There was plenty of excitement throughout the 2012 Portage High School fall sports season. With four new head coaches, two teams reaching the sectional championship, one team qualifying for the state meet and one team putting together a surprising second half, there was plenty of good news for PortageLife to cover within the PHS Athletic Department this fall. Let us take a look back at some of the achievements by Portage athletes this fall.
Portage Athletic Director Kelly Bermes adjusted to her new role quickly as she guided eight varsity teams through a strong season. Click here to read our Portage Life in the Spotlight article on Bermes, here to check out our profile on assistant athletic director Todd Strom or here to take a look at the article on athletic secretary Diana Rivera.
Girls Golf: 3rd in the Sectional
Under the direction of first year head coach Tim Kunstek, the girls golf team was able to make a regional appearance and finishing in third place in the Valparaiso Sectional. Three sport athlete Mackenzie Barcelli finished up her strong golf career, while first time golfer, senior Haley Hodges earned Academic All-State honors.
Boys Tennis: 2nd in Sectional
There was no shortage of storylines for the boys tennis season as head coach Gary Hayes went out in style in his final season at the helm. Hayes has stepped down from his boys tennis position to focus on his duties as the Griffith basketball coach. He led Portage to a 16-3 mark and a second place finish in the season. The Indians lost to Valparaiso in both meetings between the two rivals, including a tightly contest 4-1 match in the sectional final. CJ Haupt and Chris Klenk went 24-1 at No. 2 doubles, while senior Jeff McElfresh stepped into a leadership role as the No. 1 singles player.
Click here for photos from Portage’s regular season match against the Vikings!
Boys Cross Country: 2nd in Sectional
The boys cross country team’s season was halted in semistate as Portage finished in tenth place and missed out on a spot in the state meet. However, a strong group of underclassmen will return next year including juniors Dustin Balboa, Anthony Best, David Clegg and Jacob Theilbar and freshmen Tommy Martin and Nick Solis. Expectations will be as high as ever for the always strong Indians cross country program.
Click here for photos from Portage’s meet against Valparaiso and Merrillville!
Girls Cross Country: 3rd in Sectional, 21st in State
The Portage girls cross country team was the last fall squad left standing when it wrapped up the 2012 campaign by placing 21st in the state meet on Oct. 27. An underclassmen-filled squad led by freshman Kyra Ball and junior Paige Pizer finished fourth in the sectional, fifth in the region and sixth in the semistate to advance to the state meet.
Click here for photos from the Chesterton Sectional, or click here to read about the semistate performance that allowed the lady-Indians to advance to state.
Girls Soccer
Head coach Ashley Severs took the initial steps to rebuilding the girls soccer program by playing an underclassmen filled varsity roster, which managed an upset win over Michigan City and an additional victory over Hobart on Senior Day. Senior Nicki Monahan closed out a strong soccer career by scoring five times to lift the Indians over the Brickies.
Boys Soccer: 2nd in the Sectional
The boys soccer team saw its season come to a close with a record of 9-8-1 after a 2-0 loss to Valparaiso in the sectional final on Oct. 6. Seniors Alex Becker and Logan Cole were impact players all season long, while junior Nate Johnson and freshman keeper Cody Simmons are among the key players that are expected to return next season.
Click here for photos from the match against the Vikings!
Volleyball: Reached Sectional Semifinals
Perhaps the most intriguing story of the 2012 fall season was the second half turnaround of the varsity volleyball team. Portage was suddenly competitive against the likes of Valparaiso, Chesterton, Crown Point and Michigan City. The lady-Indians topped Hobart in four games in the sectional opener before a sectional semifinal match rally came up just shy as Portage lost in five to Michigan City on Oct. 20.
Click here for photos from Portage’s senior night match against Michigan City!
Varsity Football
Former Portage football player and well-respected Northwest Indiana football coach Wally McCormack returned to his alma mater to take over the Indians this fall. Senior captain Rashaan Coleman was in the limelight all year long as the leader of an offense that was potent at times during the season. Junior quarterback Gage Pearman quickly settled into his role under center, while senior Diondre Griffin came up with big interceptions to lift Portage to conference victories over La Porte and Michigan City.
Click here for photos from the football team’s senior night win over La Porte!