By Anthony Mock
MaxPreps.com
Avon has flown under the radar for the most of the year. The Orioles began the season in the Class 5A top 10, but a first week loss to Hamilton Southeastern took Avon off the map.
The Orioles quietly got through the season with a 7-2 mark and won their first-round sectional game against Indianapolis Tech handily. Friday’s match-up against 9-1 Southport was supposed to be where the Birds stopped flying. It was the Cardinals, however, who ended up on the short end of the stick of a 35-21 slugfest.
After the program’s first winning season in 13 years and first Conference Indiana title ever, Southport was riding a nine-game winning streak and a lot of momentum. The Cardinals had averaged just under 37 points per game over their nine wins and had put up 56 in their previous contest against Perry Meridian. Running back Nick Turner, who had 204 yards and five touchdowns in that game, was held to just 16 carries for 130, 48 of which came in the third quarter on his only score.
“I thought that our defense played really well, especially in the second half,” Avon head coach Dave Shelbourne said. “They moved the football, and we knew they would. They’ve got a very good football team. We just moved it a little better.”
Keeping the Cardinals’ offense in check has been difficult all season, and for the first two and a half quarters the game seemed like it had all the makings of a shootout. Turner’s aforementioned touchdown run actually had the game tied at 21-21 for the briefest of moments before Avon running back Taje High returned the ensuing kickoff 86 yards to set up a one-yard plunge by fellow running back Darren Oliver. After that, the Orioles held the Cardinals to just one first down on their next two possessions while Avon quarterback Jake Harris put the game on ice with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Kendall Griffin.
“He’s the leader of our offense,” Shelbourne said of Harris, who went 12-of-16 passing for 194 yards and three touchdowns. “He’s big, he’s smart, and I think his speed is underrated. He makes very good decisions with the football and has really helped our offense.”
Harris’ ability to be decisive and accurate in the pocket has been demonstrated over the course of the season as he has completed over 60 percent of his pass attempts. He will have to show the same kind of poise next week, as the Orioles will travel to No. 8 Ben Davis for the sectional final.
The Giants (8-3) are coming off of a 45-10 thrashing of Brownsburg, but will have their hands full with a big, physical Avon team that is no longer being overlooked.
Warren Central Continues to Roll
Warren Central scored the first four touchdowns of the game against host Fishers en route to a 56-27 victory on Friday. The Warriors, now 8-3, used their stifling defense to hold the Tigers to 247 yards of total offense on 72 total plays, an average of only 3.4 yards per snap.
The Warrior defense dominated from the beginning. On their first series, the Tigers were able to run seven plays due to three Warren Central penalties. None of the plays netted Fishers a single yard, an ominous sign of what was to come.
Fishers tried a fake punt when the drive finally stalled, which Warren Central stopped.
The Warriors proceeded to take the ball 60 yards, scoring on a 10-yard scamper by running back Eric Williams. After another defensive stop, Williams returned the punt 61 yards to the end zone and the Warriors were up 14-0 with less than five minutes into the first quarter. A 26-yard run by George Cheesebourough, coupled with a 1-yard plunge from quarterback Derek Hart, made the score 28-7 at the half.
The Tigers managed to get the score back within 14 early in the fourth quarter, but the Warriors tacked on three more touchdowns to put Fishers away.
Cheesebourough and Williams again led the way for Warren Central. Cheesebourough ended the day with 20 carries for 159 yards while Williams had 79 yards on 13 carries. Both scored a pair of touchdowns. The Warriors also got a solid performance from Hart, who went 7-of-11 passing for 103 yards and two touchdowns (one rushing).
The offense has always had the potential to score points in bunches, but it was the upswing in the Warrior defense that has Warren Central thinking about regaining its position atop Class 5A. Three weeks ago, the Warriors gave up 56 points to No. 1 Center Grove, a performance that the defense was not happy with. The unit will need to continue to improve in preparation for Friday’s sectional final, when No. 9 Warren Central will host No. 10 Lawrence North (9-2), a team coming off of a 73-point showing against Richmond.
Center Grove Topples Bloomington South
Center Grove went on the road Friday night and pulled out a huge win over Bloomington South. The win was not only big in terms of margin of victory, but also because it showed that the Trojans are playing their best football of the year at the right time and are serious contenders.
Two years ago, Center Grove was bounced by Bloomington South in the second round of the sectional. This year’s 56-14 win over the 8-2 Panthers left no doubt about why the Trojans are No. 1 in Class 5A.
Center Grove scored eight touchdowns in the first three quarters, all before Bloomington South even got on the board. The Panthers, who had not scored less than 21 points in a contest all year, put up the last two touchdowns of the game. The Panthers’ star quarterback, Marcus Etnier, completed 14-of-23 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown, but was picked-off three times in the first half, one of which was returned for a touchdown.
The Trojans continued to do what has worked for them all year. They ran the ball 46 times for 330 yards, split fairly evenly by their three running backs Luke Swift, Tanner Riley and Kyle Jones. Riley had 81 carries and two touchdowns on 10 carries, all of which came in the first half. Swift tallied 124 yards on the ground and Jones added 69 yards, each scoring once. Quarterback Jordan Luallen had 88 yards of total offense and also scored twice on the ground.
The Trojans sectional final will be played at home against Bloomington North (6-5), who squeaked out an overtime win against Terre Haute North, 50-49.
Next Week’s Other Big Games
5A
Harrison (6-5) vs. No. 3 Carmel (10-1)
Harrison pulled off a stunning 23-20 overtime upset of No. 8 Kokomo on Friday. The Raiders played very strong defense, including two straight interceptions by Corey Shandrick on the Wildkats’ final two drives.
Carmel is coming off of a 44-21 win of Lafayette Jeff. Quarterback Morgan Newton went 10-of-12 passing for 104 yards and one touchdown and had 10 carries for 97 yards and two touchdowns.
4A
Plainfield (9-2) vs. Zionsville (7-4)
Plainfield is coming off a 28-0 trouncing of Indianapolis Public Schools Athletic Conference Champion Broad Ripple. The Quakers are led by running back Zane Fakes, who has 2,107 yards and 29 touchdowns through 11 games.
After having some struggles through the regular season, Zionsville has had two big wins in the sectional, the latest coming over Mooresville, 28-15. The Eagles were led by running back Carson Cramer, who tallied 103 yards and two score on the ground.
No. 4 Cathedral (8-2) vs. No. 5 Whiteland (11-0)
The Irish thrashed Greenfield-Central 45-7 in second-round play. Running back Nick Najem had 128 yards and tow touchdowns on 12 carries and quarterback Kofi Hughes added 110 total yards and three touchdowns. Cathedral’s two losses this year were against Carmel, 28-21, Cincinnati St. Xavier, 17-3.
Whiteland has overcome every obstacle thrown at this year, but has yet to face an offense as prolific as Cathedral’s. The Warriors beat Greenwood 44-17 behind the effort of running back tandem Drew Smyth and Luke Harris, the state’s leading rusher. Smyth had 139 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, while Harris contributed 121 yards and two scores.
No. 10 East Central (10-1) vs. No. 1 Columbus East (11-0)
East Central whipped then-9-1 Shelbyville in the second round, 38-28, in a game that saw six different Trojans score touchdowns.
Columbus East has had a slightly easier road through the postseason thus far, beating Madison 42-6 on Friday.
3A
No. 4 Northwood (9-2) vs. No. 7 South Bend St. Joseph’s (9-2)
Northwood beat Culver Academy 40-7 in its last game, while St. Joseph’s is coming off a 45-0 win over Mishawaka Marian. Northwood has posted 40-plus points in both sectional games this year, while St. Joseph’s has held each of their last three opponents scoreless.
Yorktown vs. No. 2 West Lafayette (11-0)
West Lafayette has proven itself against the toughest of opponents this year, the most recent big win coming over Sheridan in the last game of the regular season. The Hoosier Conference champion beat Eastbrook 34-16 in the second round.
Yorktown survived its battle with No 7 Western on Friday, 22-21. The Tigers’ two losses have come by a combined total of 13 points.
2A
No. 1 Fort Wayne Luers (8-3) vs. No. 7 Jimtown (9-2)
Jimtown won a defensive battle against Harding 18-8 to advance to the finals.
Luers advanced by beating Fairfield 44-14. The Knights faced eight different foes from bigger classes this year, losing three of the games but holding the other five teams scoreless.
Speedway (8-3) vs. Monrovia (7-4)
Monrovia beat South Vermillion 67-20 on Friday, but lost its previous meeting with Speedway 27-9.
Speedway faced No. 1 North Putnam in the second round, a team it lost to by three points only three weeks earlier. The Sparkplugs got the better of the Cougars this time around, though, besting them 28-27 after stopping a two-point conversion. Speedway was led by quarterback Jonny West, who went 11-of-17 passing for 186 yards and two touchdowns. Receiver Kyle Linville caught four passes for 113 yards and both scores.
Soccer: Evansville Memorial Wins Both Crowns
Evansville Memorial barely walked away with its second consecutive state championship on Saturday. Tied with Zionsville 2-2 after two halves and two overtimes, the Tigers put down the Eagles 5-4 in a sudden-death shootout.
Memorial built up a 2-0 lead after 43 minutes of play. Time looked to be running out for the Eagles, who were making their first state final appearance in school history. The Eagles rebounded and scored two goals within the next 30 minutes. Zionsville had a chance to put it away in the second overtime, but had two shots on goal in a row blocked.
The Tigers completed their second straight undefeated season (23-0-2). Only two teams have more boys state titles than Memorial, North Central (5) and Fort Wayne Canterbury (3).
The girls’ match was a little less dramatic. The Tigers scratched out a win against Noblesville (19-1-2) in the semifinals, winning 4-2 on penalty kicks against a team that had not allowed a goal all season. Memorial had a much easier time with Fort Wayne Snider, scoring a goal in each half and winning their second state title, 2-0.
Evansville Memorial is now tied for second for most girls state titles with Fort Wayne Dwenger. Carmel is in the lead with eight.
Cross Country: Carmel Sweeps
Carmel head coach Chuck Koeppen is in the final year of an incredible career. Koeppen, who is the winningest coach in any sport in the state’s history, captured his 11th boys team title on Saturday, edging out Fort Wayne Carroll by 10 points.
In traditional fashion, the Greyhounds top runner placed 15th, but the team was solid enough from top to bottom to manage a meet-best 100 points. The individual champion was Fishers’ Drew Shields with a time of 15:20.3. The senior had failed to win sectional, regional, or semi-state, all of which were won by North Central freshman Futsum Zeinasellassie, who finished second.
The girls team crushed the rest of the competition, tallying only 56 points and placing four runners in the top 25. Senior Kelly McCurdy topped that list with a time of 18:25.5, good enough for third. Center Grove’s Sarah Higgens took the top individual honors with a time of 18:14. The closest team to the Greyhounds was Lake Central with 160 points, giving Koeppen his 11th girls title and a great way to end his illustrious career.