Local Sports Headlines: January 12, 2022

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Georgia Beats Alabama for College Football National Championship in Indianapolis
Georgia Beat Alabama 33-18 in the College Football National Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis Monday Night. Alabama beat Georgia in the SEC Championship Game December 4 in Atlanta 41-24 ending Georgia’s hope of a perfect season. Georgia gets the last laugh winning its first National Championship since 1980 and its 3rd overall with the other coming in 1942.

Georgia ends the year 14-1 and Quarterback Seston Bennett completes a remarkable story winning a national championship at his dream school. Bennett a Blackshear Georgia native walked on at Georgia and then left to play at Jones Community College in Mississippi. and was offered a scholarship by Georgia head coach Kirby Smart and came back and worked his way to being the starting quarterback and winning the National Championship. Bennett was 20-30 for 313 yards and 3 touchdowns. Bennett had a fumble in the 4th quarter that gave Alabama the lead back but Bennett responded In the final minutes with 2 touchdown passes and defense returned a Bryce Young interception for a touchdown.

Alabama ends the year at 13-2. The Crimson Tide had won seven in a row in this series since 2008. Head Coach Nick Saban who has won 6 National Titles since 2009 is now 25-2 all time against his former assistant with both losses coming this season. Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher who was Saban’s Offensive Coordinator at LSU won 41-38 at Texas A&M October 9. Smart was an assistant coach under Saban at Alabama.

Alabama led 9-6 at Halftime with 5 field goals in the first half between the two teams. Zamir White scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to make it 13-9 Georgia with 1:20 left in the 3rd quarter. Alabama scored a field goal and touchdown but missed a two-point conversion to make it 18-13 with 10:14 left in the game. Georgia re took the lead with two Stetson Bennett touchdown passes to Adonai Mitchell and Brock Bowers to make it 26-18 with 3:33 left after a failed two-point conversion. Alabama was driving inside the final minute when Heisman Trophy Winner Bryce Young was intercepted by Kelee Ringo who took it back 79 yards for a touchdown with 33 seconds left to give Georgia the win. Bryce Young was 33-57 for 369 yards 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions.

Indiana Men’s Soccer Goalkeeper Roman Celentano Selected 2nd Overall in MLS Super Draft
Indiana Men’s Soccer Goalkeeper Roman Celentano has been selected 2nd overall by FC Cincinnati in Major League Soccer Super Draft that was held Tuesday afternoon.  Ben Bender a Midfielder from Maryland was selected Number 1 overall by expansion team Charlotte FC.

Celentano announced last week that he signed a Generation adidas contract, allowing him to forgo his remaining eligibility with IU and enter the draft. A two-time All-American, Celentano became the first-ever repeat Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year after earning the awards in back-to-back seasons, 2020-21 and 2021. He is also a two-time Top-Drawer Soccer Best XI first team and Big Ten All-Tournament team selection and earned the 2020 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Tournament honor.  Owning a career 37-10-5 record while allowing just 33 goals in 52 matches, Celentano finishes as the NCAA’s active career leader in goals against average (0.619). He also ranks #2 in save percentage (0.831) and No. 3 in solo shutouts (28). Celentano led IU to two Big Ten championship doubles during the 2019 and 2020-21 seasons and a runner-up finish in the 2020 College Cup.

At Number 2, Celentano ties the highest pick in program history with former teammate Jack Maher, picked by Nashville in 2020, and Nick Garcia, selected by Kansas City in 2000. Celentano is the third goalkeeper ever drafted in the first two picks of the draft, and the highest since eight-year veteran and two-time MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Andre Blake went No. 1 overall to the Philadelphia Union in 2014. American international Brad Guzan is the only other top-two selection.
 
Celentano’s selection marks the fifth straight season a Hoosier has been selected within the top 10 picks of the MLS SuperDraft, following Josh Penn (2021), Jack Maher (2020), Griffin Dorsey (2019), and Mason Toye (2018). Combining 45 draft picks and eight homegrown contracts, 53 total Hoosiers have been selected into MLS. The first Indiana goalkeeper to earn a first-round selection, Celentano is also the fifth IU goalkeeper selected all-time and the first since Luis Soffner in 2013. 

Friday’s Edgewood-Owen Valley Boys Basketball Game Postponed
Friday’s Edgewood-Owen Valley Boys Basketball Game Scheduled for this Friday at Patriot Hall in Spencer has been Postponed due to COVID-19 Concerns within the Owen Valley Program. The Teams normally play at JV Doubleheader the night before which was scheduled for Edgewood this Thursday and the Boys JV Game has been Postponed. The Varsity Doubleheader was schedule for This Friday. The Edgewood and Owen Valley Girls teams will play a Junior Varsity/Varsity Doubleheader this Friday at 6pm in Spencer.

Edgewood Girls Basketball beat Monrovia 63-30 Monday night on Senior Night in Ellettsville. The Mustangs honored Twins Carly and Claire Sherfield, Zoe Powell, Shayla Chambers, Cara Clark, Trista Helms and Student Manager Bella Miles. Edgewood is 16-4 on the season and averages 47.2 points on offense and give up 32.6 points on defense. Owen Valley is 9-11 on the season after a 58-26 win at home against Clay City Monday Night. The Patriots average 39.5 on offense and give up 43.8 on defense.  

Edgewood Boys are 6-7 on the year and scheduled to play at Greencastle Saturday Night. Owen Valley 3-5 and has 3 games wiped out this week due to COVID-19 Protocols. The Patriots Game Last Night at Northview, Friday Night’s game with Edgewood and Saturday Night’s game with Clay City all postponed. Last Friday’s Game at Cloverdale was postponed due to COVID-19 concerns within the Cloverdale program. Owen Valley’s next game is now scheduled for January 28th at North Putnam.

Sunday’s Indiana-Purdue Women’s Basketball Game to Air on Fox Sports 1
Sunday’s Indiana at Purdue Women’s Basketball game will be aired on Fox Sports 1 at 2 PM. The Game was originally to be on Big Ten Network Plus but because of games getting postponed and canceled due to COVID-19 Issues around the country that are on National Television the game was moved to a timeslot that could be filled by a game that was postponed.

The Hoosiers will have made 6 National Television Appearances before the Purdue Game. The Hoosiers played Kentucky, NC State and Maryland on the ESPN Networks at Home and the Hoosiers beat Kentucky and Maryland and Lost to NC State. The Hoosiers won at Home against Penn State and on the road against Ohio State on the Big Ten Network.

Indiana was to play on Fox Sports 1 at Rutgers December 30th but that was postponed. Indiana will host Nebraska tomorrow night at 6pm on the Big Ten Network.  Indiana Remains 6th in the Associated Press Poll and moves up to 5th in the Coaches Poll.

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