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Argylls Advance, Eagles Fall in Sectional Semifinals by Scott Hunt of the Chronicle-Tribune

Madison-Grant (M-G) advanced while Oak Hill endured a heartbreaking defeat in the semifinal games of class 2A softball sectional 39 Wednesday night at Oak Hill.

The 2A 15th-ranked Argylls continued their torrid assault at the plate picking up 18 total hits and scoring seven runs in the fourth and six more in the fifth of a 17-2 win over central Indiana conference rival Blackford in the opening game.

The night cap was much more competitive and saw the Golden Eagles battle No. 13 Eastern until the final out of the Comets’ 6-5 win.

Eastern scored single runs in the top of each of the first three frames to build a 3-0 lead. Oak Hill struggled early on with the precision pitching done by Comet junior Macy Coan who struck out seven batters and allowed only two hits in three innings.

Both of Oak Hill’s hits came off the bat of junior catcher Alexa Myers. Her second single of the game made the Comets’ pay for a pair of errors in the third by driving in two runs and trimming the Eagles’ deficit to 3-2.

Freshman Karsyn Wiley pitched a perfect fourth inning for Oak Hill and the Eagles tied the game with a little bit of small ball.

Sophomore Alivia Shaw drew a lead-off walk, was sacrificed to second by junior Maxy Pittman, and scored on a throwing error after senior Mia Edwards’ infield single to make it 3-3. The inning ended with Eastern’s centerfielder taking a potential two-run homer away from senior Treniti Thurman.

Wiley sat down the Comets in order again in the fifth inning and Coan worked out of a two-out, two-on situation to keep the score tied.

Macy Coan led off the top of the sixth with a double, advanced to third on Oak Hill’s only error of the game, then both runners scored on a double by Marly Coan to put Eastern up 5-3.

Kassidy Fritch had an inside-the-park home run with one-out in the seventh to give Eastern a bit more breathing room and it turned out to be the winning run.

Senior Nikki Alston started Oak Hill’s rally with a one out single then with two outs Myers, freshman Madison Archer, and sophomore Taylor Holloway had successive singles. Archer and Holloway each drove in a run to pull the Golden Eagles within 6-5.

Shaw worked a walk to load the bases, but Pittman’s pop up between the pitcher’s circle and second baseman was snared by Coan who made an over-the-shoulder catch to preserve the Comets’ win.

“One of the big things we talked about is to win these ball games you’ve got to be locked in and focused on every pitch coming to you and every pitch when you’re behind our pitcher, and I thought we did,” said Oak Hill coach Ben Johnson. “I’ve got freshmen, I’ve got seniors, and I thought those girls and everyone in between locked in and were ready to ball tonight. It was beautiful.”

“Coan is a stud,” he added.

Even though she struck out seven batters in the first three innings, Coan finished the game with 10. Oak Hill collected nine hits, all singles, off the Comets’ ace.

Myers had three hits and reached base on an error in her fourth at bat. Archer and Edwards added two hits apiece while Holloway and Alston had one apiece. Thurman and Shaw were both walked two times.

Wiley gave up nine hits and four earned runs. She struck out five and walked only one.

Though many tears were shed in the Oak Hill postgame huddle, Johnson beamed with pride by the effort. The most difficult part of the night was saying goodbye to the trio of seniors, Alston, Thurman, and Edwards.

“It was 8-0 early in the year when we went to Eastern. We had one hit, we had one walk. To watch the improvement was special,” Johnson said. “We are a head up, positive team. We believe in accountability when we’re not meeting our standards we are positive team and that was a lot of positivity. Our girls battled, put the bat on the ball, we did so many right things. The defense played really well Karsyn is a bull dog in that circle and she’s going to come right at you.

“Those seniors were a part of that (2019) semi-state team,” he added. “That group laid the foundation and these seniors have kept it going. I told the seniors thank you for keeping our tradition going and for handing it down to these girls. You’ve got three great examples of talent, of effort, of leadership, now you girls pick that up. ... Young girls keep our tradition going.”

Despite the lopsided final score, Madison-Grant led Blackford just 4-2 through the first two innings. But the Bruins scored both their runs in the bottom of the first before junior Katie Duncan and the Argylls’ defense shut them down over the final four frames.

The M-G got the bats going and removed any potential drama.

“It seemed like maybe we were a little flat, but ultimately we got going,” said M-G coach Travis Havens. “We had solid pitching again and our defense was pretty good.

“We just started hitting the ball. We do have kids throughout the lineup that can hit the ball. Even though we started a little bit late we did get it going. Anytime you can win in five innings, it’s a good thing.”

Junior Daya Greene had three hits with a double and collected four RBI. Junior Elizabeth Lee also had three hits with two doubles and drove in five runs. Duncan had a pair of doubles, seniors Chelsea Bowland and Gracey Fox also had doubles.

Bowland finished with two hits and two RBI and senior Anzlee Thomas had two hits and drove in one. Freshman Johnna Hiatt and Fox also had RBI.

Madison-Grant and Eastern met at 7 p.m. Thursday for the sectional championship. M-G topped the Comets 11-1 in their first game of the season on April 6.

Parker's Blast Sparks Duncan, Argylls to Sectional Title by Rob Hunt of The Herald Bulletin

While Katie Duncan was dominating the opposition Thursday, Madison-Grant (M-G) needed a spark to get the offense going in a scoreless contest.

Senior Chelsea Parker provided enough of a spark to engulf most of Grant County in flames when she stepped to the plate in the fifth inning.

Parker’s long two-run homer opened the scoring and started a five-run inning that was all the run support Duncan needed as the Argylls blanked Eastern 8-0 at Oak Hill for their second straight sectional 39 championship.

It was the 10th softball sectional championship for the Madison-Grant program and the second in as many seasons for coach Travis Havens who took over prior to the 2020 spring cancellation.

“It’s a really good feeling,” Havens said. “We’ve got a lot of good kids who put a lot of time and effort into softball and to see them reap some of the benefits of all that effort is rewarding.”

Duncan retired 10 of the first 11 batters she faced - only one reaching on a hit by pitch - before surrendering her first hit of the game, a lined single to center by Eastern starting pitcher Macy Coan. Coan moved to second when the ball was erred in center and to third on a grounder, but she was the last Comets runner to reach third until the seventh inning.

“Winning last year and going to regional, I was really motivated to come out here and get it done and get back there again,” Duncan said. “I was throwing all of my pitches. They were all working really well. I had a great game tonight.”

Coan - who leads all 2A pitchers in the state in strikeouts - only fanned one Argylls batter in her seven innings, and it was just a matter of time before the M-G contact at the plate started to pay dividends.

That started with a fifth-inning leadoff single by freshman Carley Holliday, the fourth hit of the day for the Argylls (23-5). That brought Parker - who had laid down a sacrifice bunt in a similar situation in the second inning - to the plate.

“She was swinging away the whole time, and she smoked it,” Havens said.

“He just gave me the go,” Parker said. “That first at bat she was my speed, and I felt really confident going into that next at bat. The thing looked like a beach ball. It was a perfect pitch.”

Parker launched the 2-1 offering from Coan well beyond the centerfield fence for a 2-0 lead and launched the Argylls bench into hysterics at the same time.

“I feel like we were a little flat to that point,” Parker said. “We just needed something to spark the fire, and I feel like that was it.”

The hot hitting became contagious as freshman Johnna Hiatt followed with a single and was bunted over to second. Chelsea Bowland singled her home, Daya Greene followed with a base hit before Anzlee Thomas capped the rally with a line drive two-run single to right and a 5-0 lead.

While that was more than Duncan needed, M-G added on in the sixth thanks largely to the generosity of Eastern (20-6).

Holliday reached for the third time - this time on a two-base throwing error - before Parker struck out but reached on a wild pitch. Hiatt and Demie Havens each reached on fielder’s choice grounders where no runners were retired with Holliday scoring on the Havens grounder. Bowland then delivered the only hit of the inning, a two-run single to center, and the Argylls had the 8-0 lead.

After giving up a leadoff single in the seventh - the only Comets leadoff batter to reach - to Marly Coan, Duncan retired the next three batters on come backers to the circle, setting off an exuberant celebration in the center of the diamond.

“I have all the confidence in the world in (my teammates). I love them. They are my rock,” Duncan said. “Daya talks to me every pitch. I hear everyone on the field. I depend on them the most. I’m not really a strikeout pitcher, so having a great defense behind me like I do is amazing as a pitcher.”

The Argylls will await their regional opponent and destination which is scheduled to be determined Friday when Elwood and Frankton play their postponed sectional 40 championship at Lapel. No matter the outcome, Havens and company know they will face a familiar and formidable opponent.

“We’ve played them both, and obviously we know them both fairly well,” he said. “We’ll have our hands full with either one of them.”

Madison-Grant United School Corporation (MGUSC) is expanding their programming at Summitville Elementary School to include a three year old pre-kindergarten program.

The three year old pre-k will begin in the fall for the 2022–2023 school year as a full day program. Families wishing to participate in this program do not have to live within the Madison-Grant United School District.

Summitville Elementary Principal Jackie Samuels says the program is an extension of their Argyll Adventure Academy, a level three STEM pre-k for four year olds with appropriately aged curriculum for the younger children. While following the spirit of the Argyll Adventure Academy, according to Samuels, different curriculum will be at play to suit the developmental needs of the younger classrooms.

“For three year olds the play, creativity, and imagination is so important. We have a lot of art and music incorporated in our plan, along with colors, textures, and tactile play. This is a really fun program for us to put into place, and we will have a great team to execute,” she said.

After the initial success of the Argyll Adventure Academy, the school started receiving calls for families interested in a full day services for their three year old as well.

According to Superintendent Scott Deetz, start-up funds were made possible through the ESSER III Grant with the goal of the program to have the ability to sustain itself.

Deetz says expanding early childhood education has been part of the plan for quite some time.

“We know how important it is for children to experience learning through play in these developmental years,” he said “This programming is what we were working towards as space opened up in Summitville Elementary. We believe this serves a need in our community and provides an early pathway to enjoy learning through discovery. Our team has worked really hard to make this happen. We have an excellent setup at Summitville with all of our pre-k in one location to help promote teacher collaboration.”

While the programs are located in the Summitville Elementary School building, the physical set up reflects the needs of parents and children alike with a separate drop off entrance for pre-k programs with school day times altered slightly to avoid the rush of the elementary grades student pick up and drop off. Program fees will be in line with the current Argyll Adventure Academy at $95 per week. The school calendar will follow the MGUSC published calendar for the 2022–2023 school year. The day will have a full schedule of all of the three year olds favorite things: snacks, nap time, and imagination games to include discovery through play according to Samuels. Program sign up is available now through the Summitville Elementary website for all pre-k programs and kindergarten for the 2022–2023 school year. Families can also call Summitville Elementary with any questions at (765) 536-2875.

Argylls Dominate to Win Second Straight Grant Four by Scott Hunt of the Chronicle-Tribune

Madison-Grant (M-G) is proving to be the top offensive team in the Central Indiana Conference, and the class 2A number five Argylls put their hitting prowess on display in winning their second straight Grant Four championship in convincing style at Oak Hill on Saturday.

The Madison-Grant softball team waits at home plate for junior Elizabeth Lee after she slugged a two-run homer in the Argylls’ 14-3 win over Eastbrook in a Grant Four semifinal. M-G defeated host Oak Hill 11-1 in finals to win its second- straight Grant Four championship.

Scott Hunt | shunt@chronicle-tribune.com

M-G put together back-to-back seven-run innings in earning a 14-3 over Eastbrook in the semifinals then pounded out 17 hits and scored multiple runs in three frames in earning an 11-1 win over host Oak Hill in the championship. Both games lasted just five innings.

“We had good pitching, pretty good defense, and obviously we scored a bunch of runs,” said M-G coach Travis Havens. “We’ve had a couple games we didn’t hit the ball that well so we kind of focused on some things. We asked our kids to be aggressive, be energetic, and have excitement again and they did. They were pumped for this tournament and this weekend.”

Junior Elizabeth Lee limited a very good hitting Eastbrook team to just five hits and kept the Panthers off the scoreboard until RBI doubles for juniors Chloe Poe and Addison Coates helped led to a three-run fifth inning for Eastbrook.

Lee also slugged a two-run homer and drove in three runs total in helping herself get the win. She finished with seven strikeouts and only two walks in the circle.

Senior Chelsea Parker and freshman Carley Holliday each had two of M-G’s nine hits. Daya Greene had three RBI and scored two runs. Holliday drove in two and scored twice while Parker had an RBI and scored once. Katie Duncan added a double.

Poe and Coates had two hits a piece for the Panthers.

Oak Hill quickly manufactured a run in the top of the first of the championship, but Duncan was lights out in the circle for the second consecutive game for M-G. She had five strikeouts, no walks, and allowed only two hits in five innings.

Parker led the Argylls’ offense by going three-for-three with a homer, double, three RBI, and three runs scored. Greene added two hits and drove in two more runs while Holliday added two more hits, including her fifth home run of the season. Chelsea Bowland had a four-for-four game with a pair of stolen bases, an RBI, and a run scored.

The Argylls entered and ended the Grant Four hitting better than .400 as a team which is best in the CIC and the .409 is in the top 25 in the state.

Havens said his team’s hitting ability sometimes makes it difficult to fill out a line up card every day.

“It’s interesting. We sit down and talk almost daily about who to bat or not to bat, or who to pitch or not to pitch,” he said. “It’s not an easy decision ever. It’s a good problem to have, but it’s tough when you’ve got to decide who to sit out. It’s not easy, but it is a good problem to have.”

Lee leads the team in batting average at .514, Duncan is next at .500, and both with more than 32 at bats. Bowland (.478), Anzlee Thomas (.478), Greene (.455), Holliday (.455), and Parker (.422) make M-G’s lineup formidable from top to bottom.

Eight different Argylls have driven in 11 runs or more with Thomas (22) and Parker (21) leading the way. Greene has 14 stolen bases, Bowland has 13, and both have scored 23 runs. M-G has 47 stolen bases so far this spring to go with 30 doubles and 14 dingers.

“They feed on walks,” said Oak Hill coach Ben Johnson of M-G who has accumulated 63 walks but only had two against the Eagles. “If you walk them, they place their bunts beautifully or they’re just going to straight steal on you. ... That’s a confident coach and a veteran and good team.”

Oak Hill’s hits were singles against M-G were singles by freshman Madison Archer and senior Treniti Thurman.

Oak Hill had 11 hits in a 6-5 win over Mississinewa to reach the Grant Four championship game. Archer, Nikki Alston, and Maxy Pittman each had two hits a piece.

With Eagles’ ace pitcher, freshman Karsyn Wiley, nursing an injury, Archer made her first varsity start in the circle and earned the win. She twirled five innings, allowed only three hits, three earned runs, and two walks with four strikeouts. Sophomore Macie Foustnight allowed one hit, a run, and had one K in her two innings.

While seniors Thurman, Alston, and Mia Edwards are playing key roles for Oak Hill and will be hard to replace next season, Johnson is excited by his young team.

“(Pittman) had our only returning innings as pitcher and only had five last year,” Johnson said. “We’re really excited when we start with Karsyn at the top, throw in Archer is pitching confident. Those were her first varsity innings pitching and you saw what she could do. We know what have in Karsyn. She’s a heck of a pitcher and a heck of a bat.

“On defense we committed a lot of errors the first few games. We weren’t communicating all the outs,” he added. “Watching us communicate in this game, even when were down 5-1 or 6-1, continuing to slide into the right position, continuing to back up, watching our young girls do that had me pleased. We have more double plays already this year than any other season combined. That’s a lot of credit to (sophomore Alivia) Shaw and (sophomore) Tay Holloway up the middle and Pittman doing a good job stretching at first.”

Madson-Grant 6, Oak Hill 3

The Argylls and Eagles ran it back Tuesday in a CIC meeting at Oak Hill. Wiley returned to the circle for Oak Hill and surrendered 12 hits but only six runs.

Still, a three-run fifth inning gave the Argylls a 5-3 lead before Parker’s solo home run in the seventh plated the final run as M-G improved to 4-0 in the conference.

Freshman Demie Havens had three of M-G’s 12 hits, including a double. Greene added a pair of knocks. All nine players in the Argylls’ lineup had at least one hit and five players drove in a run.

Edwards and Archer each had two hits for Oak Hill. Thurman, Archer, and Evie Holz each had an RBI.

Oak Hill (8-7, 2-2 in CIC) visits Elwood on Thursday.

Madison-Grant (13-2, 4-0) travels to Blackford Thursday.

Beckley Dominant on Mound, Argyll Offense Lights Up Alex by Rob Hunt of The Herald Bulletin

Madison-Grant Baseball, Softball Earn Routs in Madison County Tourney by Scott Hunt of the Chronicle-Tribune

Argyll Attack is headed to the World First Robotics competition.

The Madison-Grant Junior and Senior High rookie robotics team has done well for themselves this year.

Ranking 30th out of 52 teams after participating in two district competitions and earning the Highest Rookie Seed and Rookie All Star Award, the team has been invited to the First Robotics state championship at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology this week (April 14-16) and the world competition in Houston, Texas next week (April 20-23).

The team is facing an unexpected challenge, however.

Since the team wasn’t anticipating doing this well their first year, Argyll Attack’s head coach Eric Cale said they did not raise the funds needed to participate in the coming events.

With just over $2,000 left in their robotics account, they will need approximately $11,000 more for registration, travel, and lodging.

As a result, Argyll Attack is looking for local businesses to sponsor the team to help them achieve this goal.

When asked what benefit businesses would gain by sponsoring, Cale said that, much like NASCAR, they would place a sticker with the business’ logo on the team’s robot and on their t-shirts.

Additionally, they would be supporting a program that is teaching the students myriad life skills.

“This isn’t just a club that does robots,” Cale said. “They’re learning business skills, how to be a part of a team, how to collaborate and communicate with each other, how to communicate with other teams and form a strategy… It’s a lot of skills that will translate into the workplace.”

Cale went on to say that the students learn how to use tools like metal-cutting band saws, drills, and other power tools, and many of the students learn engineering design using Fusion 360 computer aided design software.

Others have focused on learning programming, often from scratch, using command-based Java script, and a couple of students have even been learning graphic design to develop the team's logo as well as creating and implementing a marketing strategy.

Argyll Attack is a small team by comparison, with only 12 students to the typical 20 to 30.

“Not having a lot of people makes it harder for us, a small team, to get things done,” said team member Noah Kirby. “For example, if we need a part made, most of our team has to work on it. But the other teams can have a group of four or five people work on it and still have plenty of people left over to work on other things.”

Nevertheless, according to Cale, their recent success has drawn a lot of interest from other students looking to join the team next year.

A few of the team members contributed their thoughts on what going to the world competition would mean to them.

“This would be a wonderful opportunity and would mean so much to me,” Vincent Dye said. “I am really proud of this team and believe that going to this year’s world competition could be a wonderful learning experience for us all.”

“I am really excited! It would mean the world to me (pun intended),” said Blake Westerfield. “I would get so much experience that I could never get without going, and it could therefore improve our team and prepare me for when I go into the workforce.”

Ethan Winchester said, “This would be the biggest achievement for me in my high school career, hands down.”

“Going to world’s is one of the biggest opportunities that I’ve ever had,” said Ty Wigner. “Just being in First Robotics has helped open my eyes to how diverse this world of technology is. It is one of the best things I’ve done.”

“We’d very much appreciate any support you can give and we’re happy to support you by advertising for you.” Cale said, “Even if you don’t give financially, support us in other ways, just cheer us on.”

If you’d like to contribute toward Argyll Attack’s path to State and Worlds, visit their GoFundMe or mail a check payable to Madison-Grant Jr/Sr High School with “Robotics” in the memo line to: Madison-Grant Jr/Sr High School 11700 South E00 West Fairmount, IN 46952.

If you’re interested in sponsorship, email Eric Cale and Scott Ritchie with any questions.

Argylls Sweep Two From Cougars by Mike Battreall of The Herald Bulletin

April 8, 2022

FAIRMOUNT — Madison-Grant added Greenfield-Central to its softball schedule to provide a good Class 4A test in advance of the Madison County tournament and Central Indiana Conference schedule.

It didn’t turn out to be much of one for the reigning sectional champion Argylls in the opener of a doubleheader Friday night, as M-G blistered the previously unbeaten Cougars 16-6 in 4 1/2 innings.

M-G followed up with a 9-7 win in the nightcap, shortened to 4 1/2 innings because of oncoming weather.

Gracie Fox led the way for the Argylls (4-0) with a three-run double in Game 1 and two-run homer in the second contest.

“I thought we played well,” M-G coach Travis Havens said. “Obviously, everybody’s fighting the elements — rain, snow, sleet, whatever. We made a couple of mistakes, but we hit the ball well in both games and kept pressure on the defense.”

Eight of the Argylls’ starters had at least one hit and one RBI in the opener, as did pinch-hitter Fox, whose double in her team’s fourth at-bat capped off an eight-run fourth frame.

M-G started out with four runs in the first inning and added four in the third — on five hits with two out — and that was plenty of support for winning pitcher Katie Duncan.

In the first, Chelsea Bowland and Maddy Moore scored on wild pitches, Anzlee Thomas reached on an error that scored Daya Greene and a single by Carley Holliday brought Thomas home.

The Argylls’ third-inning outburst began with a bloop single by Demie Havens, Holloway followed with a double and Duncan drove one down the third-base line for a double, with Havens scoring. A double by Makennah Clouse and triple by Bowland produced the other two runs.

M-G in the fifth got fielder’s choice RBIs by Havens, Holliday and Duncan, Clouse drew a bases-loaded walk and Rowland was hit by a pitch, and that made it 13-5. Fox — batting for Greene — cleared the bases with a double to the left-field fence.

Bowland, Hiatt and Holliday had two hits apiece in Game 1, and the Argylls had 12 in all.

Duncan pitched 3 1/2 innings and gave up five runs on nine hits. Elizabeth Lee took over, allowing three hits and striking out two.

As they did in the opener, the Argylls plated four in the first inning of the second game, and as she did in Game 1, leadoff hitter Bowland came home on a wild pitch. Parker, Thomas, and Moore also drove in runs.

Starter Fox surrendered three home runs to G-C in the second, and the Cougars (4-2) drew even at 4, but M-G shook it off in its half of the inning.

Like the Cougars did earlier in the inning, Fox took advantage of a wind blowing out and crushed a ball over the right-field fence, and that made it 8-4.

The Argylls had nine hits in the nightcap, three of those singles by Thomas.

“From top to bottom, we had kids getting on base,” Havens said. “Gracie Fox did a really nice job hitting the ball. I brought her in with the bases loaded, and she cleared the bases, and I let her hit the whole game the second game, and she put one halfway up that tree (past right field).”

M-G hosts Wes-Del on Monday and visits defending champion Pendleton Heights on Tuesday in the opening round of the county tournament.

Madison-Grant Picks Up Two Big Wins to Start Season by Scott Hunt of the Chronicle-Tribune

April 8, 2022

If early results are any indication, the Madison-Grant softball team has a potent offensive unit for the 2022 season.

The Argylls pitching and defense look pretty good as well. 

Through its first two games, M-G has scored 29 runs and allowed just two. A quartet of pitchers has surrendered only six hits, and the defense has made only one error in two wins.

There’s still a lot of softball to be played, but the Argylls could develop into big game hunters by the time tournament season rolls around. 

“We feel like we’ve got a lot of kids that can hit, and we want them up there swinging the bat at pitches that are strikes,” said M-G coach Travis Havens following an 11-1 win over Eastern Thursday night. “If they want to go up there and look for walks, we’ve got other kids that can go up there and hit the ball. I want them to be aggressive because I feel like when they’re aggressive they’re going to hit the ball well. 

“It’s just one game, but we like our kids and we like our team. We think we’ve got a lot of kids that can play and that's going to create some versatility,” he added. “We’ve probably got more depth than in the seven years I’ve been out here and it absolutely creates competition in practice….I told our kids after the game, if you want to go up there and look at strike three, we’ll put somebody else up there to bat. We’ve got kids on our team that can and will hit.”

The Argylls pounded out 17 hits in the win over Eastern with nine different players recording at least one. 

Senior Chelsea Parker had three hits with a double, drove in and scored two runs, and also stole a base. Senior Chelsea Bowland also collected three hits, stole a base, and scored three times while senior Anzlee Thomas, junior Katie Duncan, and freshmen Demie Havens and Johnna Hiatt had two hits each.

Ewer Already Winning for M-G, But Yet to Step on Track by Rob Hunt of the Herald Bulletin

March 29, 2022

Emma Ewer has won a lot of races in her three seasons on the Madison-Grant track team. If she can stay healthy, she’s sure to win several more by the time the spring outdoor season concludes.

Madison-Grant senior Emma Ewer has yet to compete for the Argylls this spring, but she already earned a small, potentially important victory for her season. Ewer is the lone Grant County female track athlete to return after making it to state last sea and she helped get M-G’s graduation date changed by two days after she discovered it was scheduled for the same day as year’s girls’ state finals.

Scott Hunt | shunt@chronicle-tribune.com

A minor nagging muscle strain kept Ewer from competing during the indoor season, but she’ll be ready to go when M-G goes to Daleville on Monday for a three-way meet that also includes Bluffton.

However, Ewer has already earned what she hopes will be an important win that will allow her to eventually finish her senior year the way she wants, back at the state track and field championships in Bloomington.

Ewer won the 200 meter Goshen Regional championship last spring to earn her first-ever trip to the state but found out early on during the 2021–22 school year that if she was fortunate enough earn a repeat trip, she might have to make a difficult decision.

“At the beginning of the year, we were talking about it, graduation is going to be this date, trying to figure things out for caps and gowns. I was like, ‘Uh oh, oh no, that’s the same day as outdoor state,” Ewer shared while watching part of the Hoosier State Relays Saturday in Bloomington.

Indeed, Madison-Grant’s seniors were originally scheduled to walk for graduation on Friday, June 3, the same day of the girls state track and field championships are going to be held on the campus of Indiana University.

“I went to the administration, (Superintendent) Dr. (Scott) Deetz just happened to be sitting there and I was like graduation is the same day as outdoor state, I don’t know if I’m going to make it, but I’ve worked my whole life for graduation. I’ve worked my whole life for track,” Ewer said. “I shouldn’t have to decide.”

And now she doesn’t have to decide.

Ewer’s plea was answered with a positive result, and along with some help, M-G’s Class of 2022 will now graduate on Sunday, June 5, all together.

“I was supposed to write an email to our administration and they set up a meeting without our class president, Mason Richards,” she said. “He was really good about finding a day that we could do it.”

Now the rest is up to Ewer, and going back to state is what she fully intends to do.

Ewer has been one of the top sprinters in Grant County since her freshman year and after having the 2020 state tournament canceled by COVID, she thrust herself onto the state stage with her regional championship.

Ewer actually qualified for regional with runner-up finishes in the 100 meters and pole vault as well last year, but opted not to run the 100 then had to scratch out of the regional pole vault.

But pole vault is something near and dear to Ewer’s heart and she hopes to have an opportunity to potentially compete for a state-meet berth in it as well.

“That’s what my dad (Jason Ewer) did. That’s where I grew up at the IWU track and that’s where he coached so I was there every single weekend,” Ewer said of where her interest in pole vault first started. “My mom worked weekends, so if my dad was there, we were there. So that’s where I grew up with pole vault.

“Every weekend we were there, he drove the bus and he’d bring laundry baskets,” she continued. “I used to come in a laundry basket to keep me contained there. That was my thing. Gymnastics is similar to it and I have a gymnastics background so I have that air awareness, per se.”

Ewer’s best vault to date was 9-foot, 6-inches, which matched the sectional winning height at Western last year. She wants to beat the mark this season, perhaps by as much as a foot, which would likely put her in the neighborhood of a state berth.

Other than that, Ewer’s goals are pretty simple.

“Twenty-five,” as in seconds, she shared. “I want to break the school record in the 200. Then, just have a fun season, a really enjoyable season.”

Aside from her on-track performance, Ewer has added a bit of a new role, one as a leader for the MG girls team that has 18 girls out, including some freshmen that could make a big impact.

“I’m a natural leader because of being an older sister and growing up as a team, I was the oldest one,” she said. “It’s natural, but it’s also hard because sometimes they don’t know what I’m doing and so I have to explain it. It takes a little bit more time out of the practice, but I think it’s a good thing. It helps me remember the little things. If I can explain it then I know how to do it.”

This year’s Argylls girls team is the biggest, by numbers, in coach TJ Herniak’s six-year tenure. M-G also has around 30 boys on its roster as well, so Herniak is really excited to see what kind of potential both teams have this spring.

“We haven’t approached 50 (athletes) in my six years of coaching,” Herniak said. “I’m excited that we’ve got the problem of now we have to decide who is going to run what event, instead of saying

who can we put in this event so we have somebody running it.

“We’ve had years past where we haven’t been able to field relay teams. We’re deep enough this year that we’ll have a relay team on the track for every meet and we won’t miss one. It will be nice to have that.”

M-G girls will also feature senior Azmae Turner, who was a regional qualifier in the high jump last season. Freshmen Aida Sites and Abbey Brown and were also girls Herniak said could have an immediate impact.

On the boys' side, junior sprinter Tanner Brook, who was a regional qualifier in the 100 and 200 meters last season, and competed in the HSR state indoor championships on Saturday, is set to have a big season for the Argylls.

Senior thrower Gabe Wedmore also qualified for the HSR and Herniak thinks he could have a big season as well.

“Gabe Wedmore is someone, when he was a freshman I don’t think people envisioned him developing into a dominant football player, a good wrestler, and a good shot putter as well,” Herniak said. “He’s well on his way and we’ve just gotten started.”

Herniak said freshmen Andy Stanley, Zander Gillespie, and Boston Caudell bring talent and add depth to M-G’s roster, as do sophomores Clayton Hull and Caleb Ewer. Senior Cameron Harris, who is out for track for the first time, and senior Patrick Deckard, will help the Argylls compete in middistance and distance running events.

One thing that excites Herniak the most is Wedmore, Harris, and Deckard are his only seniors.

“Our boys' team is going to be competitive. We’ve got depth at sprints. We’ve got a couple distant runners, they’re not necessarily Oak Hill-level elite but they’re getting better. They will be competitive,” Herniak said. “Our relay teams are going to be outstanding. They’ll give our school records a run for their money.

“We’ve got a legitimate shot in big meets to have two kids placing in every event and it’s exciting to see that we’ve now got that depth to do that,” he added. “Our girls should be competitive this year too. We should be more competitive than we’ve been since I took over coaching. If everything falls the way we think it can, we’re going to be in for a really good year.”