By Dan Vance
MaxPreps.com
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The march of the Knights continued Friday night as Chandler Harnish led the unbeaten Norwell Knights to a Sectional title by soundly defeating Concordia, 49-14.
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The Cadets had been known all season as a strong offensive program, often overlooked in the fast and strong Summit Athletic Conference, but proved Friday that they were no match for the heart, determination and flat-out skill in Ossian.
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Running back Cole Hoopingarner tied a school record with four touchdowns in the victory for Norwell. The back is one of the leaders in the area in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns despite only having a total of 148 carries on the year, nearly half of what rushers with equivalent yards have.
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But that is just fine with the senior, who ran for 195 yards in the title game.
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"I've thought about it a few times," Hoopingarner said. "But it is alright with me. Right now we are 12-0 going unto the Regional championship game so I have nothing to complain or worry about."
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The Knights have also gotten to this point on the heels of quarterback Chandler Harnish, a future Northern Illinois football player. Harnish ran for 197 yards and picked up four total scores last week. This time around, Harnish ran for 125 yards on just seven carries and also passed for 130 yards on seven completions.
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"It says a lot about our offensive line," Harnish said of the high impact Norwell run game. "I know Cole made a lot of great plays, but our offensive line did a heck of a job tonight."
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The defense did their job, too, stopping Concordia's run game led by Armando Bustamante and instead made the Cadets go to the air. Senior receivers Kyle Pressley and Ryan Nixon each had five catches, but it was not enough.
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"It feels alright," Hoopingarner said with a wry smile on his face. "The ultimate prize is going to state."
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Norwell plays at 11-1 New Prairie next week for a Regional title.
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Class 2A No. 2 Heritage Shocked
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As he has done all season, freshman Roderick Smith made a habit of harassing the defense as he led Harding to a shocking victory over Class 2A's second-ranked Heritage Patriots.
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Fresh off a huge 6-0 victory over bitter rival and Class 2A top-ranked Lewis Cass, the Patriots had no answer for the faster and more athletic Hawks in the 27-14 loss.
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Smith trotted down the field to a tune of 144 yards and a score. The team also got plenty of help through the air as Devin Dominguez, the area's leading passer lit up the skies with 212 yards and a score. His touchdown pass went to teammate DeAundre Muhammed, who also had an interception and two touchdown-preventing tackles at defensive back.
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"I think it feels so good because I know with the team we have, never giving up and working hard through practice, I think we could win a state title," Muhammed said.
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South Adams' Cinderella Story Ends
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In a back-and-forth game, the Starfires of South Adams saw their unexpected run at a Sectional title fall just a little short with a 26-20 overtime loss to Madison-Grant in a Class 2A Sectional Final.
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The Starfires were 1-5 at one point in the 2006 season, but managed to make a postseason run on the strong play of quarterback Jordan Steiner.
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Down 20-14 late, South Adams found an answer in the form of Steiner as he connected with Dustin Cressman for a five-yard score, but a blocked extra point forced overtime, giving Madison-Grant the chance they needed to crush the Starfires' dreams.
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Five Northeast Teams Still Alive
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Joining Norwell (3A) and Harding (2A) in Regional play this Friday will be Class 5A's Homestead, Class 4A's Bishop Dwenger, and Class A's Adams Central.
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A perennial powerhouse in its class, Adams Central trailed 6-0 during the first half of their sectional contest with Southern Wells, but used halfbacks Roger Pickens and Anthony Hammond to run all over the Raiders' defense late.
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Pickens led the Flying Jets with 169 yards on the ground and two of the team's three scores.
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"We knew it was going to be a tough game, with the rivalry we have every year with these guys," Adams Central coach Rich Minnich said. "They had a good football team with 13 seniors and we had to hang in there."
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Snider saw their up-and-down season come to a somewhat unexpected end at the hands of Homestead. After starting their season with a shocking loss to Concordia, the Panthers had been rolling, including a clutch victory over eventual conference champion Bishop Dwenger.
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But the athletic prowess of Homestead quarterback Jordan Wise kept the Panthers off balance all night in the 21-16 victory. It was the Spartans' first Sectional title in eight years.
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"They have ended our season the last two years," Wise noted. "It was good to finally, as a senior, come in here and get a good win."
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Dwenger exacted some revenge by beating South Side 40-12. It was the second victory over the Archers for coach Chris Svarczkopf's team this season. A regular season game ended 20-0 in favor of the Summit Athletic Conference champion Saints. Last season however, it was South Side who won the Sectional title with a win over Dwenger. The Archers then came within one win of the state title game.
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The Kevin Merz-to-John Goodman connection was on fire as they trounced the tired Archer defense all night. The two hooked up six times for 181 yards. Jermarkis Willis added help on the ground with 92 yards and a score.
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At 11-1, Dwenger will play at Muncie Central next week. Homestead (11-1) hosts Carmel (10-2), while Harding (9-3) will host Madison-Grant (7-5) and Adams Central (11-1) visits unbeaten South Newton.
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Northeast Indiana Player of the Week
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Bishop Dwenger's John Goodman caught just six passes, but made them count to the tune of 181 yards and three scores in the Saints' Sectional victory over South Side.