Area athletes to compete in showcase events

GCDW photo by Shad Cox Dylan Morris was selected to play in the prestigious North-South All-Star Game at Indianapolis North Central July 15. Morris becomes the third player to represent Linton-Stockton in the 50-year history of the annual classic.

Spring sports season has been in the rearview mirror for several weeks now. Season recaps have been written. All the awards have been handed out and all the accomplishments recognized.

Yet almost a month later we will still have several current and former athletes competing on the big stage one more time.

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Just three weeks removed from the Wabash Valley Football Coaches Association All-Star Game in Terre Haute, Dylan Morris will find himself on an even bigger stage.

Morris will be representing Linton-Stockton in the prestigious Indiana Football Coaches Association North-South All-Star Game.

The Miners' All-State lineman is one of 46 players selected to the South All-Stars roster for the 50th edition of the summer All-Star classic.

Morris becomes just the third Linton-Stockton player to participate in the annual showcase joining Adam Brewer and John Turchi.

Brewer was named to the South All-Stars for the 2005 game in Carmel. Turchi played in the inaugural event, in the summer of 1967.

The South roster features some of the biggest names from IHSAA State Finalists Monrovia, Bishop Chatard, East Central, New Palestine and Center Grove.

Two faces familiar to Morris will be padding up for the South. North Vermillion's Jacob Earl is one of three running backs on the roster. And the man Morris guarded in the 2A basketball regional at Paoli - North Decatur center Evan Wallpe - will be one of the South's four defensive ends.

The 2016 IFCA North-South All-Star Game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, July 15 at Indianapolis North Central High School.

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Our state coaches' associations have apparently taken notice of the talent here in Greene County.

The Indiana Basketball Coaches Association has invited the area's top two underclassmen - Linton-Stockton's Josh Dieball and Shakamak's Tanner Yeryar - to participate in the IBCA/IHSAA Boys Top 100 Underclass Showcase Wednesday July 13 at Ben Davis High School.

The two headlined the underclassmen in the running for GCDW Player of the Year honors as juniors.

Yeryar led the area in scoring at 19.6 points per game. Dieball, a 6-3 do-everything for the Miners, led a balanced offensive attack scoring at a 13.5 clip.

The Showcase features the Top 100 boys underclass players from all over the state. The players will be involved in controlled drills and scrimmage games throughout the day. This is an excellent chance for scouts, coaches and fans to see and evaluate the top players for this coming season.

Dieball and Yeryar will be joined at the Top 100 Showcase by quite a number of players they've faced on the court - Jaylin Chinn and Lairy Mekhi of Evansville Bosse; Cloverdale's Jalen Moore and Cooper Neese; the Barr-Reeve duo of Jonathan Walker and Trevor Lengacher, along with North Daviess' Jaylen Lengacher; West Vigo's Austin Sappingfield and Terre Haute South star Jaylen Minnett.

A staff of 26 coaches in all will lead the underclassmen through drills and scrimmages.

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After attempting to defend his Greene County Open championship Clayton French will tee it up again the very next day in the Indiana Open Championship.

The former Linton-Stockton and current Marian University golfer will tee off in the final group at 2:48 p.m. in Monday's opening round.

This year's Open will be played on the Donald Ross course at the French Lick Resort July 11-14.

French missed the 36-hole cut by just a single shot in last years' Open at Brickyard Crossing. He posted back-to-back rounds of 76 at the par-72 layout.

Five days later Clayton captured his first Greene County Open Championship with a six-shot victory.

Terry Schwinghammer is a sports writer for the Greene County Daily World. He can be reached by telephone at (812) 847-4487, ext. 27. He can also be reached via email at tschwing32@yahoo.com.