trinity Shockley, 18, was arrested after sharing plans for a Valentine’s Day school shooting at Mooresville High School. Though the investigation into Shockley began after the FBI received a tip, Shockley was not a juvenile at the time of her arrest. Nor did court documents filed in her case reference any connection to ISIS.

The Mooresville Police Department did not immediately respond on Jan. 5 to a request for comment.

In September 2025, Westfield High School was placed on lockdown after a “potential threat.” Billy Adams, the assistant chief of the Westfield Police Department, said there’s no indication the lockdown “had anything to do with an ISIS-inspired plot.”

IndyStar reached out on Jan. 5 to multiple police agencies in central Indiana, including the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, the Southport Police Department, the Speedway Police Department and the Beech Grove Police Department.

Officials for IMPD, Southport, and Speedway police said their agencies handled no such threat. Beech Grove’s police department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@indystar.com.

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