Week 8 Reflection

It's hard to believe that another week of this crazy fall semester is in the books...but it is. 

The big thing that I'm keeping a close eye on the next couple of weeks is how our local high school football teams do in the state tournament.  As you could see from earlier posts, Eastbrook and Madison-Grant lost in 1st round match-ups.  Not to sound selfish here...but I need some teams to keep winning.  This week there are still 3 remaining.  The bad thing is they are playing teams that should beat them because they are stronger, have a better team, or other sporting reasons.  This is nothing against our teams!  But, if they lose, the next couple of shows could be interesting as I attempt to determine guests for each show.  You see, high school basketball doesn't start until close to Thanksgiving...and this is only the end of October.  See the break?  This was something I wasn't planning on happening so...let's go county teams! : )

The biggest lesson learned this week = plan ahead.  If the show is continued in the spring (which I hope it is), then I'm going to try and put together a calendar of guests for each week so that I know where I'm going and can plan interviews ahead and what not.  I think this would be a fantastic idea.

We only have about 3 episodes left as I plan to end Season 1 before Thanksgiving so I can finish things up with this senior project.  Keep checking the blog for more updates!  This is one busy blog!

Hours Update:
Hours This Week: 9.5 hours
Total Hours This Semester: 91 hours (67.4% complete)
Minimum Hours Remaining: 44 hours
I still have 3 full weeks of episodes (9-11 hours aka 27-33) which would leave me about 10 hours or so in the 2 weeks or so leading up to presentation.  I'm concerned to say the least...but I think I can still get it.

The Opening Drive: Week 8

Welcome to “The Opening Drive!”  Here we take a look at the sports stories making news in the Grant County area this week…let’s get started.

The Madison-Grant Argyles Volleyball team gave the Wapahani Raiders all they could handle on Tuesday but came up short losing in 4 matches.  The win gave the Raiders a spot in tomorrow’s semi-state match in Bremen. Madison-Grant lost the first two matches by scores of 25-23 and 25-13 but won the third game of the match by the score of 25-17.  The Class 2A #2 Raiders were too much for the Argyles in the fourth and clinching game winning by a score of 25-14.  The loss snapped the Argyles 24-match winning streak as well.  Madison-Grant finished the year with an impressive 32-and-4 record and ranked #7 in the Class 2A IHSAA Volleyball polls. 

In college soccer, the Mid-Central College Conference tournament will get underway this weekend on both the men and women’s side.  The Indiana Wesleyan Men and Women’s team made the tournament as the #6 seed in each field.  The I-W-U men will play at Spring Arbor in their quarterfinal match at 7 pm Saturday.  The women will be playing at Mount Vernon on 2 pm Saturday.  As for the Taylor Trojans, the men and women’s team also made the 8-team tournament.  On the women’s side, the 7^th-seeded Trojans will play at Grace College at 1 pm Saturday.  Meanwhile, the Taylor Men’s team is the #1 seed for the tournament and will host the Mount Vernon at 1 pm on Saturday.  The men’s team is looking to win its first MCC Postseason Tournament since 1997.

While the NBA may not be making much progress toward the regular season, college basketball is about to be in full swing and some local teams have high expectations this year.  On the men’s side, the I-W-U Wildcats claimed the #2 spot in the preseason N-A-I-A Division II basketball preseason poll.   The Wildcats are coming off a 28-8 record last year and a trip to the N-A-I-A Division II National Quarterfinals.  The Taylor Trojans on the men’s side did receive votes but did not make the top 25.  On the women’s side, the I-W-U Women claimed the #3 spot in the preseason poll.  The Taylor Trojan women also received votes but didn’t make the top 25.  The regular season for all 4 of the local teams start next week.

That concludes our Opening Drive Segment.  Remember to listen for the Fortress Sports Update each week where we keep you in the know of all the local sporting events in the area. 

Week 8 Podcast Now Live!

After a great week of sports including the World Series, another episode of "The Windup" on 94.3 the Fortress is complete!

The guest this week was Mississinewa High School Football Coach Curt Funk.  We had a chance to talk with him about his team's season, their sectional semifinal match against Western, and other Grant County schools.

Missed the episode or want to hear it again?  The podcast is now live!

Listen to it here: "The Windup:" Season 1, Episode 8: Mississinewa Football - Sectional Semfinals

Next week's guest is still up in the air at this point as we are waiting to see how our Grant County schools do in sectional action.

Interview Questions for Mississinewa's Curt Funk

Week 8 of "The Windup" is in full swing as we prepare for the sectional semifinals in the IHSAA state football tournament.  This week's guest is Mississinewa Head Football Coach Curt Funk whose team is headed to Western to play the 8-2 Panthers in the Class 3A Sectional 19 semifinals.

Make sure you check out the show this Friday, October 28th at Noon for the full interview with Coach Funk!

“The Windup:” Week 8 Interview Questions for Mississinewa’s Curt Funk

I.                    Last Week’s Game

a.      Your team had a 21-6 lead at one point but Maconaquah never let up offensive and clawed back into it.  How was the opponent able to do this when it seemed your team had control of the game?

b.      Penalties were huge throughout this game.  There was a roughing the kicker call against your team that let Maconaquah escape a 4^th and a mile situation.  Maconaquah committed an unsportmanlike conduct penalty and pass interference that led to a touchdown for your team.  What can you attribute to why so many penalties occurred in the game?

c.       What kind of impact does this win have on your team as you prepare to play the 8-2 Western Panthers tonight?

II.                  This Week’s Game

a.      Let’s talk a little bit about this Western team – the same team that knocked you out of last year’s sectional playoffs.  What’s the game plan to defeat the Panthers on their home turf?

b.      After starting 7-0, your team loses two tough games to Eastbrook and then Madison-Grant.  Some people believed that your team was headed down the wrong road.  How did last week’s sectional win swing things back in the right direction for the Indians?

c.       This week is also fall break for the students of Mississinewa High School.  How has this impacted the team’s preparation and what have you done differently this week compared to others?

III.                Other Grant County Teams

a.      The Marion Giants are hosting a 10-0 Leo team that is ranked #4 in the IHSAA Class 4A poll for its sectional semifinal.  Let’s put yourself in the shoes of coach Randy Sehy.  As a 5-5 team, how would you prepare to host an undefeated team that is ranked highly in state?

b.      The 7-3 Madison-Grant Argyles do not catch a break either as they are on the road against an undefeated Churubusco team ranked #6 in Class 2A.  I looked back at Churubusco’s schedule and they played and defeated a class 4A school earlier in the year.  In your opinion, how much does strength of schedule in the regular season (small schools playing big schools idea) affect how you play in the postseason? 

c.       I’m going to give you the airwaves for this question.  As coach of the Mississinewa Indians, what would you like to say to the fans, family, and friends of the Mississinewa community for their support this season?

IV.                NFL/College/National Football News

a.      Week 2 of the Bowl Championship Series, also known as the BCS, standings was released earlier this week with LSU at #1, Alabama #2, and Oklahoma State #3.  What’s your thoughts on this system and how it is used to determine who should play for the national championship.

b.      Week 8 NFL Pick’em – Coach vs. Tim – 3 Top Games:

                                                              i.      4:05 p.m. Sunday – 5-2 Lions (lost 2 in a row) at 2-4 Broncos (Tim Tebow Comeback Kid) – Who do you think might win this one…the Lions or the Broncos?

1.      I’m going to go with an upset special on this one and the Broncos.  Matthew Stafford was a little banged up last week.  Tim Tebow is a beast.  Broncos win.

                                                            ii.      4:15 p.m. Sunday – 5-1 Patriots (Coming off Bye) at 5-2 Steelers (handled Cardinals last week) – Who ya got…the Patriots or the Steelers?

1.      I’m going to go with the Steelers on this one primarily because of the game being in Pittsburgh.  Big Ben is getting back to his usual form and the Steelers fans are crazy at Heinz field.  Steelers win.

                                                          iii.      8:20 p.m. Sunday – 3-3 Cowboys (Demolished Rams last week) at 2-4 Eagles (coming off bye) – Who is getting the W…the Cowboys or Eagles?

1.      I think with the extra week to prepare gives the Eagles the advantage.  They start to pick up steam on their season and defeat the Cowboys this week.

Fortress Sports Update: Week 8

Welcome to the Fortress Sports Update for the week of October 24th.  This is where we bring you a look at the week's upcoming high school sporting events.  I'm Tim Decker.

On Monday, October 24th -  
There are no scheduled high school sporting events on this day.

On Tuesday, October 25th -
The 40th annual I-H-S-A-A Volleyball State Tournament continues with regional action.  The 30-3 Madison Grant Argyles are the remaining team in the tournament representing Grant County.  They host Wapahani at 7 pm.

On Wednesday, October 26th -
There are no scheduled high school sporting events on this day.

On Thursday, October 27th -
There are no scheduled high school sporting events on this day.

On Friday, October 28th -
The 39th annual I-H-S-A-A Football State Tournament continues with the sectional semifinals.  Here are the match-ups for the 3 remaining Grant County Schools:
In 4A, Leo is at Marion - 7 pm
In 3A, Mississinewa is at Western - 7 pm
In 2A, Madison-Grant is at Churubusco - 7 pm.
Eastbrook and Madison-Grant have already been eliminated from the tournament.

On Saturday, October 29th -
If the Madison-Grant Volleyball team wins in regional action Tuesday, then the Argyles would play in the Bremen Semi-state starting at 11 am.

Dates and times of  these events are subject to change.  Always contact your local high school for more information on specific events. This has been your Fortress Sports Update for the week of October 24th.  I'm Tim Decker wishing you a fun and competitive week!

Week 7 Reflection

Another week of "The Windup" is in the books and as we start to turn toward the 2nd half of the semester, I'm doing all I can to balance this senior project, other classes, and personal life commitments.  It's starting to get really crazy and I know that I'll be able to continue to get things done...I'm just going to have to cling to God more as my primary source of strength.

This week was a special one for me personally as part of "The Windup."  The guest was Grant County Sports Broadcaster and Radio Legend Jim Brunner. 

First off, I was not sure that he would even want to do it.  I sent him an email prior to this week's episode to see if he was interested and boy was he!  He loved the opportunity to help out a student trying to put a radio career together and received it with arms wide open.  That was a huge relief for me but then made me a little more nervous.  This was a radio guy I've been listening to in Grant County for over 12 years and I loved hearing his morning sports update for local high school sports as I was preparing for school.  I obviously wanted to make sure I prepared well, listened to the interview well, and executed well. 

The interview went very well and from what he shared with me, was impressed with the professionalism of the interview, the show itself, and what I was trying to do here on 94.3 the Fortress.  He even wants me to send in my resume to Hoosier AM/FM to have a source for future job opportunities.  I couldn't be more speechless.

This week's episode was arguably the best to date.  Praise and glory be to God for giving me this awesome opportunity, gift, and experience.  This is really been an amazing semester and we just passed halfway!

Hours Update:
Hours This Week: 11 hours
Total Hours This Semester: 81.5 hours (60.3%)
Minimum Hours Remaining: 53.5 hours 
I still should be on pace but I'll be keeping things close when it comes to hours.  I still have 4 shows left this semester which will average about 10 hours per week.  And as I continue to catch up on things regarding the blog, presentation, portfolio, and everything else.  I should be able to pick up the remaining 15 hours or so.  

Week 7 Podcast Now Live!

Is it just me or was the sunshine poking through today?  What an incredible change that is!  Now, only if temperatures above 60 degrees would return.  I'm not getting my hopes up.

Anyways, the week 7 podcast of "The Windup" is up live now!  If you didn't get a chance to catch the show or want to hear it again, then follow the link below!

"The Windup:" Season 1, Episode: 7: Jim Brunner's Sectional Preview

Jim Brunner was amazing and I couldn't be more thankful for him coming on the show.  Next week's guest is still up in the air as we are waiting to see how our local teams due in round 1 of sectional action tonight. 

Have an amazing weekend!

The Opening Drive: Week 7

Welcome to “The Opening Drive!”  Here we take a look at the sport stories making news in the Grant County area from this past week…let’s get started.

In Cross Country, three county teams will be participating in semi-state meets tomorrow.  The Oak Hill Boys team along with the Eastbrook Panthers Boys and Girls Cross Country teams will run for a chance to make it to the state finals.  The Oak Hill boys will run at New Prairie High School starting at 10:30 am.  This is the seventh trip to the semi-state round in the past eight seasons for the Golden Eagles and Coach Paige Brunner. On the boys’ side for the Panthers, sophomore Josh Neideck won the race for both the sectional and regional meets.  The two Eastbrook teams will run at New Haven High School starting at 1 pm tomorrow. 

In men’s college soccer, the Taylor Trojans are celebrating their first Mid-Central College Conference Regular Season Championship since 1997.  With Wednesday’s two to nothing win over Indiana Wesleyan and Bethel’s loss to Goshen on the same night, the Trojans claimed the outright championship.  Taylor improved to 7-0-1 in conference play this year and 15-1-1 overall.  The win was also the first for Taylor over Indiana Wesleyan since 2001. Taylor’s next game is later this afternoon at 4 pm against Goshen in Upland. 

In high school football, the 39^th annual Indiana High School Athletic Association State Tournament begins tonight.  All 5 Grant County teams will be in action in the first round of sectional play.  The Central Indiana Conference Champion Madison-Grant Argyles will host Oak Hill in the only intra-county match-up.  Yorktown will be at Eastbrook High School tonight to take on the 6-3 Eastbrook Panthers.  Maconaquah will host the 7-2 and reeling Mississinewa Indians and finally, the Marion Giants are at Jay County.  All games have a 7 pm start except the Marion/Jay County game which starts at 7:30 pm.

That concludes our Opening Drive segment.  Make sure you listen for the Fortress Sports Update airing throughout the week that gives you a glimpse into the week’s upcoming high school sporting events.  For WIWU sports, I’m Tim Decker.

Interview Questions for Grant County Broadcaster Jim Brunner

So, I had the opportunity to interview local sports broadcaster Jim Brunner this week for "The Windup."  Brunner has been covering Grant County High School sports since 1971...which is hitting the 40 year mark this year.  He currently works at Hoosier AM/FM in Marion.  Here are some of the questions we covered in his interview:

(Make sure you check out the show this Friday, October 21st at 12 pm!)

The Windup: Week 7 Interview Questions for Jim Brunner

I.                   Career and Background

a.       For those of us who don’t know a lot about you, can you give us a glimpse into the career and life of Jim Brunner?

b.      40 years in Grant County radio.  What kind of thoughts run through your head when you hear that kind of stat?

c.       What attracted you to stay in Grant County?

d.      What do you believe makes high school sports so popular in Grant County?

II.                Previewing Sectional Match-ups for County Schools

a.       4-5 Oak Hill Golden Eagles: They will be playing on the road this week at Madison-Grant – a Grant County Sectional Match-up.  What does Coach Bud Ozmun need to do to upset the Argyles on the road?

b.      6-3 Madison-Grant:  Now the Argyles are just coming off the big victory over Mississinewa last week to claim the Central Indiana Conference Championship – what do the Argyles need to do to prevent a let-down from happening? 

c.       7-2 Mississinewa Indians: What a past couple of weeks for the Indians.  The team goes from fighting for an undefeated season to losing a conference championship they had right in their hands.  How do you see Mississinewa responding in their sectional opener at Maconaquah – a team they beat earlier in the year?

d.      6-3 Eastbrook or 9-0 Eastbrook depending on how you look at the season: They host a Yorktown team this week.  How has Jeff Adamson year after year been able to get this team ready to make a deep postseason run?

e.       4-5 Marion Giants: It’s been an up and down year to say the least for Randy Sehy’s team.  They are on the road at Jay County for the team’s sectional opener.  You focus a lot on the Marion Giants.  How does this team compare to others and what kind of sectional run do you see the team having?

f.       Which team do you see making the most noise for Grant County this year in the state tournament?

III.             NFL Talk

a.       We always like to end these interviews with a pick’em game – here are 3 big games for Week 7 in the NFL:

                                                              i.      1 p.m. Sunday – 3-3 Falcons at 5-1 Lions – Who ya got in this one?

                                                            ii.      1 p.m. Sunday – 3-3 Bears at 4-2 Bucs – Who ya got?

                                                          iii.      8:20 p.m. Sunday -0-6 Colts at 4-2 Saints – Who ya got?