By Anthony Mock
MaxPreps.com
Carmel was ranked No. 1 in class 5A for a reason. The Greyhounds were undefeated and had orchestrated second-half comebacks on the road against Center Grove and Warren Central, both ranked No. 2 at the time, and at home against then-4A No. 1 Cathedral.
Friday’s match-up at rival Ben Davis seemed to have all the makings of another Greyhound classic after Carmel went into the half down 10 and then promptly scored two touchdowns in the first six minutes of the third quarter. Ben Davis, though, had a different ending in mind for this game and made all the right plays down the stretch to secure a 24-17 win.
“We’ve felt like our defense had the potential to play like that all year, they just hadn’t shown it in a game,” Ben Davis head coach Mike Kirschner said.
The Giants held the Greyhounds to 272 yards and their lowest point total of the season.
“Morgan Newton is a great player and he had an off-night, but we’d like to think we had something to do with that,” Kirschner said.
It was a tough loss for Carmel (8-1, 6-1), who ended up with only a share of the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference Championship, tying with Center Grove for the top spot.
It was a huge win for Ben Davis (6-3, 4-3), however. The Giants fell short against Center Grove two games previous and were coming off a rough loss to Lawrence North. The Giants also lost to Warren Central and had yet to prove that they could hang with the state’s frontrunners.
“I think that the kids can build on this win,” said Kirschner, whose team will play at Pike in the first round of sectional. “It’s tough to have to go on the road again to face a good team, but I know that it helped their confidence and they believe they can do it.”
Junior running back Donte Asher scored the game-winning touchdown for the Giants on a 39-yard run. Asher finished with seven carries for 80 yards, second on the team to Miles Wright’s 23 carries for 90 yards. It was an interception by cornerback Keith Suggs that put a stamp on the game for Ben Davis, as Carmel did not regain possession of the ball until there was less than a minute left in the game.
Newton led the way for the Greyhounds, racking up 152 yards through the air and an additional 73 on the ground. Newton scored on a 5-yard run and threw a 43-yard TD pass to receiver Eric Ardaiolo, but also threw two picks.
Carmel will begin defense of the state championship at home against Noblesville (3-6).
Trojans Dominate Warriors
Class 5A No. 2 Center Grove has dished out a number of thrashings in recent weeks. Last week it took the Trojans only two quarters to put up 70 points and pull their starters.
Friday’s game against No. 4 Warren Central, who had also put up 70 points in its last contest, didn’t shape up as another beat down.
But thanks to 491 rushing yards, the Trojans notched another lopsided victory.
Center Grove running back Tanner Riley took the first play from scrimmage 80 yards for the score en route to a 56-7 win, the state’s No. 1 ranking, and a share of the MIC title.
Warren Central scored the first points of the second half to cut the lead down to 21-7, but that was as close as it would come. Riley, who finished with 276 yards and two scores on 16 carries, had more than twice as many rushing yards as the entire Warren Central team.
Star Warrior running backs Eric Williams and George Cheesebourough combined for only 119 yards on 33 carries.
The Trojans (8-1, 6-1) played another nearly mistake-free game, committing no turnovers and only four penalties for 27 yards. The Warriors logged an interception, a lost fumble and 55 yards in penalties.
Center Grove opens the postseason against Terre Haute South. Warren Central has a considerably tougher test waiting for it in the first round of sectional play with No. 2 Hamilton Southeastern.
Sheridan Win Streak Hits Skids
Sheridan went into Friday night with No. 1 ranking and a 44-game winning streak. By the time it had left West Lafayette they had neither of those, nor a third-straight Hoosier Conference championship.
The Blackhawks, who had barely been tested all year, fell in impressive fashion to the Class 3A No. 3 Red Devils, 37-7. It had been just over three years since the last time Sheridan lost, ironically a 28-6 beat down at the hands of the same West Lafayette team.
Friday’s match-up looked similar to that game.
The Red Devils’ offense racked up 372 total yards, had a number of big plays, and did not turn the ball over. Senior quarterback Matt Lancaster shouldered the load, tallying 145 yards and two scores on the ground and 135 yards and two scores through the air.
The West Lafayette defense managed to slow Sheridan’s prolific running game to 4.3 yards per carry, intercept two passes and force four fumbles, recovering two.
Sheridan experienced its poorest offensive showing since their last loss. Still, the Blackhawks are a Class 1A team, so the Red Devils will not factor into the postseason, where Sheridan hopes to clinch its fourth consecutive state title. Their first game of sectional will be at home against Tri-Central.
Ritter Tops Heritage Christian
The Cardinal Ritter Raiders earned their first undefeated season in school history on Friday – ‘earned’ being the key word. Having already locked-up its conference, Ritter hosted Class 2A No. 1 Heritage Christian, a team that had crushed every opponent it had faced up to that point.
The Raiders pulled out a see-saw air battle in the fourth quarter, 28-21, and became the first team in the school’s history to manage a 9-0 regular season record.
Ritter quarterback Ross Hendrickson struck the first blow on a 12-yard touchdown pass to John Shockley. The two squads proceeded to trade scores until Hendrickson hit Tyrone Walker on a 13-yard pass with just under seven minutes to go in the fourth quarter to take the lead for the final time.
“Ross is a great kid and has really emerged as a leader for us,” Ritter head coach Ty Hunt said. “Our guys have really relied on his arm and his decision making all year.”
Hendrickson ended up 22-of-34 passing for 289 yards and three touchdowns. He also had 56 yards and a score on the ground. Walker, who has been Hendrickson’s primary target all year, finished with seven catches for 104 yards and two touchdowns.
Heritage Christian quarterback Jackson Kirtley put up big numbers in the Eagles’ first loss of the year, 20-of-47 passing for 339 yards and three touchdowns. Morgan Cook was the team’s leading receiver with seven catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns.
The win gives Ritter the No. 1 ranking in Class 1A and plenty of confidence going into the postseason, where it will open sectional play at Indiana Deaf.
“This was quite the motivator for us,” Hunt said. “We proved that we can play with the big guys earlier in the year when we played (2A) Speedway and (3A) Brebeuf, but Heritage is a great team and I’m happy that we got to really show what our team can do.
“But (going undefeated) is something that we’re going to have to celebrate later, because I’ve told our guys that we’re not No. 1 until the end of November.”
Heritage Christian will take on Union County in the first round of its sectional.
Delta Takes Conference Title Back From Shelbyville
One year after going 9-0 in the regular season, Class 4A No. 7 Shelbyville had its position atop the Hoosier Heritage Conference usurped by the high-octane offense of No. 5 Delta in a 63-35 slugfest that the Eagles controlled from the beginning.
Wide receiver Greg Heban took the opening kick-off 92 yards to the house and scored twice more off of two Golden Bear turnovers for a 20-0 lead after the first quarter. The lead grew as large as 28 points on a couple occasions and even shrunk to 14 in the third quarter. Still, there was little that Shelbyville could do to halt the powerful Eagle offense, which amassed 528 yards.
Heban tallied 343 total yards on 13 touches. Running backs Kyle Stevens and Teddy Dawson also contributed heavily to the Eagles’ running attack. Stevens carried the ball 24 times and netted 154 yards and a touchdown while Dawson managed 83 yards and three scores on eight carries.
Shelbyville was led by quarterback Kris Skipton, who went 6-for-15 passing for 173 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Skipton also racked up 61 yards and a score on the ground.
Shelbyville (8-1) will host Franklin County in the first round of sectional on Friday while Delta will travel to Pendleton Heights.