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MAB MONTHLY August 2014 FREE Annual Region High School Football Preview Duneland Great Lakes Greater South Shore Northwest Crossroads And Independents Plus….. Why am I a Cub Fan? Bears Players Camp IHSAA Basketball Proposal www.midamericabroadcasting.com MAB MONTHLY Page 2 Inside this issue: Athletes of the Month 6 Former Bears Visit Crown Point For Youth Football Camp 8 Duneland Conference Preview 14 Gary, Hammond East Chicago Previews 22 Greater Southshore Conference Preview 28 Northwest Crossroads Conference Preview 34 Rensselaer and North Judson Preview 40 Northwest Indiana High School Football Coaching Changes 42 Did you Know? 40 Why am I a Cub Fan? 44 Baseball Pitching Tips: The Worst Baseball Question on Earth! 54 2014 MAB Football Broadcast Schedule 56 IHSAA Considers Basketball Proposal 58 Did you Know? 58 August Broadcast Schedule 59 P. 44 PP. 14—40 MAB MONTHLY Page 3 Triple Crown All Stars Academy offering: * Professional Pitching and Hitting Instructors * Pitching, Hitting, Fielding, and Throwing instruction * Batting Cage and Pitching Mound Rentals * Great Membership Packages * New Fully Turfed Facility Rental for Team Practices * 2 Buildings. 1 Team Facility and 1 Instructional Facility * Professional Strength and Conditioning, Speed and Agility Training Instructional Facility Team Practice Facility Includes Year Round: Includes Year Round: * Professional Pitching Lessons * A Fully New Astro-Turfed building * Professional Hitting Lessons for Team Practice * Professional Baseball Lessons * 2 Batting Cages with Screens * Professional Softball Lessons * 2 Batter's Box Mats * Batting Cage Rentals * Sliding Mats * Pitching Mound Rentals * Waffle Bases * Jugs Machine with Balls 2208 U.S. 41 Schererville, IN 46375 Phone: 219-864-0711 www.triplecrownallstars.com MAB MONTHLY Page 5 MAB Staff MAB ONLINE MAGAZINE Wow! We owe a big debt of grati- tude to two of our staff writers: Andy Rich Sapper Staff Writer Wielgus and Dan Breed without whom Broadcaster/ Host this magazine certainly would not have Sales Layout & Design come out this month. Andy previewed most of the teams in this issue and Dan Bob Potosky Broadcaster/ Host added a couple of great articles as well! Staff Writer What a great job by these two gentle- men. Andy Wielgus Broadcaster/Host At any rate, this is our favorite Staff Writer time of year and we hope that it is one JT Hoyo of your favorite too. The high school Broadcaster/Host sports season is getting underway with Staff Writer Sales football only a couple of weeks off. The NFL preseason is in full swing and Brandon Vickery Broadcaster baseball pennant races are heating up which is great unless you your heart belongs to a Chicago team! Trisha Madura Staff Writer We hope you enjoy the issue. Sales Please let us know what else you would Broadcaster like to see added to future issues. Brett Hill Staff Writer Sales Contact Information Broadcaster Phone: 219-973-7990 Dan Breed Staff Writer Website: www.midamericabroadcasting.com Sales Broadcaster Also find us on Facebook and Twitter MAB MONTHLY Page 6 ATHLETES OF THE MONTH Written and Compiled by Andy Wielgus MAB Staff Writer Lloyd Jeff Samardzija McClendon Oakland Athletics Seattle Mariners Valpo's Jeff Samardzija is traded by the Chicago Cubs to the Oakland Athletics The Seattle Mariners were 51-43 near the and wins his first start over the Toronto All Star Break and would be a Wildcard Blue Jays 4-2. He was also named to the team in the AL. They are managed by Gary National League All-Star team. Roosevelt Graduate Lloyd McClendon. Alexis Miestowski Abby Kvachkoff Lake Central Crown Point The freshman golfer led her team to the The three sport standout led the Bull- Lake Central Invitational win in girls golf. dogs in basketball, volleyball and tennis and garned several post season acco- lades in each sport. CLEARLY DIFFERENT “You’ve got that Hungry Feelin!” Now Serving Chefs Choice Chef’s Choice Lunch Buffet Mon-Fri 11-2 211 South East St., Crown Point, IN 663-6551 DINE-IN * CARRY OUT * DELIVERY Every day, the Lunch Buffet www.carriagecourtpizza.com includes: Pizza, Salads, Anti-pasta Salads, Soups and all the Fixens! Daily Specials are as follows: Monday……………….Baked Chicken Tuesday…………………………Tacos Wednesday………….Variety of Pastas Thursday…………………….Sausage Friday……………………………Fish MAB MONTHLY Page 8 Former Bears Visit Crown Point for Youth Football Camp By Dan Breed, MAB Monthly Staff Writer MAB MONTHLY Page 9 On Wednes- day, July 30, the Crown Point Sports Complex hosted a one day Chicago Bears Youth Sports Camp for North- west Indiana youths ages 6 to 14. Coaches from all over Mickey Pruitt Talking to a Player Chicagoland lent their expertise and taught Haynes is now based out of Indi- anapolis where he manages the Heads fundamental football skills Up Football program, which provides during the daylong coaching education all across the coun- event. Also in attendance try. Heads Up Football is part of USA Football which is the official youth were 2003 Chicago Bears football development partner of the first round pick (14th over- NFL. all) defensive lineman Mi- Since retiring from the NFL, Haynes returned to school and became chael Haynes and former a certified teacher, as well as a father to Bear linebacker Mickey three young boys. After serving as an assistant principal in Texas, he has Pruitt, who went on to be- since moved to Indianapolis. come an NFL Champion "Being a Bears alumnus, I would al- with the Dallas Cowboys in ways get all these invitations, but the problem was that I was living in Super Bowl XXVII. Texas. But now that I'm living in Indi- MAB MONTHLY Page 10 Michael Haynes Adressing Players and their Parents anapolis, I'm able to get involved with identify locations that are willing to more charity events that the Bears like support us," Haynes said, "We need lo- to do," said Haynes. cations, whether its a school district or With USA football, Haynes is able to a park-and-rec type of facility like this help bring football camps to more out- lying areas that are not necessarily part of a major metropolitan NFL market. "Ultimately, because USA Football is a national giving body, we try to cover coast to coast. We are always trying to MAB MONTHLY Page 11 one. We are a true non-profit, we don't have tons of money to go rent out facili- ties, so we need peo- ple to work with us. I'm very happy that we've found this location (in Crown Point)." With two Mas- ters Degrees, Haynes is a huge advocate of educating players, especially younger players, about the game of football. do now is design camps for younger "If you think about most football kids, because at the end of the day they camps, they are designed for high want to play football, they want to be school and middle school age players," engaged. So we needed to set aside re- Haynes added, "so what the Bears and sources for kids in that age group." a lot of other NFL teams are trying to Mickey Pruitt, a linebacker for Ditka's MAB MONTHLY Page 12 Players Work Through Drills and Receive Instruction at the Camp Bears from 1988 until 1990, echoes Haynes' sen- timents. "Once the game is taught correctly, I think a lot of kids will love playing foot- ball," Pruitt said, "For the younger kids, introducing and teaching fundamen- tals, how to tackle, how to MAB MONTHLY Page 13 Campers Pause for a Group Photo catch the ball, how to run with the ball, More than 80 local football players at- how to throw the ball, that's the main tended the one-day camp. Organizers thing that we come out here to hope to possibly host a five day camp teach: those fundamental drills so kids in Crown Point next summer. can better understand the game." "It went great. I think the kids enjoyed it. It wasn't too rigorous and it wasn't just drills. They got to have fun playing the game, too. It was a great Follow us on Twitter @mabsports day," Pruitt added. MAB MONTHLY Page 14 Duneland Conference Preview By Andy Wielgus, MAB Monthly Staff Writer MAB MONTHLY Page 15 This year the DAC will be an interesting conference due to graduations and transfers. The newer coaches of Enright, McCormick, Coyle, Peterson, Karpinski, and Wells are now DAC veterans with the past coaches of Hoffman, Pettit, Buzea, Snyder, and Yelton now becoming a different era. This year Merrillville returns the most skill players and possibly the best 2 QB's in the region[Wilkins and Atkins] to go along with one of the best receiving groups in the state and Shawn Streck on the Line. Lake Central has a lot of confi- dence and success built up from the Yancey-Robinson era. Look for Brandon Scott to carry the load this year. Crown Point is loaded with Track Speed in the backfield and two of the area's best linemen in Mitchell Kessler and Eric Fiacable to go along with 6'6 Morgan Kral at receiver. Chesterton may have the best backfield duo in Avery Beeks and Tyler Gillespie to go along with the athletic Dilosa's Niles and Jordan. Valpo has a nice duo in the backfield also in Collin Vinyard and Bryce Cook. LaPorte may have the best overall running back in Charles Salary and an upcoming playmaker in WR Gino Francesconi. Michigan City has a lot of talent also coming up from the younger Pop Warner ranks for the future but they do have an experienced QB in Ryan Washington and an experienced defense. All in all I look for this year to be an interesting one with the question yet to be answered in 6A.