WARSAW — Warsaw Community Schools will celebrate the Class of 2025 with a commencement ceremony on May 30 at 7 p.m. at Fisher Field in the Warsaw Community High School Tiger Athletic Complex.

The ceremony is expected to last approximately 1-1/2 hours. Regardless of whether the event is held indoors or outdoors, each senior will receive eight tickets for family and guests.

To provide families with certainty in planning, there will not be a predetermined rain date. Instead, school officials will assess the weather forecast 48 hours before the event. If inclement weather is anticipated, the ceremony will be relocated to the Tiger Den on May 30.

Further details regarding graduation logistics and ticket distribution will be shared in the coming weeks.

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WARSAW — Join us for Tuesday's Band Winter Showcase at 7 p.m., in the Warsaw High School Tiger Den.

The evening will feature the Varsity Winter Guard performing its competition show, the Junior Varsity Winter Guard presenting its show routine as well as performances from the Winter Percussion and the Jazz Band.

Don’t miss this incredible celebration of music, movement, and percussion artistry!

The post WCHS Winter Showcase Tuesday at the Tiger Den appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

MISHAWAKA —  Warsaw coach Bart Curtis called it “an avalanche of things” that Penn inflicted upon his visiting Tigers in Friday night’s Class 6A sectional championship that the Kingsmen won 31-10 at Freed Field.

A variety of things, like a rapid-quick Penn touchdown on the ground after Warsaw went three-and-out on its first series; later a slick Penn touchdown through the air; and later still a touchdown off an interception; but besides all that, some plain crazy things in that avalanche as well.

Foremost was when the Kingsmen’s Dominic Bonner picked up a ball that Penn had just punted — one that went untouched by Warsaw — and raced all the way to the end zone for what officials signaled as a touchdown, leaving some on both sidelines scratching their heads.

The bizarre TD was ruled as such because the ball, off the popped-up punt, was picked up, the officials decided, on the Kingsmen’s side of the line of scrimmage, which was the Tiger 37. A punt is a live ball for either team short of the line of scrimmage.
That made the score 21-3 midway through the third quarter and Warsaw never fully recovered.

“The rule was interpreted correctly,” Curtis said. “Even if the ball crosses the line of scrimmage and comes back, it can be advanced by either team — as long as the whistle doesn’t blow. Our kids thought they heard a whistle, but this is a really good crew and they vehemently said they got together and made sure nobody blew a whistle. So, live ball. I didn’t do a good enough job preparing our kids for that situation, but it was certainly unusual.”

[caption id="attachment_85228" align="alignright" width="350"] Warsaw junior Ethan Egolf puts on the brakes while trying to elude the tackle of Penn's Taylor Bauer. Photo by Gary Nieter[/caption]

Warsaw junior Ethan Egolf puts on the brakes while trying to elude the tackle of Penn's Taylor Bauer. Photo by Gary Nieter

The No. 11 Tigers (9-2) closed with their best winning percentage since 2001.

The No. 8 Kingsmen (10-1) will host No. 4 Crown Point (11-0) in next week’s regional.

“There really was an avalanche of things that happened, that we didn’t react well to, but Penn made them happen,” Curtis said. “That’s how they play. They wait for you to mess up. Now, we’re not gonna throw that pick six if we’re not already down three scores, but they’re just a good team, a team that can score and a team that is really, really good defensively.”

The Kingsmen went into the game with six shutouts in their last seven outings, including blankings in each of their last four.

Quarterback Nolan McCullough raced for a 53-yard touchdown on the hosts’ third play from scrimmage for a 7-0 lead.

Warsaw kicker Mason Smythe ended Penn’s shutout string with a 46-yard field goal early in the second quarter to close the Tigers to within 7-3.

“I felt pretty good about 7-3 at the half,” Curtis said. “The only thing I didn’t like is we could’ve made it 7-6 or even (gone up) 10-7 (before halftime) if we don’t get a 15-yard penalty.”

Warsaw had gained possession at the Kingsmen 43, but a personal foul on an illegal block turned a first-and-10 into a first-and-24 on a drive that went nowhere.

Penn drove 80 yards on nine plays to start the third quarter, capped off by McCullough’s third-and-13 slant pass to wideout Elijah Coker for a 37-yard TD and a 14-3 spread.

Then came Bonner’s wacky TD, then came the pick six Curtis referred to, on the first play of the fourth quarter, a 48-yard score by linebacker Maverick Brown.

The Kingsmen added a field goal late in the final period, before the Tigers finally found the end zone with 2:56 remaining on sophomore Quinton Brock’s 74-yard touchdown burst along the left sideline.

\Brock finished with 88 yards on four carries.

Senior fullback Reed Zollinger had 43 on 13, while junior quarterback Drew Sullivan closed at 38 yards on 12 keepers.

Both of Warsaw’s lone two passes were intercepted, the other one snagged by Vince Horner for Penn. The Kingsmen finished with three takeaways in all and no giveaways.

Senior defensive end Isaac Beam turned in a monster game for the Tigers, getting in on at least five tackles for loss or no gain.

“He may be undersized, but in my opinion, he’s one of the best defensive lineman in Indiana,” Curtis said.

The coach, his players and assistants engaged in some extended hugging after the game was over.

“I’m really proud of this group,” Curtis said, “because this season could’ve gone a different way. We won a lot of tight games. We gotta get better at some things and at how we respond when things don’t go how we want them to go, but it was a great season and I’m so darn proud of these seniors.”

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By Baylen Hite
News Now Warsaw

Throughout the season, Death Valley Football has completed a series of goals: Beat their rival Rochester, takedown state power West Lafayette, and navigate an independent schedule littered with first time opponents on their way to an undefeated season.

What's left out there? Well the answer is easy but maybe more complicated than it seems.

For the Vikings postseason success hasn't been easy to come by. Death Valley hasn't won a sectional since 1992. The last time they got further than a sectional was 1979 which happened to be the last time they won it all.

Aiming for a state championship might be a little bit advantageous for a program that hasn't gotten there since the late 70s. Anybody who has been around this team, though, knows how they feel about their chances.

Bottom line is this team has what it takes to spend the holiday weekend in Lucas Oil Stadium. Friday night represents a monumental challenge against the most decorated high school football program in Indiana.

Bishop Chatard has won a state best 16 state championships. Just how good have they been in the postseason? Chatard is 28-1 in sectional openers since 1994. Their only loss came to Roncali in 2000. Not a single player stepping foot on the gridiron on Friday night was born the last time that happened.

Let's break down what the Vikings need to do to win on Friday night and make a little history along the way.

Forget the Rankings

Everyone across the state seems to forget Valley is the 3rd ranked team in the state, according to the AP Poll. Most of the pundits haven't even given the Vikings a fair chance. While Chatard deserves every bit of respect across the state, Valley deserves some as well.

No one outside of those halls in Akron believed they would be able to handle themselves outside of the Three Rivers Conference. Well, look where they are now. Their record is unblemished and they're a top-three team in the state.

Despite that No. 3 attached to their name, it seems like not many are predicting this game with such implications. Valley must use the same mentality getting ready for this game. Just like those across the state, toss out the rankings and remove them from the equation.

Pressure, Pressure, and Pressure

While both teams will be under pressure for obvious reasons. This type of pressure must be applied at the line of scrimmage.

Throughout the season, Valley has been able to pester opposing quarterbacks, racking up 26 sacks and 60 tackles for losses.

It will be up to the Vikings to get through an offensive line that averages 251 pounds and 6'3. That's the largest O-line by average that the Vikings have faced all year. The second closest in size was Culver Academy. In that matchup Tippecanoe Valley tallied 8 sacks. Even half as many as that would be more than Chatard has given up all season long.

If the Vikings can chase down Chatard quarterback Aiden Arteaga, they should be in prime position to move on to the second round of sectional play.

RTB (Run The Ball)

Death Valley's identity all season long has been predicated on running the ball. Through nine games, they are averaging 319.4 yards per game on the ground. What's even more impressive has been their balanced approach.

While Nate Parker racked up 1,155 yards in seven games, he has been out since week 7. Wyatt Hart, Brandon Stiles and Dalton Alber have kept the train rolling.

Hart carried the load a week ago, carrying the ball 18 times for 183 yards and four touchdowns. All of those were career highs for the junior.

Dalton Alber returned to his pre-2023 form running the ball. In two games, Alber has been the goal line workhorse. The former fullback has tallied 15 carries 74 yards and 5 scores in two weeks.

Regardless of who runs the ball Friday night, they will need to match the team's season average to control the game and the possession. If they do it could be the difference between a win and a loss.

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WARSAW — In a heart-pounding matchup that kept fans on the edge of their seats, Warsaw clawed back from a tied game with Northridge in the third quarter, 10-10, to secure a victory in the fourth.

This epic clash was huge for Northern Lakes Conference implications, as the game ended in a 24-10 Tiger victory, giving Warsaw a share of the conference title.

Head coach Bart Curtis was pleased with his team’s win.

“[We’re] excited that our kids got to hold a trophy at the end of the game,” Curtis said after being asked about the pressure of winning the conference.

“it's been a long time coming," he added.

The game started with Warsaw winning the toss. Soon the Raiders began to gain a few yards on the Tigers but were stopped and tackled by Nathan Rosas and pressured by Isaac Beam.

As Northridge began to press in on the 15-yard line, they gained a few yards and soon hit the 9-yard line, running for a touchdown and ending the first quarter with a 7-0 lead.

As the game progressed into the second quarter, both teams demonstrated their offensive prowess and defensive tenacity.

Both teams struggled to get anything going on either side of the 40 but Warsaw took a chance and Mason Smythe made a 36-yard field goal, changing the score to 7-3.

The Tigers then began to give Northridge some trouble as Cohen Heady and Daylor Vilamaa accompanied Nathan Rosas on the tackle to stop the Raiders from progressing further along the field.

Not long after that, fullback Reed Zollinger found the end zone for the first time in the game on a 40-yard carry to give his team a lead just before halftime.

This resulted in a nail-biting third quarter that locked the teams in a 10-10 tie after the Raiders kicked a field goal. The Tigers began by catching the first kickoff by the Raiders and going toward the 20-yard line. Drew Sullivan picked up some speed and carried the ball a bit farther gaining some yards for Warsaw.

Sullivan ran for 36 yards in the game.
The Tigers took the field at the beginning of the fourth quarter with a renewed sense of purpose and determination. Isaac Beam, a senior on the Warsaw Team said, “I was hyped up, we could not lose, it was senior night.”

The fan-cheering moment that put the game in the Tigers' hands was when Reed Zollinger began to gain several yards in benefit for Warsaw.

But, the excitement was short-lived as the tackles from the Raiders began to rain down.

But, that didn’t stop the Tigers as Zolllinger ran 4 tight yards, flipping the score to 17-10 and changing the tide for the rest of the game.

Warsaw would not trail again.

Warsaw got one final score in the fourth quarter as Zollinger scored his third of the game on a five-yard run.  The senior finished with 211 yards on the ground. The dramatic comeback in the fourth quarter was a great example of resilience, grit, and unwavering determination from the Tigers and will be remembered for future co-conference matches.

The Tigers will be off next week before hosting Carroll for their sectional opener on Oct. 27.

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WARSAW — Warsaw Community Schools is alerting the public to a temporary change in the use of the high school front entrance on SR 15 that will continue through early August.

Due to ongoing construction and paving work on the front entryway, WCS requests that motorists limit their use of this entrance and instead use Logan Street as an alternative route.

The temporary change is necessary to ensure the safety and smooth progress of the front entry construction project.

[caption id="attachment_80606" align="aligncenter" width="962"] The prefered temporary route into the Warsaw Community High School campus is on Logan Street, highlighted in yellow. photo provided.[/caption]

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