Story by Brandon Vickrey, Sports Co-editor of PHSNewsOnline.com
The 2010 fall athletic season at Portage High School was another exciting one for the Indians. From thrilling victories to crushing defeats, the past few months in PHS sports have been anything but boring. Let us take a trip down memory lane as we recap how all of our athletes fared this fall.
Boys Tennis
The boys varsity tennis team finished the year with a record of 13-6, 3-3 in Duneland Athletic Conference play. The Indians were led by senior Jeff Craig, who thrived at No. 1 singles throughout the season. In the second year under head coach Gary Hayes, the Indians improved upon their 2009 record of 11-7. The Indians returned to the championship of the Portage Sectional, but they fell to Valparaiso 5-0 once again. The Vikings have gone on a run similar to that of Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves in the 1990s. The Vikings have come away with the sectional title an astonishing 15 consecutive years. A 4-1 win against Wheeler in the sectional semifinal allowed the Indians to advance to the final match. Patrick Derr, the only sophomore on the varsity squad, enjoyed a break-out year. He thrived at No. 3 singles and may be bumped up to No. 1 with the graduation of Craig and No. 2 singles player Kyle Tampier. The jr. varsity team went 5-1 with a second place finish at the Lowell Invitational. Many of the younger Indians will have to step up next season.
Girls Golf
The lady-Indians girls golf team finished the 2010 campaign with a 7-5 overall record. They bounced back after a disappointing run in the August invites that saw them place 8th of 10, 10th of 14, 15th of 18, 13th of 15 and 6th of eight. Conference wins against Merrillville and Michigan City highlighted the year. On Sept. 18, the girls competed in the Valparaiso Sectional. Senior Sarah Dienes was the only Indian to qualify for the LaPorte Regional. She shot a 90 in regionals, good enough to finish in the top 20 individuals but not good enough for a semistate berth. Dienes was named to the Post Tribune All-Area second team for the second straight year. She averaged 45.6 for nine holes and 90.5 for 18 this season.
Boys Cross Country
Both cross country teams at Portage High School did their part as the school works toward its goal of 250 varsity wins. The boys’ team put up a jaw-dropping total of 60 wins against 18 losses. The Indians put together an outstanding run deep into the postseason. They finished fifth at Sunset Hill Park in sectionals on Oct. 12, 4th at the New Prairie Regional on Oct. 16 and came up just short of a state appearance in semistate on Oct. 23. Freshman Anthony Best was the surprise of the year. He was the only Portage runner on the boys side to qualify for state, where he finished 46th.
Girls Cross Country
The Indians girls cross country team was the only PHS squad to make it to state this fall. Portage placed 22nd at state in Terre Haute on Oct. 30. Their road to state included a second place finish at the Chesterton Sectional, another second at the New Prairie Regional and placing 6th in the semistate meet. The lady-Indians overall record was 32-8. They placed third of 31 teams at the New Prairie Invite on Sept. 18, an outstanding finish that highlighted a strong year.
Boys Soccer
After a 2-3-1 start, the Portage boys varsity soccer team rapped off seven straight victories and 14 of 15. The Indians finished with an overall mark of 17-5-1, 4-3 in the DAC. They set the tone for the season when they pulled out a 4-3 win on opening night in Munster on Aug. 16 in a game that included an injury to Ricardo Silva. Their only regular season loss after Sept. 1 came in Valparaiso. Senior Donovan Cole led the Indians’ postseason run. He scored in all five of their postseason wins, including his Oct. 16 hat trick against Chesterton in the regional final. Cole’s third goal of that game gave his team a 3-2 overtime victory. The Indians came from behind with two second half goals against Mishawaka Marian in the semistate semifinal on Oct. 23 to give them a 2-1 victory. For the second straight year, the Indians fell to Lake Central in the semistate championship. This time they lost to the eventual state champion Blue Indians 4-0. Keeper Nate Johnston had a great year in the net.
Girls Soccer
After winning the sectional in 2009, the city of Portage had high expectations for the girls soccer team in 2010. Unfortunately, the Indians’ year did not live up to the hype. They suffered a number of heartbreaking defeats, including home shootout losses to Valparaiso and Lake Central. The girls finished the year with a record of 7-11-2, 3-4 in conference action. They lost in the second round of the Portage Sectional against the Chesterton Trojans, who went on to win the regional, by a score of 2-0. Portage beat LaPorte 2-1 in the first round of the sectional behind two goals from Carly Bermes.
Volleyball
The Portage Indians varsity volleyball team made a slight improvement in 2010. They won only nine games a year ago and managed to up their win total to 11 this season. The Indians finished the year with an 11-20 record, 4-10 in the DAC. The JV team went 11-14, while the freshman squad finished 10-15. It was another sub-par year for Portage volleyball, but conference wins against Chesterton, Michigan City and Merrillville provide hope for the future. The Indians got shut down 3-0 in the first round of the sectional against the Chesterton Trojans.
Football
The Indians ended up with a 5-5 record in their first year under head coach Jeremy Flowers. Portage showed some promise throughout the season, but it came up short in a 23-21 heartbreaking defeat at the hands of the Crown Point Bulldogs in the first round of sectionals. The Indians led for most of the game until the Bulldogs scored as time expired for a miracle victory and a story book ending. The two most exciting games of the year for Portage football fans were the 20-14 overtime win against Lake Central on Sept. 3 and the 34-20 upset in Chesterton on Sept. 24. Senior Jake Dixon ran for 378 yards against the Trojans to shatter the school record.