Good news is all around us and there may be no better venue that the sports world in Valparaiso. Achievements - both team and individual, traditions and more highlight our Top 10 Sports Stories on ValpoLife.com in 2015.
Without further adieu, see our favorite stories from the past year below!
Valparaiso High School Girls Volleyball Ranked Nationally in Latest MaxPreps Poll
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Congratulations are in order for undefeated Valparaiso High School Girl’s Volleyball, whose 29-0 record has earned them a national ranking of 11 in MaxPreps.com’s Xcellent 25 rankings.
The ranking comes on the heels of four dominant wins over teams with a combined record of 86-26, including two DAC rivals (Lake Central and Crown Point) and nationally-ranked Fort Wayne Carroll, whose defeat at the hands of the Vikings was only the second of the season.
School, Community, Come Together to Honor Student Lost Too Soon
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We are all familiar with the cliché phrase that your life can change in the blink of an eye. For some, those words may never hold a significant meaning in their life. For those who knew Mario Arroyo, those ten words may be replaying in their heads for quite some time.
Mario E. Arroyo Jr. passed away last Sunday night after a car accident on U.S. 231. He was one of four passengers, the rest of which survived.
4 Quarters. 2 Schools. 1 Viking Community: The BFMS vs. TJMS Football Story
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Valparaiso is a community of some 30,000 people and some change. It’s a mid-size city in Indiana, but it’s got a small town feel when it comes to the connections made here. Everyone knows each other, they talk about Valparaiso with a certain pride you don’t find in other communities, and among the thousands of attributes people here use to describe themselves with (short, tall, banker, receptionist, etc.) there’s one ubiquitous description that bonds this city together:
I am a Viking.
New Valparaiso High School Men's Basketball Coach, Barak Coolman, Plans to Build Winners On and Off the Court
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New Valparaiso High School Men’s Basketball Coach, pending school board approval, Barak Coolman, is no stranger to Valpo and Northwest Indiana. His father graduated from Valparaiso, and his mother went to Portage. He has fond memories of driving down US 30 and State Road 2 when they were just seeds of what they are today; when his uncle was just beginning to work on the Aberdeen project.
“I also have six cousins that graduated from Valparaiso,” Coolman added.
White Sox's Jeff Samardzija Returns Home to Hand Out Free Game Vouchers to Thomas Jefferson Elementary School Kids
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Thomas Jefferson Elementary School was roaring like U.S. Cellular today, as Chicago White Sox pitcher and Valparaiso native, Jeff Samardzija, returned home to Valpo to greet the kids and present them with vouchers good for a free ticket to a White Sox game.
A voucher that will soon be in the hands of all of the approximately 6,400 kids in the Valparaiso Community School District.
Valpo's Senior Night Victory Highlighted By One Shining Moment
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Fans in attendance for Valparaiso Men’s Basketball “Senior Night” last Saturday were treated to an extra special surprise when Senior Forward, Vashil Fernandez, suddenly dropped to a knee. But this time it wasn’t to huddle up around Coach Bryce Drew; he was proposing at half-court to his now fiancée, Bridget Eichner.
And as the last sentence subtly suggests: she said “I do”.
Valpo High School Winter Sports Awards Recognizes Excellence in Athletics
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At Valparaiso High School, we take pride in our athletic accomplishments. Not only do our athletes manage to perform at a tremendous level, but they also remain humble and illustrate the true meaning of sportsmanship. VHS held its 2014-2015 Winter Sports Banquet on the evening of Wednesday, March 18, in the VHS auditorium.
Principal Dr. Reid Amones welcomed athletes and family members with a warm introduction. He commended the athletes for being well-rounded individuals and admired their willingness to give back to the community. Additionally, he didn’t fail to mention the positive impact they have on the generations to come.
Cooks Corners Students Meet Their Pen Pal Heroes: Valpo HS Football
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Cheers greeted the Valpo Boys football players as they entered the third grade room of Carol Kennedy today at Cooks Corners Elementary School.
For the last seven weeks these young men have been exchanging letters with these third graders, and today the players came to Cooks Corners to meet their pen pals in person. They also gave each student a football t-shirt and signed them for the students.
Valparaiso Wins The 2015 Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship
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The Valparaiso Men's Basketball team won the 2014-15 Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship last night, beating the Wisconsin Green Bay Phoenix 54-44. The win gives the Crusaders an automatic invite to the 2015 NCAA Men's Tournament against an opponent to be named Sunday on the NCAA Selection Show.
Freshman David Skara led the scoring with 12 points, including several key shots at crucial moments of the game, but the key moment that turned the tide in the game was Senior leader Vashil Fernandez's dunk to end the first half. The dunk cut the Green Bay lead to 25-19, but more importantly brought a special energy to the team and the crowd that carried over into the second half.
VHS Girls' Basketball Team Raises Funds to Battle Cancer with "Coaches vs. Cancer" Event
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More than half a million United States citizens are expected to die of cancer within the next year. Ranked as the second leading cause of death in the United States, the dynamic aspects of the disease make it extremely difficult to identify one overarching cure
In attempt to get one step closer to finding a solution, the Valparaiso High School Girls Basketball team held its Coaches vs. Cancer game against Hobart on the evening of Tuesday, February 3. Not only did the tribute to universal struggle unite those who have faced its consequences, but it also served as a time to raise money and awareness about the disease.