RAIDER SCOREBOARD

As we gear up to head into the Spring 2009 season, here are a few highlights from a couple Raider venues last spring:  

Lady Raiders Tennis

Now Senior Gracie Conard fully-focused on a Raider victory

Current Junior Kemi Adeyemi showing awesome style on the court

and out on the diamond with Raider Softball:

Pitching dynamo, Brooke Jordan (shown as a sophomore here) in the circle for the Raiders

It doesn't get any closer than this-- Harrison's Ashley Courtney cleany fields the ball while a Greyhound baserunner attempts to slide in under the tag

Then senior Lisa Cappa (who now graces the diamond with the Ball State Cardinals) watches the shot off the bat sail deep into the outfield

Then junior Morgan Stephens comes round the windbill to blow one past the batter



Ashley Courtney (among the '09 Senior leaders) makes all the moves at shortstop look easy




And now for a glimpse of what's in store for Raider athletes and fans alike this season!

Raider Scoreboard
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Volume 15, Issue 9 March 31, 2009 Athletic Director: Jerry Galema
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2009 RAIDER SPRING SPORTS PREVIEW

The Harrison Athletic Department is heading into the
spring sports season with a great deal of excitement! Many of
our teams have several returning veterans which should provide
success this season. Our schedule really becomes busy now
that we have returned from spring break! I encourage you to
get out and support all of our athletes and teams this spring.
These athletes and coaches have worked very hard in the off
season making preparations for the spring of 2009!

Our girls' tennis program will once again be under the
direction of George Adeyemi, who is now in his third year. We
graduated seven seniors from last year's squad which finished
with a record of 10-5 and a 5th place finish in the HCC. Despite
our large loss due to graduation, we still return four letter
winners. Included in those four returning letter winners is
junior Kemi Adeyemi who captured our Most Valuable Player
Award in 2008 and was named to the All Hoosier Crossroads
Conference squad. The Raiders return three seniors to our
lineup: Kinga Machaty, Caitlin Pond, and Katie Sly. Not only
will these three be counted on to perform well on the courts,
they will be responsible for providing leadership for our
younger players.

Our boys' golf team finished the 2008 season with a
7-5 record in dual meets. They also finished 4th in the HCC
tournament last spring. Head coach Dave Schneider (7th year)
welcomes back four returning letter winners to the 2009 squad.
Senior Justin Terry earned All – HCC honors a year ago and
will be counted on to give us leadership and consistent scoring
this year. Terry, along with junior Tyler Williams shared our
Most Improved Player award last season. Sophomore Justin
Woods was voted as our Mental Attitude Award winner last
spring after earning All Sectional status. This squad has a nice
mix of experience and youth and should have a very successful
2009. The Raiders will open their season by hosting the annual
Harrison Invitational on April 11th at the Coyote Crossing Golf
Course.

The Raider boys' track team graduated all of their
major award winners from a year ago. However, Head Coach
Mike Phillips (2nd year) returns seventeen letter winners from
the 2008 season. Several all – sectional athletes return and will
be counted on to lead the Raiders this spring. Those returning
are: seniors Carson McVay, Brian O'Connor and James
Spencer, juniors B.J. Bennett, Zach Dotas, and Bryce Westman,
and sophomore Coty Padilla. The Raiders will work hard and
hope to move into the upper tier of HCC schools and compete
for a sectional championship. Our roster includes a solid group
of seniors who will provide positive leadership this spring.
The girls' track program returns all but five from their
2008 roster. The 2008 squad finished with a 4-2 record in dual
meets and a 4th place finish in the HCC meet. 

The Lady Raiders track team returns three major award winners from a year ago. Head Coach
Faith Turnpaugh (3rd year) welcomes back junior Natalie
Newton, who qualified for the state meet and was selected as
our Most Valuable Player Award winner last season. Senior
Amanda Elmore captured the Mental Attitude Award, while
classmate Jorden Traver received the Exchange Club
Sportsmanship Award. Senior Kaiti Cooper won the long jump
event at the HCC meet, setting new school and conference
records. She also made her third consecutive trip to the state
finals. Several individuals have the ability to contribute to our
point total this year. Look for this team to compete for top
honors at the HCC and IHSAA Sectional meets. Other seniors
who will be leading the Raiders in 2009 are: Amanda Jones,
Monica Schuring, and Jacklyn Williams.

 Our 2009 softball team has high expectations for the
upcoming season. In 2008, the Raiders finished with a record
of 18-9, and in 4th place in the HCC. Abby Willis returns for
her fifth season at the helm of our program and is excited to
return three major award winners from a year ago. Senior
Ashley Courtney, our 2008 Most Valuable Player, will anchor
the infield from either the catcher or shortstop position. She
should split time at these two positions with senior Megan
Mitchell, our Most Improved Player Award recipient a year ago.
Our other returning major award winner is junior Megan
Huston who will return as our starting first baseman. Senior
Morgan Stephens and junior Brooke Jordan will be the nucleus
of our pitching staff. Both are capable of dominating any of our
games. Other returning letter winners that will figure heavily
into our success this spring are: senior Michelle Henrich, and
juniors Haley Baker and Jordyn Garrett.

The 2009 Raider baseball team heads into the season
with expectations of improving on their 6-24 record from a year
ago. Brent Harmon, now in his fifth season, returns two major
award winners and twelve letter winners. Junior Ryan Black
was selected as our Most Valuable Player in 2008. Senior
Austin Schutter will return to the pitching staff after earning our
Most Improved Player Award last season. On the mound,
junior Patrick Alkire should emerge as our #1 guy in the
rotation. But, he will get help from seniors Nate Harrison and
Cory Woolard, and sophomore Vonn Richards. Seniors Shane
Sullivan, Rennie Troggio, and Josh Burkhalter all started in the
outfield for the Raiders last season. Another returning starter is
junior Ayrton Siple who should be one of our offensive leaders.
The squad had a very tough schedule to face, but it is looking
forward to getting the 2009 season underway.

HOOSIER CROSSROADS CONFERENCE

The following Harrison athletes were recognized as
All-Hoosier Crossroads Conference team members for the
2008-09 winter season:

Wrestling – Reise Overby, Ezra Penn
Girls Basketball – Kelsey Barr, Ashley Courtney (HM)
Gymnastics – Courtney Mundell
Boys Basketball – Jacob VanArsdel, Blair Banker (HM)

Congratulations to all of these athletes!


HARRISON SUMMER CAMPS OFFERED

The Harrison High School Athletic Department will
be offering several sports camps this summer. Camps will be
offered in the following sports: Track and Field, Tennis, Golf,
Soccer, Cross Country, Baseball, Basketball, Football,
Wrestling, Gymnastics, Swimming, Softball, and Volleyball.
Each camp will give the young athletes an opportunity to
improve his or her skills, and at the same time, have fun.
Campers will receive excellent coaching, experience Harrison's
campus and meet athletes from the area with various
backgrounds. Campers will receive the same expert instruction
that our high school athletes receive. Several camps will
feature Harrison High School past and present athletes.
Brochures for the camps were distributed to each
elementary school that feeds into Harrison. A brochure was
also mailed to the home of each middle school student.
However, if you are in need of a brochure, you can get if off of
the school's website or by calling the athletic office.

RAIDER PRIDE!!!
RAIDER PRIDE!!!
RAIDER PRIDE!!!
RAIDER PRIDE!!!


MAKING SUMMER PLANS?

In order for families to start making plans for summer
vacations, I wanted to give you the moratorium weeks for 2009.
We will once again be having two moratorium weeks this
coming summer. The first is set for the week of June 28 – July
4. The second week is July 26 – August 2. Official fall
practices will begin on August 3rd. During these moratorium
weeks, there will be no contact between athletes and coaches,
and no athletic activities, including conditioning.

WEATHER RELATED INFORMATION

With the spring sports season comes several weather
related cancellations and postponements. We try to make these
decisions as early in the day as possible, but sometimes these
types of decisions cannot be made until the school day is over.
When schedules are modified, we will leave information on the
answering machine in the athletic office. The number to call if
you have questions is 765-463-7113. We will also notify the
local media as soon as changes are made. But, the best way to
get information to parents is through our email network. If your
son or daughter is in a spring sport, please make sure that I have
you on our email contact list for their sport.

MUNDELL SHINES AT STATE FINALS
Freshman gymnast Courtney Mundell capped off a
remarkable season by finishing in a tie for 7th place on the vault
at the IHSAA State Finals. During the season, Mundell set new
school records on the vault and beam and for all around score in
a single meet. She also won three individual events as well as
the all around competition at the Hoosier Crossroads
Conference meet. Congratulation on a great season Courtney!

RAIDER FOOTBALL WINS STRENGTH COMPETITION
The Harrison football team won the strength and speed
competition held at Carmel High School this past Saturday. In
the lifting competition, we had five players finish in the top ten:
junior Hector Huizar (1st), junior Zach Dotas (2nd), junior
Taylor Andrews (6th), sophomore Daniel Campbell (8th), and
junior Logan Rogers (9th). Dotas and sophomore Coty Padilla
turned in the top two times for the Raiders in the 40 yard sprint
at 4.38 and 4.58 respectively. This squad's hard work in the
weight room is really paying off for them as they are gaining
the attention of many of the larger schools in the state.
Congratulations Raiders!

VANN TO PLAY AT DePAUW
Another Raider has made his college choice! Football
player Jimmy Vann, a 6'2" 240 lb. offensive lineman will
continue his career at DePauw University. Vann has worked
very hard over the past four years and has improved his strength
and quickness dramatically, and could contribute immediately.
DePauw is a Division III school located in Greencastle, IN. We
wish Jimmy the best of luck!

PARTICIPANTS IN ACTIVITY PROGRAMS DO BETTER IN CLASSROOM
I have always felt that there is a direct correlation
between grade point averages and involvement in extra
curricular activities. An article that I found in the fall 2008
edition of High School Today gave some facts and figures to
validate my belief. Below, is information provided from the
mentioned article.

Avg. GPA Gr. 9 Gr. 10 Gr. 11 Gr. 12
No Activities 2.02 2.14 1.90 2.02
One Activity 3.00 3.22 3.30 3.20
Two Activities 3.40 3.44 3.50 3.60
Three or more
Activities 3.60 3.59 3.50 3.86

SENIOR FEATURES

KAITI COOPER
Kaiti is eager to begin her final season in track for the
Raiders. She will earn her fourth varsity letter at the conclusion
of the spring season. Kaiti also competed in soccer for three
years and earned a varsity letter after her junior season. On the
track, Kaiti has had incredible success during her four year
career. She has competed in the IHSAA state meet for three
consecutive seasons and owns the school record and the HCC
record for the long jump event. Kaiti is a three time All
Sectional and All Regional honoree. She also captured All –
HCC honors the past two seasons. After her freshman season,
she was voted as the team's Most Improved Player. One year
later, she earned the Most Valuable Player Award. Kaiti serves
as an Ambassador in our Stay in Bounds program. She just
recently found out that she will be a member of the Purdue
University Gold Duster dance squad beginning next fall.
Kaiti will leave a big void in our field events when she
graduates this spring. Kaiti is also a successful student,
carrying a GPA of 3.68. Kaiti is the daughter of Jeff and
Kathryn Cooper.


PHIL SOJKA
Phil competes in two sports for the Raiders. As a
freshman and sophomore, Phil played in our football program.
During the past two fall seasons, he made the switch to our
cross country program and lettered his senior year. During the
spring, Phil has been a four year member of our track and field
program. At the conclusion of the upcoming season, he will
earn his second varsity letter in track. Phil competes in one of
the toughest events, the hurdle races. Last season, Phil really
became competitive in these races and scored some crucial
points for the Raiders. This season, Phil could easily become
one of our athletes to watch. Although he has not captured
many major awards, he is very instrumental to both of the
programs that he competes in. His work ethic and positive
attitude are a great example for our younger athletes.
In addition to his athletics, Phil also works very hard
in the classroom, where he carries a GPA of 3.74. Phil is the
son of Janice Sojka and Paul Sojka.