by

Craig Adkins

Hamilton County Reporter

When Fishers took the short road trip north to Noblesville for their Week 3 matchup,
they were focused on one thing and one thing only and that was getting their first
victory of the 2017 season. That’s exactly what the Tigers did with a convincing 29-0
shutout of the host Millers.

The two Hoosier Crossroads Conference rivals traded punts after going three-and-out
on both of their first series of the night.

After a short punt from Jack Knight, the Tigers had a short field, starting their drive
at the Noblesville 39 and it didn’t take long for them to get their first score in two weeks.
Quarterback Joe Vore made it look easy, finding Isaiah Dunnuck for a 10-yard touchdown
pass with 5:21 left in the first. Fishers attempted a 2-point conversion, but the run
by Collin Statz was stopped by the Miller defense, putting the Tigers up 6-0 early.

Another three plays and a punt by Noblesville gave the ball back to Fishers at
the Miller 40, but three plays later, Fishers gave it back on an interception by Austin
Bridenthal.

Noblesville was starting to move the ball a little, but tailback Christian Collier
coughed up the ball just into Tiger territory at the Fishers 47.

Fishers took over after the fumble and marched down the the 20 before Vore found
Statz for a 20-yard TD pass. The two-point pass was incomplete and Fishers held for a
12-0 lead.

Head coach Rick Wimmer seemed pleased with his team’s effort throughout,
despite current injuries and having to play a number of underclassmen.

“Vore had a little bit of a rocky start. He threw a pick early, but he threw the ball well
and the receivers did a good job of getting it,” Wimmer of his poised junior signal
caller.

“I thought our offensive line did a good job with protection and a pretty good job of
run blocking,” Wimmer continued on his O-line helping Vore have a good night
behind center.

The Tiger offense would tack on another score before half. It was Dunnuck again
from his tight end slot, catching a 17-yard pass from Vore. This time they would opt
to have Ben Norton boot the PAT that would account for the halftime score of 19-0.

The Millers received the second half kickoff and seemed to be an energized group
on offense, that is until the Tigers’ Seth Sontich intercepted a Noblesville pass.

In Fishers’ next series following the Sontich pick, the Millers forced the Tigers
to punt, but only to get it back on the punt.  The ball bounced and hit a Noblesville
player and Fishers recovered the ball at the Miller 18. Noblesville’s “D” stepped up and
forced a field goal attempt from 33 yards away, but it brushed the right upright and
was no good.

“Our defense played steady all night,” Wimmer on his defense having a great night
in the shutout.

He was exactly right about that.  After the missed field goal, defensive end Daniel
Amadi grabbed an INT of his own and ran it clear down to the Noblesville 25.

The Tigers would get their lone rushing score with sophomore, workhouse tailback
Geoffrey Brown carrying the ball over the goal line for a six-yard touchdown to make
it a 26-0 margin.

Noblesville had plenty of opportunities, but kept shooting themselves in the foot.

The Millers tried to get into some sort of rhythm offensively, but every time things
were going right, Fishers’ “D” came up big and made the plays necessary to get the
stops.

The Tigers “D” forced Noblesville to turn the ball over on downs twice in the
second half; late in the third and early in the fourth.

Following the latter, Fishers was in prime shape to score again, but a little better
play defensively kept the Tigers to a 26-yard field goal off the foot of Norton that would
ice it for the final of 29-0.

“When you look at tonight, I’d say it was a team loss, especially offensively and
defensively,” Noblesville head coach Jason Simmons on his team’s disappointing loss
on their home field.

The Fishers offense simply just wore out Noblesville’s defense. It never bodes well
when your defense is on the field more than your offense. It just turns into one long night
of football.

“Our defense was on the field too long. And that’s because of our inability offensively
to make plays. Whether that’s drops, not making the right reads, throwing the
football in the right spot or our inability to actually keep the blocking scheme,”
Simmons continues on how things fell apart.

Jon Vore went 14-22 for 166 yards through the air and three TD’s. His main
targets Isaiah Dunnuck (3-47, 2 TDs) and Collin Statz (5-55, TD) helped Vore carve
through the Miller defense.

Noblesville (0-3, 0-1 HCC) makes the short trip west next week to face the Westfield
Shamrocks (3-0, 1-0 HCC). The 2016 Class 5A state champs grabbed a big road
win at Zionsville, 28-21.

Fishers (1-2, 1-0 HCC) got back on track and looks to get back to .500 next Friday
when they face Hamilton Southeastern (1-2, 0-1 HCC) at home in the battle for the
Mudsock Trophy. The Royals dropped their HCC opener Friday at home to Avon, 38-7.

Fishers 29,
Noblesville 0

Fishers                          6  13  7  3 – 29
Noblesville                  0   0   0  0 – 0

Team Stats
FHS                                                                               NHS
First Downs                            15                                                                                    11
By Rush                                    6                                                                                       7
By Pass                                     9                                                                                        3
By Penalty                              0                                                                                        1
Yards Rushing                   36-85                                                                              31-68
Yards Passing                       173                                                                                  69
Comp/Att/Int/TD            15-23-1-3                                                                    8-25-3-0
Fumbles/Lost                     3-1                                                                                     3-2
Penalties/Yards                 4-45                                                                                  2-15
Punts/Average                   3-38.7                                                                            4-33.5

Scoring

First Quarter
Isaiah Dunnuck 10-yard pass from Jon Vore
(run failed), 5:21

Second Quarter
Collin Statz 20-yard pass from Vore (pass
failed), 9:36
Dunnuck 17-yard pass from Vore (Ben Norton
kick), 3:54

Third Quarter
Geoffrey Brown 6-yard run (Norton kick), 4:31
Norton 26-yard field goal, 7:07

 
Rushing: Brown 20-46, Dylan Scally 7-25,
Alec Green 6-22, Vore 2-minus 8.

Passing: Vore 15-23-173.
Receptions: Statz 5-55, Dunnuck 3-47, Bryce
Gee 3-44, DiSean Graham 3-21, Donovan
McFarland 1-6.

Noblesville Stats

Rushing: Luke Blevins 11-45, Ryan Barnes
5-24, Christian Collier 6-16, Grant Gremel
9-minus 1.

Passing: Gremel 8-24-69, Barnes 0-1-0.
Receptions: Blevins 3-21, Lucas Williams 2-8,
Nick Rusie 1-17, Anthony Nale 1-12, Carson
Sanders 1-11.

Hamilton County Reporter

The Hamilton County Leadership Academy, established in 1991 to educate and inspire leadership to create a positive impact in our communities, has selected a new class of participants. The following participants will graduate from the program in June 2018.

Kelly Barton, Community Health, Chief Operating Officer – North Region

Ryan Berry, Garmong Construction Services, Business Development – Construction

Jessica Billingsley, Church, Church, Hittle + Antrim, Associate Attorney

Cassandra Bogaards, Horizon Bank, Business Banker

Casey Cawthon, City of Fishers, Assistant Director of Public Relations

Brad Cozza, Hamilton County Airport Authority, Airport Director

Dan Degnan, Purdue University College of Pharmacy, Senior Project Manager, Clinical Assistant Professor

Ashlie Dew, Elements Financial, AVP Private Client Services

Dana Donahue, Lake City Bank, Vice President – Private Banker

Alex Emerson, Coots, Henke & Wheeler, P.C. Associate Attorney

Aaron Head, City of Noblesville, Economic Development Specialist

Bradley Howell, Hamilton East Public Library, Adult Services Manager

Jeremy Hunt, Beck’s Superior Hybrids, Sr. Network/Systems Engineer

Katie Jess, ACES Power, Lead Contract Specialist

Jeffrey Johnson, Meyer Najem, Senior Business Development Manger

Julia Lowe, CarDon & Associates, Director of Community Engagement

Henry Mestetsky, Bingham Greenebaum Doll LLP, Attorney

Angela Morris, St. Vincent Hospital | Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital, Forensic Nurse Examiner/RN

Laura Musall, FC Tucker, Realtor/Broker

Daniel Potash, arcDesign, Graduate Architect

Patrick Propst, Faith Community Church, Lead Pastor

Marcus Reed, City of Westfield, Fire Chief

Natasha Robinson, Prevail Inc., Event & Marketing Coordinator

Greg Sorvig, Heartland Film, Director of Film Programming & Marketing

Andrew Swickheimer, Noblesville Schools, Director of Technology

Gina Terril, Indiana Members Credit Union, Senior Business Development Officer

Branden Voegerl, CleanSlate Technology Group, Senior Account Executive

Seth Warren, Riverview Health, President/CEO

Michael Winterhalder, Navient, Director, HR Business Partner

Julie Wright, Central Indiana Community Foundation, Community Investment Coordinator

Adriann Young, Noblesville Schools Education Foundation, Executive Director

Shanna Young, The Legacy Fund, Coordinator

Corby Thompson, Thompson Land Co, Inc., will serve as the Curriculum Dean for the 2018 class. He also served as the Curriculum Dean for the 2017 class. The dean is a volunteer position, appointed by the Board of Directors, who directs the curriculum and facilitates the learning sessions for the Hamilton County Leadership Academy.

The 10-month program begins with monthly educational sessions held in sites throughout the county. The sessions are designed to increase awareness of the existing institutions and leaders in the county and develop personal leadership skills. The class culminates with a Closing Retreat held in June. Upon graduation, the program participants will be prepared for greater levels of involvement in the community. Alumni are often called upon to serve on boards of county organizations and volunteer their time for community development efforts.

For more information on the Hamilton County Leadership Academy, contact Laura Crum atlcrum@hcla.net or visit their website at www.hcla.net.

As Fishers continues to grow, there have been a handful of businesses that have continued from the days when I moved to Fishers in 1991.  One of those businesses, Archer’s Meat and Catering downtown, is now set to close so the owners can retire.

Archer’s will be missed, but the owners have very much earned their retirement.

Lindsey Erdody of the Indianapolis Business Journal first reported this story.  You can read it at this link.

by

Hamilton County Reporter

State Rep. Tony Cook (R-Cicero) and local and state leaders joined the staff and students of Hamilton Heights Middle School Thursday in commemorating the 30^th anniversary of Ryan White’s first day as a student at Hamilton Heights High School.

The Hamilton Heights High School Principal at that time, Tony Cook, Indiana State Health Commissioner Dr. Jerome Adams and HIV Prevention Director John Nichols all spoke at the event.

“Celebrating Ryan’s life is a learning and growing experience for the community and students,” Cook said. “Going back to school was so important to Ryan even though he knew he didn’t have a lot of time left. His classmates were able to see how important it was for him to be in a normal classroom, to be a normal student. It’s wonderful to see our community and students continue to support and lift others up.”

At the age of 13, White received a tainted blood transfusion he received to treat his hemophilia and was infected with AIDS. At that time, information about the disease was unknown and his story and the challenges he faced attracted the national spotlight. White died on April 8, 1990, just days before his high school graduation.

The “Remembering Ryan” program brought leaders, students, faculty and alumni from White’s class to celebrate the day he entered the school on Aug. 31, 1987.

“Ryan White taught us about courage, acceptance and perseverance,” said Indiana State Health Commissioner Jerome Adams, M.D., M.P.H. “While medical advances have made HIV a chronic disease that can be managed with medications, we must continue to honor Ryan’s legacy and promote research and education that ultimately end HIV and the stigma it still carries.”

White’s mother, Jeanne White-Ginder, has since become an HIV/AIDS activist. She successfully pushed for the enactment of the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act, which provides assistance to uninsured or underinsured individuals who have AIDS and was named in honor of Ryan in 1990 and was reauthorized in 2013. White-Ginder speaks regularly to audiences nationwide about her experience and the AIDS epidemic.

There is also a Ryan White Room at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. Visit www.RyanWhite.com for more of Ryan’s story.

“It’s my hope that this celebration of Ryan White’s life, 30 years after he came to Hamilton Heights, has inspired our students, staff, and community to take on the challenges of our day with the same courage, trust in education, and compassion towards others that his classmates demonstrated for us,” Hamilton Heights Middle School Principal Bret Bailey said. “Ultimately, our goal has been to take time to remember Ryan and the impact he had on our school, community and world.”

According to the Indiana State Department of Health, the only way to know if you are infected with HIV is to be tested. Many people who are infected with HIV do not have any symptoms at all for 10 years or more. No cure currently exists for HIV, but HIV can be controlled with proper medical care. Today, someone diagnosed with HIV and treated before the disease is advanced can have a nearly normal life expectancy.

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

(NOTE: Commentaries by Fred Swift are posted on my blog as part of a partnership between LarryInFishers.com and the Hamilton County Reporter.  Views expressed are those of Fred Swift and do not necessarily reflect the views of LarryInFishers.com)

Some major intersections in Hamilton County are being over-engineered and way too complicated. That’s my opinion, and one shared by others I talk with.

What do I mean? Take a look at the intersecting roads converging near Hamilton Town Center and I-69, or the confusing intersections along the “new” U.S. 31, especially at 31 and Smoky Row Road, or the incredible ‘Michigan Left’ at 96th and Allisonville Road.

There is no doubt these major highways experience a lot of traffic, and should be engineered and built to handle it. But, simple can be better in planning our roadways. Complex interchanges involving multiple roundabouts and circuitous access ramps are very expensive as well as sometimes confusing for motorists.

Various engineering firms have been responsible for the increasing number and complexity of our roads. We are told these roadways are being built to handle an anticipated increase in traffic. Of course, that seems like the right answer.

But, would a more simple cloverleaf interchange do the trick at some of these intersections? Take for example that Michigan Left or the intersection of 116th and 31. A traditional interchange would seem to accomplish the desired result at these and other locations. The road building industry benefits financially from complex construction, but they are building what they are told we want. Ultimately “we” are our elected officials, most of whom are not experienced highway design experts.

Now, the rebuilding of the intersections on State Road 37 is about to begin. Let’s hope those officials in control of this project insist on effective, but more practical solutions. And, it might save us a lot of money.

When Heidi Stan talks about her students, fitness and health education, you can sense the excitement in her voice.  She has a passion for her work.  That passion likely helped lead Heidi Stan to be honored as the Hamilton Southeastern School District Teacher of the Year.  I talked with Mrs. Stan about that and more in this podcast.

There has been a lot of comment about the decision by the City of Fishers not to fund the Fishers Freedom Festival in 2018, but the city has told LarryInFishers that it is prepared to “fill the void” if necessary.

The Fishers City Council Non-Profit Committee, consisting of council members Cecilia Coble, Brad DeReamer and Pete Peterson, reviewed funding applications from 25 organizations requesting city funds.  The committee recommends funding 13 of those groups.

It should be noted that the Indiana Department of Local Finance (DLGF) is distributing more then $600,000 less in County Option Income Tax (COIT) to the City of Fishers than earlier forecasts indicated.  Members of the Fishers City Council Finance Committee said there would be some reduction in the amount of money available for the non-profits with less many coming in than originally projected.  The original plan was to provide a total of $331,500 to be split up among the chosen organizations.  That figure is likely to be reduced.

Fishers Freedom Festival Executive Director Jennifer Kehl told LarryInFishers the festival board and volunteer committees will decide by the end of October whether to have the Freedom Festival in 2018 without city funding.

In the meantime, the City of Fishers issued a statement saying, “If the Fishers Freedom Festival Committee chooses not to host the Festival next year, the City will fill that void. The City remains committed to bringing residents together by carrying on traditions such as the parade and others our residents love.”

When asked why the Freedom Festival was not selected to receive city funds next year, the statement from the City of Fishers says the non-profit committee “took a holistic view of the nonprofits that currently served our community, weighed the impact of each of those nonprofits and prioritized the funds accordingly.”

The bottom line here is this….if the Freedom Festival committee decides not to host the summer event in 2018, the City of Fishers has made a commitment to “fill the void.”

We will wait for further developments.

The pilot died in a small plane crash at Metropolitan Airport in Fishers.

For the latest, check this link for WTHR’s latest update.

Republican precinct committeemen and committeewomen will be voting on September 6th, electing the person to complete the term of State Senator Luke Kenley.  In advance of that vote, a newly formed Political Action Committee (PAC), Fiscal Conservatives of Hamilton County, sponsored a public forum, inviting all seven candidates to make their case before precinct officials set to vote in the GOP caucus.

A crowd of about 80 people, most precinct officials eligible to vote in the caucus, were on hand for the Wednesday night event at the Delaware Township Building in Fishers.

There were a number of issues hashed out.  In most cases, the senate hopefuls agreed on the issue under discussion, although the candidates were split on the recent action by the General Assembly to hike the gas tax and some fees to finance infrastructure construction and maintenance.

Here are the candidates and a brief summation of their backgrounds:

Brad Beaver –  He has served on the Hamilton County Council for 20 years and is proud of the fact he has never missed a regularly scheduled council meeting.  He owns a heating and air conditioning.  He assumes the gas tax and fee increase were needed to fund infrastructure but is concerned some of the gas tax revenue will not all be used for that purpose.

Sue Finkham –   A member of the Carmel City Council, she touts the fact she is a mom and a wife of 20 years.  She makes a living working for an organ donor network.  She believes the gas tax increase was needed to shore up critical infrastructure needs and believes the state surplus should not have been tapped for infrastructure.

Mark Hall –  He emphasizes his lack of political experience as a plus and says his background owning and running businesses qualifies him to serve in the state senate.  He was not in favor of the gas tax increase, saying state lawmakers should have looked more on the expense side, cutting other spending to allow for infrastructure funding.

Joe Morris – Talked about his upbringing in Southwest Indiana, the city of Washington to be exact,  and his years residing in the northwest part of the state.  He has 25 years of experience in insurance and finance.  He pointed out the latest gas tax increase places Indiana as the 5th highest gas tax in the nation.  He argues the state should have cut other costs and found other improvements to fund infrastructure.

Dan Schmidt –   He lives in Westfield, is the father of six.  He worked on the Statehouse staff of Governor Mike Pence as Policy Director.  He supported the gas tax increase as necessary to fund roads and bridges.  He also argued that with more efficient vehicles on the road and a trend of people living closer to where they work, the tax hike was needed.

Victoria Spartz – She talked about her extensive experience in politics, finance and her educational background as qualifications to serve in the state senate.  She does not favor any tax increases, including the recent gas tax hike, arguing the state should find ways to spend its money more efficiently.

Megan Wiles – As the President of the Noblesville City Council, she calls herself a locally connected leader who believes on local government control.  She called the gas tax increase a worthwhile tax in order to invest in the state’s future.

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

Here are some news bits of the week brought to you by your vigilant County Line writer.

Noblesville’s 31st annual Historic Homes Tour is set for Sept. 16. It is sponsored by the Noblesville Preservation Alliance, an organization that attempts to save the city’s historical homes and cultural sites. Most recently NPA has embarked on an effort to save the Nickel Plate Railroad. The home tour will allow participants to visit several of the city’s historic homes from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 16. Advance sale tickets are $15 and may be purchased through the NPA website.

* * *

Hamilton County Extension Agent Diane Turner says Purdue agriculture experts report farm crops in Hamilton County and surrounding areas look good, about the same as last year. Despite a wet spring and very dry weather since July, “farmers’ expectations are favorable for the upcoming harvest,” Turner says. Corn is expected to average about 172 bushels per acre, about the same as last year. Soybeans should average about 55 bushels, down about 2.5 bushels per acre.

* * *

Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard has apparently had his plans for a carousel (the sophisticated name for a merry-go-round) shot down by his city council. The mayor wanted $5 million included in a new city bond issue to buy and house the antique Canadian attraction. Most city council members said the public didn’t like the idea. The mayor may still got $95 million to lure a luxury hotel, build more roundabouts and other projects.

* * *

Readers may still remember Noblesville has a downtown parking study pending. It’s been nearly two years since it was begun and is presumably complete, but city officials won’t release its findings. Deputy Mayor Steve Cooke is in charge of the study, the fourth in the past 20 years. The city public relations office says it’s uncertain when we will see the suggestions on providing more public parking.

* * *

The county budget for next year is about ready for review by the Hamilton County Council. On Sept. 13 the budget of each department of county government will be examined in detail. County Auditor Robin Mills says the multi-million dollar budget, to be adopted in October, is not expected to require any increase in the property tax rate.

* * *

Cobe’s Run is being sponsored by Carmel American Legion Post 155 on Sept. 9 beginning at 10 a.m. The motorcycle run is planned to financially benefit Cobe Scott, a local area child who recently lost an eye to cancer. Entry fee for riders is $25 and passengers $10. Proceeds go to Cobe’s medical treatment and the cost of a prosthetic eye. Food and prizes follow the run at the Legion post. Those interested in riding may contact the post at 846-0001.

* * *

A jazz concert on the Courthouse Square is set for Friday. It’s September’s ‘First Friday’ event with music starting at 7 p.m. and going until about 9. The concert on the east lawn of the square is free. Those attending may want to bring a lawn chair. First Friday events are sponsored by Noblesville Main Street.