Will Fehlinger


Pats downed by Indians in matinee

Union County’s homecoming was all set for Friday until Helene had different plans. Traces of the hurricane came to the area and postponed dozens of games around Indiana. The Patriots’ tilt with Union City was one of those and the two sides kicked off Saturday afternoon in misty conditions.

Gillman returns to state finals

Union County senior Peityn Gillman has done it once again.

Nasty weather can’t slow down Cats

GREENSBURG – The rain was coming down in sheets at times Friday night, thanks to traces of Hurricane Helene, but it wasn’t nearly enough to deter the Franklin County Wildcats from hanging a 17th-straight loss on the Greensburg Pirates.

Dogs shut out by rival Tigers

On the first rainy Friday of the season, the Lawrenceburg Tigers came into the Dawg Pound and pitched a 24-0 shutout against Batesville. It was the Bulldogs’ first time going scoreless since last year’s East Central game.

Lady Bulldogs back to state finals

After just missing out on a team state final appearance last fall, the Batesville Lady Bulldogs upped their game Monday at Franklin’s Legends Golf Club to place runner-up in regional play and move on to the IHSAA championship rounds at Carmel’s Prairie View this weekend. It’s the third trip to the finals for BHS in the last four years.

Lions 4-2, best start in six years

LAPEL - The first rainy Friday of the season, thanks to traces of Hurricane Helene, played to visiting Rushville’s advantage more so than host Lapel on the Bulldogs’ turf field in Madison County.

Gillman leads UC to sectional title

Your Union County Lady Patriots’ golf team is the 2024 IHSAA Sectional Champion!

Hoff, Mears advance to regional

GREENSBURG – On a dry, dusty Greensburg Country Club course in Saturday’s heat, the FCHS Lady Wildcats competed in the IHSAA Sectional.

Focus group shares knowledge with county

Thursday night was another step in Franklin County’s bid to update the comprehensive plan in matters related to potential solar - or Alternative Energy Systems (AES) - installations, primarily the possibility of rezoning prime agricultural land in Bath and Springfield townships to accommodate the alternative sources.

Oldenburg soccer

OA girls soccer romped over Richmond at the graveyard Sept. 12, winning 9-2. Aubrey Baker had a hat trick plus one, scoring at 21:05 and 1:04 of the first half and 18:02 and 16:00 of half two, the last on a header.

Lion boys win at NC, SD

Rushville Lions win the New Castle and South Dearborn invitationals!

Paddock sweeps Pat, Rebel invites

Sophomore Tanner Paddock won his hometown cross country invitational Tuesday, a few days after winning at Randolph Southern.

Golfers head to sectional

FC girls golf obliterated the Lawrenceburg Lady Tigers last Tuesday evening at municipal Brook Hill Golf Club.

OA tennis revival

The Oldenburg Academy boys tennis team defeated Edinburgh 4-1 Sept. 12 for the team’s sixth consecutive win.

Air Jaisle & Co. subdue Lions

RUSHVILLE - Batesville’s Senior quarterback Will Jaisle passed for six touchdowns to four different receivers - four in the third quarter alone - and 360 yards Friday night at Rushville’s Hinshaw Field to hand the Lions a 55-20 defeat on homecoming night.

Busy week of golf

Thursday the Franklin County Lady Wildcats traveled to the Links at Rising Star to take on EIAC opponent, the South Dearborn Knights, in a makeup match.

Dogs sweep county races

BHS cross country traveled to Jac-Cen-Del Thursday to compete at the county meet in some stubborn heat. Both Bulldog teams ran exceptionally well to capture Ripley County trophies, the girls finishing with a perfect score of 15 and the boys posting 23 to Milan’s 42.

Lions grab signature win over FC

RUSHVILLE - Building a 30-14 halftime lead Friday at Hinshaw Field proved just enough for the host Rushville Lions to secure their first win over the Franklin County Wildcats in the last six years. The visitors trailed by three in the final minute but a last-ditch pass attempt to the end zone fell incomplete to preserve a 30-27 win.

UC tennis

Patriot boys tennis lost a close match at home vs. Oldenburg Academy last Wednesday as the Twisters prevailed 3-2.

Cats dominant in retaining Water Keg

Another week, another dominating performance by the Franklin County Wildcats.

BHS dominates rainy Classic

After an hour delay from early storms Saturday, the Batesville cross country teams stepped to the line at the annual Rushville Invitational. Final scores were separated out by two divisions. OA’s Santiago Schutte (18:08) was 4th in division II.

Rushville Classic in the books

After an hour delay from morning storms, the Rushville Classic was in full swing Saturday. The overall winner was Jake Chapman from Batesville in 16:39 for the boys and Kaylynn Bedel from Batesville in 19:56 for the girls.

Soccer: 3 doubleheaders

The UC soccer teams played three varsity twin bills in six days, visiting Tri-County North in Ohio Thursday followed by hosting EIAC teams Greensburg and Rushville Saturday and Tuesday.

All Wildcats in season opener

Franklin County scored touchdowns on five of six possessions in Friday night’s first half against visiting New Castle, eventually posting a 41-14 rout over the Trojans to begin the 2024 campaign.

Bulldog soccer

In their season opener against Greenfield-Central last Tuesday, the Batesville Bulldogs secured a 1-0 win. Batesville dominated possession in the first half, creating numerous scoring chances. Despite G-C’s late-game pressure, the Bulldogs held on for the victory. Mathias Davalos scored the lone goal of the match in the 16th minute.

Lady Lion soccer

The Lady Lions hosted Centerville last Tuesday and fell 5-0

Volleyball team battles to start the year

The Lady Wildcat volleyball team competed at the East Central Invitational Saturday to begin the season and took on EIAC foe Rushville Monday.

Soccer teams start 2024

The UC soccer clubs were both in action in varsity doubleheaders to begin the fall campaign, taking on New Castle at home Saturday and Franklin County on the road Tuesday.

Twisters controlled by EC

ST. LEON – Oldenburg Academy boys soccer lost its 2024 opener to host East Central Saturday, 6-1.

County Council begins 2025 budget process

Ahead of a Sept. 17 public hearing and Oct. 15 adoption meeting, Franklin County Council began its annual budget hearings Monday by hearing from all department heads on 2025 requests. The health department had cause to postpone its appearance until Tuesday morning.

Lady Patriots compete well in opening tourneys

Union County’s girls golfers showed they could stack up against any team in the area after finishing in the top half of two season-opening tournaments earlier this week.

Cats close in on 2024

Franklin County’s Wildcats held their third and final home scrimmage Thursday against the Northeastern Knights.

Lady Lions Open Golf Season

RICHMOND - The Rushville Lady Lions’ golf team kicked off the season on Monday with the annual season-opening Richmond Invitational at Richmond Elks Country Club.

Lady Bulldogs win season-opening tourney

RICHMOND - The Batesville Lady Bulldogs’ golf team kicked off the season on Monday with the annual season-opening Richmond Invitational at Richmond Elks Country Club.

Lady Cats chase Bulldogs

RUSHVILLE – Franklin County sophomore Addyson Bischoff drove in four runs on two swings of the bat Monday as the Lady Wildcats cruised to an 11-1 win over the Batesville Lady Bulldogs in the opening round of the Rushville Sectional.

Eleven athletes advance to regional

The Rushville boys and girls track and field teams competed at the respective Connersville sectionals Wednesday and Thursday evening of last week.

Bevy of locals advance to regionals

Coach Lisa Gausman called it “an incredible night for the Bulldogs!” The ladies, that is, after a one-day postponement of the East Central sectional. Lacing it up last Wednesday instead of Tuesday, the Lady Dogs advanced to the regional in 13 of 16 events!

Doubles teams prevail

UC’s No. 1 doubles team of Hallie Hughes and Peityn Gillman earned the right to continue in the state tourney with their 7-5, 6-0 win over Rushville’s Emilia Eade and Lanea Adams despite the Patriots falling 3-2 as a team to the Lions last Wednesday at the Connersville Sectional.

Sixty years...and counting

When Larry Sintz pops a whistle in his mouth at your local volleyball match this August, you’ll be watching a dedicated professional entering his seventh decade as a licensed sports official.

FC track; girls vault to records

Franklin County track and field faced off with Connersville last Tuesday and swept the Spartans; the boys won 76-46 while the girls were 69-45 winners.

BHS tennis

Bulldog girls tennis battled at unbeaten Lawrenceburg Thursday but took a 3-2 loss to the Lady Tigers.

Scrappy Lions doing some winning

In completion of a suspended game from early April, Rushville finished off conference rival South Dearborn in Aurora last Tuesday in comeback fashion.

Boys golf on 2-meet win streak

The Franklin County boys golf team showed improvement at Hidden Valley Golf Club last Tuesday in comparison to the showing at the same course last year, according to coach Dylan Huber.

Track/field stays busy

The RCHS track and field teams hosted Shelbyville, Waldron and Southwestern Shelby last Tuesday on senior night.

Van Winkle competes at sectional

CONNERSVILLE – Union County freshman Autumn Van Winkle was a one-person team at the Connersville gymnastics sectional Saturday.

Wildcats smash Spartans by 21

CONNERSVILLE - Behind a game-high 23 points by Isaiah Kemp and 15 more for senior Eli Butt - before a slight injury ended his night prematurely - the Franklin County Wildcats secured a 57-36 victory over Connersville at the Spartan Bowl Thursday in a Beat Cancer in 4 Quarters rescheduled matchup.

Dogs ride 6-game streak

SHELBYVILLE - The Batesville Bulldogs obliterated Class 4A Shelbyville in Shelby County Thursday, 70-45, to win their sixth consecutive game in closing out the regular season at 17-5.

Lady Lions 4th at sectional, Westphal moves on

Rushville senior Bell Westphal is headed for the IHSAA gymnastics regional after a 3rd-place finish in the all-around competition at the Connersville Sectional Saturday.

Tough end for senior duo

RICHMOND – It was certainly not the finish to their careers that Union County seniors Jesus Aquino-Morales and Carson Whitley had foreseen in November.

FC sending six to semistate

RICHMOND – Six of the nine representatives for Franklin County at the Richmond wrestling regional Saturday have advanced to the state's penultimate event, the semistate at New Castle Fieldhouse taking place Saturday starting 9 a.m.