Gridiron Digest Indiana Football Report - Sectional final

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Red Devils, Wildcats meet in battle of unbeatens

Andrew Smith

GridironDigest.com

It’s the most difficult championship in all of the IHSAA to win. 

No title requires teams to win three games, over three different weeks, in multiple locations and in different, changing weather conditions, often against local rivals and some teams they’ve faced twice in a season. 

At the end of the week, 48 teams will have claimed that title, hoisted a trophy, clinched a spot in the regional and - for Classes A through 4A - made it halfway through the IHSAA tournament journey. 

In Northwest Indiana, the trophy will go to one of two unbeaten teams matching up on the turf at Hanover Central, as the fourth-ranked Wildcats host No. 1 West Lafayette in a contest featuring 11-0 teams in Class 3A’s Sectional 25. 

West Lafayette kicked off the season playing in the opening game at Lucas Oil Stadium, beating Harrison 27-14. The Red Devils, who won their most recent state title in 2018, are looking to finish there. This will be their most difficult tourney test after rolling through Twin Lakes 50-7 and Calumet 52-12. 

They forced five first-half turnovers in last week’s victory, while quarterback Max Mullis threw for 202 yards and running back Dawson Martin tallied 114. 

Mullis has been a strong dual-threat QB for the Red Devils this year, throwing for 2,080 yards and running for 761, accounting for 44 touchdowns, but West Lafayette has spread the ball around. Five different receivers have 200-plus yards, led by Liam Burton, who has 776 on 77 catches. 

“We like to be multiple on offense and take what the defense is giving us,” Red Devils coach Shane Fry said. “We never want to force the ball to a particular player. We have had the most success when we have multiple players getting touches on offense.” 

They’ll face a Hanover Central defense that has been one of the state’s stingiest, allowing 5.8 points per game. Junior Collin Foy has 76 tackles, 15 TFL and four sacks, while two-way standout Garrett Howes has picked off seven passes. 

Hanover Central has advanced with a 38-10 victory over Rensselaer and a 42-21 win over Griffith last week, a game the Wildcats led 42-0 at halftime before allowing three TDs in running clock time. QB Matt Koontz was 10-10 for 226 yards and four TDs, while Howes had 136 receiving yards and three TDs. Howes has 841 receiving yards this season, complementing a running game led by senior Kyle Hassley, who has 1,243 yards and 28 TDs. 

“I was proud of both our players and coaches on how they handled their mentalities and approaches,” Wildcats coach Brian Parker said. “Playing a team like Rensselaer, it was more getting them prepared to play a 4-quarter game against a very tough, well-coached team that wasn't going to back down one inch. This past week, we played a team in Griffith that we handled pretty well earlier in the year, so our approach had to shift and find a way to keep them focused on the task-at-hand instead of looking forward to this upcoming game. For the most part, I believe we did a good job handling both their minds and bodies.” 

There is much respect between the two squads as they play with a title on the line in Cedar Lake. 

“The West Lafayette football brand speaks for itself. You immediately have the utmost respect for the program for the success they've had. Obviously, Coach Fry and his staff are second-to-none in regards to preparing their players on a week-to-week basis, as well as, a year-to-year basis. When you watch the film, their size, athleticism and how well-coached they are in all three aspects of the game immediately jumps out at you,” Parker said. “The recipe for success is no different this week than any other week. Win the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, take care of the football and find a way to create some takeaways. Limiting their explosive plays and managing their tempo are always at the forefront when you play West Lafayette as well.” 

The Red Devils also have a lot of respect for the Wildcats. 

“They are really good,” Fry said. “They have outstanding athletes at the skill positions and are huge and strong up front on both sides of the ball. It is obvious that they are a well coached football team.  Keys to victory for us: Win the turnover battle. Find ways to drive the ball and get in the endzone. Their first string defense has only given up one touchdown the entire season so we are going to have our hands full.” 

Scecina, Triton Central face rematch

Two of the top teams in Class 2A will have a rematch as No. 4 Indianapolis Scecina (10-1) visits No. 5 Triton Central (9-2) in Sectional 39. The two Indiana Crossroads Conference rivals played to a 21-20 game - won by Scecina - in Week 7. 

Both teams are no stranger to tournament success - Triton Central has won three straight sectional championships and has appeared in nine consecutive sectional championship games. Scecina was a regional champion last year. Both teams fell to eventual runner-up Evansville Mater Dei in the later rounds of the tourney. Mater Dei, which is tied with TC for No. 5 in the IFCA poll, faces North Posey in the Sectional 40 final and will face the winner of the Scecina-TC contest. 

TC has one of the state’s most dangerous passing games, featuring the state’s leading receiver in Brad Schultz. A senior, Schultz has 69 catches for 1,399 yards and 17 touchdowns, building strong chemistry with senior quarterback Jace Stuckey, who has thrown for 2,308 yards and ranks 11th in the state. 

“Brad Schultz has an elite burst and finishing speed that I have not coached before in 39 years. He is an outstanding sprinter in track,” TC coach Tim Able said. “Brad and Jace Stuckey played together this past winter and in the summer in numerous 7 on 7 tournaments, which has definitely helped their unique connection. Both of them would tell you that if we didn’t have Ray Crawford and Brayden Wilkins in our running game they would not have the stats that they have. A good run game helps a passing game and vice versa.”

Crawford has run for 1,060 yards and 14 scores, helping the Tigers roll up 38 points per game. He ran for 149 yards in a 24-19 semifinal victory over Brownstown Central last week. 

Scecina defeated Clarksville 48-18 last week, facing the state’s leading rusher, Robert Lamar, who had 196 yards in the contest, but the Crusaders were able to limit the Generals’ offense and score 48 points. Scecina’s offense features QB David Mendez, who has thrown for over 1,000 yards this season, and RB Brandon Fitts-Ramsey, who is knocking on the door of a 1,000-yard season.

 The Crusaders’ defense has allowed 9.6 ppg, and forced four turnovers in the regular-season meeting. Senior Mason Beriault, who is also the Crusaders’ top receiver, had 18 tackles in that contest. He is the Crusaders’ leading tackler, alongside Tamir Woods, who has 22.5 TFL and 10.5 sacks, and Adam Young, who has 28.5 TFL. 

“To compete with Triton Central, we will need to block better and control the ball in order to keep it away from their multi-dimensional offense,” Scecina coach Ott Hurrle said. 

Their matchups have frequently been close. Scecina has won the last two meetings, while TC won in 2020. 

“Ott Hurrle is a great coach and has a great program with a storied tradition,” Able said. “They always bringing a high level of intensity and always are sound in their fundamentals. In our first match up we had 4 fumbles that Scecina created, which is more than we’ve had the rest of the season.” 

5A No. 1 facing tough rematch

The Fort Wayne Snider Panthers enter championship week ranked No. 1 in Class 5A, but they face a rematch this week with a resurgent Fort Wayne North team in Sectional 12. 

The Panthers are 9-1 and have won eight straight. North Side is 8-2 and enters with seven straight victories. Both won handily in last week’s sectional openers, with Snider defeating Fort Wayne Dwenger 41-6, while North beat Anderson 49-9. 

Snider amassed 342 yards of offense last week, led by QB Luke Haupert completing 10-of-14 for 114 yards and a TD and RB Langston Leavell rushing for 159 yards and two scores on 12 carries. Snider’s defense forced three turnovers, including an 80-yard pick-6 by Brandon Logan. 

“Anytime we can beat a good Bishop Dwenger team two times in one season says a lot about our team,” Snider coach Kurt Tippmann said. “We were productive in both the run game and pass game, staying balanced in our offensive attack.  Defensively, we caused three turnovers and played sound assignment football in defending a very elusive quarterback and a multifaceted offense of BD.” 

Snider’s defense has been one of the state’s best this season, allowing 8.7 ppg. The Panthers have posted four shutouts and have allowed three total scores in the last five games. Senior Lukas Rohrbacher leads the team in tackles, while fellow linebacker Zyon Greene had 15 tackles last week against Dwenger. 

“They are very athletic and elusive in getting to the ball,” Tippmann said of Rohrbacher and Greene. “We have a group that is willing to do the extra effort details that allow defenses to be good – run to the ball, be physical at the point of attack and be sound in fundamental gap assignments.” 

North has had a resurgence with the program’s first winning season in nine years. The Legends have scored at least 42 points in each game in its seven-game winning streak. Junior wideout Brauntae Johnson is one of the state’s top receivers with 1,051 yards, 16 TDs and is a top-100 recruit in his class. Quarterback Bohde Dickerson has thrown for 2,023 yards and 27 TDs and running back Jonte Lambert has run for 2,062 yards and 16 scores. North Side is seeking its first sectional title since 1990. 

Snider won the Week 1 meeting 20-18, with Lambert running for 133 yards and Leavell 112. 

“We learned in the first game, that North Side is really good,” Tippmann said. “They have talented players at all positions. 

“They pose a huge challenge for us defensively.   Not sure we can take anyone away, but have to defend them all.  We will have to be very sound in assignments and gap responsibilities to be successful.”

Potpourri

Four of last year’s six state champions are still alive - Class 4A’s Mt. Vernon lost to New Palestine in the opening round. Last week, defending 3A champ Gibson Southern was eliminated 28-21 at Owen Valley, which is now 11-0 on the season and seeking its second straight sectional title this week against Pike Central. … Another unbeaten went down last week as Boonville defeated Evansville Reitz 28-27 in 4A Sectional 24. The Pioneers meet Evansville Memorial this week… Danville has been a giant-slayer so far in Sectional 29, knocking off ranked Tri-West and Western Boone. The Warriors (5-6) visit Monrovia this week. … Eleven unbeaten teams remain in the state tournament - Carroll (Fort Wayne), Crown Point and Hamilton Southeastern in 6A, New Palestine and NorthWood in 4A, Owen Valley, West Lafayette and Hanover Central in 3A, Linton in 2A and Adams Central, Indianapolis Lutheran, North Decatur and Tecumseh in 1A. … Carroll (Fort Wayne)’s 35-7 victory over Penn last week gave coach Doug Dinan his 100th career victory. … The last two Class A champions meet up in Sectional 47, as 2021 champ Indianapolis Lutheran meets 2020 champ Covenant Christian. … Five schools are seeking their first-ever sectional title - Chesterton (Sectional 10 vs. Valparaiso), Connersville (Sectional 22 vs. New Palestine), Pike Central (Sectional 30 vs. Owen Valley), Traders Point Christian (Sectional 42 vs. Park Tudor) and second-year program Hammond Central (Sectional 9 vs. Merrillville). A few others are seeking to break long droughts - Franklin seeking its first since 1984 against rival Whiteland in Sectional 14. Perry Meridian is seeking its first sectional title since 1986 in Sectional 7 against Warren Central. Bluffton is seeking its first since 1988 in Sectional 36 against Eastbrook. Columbia City is looking for its first since 1993 in Sectional 19 against Leo. Other long droughts are Martinsville (26 years), Noblesville, Plainfield, Evansville North and Rochester (all 22 years) and Lafayette Jeff (20 years). 

Key games this week

Class 6A

1: Lafayette Jeff (8-2) at No. 8 Crown Point (10-0)

2: Warsaw (8-2) at No. 5 Carroll (Allen) (10-0)

3: No. 1 Hamilton SE (10-0) at Fishers (7-3)

6: No. 2 Cathedral (8-1) at Lawrence Central (5-5)

8: No. 3 Center Grove (8-2) at Columbus North (5-5)

Class 5A

9: No. 5 Merrillville (8-2) at Hammond Central (8-2)

10: No. 9 Valparaiso (7-3) at Chesterton (5-5)

11: No. 3 Mishawaka (9-1) at Concord (5-5)

12: No. 7 FW North (8-2) at No. 1 FW Snider (9-1)

14: No. 2 Whiteland (9-1) at No. 8 Franklin (8-2)

Class 4A

17: No. 7 New Prairie (10-1) at Hobart (8-3)

18: Northridge (7-4) at No. 3 NorthWood (11-0)

19: Leo (8-3) at No. 9 Columbia City (10-1)

20: Mississinewa (8-3) at No. 6 Kokomo (10-1)

21: No. 10 Brebeuf (10-1) at No. 2 Roncalli (10-1)

22: Connersville (7-4) at No. 1 New Palestine (11-0)

23: Martinsville (8-3) at No. 4 East Central (9-2)

24: Evansville Memorial (8-3) at Boonville (8-3)

Class 3A

25: No. 1 West Lafayette (11-0) at No. 4 Hanover Central (11-0)

27: Yorktown (8-3) at No. 7 Norwell (10-1)

28: No. 3 Indianapolis Chatard (7-4) at No. 9 Guerin Catholic (7-4)

32: No. 9 Southridge (10-1) at Heritage Hills (7-4)

Class 2A

33: No. 3 Andrean (7-3) at Bremen (7-4)

34: No. 9 Lafayette Catholic (8-3) at No. 10 Rochester (10-1)

35: No. 8 FW Luers (6-5) at No. 7 Eastside (9-2)

37: No. 1 Linton (11-0) at Sullivan (7-4)

39: No. 4 Scecina (10-1) at No. 5 Triton Central (9-2)

40: North Posey (9-2) at No. 5 Ev. Mater Dei (8-3)

Class A

41: Culver (7-4) at No. 4 North Judson (10-1)

43: West Central (10-1) at No. 6 Carroll (Flora) (10-1)

44: No. 2 Adams Central (11-0) at Northfield (6-5)

45: No. 5 Sheridan (10-1) at Hagerstown (7-4)

47: No. 1 Lutheran (11-0) at Covenant Christian (8-3)

48: No. 8 Tecumseh (10-0) at Providence (8-2)

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