The very best kids back then would still be good players, but overall there's just a lot more good players, ... Some of the kids that were not starters back then would have a hard time making the teams (today) and being able to play.

If kids have an early start, they have the skills necessary to fight off a bully or someone trying to sell them drugs. Kids are resilient. If someone tries to get them into drugs, they have the skills to say no because someone talked to them about the importance of standing up for themselves at an early age.

They told us to always check the surroundings. Check for little things that little kids might not be allowed to have.

I'm very pleased with the way we started off, especially having four games in less than 24 hours. I thought the girls did a great job, and our conditioning is excellent for this time of year.

As a matter of fact, it would be a shock if we weren't. As long as I've been here, we've been No. 1 every year for 15 years. Very seldom have we been out of the No. 1 slot.

Saturday's game provided a good test for our defense, while offering a challenge to our attackers. Noblesville is a counterattack team built on speed, and our defenders had to constantly adjust to this tactic.