GOSHEN — Moments after Fairfield defeated Central Noble 38-12 to move to 9-0 overall and into the Class 2A, Sectional 35 semifinals, Falcons coach Matt Thacker made a point of singling out players who contributed in the most recent win and throughout the season by their efforts in practice.

There was a lot to like from Saturday’s performance if you’re a Notre Dame football fan.

LAKEVILLE — Defense played a major role as Fairfield defended its IHSAA Class 2A LaVille Regional volleyball championship.

SOUTH BEND — Fort Wayne Canterbury was content with going to penalty kicks. The Cavaliers’ wish was granted, and they capitalized on it.

HUNTINGTON — The Goshen boys cross country team has advanced to the state finals after finishing fifth out of 20 teams at the New Haven semistate meet Saturday at Huntington University.

OSSIAN — The Bellmont Squaws volleyball team was too much for NorthWood to overcome Saturday morning as the Panthers lost 25-11, 25-21, 25-15 in the Class 3A regional semifinals at Norwell High School.

BENTON — Fairfield flexed its collective Flexbone muscles on the way to a Class 2A sectional-opening football win.

NAPPANEE — Sophomore running back Ethan Evers took the handoff and raced toward the right sideline. With defenders closing in, the 6-foot, 187-pounder cut back, split a trio of defenders in the middle of the field and bounced his run back outside again, racing 63 yards to the end zone.

MISHAWAKA — The Lakeland football team saw its season end again Friday night at the hands of a strong Marian squad.

MIDDLEBURY — On a third-and-12 from the Northridge 25-yard line late in the fourth quarter, the Raider defense appeared to make a big stop. Leo quarterback Jackson Barbour threw an incomplete pass over the head of his intended receiver, setting up fourth down.

SOUTH BEND — In the original 2020 Notre Dame football schedule, the team’s first road game was going to be Aug. 29 in Dublin, Ireland, against Navy. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, that game was moved from Ireland to Annapolis, Maryland, and scheduled for Sept. 5.

MIDDLEBURY — The IHSAA football playoffs begin Friday, and a top-12 matchup in Middlebury is expected to be one of the top games in the state as No. 12 Northridge (6-2) welcomes No. 6 Leo (8-1) in a Class 4A, Sectional 19 quarterfinal matchup at Interra Field at Raider Stadium.

GOSHEN — When asked to describe their 2020 season in one word, Fairfield volleyball coach Brittany Herschberger and senior middle hitter Madisyn Steele both said the same thing: mentally tough.

NAPPANEE — When the NorthWood volleyball team started practice Sept. 30, they were getting ready to put the final touches on a game plan for their match the next night against Warsaw.

NAPPANEE — Fort Wayne Canterbury is the most storied boys soccer program in the state. NorthWood is making its first appearance this late in the season.

GOSHEN — John Dechant was a big man with a booming voice.

SOUTH BEND — They don’t ask “how,” they ask “if.”

AKRON — NorthWood appeared to be on the way to a sweep of Wawasee in the championship match of the IHSAA Class 3A Tippecanoe Valley Sectional volleyball tournament.

GOSHEN — Unlike the Falcons of the NFL, the Fairfield Falcons volleyball squad did not blow their big lead.

MISHAWAKA — The Duerksen family has come to define NorthWood boys soccer. That’s why it seemed only fitting that one of its members took the program to heights previously unseen Saturday night.

LAKEVILLE — The Bethany Christian girls overcame a slow offensive start, penalties, a controversial end to regulation, and two scoreless overtime periods, but a diving fingertip save by Andrean’s Briana Houpt on the final penalty kick gave the 59ers a 2-1 win over the Bruins in the Class 1A …

Listed below are the advancing teams and individuals from the Elkhart and West Noble cross country regionals. The top five teams at each regional, plus the top 10 individuals from non-advancing teams, qualify for the semistate race Sat., Oct. 24 at Huntington University in New Haven. Full re…

ARGOS — A strong wind and a fingertip helped end the Westview boys soccer team’s 11-game winning streak — and season altogether.

PLYMOUTH — NorthWood’s ability to possess the ball and apply offensive pressure picked up in the second half.

MIDDLEBURY — Mishawaka sent an emphatic message Friday at Interra Field at Raider Stadium.

SYRACUSE — Wawasee took down Goshen in the battle of the Warhawk trophy, 37-21.

CHURUBUSCO — For the first time since 2008, the Fairfield Falcons football team completed a regular season undefeated.

SOUTH BEND — For the first time in a long time, things felt normal for Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly. With no players in isolation or quarantine due to COVID-19 for the first time since Sept. 8, the No. 4 Fighting Irish have been able to practice at mostly full strength this wee…

The NorthWood High School boys soccer team will get a chance to compete for the regional championship Saturday night after their semifinal opponent, Hammond Clark, had to forfeit due to COVID-19 issues within the program.

WARSAW — The Elkhart Lions and Northridge Raiders advanced to the Class 4A Sectional 4 volleyball semifinals Thursday with victories in quarterfinal action at Warsaw High School. Elkhart defeated Goshen, 25-17, 25-6, 25-13, while Northridge knocked off Concord 21-25, 30-28, 25-16, 25-10.

BENTON — Volleyball fans were treated to the “Relentless” Central Noble Cougars against the “Firepower” of the Fairfield Falcons in the first round of the Class 2A Fairfield Sectional on Thursday.

MIDDLEBURY — For the first time since 2017, Northridge will have a chance to win at least a share of the Northern Lakes Conference football crown. In order to do so, they must go through new NLC member Mishawaka Friday night in Middlebury.

GOSHEN — At one point during the season, the Bethany Christian girls soccer team only had 11 healthy players for games. Head coach Hank Willems couldn’t make any substitutions, so he moved players from offense to defense to try and let them catch their breath.

TOPEKA — On Sept. 5, the Westview boys soccer team lost to Fort Wayne Carroll, 2-1, to fall to 1-7-1 overall on the season. Along with being six games below .500, the Warriors returning goal scorer from 2019 — junior Jadon Yoder — was out with an injury.

SOUTH BEND — On paper, Notre Dame defeated Florida State by 16 points this past Saturday. It was a nice win for the Fighting Irish playing their first full-contact football game in 21 days due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the program.

NAPPANEE — Usually by the time regionals rolls around for boys soccer in Indiana, teams have played upward of 20 games. That’s the case for the No. 8 (Class 2A) NorthWood Panthers, who are entering the Mishawaka Marian regional with a 13-3-3 record.

NAPPANEE — There’s an old saying in football that defense wins championships. Well, that applies with the NorthWood girls soccer team as well.

Goshen College announced Tuesday that it is pausing all athletic activities through Oct. 19 to combat rising COVID-19 positive cases on campus.

TOPEKA — Eleven in a row.

LIGONIER — The No. 8 ranked NorthWood Panthers boys soccer team shut out the Angola Hornets 2-0 to capture their first Class 2A sectional 20 championship in six years.

MISHAWAKA — By scoring twice in the first 10 minutes, No. 10 Elkhart set the tone early and went on to a 2-0 victory against Concord for the championship of the IHSAA 3A Penn Sectional boys soccer tournament Saturday at LionsHead Field.

ELKHART — Five years ago, the Bethany Christian girls soccer program didn’t have enough players to field a team.

SYRACUSE — The NorthWood girls soccer team took home the Class 2A Sectional 20 championship with their 2-0 upset win Saturday over the DeKalb Barons.

ELKHART — Northridge made the adjustments to pull even with Penn late in championship match of the IHSAA Class 3A Elkhart Sectional girls soccer tournament Saturday at Elkhart West, only to see the Kingsmen (9-8-1) claim their 19th overall and 14th straight sectional title (the longest activ…

GOSHEN — The Goshen boys cross country team entered the sectional meet Saturday at Ox Bow Park shorthanded. Northridge was there to take advantage of it.

MIDDLEBURY — Northridge kept the scoreboard operator busy Friday in a Northern Lakes Conference football contest on Interra Field at Raider Stadium.

GOSHEN – Cory Lantz has handled Northeast Corner Conference competition as well as any player in the league this year. It doesn't matter what uniform the other team is wearing, either.

GOSHEN — In a rare October non-conference football game, Goshen struggled to keep up with the size and strength of No. 11 (Class 5A) Lafayette Harrison Friday night, falling to the Raiders, 49-7, at Foreman Field.

SOUTH BEND — The last time Notre Dame took the football field, they looked like one of the best teams in the country in dismantling South Florida, 52-0, at Notre Dame Stadium.