Our fourth installment of the Journal Review’s ‘Top Sports Moments of the Year looks back at two teams from the fall and one this winter. Southmont boys basketball has proven they belong. North Montgomery girls soccer had one of the wildest soccer victories of the year over Lebanon. And last but certainly not least, Crawfordsville football won their only game of the season for their friend and teammate in Michael Leak.
Mountie basketball makes history with win over warriors
Southmont boys basketball is currently 7-0 on the season. That mark has only been achieved twice in the past 50 years by any Montgomery County team.
Back on Dec. 10 the Mounties welcome the Warriors and made history with a 64-59 win. The win over Danville marked Southmont’s first win over the Warriors since 1996. The win also made the Mounties record 5-0 for the first time in school history.
Logan Oppy couldn’t be stopped as the senior guard led all scorers with 28 points and six threes.
While the needs to be celebrated and it was, Mountie coach Jake Turner has high goals for his team and knows they can’t be content with that win or their 7-0 start.
“We set high goals for ourselves,” Turner said after the win over the Warriors. “We can just control each day that’s in front of us. Nick Saban talks a lot about the process and it just comes to doing everything right, preparing the right way, and simply working hard every single day. We still have room to grow and have more games to prepare for.”
The Mounties will get back to work next Friday in the annual Sugar Creek Classic with a matchup against the team they just picked up their seventh win of the season against in Western Boone.
Bacon, Engels lead Chargers past Tigers with record setting games
As they were preparing for the post-season, North Montgomery girls soccer still had one final Sagamore Conference matchup left on the season. The Chargers hosted Lebanon and not only won the game 6-4, but made some history along the way in the win.
Journal Review Player of the Year Teegan Bacon broke the single game goals record by scoring all six Charger goals in the win. Those six goals gave Bacon 68 career goals which tied her for the most in school history.
Fellow senior Courtney Engels tied the single game assist record with three also.
The win over Lebanon was the first since 2006 for the Charger program and just second victory in school history.
That win allowed North Montgomery to finish tied for third in the conference which was their highest finish ever and their four wins tied their most wins ever in the conference.
It indeed was a history making night for the Charger girls soccer program.
Athenian football wins only game that truly matters
I got goose bumps writing this one about Crawfordsville football. While the Athenians are still looking to build a culture for their football program, some things are bigger than the sport itself.
Last winter the entire Athenian family lost Michael Leak in a tragic car accident. From then on into the fall Crawfordsville football dedicated their season to Leak who would’ve been a senior captain.
While the season didn’t go the way many CHS players, coaches or fans would have liked, the Athenians pushed all of that aside and had one final game to play heading into Oct. 15 matchup at home with Frankfort.
On what would’ve been Leak’s senior night the Athenians defeated Frankfort 18-8 to snap a 19-game losing streak as they honored their fallen teammate.
Senior Ethan Powell wore Leak’s No. 53 jersey and was a big reason for the Athenian victory.
“Tonight he wore Michael Leak’s jersey and just played exactly like Michael would have played,” Schlicher said of Powell. “He played every play as hard as he could play.”
The win was the only victory of the season for Crawfordsville football, but in the end, it was the only game that truly mattered.
