The third installment in the Journal Review’s top sports moment’s of the series takes a look back on the year that was for the Southmont Mounties.
Addison Meadows is once again one of the state’s best
After making the IHSAA Girls Golf State Finals the past three seasons, there’s no debate about the talent that Addison Meadows possesses on the golf course. The Indiana Wesleyan commit was back at the state finals and made the All-State Team which was one of her goals coming into the two-day event at Prairie View Golf Club in Carmel. She improved her score from her sophomore season as she shot a two-day +18 162 to place 33rd. While the placement was lower than her sophomore year the drop in score is what matters most.
“She still deserves all the accolades that have come her way and that she’s going to continue to earn,” Southmont coach Bill Whalen said. “ I’m confident that she’s capable of being a top 10 golfer in the state. That’s her goal that she’s been chasing since day one of her freshman year. Being the 33rd best in the state in anything is nothing to shake your head at.”
The girls golf season is rapidly approaching and Meadows will have her eye on finally being in the top 10 once the state finals roll around.
Football has post-season run that will be remembered forever
What Southmont football did this past fall is going to be written in the history books. Taking a 4-5 record into the post-season which included a four-game skid against the Sagamore Conference’s best, the Mounties pulled off back-to-back thrilling overtime wins (22-21 vs Cascade and 36-34 vs No.1 Linton-Stockton) to claim the programs first sectional title. The Linton-Stockton game was one that came full circle for the Mounties as a season prior their comeback attempt was cut just short. This time they wouldn’t be denied.
““It’s hard to put into words what this win means for our program,” Hannum said of capturing the first sectional title in school history. “This has been 17 years in the making. I felt like we earned this one because our kids have had a next man up all tournament. We needed every single person on this team tonight to get the job done and now we can call ourselves champions.”
The Mounties followed up their thrilling sectional title win with yet another thriller in the Regional Final held off Eastern Hancock 41-34 and advanced to the final four of Class 2A.
There were so many heroes that made so many game changing plays during the story book run. That group of Mounties led by a stellar coach in Desson Hannum have everything to be proud of.
The cherry on top of it all was that Hannum and Wyatt Woodall got to share the field one final in the Indiana Football Coaches Association North/South All-Star game.
Wrestling captures SAC title in thriller
The season for Southmont wrestling certainly got off to a shaky start. But the good old saying is it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. After competing against the bulk of the SAC at the WeBo duals, South went 1-4 that day. Fast forward to the SAC meet and it was a complete 180 degree turnaround for the Scarlet and Grey. Trailing by a single point to Lebanon heading into the heavyweight finals, Ayden Dickerson delivered a win and ultimately the SAC crown to the Mounties who won over the Tigers 217.5-216.5
“We had eyes on both matches because we needed to know what needed to happen,” Southmont coach Jamie Welliever said of the thrilling finish. “These guys just continued to grind it out when things weren’t going well early on. They come to practice ready to get better and believe in our coaching staff in what we’re trying to do and it showed out here today. Every single one of those 13 guys that wrestled today wrestled the best they have all season.”
The Mountie team was led by great senior leadership that included Marlin Williams, Woodall, Dickerson, Maddox Cade and plenty of others.
While it’s going to be a hard to replicate the success of four SAC titles in the last five years with the losses of that talented senior class, Welliever and his coaching staff will always find a way for his team to stay competitive.
Woodall and Williams cap historic careers
Wyatt Woodall and Marlin Williams are two names that Southmont athletics aren’t soon or maybe ever forget. What the two accomplished over the course of their four-year careers is nothing short of sensational. Let’s go back on the wrestling mat this past winter where while they helped lead the Mounties to the SAC team title, they were also individual SAC champs at 150 and 215 pounds. The SAC title made them each become the first in school history to win four SAC titles.
Then came the post-season. While Woodall was looking for a trip back to the state finals, Williams was looking to punch his ticket for the first time. With Woodall and the rest of the Mounties watching, Williams secured a pin and let out the emotion and excitement as he joined Woodall in qualifying for the state finals.
At the State Finals in Evansville Williams got a tough draw and fell in his opening match to the eventual runner up at 144 pounds. Woodall would get redemption from his junior season and finish by having his name called on the podium as he placed 7th at 215 pounds.
Both started the season with their football run and then they got to share the experience of a state finals. Williams then qualified for the Regional in the pole vault for track in the spring.
Girls Basketball leaves it all on the court
They’re might not have been a more entertaining boys or girls basketball game this past winter than what took place in the Class 2A Sectional 44 semi-finals between Southmont and Parke Heritage. The heavily favored Wolves who beat the Mounties by 29 points during the regular season got a much more determined Mountie team in the sectional. The Wolves ended up winning in a 65-61 thriller in a game that was a treat to watch for any high school basketball fan.
Southmont ended the third quarter on a 17-5 run to take a 49-47 lead into the final quarter. Senior DeLorean Mason then unfortunately fouled out with three minutes to go and the score even at 57-57.
It was a nail-biter until the end but a game that Mountie coach Dan Burkman was proud of despite his team’s season coming to an end.
“There’s no question that was our best game we’ve played all season,” Burkman said. “It was amazing to witness and it was a great environment to be a part of. The girls played phenomenal and so hard. We executed what we wanted to do for the most part, but still fell a little short.”
Mason was one of four seniors who helped lead the Mounties to a 14-9 season. Those 14 wins are the most by the Lady Mounties since they won 14 games back in 2013-14. With a great group of to-be sophomores that include Emily Link, Layla Gomez and others, the Lady Mounties look to another great season this winter.
