sunman

Many believe that class basketball changed the face of "Hoosier Hysteria" - and it did.  But more than classes, school consolidation may have been the profound turning point.  At one time every small town had a high school and a team. Their team.  But when old rivals became teammates & small schools merged into larger ones, the balance shifted and Sunman was caught in that shift.  Located in northeast Ripley County, the high school held its own against county rivals Versailles, Batesville & Milan.  In the '60's they won three Ripley County Tourney titles and a Sectional Championship but as the consolidation storm grew momentum, Sunman was seemingly left without a dancing partner. Versailles became the location for South Ripley, Osgood for Jac-Cen-Del,  Batesville stood on their own and Milan - they had the 1954 Championship trophy in their case.  Sunman, so close to the county line, went with their only option - they banded together with several northern Dearborn County schools to form East Central.  The old high school is an elementary now & part of a dominant sports program but the photos that hang in the gym tell a tale of bygone days - when being from a small school, in a small town & winning a championship was something very special.  CGS.