Indiana
Indiana high school football Super 25 rankings: Check out Week 1 statewide poll
![Indiana high school football Super 25 rankings: Check out Week 1 statewide poll Indiana high school football Super 25 rankings: Check out Week 1 statewide poll](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2023/11/18/PIND/71631814007-football-ben-davis-center-grove-11172023-gh-035.jpg?auto=webp&crop=6319,3557,x0,y317&format=pjpg&width=1200)
IHSAA football: Counting down top-10 Class 6A Central Indiana teams
Insider Kyle Neddenriep counts down top-10 teams in Class 6A in Central Indiana
In addition to our USA TODAY Network Indiana high school football poll, which is voted on by a statewide group of media members, we are also unveiling an IndyStar Super 25 this season, which will rank the top-25 teams in the state regardless of class. My power poll going into the season:
1. Ben Davis: The defending champs in Class 6A are the top dog until proven otherwise. Friday’s game: vs. Cathedral.
2. Warren Central: I’m high on the Warriors going into the season with their talented and veteran defense. Friday’s game: at Fort Wayne Snider.
3. Center Grove: The Trojans were an overtime loss away from playing for a fourth consecutive 6A title last November. Friday’s game: vs. Westfield.
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4. Crown Point: The Bulldogs are well-positioned to become a 6A power after last year’s 13-1 and state finals appearance. Friday’s game: vs. Lowell.
5. Westfield: The Shamrocks probably overachieved last year to reach the semistate and bring back a lot of familiar faces. Friday’s game: at Center Grove.
6. Hamilton Southeastern: The Royals have started 4-0 each of the past three seasons. Friday’s game: at Carroll (Fort Wayne).
7. Brownsburg: The Bulldogs are 36-5 in Hoosier Crossroads Conference games since 2018. Friday’s game: Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger.
8. Carroll (Fort Wayne): The Chargers reached the 6A state finals two years ago before going 7-3 last year and falling to Warsaw in the sectional. Friday’s game: Hamilton Southeastern.
9. Carmel: The Greyhounds should have a more explosive offense with junior Anthony Coellner going into his second year as quarterback. Friday’s game: Homestead.
10. Lawrence North: The Wildcats are a sleeper coming off a 7-4 season and a lot of talent, including Indiana recruit Davion Chandler at receiver. Friday’s game: at Lawrence Central.
11. Cathedral: The Irish have a brutally tough schedule, but it can only help in the long run. Right? Friday’s game: at Ben Davis.
12. Fishers: The Tigers lost a lot on defense from a year ago but junior Gage Sturgill is a talented quarterback and Stanford commit JonAnthony Hall should have a big season. Friday’s game: at North Central.
13. Decatur Central: A year ago, the Hawks were coming off a 4-7 season and made a run to the 5A state finals. Could this be the program’s first state title team? Friday’s game: Columbus North.
14. Franklin Central: Sophomore defensive end Jayce Brewer has a bright future. Friday’s game: vs. Perry Meridian.
15. New Palestine: The Dragons, ranked preseason No. 1 in Class 4A, look like a better team than last year’s group that reached the semistate. Friday’s game: vs. Kokomo.
16. Penn: New coach Pete Riordan has a lot of new pieces. The Kingsmen were only a point away from knocking off Crown Point in last year’s regional.
17. Fort Wayne Snider: Last year’s 5A state champion moves up a class but also has one of the best players around in Notre Dame recruit Brandon Logan. Friday’s game: vs. Warren Central.
18. Bishop Chatard: No program has more state titles than Chatard at 17. Can the Trojans make it 18 in Class 4A? Friday’s game: at Brebeuf Jesuit.
19. Noblesville: The Millers need one of those breakthrough wins this season against the Hoosier Crossroads Conference’s top teams. Friday’s game: vs. Mt. Vernon.
20. Lawrence Central: Junior quarterback Terry Walker III, recently offered by Virginia, should have a big season. Friday’s game: at Lawrence Central.
21. Whiteland: Senior Slate Valentine rushed for 1,940 yards and 20 TDs as a junior. Friday’s game: vs. Jeffersonville.
22. Merrillville: The Pirates won a 5A regional last year before running into the Fort Wayne Snider buzzsaw in the semistate, falling 28-0. Friday’s game: vs. Andrean.
23. Avon: Expect the Orioles to be vastly improved going into Rob Gibson’s second season. Friday’s game: at Lafayette Jeff.
24. Lutheran: The Class 2A top-ranked Saints have won 43 consecutive games. Friday’s game: vs. Christel House Manual.
25. Valparaiso: The Vikings won a Class 5A state title in 2022, then finished 9-3 last season and lost 24-20 to Merrillville in the regional. Friday’s game: at Penn.
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.
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Indiana
Obi Toppin sits with daughter Remi and watches Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever win
![Obi Toppin sits with daughter Remi and watches Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever win Obi Toppin sits with daughter Remi and watches Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever win](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_5413,h_3044,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/all_pacers/01j5sc5jdfswmb0b5ddk.jpg)
On Sunday, Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin attended a battle between the Indiana Fever and Seattle Storm. He sat courtside as Caitlin Clark and the Fever took down the Seattle Storm for a big win.
Toppin sat with his daughter, Remi, and was seated next to Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton. Indiana crushed Seattle thanks to a strong second half, and Clark was dominant for much of the night. She finished with 23 points and nine assists in the win.
The Pacers mic’d up Toppin during the game, and some of his comments were shared on social media. He stayed for the entire game and called the experience “lit”. He had a great time.
During the action, he turned to his daughter and asked her some questions. “Hey Remi, what do you want to be when you grow up? [Are] you going to be a basketball player?” the Pacers forward asked. She nodded yes in response.
“[Are] you going to play right on this court with them?” he followed up. Remi nodded once again. “She said she’s going to play on this court with them,” Toppin then told Haliburton.
“I need to see a Caitlin Clark bucket. One of those that I’ve been seeing on Instagram.”
Obi Toppin was Mic’d Up sitting courtside with his daughter, Remi, and Tyrese Haliburton for the @IndianaFever’s epic win over Seattle 🎤 pic.twitter.com/dgyrd0UQ2Z
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) August 19, 2024
That Fever win over the Storm was one of their best of the season. They won by 17 to improve to 13-15, and it was their second-straight win against a quality opponent. Gainbridge Fieldhouse was loud as the Fever rained in threes during the fourth quarter.
All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell finished with 27 points for Indiana. Lexie Hull added 22 in a career night. It was an impressive victory for the ascending Fever, and Toppin got to take it all in.
Indiana
Indiana Football Position Previews: When It Comes To Receivers? Old Is Gold For Hoosiers
![Indiana Football Position Previews: When It Comes To Receivers? Old Is Gold For Hoosiers Indiana Football Position Previews: When It Comes To Receivers? Old Is Gold For Hoosiers](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_2000,h_1125,x_0,y_50/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/hoosiers_now/01j5rhc3f1trmzxxs4d7.jpg)
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – If there’s one word to describe Indiana’s wide receiver group? That word is old.
In college football? Old is gold.
Of Indiana’s 14 players listed at wide receiver, only four of them are underclassmen. There are four seniors playing their extra season due to COVID-19 amnesty, one redshirt senior and two more traditional seniors.
Add in three more juniors, and the Hoosiers have an upperclassmen group that would be the envy of any team.
Among all of the receivers, there’s a total of 292 games played. Several of the receivers weren’t just padding the numbers against weaker competition, either. Six of them have produced in a Power Four conference. Four of Indiana’s receivers have received all-conference honors of some kind.
If you want to view the talent pool from a glass half-empty perspective, you might wonder how all of these talented receivers share the ball? Especially considering there’s an equally deep running back group who wants the ball, too.
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti isn’t worried about it.
“I am not worried about the gelling and them being best friends, but what I am worried about – and I am not worried because I like that room – the cream rises to the top,” Cignetti said during spring practice.
“Who comes out and practices every day, day in and day out consistency, who learns the plays, who does the right thing, who makes plays, who gives consistent effort. Who doesn’t know their plays and who is inconsistent,” Cignetti added.
Fall camp has not necessarily created a group of have’s and have not’s. The Hoosiers are still working with a deep group, and with Kurtis Rourke most likely delivering the passes, big things are expected from the Indiana passing game.
Personnel
#0 Andison Coby: senior-plus, 6-foot-1, 178 pounds. 24 games at Indiana, 5 games at Tennessee.
#4 Myles Price: senior-plus, 5-foot-9, 183 pounds. 42 games at Texas Tech.
#5 Ke’Shawn Williams: senior-plus, 5-foot-9, 189 pounds, 46 games at Wake Forest.
#7 E.J. Williams Jr.: senior-plus, 6-foot-4, 203 pounds, 33 games at Clemson, 8 games at Indiana.
#10 Derin McCulley: redshirt senior, 6-foot-1, 176 pounds, 9 games at Ball State, 8 games at Indiana.
#1 Donaven McCulley: senior, 6-foot-5, 203 pounds, 31 games at Indiana.
#19 Miles Cross: senior, 5-foot-11, 210 pounds, 37 games at Ohio University.
#83 Eli Jochem: redshirt junior, 6-foot-1, 190 pounds.
#89 Camden Jordan: redshirt junior, 6-foot-0, 180 pounds, 5 games at Indiana.
#13 Elijah Sarratt: junior, 6-foot-2, 209 pounds, 25 games at James Madison.
#3 Omar Cooper Jr.: redshirt sophomore, 6-foot-0, 201 pounds, 13 games at Indiana.
#24 Jackson Wasserstrom: redshirt sophomore, 5-foot-11, 175 pounds, 1 game at Indiana.
#81 Brady Simmons: redshirt sophomore, 6-foot-1, 173 pounds, 5 games at Indiana.
#80 Charlie Becker: freshman, 6-foot-4, 204 pounds.
Top expected contributors: Donaven McCulley, Myles Price, E.J. Williams, Ke’Shawn Williams, Miles Cross, Elijah Sarratt, Omar Cooper Jr.
Contributors who departed from the 2023 team: Dequece Carter, Cam Camper (to Boise State).
Transfer infusion
There’s a lot of exciting talent here. Perhaps none more so than Elijah Sarratt, one of the 13 Hoosiers who were previously with Cignetti at James Madison.
Sarratt had a breakout season for JMU in 2023. He had 82 catches for 1,191 yards and eight touchdown. Sarratt was first team All-Sun Belt for his efforts.
“I’ve improved a lot. If you check my film from freshman year to now, I’ve improved on a lot of things, but nowhere near where I want to be,” Sarratt said during spring practice. “I came here because the coaching staff was a great coaching staff. They gave me the ball in spots I wanted to be put in.”
Sarratt also said the detail-oriented staff has helped him to improve.
“If I’m one yard off my split, I’m wrong, which is good. You’ve got to be where they want you to be so the whole play works out,” Sarratt said.
Three more transfers – Ke’Shawn Williams, Myles Price and Miles Cross – have 115 games of experience between them.
Of the trio, Price has been getting consistent playing time for the longest period of time.
Price was a regular part of Texas Tech’s receiving options from his first season with the Red Raiders in 2020. He peaked at 523 receiving yards in 2021 and at 51 catches in 2022, but Price has never had less than 29 receptions in a single season. His career numbers are impressive at 161 catches, 1,751 yards and 10 touchdown catches.
He was also used on jet sweeps at times with Texas Tech.
Williams emerged in 2021 for Wake Forest. His best statistical season came in 2022 when he had 39 catches for 553 yards.
Cross has the advantage of having played with Rourke at Ohio University. The pair combined for 94 receptions, 1,177 yards and eight touchdowns over the past two seasons at the Athens, Ohio, school.
Returning players
The most important player from Indiana’s 2023 roster that Cignetti convinced to stay is undoubtedly Donaven McCulley. The 6-foot-5 converted quarterback became a dangerous weapon for the Hoosiers in the second half of the 2023 season.
McCulley had 48 catches for 644 yards and six touchdown catches in 2023. McCulley and former quarterback Brendan Sorsby really came into sync in the final five games of 2023. McCulley had 28 catches for 420 yards and five touchdowns over that stretch.
McCulley was particularly deadly on fade routes or corner routes as he used his size and leaping ability to out-stretch opposing defenders.
Not that McCulley is being handed anything. With the competition at his position, he had to keep pushing and continue to be pushed.
“Coming back to Indiana, just talking to Coach (Cignetti), I told him, ‘Coach me hard, do what you’ve got to do.’ Him getting on me in the spring? It challenged me and it kind of helped me learn how he and the team operates,” McCulley said.
E.J. Williams Jr. is also back in the fold. In his first season at Indiana after coming from Clemson, Williams had 23 catches for 281 yards. He proved effective when healthy, but he only played in eight games in 2023 and has missed some time in fall camp.
Also back is one of the few underclassmen with playing experience – Omar Cooper Jr. The redshirt sophomore had 18 catches for 267 yards and two touchdowns in 2023.
“Coop’s done a good job. He’s put some good days together. He’s a guy that has a lot of ability. He has great hands and good body control,” Indiana co-offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan said.
Veteran Andison Coby, who had an 18-catch season in 2022, is also part of the rotation.
The bottom line
The depth at the receiver spot is inarguable. The only debate that might occur among Indiana fans is whether the wide receivers or the running backs have the most depth on the offensive side of the ball.
Rourke won’t have any need to worry about legitimate targets. If the experienced quarterback can marshal the Indiana offense the way he’s expected to, it could be a very exciting season for the Hoosiers.
Indiana
2 Indiana men drown after boat capsizes on Illinois lake; granddaughter found safe
![2 Indiana men drown after boat capsizes on Illinois lake; granddaughter found safe 2 Indiana men drown after boat capsizes on Illinois lake; granddaughter found safe](https://www.wishtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/20/life-preserver_GettyImages-1243195225-e1724156412736.jpg)
MARSEILLES, Ill. (AP) — Two Indiana men have died and a 7-year-old girl has been found safe after the boat they were fishing from was found capsized on an eastern Illinois lake.
Police responded Sunday to a 911 call at LaSalle Lake State Fish and Wildlife area, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources said Monday in a release.
The girl had been wearing a life jacket and was found onshore with park visitors. She had been on the 17-foot (5-meter) boat with her 53-year-old grandfather and her 80-year-old great-grandfather. The two men were not wearing life jackets, according to police.
They were pronounced dead by a coroner after their bodies were recovered about 7:45 p.m. Sunday.
The girl’s grandfather was from Merrillville, Indiana, while her great-grandfather lived in Gary, Indiana.
Police were investigating how the boat capsized. The 2,000-acre lake is near Marseilles, about 84 miles southwest of Chicago.
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