By CRAIG ADKINS
For The Reporter
Class 6A Sectional 3
Fishers (6-3) at Homestead (5-4)
No. 10 Fishers will hit the road and face the Homestead Spartans. The Tigers have not won a sectional since they beat Pike in 2017 before bowing out in the regional to Ben Davis. Homestead last won a sectional in 2020, but lost the regional to Westfield, the eventual state runner-up. This is the first meeting for Fishers and Homestead in football. Heading into the sectional semifinal tilt, the Tigers have won three of its last four. The Spartans have also won three of four, including wins over Snider (8-1) and Bishop Luers (7-3), perennial powers with rich tournament histories.
Fishers won the 2010 5A state championship over Lawrence Central (38-19) in its fifth season as a program. The Tigers have three sectional titles and won the regional and semi-state on the way to the 2010 5A state crown. Homestead made its only state finals appearance in 1998, losing the 5A title game to Bloomington South (35-14) and former NFL quarterback Rex Grossman.
Khobie Martin continues to be one of the best backs around. In just seven games, the senior has rushed for 1,047 yards and 13 touchdowns. JonAnthony Hall is one of the best receivers around with 950 yards on 59 catches and five scores. Bennett Gorak has missed the last two-plus games but threw for 1,499 yards and 13 TDs in seven games prior to an injury. Backup quarterback Gage Sturgill has filled in nicely, completing 55 percent of his passes and three touchdowns. Homestead also has a big running back presence. Brett Fuchs has 1,396 yards on 196 carries (7.1 per carry) and 14 touchdowns.
Hamilton Southeastern (7-2) at Fort Wayne Northrop (1-8)
No. 7 Hamilton Southeastern also heads up to the Fort Wayne area and will take on the Northrop Bruins. The Royals put together quite the tournament run in 2022. Winning Sectional 3 handily at Fishers, they went on to shut out Westfield (20-0) in a home regional game before dropping a heartbreaker in the semi-state at Fort Wayne Carroll (21-15). This will be the first ever meeting between the Royals and Bruins.
HSE has four state finals appearances. Class 1A state champions in 1981 over Woodlan (7-6), they lost the 1A state championship two years prior in 1979 to Tippecanoe Valley (44-14), the 4A title game in 1997 to Griffith (49-7) and the 5A state crown in 2005 to Warren Central (55-20). Overall, as a program they have 11 sectional, five regional and three semi-state championships.
The Bruins have not won a sectional football title since 1999. Their lone regional title was also in 1999 over Carmel (37-23), then lost the semi-state at Penn (28-18). Northrop didn’t get its first win this season until the regular season finale two weeks ago at Fort Wayne Southside, 35-17.
HSE has won three of four heading into sectional action. Its only two losses were at home to Westfield (30-28) on a last-second score and a tough road game at Brownsburg (21-14) for the HCC championship two weeks ago.
Jalen Alexander leads the Southeastern rushing attack with his second consecutive 1,000-yard season (1,533 in 2022) with 1,088 yards and 11 touchdowns. AZ Wallace has also scored seven times and ran for 360 yards in his fullback spot. Donovan Hamilton has 40 catches and 793 yards for nine TDs from quarterback Chandler Weston’s arm. Weston has completed 60 percent of his passes for 1,227 yards, 15 going for touchdowns. Judah Parker leads the defense with 87 tackles (five for a loss) and Jack Osiecki has 85, nine for a loss (eight sacks). Mason Alexander’s three picks help pace the secondary.
Class 6A Sectional 4
Westfield (8-1) at Carmel (5-4)
Sixth-ranked Westfield has possibly the shortest road trip in the state for this semifinal matchup. Just a short trip to the south to Carmel Stadium to face the unranked Greyhounds. Despite the proximity of the schools, this sectional semifinal will be just the fifth all-time meeting, with Carmel posting a 3-1 record in the first four, all occurring in the sectional.
The Shamrocks made their first state finals appearance in 1992 in a loss to Fort Wayne Bishop Luers in the 2A final, 17-0. In 2013, they were 5A runner-up to Cathedral (42-18) and then won the 5A title in 2016 over Columbus East, 16-13. The ‘Rocks have won three consecutive sectional titles. They lost in the regional to HSE last year but were 6A state runner-up in 2021 (27-21) and 2020 (38-14), both times to Center Grove. Historically, Westfield has 12 sectional, six regional and five semi-state championships.
Carmel last won a sectional three years ago in 2020, then lost a close regional game at Ben Davis (27-21). Prior to that, the ‘Hounds played for a state championship in three of the previous four, winning Class 6A in 2016 (16-13) and 2019 (20-17) over Center Grove. The Greyhounds are overall historically the most successful football program with 32 sectional, 22 regional, 13 semi-state and nine state championships, while also finishing as runner-up four times.
Westfield quarterback Jackson Gilbert has connected on 63 percent of his passes for 1,750 yards and 18 touchdown strikes. Receiver Gabe Aramboles has reeled in 38 of Gilbert’s passes for 538 yards and five TDs, while Maximus Nosler has a half dozen scores and 514 yards receiving. Kendall Garnett is also having a solid season with 757 yards rushing and six touchdowns. Gilbert also has eight TDs on the ground. Mikeah Webster has 101 tackles (8.5 for a loss) to lead the ‘Rocks defense, while Sam Bola (5.5 sacks) and Colton Vondersaar (four sacks) help keep offenses honest up front.
Carmel’s backfield-by-committee is what makes the ‘Hounds offense tick. Colin Johnson (401 yards), Norvil Tucker (350), Anthony Coellner (245) and Alijah Alfayyad (156) have combined for most of the Greyhound rushing. Nick Rodgers leads the receiving corps with 31 grabs for 225 yards. Artemus Bryant (79 tackles) and Charlie Marsh (74), along with Jimmie Winbush (72) have kept the defense steady.
Noblesville (3-6) at Zionsville (3-6)
The Millers will make the trip west to Boone County to face the Eagles for their semifinal battle, whom they beat at home on September 15, 24-7. Zionsville holds a 19-5 record in the series overall and has gone 6-5 in the last 11 meetings against Noblesville.
Noblesville is searching for its first sectional championship since 2000 (over Carmel 27-12). They went to semi-state that season, losing at home to eventual Class 5A state champion Penn (38-15). In 1979, the Millers narrowly lost the 2A state championship to Blackford, 24-22, in their only state finals appearance. They have three sectional and two regional crowns to their credit.
Zionsville had a string of three sectional titles in a row snapped last year at Noblesville, 35-10. Two straight 5A state championship game appearances in 2020 and 2021 with runner-up finishes, both to Cathedral, jumped the Eagles to Class 6A because of the Tournament Success Factor. The Eagles have 17 sectional, five regional, five semi-state and two state championships. They won the 1987 Class 3A title over Elwood, 23-7 and then again in 1996 took 3A with a 14-7 win over Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger.
The Millers are paced by all-time leading rusher Logan Shoffner (3,817 career) and his 1,133 yards and eight TDs. Gage Gulley provides a solid one-two punch with Shoffner in the backfield with 520 yards and 10 touchdowns. Gabe Bellan has 300 yards at fullback and found the end zone four times. Shoffner also leads with 304 receiving yards with Aiden Brewer (302) right behind him. Both also have caught a pair of touchdowns from quarterback Jacob Baker, who’s thrown for 870 yards and seven TDs. Austin Hastings anchors the defense with 99 tackles, causing the three fumbles that fellow senior Gavin Kinyon recovered.
The Eagles have a good mix on offense. Senior Luke Murphy (802 yards) and sophomore Eli Showalter (747) have split the quarterback duties and combined for 1,549 yards and 12 touchdowns. Eugene Hilton, son of former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver TY Hilton has 757 of those yards on 40 catches for nine TDs. Wrigley Bumgardner has 348 yards with 29 grabs and two scores. Sam Manna has 386 yards rushing, along with Case Anderson (245) pitching in with four TDs. Murphy has also run for four. Luke Penola is tops in tackles on defense with 85.
Class 3A Sectional 28
Bishop Chatard (10-0) at Guerin Catholic (8-2)
The No. 2 Golden Eagles have a rematch in their semifinal game. Bishop Chatard comes back to Noblesville, where they narrowly escaped on September 22 with a 13-7 overtime win. Guerin Catholic is due for a sectional championship, since its last was 2014, when they beat Hamilton Heights and then lost in the regional to Tri-West. Chatard has a 15-2 lead in the all-time meetings. One key scheduling note is that this will be an 8:30 p.m. kickoff. Guerin’s girls soccer team plays at 6 p.m. for the Class 2A state championship, pushing kickoff to a later time.
Guerin Catholic has two semi-state appearances in its 18-year history as a program. In 2010 and 2011, the Golden Eagles fell in those semi-state games to Fountain Central (1A) and Evansville Mater Dei (2A), respectively.
The No. 1 Trojans have the most tournament success of any school in the 51-year history of the state tournament. Chatard has won an astounding, state-leading 16 state championships, two of those were in 2A (‘83, ‘84) and the remaining 14 have been in 3A, all since 1997.
Guerin took down an undefeated opponent on the road in the first-round last week, outlasting the Peru Tigers, 27-19. Peter Rooney had bookend scores, one in the first and another in the fourth and paced the running game with 116 yards. Hayden Cler and Malcolm Houze both caught second quarter touchdown passes from Ryan Zimmerman to go up 20-6 at halftime. The Golden Eagle defense allowed two second half Peru scores, but Rooney’s fourth quarter score was the difference that sent Guerin into the semifinals.
The Golden Eagles have quite the backfield tandem in Rooney and Jack Linden. Rooney has 991 yards on 181 carries, while Linden has been solid lately with 86 rushes for 486 yards with the two combining for 15 touchdowns on the ground. Zimmerman has thrown for 1,619 yards and 17 TDs and has just three interceptions. Aaron Keller leads the county with 127 tackles (11 for a loss).
Bishop Chatard has won 16 games in a row overall, including the 2022 state tournament, when they won their state record 16th state crown. The Trojans have only allowed two teams all season to reach double-digits, the last being on September 9 against Cathedral (24-21).
Maconaquah (7-3) at Hamilton Heights (10-0)
The No. 8 Huskies are one of the hotter teams in Class 3A, if not the entire state. Hamilton Heights has not won a sectional championship since 2012. That was the same season that they lost the season opener to Tipton, then won 13 games in a row before losing the state championship to Bishop Chatard. The Braves head south down US 31 to Arcadia from Bunker Hill for a semifinal battle at Husky Stadium.
Heights has faced Maconaquah 16 times in their history and is an undefeated 16-0 against the Braves, including a 51-18 win in Bunker Hill in the first-round of the 2022 sectional. Maconaquah was a big winner in its first-round game last week at home against Northwestern, routing the Tigers by a 55-13 score.
Hamilton Heights got off to a rough, slow start in its first-round matchup at Oak Hill. They were down 10-0 in the second, until Bodie Derrer found Cam Fleming for a 16-yard TD pass to cut it to a 10-7 deficit at half. Jaylyn Pugh stole the show in the third. Catching a 24-yard TD pass from Derrer, Pugh also blocked a Golden Eagle punt, returning in four-yards for another TD to give Heights a 21-17 lead that they would not relinquish. Derrer threw two more touchdown passes, one each to Fleming and Tyler Champion. Those two, along with an Owen VanHaaren rushing touchdown solidified the Huskies’ advancement to the semifinals.
The Braves are led by quarterback Braxton Birner is a 65 percent passer with 2,711 yards and 33 touchdowns. Fuddy Kile is his top receiver with 1,241 yards and 15 touchdowns. AJ Kelly (630) and Desrick Elliott (420) are also a big part of Maconaquah’s passing attack, combining for 13 TDs. Ty Galvan is the top rusher with 366 yards and three scores, while Birner has ran in five himself.
Class 1A Sectional 45
Wes-Del (4-5) at Monroe Central (5-5)
The Bears will head to Union City for a first-round matchup. The Bears last won a sectional in 2018 over first-round opponent Union City (29-0) and lost the regional to Adams Central. The Indians have yet to bring home a sectional. Monroe Central won its first-round game last week at Union City in a high-scoring affair, 64-34.
The Warriors are a program that has struggled for quite a few years. Wes-Del’s lone sectional championship was in 1975, in just the third year of the state tournament when there were just three classes.
Monroe Central owns the all-time meetings with a 14-2 record against Wes-Del, including the last 12.
Indianapolis Tindley (4-5) at Sheridan (7-3)
The Tigers will make a trip to northern Hamilton County to face Sheridan in a semifinal matchup. The Tigers have only been playing football since 2012, but still have not won a sectional in its short program history. There have only been two meetings between Tindley and Sheridan. The Blackhawks won first-round sectional games (75-20) in 2014 and again in 2020 (34-6).
No. 10 Sheridan, on the other hand, has won 20 sectionals, all under Bud Wright, now in his 58th year. The ‘Hawks won this sectional last year in 2022 and then lost to North Decatur in the regional. The legendary Wright also has nine Class 1A state championships between 1980 and 2007 and two runner-up finishes in 1994 and 2008. Wright and his Blackhawks have also won 14 regional and 10 semi-state championships.
The Blackhawks got back on track in the first round with a shutout win over the Hagerstown Tigers, 41-0. Nolan Page had a TD catch and returned an interception for a score. Zach Bales tallied 106 yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns, while Eli Kolb ran for 97 yards and helped Sheridan push further away to start the third. Kolb ran for a 56-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage in the second half. The defense also showed up big to start sectional play, allowing just 87 total yards from Hagerstown.
Tindley quarterback Deon Richmond has completed 61 percent of his passes for 1,285 yards and 14 touchdowns. Freshman Jacayre Smith caught 33 of Richmond’s passes for 622 yards and nine touchdowns. Kevin Getter is the Tigers’ leading rusher with 379 yards on 44 carries, scoring three TDs.
