Indiana Youngsters Impress

In a Boys all-star season where the JV teams seem to have as much importance as the Varsity teams, Indiana is one of those that stuck out.

While Utah’s JV team dominated the competition in the Rocky Mountain Classic, Indiana’s was just as impressive, producing shutout after shutout, going 4-0, and really only being usher by Virginia, a team they beat in the final 37-14.

Indiana's middle-schoolers in action. Michelle Leroux photo.

Flanker Jack White was named the MVP of the tournament, with Will Vakalahi a very close second. Bart Bottorff, Head Coach of Penn HS, oversaw the entire Indiana select-side program, and coached the JVs. Many of his Indiana JV team were from Penn, but Bottorff didn’t want it that way - some divisiveness within the state of Indiana meant that some talented players from the southern part of the state didn’t even try out.

But that didn’t stop Bottorff for looking for diamonds in the rough. JP Anzini, a center for Carroll, a DII team in Indiana, might fill the bill. 

“JP was a player we didn’t know too well,” said Bottorff. “But he was fantastic in the centers. That’s something we wanted, was kids from all sorts of programs who had the opportunity to show us what they could do. We were very strong physically and also skill-wise in the JV team, and hopefully we’ll continue to grow the programs.”

Indiana teams as a while went 13-2 in Pittsburgh, with the Boys Varsity losing the semis on a late turnover, and the girls losing the final in a wild play involving two Indiana players colliding as they chased a kick.

The JVs and Middle School teams were 4-0. The Middle-Schoolers beat Pennsylvania 36-7, Virginia 10-8, Virginia once again 8-5, and Pennsylvania once again 34-7.

Cian Messner, flyhalf from Penn, was the Middle School MVP.

Indiana younger player rosters.