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crimsonace1

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  1. Cathedral will be in 5A, not 4A. You can only drop one class if you don't get enough SF points to stay up.
  2. Here's the corrected list. Faith Christian is not included but would be the 64th school in 1A Class 6A Carmel 5200 Ben Davis 4567 Warren Centra l 3748 Fishers 3664 North Central 3616 Penn 3480 Avon 3476 Hamilton SE 3442 Franklin Central 3362 Brownsburg 3297 Noblesville 3208 Pike 3192 Elkhart 3166 Crown Point 2978 Lake Central 2961 Center Grove 2863 Lawrence North 2817 Westfield 2789 Carroll (Allen) 2569 Tech 2500 Homestead 2408 Lawrence Central 2404 Southport 2368 Perry Meridian 2359 Zionsville 2309 Columbus North 2267 Portage 2170 Harrison 2169 FW Northrop 2158 Jeffersonville 2141 Valparaiso 2140 FW Snider 1915 SUCCESS Class 5A Warsaw 2108 Whiteland 2074 SB Adams 2062 Decatur Central 2050 Merrillville 2050 Lafayette Jeff 2034 Goshen 2006 Chesterton 1980 Castle 1965 Hammond Central 1923 Floyd Central 1823 New Albany 1814 LaPorte 1812 McCutcheon 1786 Plainfield 1773 Evansville North 1751 Concord 1730 Anderson 1722 Seymour 1719 Bloomington South 1681 TH South 1609 Franklin 1590 Bloomington North 1589 Hammond Morton 1534 Michigan City 1520 Columbus East 1518 Munster 1514 TH North 1467 Kokomo 1465 FW North 1460 East Central 1241 SUCCESS Cathedral 1172 SUCCESS Class 4A FW South 1459 Mt. Vernon (F) 1455 Greenfield-Central 1430 Mishawaka 1422 FW Wayne 1416 Mooresville 1398 Northridge 1393 Huntington North 1382 Evansville Reitz 1378 Pendleton Heights 1353 Muncie Central 1332 Richmond 1320 Martinsville 1315 SB Riley 1298 Hobart 1298 Ev. Harrison 1293 Bedford NL 1242 Logansport 1226 Greenwood 1211 New Palestine 1209 Attucks 1170 Jennings County 1169 Columbia City 1162 Shortridge 1159 Evansville Central 1131 Shelbyville 1093 Jasper 1092 Roncalli 1082 New Haven 1068 Plymouth 1054 Marion 1045 DeKalb 1044 Lebanon 1033 East Chicago 1009 Gary West 995 East Noble 989 Kankakee Valley 989 Lowell 985 Highland 977 New Prairie 970 Silver Creek 943 Connersville 930 FW Dwenger 917 Frankfort 901 Leo 900 Wawasee 895 Northview 894 Beech Grove 892 SB Washington 886 Boonville 884 NorthWood 869 Ev. Bosse 863 Charlestown 854 SB St. Joseph 849 Culver Military 832 Brebeuf 829 New Castle 824 Danville 820 Hanover Central 817 Yorktown 812 Washington 810 Guerin Catholic 800 Chatard 730 SUCCESS Class 3A Jay County 800 Delta 798 Western 791 Mississinewa 783 Gibson Southern 771 Edgewood 761 Madison 760 Corydon 754 West Lafayette 750 Norwell 745 Angola 741 Mish. Marian 735 Scottsburg 726 Lawrenceburg 726 West Noble 718 Vincennes 711 Crawfordsville 710 Hamilton Heights 687 Batesville 670 Twin Lakes 663 Greensburg 662 Owen Valley 650 Franklin County 650 South Dearborn 645 Rushville 645 Griffith 637 Indian Creek 636 Heritage Hills 635 Glenn 633 North Harrison 629 FW Concordia 623 Hammond Noll 617 Ind. Washington 617 Ev. Memorial 617 Heritage 616 Calumet 611 Bellmont 610 Tri-West 606 Maconaquah 604 Princeton 600 Peru 588 Purdue Poly 578 Southridge 576 Mt. Vernon (P) 574 Speedway 571 Fairfield 570 River Forest 567 Garrett 556 Northwestern 554 Cascade 546 Tippecanoe Valley 543 Lakeland 540 Jimtown 538 Oak Hill 538 FW Luers 532 Frankton 531 Ev. Mater Dei 520 Knox 520 Woodlan 518 West Vigo 518 Benton Central 513 N. Montgomery 513 Western Boone 513 Class 2A Centerville 512 Bluffton 507 Heritage Christian 507 Monrovia 503 Sullivan 503 Eastbrook 501 Eastern (Howard) 499 Ritter 498 Greencastle 495 Salem 494 Wabash 492 Blackford 490 Brown County 488 Manchester 475 Rochester 473 Pike Central 474 Bremen 471 Brownstown 469 Alexandria 468 Triton Central 468 South Vermillion 468 Lapel 466 Boone Grove 466 Switzerland Co. 464 Andrean 455 Tipton 454 Southmont 453 Scecina 448 Rensselaer 447 North Posey 442 North Putnam 432 Mitchell 430 Northeastern 423 Whiting 422 Prairie Heights 421 Park Tudor 421 Christel House 420 Delphi 417 Wheeler 417 Elwood 410 Gary 21st Century 408 Adams Central 408 Winchester 408 Tell City 403 Shenandoah 400 Paoli 396 Lake Station 391 Union County 391 Cass 389 Eastern (Pekin) 389 Whitko 389 Linton 387 Seeger 386 Clarksville 385 Central Noble 385 Eastside 384 Covenant Chr. 383 Crawford County 379 Churubusco 378 Eastern Hancock 377 Perry Central 377 Lafayette CC 302 SUCCESS Lutheran 267 SUCCESS Class A LaVille 373 Providence 371 Taylor 366 South Putnam 363 Winamac 360 South Adams 357 Parke Heritage 354 Forest Park 353 South Spencer 352 Hagerstown 352 Eastern Greene 351 North Knox 349 Sheridan 336 Madison-Grant 336 Clinton Prairie 327 Carroll (Flora) 321 Riverton Parke 320 North Newton 319 S. Central (UM) 318 Knightstown 316 Milan 315 North Decatur 314 North Judson 308 Monroe Central 301 Northfield 296 Fountain Central 289 Anderson Prep 288 Tecumseh 286 Pioneer 286 Fremont 283 Cloverdale 283 Covington 281 Gary Bowman 277 West Washington 277 Triton 274 North Daviess 273 Clinton Central 268 Springs Valley 266 South Decatur 265 North White 264 Rossville 264 Southwood 263 North Miami 263 Purdue Poly-BR 262 Orleans 262 N. Central (F) 257 Tri 256 Southern Wells 252 Wes-Del 248 Culver 246 Union City 244 South Newton 241 Caston 241 Cambridge City 234 Tri-Central 232 Edinburgh 227 Tri-County 220 N. Vermillion 218 West Central 209 Tindley 202 Frontier 180 Attica 160 Oldenburg Acad. 151
  3. I was unaware that had changed. In that case, Cathedral will drop to 5A, not 4A and Memorial will go to 3A.
  4. Classes aren't split correctly - they will split 4A-1A evenly (so 62-63 in each), not 64-64-64-58. If it doesn't evenly divide, the remainder goes in the *smallest* class. Per IHSAA, they gained two points last cycle while playing in a higher class, so they should stay up. https://www.ihsaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/Football TSF 2022-23 2023-24.pdf
  5. Here's what I have, with the caveat that Rochester & Mitchell appear way off. 6A Carmel 5200 Ben Davis 4567 Warren Centra l 3748 Fishers 3664 North Central 3616 Penn 3480 Avon 3476 Hamilton SE 3442 Franklin Central 3362 Brownsburg 3297 Noblesville 3208 Pike 3192 Elkhart 3166 Crown Point 2978 Lake Central 2961 Center Grove 2863 Lawrence North 2817 Westfield 2789 Carroll (Allen) 2569 Tech 2500 Homestead 2408 Lawrence Central 2404 Southport 2368 Perry Meridian 2359 Zionsville 2309 Columbus North 2267 Portage 2170 Harrison 2169 FW Northrop 2158 Jeffersonville 2141 FW Snider 1915 SUCCESS Cathedral 1172 SUCCESS 5A Valparaiso 2140 Warsaw 2108 Whiteland 2074 SB Adams 2062 Decatur Central 2050 Merrillville 2050 Lafayette Jeff 2034 Goshen 2006 Chesterton 1980 Castle 1965 Hammond Central 1923 Floyd Central 1823 New Albany 1814 LaPorte 1812 McCutcheon 1786 Plainfield 1773 Evansville North 1751 Concord 1730 Anderson 1722 Seymour 1719 Bloomington South 1681 TH South 1609 Franklin 1590 Bloomington North 1589 Hammond Morton 1534 Michigan City 1520 Columbus East 1518 Munster 1514 TH North 1467 Kokomo 1465 FW North 1460 East Central 1241 SUCCESS 4A FW South 1459 Mt. Vernon (F) 1455 Greenfield-Central 1430 Mishawaka 1422 FW Wayne 1416 Mooresville 1398 Northridge 1393 Huntington North 1382 Evansville Reitz 1378 Pendleton Heights 1353 Muncie Central 1332 Richmond 1320 Martinsville 1315 SB Riley 1298 Hobart 1298 Ev. Harrison 1293 Bedford NL 1242 Logansport 1226 Greenwood 1211 New Palestine 1209 Attucks 1170 Jennings County 1169 Columbia City 1162 Shortridge 1159 Evansville Central 1131 Shelbyville 1093 Jasper 1092 Roncalli 1082 New Haven 1068 Plymouth 1054 Marion 1045 DeKalb 1044 Lebanon 1033 East Chicago 1009 Gary West 995 East Noble 989 Kankakee Valley 989 Lowell 985 Highland 977 New Prairie 970 Silver Creek 943 Connersville 930 FW Dwenger 917 Frankfort 901 Leo 900 Wawasee 895 Northview 894 Beech Grove 892 SB Washington 886 Boonville 884 NorthWood 869 Ev. Bosse 863 Charlestown 854 SB St. Joseph 849 Culver Military 832 Brebeuf 829 New Castle 824 Danville 820 Hanover Central 817 Yorktown 812 Washington 810 Chatard 730 SUCCESS Ev. Memorial 617 SUCCESS 3A Guerin Catholic 800 Jay County 800 Delta 798 Western 791 Mississinewa 783 Gibson Southern 771 Edgewood 761 Madison 760 Corydon 754 West Lafayette 750 Norwell 745 Angola 741 Mish. Marian 735 Scottsburg 726 Lawrenceburg 726 West Noble 718 Vincennes 711 Crawfordsville 710 Hamilton Heights 687 Batesville 670 Twin Lakes 663 Greensburg 662 Owen Valley 650 Franklin County 650 South Dearborn 645 Rushville 645 Griffith 637 Indian Creek 636 Heritage Hills 635 Glenn 633 North Harrison 629 FW Concordia 623 Hammond Noll 617 Ind. Washington 617 Heritage 616 Calumet 611 Bellmont 610 Tri-West 606 Maconaquah 604 Princeton 600 Peru 588 Purdue Poly 578 Southridge 576 Mt. Vernon (P) 574 Speedway 571 Fairfield 570 River Forest 567 Garrett 556 Northwestern 554 Cascade 546 Tippecanoe Valley 543 Lakeland 540 Jimtown 538 Oak Hill 538 FW Luers 532 Frankton 531 Ev. Mater Dei 520 Knox 520 Woodlan 518 West Vigo 518 Benton Central 513 N. Montgomery 513 Western Boone 513 2A Centerville 512 Bluffton 507 Heritage Christian 507 Monrovia 503 Sullivan 503 Eastbrook 501 Eastern (Howard) 499 Ritter 498 Greencastle 495 Salem 494 Wabash 492 Blackford 490 Brown County 488 Manchester 475 Pike Central 474 Bremen 471 Brownstown 469 Alexandria 468 Triton Central 468 South Vermillion 468 Lapel 466 Boone Grove 466 Switzerland Co. 464 Andrean 455 Tipton 454 Southmont 453 Scecina 448 Rensselaer 447 North Posey 442 North Putnam 432 Northeastern 423 Whiting 422 Prairie Heights 421 Park Tudor 421 Christel House 420 Delphi 417 Wheeler 417 Elwood 410 Gary 21st Century 408 Adams Central 408 Winchester 408 Tell City 403 Shenandoah 400 Paoli 396 Lake Station 391 Union County 391 Cass 389 Eastern (Pekin) 389 Whitko 389 Linton 387 Seeger 386 Clarksville 385 Central Noble 385 Eastside 384 Covenant Chr. 383 Crawford County 379 Churubusco 378 Eastern Hancock 377 Perry Central 377 LaVille 373 Providence 371 Lafayette CC 302 SUCCESS Lutheran 267 SUCCESS 1A Taylor 366 South Putnam 363 Winamac 360 South Adams 357 Parke Heritage 354 Forest Park 353 South Spencer 352 Hagerstown 352 Eastern Greene 351 North Knox 349 Sheridan 336 Madison-Grant 336 Clinton Prairie 327 Carroll (Flora) 321 Riverton Parke 320 North Newton 319 S. Central (UM) 318 Knightstown 316 Milan 315 North Decatur 314 North Judson 308 Monroe Central 301 Northfield 296 Fountain Central 289 Anderson Prep 288 Tecumseh 286 Pioneer 286 Fremont 283 Cloverdale 283 Covington 281 Gary Bowman 277 West Washington 277 Triton 274 North Daviess 273 Clinton Central 268 Springs Valley 266 South Decatur 265 North White 264 Rossville 264 Southwood 263 North Miami 263 Purdue Poly-BR 262 Orleans 262 N. Central (F) 257 Tri 256 Southern Wells 252 Wes-Del 248 Culver 246 Union City 244 South Newton 241 Caston 241 Cambridge City 234 Tri-Central 232 Edinburgh 227 Tri-County 220 N. Vermillion 218 Mitchell 212 West Central 209 Tindley 202 Frontier 180 Rochester 164 Attica 160 Oldenburg Acad. 151
  6. All New Palestine games are live at NewPalRadio.com NP's home games are also video streamed ($) at IHSAAtv.org
  7. Other states use districts for playoff qualification. We don't do that here.
  8. Indianapolis Tech & Warsaw are likely the first two to drop Columbus North & Lafayette Jeff might be eventuals. Northrop & Jeffersonville are also somewhat on the line.
  9. Whiteland is exploding as its district snakes south and east of Greenwood and the parts of that area in Clark Township (east of I-65) are growing *fast*. If Whiteland isn't 6A next cycle, it will be in the following one.
  10. Golden anniversary State Finals set to kick off Andrew Smith GridironDigest.com Lucas Oil Stadium will host the golden anniversary IHSAA football State Finals this weekend, It features an intriguing mix of blue bloods and newcomers to downtown Indy. This year’s field features two rematches from last year’s State Finals, a Center Grove team going for a three-peat in 6A, and an Indianapolis Chatard team seeking its 16th state title in 3A, and two newcomers to the State Finals in Whiteland and Carroll (Fort Wayne). It also features three unbeaten teams in Carroll and 1A finalists Indianapolis Lutheran and Adams Central. Class 6A: (5) Carroll (13-0) vs. (3) Center Grove (11-2), 7 p.m. Friday This matchup features one of the state’s premier programs in Center Grove against a Carroll squad that is making its first State Finals appearance. CG is in the State Finals for the fourth consecutive year, seeking its third straight title, which would be a 6A record. The Trojans are familiar visitors to Lucas Oil Stadium, as this is their sixth State Finals appearance in the last eight years and ninth since 2000. The Trojans feature the state’s seventh-leading rusher in Micah Coyle, who has tallied 1,941 yards and 21 TDs. Jalen Thomeson moved from defense to offense this season and is nearing the 1,000 yard mark himself. Noah Coy has 1,081 receiving yards, as Tyler Cherry has thrown for 2,124 yards. It all adds up to a squad that is scoring nearly 36 points per game and tallying 412 yards per game. Last week, CG avenged a regular-season loss to Cathedral with a 33-10 victory. The Trojans surrendered the first 10 points and then took over, with Coyle running for 218 yards and four TDs. Carroll also rallied last week to earn its first State Finals berth, trailing 12-7 after a quarter but scoring TDs in the second and third quarters to go up by two scores in an eventual 21-15 victory over Hamilton Southeastern. The Chargers were outgained 295-186 in the game, but got big plays on defense and in the kicking game with an INT and a blocked punt setting up short fields. Jayden Hill had a 69-yard catch to set up a TD, while Braden Steely ran for 64 yards and two touchdowns. The Chargers won a 21-20 game with Lafayette Jeff in the regional - the program’s first regional title - after trailing 20-7 at halftime. That came after sweeping Penn and Warsaw in the sectional and going unbeaten through the tough Summit Athletic Conference. Sophomore Nate Starks leads the Chargers’ rushing game with 1,127 yards, while sophomore QB Jimmy Sullivan has thrown for 2,203 yards - 737 to Camden Herschberger. Carroll’s defense has held teams to 9.8 ppg and 223.7 yards per contest this season for 13th-year coach Doug Dinan. Class 5A: (9) Valparaiso (10-3) vs. (2) Whiteland (12-1), 7 p.m. Saturday One of the many intriguing matchups this weekend features Valparaiso and Whiteland. The Vikings advanced with two close wins in the regional and semistate to make their second State Finals appearance in four years, while Whiteland is making its State Finals debut. Valparaiso went 6-3 in the regular season, but got on a roll in tournament play, winning multiple close games. The Vikings defeated arch-rival Chesterton 14-7 in the sectional final, then avenged a regular-season loss to Merrillville with a 15-14 victory in the regional. Last week, Vikings quarterback Justin Clark eluded pressure and scrambled for a touchdown on fourth down in overtime, then the Vikings went for the win and converted to defeat No. 1 Fort Wayne Snider 22-21. Travis Davis scored the second of his two TDs in the fourth quarter to tie the game and send it to OT. He ran for 277 yards in the contest. Valpo’s defense has carried the Vikings throughout the year, pitching two shutouts and holding 10 opponents to 14 points or less in regulation. It’s led by Alex Rodriquez (82 tackles), Ty Veen (10 TFL) and Tyler VerSchure (7 INT). Clark leads the Vikings in rushing with 950 yards. He’s thrown for 885 as a dual-threat QB. The Vikings’ run-heavy attack averages 243 yards per game on the growund. Davis has run for 863 yards, Thomas Burda 769. Whiteland also has a powerful running game, led by Peyton Emberton, who has run for 1,297 yards and 11 TDs. Jonathan Crowley has rushed for 862 yards and the Warriors average 304 yards per game on the ground. They don’t throw often - averaging eight pass attempts per game - but QB Kevin Denham has thrown for 1,027 yards and four touchdowns. The Warriors’ lone loss came to Martinsville in Week 6, but they’ve responded with multiple lopsided wins. In the tournament, they won the sectional over Terre Haute North and Franklin by a combined score of 87-3, then routed Plainfield 49-14 in the regional before a 21-7 victory at Castle in the semistate. It’s the first State Finals appearance for 32-year coaching veteran Darrin Fisher, who has been at Whiteland for 18 seasons. A victory would give Whiteland its first-ever state championship in any sport. Class 4A: (7) New Prairie (13-1) vs. (4) East Central (12-2), 3 p.m. Friday East Central has long been one of the powers in southern Indiana and it makes its third State Finals appearance in eight years, seeking its first title since 2017. New Prairie returns to Lucas Oil Stadium for the first time since 2014, when the Cougars were the 4A runner-up. East Central made a statement at the start of the season, defeating 3A finalist Lawrenceburg 38-3. And the Trojans made one at the end, blocking a potential game-winning field goal in the closing seconds of Friday’s semistate game against Roncalli. The Trojans then won in overtime 24-21, avenging a Week 9 loss to the Royals. Both teams have strong running games and strong defenses - each allows 10.6 ppg. New Prairie staged a rally of its own in the semistate. The Cougars trailed Kokomo 9-0 in the late stages of the fourth quarter, but Owek Chalik kicked a 23-yard field goal, the Cougars recovered an on-side kick and quickly marched down the field for the winning TD by quarterback Marshall Kmiecik. Kmiecik ran for 69 yards and RB Noah Mungia 71 in the Kokomo contest. On the season, Mungia has 1,868 rushing yards and 21 TDs, while Kmiecik has run for 1,31 yards and 14 scores and thrown for 1,198 and 16 TDs, leading an offense tallying 353 yards and 35 points per game. New Prairie’s lone blemish was a Week 8 loss to Penn, but the Cougars rolled through the tournament, with only Hobart scoring in double-digits in a 49-28 sectional championship game victory. East Central features one of the state’s top rushers in Josh Ringer, who has 2,197 yards and 35 touchdowns. That complements a passing game led by Cole Burton (1,744 yards, 22 TDs passing) and the receiving combo of Ryan Brotherton (841 yards, 11 TDs) and Eli Ashton (612 yards, 7 TDs). Class 3A: (3) Indianapolis Chatard (10-4) vs. (5) Lawrenceburg (13-1), 3 p.m. Saturday Class 3A features two programs familiar with very proud traditions. Chatard is appearing in its 17th state championship game, seeking its 16th title and third in four years. Lawrenceburg is back to Lucas Oil Stadium for the first time since 2016, but it is the sixth championship game appearance for the Tigers, who are seeking their first title since 1978. Lawrenceburg joins East Central as Dearborn County and Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference schools in the State Finals. The Tigers dropped the season opener to EC, but have since ripped off 13 straight victories, led by a defense that leads the state, allowing just 6.1 ppg. The Tigers shut out six straight opponents to finish the regular season and then posted a seventh in a 28-0 victory over Greensburg in the sectional semifinal. Only East Central in Week 1 and Milan in Week 3 have scored more than once against the Tigers. Jake Pierce leads Logansport’s defense with 114 tackles, 10 TFLs and four INTs. Niko Ferreira has 95 tackles, Noah Knigga 79 tackles and 14 TFLs and Zavyn Slayback four interceptions. Lawrenceburg rolled to a 35-7 victory over Monrovia in the semistate after dispatching Southridge 31-7 in the regional and Batesville 33-7 in the sectional final. The Tigers’ running game is led by Teagan Bennett (1,410 yards, 18 TDs) and Alex Witte (1,201 yards, 18 TDs). QB Logan Ahaus has thrown for 1,106 yards and 11 touchdowns. Chatard went 5-4 in the regular season but was still in the top 5 because of its schedule - the losses came to two semistate teams in larger classes - Roncalli and Cathedral - as well as two quality out-of-state teams. In the tournament, the Trojans used a powerful offense to score 40-plus points in four consecutive games, winning a tough sectional field with a 49-13 win over Guerin Catholic in the championship game. They then defeated Yorktown 42-14 in the regional and No. 1 West Lafayette 21-3 in the semistate. QB Drew VanVleet has thrown for 2,732 yards and 28 TDs, completing 68 percent of his passes, with Noah Dudick (816 yards, 8 TDs) and Aiden Duncan (788 yards, 7 TDs) his top targets. The Trojans have a balanced running game that averages 145 yards per contest, as well. Class 2A: (3) Andrean (10-3) vs. (5) Evansville Mater Dei (11-3), 11 a.m. Friday The first game of the State Finals will be the first of two rematches from last year’s championship game, a game Andrean won 21-9 to clinch its third state football title. Mater Dei has climbed one rung of the ladder each of the last three seasons - sectional champion in 2019, regional in 2020, semistate in 2021 and is now looking to add the program’s first state championship since 2000. The Wildcats have been a state runner-up four times since then. Head coach Mike Goebel led the Wildcats to that 2000 title and also has won 12 state championships as Mater Dei’s wrestling coach. Andrean features one of the state’s top players in all-everything back Drayk Bowen, who has run for 1,689 yards and 26 TDs and leads the 59ers on defense with 137 tackles, 19 TFLs, five sacks and two interceptions. The 59ers balance the run and the pass, with Bowen leading the way in the running game and Billy Henry throwing for 1,837 yards and 23 TDs in the passing game, with Patrick Clacks (1,075 yards, 14 TDs) his top target. The 59ers opened the tournament with a 28-6 victory over previously-unbeaten LaVille before defeating two other ranked teams - Lafayette Central Catholic 30-12 in the regional and Fort Wayne Luers 48-29 in the semistate. Bowen was unstoppable in the semistate, running for 358 yards and five touchdowns. Andrean jumped ahead 28-13 at halftime and continued to extend the lead. Mater Dei’s offense was also unstoppable in a 51-28 regional victory over previously-unbeaten Linton. QB Mason Wunderlich was 14-18 for 222 yards, while senior Joey Pierre ran for 181 yards and a score. Mater Dei’s Mason Wunderlich is ninth in the state with 2,565 passing yards and has thrown for 27 touchdowns. Ethan Stolz (676 yards, 9 TDs) and Blake Herdes (567 yards, 7 TDs) are his top targets. Pierre (1,015 yards, 12 TDs) leads the running game. Mater Dei tied for first in the tough Southern Indiana Athletic Conference and after rolling through the sectional, won a 35-28 game over Triton Central - also ranked No. 5 in the coaches poll - in the regional before the win over Linton in the semistate. Class A: (2) Adams Central (14-0) at (1) Indianapolis Lutheran (14-0), 11 a.m. Saturday It’s the one matchup of unbeaten teams in the State Finals and the second rematch. The top two teams in the Class A rankings meet for the state championship. Last year’s meeting was a classic, with Lutheran winning 34-28 for its first-ever football state championship. The Saints are making their third State Finals appearance in four years, while Adams Central’s Jets are seeking their first state title since 2000. Lutheran has the state’s highest-scoring offense, tallying 49.4 ppg, led by the state’s passing leader Jackson Willis. He stepped into the QB role this season and has thrown for 3,890 yards. Micah Mackay ranks third in the state with 1,403 receiving yards. Adams Central tallies 46.1 ppg offensively, fourth in the state. Both teams have also been stout defensively - Lutheran allows 9.7 ppg and Adams Central 10.1 ppg. Adams Central’s Wing-T offense has always featured a powerful running game under 14th-year coach Michael Mosser and this year is more of the same. The Jets tally 316 yards per game on the ground, led by Keegan Bluhm (1,488 yards, 18 TDs), Ryan Black (931 yards, 28 TDs) and Gavin Clark (810 yards, 10 TDs). As the quarterback, Black has thrown for 800 yards. AC’s defense, led by Bluhm (93 tackles, 3 INTs) and Jack Hamilton (89 tackles, 4 INTs), allows 191 total yards per game. The Jets have played one game decided by less than 21 points this season - a 25-21 victory over Eastside in Week 2. In the tournament, they’ve tallied at least 35 points in each game, with identical 35-0 wins over Carroll (Flora) and North Judson in the regional and semistate. Lutheran has rapidly built into a state power under 15th-year head coach Dave Pasch, with Willis and Mackay leading an offense that tallies 457 yards per game. In addition, Joe Davis has rushed for 1,769 yards and 28 touchdowns, complementing the Saints’ powerful passing game. Their defense allows 170 yards per game, led by Jonny Hall (105 tackles, 4 INTs). Like Adams Central, the Saints have played two games decided by less than 21 points this season - a 54-41 victory over Triton Central in Week 3 and a 28-19 win over Scecina in Week 6. The Saints shut out South Putnam, Cloverdale and Covenant Christian to win the sectional before beating Providence 49-7 in the regional and North Decatur 28-7 in the semistate. Davis ran for 207 yards and Willis threw for 220 in the semistate.
  11. One of my two degrees is from an NAIA university and I'm pretty proud of it. It was more an old rehashed joke about the NAIA's significantly more relaxed recruiting rules, and not a dig at the quality of institutions in the association.
  12. Traditional powers, familiar foes meet in semistate Andrew Smith GridironDigest.com It’s the weekend before Thanksgiving and the Center Grove Trojans are playing football. If it feels like a November rite of passage, it’s because the Trojans are in the semistate for the fifth consecutive year and the 13th time in the last 15 years. At 10-2 and ranked No. 3 in Class 6A, the Trojans face a rematch with No. 2 Cathedral (10-1) at Longshore Stadium at Arsenal Tech High School in Indianapolis, with a trip to the State Finals on the line. It’s a rematch of teams who are both seeking their third straight state championship - CG won the last two years in Class 6A, Cathedral in 5A. Center Grove has used a powerful offense, which is scoring 35.9 ppg, to advance to the semistate. After a narrow 14-10 win over Franklin Central in the sectional opener, the Trojans dispatched Columbus North 49-14 and Warren Central 42-32. Running back Micah Coyle ran for 301 yards and four TDs in last week’s regional victory. That has complemented a passing game led by quarterback Tyler Cherry, who has thrown for 2,081 yards this season. Knowing they had Noah Coy - who has 1,060 receiving yards and 13 TDs on 56 catches - and solid slots Eli Hohlt and Owen Wright - returning, the Trojans expected to have a strong passing game. Moving Jalen Thomeson over to running back to complement Coyle has given the team a solid 1-2 punch in the backfield, as Coyle has 1,723 yards and Thomeson 869. Both are averaging more than six yards per carry. “Well we sort of had to adapt to that system of playing and it has helped us win games,” CG coach Eric Moore said. “We lost our great RB Drew Wheat 8 plays into the 2022 season vs WC and had to totally change our plan of attack. We practice and work on the passing game more than people understand, in fact most people that watch us practice don’t understand why and how we practice passing this much. This year with the loss of Drew, we have used the pass to set up the run.” With playmakers in the passing and running games, CG is averaging 420 yards per game. “With that we have compromised most defenses making them pick the poison, stop pass or slow down the run,” Moore said. Cathedral is no stranger to success, having won big at the Class 5A level before moving up to 6A due to the Tournament Success Factor. They’re seeking their 15th state championship and 18th State Finals appearance. The Irish are led by one of the state’s top passers in junior Danny O’Neil. A multi-year starter, he has thrown for 2,579 yards and 32 touchdowns, with Jaron Tibbs (895 yards), David Ayers (640 yards) and Brennan Wooten (484 yards) his top targets. Add running back Carson Johnson, who needs 10 yards to eclipse 1,000 for the season, and Cathedral is one of 6A’s top-scoring teams at 37 ppg. But Cathedral had to grind out a 14-7 victory over Brownsburg last week in the regional - avenging a regular season loss from Week 2. O’Neil threw for 168 yards and a touchdown to Ayers, who had 93 receiving yards. Cathedral downed Lawrence North 44-35 and Lawrence Central 33-13 in the sectional to get to the regional. The Trojans and Irish are meeting in the state tournament for the first time, but they are no strangers to each other. They’ve met in Week 9 annually since 2014. This year, Cathedral rallied to win 40-29 after trailing 29-13 going into the final quarter. O’Neil threw for 410 yards - 164 to Tibbs and 162 to Wooten - and five TDs in that contest. Cherry threw for 202 yards - 125 to Coy. “The Rematch? We’re not really thinking of it in those terms,” Moore said. “This is the game both teams must win to obtain their goal to be in the state championship. It just happens to be between two teams that play in the regular season. Yes it is a chance to regain our self esteem we lost after such a break down late in the last game. For that we have worked on things that caused problems from the CG standpoint, not merely what Cathedral did to hurt us or beat us.” Lawrenceburg facing surging Bulldogs Four weeks ago, the Monrovia Bulldogs were 2-7 and entering one of the state’s toughest sectionals. The Bulldogs are now just one win away from the State Finals, but they travel to face a 12-1 Lawrenceburg squad that has won 12 consecutive games. Monrovia dispatched previously-unbeaten Owen Valley 26-21 last week after wins over Purdue Poly, Speedway and Danville in the sectional. “Monrovia is very hot right now,” Lawrenceburg coach Ryan Knigga said. “They have found a way to win games in the tournament. They have beat some good football programs on this run and are playing really well. You better be ready to stop the run. They want to run the football. Your backend guys can't fall asleep or they will play-action you and hit the deep ball. You need to make every possession count.” Monrovia’s run-heavy attack is led by junior Brayton Belcher, who has 1,035 yards and 11 touchdowns. Dustin Kostrzewski adds 797 yards and Jozy Hand 517 on the ground. Hand led the running game with 90 yards and a touchdown last week at OV. While the Bulldogs’ record showed struggles, they played stiff competition - three of their regular-season losses were to teams ranked in the top five of their respective classes, and two foes - Linton and Indianapolis Lutheran - are still alive. Lawrenceburg is in the semistate for the second consecutive year. The Tigers have one of the state’s top defense, having allowed just three touchdowns since the tournament began, and that came after closing the regular season with six consecutive shutouts. The Tigers’ lone loss came to county rival East Central - a Class 4A regional champion - in the opening week. “Our defense has been outstanding,” Knigga said. “That unit has gotten better each week. They fly around to the ball and make plays. They are fun to watch. We knew our defense had a chance to be good as we brought seven guys back from that Regional team last year. Going into the season we knew they would need to carry us. They have done just that. I think it starts with our seniors. They have been great leaders. It is a player-led locker room. They handle all the business and take care of things. To have a defense like we have, it is not one person or two. To do what they have done takes multiple guys. We feel we have multiple guys who are performing well on that side of the ball and contributing to our success.” Among those are senior Joey Pierce, who has 106 tackles, 10 for loss, and four interceptions. Sophomore Noah Knigga has 13 tackles for loss. Junior Zavyn Slayback also has four picks for a team that has forced 32 turnovers. Offensively, the Tigers feature two 1,000-yard rushers in junior Teagan Bennett and senior Alex Witte. They have combined for 32 touchdowns. Last week, Witte ran for 252 yards and Bennett 148 as the Tigers combined for 400 yards on the ground to down a solid Southridge squad 31-7 in the regional. “It was a battle,” Knigga said. “Southridge is a very good team. They are coached well and execute very well. It was a huge win for our program. We have been in that game the past few years and it was a bump in the road for us, so it felt great to get over that bump. I am very proud of our kids. They were resilient and just battled for four quarters. I thought all our players performed well. You’ve got to perform well to win that game “Overall, it was a great team win and I am proud of our kids and coaches.” Unbeatens meet up Two games feature unbeaten teams - one in Class 6A, one in Class A. In 6A, Carroll (Fort Wayne) hosts Hamilton Southeastern. HSE is ranked No. 1 in the class and is looking to make its first State Finals appearance in 17 years. Carroll has never been in the State Finals, but advanced by winning a 21-20 matchup with Lafayette Jeff last week. … In Class A, defending state champion Indianapolis Lutheran visits North Decatur. That contest features the state’s leading passer in Lutheran’s Jackson Willis (3,670 yards) against a North Decatur defense that is allowing 6.8 ppg. ND won its first regional in school history last week. … Also in Class A’s northern bracket, unbeaten Adams Central meets 12-1 North Judson, putting the top four teams in the polls in the semistate, with a combined record of 51-1 between them. … A big rematch takes place in Class 4A, where Roncalli and East Central played to a 21-19 game in Week 9, which was won by the Royals. The two teams meet again at EC’s field, where the host Trojans are looking to make their first State Finals appearance since 2017. Roncalli is looking to return for the second time in three seasons after Luke Hansen ran for 195 yards in a 20-7 victory over No. 1 New Palestine last week. … Class 3A features an intriguing matchup as No. 1 West Lafayette puts its 13-0 record on the line at No. 3 Indianapolis Chatard. Both schools have recent state titles - WL in 2017, Chatard in 2020. … A couple of Region-Summit matchups take place between traditional powers, as Valparaiso visits Fort Wayne Snider in 5A. Valpo avenged a loss to Merrillville last week with a 15-14 regional victory. No. 1 Snider, seeking its first State Finals appearance since 2015, defeated Mishawaka 41-27 last week. In 2A, defending state champ Andrean hosts Fort Wayne Luers. Alongside Monrovia, Luers is the other team with a sub-.500 regular season record to advance to the semistate. The Knights went 4-5 before rolling through Prairie Heights, Churubusco, Eastside and Bluffton, with the 35-21 victory over Eastside in the sectional final the closest contest. … In addition to North Decatur and Carroll (Fort Wayne), Whiteland will also be seeking its first-ever State Finals appearance in Class 5A this week. Semistate matchups Class 6A No. 1 Hamilton Southeastern (12-0) at No. 5 Carroll (Fort Wayne) (12-0) No. 3 Center Grove (10-2) at No. 2 Indianapolis Cathedral (10-1) (at Tech HS) Class 5A No. 9 Valparaiso (9-3) at No. 1 Fort Wayne Snider (11-1) No. 2 Whiteland (11-1) at Castle (8-4) Class 4A No. 7 New Prairie (12-1) at No. 6 Kokomo (12-1) No. 2 Roncalli (12-1) at No. 4 East Central (11-2) Class 3A No. 3 Indianapolis Chatard (9-4) at No. 1 West Lafayette (13-0) Monrovia (6-7) at No. 5 Lawrenceburg (12-1) Class 2A No. 8 Fort Wayne Luers (8-5) at No. 3 Andrean (9-3) No. 1 Linton (13-0) at No. 5 Ev. Mater Dei (10-3) Class A No. 2 Adams Central (13-0) at No. 4 North Judson (12-1) No. 1 Indianapolis Lutheran (13-0) at No. 3 North Decatur (13-0)
  13. Whiteland's offense is very unique. But the teams who see it every year have a lot more data to gameplan for it and know what they've done that's worked in the past. It's not as "new" to them.
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