The men’s basketball team secured its second ever State championship on March 26 when they pummeled the Trojans of Chesterton 65-31. It was the program’s first title since 1998, and its first in Class 4A.

With the State championship comes many awards, trophies and recognitions for the team. The team took home the State trophy along with the net from one of the hoops at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. They were honored at halftime of the Indiana Pacers game against the Philadelphia 76ers on April 5, and seniors Tayshaun Comer and Jaxon Edwards were named Indiana All-Stars.

However, possibly the greatest of these awards — at least in size — will be the sign that will hang in the Welch Activity Center, recognizing the team as 2022 State champions. The massive Indiana-shaped green signs are a staple of the WAC, and they represent all the success that the school’s athletic teams have had over their 103-year history.

With the first championship and sign coming in 1931 for that year’s football team, the basketball team will leave its mark in school history alongside the football team as the two sports that have claimed State titles this school year. The team’s sign will be the first for the 2022 calendar year, with spring and fall sports looking to add more.

According to Athletics Director Mr. Rick Streiff, the sign will hang in the WAC by the end of April, as they usually take around two weeks to come in. 

The school, as far as Streiff knows, has always ordered the signs from the same company, Stutterfield’s Plaque & Trophy. Stutterfield’s is a family-owned business located in Beech Grove. They specialize in making trophies and signs. Streiff noted in an email that the company has always been reliable and that Stutterfield’s makes many other awards for the school as well.

So at the end of April, when that sign comes in, the men’s basketball team’s historic season will literally be cemented into history, when it is hung on the wall of the Welch Activity Center along with many others.