You can see the sled’s path in the snow (Photo provided by Fishers Fire Dept)
Sledding is a favorite activity this time of year with the amount of snow we have on the ground in and around Fishers. The Fishers Fire Department is using this Saturday morning experience of one Fishers family as a lesson in safety.
According to a Facebook post from local firefighters, a 4-year-old child sat down on a sled at the top of an incline and the child began sledding down the hill before the parents could react. The sled carried her onto a retention pond. According to the Fishers Fire Department, the ice did not crack.
The parents did the right thing by not trying to walk onto the ice, but called fire officials, who arrived and safely brought the 4-year-old back to safe ground. “Firefighters reported hearing the ice “pop” as the rescuers weight was placed on the ice but again, luck held that the ice could support the weight,” the Facebook posting said.
The fire department is crediting the parents for doing the right thing and not trying to walk on the ice themselves.
Fire officials have this advice for situations such as this. “As temperatures rise over the next few days, the ice likely won’t continue to support weight. Please keep your children away from retention ponds. The risk is just too high.”
Hamilton Southeastern’s Mabor Majak (50) and Fishers’ Jeffrey Simmons (33) had dominant games for their teams, with Majak getting a doubledouble of 16 rebounds and 10 points, and Simmons leading all scorers with 22 points. Also pictured for the Royals is John McCall (32). (Reporter Photo by Kirk Green)
by
Richie Hall
Sports Editor
Hamilton County Reporter
Once again, the annual Mudsock boys basketball game lived up to the occasion.
Fishers held off a fourth-quarter comeback by Hamilton Southeastern, then made its own comeback in overtime to score its second consecutive Mudsock trophy. The Class 4A No. 8 Tigers won 54-51 Friday at the Royals’ gym, keeping their record unbeaten at 7-0.
It was the second overtime game of the evening, as the Fishers junior varsity team won its game 42-39, also needing an extra period. That was followed by a Unified game between the Tigers and Southeastern, so it was a night filled with exciting basketball from start to finish.
The Royals provided the excitement in the fourth quarter, as they rallied from a 38-28 deficit to force overtime. John McCall started the run by scoring on a floater, then Elliott Robinson made two free throws to cut the Fishers lead to 38-32.
The Tigers still led 41-37 with under four minutes left. HSE’s Mabor Majak drained a pair of free throws, then tied the game on a layin. Fishers responded when
Justin Long hit a 3-pointer to get the Tigers back on top, 44-41.
Vinny Buccilla’s basket brought the Royals back within one, then Charlie Smith extended the lead to two, 45-43, with a free throw at the 1:28 mark.
That would be the last point until Majak scored on a rebound basket with under 10
seconds left to tie the game at 45-45.
Southeastern was in control during the first part of the OT, with Sam Jacobs
and Buccilla both making layins and Majak hitting a free throw to put the Royals
up 50-45 halfway through the period.
But Fishers would finish the game on a 9-1 run. Sophomore Jeffrey Simmons
threw in a 3 to cut HSE’s lead to two, then Simmons converted a traditional threepoint play to give the Tigers a 51-50 lead.
Buccilla tied the game with a free throw, but Charlie Smith put Fishers in front for
good with a layin. The Tigers held the lead from that point forward. Dominic
Castellani finished it off with a free throw.
“I thought our guys, in the moments where we were back against the wall, they made the play they needed to make,” said Tigers coach Matt Moore. “Justin hits a big 3, Dom gets a big steal, Isaac (Farah) gets a steal, Jeff hit some shots. It just shows the character and the poise that these guys have and that’s something that is fun about them. You’re never down and you’re never out.”
Fishers led 9-8 after the first quarter and 22-17 at halftime, with Simmons scoring nine first half points. The Royals took a 24-22 lead with 4:55 left in the third quarter after Buccilla drained a 3-pointer. But Simmons tied the game with a layin, and that started a 16-6 run
that lasted into the fourth period.
Simmons scored 22 points to lead all scorers, with Smith adding 12 points.
Both players collected seven rebounds as well. Isaac Farah handed out four assists.
Buccilla led Southeastern with 17 points, while Majak earned a double-double of 16 rebounds and 10 points. Robinson had two blocked shots.
“They won the toughness battle the first three quarters,” said Royals coach Brian Satterfield. “In the fourth quarter, we won the toughness battle and it allowed us to get back in the game and get into overtime.” But the coach said his team “had too many errors and you got to give them credit.”
The undefeated Tigers are off until next Friday (Dec. 27) when they play at
the Bedford North Lawrence tournament.
Southeastern is 3-4 and will next play on Monday, Dec. 30 when it hosts Pendleton
Heights.
The Fishers Tigers pose for a photo with the Mudsock Trophy
A Mudsock game is always more than a sporting event, it is a community celebration. Unfortunately, at the end of the game, someone has to lose and their celebration ends. But even with that, most people in and around Fishers enjoy taking in the Mudsock contest, be it football or basketball.
The HSE High School gym was filled to capacity with Tiger and Royal fans Friday night. The basketball game itself was one of the best I have seen in some. time. Both teams had their surges during the game, but it ended in a 45-45 tie, so an overtime period was tacked-on to determine the winner. The Tigers held on for a hard-fought 54-51 win.
Several local TV stations were on hand for live broadcasts during local newscasts. Lots of other sports media paid a visit to the HSE gym.
Here are a few photos from the 2019 boys basketball Mudsock Game:
The County Commissioners have approved an amended sign ordinance that should help eliminate confusion between similar ordinances in Hamilton County’s cities and towns.
In a unanimous vote, the commissioners passed Amended Ordinance No. 11-25-19-A at the Dec. 19 meeting. The amended proposal prohibits the placement of all non-public safety signs within public rights-of-way in the unincorporated areas of Hamilton County, along roads and bridges maintained by Hamilton County, and on land owned by the county.
“When it comes right down to it, this is really a matter of safety,” says Steve Dillinger, President of the Commissioners. “Poorly placed signs increase visual clutter, distract drivers, and make it difficult to obey street and traffic signs.”
Hamilton County streets are defined in the new ordinance as all public streets within the unincorporated area of Hamilton County, 146th Street east from the Boone County line to Marilyn Road, Campus Parkway east from Marilyn Road to the Interstate 69 bridge, Olio Road from 96th Street north to, and including, the roundabout at Campus Parkway, and any bridge of over 20 feet in length located within Hamilton County other than bridges over I-69, U.S. 31, State Road 37 and Keystone Parkway.
“It can be difficult to know where the city limits begin and the county limits end,” Dillinger said. “That’s why we’ve been working with the cities to create an ordinance that will work for all of us. Fishers, Westfield and Noblesville plan to adopt similar amendments at upcoming council meetings. Carmel’s current ordinance is nearly identical to this one.”
Traffic, utility and construction signs approved by the Board of Commissioners or the Hamilton County Highway Department are not prohibited by the new ordinance, as are signs placed on private property with the consent of the property owner. Signs found to be in violation of the ordinance will be collected and taken to the Hamilton County Highway Department. They can be retrieved for $3 for each sign of six square feet or less and $15 for each sign larger than six square feet. Fees help cover the cost of trucks and crews used to collect the signs. If the signs are not collected before June 30 or Dec. 31 of each year, the signs may be destroyed.
The sign ordinance will be enforced starting Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020. Copies of the ordinance are available in the Hamilton County Auditor’s Office. A copy will also be posted at hamiltoncounty.in.gov.
(NOTE: This is a commentary written by Fred Swift of the Hamilton CountyReporter. The views expressed are those of Fred Swift and do not necessarily reflect the views of LarryInFishers.com. This opinion piece is posted here as part of a partnership between the Reporter and LarryInFishers.com)
These are financially good times for Hamilton County government. According to County Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt in a recent mailing to voters, the county has an unobligated cash balance of $56.3 million, which is likely more than any other county in Indiana.
County officials have done a great job of financially providing for the services residents want and need without excessive taxes. But, in one recent instance they have not done what they could do to save our citizens money.
It’s a little complicated, hard for the public to understand, and that’s probably the way some in this story wanted it.
The county wants to hold on to the $56 million, saying they have needs for State Road 37 cost overruns, partial payment for a parking garage, etc. But, that does not add up to the $56 million.
So, some county officials encouraged city and town leaders to increase the Local Income Tax to pay for the Emergency 911 Communication Center. That’s because the larger cities were paying a disproportionate share of the $9 million annual 911 cost, a third of which is paid by state-collected cell phone taxes. Ever-increasing county revenue could pay for it. And, why shouldn’t it be county funded? After all, 911 communication workers are county employees working in a county facility. And, if the worst happened, a tiny increase in countywide property taxes could cover the needs. So, most of the cities and towns adopted a resolution to enact a local income tax increase of 10 percent. In an ironic twist, since the county council did not vote on this tax, their members can say they did not vote to increase taxes.
The Local Income Tax next year will rise from one percent to 1.10 percent, which amounts to about $17 million. That doesn’t sound too bad, and maybe few taxpayers will notice this increase each year. But, it is the principle of the thing that matters and the fact that only half that amount will be needed. And, it may not be the last increase. (If Marion County’s Red Line mass transit system is a success, look for local officials to push for another increase to help fund expansion of the Red Line into Hamilton County.)
In October, a resolution calling for the increase, apparently drafted by the Town of Arcadia, was circulated to the county, town and city councils and sold on the argument that fairness was the issue and everyone should pay their share. And, everyone involved wants to keep an effective 911 system, as we all do.
As a result of the increase, the small towns’ budget makers are off the hook for paying toward 911 communications, the larger cities like Carmel, Fishers and Noblesville, won’t have to contribute to 911, and instead can direct the money to other uses. And, county government doesn’t have to face financing the operation countywide in their budget.
So, it seems there is something for everyone, except the taxpayer. And, many of the taxpayers do not know what happened because the matter saw little to no debate or publicity.
As stated earlier, the amount is not large for any one taxpayer, but there is a lesson here. It’s well to watch what officials are considering and demand information regarding true needs for tax revenue because this kind of issue could soon arise again.
Fishers improved to 13-0 for the season with a 59-42 win over Pendleton Heights Thursday at the Tiger Den.
Class 4A No. 4 Fishers got off to a fantastic start, leading 21-7 after the first quarter. The Tigers cruised to a 39-18 halftime lead, then led 50-28 after three quarters.
Katie Burton led Fishers in scoring with 24 points, also making four steals. Katie Howard added nine points, with Audra Emmerson contributing eight points and Tamia Perryman scoring six points. Lydia Stullken had five rebounds.
The Tigers will host 4A No. 6 Hamilton Southeastern Saturday in the Mudsock game.
Fishers Junior High teacher Mike Fassold has won another Indiana Middle School state championship with his We The People team. The We The People competition is all about knowledge of law and the U.S Constitution.
The team is preparing to compete in the national finals. However, that means a trip to Washington DC, and that’s where you come in. The team needs donations for the trip to the nation’s capital.
The Fishers Junior High School “We The People” team is asking for donations to pay for the trip to the national finals.
If you would like to support the team, you can easily do so on the Go Fund Me page at this link.
While in the holiday spirit, take a moment to support these young people competing at a high level of competition based on their civic knowledge.
Noblesville High School hired Dave Sharpe as its new head football coach at the Noblesville Schools board meeting on Tuesday. Sharpe was the defensive coordinator at Hamilton Southeastern this past season and previously served as head coach at La Porte and John Glenn. (Reporter photo by Jeff Jellison)
by
Richie Hall
Sports Editor
Hamilton County Reporter
A young coach is ready to take the Noblesville football team back to the old school.
Dave Sharpe was hired as the Millers new head football coach Tuesday during
the Noblesville Schools’ regular board meeting. Sharpe’s tenure as coach officially
begins in January, but he is already preparing for the new job, and was talking with
some of his future players minutes after his hiring was made official.
“It’s a big small town,” said Sharpe. “And I like that in a school. It’s one big high
school right in the middle of the community.”
Sharpe spent the 2019 season at Hamilton Southeastern, where he served as the
team’s defensive coordinator. As a result, he has first-hand knowledge of the Hoosier
Crossroads Conference, which he said “is as good a conference as there is in the entire
Midwest, so we’re going to play some great competition.”
“There’s no bad teams,” said Sharpe. “Every week anybody can beat anybody.
The rosters are so big, everybody’s too platooned. It’s a level playing field for most
schools in the league.”
“Coach Sharpe has a great football pedigree and 14 years of strong, successful
coaching experience,” said NHS Athletic Director Leah Wooldridge. “He knows
we’ve been a team in transition and he’s committed to bringing stability and leadership to build our program. His focus on kids and his great football mind will be huge
assets. I’m excited to see what we can accomplish together moving forward.”
Sharpe’s football pedigree comes from Jimtown, as he is the son of legendary
Jimmies coach Bill Sharpe, who compiled a 288-54 record in 28 seasons (1980-2007)
and four state championships (1991, 1997, 1998 and 2005). Dave Sharpe graduated
from Jimtown in 2000, then attended Purdue University, graduating from there in
2004 with an education degree. He will teach physical education at Noblesville High
School.
Dave Sharpe began his career as an assistant for the Jimmies, first under his father,
then for current coach Michael Campbell, who took over in 2008 after Bill Sharpe
retired. Dave Sharpe’s first head coaching job was at John Glenn, where he went 13-9
in two seasons.
In 2015, Sharpe became the head coach at La Porte – another “big small town.” In
four seasons with the Slicers, Sharpe compiled a 26-17 record, including a Duneland
Conference championship in 2016.
“My vision for Noblesville is to be the polar opposite offensively,” said Sharpe.
“We’re going to go incredibly old-school. We’re going to go double tights. We’re
going to go a full house T offense, and we want to be the oddball in the league. With
everybody going to a full spread offense, we’re going to give opponents something
that they only get to prepare for once a year.”
Sharpe said his plans for the next couple weeks include getting to know his players and to “continue to evaluate the kids from the game films that I just inherited.” His
top priority is to hire a coaching staff. “And then just setting the groundwork of what
we envision the program with going forward,” he said.
Council President Rich Block awarded for his years of service to the city by Mayor Fadness
December 16th marked the last Fishers City Council meeting for 2019, but it also was the final session for three key Fishers leaders. Council President Rich Block, Council Vice President Eric Moeller and Deputy Mayor Leah McGrath will all be moving on in 2020.
Rich Block and Eric Moeller lost their re-election bids in the 2019 general election. Leah McGrath is leaving for a job in the private sector, at Knowledge Services, a technology firm. She has also announced her intention to run for a seat in the Indiana House of Representatives.
Mayor Scott Fadness presented each of the three with a remembrance of their time with the city in a City Council ceremony.
As a reporter covering Fishers as both a town and a city since 2012, I can say all three have made major contributions to the community we call Fishers. Whether you agreed or disagreed with their decisions, they all had the best interests of the city, and its residents, at heart.
Eric Moeller served on both the town and city councilsDeputy Mayor Leah McGrath was appointed to that post just a few months after Fishers became a city
The Fishers City Council was clearly split on a rezone of about 5 acres of land just east of State Road 37 near 141st Street Monday night, but the council, at the request of the petitioner, decided to delay action on the request.
The Woods of Britton Apartment complex was eyeing the 5 acres adjacent to the development for expansion, constructing more apartment buildings. The Woods of Britton currently contains 500 apartment units.
Councilor Todd Zimmerman first came out against the proposal, saying Fishers has only one chance to develop the State Road 37 corridor commercially. His fellow council members Cecilia Coble, Eric Moeller and Selina Stoller all voiced their opposition to the rezone request. With four “no” votes on the record before the final vote (5 votes would defeat the proposal), Attorney Steve Hardin, representing the owners of Woods of Britton, suggested his client would be willing to withdraw the proposed rezoning, as council members mull over the issue, delaying consideration.
The council then voted 9-0 to continue consideration of the rezoning.
