As many may know, PHS is part of an athletic conference called the PLAC, also known as the Patoka Lake Athletic Conference.
The surrounding schools involved include Crawford County, Mitchell, Orleans, Perry Central, Springs Valley, and West Washington. Throughout all athletic seasons, athletes are selected to be a part of the All-PLAC team along with others from the conference.
The selection for winter sports includes Chad Sullivan, Cooper Spires, and Fletcher Cole for Rams basketball, and Jericho Hopper for the Lady Rams basketball. Colten Morgan, Deegan Brashear, Jonny Shellenberger, and Landen Baker were recognized for Rams Wrestling.
The boys’ basketball representatives finished 6-0 in PLAC play and were announced as the 2024-25 PLAC Champions. Senior Fletcher Cole has been chosen for the past four years and leads the PLAC in scoring. The toughest PLAC game he’s played was this past season against Orleans because it was a great game, atmosphere, and win.
“It was an honor to be chosen all four years. It really shows all the hard work that has paid off,” said Cole.
For junior Cooper Spires, this is his first time being chosen, and says that the toughest conference game he’s had is his freshman year against Orleans because it was packed and it was the biggest game of the year.
“It felt good to be honored for my hard work,” said Spires.
Junior Chad Sullivan has also been selected for the first time, leading the PLAC in rebounds. Sullivan says that playing against Orleans is always memorable because it is known as a rivalry game.
“I was very happy,” said Sullivan.
Head Coach Dusty Cole has some positive thoughts on the season and players.
“We played really well in Conference this year going 6-0. Four of those wins came on the road, including a big road win over State Finalist Orleans. Fletcher was the conference’s leading scorer, and Chad was the conference’s leading rebounder. It was another Conference Championship for the Rams,” said Dusty.
The Lady Rams finished 3-3 in PLAC play and tied for third place. Senior Jericho Hopper was selected to represent PHS for the girls’ basketball PLAC. Hopper has been selected two years in a row. The biggest conference game for her was this past season going into overtime and pulling out the win against Crawford County.
“It was an honor to be chosen, I am so grateful that all of the dedication and hard work over the years has finally paid off. I am even more grateful, and I feel so blessed that my coaches can finally get the credit they deserve; without them, there is no way I would have been half of the player and person I am today,” said Hopper.
Head Coach Donavan Crews had very encouraging comments on not only Hopper but the team itself.
“This year we had one individual selected to the PLAC all-conference team. Jericho was chosen for the second straight year. We had some really good players in our conference this year and I think everyone that was chosen was very deserving. I was very proud of our team finishing 3-3 this year in the conference. We finished tied for 3rd place this year which was highlighted with an overtime win at Crawford County,” said Crews.
The wrestling team had four wrestlers selected for PLAC in four different weight classes. Senior Jonny Shellenberger has been selected for the past three years, but of those, his sophomore year was the toughest for PLAC matches because he was still a relatively new wrestler.
“It’s always a great feeling to be named a PLAC wrestler,” said Shellenberger.
Junior Deegan Brashear was also selected and has been for the last two years. His toughest match was going up against other wrestlers when dealing with a sickness.
“It felt good,” said Brashear.
Sophomore Colten Morgan has been selected for the first time as an underclassman but he didn’t really find any matches to difficult to handle.
“It felt really rewarding,” said Morgan.
The final athlete is freshman Landen Baker, who is experiencing being a PLAC wrestler for the first time. The PLAC match he found the toughest was against Mitchell because it happened to be the only match to go into two periods.
“It felt good to win PLAC my freshman year,” said Baker.
Coach JT Zapien also had some constructive thoughts to share about the season.
“We placed third overall at the PLAC meet. Not having the majority of the weight classes filled definitely hurt us when it came to team points and overall placement. Our guys that did wrestle did great, and we definitely have some good potential heading into next season,” said Zapien.
PHS is proud to announce these students as PLAC athletes due to their dedication, hard work, and the time they have given to their athletics.