Local Sports Headlines: September 6, 2022

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Indiana University Football comes from behind to beat Illinois 23-20
Indiana University Football came from behind Friday Night to beat the Illinois Fighting Illini 23-20 before a crowd of 44,357 at Memorial Stadium to open the 2022 season. Auburn transfer Shaun Shivers scored with 23 seconds to go give the Hoosiers the lead with the Charles Campbell extra point. Illinois had one last chance but when the Illini tried to lateral the ball backwards it hit the ground and the Hoosiers Jaylyn Williams recovered it and the game was over. Indiana has won 16 of 18 season openers, 13-1 since 2002 when opening the season at home and its second win against Illinois in season opener and first since 1959. After a 2-10 season a year ago and winless Big Ten campaign. Head Coach Tom Allen put this win as one of the best he has ever had. “I knew what we’ve been through and what this meant. It’s huge. I know what we went through last year.  “They fought. They battled and battled and battled. This is a big deal. They found a way” Allen Said in the post-game press conference.

Missouri Transfer Connor Bazelak was 28-52 passing for 330 yards with a touchdown and interception and he becomes the first Hoosier quarterback since Antwaan Randle-El in 1998 to throw for over 300 yards in first game wearing the cream and crimson. In the final two minutes, down 20-16 with no timeouts and 75 yards from victory, Bazelak passed the Hoosiers down the field to the Indiana 43-yard line, to the Illinois 37, to the 23, the 14, the 5. After 10 straight passes and seven completions four to D.J. Matthews, three to Cam Camper, Bazelak ran to the 1, then quickly lined up and handed it to Shivers. Shivers left him no choice.  “I got lined up, and I’m not going to lie,” Shivers said after the game, “I told Connor, give it to me. I got it. I see it. I’m gonna score. Give it to me. Give it to me. “He gave it to me. It was a big moment.”

Shivers had 15 carries for 28 yards and the Hoosier running game had just 32 yards on 26 carries for the game. Cam Camper the junior college transfer from Texas had 11 catches for 156 yards and D.J. Matthews Jr. who missed most of last year with a torn ACL had 7 receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown. Charles Campbell kicked three field goals 2 extra points. The Hoosiers did lose starting offensive tackle Matthew Bedford to a torn ACL and he is done for the rest of the season.

Tommy DeVito was 21-35 for 252 yards passing and 2 touchdowns. Gabe Brown ran for 199 yards on 36 carries as the Illini running game had 216 yards on 54 carries, but they were kept out of the end zone. Isaiah Williams had 9 receptions for 112 yards and touchdown. Brian Hightower had 4 receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown, Pat Bryant had 2 receptions for 43 yards and Caleb Griffin kicked 2 field goals.

Indiana’s Defense had four takeaways and a huge goal-line stand gave the Hoosiers one last chance to win the game. “I’m proud of the grit of our defense,” Allen said. “I know the way this game is played now, teams will get yards, but you’ve got to limit them and get takeaways. To hold a team to 20 points is pretty good.” Indiana is 1-0 and will host Idaho Saturday Night at 8 pm in Memorial Stadium with the game shown on the Big Ten Network.

Indiana University Men’s Soccer hosts St John’s
The 11th-ranked Indiana men’s soccer team (0-1-1) will welcome 2021 NCAA Tournament team St. John’s (1-2-0) tonight on Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The match will be streamed live on the Big Ten Plus digital platform with kickoff set for 8pm. Tonight is International Night at Armstrong Stadium, as the IU men’s soccer program and the IU Office of International Services welcome international students to a pregame tailgate beginning at 7 p.m. Additionally, the first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a free Hoosier Army t-shirt.

After Indiana’s Saturday night’s match versus Notre Dame was postponed due to inclement weather the Hoosiers return to action following a week away from competition. IU continues what is now a three-match homestand, with each contest coming against an opponent that reached the NCAA Tournament last season. IU owns a 345-69-50 record all-time at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The Hoosiers are undefeated in 10 straight home matches, going 9-0-1 in that span. Redshirt senior Ryan Wittenbrink has scored two goals in two matches to start the season. Senior Nyk Sessock tallied two assists in IU’s previous match versus Portland.

St. John’s comes into the match with a 1-2-0 record. The Red Storm are fresh off a 5-0 win over Lehigh. In 2021, St. John’s owned an 11-6-3 record and earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Red Storm beat Princeton, 1-0, in the opening round before their season ended at Oregon State via a 2-0 defeat. The Red Storm are led by 32nd-year head coach Dr. David Masur. Masur has compiled a 438-191-99 record at St. John’s. The all-time series record is split at 3-3-2 between Indiana and St. John’s. IU is undefeated in the last three matchups. The last three matches of the series have been defensive battles, with two ending in double overtime, scoreless draws. Their most recent meeting in 2015 ended as a 1-0 win for the Hoosiers. Indiana beat St. John’s in the 2003 NCAA College Cup final for its sixth national title. Longtime IU head coach Jerry Yeagley celebrated the title in his final season as the program’s leader.

Bloomington South wins, Bloomington North and Edgewood fall in Week 3 of HS Football
Week 3 of the Indiana High School Football regular season saw Bloomington South dismantle Terre Haute North 55-7 while Bloomington North lost to Terre Haute South 34-20 Friday Night and Edgewood lost to Peotone Illinois 26-25 Saturday afternoon. This Friday night its rivalry week as city rivals Bloomington South travels crosstown to Bloomington North and Edgewood hosts Owen Valley as the black and blue trophy is on the line. Both games are 7 pm scheduled kickoffs.

The Panthers were led by quarterback Zach David who was 15-16 passing for 262 yards. Ben Morrison ran for 92 yards and 2 touchdowns. Gavin Adams had 74 yards and a touchdown. Lucas Waldon had a rushing and receiving touchdown and Ben Godar blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown. Terre Haute North scored on the first play to start the fourth quarter as Bryson Carpenter found Connor Bray on a 10-yard touchdown pass. The Game was 42-0 at halftime which triggered a running clock in the second half.

Terre Haute South was led by Josh Cottee with 20 carries for 161 yards and 3 touchdowns. Brady Wilson was 14-22 for 220 yards and 2 touchdown passes. Nas McNeal had 3 receptions for 84 and a touchdown while Chris Herrin had the other receiving touchdown and 50 yards receiving. This was Terre Haute South’s largest margin of victory against the Cougars since an 18-point victory in 1988. South’s all-time margin of victory against the Cougars was a 55-point win in 1981 and the first win at Bloomington North since 2018 when it won in overtime.

Peotone came to Ellettsville with a big-time rushing attack and that did not disappoint as Blue Devils carried the ball 57 times for 248 yards. Dawson Piper had 26 carries for 125 yards and Dylan Sorka 62 yards and 3 touchdowns. Sorka had 69 yards receiving and touchdown reception from backup quarterback Ruben Velasco. The Blue Devils had to overcome 5 turnovers as Sorka scored on a 6-yard run with 42 seconds left to take the lead as Mustangs stuffed the run on the two-point conversion. Edgewood’s lone turnover came on the next play when the ball came lose and Dawson Piper jumped on the ball to seal the win for Peotone. Edgewood 130 yards Passing and 111 yards rushing but four big plays for 184 yards accounted for most of the Mustang offense.

Indiana University Field Hockey Goes 3-0 on California Road Trip

The Indiana University Field Hockey Team went 3-0 over the weekend as they completed the California road trip with a 2-0 win at UC Davis Monday afternoon. The Hoosiers beat California 3-2 in overtime Sunday and Stanford 3-2 in overtime on Friday to improve to 3-2 on the season. The Hoosiers will host Ball State on Friday at 3:00 p.m. and a Sunday game vs. Bellarmine at 4:00 p.m.

The Hoosiers struck early with a goal at the eighth minute, off a penalty corner. Freshman Anna Mozeleski scored for the Hoosiers and was assisted by sophomore Sofia Arrebola Garcia and freshman Kylie Dawson. Sophomore Arbella Loveridge made a key save in goal at 25′ to prevent UC Davis from equalizing and keeping the Hoosiers with a 1-0 lead at the half. When UC Davis had another opportunity to tie the game, this time late in the third period, redshirt junior Sydney Keld was there for a defensive save and helped Indiana hold the lead. With just five minutes left in the fourth period, sophomore Kayla Kiwak put the game to rest with a goal to give Indiana some insurance, and a 2-0 lead. Junior Jemima Cookson assisted on the play.

Indianapolis Indians Coverage

Indians Carry Five Game Win Streak into Omaha

The Indianapolis Indians face the Omaha Storm Chasers to start a 7-game series tonight in Omaha. The Teams will play at 7:35pm this evening, a doubleheader starting at 6 pm tomorrow as the second game is makeup from June 5, postponement. Thursday, Friday and Saturday’s games will start at 7:35pm and Sunday’s game is at 3:05pm. Indianapolis has won five in a row beating Louisville on the road 8-7 Friday, 4-1 Saturday and 9-4 on Sunday to improve to 67-60 on the season and have a 26-14 record since the All-Star Break, which is good for the best record in the International League in that span. Omaha comes in with a 61-67 record on the season.

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