Jeff Adamson
Jeff Adamson is a 1982 graduate of Eastbrook High School. While at Eastbrook, he lettered in football, wrestling, and baseball. Jeff followed his high school football coach, Bob Cornell, to Manchester College where he was a four year letterman in football and was a captain his senior year. He graduated in 1986, majoring in Social Studies and Secondary Education. Plans were in place to begin a Graduate Assistant position at Mississippi State University after graduation. Two week away from moving to Mississippi, Adamson was contacted by Dave Martz, Athletic Director at Eastbrook, about a te...Read more
David Caudill
David graduated from Eastbrook High School in 1999. As an outstanding athlete in three sports, David played a huge role in leading Eastbrook to three sectional championships and one regional championship. He is the son of Marilyn and Jerry Caudill. It is easy to see how athletics played an important part of David’s upbringing as his father, Jerry, was also an accomplished athlete. In basketball, David was a three year letterman. His junior year he started on the Eastbrook team that earned Grant 4 Championship and Sectional Championship honors. The 1997-1998 Panther team holds the school...Read more
Mike Crouch
Mike Crouch graduated from Mississinewa High School in 1963 with a strong desire to devote his life to teaching high school Social Studies and coaching basketball. The following September, he enrolled at Ball State University where he pursued and completed his Bachelor of Arts in Education and Master of Arts in Education degrees. His final quarter of study at BSU was completed with an internship at Marion High School under the guidance of Jack Colescott, the ultimate Social Studies teacher. Colescott was instrumental in Mike being hired at MHS in 1967, where he was bles...Read more
Liz Howerth
Liz Howerth was a three-sport athlete in basketball, volleyball, and track at Athens High School in The Plains, Ohio. She was an All-State athlete in volleyball and basketball, while her 4x100 relay team broke the school record. She currently holds the third highest high school basketball career field goal percentage (65%) in the state of Ohio. Liz was a captain for her volleyball and basketball teams and voted both MVP and Most Unselfish Player by her teammates. She graduated in 2003. In 2016, Liz was inducted into the Athens High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Though she was recruited by...Read more
Chris Oliver
Chris graduated from Bennett High School in 1984 and played five sports his senior year. He currently holds the Grant County record for most varsity letters with 15. He lettered four times in cross country, four in soccer, four in baseball and three in basketball. He was all-conference in all four sports his senior year. Bennett, with an enrollment of a tad over 130, was ranked 17th in the “then” one class basketball state poll his senior year. The Trojans lost to the Marion Giants in the Sectional first-round game by 12 points. Chris’ claim to fame was the summer of 1983 at the 5-s...Read more
Dick Persinger
Dick was a 1957 graduate of Marion High School and was outstanding both in the classroom as well as in athletics. He enjoyed an extremely successful athletic career at MHS, earning 3 varsity letters in basketball and 4 in baseball. He played basketball for Hall of Fame Coach Woody Weir; and in his senior year the Giants finished with an overall record of 20 wins and 6 losses. They won the sectional and regional before losing to a tough Noblesville team in the afternoon game of the Fort Wayne semi-state, 57-55. Dick was named to the NCC All-Conference Team in both his junior and senior years. &...Read more
Kyle Persinger
Kyle was born and raised in Marion to Richard L. Persinger and Judy K. Henn. In his childhood, he competed in almost every sport that was offered by the Marion PAL Club, Lincoln Little League and the Grant County Boys and Girls Club. During such time, Kyle met and competed with many great athletes from Marion and Grant County, a number of which would later become known as the “Dream Team”, including Jay Edwards, Lyndon Jones, Daric Keys and Eric Ewer, among others. In his youth, he and the other “Dream Team” members won the PAL Club National Championship youth basketball team. A number...Read more
Mark Surface
Mark Surface was born May 31, 1945, to Homer (Dutch) and Dorothy (Dot) Surface in Lafayette. The second of three children and only son gave Mark a ready-made cheering section as he pursued his athletic interests. Mark began playing tackle football as the only sixth grader on the seventh and eighth grade team. He played 4 years of high school football for Lafayette Jeff, who recorded a 9-1 season his senior year. Mark also played on Jeff’s state finalist basketball team. Mark enrolled at Ball State where he was a three year starter at LB and TE. The Cardinals played in two Grantland Rice Bowl...Read more
Jerry Townsend
Jerry was born and raised in Marion where basketball reigns supreme. His love for athletics was rooted deep as a child on the little league baseball fields under the guidance of his dad, Charles Townsend. Thanks, in part ,to childhood games running up and down Boots street, Jerry moved his interests to track and field where he quickly excelled at Marion High School. Coach Oatess Archey has been known to say that Jerry was the most natural, fluid, and smoothest runner he ever had the honor of coaching. Jerry was a standout in the 100m and 220m events. Throughout Jerry’s high school days ...Read more
Woody Weir
Woody Weir was a native of Scottsburg, IN. He attended Scottsburg High School and graduated in 1930. Woody had an outstanding career in high school, both in the classroom and in athletics where he excelled in basketball and track. Attending Indiana University on a basketball scholarship from Coach Everett Dean, Woody played three years for the Hoosiers before he tore his knee which ended his track career, but in basketball Woody was team captain, named to the All-Conference team and won the Balfour Award in 1933 and 1934. Woody started his coaching career at French Lick High School a...Read more
Pat Zehr
Pat Zehr, former Jasper High School volleyball and track and field coach., passed away in October of 2011. Pat was involved in girls’ high school athletics for over 33 years. Coach Zehr was the first volleyball coach at Jasper High School. From 1973 to 1997, Pat compiled a 600-129 win/loss record, acclaimed 21 sectional, 13 regional, and 3 semi-state championships. In 1991, the Jasper High School team was state runner-up. Numerous athletes won all-state and academic all-state honors as well as all-conference honors. She was honored as the Indiana Coaches of Girls’ Sports Association (...Read more
Team Category
1983-84 Girls Basketball State Finalist
The 83-84 Panthers became the first girls’ team voted into the Grant County Sports Hall of Fame. They were an over-powering team that averaged 69.7 points and gave up 38.9 during that season and were the state’s No. 2-ranked team according to the Associated Press. Led by Janna Bragg and Dawn Davenport, the Panthers won 26 of 27 games and advanced to the IHSAA state finals, losing a 56-50 decision to eventual state champion Crown Point in the semifinals. Bragg was a gifted offensive player who averaged 22.8 points her senior year and scored 1,578 points in her career. The 6-foot-1...Read more