Sectional Preview: 29
The coming high school season is almost upon us. With that, we are taking a look at each Sectional in the state. Starting with 64 and ending with 1. Today, we are previewing Sectional 29.
Batesville (12-11) – Lost 1st Rd. Sectional
This Batesville program has been one of the better ones in 3A but the last couple of years they have been trying to build things back up a bit. They still have a little work to do. This past season was a step in the right direction as they were in on a lot of close games that they ultimately lost. However, losing to 3-win Rushville in Sectionals was not how they thought they would finish their season. Expectations are a bit higher this season and they could be in on some more games and maybe flip things around this year. Wouldn’t expect another down season but could compete for a Sectional Championship if all goes well early on.
Franklin County (11-12) – Lost 1st Rd. Sectional
It has been a while since Franklin County was really competitive in this Sectional. They only have one Sectional win in the last 14 years. However, they are coming off a season in which they won 11 games and only lose one senior to graduation. They are as lined up as they have been in quite some time and with some other programs down this year, they could find themselves with a chance to compete. Their biggest issue is the lack of size they have on their roster. They will need to find some creative ways to get past that but the opportunity is there for them, more so than in the past 14 years or so.
Greensburg (17-7) – Lost Regional Semifinals
Greensburg has been the one opponent every team in this Sectional has had to get through. They have won this Sectional the last six years and they are setup to be the best team yet again. They have a ton of young talent on this roster but they are getting early playing time and experience. They have guys like Mason Mcleod, Drew Comer, and Andrew Welage with incoming freshman Lane Sparks set to have an impact as well. This could be the start of another big year for this group with a chance to go beyond Sectionals again.
Lawrenceburg (19-7) – Lost Sectional Finals
For Lawrenceburg, the last three years have been better than the four that came before that. They have been building up under head coach John Blackwell and they are set to be competitive again this season. While they lose outstanding senior Jordan Houze, they bring back Curtis White, and talented sophomore duo Jason Morton and Gavin Yoon. If, and a big if, those young players can make an early impact, this team could continue their trend but they are trading out a lot of seniors for some young guys in a Sectional that is pretty tough. It is hard to see which direction they go until maybe a few games in but they have the talent on paper to win some games.
Madison (7-17) – Lost Sectional Semifinals
Madison is heading in a new direction after a tough season last year. They pick up former Renssalaer Central coach Mark McFarland and look to gain some steam back. This Madison program has always been middle of the road or better, not many times do they have down years. However, a new look will help but it may take a year or two to get there. The Sectional is tough and their schedule has a really difficult back half to it. Early in the year they should look fine but after the start of the new year it will be much more difficult.
Rushville (3-21) – Lost Sectional Semifinals
Rushville has only won 10 games combined the last two season, three of them coming just last year. Now, they have a roster where most of their size is returning along with their top scorers from last season. The problem is they were a very low scoring team, only averaging 44.7 points as a unit last year. They will need a lot of guys to step up. They should be better, on paper it seems like they should. But like Madison, their schedule is really difficult as they have teams like Morristown, New Castle, Northeastern, Beech Grove, and Greensburg all in the second half of the season.
South Dearborn (5-19) – Lost 1st Rd. Sectional
For the better part of a decade, South Dearborn hasn’t won more than 10 games in a single season. It was 2010-11 since they won 15 games and their last Sectional game. You have to go all the way back to 1994-95 to see South Dearborn be really competitive. With this Sectional the way it is, they should struggle again to put up many wins and come late February, they would need a little luck on their side in order to get a pair of wins in this Sectional.
Contenders For 2017-18: Greensburg, Lawrenceburg, Batesville
Prediction: Greensburg
Player to Watch: Andrew Welage (Greensburg)