The Opening Drive: Week 3

“The Windup:” “The Opening Drive” Week 3 Script

We start “The Windup” today with a brand new edition of our “Opening Drive” segment.  This is where we highlight some of the sport stories making news in the Grant County area. 

High school soccer leads off the drive today as Eastbrook High School is taking the next step in getting the school’s soccer program moving in the right direction.  During Monday’s school board meeting, the board named Adam Hallis and Rebecca Shrontz the first ever high school soccer coaches for the boys’ and girls’ programs respectively.  Eastbrook Athletic Director Brad Yordy says he was pleased with the number of applicants for the new positions and is happy with the decision the school board made.  Hallis played soccer for the Indiana Wesleyan University Wildcats from 1998 to 2001.  He helped the team to one conference regular season and one conference tournament title during his 4-year tenure.  Shrontz played high school soccer at Argos High School as a four-year varsity soccer player and then played at Southern Indiana University during her college years.  She is hopeful to gather enough interested members to put a spring team together in the near future. 

In women’s college basketball, the Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats and Taylor Trojans continued a tough stretch in Mid-Central College Conference play this week.  For our friends in Upland, Taylor defeated Mount Vernon Nazarene University, 64 to 55, on Wednesday for the team’s 3^rd straight win.  Junior Forward Erika Redwiek scored a career-high 22 points while Sophomore Guard Kelsey Bryan added 19 to seal the win.  Taylor improves to 16-and-7 overall, and 6-and-5 in MCC play.  Meanwhile, the #1 IWU Wildcats traveled to Winona Lake to play the Lancers from Grace College.  Both teams struggled offensively as both shot under 33-percent for the game.  Juniors Paige Smith and Claire Freeman led the Wildcats with 10 points a piece but it wasn’t enough as the Lancers upset IWU, 41-to-39.  IWU falls to 21-and-2 overall, and 10-and-1 in Mid-Central College Conference play.  Both teams will be back in action tomorrow as Taylor will host Bethel and the Wildcats will travel to Mount Vernon Nazarene with both games tipping at 1 p.m. 

We end the drive today on a somber note as many local racers are mourning the loss of Jim Hullinger.  The 86-year-old constructed the Bunker Hill Drag Strip in Miami county way back in 1956.  The track was the first permanent drag strip in the state.  Racer Hal Canode participated in events at Bunker Hill for over 30 years and says Hullinger treated all racers fairly and was an all-around great guy.  The Chronicle-Tribune reports Hullinger’s funeral will be 11 a.m. Monday at the Allen Funeral Home in Bunker Hill.  From all of us at “The Windup” and 94.3 the Fortress, our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of an Indiana racing legend Jim Hullinger.

That does it for the drive today.  Make sure you listen for the Fortress Sports Update airing throughout the week updating you on all the local Grant County high school sporting events.  

(Many thanks to our friends at the Chronicle-Tribune for all the hard work they do in covering all things Grant County sports.)