With the start of the state volleyball tournament just a couple of weeks away we will take a break from the football stories and take a look at one of just three sports that advanced to the state that represented North Montgomery.
Of course everyone probably still remembers North Montgomery won the state Class 2A state football titles in 1995 and 1996. Most will also remember the baseball team advanced to the title game before losing in 2000. However, there are probably just a handful of readers who know what team was the first to represent the Chargers at the state level.
Of course it was volleyball.
In fact, the Chargers accomplished that feat twice in the first nine years the school opened its doors. The first time came in the fall of 1977. The Chargers’ volleyball team, under the coaching of Ron Bryant, won the Southmont Sectional and then claimed the regional title on its home floor to advance to the state finals.
At that time there was no semistate and there were no classes for the volleyball team. The winners of the eight regionals all advanced to the state finals.
In the sectional opener, the Chargers expected, and got, a tough challenge from Rockville but came away with a 15-13, 15-10 win. That proved to be the toughest test for the Chargers in the sectional or regional. Other first-round winners that night were Southmont (who beat North Vermillion 15-2, 15-12) and Turkey Run (who beat Covington 16-14, 12-10).
The second round saw Southmont beating Crawfordsville 15-8, 11-15, 15-5 and Fountain Central downed Montezuma 15-7, 15-5.
The Mounties beat Fountain Central and the Chargers downed Turkey Run to pit the two county rivals against one another in the finals. Unfortunately, for the home Mounties (who ended 14-4 coached by Connie Newhouser) they were little competition for the Chargers as they fell 15-9, 15-1. At one point the Chargers reeled off 13 straight points in the two-game set and ended the match with a 96 percent service percentage and an 89 percent spiking percentage.
The regional field was comprised of eight teams. The Chargers played Terre Haute North in the its first match and defeated them 15-3, 15-8. In the semifinal round the host team took on Clinton Prairie and won 15-9, 15-5 to advance to the title game against powerful Kokomo Hayworth.
After just one hour between its semifinal match and the title match, North Montgomery dominated the championship showdown. The Chargers earned a 15-4, 15-4 win to advance to the state finals which was played at Ben Davis High School.
Coach Bryant was quoted after the title match as saying, “We started the regional with the attitude that we could win because the girls had a lot of confidence in themselves. That’s what it takes.”
At the state tournament the Chargers led in the first game before Indianapolis Chatard, who had been at the state finals the year before, came back and took a 15-11 win. In the second game the Chargers fell 15-10.
For the season the Chargers ended 18-5 and were led by seniors Lisa Brummet, Denise Evans, Andra Harshbarger and Barb Matricia.
This team set the tone for another trip to the state finals for the Chargers in 1979 where they were defeated by Muncie Burris 15-4, 15-4 in the quarterfinal.
In the history of the state volleyball tournament only three regional titles have ever been won by Montgomery County teams. In addition to these two North Montgomery regional winners, Southmont grabbed a title in 1985.
Barry Lewis has been involved in Montgomery County sports for nearly 50 years. He has a passion for keeping its rich history and tradition alive.
