The 5 best sports stories of 2019
From Chesterton to Andrean to Doolin, the 5 best stories of 2019
Looking back on the five best stories I covered in 2019:
1. The Chesterton boys basketball team’s 35-30
victory over Valparaiso in a Class 4A sectional final was a nightmarish ending for the Vikings and an enduring, sweet memory for the Trojans.
This was a Rudy moment for Chesterton, which had lost to the Vikings by 38 points two weeks earlier. The Vikings had crushed their first two opponents, Merrillville and Kankakee Valley, by a total of 68 points. The Trojans had played a tough game against Michigan City the night before the championship.
Chesterton got into the Vikings’ heads early and never left. Brandon Newman, who averaged 28 points, was held to 9. He was 2-of-13 from the floor. The Vikings made 9 of 36 shots.
It was the first sectional title for the Trojans since 1987. The shock and disbelief from the Viking players was in full view as they exited the floor. Chesterton will remember that one
forever.
2. Andrean’s first state title in basketball concluded a remarkable, breathtaking, unexpected run.
The 59ers started the season by losing four of their first seven games. There was nothing early in the season that pointed to them beating Linton-Stockton 59-54 for the Class 2A state title. Before sectionals started, Andrean lost to Munster by 19 points.
But the 59ers were the cardiac kids, beating Bowman in the second round of sectionals after trailing by 10 points; beating Marquette by a point in regionals; and winning its semistate against Frankton in double overtime.
The 59ers seemed like they were a year or two away from contending for a state title. They had a core of four sophomores: Nick Flesher, Ben Jones, Kyle Ross and Deshon Burnett. John Carrothers, a senior, was the heart of it. It was an early gift for the 59ers.
3. Northwest Indiana football teams had an unprecedented collective run: I started the season with the expectation, that aside from Valparaiso, football was down in the area. I was wrong. Four teams — Andrean, Hobart, Merrillville and Valparaiso — made it to semistate. That’s the first time that has happened since I started writing for the Post-Tribune in 1997.
All of their stories were remarkable. The 59ers had to cobble together an offense for eight weeks after its most explosive player, Flesher, a junior wide receiver, broke his collarbone. He returned for most of the playoffs and helped them win. Merrillville, two years removed from a 1-9 season, went to its first semistate since 2012.
Hobart went to its first semistate since 1996. And the Vikings made it to their first state final since Jeff Samardzija helped them get there in 2001.
4. Washington Township’s Randy Roberts reached the Class A state final for the first time in his 24 years as its baseball coach. So what if the Senators lost the championship game to University? Sometimes, particularly in high school sports, it is about moral victories and getting there.
This wasn’t the best team Roberts had. He said he had “four teams that were legitimate state title contenders” that didn’t make it. But Roberts finally got to the big game. Here is hoping it’s just the beginning. 5. Seeing the end of Michael Doolin’s remarkable run, I don’t think there will ever be a better high school pitcher in Northwest Indiana. Doolin finished 34-1 for Andrean, and he pitched the 59ers to two state titles.
No disrespect intended, but the 2019 state title team wasn’t nearly as good as the 2018 team from a position standpoint.
This was mostly about Doolin, who was 6-0 in the playoffs. Doolin allowed one run and struck out a Class 3A state-record 15 batters in a 2-1 victory over Edgewood for the 2019 title.
Andrean coach Dave Pishkur expects Doolin, who is at Vanderbilt, to pitch in the major leagues.