Every week, we bring you four student athletes that have been nominated by their school's athletic director, coach, or you the fans! We will write a brief description as to why they are deserving of the award and the rest is up to the fans to vote for the Scholar of the Week. After the votes are tallied, we will announce a winner on Friday. At the end of the regular season a new poll will take place.
Each of the weekly winners will be released via a poll for the Ivy Tech Community College Student Athlete of the Year. Fans will vote throughout the IHSAA playoffs with the winner being recognized during the last Colts home game at Lucas Oil Stadium and being awarded a scholarship to Ivy Tech Community College.
Last week, Yorktown's .Chandler Carroll amassed 62% of the vote to be named the fifth Ivy Tech Scholar Athlete of the Week. Carroll is ranked 5th out of 210 students in the junior class at Yorktown High School. He has a 4.022/4.000 GPA. He is taking a heavy load of AP courses, including AP Language, AP US History, and AP Chemistry, and he is receiving a high A in all. Chandler is also a Freshmen Mentor for Yorktown's Freshmen Kickoff Mentoring Program. He is responsible for monitoring the progress of three freshmen on a weekly basis. Chandler rarely leaves the field for the Yorktown Tigers. He is the feature running back, he is the second leading tackler from his cornerback position, he returns kicks and punts, and he is the holder for extra point. On Saturday September 8th against Greenfield Central in the Horseshoe Classic at Lucas Oil Stadium, Chandler rushed for 144 yards on 19 carries and one TD. On defense, he had 11 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 interception. He was the Horseshoe Classic Player of the Game. In four games, he has rushed for 528 yards and 6 TDs. He has 22 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, and 4 interceptions.
Here are the sxith week's nominees and a little bit about them:
John Kenny /Carmel High School/LB – Kenny excels on the football field, in the classroom, and in other sports as well. Aside from football, he is also a member of the varsity lacrosse and hockey teams for the Greyhounds. Kenny has made the honor roll each semester of his high school career. He also holds a 3.3 GPA and scored a 1590 on his SAT test. On the field, he is quite the dominating force. He led the 2011 Class 5A State Champion Greyhounds in tackles last season with 98 and was named the team's defensive player of the year. He was selected to the IFCA Class 5A Junior All-State Team.
Ross Corcoran/ Lafayette Central Catholic High School/LB – Ross makes a great impression off the field. He was the class vice president his junior year and has been selected to the academic honor roll for three years. He ranks 26 out of 54 students at LCC with a 3.61 GPA. He scored a 1430 on his SAT last year. On the field, Coach Kevin O'Shea says he is the "heart and soul" of their defense. He was named the Lafayette Journal and Courier's 2011 Defensive Player of the Year as well as being named to the IFCA Junior All-State Team.
Ryan Ripp/Hamilton Southeastern High School/RB-LB – If you're from Hamilton County and you haven't heard of Ryan Ripp you must be sleeping under a rock. This two-way starter has been the heart and soul of the Royals this season. Off the field, Ripp is a "high honor roll" scholar athlete with a 3.83 GPA. His stats on the field are impressive but his most impressive statistical measurement could be the 1740 he scored on the SAT. In 2011, Ripp had 1,174 yards and 19 touchdowns. This season through six games, Ripp has 759 yards and 15 touchdowns while sharing carries with a few other players. He has been voted to the All-HCC team the past two years which is no easy feat.
*Jared Murphy/ Columbia City High School/WR-DB-QB-KR- Off the field, Murphy is active in his school's Fellowship of Christian Athletes' program. He is ranked 78 out of 278 students with a 3.38 GPA while balancing a tough class load with athletics and other extracurricular activities. On the field, Murphy makes magic when he touches the ball. He caught a school record 57 passes for 732 yards and six touchdowns, he also had 30 carries for 145 yards and three scores to go along with 385 yards passing with five touchdowns. *
Check back next week to see who won this week's Ivy Tech Community College's Scholar Athlete of the Week Program. Also, be sure to be as descriptive as possible when nominating a player.
