Warsaw’s Nolan Groninger had a big basketball season for the Tigers, which helped him land on our IFN Top 10 individuals list. (File photos by Mike Deak & James Costello)

WARSAW – There was a furious pace that bestowed the 2017-18 athletic season. A very quick fall led into a basketball season that truly flew by, only for spring to seemingly never get going but then jam a season into what seemed to be about a month of live action. The sports staff at Ink Free News kept tabs on the fall, winter and spring progress and have chosen our top 10 athletes and teams for the year.

Our lists starts today with athletes ranked 10th through sixth, then tomorrow with our teams 10-6. Wednesday will unveil our top five culminating with our Athlete of the Year, and Thursday will see our top five teams and Team of the Year. Friday we will have a special feature on our Man of the Year.

Without further adieu, here are our Top 10 athletes and teams for 2017-18.

10. Mr. Dependable  – Zach Riley may have not been the flashiest athlete in the annals of Warsaw athletic history.

The two sport standout though sure was a reliable and consistent performer and leader both on the gridiron and on the hardwood for the Tigers.

Riley served as captain for both coach Phil Jensen’s football team in the fall and for coach Doug Ogle’s hoops team during his senior season. He earned the Career Athletic Award for most varsity letters won at WCHS in addition to the Marjorie M. Moor Award and a Scholar-Athlete Award from the Moose Krause Foundation.

Riley finished his football career as a receiver/defensive back with over 500 yards receiving and five touchdowns to go with 10 interceptions and 24 pass breakups.

Riley came on late in the season to help Warsaw claim a share of the NLC championship in basketball. He scored in double figures in eight of the final 14 games, including going for 19 points to go with 12 rebounds in an NLC win over Plymouth that clinched the NLC title. The 6-2 forward was second on the team in scoring and first in rebounding.

Riley earned All-NLC honors in both football and basketball during his senior year. He also earned Academic All-State accolades in football for his 11.0 GPA.

9. Bo Knows – Bo knows football. It turns out, he’s a pretty good wrestler, too.

Bo Snyder put up some gaudy numbers at the quarterback position in the midst of a record-breaking season for Triton football, setting single-game and season records for passing yards with 378 and 1,985, respectively, as well as pass completions in a season (114), passing touchdowns in a season (23) and tying the team’s record for passing TDs in a game with four. Those numbers helped the junior QB/outside linebacker garner an Associated Press All-State Honorable Mention and the Trojans tie a program-best with eight wins while coping with the death of teammate Cameron Scarberry in September.

Snyder went on to be a steady producer for Triton’s wrestling team in the winter season, using a unique style to earn a runner-up finish in the 170-pound bracket at the Penn Regional as well as championships at the Plymouth Sectional and the Hoosier North Athletic Conference Tournament, where the Trojans won a third-straight team title.

8. The Competitor – The Ink Free News Player of the Year in girls basketball, Tippecanoe Valley junior Sophie Bussard showcased some impressive talent over the winter sports season, but the tough-minded competitor was equally at home on the hardwood during the Lady Vikings’ volleyball season.

The middle hitter paced the Valley attack with 343 kills earned at a 41.9 percent kill percentage, and she was even more efficient holding serve with a 90.2 percent service clip on her way to 32 aces in addition to collecting a team-high 276 digs as well as 53 blocks at the net, second only to senior Makenzie Woodcox’s 55.

During the basketball season, Bussard led a Valley team ranked in the top 10 of the Class 3-A rankings throughout a 20-win season in most major statistical categories. Her 16.8 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals an outing were all team-bests, and she created both off the dribble and from behind the arc with 47 percent field efficiency.

7. An All-Around Talent – Across four years of three sports seasons, Nicole Sechrist made herself a standout for Triton athletics.

Sechrist led Blue Slam volleyball in several statistical categories as a senior with 351 kills, 42 aces, 61 blocks and 240 digs, helping Triton to a fourth straight sectional championship and a 16-17 overall finish, and the outside hitter signed on to continue her volleyball career with NAIA program Taylor University beginning next fall.

Making the move to the point guard position in her final year with the Lady Trojans basketball team, Sechrist gave her team a steady presence up top, supplying a team-high 39 assists to go with another team-best 97 rebounds and was her squad’s third-leading scorer with 5.5 points a night while starting in 22 games as Triton finished 10-13.

Sechrist made an even more difficult transition during the spring season, making the move from short stop to pitcher after Whytnie Miller was sidelined with a knee injury, and her leadership inside the circle and at the plate helped Triton to a 7-12 finish.

6. Making A Point – Nolan Groninger came on to steady the ship at the right time for Warsaw basketball.

The junior point guard elevated his game for the Tigers just in time to forge a turnaround season for an inexperienced team during the 2017-18 campaign.

Groninger led the Tigers back from a 3-7 start to an 11-win season that included a share of the program’s fourth straight Northern Lakes Conference championship for coach Doug Ogle.

The All-NLC First Teamer paced the Tigers in scoring, assists, steals, free throw percentage and minutes played en route to earning the Ink Free News Player of the Year honors, the fourth straight year a Warsaw player has won the accolade in its four years of existence.

Groninger averaged 12 points and three rebounds per game and thrived late in the season as his scoring increased, along with his assist-to-turnover ratio. He helped lead his team to five wins in its final six league games after dropping the conference opener to rival Wawasee.

Showing a vast improvement throughout his first season as a starter, Groninger played half of his sophomore season on the junior varsity and averaged 2.3 points-per-game on the varsity level.

Groninger capped his junior year with an appearance at the State Finals in track. He was a member of the school’s 4 X 800 relay team that placed 25th in Bloomington June 2. That team, which also included Taylor Mills, Xavi Ramirez and Tanner Stiver, was third at the Warsaw Regional and second at both the Goshen Sectional and the NLC Meet.

Honorable Mention (in alphabetical order): Remi Beckham, Warsaw XC/Gymnastics/Track; Kacy Bragg, Warsaw Volleyball/Basketball; Geremia Brooks, Wawasee Wrestling; Savannah Feenstra, NorthWood Soccer/Basketball; Luke Griner, Wawasee XC/Track; Lucas Howett, Warsaw XC/Track; Grant Knight, Warsaw Tennis/Swimming; Aubrey Kuhn, Wawasee XC/Basketball/Softball; Dakota Parker, Tippecanoe Valley Football/Basketball/Track; Drew Stichter, Triton Football/Basketball; Erica Stutsman, NorthWood XC/Track; Tanner Trippiedi, Tippecanoe Valley Football/Basketball/Baseball; Hannah Wanemacher, Triton Volleyball/Basketball/Tennis; Kennedy Wiens, NorthWood Volleyball/Tennis; Brayton Yoder, NorthWood Football/Track