Harrison Phipps and Warsaw will head back to Culver Academy for the regional round of the state tournament among notes from the latest IHSAA minutes. InkFreeNews file photo by Mike Deak

By Mike Deak
InkFreeNews

INDIANAPOLIS – There were some items of local note among the latest minutes from the June 2021 meeting among the board members of the IHSAA.

Cross Country

One minor location change will accompany the 2021 fall cross country season. Culver Academy will handle the regional round for its grouping of teams this fall, a change from Logansport hosting the 2020 regional series. Culver Academy had hosted the sectionals and regionals for several years until last year, where Manchester and Logansport picked up the courses. Manchester will continue to host the sectional, which include teams from Warsaw, Tippecanoe Valley, Lakeland Christian and Triton among others.

Ox Bow Park and Elkhart will continue to host the Elkhart-area sectional and regional, with West Noble taking the east.

Football

A couple area teams will see a change in their sectional brethren. Concord and Goshen will depart from the Fort Wayne area sectional in Class 5-A, and join a more local six-team spread. The RedHawks and Minutemen will join LaPorte, Michigan City, Mishawaka and South Bend Adams.

The local teams remain in its previously announced arrangements. Warsaw stays in a three-team 6-A bracket with Fort Wayne Carroll and Homestead; NorthWood, Wawasee and Northridge remain with its eastern foes including state powers East Noble and Leo; Tippecanoe Valley remains in 3-A with the eight-teamer that includes Mishawaka Marian; and Triton will continue to battle with the eastern powers in 1-A that include Adams Central, Southwood and Northfield.

Random Items

Notes from the minutes included an interesting amendment to basketball.

A running clock could be instituted in basketball for games that have a team take a 30-plus point lead in the first half. The idea was tabled among the meeting and could be revisited at a future date.

The clock shall revert to the regular game timing should the score be reduced to a twenty (20) point lead or less. During running clocks mode, the clock shall be stopped as normal for all time outs and between the third and fourth quarter, as well as free throws during the games final two minutes.

The rule will hold for both boys and girls basketball, and in both the regular season and in the IHSAA state tournament.

Also among the minutes were some facts and figures of note in regards to sportsmanship.

Assistant commissioner Sandra Walter reported the state’s filed exemplary and unsporting reports. The IHSAA had a 45 percent increase in exemplary reports, with over 1,600 sent in, and had a 6 percent drop in unsporting reports, still numbering over 3,000.

Ejections, however, brought on some eyeraising figures. Two administrators were ejected from IHSAA contests in 2020-21, and 83 coaches also saw the door, the coaches a 113 percent increase from 2019-20. Ejected players numbered 336, 25 more than the previous season, and 55 fans were reported as ejected, down 10 from the year before.