Northview girls soccer head coach Don Bryan left Monday’s walk through confident with the game plan he and his assistants had put together for the team’s season opener against Terre Haute North.
He felt like the Lady Knights were more than prepared – and showed that with their play and confidence level when going over the specific schemes made for the Patriots – to go to battle with one of the tougher matchups on their schedule.
But when the game got underway on Tuesday, he sensed a flatness. It led to four goals being scored in the first 20 minutes by North, placing Northview in a hole it was unable to dig out of as the Knights fell by a score of 7-2.
“We didn’t show up in the first half,” said Bryan. “We looked a lot better yesterday during our walk through … that looked more like what we did in the second half. We were just flat tonight. I don’t know if they weren’t ready or if there were some nerves, but honestly, I was perplexed by it. That first half was just deflating.”
If there was a positive to take away from the night, it was the second half as a whole, said Bryan afterwards.
The longtime leader of the program didn’t change much in terms of the game plan during the 10-minute halftime but instead told his team they needed to show more fight in the final 40 minutes of action, and they responded with just that, matching Terre Haute North with two goals scored apiece in the second half.
“We talked at halftime, and I just said, ‘You’re better than what that was in the first half.’ The second half is the game we should’ve played the whole time,” Bryan said. “We didn’t do anything that we haven’t been doing. I just think they finally woke up … It just took them a little while to find themselves.”
The first goal came at the 15:51 mark when Veronica Etling, making her high school debut, planted one in the back of the net.
Etling, who played during the junior varsity game earlier in the evening, earned some minutes in the varsity contest with the way she looked, said Bryan, and the first-year Lady Knight took advantage of her opportunity to cut into Northview’s deficit.
“She’s been doing well, but like a lot of other girls on this team, she’s been a manager for two years, so she’s watched it and knows what we’re doing,” said Bryan of Etling. “She played great in the JV game. She did exactly what I needed from her during that – we wanted to get her some more experience – and then we put her in the exact same position during the varsity game and it paid off.”
Northview added a second goal a little over 10 minutes later when Sophie Tipton knocked one past the Terre Haute North goal keeper on a penalty kick. And although it wasn’t enough to help the hosts pick up their first win of the season on Tuesday, Bryan left feeling optimistic with what his team can accomplish in the days – and more importantly, weeks – ahead as they put the pieces of the puzzle together.
“We’re not quite there yet. We’re still missing some big pieces, but there were more positives than negatives tonight, although you still don’t like the loss,” Bryan said.
The Brazil Concert Band honored 20 members with a Lifetime in Music Award this past Sunday, August 17, 2025. The honorees are:
Marcia Boswell - Flute
Rhonda Hine - Bassoon
Alice Greenburg - Clarinet
Jeri Greve - Clarinet
Ralph Stewart - Clarinet
Lisa Goff - Saxophone
Diana Joslin - Saxophone
Gary VanMiddlesworth - Saxophone
Duane Caperton - All Brass
Rebekka Eisele - Trumpet
Daryl Hodges - Trumpet
Steve Steppe - Trumpet
Kelley Hall - French Horn
Miranda Goodale - French Horn
Randy Eppert - Trombone
Norman Hanson - Trombone
Neil Rissler Trombone
John Philip Huber - Euphonium
Curt Harris - Percussion
Jim Hendrix - Percussion
Be sure to catch the BCB's final concert of the summer on Sunday beginning at 8 p.m. in Forest Park.
Shalom! Peace! Everyone looks for peace. We have peace signs. Peace offerings during peace talks to have a peace treaty. Peace officers who keep the peace when dealing with those disturbing the peace. People looking for peace and quiet.
In an attempt at inner peace, we try things like yoga, breathing exercises, meditation, and medication. We think if only we could just get rid of a particular stress or problem, it would make things ok. Worldly changes, at best, only make temporary peace. God offers the only permanent peace.
John 16:33 says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Peace isn’t the absence of conflict, but the presence of love, generosity, and grace as the transforming principle of our relationships. Grace allows God to look at you in a new way. Giving grace will also allow you to look at others differently.
God’s word says peace comes from our relationship with God and the indwelling Holy Spirit. Forgiveness and obedience produce peace. Both are commands. Isaiah says, “If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river.” If only…
God offers the peace of God which transcends all understanding.
Benwood Mt. Lebanon Church, 945 E. Co. Rd. 1200 N., Brazil. Sunday School 9:30 a.m., Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m., Wednesday Night Bible Study 7:00 p.m., Ladies Bible Study Thursday 9:30 a.m. Visit www.BenwoodMtLebanon.org.
RJL Solutions celebrated eight years of statewide service last week, but its story is not just about a company. It is about a woman who chose to plant her roots where she was raised and build something bold in the face of uncertainty. RJL’s founder and CEO Rachel Leslie did not start with much. What she had was vision, grit, and an unwavering belief that impact did not require a big city address.
A proud South Terre Haute native and first-generation college student, Rachel grew up in a family with a strong work ethic that she carried throughout her life. She began working at 15 as a hostess at the iconic Larry Bird’s Boston Connection and purchased her first home at 19. Determined to earn her degree, she worked her way through college, changing majors and transferring schools to make it more affordable, ultimately graduating from Indiana State University. Her path was anything but linear, shaped by pivots, pressure, and persistence, and today she is a proud Sycamore who credits her time at Indiana State with helping shape her professional path and leadership style.
Her early career at the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce introduced her to community and economic development. Despite being groomed to become Chamber President, she was passed over for the role. Local coverage at the time noted her absence from the list of finalists, a moment that could have closed a chapter, but instead it fueled the next one.
Leslie’s early career at the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce introduced her to community and economic development. But despite being groomed to become Chamber President, she was passed over. The local newspaper reported that she was not selected for the role. It was a moment that could have closed a chapter. Instead, it turned the page.
She went on to join Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, where she worked in government relations and built strong relationships with decision-makers at the Statehouse and in Washington, D.C. While at SMWC, she also earned her master’s degree in leadership development — an experience she says strengthened her leadership philosophy and expanded her vision for community impact. Today, she is proud to count herself among the Woods alumnae, crediting her time there with sharpening the skills that would prepare her to launch RJL Solutions.
What began as small consulting projects eventually led to a pivotal conversation with mentor Greg Gibson, who told her, “You are already doing the work. Why not start your own firm and do it here?”
So she did.
RJL Solutions opened in a 1,000-square-foot office with a staff of one. Today, the firm operates in three cities: Terre Haute, Indianapolis, and most recently Evansville, where it will open doors to a new office on Thursday, October 30, 2025. RJL now serves clients across Indiana with a team of senior-level thinkers and specialists in advocacy, marketing, planning, and development. The firm has helped clients secure tens of millions of dollars in funding, reposition communities for growth, and elevate local voices in state and federal conversations.
“From the start, I knew the work at RJL Solutions mattered," states Chief Operating Officer Betsy Peperak, RJL's first hire. "But I’ve stayed all these years because Rachel built a culture that trusts you with big responsibilities, empowers you to lead, and challenges you to keep growing. I came for the purpose—I've stayed for the trust.”
Rachel credits the success to the people who choose RJL every day, both the clients who trust them and the employees who carry the mission forward.
“This is not just a company. It is a place where people expect you to deliver. That is the culture. That is our brand,” she said. “It is not easy. But the impact makes it worth it.”
In the past year, RJL Solutions was recognized by the Indianapolis Business Journal as one of Indiana’s fastest-growing companies. Rachel was named to the IBJ’s Indiana 250 list, which recognizes the state’s most influential leaders, and honored as Nexstar’s 2025 Remarkable Woman, one of only 125 women nationwide to attend the national ceremony, celebrating her leadership and community impact.
Still, she is quick to reflect that these achievements are not hers alone.
“The most rewarding thing is seeing our team trusted in every corner of the state. That trust is not built by one person; it is built by every member of this team showing up, giving their best, and never settling for less than excellence. Our success belongs to them, and together we can create lasting change that makes a real difference for the communities we serve.”
As RJL celebrates this milestone, Rachel hopes her story reminds future leaders that it is not about where you start. It is about choosing to begin at all.
“Build where you are. That is what I hope future leaders see in this,” she said. “You do not have to leave home to create something meaningful—something that impacts lives, strengthens communities, and inspires others—right where your story began.”