A Letter From The Editor

Madness. Complete madness. Normally you don't wish for such a thing. But this is March, when madness is welcome. In fact, we long for it. We dream about this time of year, when the bread and butter of Indiana high school sports is on its biggest stage. We eat it. We sleep it. We take it in. We lose sleep. We gain memories. We feel the exhilaration and nerves throughout. Welcome to the boys basketball state tournament - where the final buzzer of each game allows utter jubilation to be within eyesight of heartbreaking disappointment. Where legends and myths alike are born. Where one team's life is another's end. This is Hoosier hardwood. While sectional championships will be claimed early this month, set for March 1, the boys state finals carry us all the way through March 22 at Conseco Fieldhouse. And the ladies have been shining as well, with the following pages capturing February's sectional action while the state champs will be crowned the 1st of this month. In this issue, we've got plenty to keep you busy, as the boys tournament heats up. Featured on the cover, we take in inside look at arguably the toughest sectional in this tourney's storied history - Sectional 10 in Class 4A, where hoops powers Lawrence North, North Central, Warren Central and Cathedral all reside. We also give you the story of notable coach and Indiana basketball ambassador Pete Smith, who has built Guerin Catholic into a 2A team that can't be ignored. Within that same feature, we stay with the small-school theme and catch up with one of the area's top Class 2A squads, Hauser. Inside, you will also see photos galore from the wrestling, girls swimming and boys swimming state tournaments. And, making a bit of a transition into spring, we are pleased to feature Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr. and his coaching clinic that made a visit to Central Indiana. As always, your feedback, comments and story ideas are welcome by contacting our staff at letters.centralindiana@hsstm.com. And please, help make the madness continue. Sincerely, Dave McConnell Assistant Editor