By Anthony Mock
MaxPreps.com
At a time when the Warren Central defense has been getting a lot of attention, it turned out to be versatility on offense that keyed a 32-23 win over Lawrence Central to bring home the Sectional 5 title.
“We’re very glad to get (the sectional title) under our belts,” Warren Central head coach Jon Hart said. “I don’t think there’s a tougher sectional in the state than the one we play in, and unfortunately it doesn’t get any easier from here.”
The Warriors went down a field goal early, but re-grouped to score three straight touchdowns against the Bears. Running back Eric Williams, who carried the ball 15 times for 110 yards, scored on runs of 19 and 20 yards, while junior Shakir Bell added a 29-yard touchdown.
The Bears trailed 19-3 at the half but moved the ball well in the third quarter, though they could only manage a pair of field goals.
The game broke open for Warren Central on the legs of junior running back Jamal Bolden, who scampered 44 yards to put the Warriors up 26-9. Lawrence Central tried to mount a comeback behind running back Ryan Pervine, who dashed 30 yards for a touchdown at the end of the third quarter.
Warren Central quarterback Derek Hart, who had completed only one pass prior, put the game out of reach with a 52-yard bomb to Maurice Magee to give the Warriors another sectional title after a one-year hiatus.
No. 9 Warren Central (9-3) will host No. 10 Ben Davis (9-3) in the regional, a team that it beat 42-21 earlier in the year.
“It’s going to be a tough one,” Hart said. “Ben Davis has a great football team. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a team improve over the season the way that they have this year. We’re going to have our hands full, but if we can keep a diverse (offense), we’ve got a shot.”
Ben Davis Squashes Avon’s Title Hopes
A week after knocking off No. 4 Southport, Avon hoped to move on to regionals by taking out powerhouse Ben Davis. The Giants, eager to get their sectional crown back, were able to hold off to the visiting Orioles for a hard-earned 26-14 win.
The first quarter was little more than a back-and-forth battle for field position between the two teams, but the Giant running game got the better of Avon in the second quarter.
Running back Miles Wright scored his first of two touchdowns to put Ben Davis on the board, and quarterback Greg Rice ran 35 yards to give the Giants a 13-0 lead going into the half.
Wright scored his second touchdown off a 10-yard run, much like his first, and the Giants had a commanding 20-0 lead. The Orioles had not reached the sectional 6 final just to give up, though. Avon quarterback Jake Harris connected with Montez Robinson on an 8-yard pass and receiver Kendall Griffin on a 28-yard pass to cut the deficit to six in the fourth quarter.
Ben Davis then did what all top teams do, answered with a 53-yard drive that was capped by running back Phillip Dudley’s one-yard plunge to put the game out of reach. The Giants finished with 205 rushing yards, 107 of which were Wright’s.
Rice also had a solid game for Ben Davis, going 7-of-14 passing for 135 yards while adding 58 yards on the ground. Harris finished 21-of-34 passing for 160 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.
The Giants were coming off big upset wins against Carmel in the regular season and Pike in the first round of sectionals. Ben Davis will next travel to Warren Central, a battle that the Warriors won easily the first time around, 42-21.
Cathedral Holds Harris, Whiteland Scoreless
A match-up of two premier 4A teams did not turn out quite like it was supposed to on Friday. After both teams struggled through a 3-0 first half, Cathedral pounced all over Whiteland for a 24-0 thrashing of the class’ No. 6 team.
The Warriors had been averaging over 41 points per contest before their game against Cathedral, most of which were touchdowns by running back Luke Harris, who was the state’s leading rusher through 11 games. Harris, who Cathedral head coach Rick Streiff called the best running back that his team had faced all season, managed 151 yards on 27 carries but was smothered on key plays and inside the red zone.
The third quarter saw Cathedral score on back-to-back possessions to increase its lead to 17-0 in front of a disheartened Whiteland crowd. The Irish took the opening drive of the second half into the end zone thanks to a 52-yard pass from quarterback Kofi Hughes to receiver Barry Flynn that set-up a 10 yard Nick Najem run. Hughes played good football all around, going 6-of-6 passing for 106 yards and a touchdown while tallying 52 yards and another score on the ground. Najem carried the ball 25 times for 144 yards.
Whiteland’s downfall was its own mistakes and missed opportunities. The Warriors fumbled twice, once on Cathedral’s 14-yard line, threw an interception, and missed two field goals. Cathedral, conversely, fumbled three times but managed to recover all of them.
The Irish’s (9-2) next game is at home against Zionsville (8-4), fresh off of a 42-13 pounding of Plainfield.
Other Regional Games to Watch
5A
No. 3 Carmel (11-1) vs. No. 5 Fort Wayne Snider (11-1)
Morgan Newton led the Greyhounds to a 48-3 victory over Harrison on Friday, accounting for four of Carmel’s seven touchdowns. The Greyhounds had 322 rushing yards against the Raiders, led by Kurt Freytag who had 156 yards on 16 carries.
Snider is coming off of a 21-6 win against Fort Wayne South, the sixth opponent that Snider has held to a touchdown or less. The Panthers’ only loss this year was by three points to 4A No. 2 Fort Wayne Dwenger
4A
No. 2 Fort Wayne Dwenger (12-0) vs. No. 5 Delta (12-0)
Delta is coming off a strong regular season, where it captured the Hoosier Heritage Conference championship and posted an average of 47 points per game. The Eagles won their sectional by thrashing Muncie South 42-6.
Dwenger, which has an equally potent offense, beat Fort Wayne Wayne 47-0 in the sectional 11 final. The Saints are putting up 33.5 points per game and have shutout five teams this season.
3A
No. 3 North Montgomery (12-0) vs. No. 1 Bishop Chatard (11-1)
Chatard had a fairly easy go through sectionals, earning a first-round bye then dispatching Greenfield-Central and, most recently, Rushville with a 41-13 win.
The Trojans are led by running back Ari Pappas, who racked up 152 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. The Trojans’ lone loss this year came at the hands of 4A No. 4 Cathedral, 15-14.
North Montgomery beat Southmont 24-8 to reach the regional. The Chargers captured their first sectional title since 1996, the year in which they brought home their second consecutive state title.
No. 8 Yorktown (10-2) vs. No. 3 Bellmont (11-1)
Yorktown has a lot of momentum following a 34-26 road win against co-No. 1 West Lafayette. The Tigers’ two losses have come by a combined 13 points.
Bellmont beat Leo 41-7 in sectional 29 final to advance to the regional. The Braves have beaten several bigger opponents this year, and the only team to beat them was 5A Homestead (8-2).
2A
No. 4 Heritage Christian (11-1) vs. Speedway (9-3)
Speedway captured its fifth sectional title in six years with impressive wins over Tri-West, No. 1 North Putnam, and Monrovia. The Sparkplugs are led by multi-faceted Kyle Linville, who tallied 163 total yards of offense and scored three touchdowns; rushing, receiving, and a 37-yard fumble return.
Heritage Christian routed 9-3 Lawrenceburg 27-7 on Friday. The Eagles are led by junior quarterback Jackson Kirtley, the state’s second-leading passer. Heritage Christian has ridden his arm to an 11-win season, averaging nearly six touchdowns a game.
1A
Lapel (10-2) vs. No. 1 Cardinal Ritter (12-0)
The Ritter Raiders continued their impressive play with a 42-7 win over South Decatur.
Ross Hendrickson, who has completed more than 60 percent of his passes on the season, went 15-of-21 passing for 307 yards and three touchdowns. Standout wide receiver Tyrone Walker, the state’s leading receiver, caught eight balls for 180 yards and two touchdowns.
Lapel is coming off of a 40-21 beat down of 10-2 Hagerstown. Running back Shelby Weeks and Josh Owen combined for five rushing touchdowns in the game. Both of the Bulldogs’ losses have come from 2A schools.
No. 3 Sheridan (11-1) vs. No. 10 Pioneer (10-2)
Quarterback Nick Zachary looks to lead the Blackhawks to their fourth consecutive state title. Sheridan has run through most of their opponents this year, losing only to 3A co-No. 1 West Lafayette in the final game of the regular season. Zachary had 121 yards on the ground to go with four rushing touchdowns in the Blackhawks’ sectional finals win against Clinton Central, 34-0.
Pioneer earned the right to advance to regional play after beating North Miami 28-7, the fifth game in a row that the Panthers have held their opponent to a touchdown or less.