By KEVIN NEVERS

The Chesterton Utility Service Board would be happy to provide sanitary sewer service, if asked, to the new hospital proposed for the northwest corner of Ind. 49 and U.S. Highway 6 in Liberty Township.

At their meeting Tuesday night, members voted 4-0 to endorse in principle the provision of that service. Member Jim Raffin was not in attendance.

“It fits our overall strategic plan,” President Larry Brandt told the Chesterton Tribune after the meeting. “We’d like to seek outside customers who would not resist annexation and who would contribute to Chesterton’s economy. The hospital is right up our alley because it’s non-residential and because it’s a huge tax base. If the Town Council wants to pursue an arrangement, we’re on board.”

Brandt did say that the Utility has not itself been in communication with the hospital.

Brandt noted that some years ago the Indiana Department of Environmental Management designated Chesterton’s natural utility service area as extending as far south as Valparaiso’s corporate limits, as far west as Portage’s, and as far east as Michigan City’s. “The hospital fits in there,” he said. “Between the southern border of Chesterton and the hospital, that’s area that would be good from a taxing standpoint.”

Until relatively recently, the Service Board had a policy of not extending sanitary sewer service to the owners of unincorporated and unannexable property. It officially changed that policy in 2001, such that any request for a connection from the owner of such property would be considered on a case-by-case basis and could be approved under the following conditions:

•The Service Board must determine that a sewer connection will benefit both the Utility and the town.

•The owner of the property and his or her successors in interest must waive the right to remonstrate against any future annexation.

•The wastewater treatment plant must have a sufficient reserve of capacity.

•The owner of the property must pay all rates, fees, and charges required of other Utility customers, and must pay all costs of the Service Board and town staff.

•Until such time as any additional property owner is allowed to tap into the connection, the cost of all sewer lines and necessary equipment as well as repair and maintenance will be paid by the property owner who seeks the original connection.

The re-zoning for the new hospital—projected to be at least 225 rooms plus a campus—has been finalized. Plans have yet to be submitted to the Porter County Plan Commission. When they are, a public hearing on those plans will be scheduled.

Condemnation

In other business, the Service Board voted 4-0 to recommend to the Town Council the initiation of an eminent domain proceeding against two property owners who have declined to sell land needed for the expansion and upgrade of the Dickinson Road lift station at the southeastern corner of the intersection of Dickinson Road and East Porter Ave.

Under an agreement with the Utility, the Lake Erie Land Company is legally obligated to upgrade that lift station at its own expense.

Sand Creek Farms

The Service Board also voted 4-0 to approve a sanitary sewer allocation of 112,200 gallons per day for the Sand Creek Farms planned unit development, to be built at the terminus of East Porter Road, immediately east of C.R. 250E (Friday Road).

Sand Creek Farms will be built on 130 acres annexed by the Town Council last year in two phases. The PUD ordinance provides for 362 single-family units of varying size.

January in Review

In January Chesterton used 63.5 percent of its 3,794,000 million gallon per day (gpd) allotment of the wastewater treatment plant; Porter, 83 percent of its 725,000 gpd allotment; the Indian Boundary Conservancy District, 107 percent of its 81,000 gpd allotment; and the plant as a whole, 66.76 percent of its capacity. The Utility bypassed 487,000 gallons last month. In January the Utility ran a surplus of $99,764 and in the year-to-date is running a surplus of $99,764.

Doc Reed gives home to gator found in Portage

Doc Reed is providing sanctuary for yet another abandoned animal, this one an alligator found on Saturday on Willowcreek Road in Portage.

According to Portage Police, at 5:50 p.m. a motorist was traveling on Willowcreek, between U.S. Highway 6 and C.R. 700N, when she observed a plastic storage tub along the side of the road. She stopped to see if the tub was salvageable, police said, then decided she really didn’t want it after all, after discovering that it contained three-and-half-feet of alligator.

Police said that the gator was alive but lethargic from the cold. It spend the rest of a weekend with a Portage resident permitted by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to keep wildlife, while arrangements were made for Dr. Larry Reed to give it a temporary home at his veterinary clinic at 55 E. U.S. Highway 20 in Porter.

A clinic staffer confirmed that the gator arrived this morning, was “relaxing,” and looked to be in good health.

For years Reed has provided sanctuary for the flotsam and jetsam of the animal world: ducks, geese, chickens, mice, lizards, and venomous snakes.

And Reed’s no stranger to gators. For 20 years at least Gates the Alligator has made a home at the facility in a specially designed run.

Trojan Gymnasts finish second at DAC Meet

By TR HARLAN

The Chesterton girls gymnastics team is starting its post-season run and got off on solid footing with a second place finish at the Duneland Athletic Conference meet on Saturday at Merrillville.

Valparaiso won the meet (114.15), outdistancing the second place Trojans (109.3) and Merrillville (106.0).

“I think we’re starting to peak,” Chesterton coach Kathy Wilburn said. “We’re not there yet, but we’re right on schedule. I think we’re right where we need to be.”

The Trojans started on bars and turned in one of their top sets of the season.

“Britney (Cisarik) had her best routine on the bars ever,” Wilburn said. “The score may not have reflected it. Our whole bars set was awesome.”

Chesterton moved to the beam and then the floor to get into contention thanks in part to strong routines from freshman Elizabeth Kozak.

“I thought Elizabeth was really strong on floor and beam,” Wilburn said. “Her floor routine was one of her best of the year. She’s getting stronger on her skills.

“The last four meets she’s been one of our most consistent performers.”

The Trojans finished on vault which included a sixth place finish for Marissa Crafton with a 9.3.

“Marissa had her best vault of the season,” Wilburn said. “It’s out of 9.6, so to get 9.3 was really a highlight for the day.”

Sophomore Kelley Freeman finished third in the All-Around (37.475) less than .1 out of second place. She also placed second on the beam (9.45), fourth on the floor (9.575) and fifth on bars (9.2).

“Kelley had a solid meet all-around,” Wilburn said. “All her hard work is paying off. She deserves everything she got today. She’s peaking at the right time.”

The Trojans also got a lift from sophomore Callie Kuehl’s return after a head injury a few weeks ago. Kuehl finished third on bars (9.325).

“It was nice having Callie back and we’re looking forward to a week of practice to get her back ready for Sectionals on Saturday,” Wilburn said.

Team Results

1. VALPARAISO 114.15, 2. CHESTERTON 109.3, 3. MERRILLVILLE 106.0, 4. CROWN POINT 104.25, 5. LAPORTE 103.85, 6. PORTAGE 96.25, 7. LAKE CENTRAL 91.5, 8. MICHIGAN CITY 91.275.

Individual Results

VAULT -- 1. Kellie Kidd (V) 9.65, 2. Abbey Sutton (V) 9.625, 3. Katelyn Skinner (V) 9.55, 4. Lauren Ross (LC) 9.5, 5. Arien Taylor (M) 9.35, 6. Marissa Crafton (C) 9.3.

BARS -- 1. Abbey Sutton (V) 9.65, 2. Kellie Kidd (V) 9.6, 3. Callie Kuehl (C) 9.325, 4. Kathy Rawley (V) 9.3, 5. Kelley Freeman (C) 9.2, 6. Lauren Ross (LC) 9.15.

BEAM -- 1. Katelyn Skinner (V) 9.575, 2. Kelley Freeman (C) 9.45, 3. Emily Holmen (V) 9.35, 4. Lauren Ross (LC) 9.3, 5. Kellie Kidd (V) 9.275, 6. (tie) Samone Kinsey (M) and Rosalie DeLarme (LP) 9.05.

FLOOR -- 1. Kellie Kidd (V) 9.8, 2. (tie) Lauren Ross (LC) and Katelyn Skinner (V) 9.6, 4. Kelley Freeman (C) 9.575, 5. Trisha Eberly (CP) 9.5, 6. Amanda Halsted (CP) 9.375.

ALL-AROUND -- 1. Kellie Kidd (V) 38.325, 2. Lauren Ross (LC) 37.55, 3. Kelley Freeman (C) 37.475, 4. Rosalie DeLarme (LP) 36.4, 5. Trisha Eberly (CP) 36.375, 6. Abbey Sutton (V) 36.3.

State Champions CHS swimmers take team title

By TR HARLAN

The Chesterton boys swim team captured the school’s first-ever team State Championship by tallying 271 points to edge Hamilton Southeasteron (265) on Saturday at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis.

“The heart of these kids and the way they came through last night (Friday’s prelims) and again today is just incredible,” Chesterton coach Kevin Kinel said.

The Trojans earned five individual titles as well with sophomore Kyle Whitaker winning the 200 IM and the 100 Fly. Whitaker’s 200 IM time of 1:46.75 broke the Indiana State Record and the National Public School record of 1:46.90 set by Carmel’s Jason Lancaster in 1994.

Bill Bass won the 500 Free (4:32.64) with a comeback in the final 25 yards to edge Indianapolis North Central’s Brandon Siemasko (4:33.39).

Chesterton also won two relays as the quartet of Adam Thieling, Albert Miller, Whitaker and Tyler Fozkos rebroke their own state record in the 200 Medley (1:32.05). Fozkos, Thieling, Greg Franzen and Bass also won the 200 Free Relay in 1:24.89, just .05 ahead of Hamilton Southeastern.

State Champions: The Chesterton boys swim team won the school’s first-ever IHSAA State Championship Saturday at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis. Pictured are (l to r) Asst. Coach Cortney Lipniskis, Asst. Coach Terry Lipniskis, Asst. Coach Pat Ward, Head Coach Kevin Kinel, Jake Cross, Matt Rosiecki, Ethan Hall, Greg Franzen, Kyle Whitaker, Bill Bass, Tyler Fozkos, Sean Swibes, Adam Thieling and Albert Miller.

(Picture by Steve Handly)

State Champs: Chesterton’s Kyle Whitaker (above left) won the State Championship in the 100 Fly Saturday at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis. He also set the National Public School record in winning the 200 IM. Trojan coach Kevin Kinel, middle, yells encouragement (above right) during the IHSAA Boys State Swim Finals. He is flanked by Asst. Coach Terry Lipniskis, left, and Asst. Coach Pat Ward, behind.

(Tribune photos by Steve Handly)

Boys Swimming: Pictured (l to r) are Chesterton’s Bill Bass, Greg Franzen, Adam Thieling, Sean Swibes, Albert Miller and Tyler Fozkos during the IHSAA Boys State Swimming Championships Saturday at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis. The Trojans won the school’s first-ever State Championship with a 271 team score to edge Hamilton Southeastern (266). (Photos by Steve Handly)

STATE CHAMPS STATE CHAMPS STATE CHAMPS Chesterton boys win IHSAA State Swim team title win five events

By TR HARLAN

After 10 consecutive leaps into the pool at Sectional time and another 12 straight at the DAC Meet, Chesterton Boys Swim coach Kevin Kinel finally got to make the jump he most wanted.

“I’ve been waiting 28 years to go swimming in this pool,” Kinel said after a dip in the diving well at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis on Saturday. “This is just unbelievable. This is a feeling that every coach should get once in their career”

The Trojans tallied 271 points to edge Hamilton Southeastern (266) and bring home the school’s first-ever State Championship in Boys Swimming.

“The heart of these kids and the way they came through last night and again today is just incredible,” Kinel said. “We set ourselves up last night, but we knew it would be all day long and the lead would seesaw back and forth.”

The Trojans got off to an incredible start as the quartet of Adam Thieling, Albert Miller, Kyle Whitaker and Tyler Fozkos won the Medley Relay in 1:32.05 to break their own State Record set in Friday night’s prelims.

“Re-breaking the state record in the Medley Relay was a must,” Kinel said. “If we get touched out in that, the whole momentum of the day is changed. That was big.”

“This is an incredible feeling,” Miller said. “We’ve been talking about it all season. It’s everything we thought it would be and more.”

Chesterton’s Bill Bass followed that with a second place finish in the 200 Free (1:39.70), while Greg Franzen finished 13th (1:44.63).

Indianapolis North Central went 4-5-6 in the race to take over the team lead with 72 points, followed by Chesterton (61) and Hamilton Southeastern (59).

The Trojan retook the lead with a 1-3 finish in the 200 IM as sophomore Kyle Whitaker brought home the state title in 1:46.75. His time broke the State and National Public School record set by Jason Lancaster of Carmel in 1994 (1:46.90).

“It was tiring, I’ll give you that,” Whitaker said. “I gave it everything I had and it paid off. I had no idea, but I felt great in the water. In training all summer that was my goal.

“To see that when I finished, it was an overwhelming feeling”

“To get that as a sophomore, wow,” Kinel understated. “What a talent he is.”

The Trojans lead grew to 141-122 over HSE after freshman Tyler Fozkos finished fourth in the 50 Free, just before Whitaker won the 100 Fly and Thieling finished ninth.

“That event was so much faster than last year,” Whitaker said. “I wanted to get off to a strong start and when I do that, I can usually hold on.”

“Not only did (Adam) bump up in the backstroke and win the consolation’s in the fly, but his legs on both relays were just incredible,” Kinel said. “He really arrived as a state power here today. He was absolutely instrumental.”

A 2-5 finish for HSE in the 100 Free offset Franzen’s 10 place finish (47.60) as the Royals took a short-lived 153-148 overall lead.

“Some of the kids that came out of the consolation finals bumped up for us today,” Kinel said. “That may have been the difference. We’ve talked about that all year long.”

Bass won his individual state title in the 500 Free (4:32.64) with a great final 25 yards to push the Trojans back on top 168-153.

“I wanted to take it out and just dust everybody, but he stayed with me so I had to change things a little,” Bass said. “With about 400 to go I could tell he was going to stick around. I wasn’t going to blow him away, so I just saved something for the end.”

Bass turned right back around and joined teammates Fozkos, Thieling and Franzen to pick up the title in the 200 Free Relay (1:24.89) edging out HSE by .05 seconds.

“That was a nuts relay,” Bass said. “I didn’t know who won until I looked at the board. I had a good exchange, but my turn wasn’t real good. You just have to give it everything in the last 25.”

“That 200 Relay was probably the difference,” Kinel said. “If we don’t win that touch, everything changes. We start chasing them and they’ve got momentum.”

In the 100 Back, Thieling finished fifth overall in 51.80, while Miller won the consolation heat and finish ninth even though he swam a 51.66.

“Everyone stepped up and got us points when we needed them,” Miller said. “Kyle and Billy, you knew what they were going to do, but everyone swam so great today. We all did what we needed to do.

“You really can’t put it in words. It couldn’t have ended any better. I can’t think of any other way it could have ended.”

When Chesterton senior Sean Swibes finished 11th in the 100 Breaststroke (59.47) the Trojans had an almost insurmountable 237-226 lead over HSE.

“Everybody did such a great job today,” Whitaker said. “Our seniors are great guys and I’m so happy for them to get to end their careers with that. It’s nice just to be part of it.

This is a dream come true for us.”

In the final event, the 400 Free Relay, the Trojans needed to finish fourth to secure the State Title. HSE out-touched Chesterton 3:04.12-3:04.42 to win the race.

“The only time I got to relax at all was in the 400 Free Relay because we, for the most part, had it locked up,” Kinel said. “I’m going to enjoy watching the DVD of this thing, because I don’t remember any of it. You have to stay so many steps ahead of it that it’s hard to enjoy it while it’s going on.”

Kinel not only picked up his first State title, but also garnered IHSAA State Coach of the Year honors in the process.

“Nobody deserves that award more than Coach Kinel,” Miller said. “He’s a great coach and a great friend. He’s everything you could ever look for in a coach.”

Team Results

1. CHESTERTON 271, 2. HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 266, 3. INDPLS. NORTH CENTRAL 232, 4. CARMEL 188, 5. HOMESTEAD 154, 6. MUNSTER 149, 7. LAKE CENTRAL 84, 8. EAST CENTRAL 83, 9. ZIONSVILLE 71, 10. CROWN POINT 70, 11. NORTHRIDGE 66, 12. CONCORD 47, 13. WESTFIELD 40, 14. SEYMOUR 36, 15. PENN 35, 16. WHEELER 33, 17. (tie) BREBEUF JESUIT and BREMEN 28, 19. MICHIGAN CITY 24, 20. (tie) KOKOMO and MUNCIE CENTRAL 23, 22. CASTLE, PLAINFIELD 22, 24. McCUTCHEON 10, 25. (tie) LEBANON and FW NORTHROP 17, 27. (tie) INDIAN CREEK, WEST LAFAYETTE, FW CARROLL and CENTER GROVE 16, 31. (tie) TERRE HAUTE SOUTH, TERRE HAUTE NORTH and HERITAGE CHRISTIAN 15, 34. (tie) YORKTOWN and LAWRENCE NORTH 14, 36. (tie) MT. VERNON and AVON 12, 38. (tie) COLUMBUS EAST and FRANKLIN CENTRAL 10, 40. (tie) CRAWFORDSVILLE, WAWASEE and LAFAYETTE JEFFERSON 9, 44. (tie) BLOOMINGTON SOUTH and BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE 8, 46. (tie) FW SNYDER and NEW PRAIRIE 7, 48. (tie) VALPARAISO and RENSSELAER 6, 50. COLUMBUS NORTH 5, 51. HUNTINGTON NORTH 4, 52. TRI-WEST HENDRICKS 3, 53. (tie) SB RILEY, INDPLS. PIKE and SOUTH ADAMS 2.

Individual Results

200 MEDLEY RELAY -- 1. Chesterton (Adam Thieling, Albert Miller, Kyle Whitaker, Tyler Fozkos) 1:32.05 (STATE RECORD), 2. Hamilton Southeastern 1:32.86, 3. Munster 1:35.29, 4. North Central 1:35.44, 5. Carmel 1:35.71, 6. East Central 1:36.88, 7. Homestead 1:36.97, 8. Lake Central 1:37.42.

200 FREE -- 1. Ben Wachtel (Westfield) 1:39.25, 2. Bill Bass (Chesterton) 1:39.70, 3. Matthew Kruse (Hamilton Southeastern) 1:40.10, 4. Brand Siemasko (North Central) 1:41.62, 5. Ross Van Allen (North Central) 1:41.80, 6. Edward Minturn (North Central) 1:42.03, 7. Jon Hueni (Bremen) 1:42.15, 8. Matt Segar (Carmel) 1:42.49, 13. Gregory Franzen (Chesterton) 1:44.63.

200 I.M. -- 1. Kyle Whitaker (Chesterton) 1:46.75 (STATE RECORD), 2. Austin Mudd (Hamilton Southeastern) 1:51.23, 3. Albert Miller (Chesterton) 1:52.35, 4. Derek Paul (Hamilton Southeastern) 1:52.63, 5. Alex Burtch (Concord) 1:53.65, 6. Ryan Connolly (Zionsville) 1:55.18, 7. Tylor Gauger (Kokomo) 1:55.59, 8. Benjamin Souders (North Central) 1:56.14.

50 FREE -- 1. Victor Sikorski (Wheeler) 20.89, 2. Kyle House (East Central) 21.30, 3. Sean Fitzgerald (Brebeuf Jesuit) 21.35, 4. Tyler Fozkos (Chesterton) 21.38, 5. Chris Johnson (Lake Central) 21.46, 6. Nathan Kinney (Hamilton Southeastern) 21.61, 7. Kurt Greene (Mt. Vernon) 21.81, 8. Brendan Joyce (Carmel) 21.92.

DIVING -- 1. Jimmy Page (Crown Point) 510.20, 2. Rylan Ridenour (Lebanon) 481.80, 3. Casey Johnson (Indian Creek) 459.55, 4. Matt Vieke (Heritage Christian) 458.85, 5. Kyle Frebel (Homestead) 454.50, 6. Tyler Clingerman (Plainfield) 453.55, 7. Ross Dreher (Avon) 451.90, 8. Evan Crowder (Carmel) 432.65.

100 FLY -- 1. Kyle Whitaker (Chesterton) 48.44, 2. Kyle House (East Central) 49.34, 3. Kevin Behrens (Munster) 49.88, 4. Jon Hueni (Bremen) 50.19, 5. Zachary Johnson (Homestead) 50.20, 6. Cameron Owen (Hamilton Southeastern) 50.57, 7. Brendan Joyce (Carmel) 50.83, 8. Sam Newcomer (Zionsville) 51.49, 9. Adam Thieling (Chesterton) 51.00.

100 FREE -- 1. Ben Wachtel (Westfield) 45.82, 2. Matthew Kruse (Hamilton Southeastern) 46.22, 3. Alex Burtch (Concord) 46.28, 4. Andrew Elliot (Penn) 46.37, 5. Nathan Kinney (Hamilton Southeastern) 46.91, 6. Victor Sikorski (Wheeler) 47.22, 7. Sean Fitzgerald (Brebeuf Jesuit) 47.81, 8. Curtis Chaney (Ft. Wayne Northrop) 48.06, 10. Greg Franzen (Chesterton) 47.60.

500 FREE -- 1. Bill Bass (Chesterton) 4:32.64, 2. Brandon Siemasko (North Central) 4:33.39, 3. Raymond Mahon (West Lafayette) 4:36.38, 4. Matt Segar (Carmel) 4:36.69, 5. Ross Van Allen (North Central) 4:38.26, 6. Alec LA Mothe (North Central) 4:40.48, 7. Gilles Renard (McCutcheon) 4:41.39, 8. Tylor Gauger (Kokomo) 4:45.66.

200 FREE RELAY -- 1. Chesterton (Tyler Fozkos, Adam Thieling, Greg Franzen, Bill Bass) 1:24.89, 2. Hamilton Southeastern 1:24.94, 3. Homestead 1:26.19, 4. Munster 1:27.16, 5. Northridge 1:27.44, 6. North Central 1:27.66, 7. Carmel 1:27.90, 8. Crown Point 1:28.15.

100 BACK -- 1. Andrew Elliot (Penn) 48.99 (STATE RECORD), 2. Kevin Behrens (Munster) 50.65, 3. Camero Watkins (North Central) 51.45, 4. Austin Mudd (Hamilton Southeastern) 51.53, 5. Adam Thieling (Chesterton) 51.80, 6. Josh Jordan (Carmel) 52.21, 7. Edward Minturn (North Central) 52.53, 8. Zachary Johnson (Homestead) 52.73, 9. Albert Miller (Chesterton) 51.66.

100 BREAST -- 1. Chris Johnson (Lake Central) 56.56, 2. Derek Paul (Hamilton Southeastern) 56.60, 3. Andrew Kaminski (Munster) 57.47, 4. Cameron Miller (Michigan City) 57.53, 5. Marek Botik (Lawrence North) 58.77, 6. Ethan Radalia (Homestead) 58.80, 7. Kamer Chastain (Seymour) 59.07, 8. David Broughton (Terre Haute North) 1:00.05, 11. Sean Swibes (Chesterton) 59.47.

400 FREE RELAY -- 1. Hamilton Southeastern 3:04.12, 2. Chesterton (Kyle Whitaker, Albert Miller, Greg Franzen, Bill Bass) 3:04.42, 3. North Central 3:10.15, 4. Homestead 3:11.12, 5. Carmel 3:12.49, 6. Munster 3:13.54, 7. Zionsville 3:14.11, 8. Lake Central 3:14.14.

Duneland Conference champs: The Chesterton boys basketball team won its first-ever outright Duneland Athletic Conference championship on Friday night with a 55-41 victory over Crown Point. Pictured are, front row (l to r) Head Coach Tom Peller, Joey Stento and Tyler Nemtuda. Back row (l to r) are JV Coach Mark Anderson, Asst. Coach Bob Nemtuda, Austin Bower, Alex Beierwalter, Thomas Halpin, Zack Novak, Tommy Peller, Jack Houpt, Jordan Lewis, Juan Monegro, John Thanos, Alec Houpt, Adam White, George Sanidas, Asst. Coach Tim Krutz, Asst. Coach Paul Blosser, Manager Zach Post, Manager Robbie O’Hara and Manager Mitchell Starnes. (Tribune photo by Margaret L. Willis)

Boys Basketball: Chesterton’s Jack Houpt (above left) drives around the defense in the Trojans’ 55-41 victory over Crown Point on Friday night. Chesterton’s Alex Beierwalter (above middle) scores inside. Trojan Austin Bower (above right) hits a 3-pointer as Chesterton wrapped up its first-ever outright DAC title. (Tribune photos by Dana Gilbertson)

DAC Champs: Chesterton’s Zack Novak scores two of his game-high 23 points during the Trojans’ 55-41 victory over Crown Point Friday night.

(Tribune photo by Margaret Willis)

CHS Boys Basketball wraps up first ever outright DAC title

By TR HARLAN

It’s hard to pick out a lucky number for the Chesterton boys basketball team.

It could be 3. It could be 4. It could be 1.

The Trojans wrapped up the school’s first-ever outright Duneland Athletic Conference championship on Friday night with a 55-41 victory over Crown Point.

“It’s so special and it’s something we dreamed about,” Chesterton coach Tom Peller said. “It’s such a special feeling and I’m kind of at a loss for words.

“For us to get the first title in school history, it’s just really neat to be a part of it. It’s all of us, the players, the coaches, the administrators, the fans, the students, it’s really about all of us.”

It was the Trojans’ third attempt at the title after winning their first 16 games of the year.

“It was just an emotional game and I am so proud of these guys,” Peller said. “We’ve gone through some adversity recently and we weathered the storm. We came back with great emotion and intensity tonight.”

The Trojans got off to a hot start as Zack Novak hit a 3-pointer to start the scoring and Austin Bower followed that up with a basket for a 5-0 lead.

“We had a lot of contributions from everybody,” Peller said. “We had three guys in double figures with Zack leading us again.”

Bower, who was just four months and four days out of reconstructive knee surgery, started at point guard for the Trojans and contributed 10 points, two steals and two assists to the win.

“Austin Bower was outstanding tonight,” Peller said. “To come back from his knee injury in football to tonight is incredible. His determination to come back and be part of this team is great.”

“It was my goal to get back a couple games before the Sectional to come and help the team,” Bower said. “There were points when I first got hurt that I didn’t know if I would be back. The first few practices were a little shaky, but things get better every day.

“I used this as motivation. I knew we could do something like this. That’s how I stayed motivated, just to be a part of this senior group and be standing right here as a part of this team.”

A 6-0 run by Crown Point gave them their first lead of the game 10-9, but Novak went four-for-four at the foul line to give Chesterton a 13-12 lead after one period.

Novak scored 11 straight points for the Trojans as the lead grew to 23-19 with 3:06 to play in the second quarter.

“Zack Novak is a special player you only get once in a lifetime,” Peller said. “He leads by example, by words and the way he plays out on the floor. He comes up huge in big games and he’s just a winner.

“When he’s on your side you have a chance to win every game.”

Novak finished with a game-high 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field and grabbed nine rebounds.

“I saw a lot of openings early,” Novak said. “I was pumped for this a little more than usual. There was a little something extra there today. First conference championship ever for the school; last game in this gym.

“You had to come out and do something extra.”

The Trojans locked down on defense during the stretch as they held the Bulldogs 8:11 without a basket and built a 32-23 lead.

“We played great defensively and that’s where we won the game,” Peller said. “We played great defense tonight and I think the guys understand that to win a championship that’s where you have to get things done.”

Chesterton held sharp-shooting CP guard Stephen Albrecht to just 13 points on 6-of-19 shooting from the field.

“(Alex) Beierwalter and Tommy (Peller) did a great job on Albrecht,” Peller said. “That was our main focus. Life is like this. When you have adversity and you can bounce back from it, our guys showed they are resilient.

“We questioned things for a while, but if you stay with your plan and believe in yourself things can go your way.”

Back-to-back baskets by Crown Point pulled them within 34-29 after three quarters, but Peller went four-for-four at the foul line and Novak hit a basket to make it 40-33 with 6:03 to play.

“I think the intensity was the difference,” Novak said. “That was like a Sectional game. Low scoring, good defense and just grind it out. We got our confidence back tonight and it showed.”

Novak hit a triple, Jack Houpt scored inside and Bower hit a layup to push the lead to 47-35 and CP never got closer than 10 points again.

“Austin stepped up huge tonight,” Novak said. “From what he’s been through to today, he was back to his old self. You guys don’t see the things that he has to do every day since it happened. Nobody believed he could get back this fast. The way he was working at it, he proved everybody wrong.

“Every time the doctor told him he could do something new, he did it. Sometimes, he probably was already doing it.”

“This group has been together for so long that once I got out there it was just like old times,” Bower said. “We were able to do the same old things. It was great. The first doctor I went to told me I’d be out at least six months.

“I knew it was possible, but to get back and contribute is great.”

Chesterton 55, Crown Point 41

AT CHESTERTON

Crown Point (12-8-9-12)

Stephen Albrecht 6-19 1-3 13, Kyle Hanaway 3-7 3-3 6, Jacob Burkholder 1-4 0-0 2, Aleks Alavanja 1-3 2-2 4, Zach Cecich 4-8 0-0 8, Ben Derks 1-3 0-0 2, Michael Lipton 1-4 0-0 2, Derrick Garletts 0-0 1-4 1. Totals 17-48 7-12 41.

Chesterton (13-11-10-21)

Tommy Peller 2-10 7-8 11, Alex Beierwalter 2-5 0-0 4, Austin Bower 4-6 0-0 10, Zack Novak 8-16 5-6 23, Jack Houpt 3-5 0-0 7, Adam White 0-1 0-0 0, John Thanos 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 19-44 12-14 55.

3-point field goals: Crown Point 0-7 (Albrecht 0-4, Derks 0-1, Lipton 0-2); Chesterton 5-13 (Peller 0-1, Bower 2-3, Novak 2-6, Houpt 1-2, White 0-1). Rebounds: Crown Point 31 (Cecich 9); Chesterton 26 (Novak 9). Assists: Crown Point 2 (Hanaway 1, Lipton 1); Chesterton 10 (Novak 3). Steals: Crown Point 3 (Albrecht 1, Hanaway 1, Alavanja 1); Chesterton 3 (Bower 2).

Ardith M Randler dies at 87

Ardith M.Randler, of Chesterton, passed away Saturday, Feb. 23, 2008 at St. Anthony Memorial Health Center in Michigan City. She was 87.

She was born August 6, 1920 in Porter, to Fred and Winifred (Wagner) Lindquist who preceded her in death.

On April 11, 1940 she married Carl “Chuck” Randler, who died Dec. 4, 2004.

Ardith is survived by three children, Carl Randler of E. Boston, Mass.; John Randler of Mesa, Ariz.; and Hedy (Peter) Ballestero of Chesterton; a granddaughter, Rebecca Randler; a step-grandson Thomas (Penny) Ballestero; three step great grandchildren, Blair, Ashley and Austin and beloved nieces and nephews.

She was also preceded in death by one brother, Oakley Lindquist and one sister Mona Lindquist Edmonds.

Ardith was a life long resident of Porter and the last few years in Chesterton. She was a life long member of St. Patrick Catholic Church, she was baptized there, attended school there, was married there and worshiped there her entire life. She graduated from Chesterton High School in 1938. A woman before her time, she loved sports and was quite an athlete, playing both baseball and basketball. Ardith was a homemaker, but later on worked at Vawters Grocery and Big T Grocery.

In the 1960’s she was the proprietor of the Porter Post Office, it was Porter’s last stand alone postal facility. In the early 1970’s she and her husband Carl took over the family business, Randler’s Tavern, until 1977. Ardith was a sports fan all of her life and especially a fan of the Chicago Cubs and Chicago Bears. She traveled and enjoyed life, always an optimist and always ready to lend a hand. She loved her family and she will be sadly missed by them.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wed. Feb. 27, 2008 at 11 a.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church, 638 N. Calumet Rd., Chesterton. Interment will be at Chesterton Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 4-8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26 at Edmonds & Evans Funeral Home, 517 Broadway, Chesterton. Memorial donations may be made to the American Lung Association. www.ee-fh.com

Dalmain C Hershberger dies at 74

Dalmain C. Hershberger, of Greeley, Colo., passed away on Friday, February 15, 2008 at Northern Colorado Medical Center from prostate cancer. He was 74.

Dal, as he was known, was born in Johnstown, Pa, on June 23, 1933 the son of Alice Hershberger.

He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Fay, who resides in Greeley, Colo.

He is also survived by his children; Rod (Leslie) Hershberger of Greeley, Daniell (Dana) Boom of Centennial, Colo. and Kirsten (John) Howard of South Bend; five grandchildren; Timothy, Allison, Christian, Madison, and Matthew and two sisters; Joan (Chick) Georg of Johnstown, Pa. and Jean (Merle) Thomas of Thomas Mills, Pa.

Dal was employed for 43 years by Bethlehem Steel. He was very active in sporting and other activities with his children. Dal coached Little League, served as a Scoutmaster and always volunteered to help with his children’s school activities. Dal loved golf, fishing and tending his roses. He was a longtime resident of Johnstown, Pa. and Chesterton.

A memorial service is being planned for a future date in Chesterton. Donations may be sent to Northern Colorado Hospice and Palliative Care.

Indiana Senate Dems weigh in on property tax reform today

Indiana Senate Democrats this morning unveiled their own version of property tax legislation that would give homeowners discounts on their tax bills based on their income levels.

Senate Democrats had a press conference this morning at which they announced proposed amendments to H.B. 1001, the main tax bill pending in this year’s Indiana General Assembly. Up until now, the bill has gone through three major revisions, in addition to a new plan unveiled last week by House Democrats.

The Senate proposal is similar to the other versions because it assumes a statewide increase in the state sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent and provisions for counties to decide if they want to offset lost revenue by imposing new county option income taxes.

But the Senate plan differs substantially from the other versions of H.B. 1001, by giving homeowners a deduction on their tax bill based on their income levels.

A homeowner who earns less than $35,000, for example, would get a cut of 90 percent on the final bill. The rate of the deduction decreases as the homeowner income levels increase. Homeowners would still qualify for the $45,000 homestead deduction and other deductions as they currently do.

Under the plan, property taxes on other properties, such as businesses and non-homesteads, would be calculated the same as they are now under current law.

The Senate Democrat plan is different from a plan announced last week by House Democrats, who proposed capping property taxes at 1 percent of homeowners’ income. The Senate plan would tie the income level to the rate of the discount.

State Senator Karen Tallian, D-Ogden Dunes, said this morning that she believes the plan has the unanimous support of the Senate Democrats, who earlier raised concerns about how the previous versions of H.B. 1001 would affect low to moderate homeowners and how funding cuts would affect schools.

Tallian emphasized that the plan doesn’t increase property taxes or local government spending, but redistributes where the tax funds come from.

She also said the Senate Democrat plan would not result in a revenue loss to the state government, unlike the House-passed version and the version advanced by Senate Republicans.

In its original form, H.B. 1001 largely involved the tax plan announced by Gov. Mitch Daniels, who proposed tax caps tied to property assessed values, a state sales tax increase of 1 percent, a state funding takeover of school and juvenile expenses, and an elimination of two state property tax credits. The House passed an amended version of the plan, which was amended further in a Senate committee last week.

The bill comes up for second reading before the full Senate today.

Tallian said property taxes used to be generally related to one’s wealth, but that is no longer the case. She cited in particular senior citizens: While the value of their homes likely have increased over the years, their income has not. But property taxes are still tied directly to the value of property. “The system is out of kilter,” she said.

Tallian said an alternative proposal being discussed calls for a 100 percent deduction on property taxes on homesteads. But that would require an increase in the state income tax of 1.6 percent. “We don’t know if people are completely willing to do that,” she said.

3:15 PM 2/25/2008