By GARRETT WENZEL

Defending State Champion Penn Girls Soccer started its run at a repeat by defeating South Bend Adams, 6-0, in Class 3-A Sectional action on Thursday, Oct. 5.

Allie Lankowicz and the Kingsmen struck quickly. Lankowicz scored off an assist from Maya Locognato in the fourth minute to put the Kingsmen up 1-0.

Kristina Lynch would get a hat trick in a seven-minute span to put the Kingsmen up 4-0 by the 25th minute.

Molly McLaughlin had all three assists in Lynch's scoring flurry.

Mary Kaczynski scored on an assist from Maya Locognato in the 36th minute to put the Kingsmen up 5-0.

Lauren Cernak scored of an assist from Kristina Lynch in the 47th minute to give the Kingsmen their final 6-0 margin.

Penn seniors Brandon Stahl, Micah Craig, and Daniel Gries were named First-Team All-Northern Indiana in Boys Soccer.

Seniors Sammy Atkins and Evan Mercurio were named Second Team All-NIC. Junior Dorian Clayton was named honorable mention. 

The Penn Kingsmen ended the season with an NIC record of 9-1.

By PATRICK WHITEHEAD

Penn Volleyball will open sectional play on Thursday, Oct. 12, at 6 p.m. against South Bend Adams in the Class 4-A Sectional at South Bend Clay.

Penn finished the regular season 28-4 and the Kingsmen are ranked No. 11 in the state.

After the Penn vs Adams match, Mishawaka will take on Riley to wrap up Session 2 on Thursday, Oct. 12.

Semifinal action is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 14, at Clay. The first match starts at 11 a.m. as Plymouth will face the winner of the LaPorte-Clay match. After that, the winner of the Adams vs. Penn match and the Mishawaka-Riley match face off. 

The Championship Match is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14, at Clay.

By GARRETT WENZEL

Penn's Kingsmen celebrated Senior Night in 2017 by capturing a share of the Program's 36th Northern Indiana Conference Championship and seventh in a row. The Kingsmen beat Elkhart Central 47-3 to clinch a share of the NIC North Division crown on Friday, Oct. 6. Penn can win the title outright in the season finale with a victory at Mishawaka on Friday, Oct. 13.

Hunter Whitlow scored on a 2-yard run on Penn's first drive to put the Kingsmen on top 7-0. 

Ryan Whiteman scored from the two as Penn built a 14-0 halftime lead.

Camryn Szynski ignited a huge second-half for the Kingsmen with 23-yard Pick-6 for a Kingsmen TD.

Whitlow scored his second TD of the night on the next possesion for the Kingsmen, a 10-yard run to put the Kingsmen up 27-0.

Zach Usenick made a sensational over-the-shoulder catch on a pass from Ryan Lynch for a 37-yard TD.

Trenton Horvath added touchdowns of 60 yards and two yards to complete the Kingsmen scoring.

Penn is 7-1 overall and 4-0 in the NIC North.

By GARRETT WENZEL

Sammy Atkins scored a header goal off assists from Micah Craig and Hayden Hurn with 19 seconds left to stun South Bend Riley, 2-1, and lift Penn to the Championship of the South Bend Boys Soccer Sectional on Saturday, Oct. 7. It was the seventh consecutive Sectional Championship for Penn and the 11th overall.

Atkins struck in the 36th minute off an assist from Hurn to give Penn a 1-0 lead.

The Kingsmen, 15-1-2, play Goshen at 10:30 a.m. in the Merrillville Regional on Saturday, Oct. 14. The Penn-Goshen winner plays the Lake Central-Crown Point winner at 7:30 p.m. for the Regional title.

By GARRETT WENZEL

No. 1-ranked Penn fought through a torrential downpour most of the game and overpowered LaPorte, 7-0, to capture the Class 3-A Sectional Championship on Saturday, Oct. 7. The Kingsmen own the state's best Sectional Championship winning streak, owning 11 Sectional Championships in a row.

Kristina Lynch ignited the Kingsmen attack off an assist from Lauren Cernak in the seventh minute.

Allie Lankowicz sliced through the LaPorte defense for a goal in the 19th minute.

Lynch scored her second goal in the 38th minute to give Penn a 3-0 lead.

Lynch wrapped up the hat trick one minute later, scoring in the 39th minute.

Molly McLaughlin scored off an assist from Lynch to put the Kingsmen up 5-0 in the 44th minute.

Brooke VanDyck scored in the 45th minute as the Kingsmen built their lead to 6-0.

VanDyck scores her second goal in the 48th minute to put the Kingsmen up 7-0.

Penn is (19-0-1) and plays Northridge at noon on Saturday, Oct. 14, at South Bend's Tallman/Beyrer Field in the Class 3-A Regional. The Penn-Northridge winner plays the Munster-Chesterton winner at 7 p.m. for the Regional Championship. 

By ELIJAH HONESTY

Penn Girls Cross Country raced to its 14th consecutive Sectional Championship and 26th overall on Saturday, Oct. 7, at the Erskine Golf Course in South Bend.

Penn dominated the Sectional, placing six runners in the Top 10 and seven in the Top 12.

The Kingsmen finished first with 29 points, followed by Mishawaka with 52 points. Penn advances to the Regional at Elkhart's Ox Bow Park on Saturday, Oct. 14.

Lauren Frank led Penn with a second-place finish in 20:15.72.

Brooke Neal was second in 20:20.64.

Reagan Hoke was third in 21:25.40, Riley Keppler was fourth in 21:35.88, and Aislynn Alkire was fifth in 21:38.94.

The Penn Boys Cross Country team earned its second consecutive Sectional Championship as the Kingsmen claimed the title at Erskine Golf Course on Saturday, October 7.

The seniors helped lead the way for the Kingsmen as the Kingsmen managed to place five of their seven runners in the top 10 overall. 

Curtis Cornell led the Kingsmen by placing third overall, running a time of 17:14. 

Chandler Neal followed with a time of 17:24 and an overall place of fourth. 

Matt Long and Colton Shail placed fifth and sixth overall by running times of 17:31 and 17:39. Chad Piatt then crossed the finish line in a spot at ninth overall with a time of 17:58. 

The Penn Boys team earned their 22nd Sectional Championship by finishing with a final score of 27 points. The Kingsmen hope to carry their momentum heading into Regionals and win a Regional Championship at Oxbow Park on Saturday, October 14.

Penn's Lyvia Li, Grace Szklarek and Abbey Hamilton of Northern Indiana Conference Champion Penn were named first-team all-NIC.

Ryen DeToro of Penn was named honorable mention.

Penn won the NIC regular-season title with a 12-0 record, and the Kingsmen won the NIC tournament. 

Li was the NIC Tournament Medalist.

The Penn Boys Soccer Team won its seventh consecutive Sectional Championship and 11^th in program history with a thrilling 2-1 victory against South Bend Riley on Saturday, Oct. 7.

A Photo Gallery is posted below.