What’s recently happened?
While the doors to Lake Central High School have closed for the summer, the Lake Central Baseball Team made history with its postseason run. For just the second time in school history, the Indians traveled down to Victory Field in Indianapolis to compete in the 4A State title game.
This team ended its regular season 24-9 and finished third in the Duneland Athletic Conference. The team’s road to the final game was a hard fought effort and one that shocked many people. Losing a tough Semi-state match-up against Penn High School in 2023 followed by nine dominant seniors graduating is a test to the hard work put into making this year's dreams become a reality.
Swiftly defeating the Munster High School Mustangs, Merrillville High School Pirates, and Hobart High School Brickies to be named sectional champions was just the start for the Indians. The team then traveled to Gary SouthShore RailCats U.S. Steel Yard stadium to shut out the Chesterton High School Trojans for a Regional title.
Adding more mileage, the Lake Central baseball team competed to bring home hardware. The group defeated the Westfield High School Shamrocks and Homestead High School Spartans at Loeb Stadium in Lafayette, Indiana. The team made their final stop in the heart of Indiana, Indianapolis, where the boys beat the Mooresville High School Pioneers.
The game went 12 innings, which is the most in Indiana High School Athletic Association history. The Lake Central Indians defeated the Mooresville High School Pilgrims 2-1. Huge efforts were made by Seniors Griffin Tobias and Blake Sivak on the mound along with the game-ending walk off walk in the 12th inning given to Quinn O’Bryan.
The team along with fans celebrated into the midnight hours of Sunday, June 16. For just the second time in school history, the Indians traveled back to St. John, Indiana as State champions.
What’s coming up?
Pete Koulianos, who was recently named the head coach for the Lake Central Indians football team, is hosting a kids football camp. In efforts to teach little kids about the sport of football, this camp is designed to allow little kids to understand both the offensive and defensive sides of football.
The camp is occurring from June 24-27. Third through fifth graders are asked to attend from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., and sixth through eighth graders are expected to attend from 1:45 p.m. to 3 p.m. Since the camp is taking place on the turf football field, it is advised that members taking part in the camp should wear athletic gear and gym shoes or rubber spikes.
The cost is $85. To register, you simply select the grade level of the child participating and choose your payment plan.
This kids camp along with the many others hosted by a variety of Lake Central sports teams are a great way for young athletes to get involved with high school coaches, players, and staff before they enter high school. With temperatures rising and school out for the summer, this is a perfect way to get outside and stay active.
For additional information you can visit the lakecentralcamps.com website or email Pete Koulianos at pkoulian@lcscmail.com.
Community member spotlight:
The Lake County CornDogs are an independent collegiate baseball league that belongs to Legacy Fields in Crown Point, Indiana. Playing roughly 42 games a season, The CornDogs give collegiate players a summer league to utilize its talents and compete against players committed to all different levels of play.
Ralph Flores, the majority owner of the CornDogs, started this organization three years ago and has been a driving force to the team's recent success in the community. Before baseball, Flores gained extensive experience working in the sports industry.
“Many years ago I was a basketball agent where I would help players who weren’t good enough to play in the NBA but could go overseas and play professionally,” Flores said.
From deals in Africa to Europe, Flores has always helped young athletes achieve their goals. Although for him being an agent ended around 2005, he knew there would always be an itch to get back into the sports world.
“As I was getting older I thought I better do this quickly, so I decided to look into some different arenas as far as getting back into sports. Having a collegiate summer baseball team was something that really appealed to me so I decided to move forward. That’s something we did in 2022,” Flores said.
Looking outward, there’s something for everyone to enjoy while going to a CornDogs game. This was a main goal for Flores.
“What I enjoy most about being a part of the Lake County CornDogs is what we bring to the community. There isn’t a day that goes by where we have a game and a community member says thank you. It makes me feel good,” Flores said.
From on-field activities for little kids to official brewing from Off Square Brewing, there is a huge effort to make sure the sense of togetherness in Crown Point doesn’t get lost. Outside of the many hours spent at Legacy fields, Flores owns and operates his own independent insurance agency called the Flores Insurance Group. Two very separate but busy gigs require some decompressing.
“I like to spend time with my family, we like to travel. I also like to golf so I spend a lot of time golfing with friends, overall just enjoying life,” Flores said.