5A No. 6 Center Grove returned little from its championship squad a year ago, but outside of a 17-14 loss at No. 2 Carmel, the Trojans have dominated their opponents. Neither the loss of 20 starters nor the Greyhounds exacting their revenge from last year’s title game have prevented Center Grove from performing some late-game magic and coming up with big plays, as evidenced by the Trojans’ 9-7 win at Lawrence North.
Center Grove’s defense held the Wildcats to 113 yards of offense, 81 of which came from running back Trae Heeter, who was bottled up all night long. Near the end of the third quarter, Lawrence North began a drive at Center Grove’s 37-yard line, the result of a short punt. The Trojans held the Wildcats to nine yards on a fourth-and-10 play and retook possession, with the ensuing drive yielding a 34-yard field goal and a 9-0 lead.
Despite a stellar defensive performance, the Center Grove offense could manage little against the stingy Wildcats. After spending a lot of time on the field, the Trojans defense began to give a little. Heeter racked up 41 of his yards on three plays, and quarterback Will Nolden completed a 13-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Bibbs late in the fourth quarter.
Lawrence North had a chance with 1:18 left to play, but cornerback Nick Stone picked off a pass to seal the victory for the Trojans. The win propelled Center Grove to a 5-1 overall record and a 3-1 mark in the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference and left a good Lawrence North team 2-4 (0-3).
Center Grove hosts No. 6 Ben Davis on Friday and ends its regular season two weeks later at No. 3 Warren Central.
Balanced offense powers Fishers to unbeaten start
Quarterback Alex Hines has been on point all season, powering Fishers to a 5-0 start. The Tigers' high-octane offense had some question marks coming into their matchup with McCutcheon, as Hines had been held out of practice by head coach Rick Wimmer due to a knee injury.
Before the game, Wimmer decided to let Hines direct the offense, and the senior kept the defense honest as the running game piled up 206 yards and five touchdowns. Hines hit on his first seven passes, missing his last attempt, for 143 yards and a touchdown in the first half, en route to a 37-0 halftime lead and a 44-7 win.
"We’ve had a lot of continuity in the coaching staff and the play calling, so he is familiar with what we’re doing and the players know what he is capable of," Wimmer said of Hines. "He makes protection calls and audibles and does whatever he needs to to protect the ball and preserve the win."
Fishers entered the game as the No. 7 team in class 5A, with hopes of finishing higher than that by the season’s end. The health of Hines, who has eight passing touchdowns and four rushing touchdowns to just one interception and has only been sacked twice, is crucial to the Tigers' success. He has shown positive signs and looks to be prepared for Friday’s game at Zionsville. Coupled with the emergence of the running game, the Tigers are feeling good about sitting on top of the Hoosier Crossroads Conference.
"(The players) have really worked hard over the summer and have bought in to what we’re trying to do on both sides of the ball," said Wimmer. "Our coaches have done their best to get the players ready to play, and the players have responded."
Senior tailback Tommy Huser had 128 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries, and Ian Kinsey caught three passes for 77 yards and a score.
Cathedral trounces Roncalli
4A No 1 Cathedral has already beaten the 5A No. 1 twice and crushed the 3A No. 1 two weeks ago, so unranked 3A Roncalli should not have stood much of a chance. The rivalry between the two schools runs deep and, no matter the difference in ranking, the Rebles always seem to play their best games against the Irish.
Cathedral got on the board first, scoring on a 3-yard plunge by running back Nick Najem. The Irish then gave up an 80-yard pass from Tommy Young to Brandon Banta and also allowed Roncalli a 40-yard field goal. At halftime, the feisty Rebels were down just 17-10 and looked like they might hang around and have a chance to steal the game in the second half.
Cathedral is not a No. 1 team for nothing, though, and the Irish owned the second half with 38 points for a 55-10 win over the Rebels (4-2).
Quarterback Kofi Hughes 5-of-12 passing for 168 yards and a touchdown and also had 157 yards and two scores on the ground. Najem had 96 yards on 14 carries.
Week’s other top performers
Running back Michael Timko had 218 total yards and three touchdowns, and quarterback Ross Hendrickson was 9-of-14 passing for 137 yards and four touchdowns in Cardinal Ritter’s 42-9 win over Park Tudor.
Martinsville quarterback Hayden Northern went 18-of-33 passing for 253 yards and four touchdowns, including three in the second half, as the Artesians overcame a 25-point defecit to beat Mooresville.
Running back Shakir Bell had 202 yards and five touchdowns in the first half of Warren Central’s game against Terre Haute Horth.
Indiana recruit Logan Young had 208 yards and a score on seven receptions for 4A No. 7 Delta as they beat Pendleton Heights 44-20.
Girls golf: Roncalli takes regional crown
No. 1 Roncalli had faced No. 5 Carmel four times previous to Saturday, and the Rebels had split with the Greyhounds 2-2. Roncalli got the best of Carmel in Saturday’s regional matchup, but just barely. Both teams shot a 323, but Roncalli’s fifth golfer, Catherine Gaughn, had a better score (85) than Carmel’s fifth golfer, Kate McDougal (87). Jamie Cayler led the Rebels with a score of 77, and Julie Traina shot an 81. Anna Gleixner carded an 82 and Colleen Gaughn shot an 83.
Ari Savich (75) won medalist honors for Carmel after winning a one-hole playoff against Guaerin Catholic’s Carlie Gehlhausen, and No. 17 Shelbyville secured the third team spot in the state finals by edging Zionsville 352-354. It is the Golden Bears' first state appearance since 1995.
