The city of Portage was beaming with good news in the world of sports in 2014. From having their varsity football team take part in a game on an NFL field to and a softball star announcing her intent to play at one of the premier Universities in the Midwest to success at the high school and summer travel clubs, a lot was going on in all sports at all levels.
It was a bit tough to pick just 10, but here they are (in no particular order): the ten best sports stories in Portage this year:
PHS Athletes Get Recognized at Fall Awards Banquet
Everyone's high school experience is special because of reasons unique to each individual. For hundreds of high-schoolers involved in a sport, athletics might be their favorite part of their high school career. Many of those athletes gathered together to celebrate the close to the fall athletic season at Portage High School.
Students in grades 9-12 involved in fall sports at the high school celebrated their season at the 2014 Fall Sports Banquet.
Portage Freshman Football Team Completes Perfect 9-0 Season
The Portage freshman football team ended their season on Thursday by beating LaPorte 31-6. The Portage team went 9-0 and swept the DAC conference.
After beating Mishawaka and Penn, the kids set their sites on going undefeated. Great coaches, continuous family support, and hard work have really paid off for these gentlemen.
Fegely Middle School Teachers Hoop It Up Against Students
On Friday, April 4, the Fegely Middle School teachers took on the basketball students in a game that was a real nail-biter. The kids put up a great fight but lost by one point. The final score was 44-43.
Portage Baseball Teams Celebrate Weekend Tournament Championships
A pair of Portage baseball teams celebrated tournament championships this past weekend.
The Breakers 14U won at the Double Play Tournament at Hobart High School. Coaches of the team are Dave Wagoner, Ken Elwood and Bub Pullins.
The Portage Tribe 12U won the Play Like A Champion Today tournament in South Bend. Coaches of the Tribe are Rob Warchus, Miguel Verduzco and John Tabor.
Kiley Jones Signs to Play Softball for Loyola University
Portage High School senior Kiley Jones signed with Loyola University for the one sport she loves the most: softball. Jones was a player on the girls’ softball team at the high school and played with them as they accomplished many athletic goals.
Jones wanted to attend Loyola University because of a plethora of reasons. She likes that the school is in a big city and on the lake. Additionally, Jones loves Chicago in general.
PHS Football Gets First Win of Season on Homecoming
The spirit of Homecoming week at Portage High School must have inspired the school's football team, which picked up its first win of the season on Friday after an 0-6 start. Rallied by a large and lively crowd, the Indians defeated Michigan City, 27-12.
Portage Baseball Looks to Find Stride in Second Half
Struggling in conference play isn’t ideal in any high school sport, but especially not when those conference opponents will also be the opposition once postseason play begins.
A little more than midway through the high school baseball season, the Portage High School Indians are trying to find their stride against Duneland Athletic Conference foes. Portage is 11-8 overall but just 3-5 in DAC play following a 10-2 loss to visiting Lake Central on Wednesday.
Portage Pop Warner Pee Wee Cheer Headed to Nationals in Orlando
The Portage Pop Warner Pee Wee cheer team has qualified for a chance to compete in the Pop Warner Cheer Nationals in Orlando. The team won first place in their district and regional competitions. The girls on this team range in age from 9 to 12 years old. These 17 fantastic and talented athletes have worked tirelessly to learn and perfect new skills.
Portage and Lake Central Lived The Dream at Lucas Oil Stadium
For the two teams that traveled to Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, living the dream has never felt more real. The Portage and Lake Central football teams had the opportunity to play at the home venue of the Indianapolis Colts as part of Big Rivals Night, put on by Compton Strategies.
"Nobody really talked about it much during the course of the week," Portage coach Wally McCormack said."Obviously they were pretty excited when we pulled in and drove up under it [and when we were] in the locker room that, you know, a couple years ago, teams were getting dressed to go play the Super Bowl."
Portage Seniors Celebrated on Senior Night at The Warpath
Even losing to La Porte with a score of 34 to 14, the Warpath was filled with a strong sense of community as the Indians took the field for the final time in the 2014 regular season.
The football and dance teams and marching band said their farewells to the graduating class for Senior Night, the eighth grade football teams from Willowcreek and Fegley stepped onto the field for a taste of the team they might join when they reach high school, the marching band finally performed their entire show on their home field after being rained out all season and the dance team had extra members as young girls performed a routine from their weeklong minicamp.
There you have it, the 10 best sports stories of 2014. Did we get it right? If not, send us your sports good news next year and maybe it will make the Top 10 of 2015!