By CRAIG ADKINS
For The Reporter
Class 6A Sectional 3
Fishers (7-3) at Hamilton Southeastern (8-2)
The 10th-ranked Tigers make the shortest drive on Friday to play for a sectional championship in the state of Indiana. Fishers heads just down the road to meet up with Hamilton Southeastern for the second time this season for a Mudsock part II. This meeting should be no different than in Week 4, when HSE won a thriller at Fishers in overtime, 35-34. The Royals hold a 16-11 record in the series overall.
Fishers is looking for its first sectional since 2017, and fourth in program history. HSE hopes to win its second sectional in a row. Southeastern won Sectional 3 in 2022, its first since 2011, marching all the way to semi-state, before bowing out at Carroll (Fort Wayne), 21-15.
Khobie Martin stole the show in the Tigers’ semifinal showdown with Homestead. The senior tailback torched the Spartan defense with five touchdowns and 205 yards on the ground on 20 rushes. Bennett Gorak was back in action, going 11-of-15 for 89 yards, easing the senior quarterback back into the fold.
The No. 7 Royals cruised in their semifinal matchup last week on the road, routing the Fort Wayne Northrop Bruins, 56-7. Getting out in front early in the first with a 28-0 lead, it was all smooth sailing from there for HSE. Jalen Alexander and AZ Wallace each had a pair of rushing touchdowns with Wallace racking up 139 yards on just eight carries.
Martin’s 205 got him to 1,252 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. Alexander isn’t far behind with 1,192 on the ground with 15 TDs.
Class 6A Sectional 4
Westfield (9-1) at Noblesville (4-6)
No. 6 Westfield also gets to take a very short road trip for a sectional championship matchup to face Noblesville. This meeting is the 66th all-time between the two Hoosier Crossroads Conference rivals. The regular season Battle for the Midland Rail trophy at Westfield was won by the Shamrocks, 28-21.
The ‘Rocks are looking for their fourth straight sectional championship and 13th in program history. The first two of Westfield’s three titles resulted in trips to the 6A state championship, where they were runner-up in 2020 and 2021 to Center Grove. Noblesville is searching for its first sectional championship since 2000 and has three sectional crowns to their credit.
Westfield left no stones unturned in its road game last week in a semifinal matchup at Carmel. Leading by a 28-0 score at halftime, that would be more than plenty to take down the perennial powerhouse Greyhounds by a 37-21 margin. Drew Law led off the scoring with a 53-yard interception return score. Kendall Garnett had 101 yards on 20 carries for the victors. Jackson Gilbert, Mikeah Webster had rushing touchdowns, while Gabe Aramboles caught a Gilbert TD pass. Colin Johnson had a rushing score for Carmel. Two late Anthony Coellner TD passes to Ozzy Pollard and Jacob Bellin, but that was a comeback that was too late for the ‘Hounds.
The Millers got in a hole right away at Zionsville in last Friday’s semifinal. The Eagles took to the air, going up 14-0 with two passing touchdowns. Noblesville came right back to tie it 14-14 with an 81-yard touchdown from Logan Shoffner and the first of two from Gage Gulley. Zionsville regained the lead at the end of one, 21-14 and got up 24-14 early in the third and then the visiting Miller surged. Quarterback Jacob Baker and Gage Gulley each ran in TDs in the final two quarters and Jack Letourneau made a 37-yard field goal in the fourth to help send Noblesville to the championship. Shoffner had quite a night with 244 rushing and 66 receiving on 24 total touches. Aiden Brewer also had 54 yards on two catches.
Jackson Gilbert leads the county with 20 TD passes and 1,837 yards through the air and also has nine rushing scores. Kendall Garnett III has rushed for 859 yards and six touchdowns. Gabe Aramboles (583 yards) and Maximus Nosler (523) have each caught six TD passes from Gilbert. Shoffner now has 1,741 total yards (1,341 rushing) and 11 total touchdowns. Gulley leads the Millers with 12 rushing touchdowns and 545 yards.
Class 3A Sectional 28
Bishop Chatard (11-0) at Hamilton Heights (11-0)
The No. 7 Hamilton Heights Huskies find themselves playing for sectional championship and will be up against its toughest opponent of the season. Top-ranked Bishop Chatard heads north to Arcadia from the south side of Broad Ripple to face the Huskies in a showdown of two unbeatens still remaining in Class 3A. Chatard is 6-0 in recent play against the Huskies, including the 2022 sectional semifinal (41-14).
Since the start of the football tournament in 1973, Chatard has won 30 football sectionals and six in the last eight seasons. The Trojans have also won three of the last four state championships. Heights has won seven sectionals with its last being in 2012. That was the same season the two met for the Class 3A state championship.
Last Friday, the Huskies got tested throughout, but were able to push past a feisty, speedy Maconaquah squad, 28-21. Carson Fettig set the tone on special teams with a 45-yard punt return touchdown. The Braves would score two straight times on passes to go up 14-7. An Eric Balcom end zone plunge tied the game 14-14 at half. Just a few minutes into the third, Maconaquah took the lead again through the air 21-14. Then, the Huskies struck back. Owen VanHaaren showed his senior leadership, scoring twice in the fourth quarter, helping secure the semifinal win, 28-21.
Aside from an interception, Bodie Derrer threw with precision, going 16-of-22 for 245 yards. VanHaaren ran for 103 yards and two TDs and Balcom the other. Defensive adjustments in the second half were a huge factor in Heights being able to push past the Braves.
Chatard was able to knock off No. 3 Guerin Catholic in the other semifinal on the road, 21-10. Peter Rooney got the scoring started in the first with a TD run, but the Trojans tied it soon after 7-7. Chatard got on the board to tie it 7-7 on a 58-yard TD pass. Another touchdown gave Bishop Chatard a 14-7. Peyton Butts made a field goal before half to cut it to 14-10, but Guerin wouldn’t score again. As much as the anticipation was there for an all-county final with Guerin and Heights, that unfortunately won’t be the case in Arcadia on Friday.
Derrer is in the county with 1,792 passing yards and 16 touchdown throws. VanHaaren has 842 yards on the ground and is complimented by Balcom with 491, with the two combining for 16 TDs. Tyler Champion leads a speedy receiving corps with 645 yards and seven scores.
Class 1A Sectional 45
Sheridan (8-3) at Monroe Central (6-5)
The Blackhawks head to Parker City to face another familiar foe that they’ve matched up with three times, now a fourth time since the 2016 playoffs. Sheridan owns a 2-1 record against the Bears, most recently in the 2022 playoffs, a 42-26 victory for the ‘Hawks.
Bud Wright and Sheridan have a tremendous playoff mark, winning 20 sectionals since the tournament format started. Sheridan also has a remarkable 102-34 record in the playoffs. Winning Sectional 45 in 2022 over Hagerstown (75-36), the Blackhawks are still in search of their first regional crown since 2012, falling in the semi-state 13-3 to eventual Class 1A state champion Lafayette Central Catholic,
The Monroe Central Bears have a somewhat short football history, having only had a football program since 2009. The Bears have won two sectional titles, going back-to-back in 2017 and 2018. Their most successful season was 2017, reaching the semi-state when they lost to eventual Class 1A state champion Pioneer (42-14).
Sheridan cruised in its semifinal matchup with Indianapolis Tindley to the tune of 54-6 over the Tigers. It didn’t take long at all to put Tindley on its heels for the night. Zach Bales raced for a 69-yard run to start the scoring. Eli Kolb got his turn on a 45-yard run, then Bales added another from 14 yards out. Nolan Page ran in a TD from 19-yards and then Owen Bell connected with Trent Decraene for a 40-yard touchdown strike to go up 35-0 through one period, completely shell-shocking Tindley. Kolb, Bales and DeCraene would all score one more time in the second for a 54-0 halftime lead. Bales had 131 yards and Kolb 90 for Sheridan’s dominant ground attack. Bell was 5-for-6 for 115 yards passing, four of those were to DeCraene for 102 yards. Monroe Central won a shootout at home against Wes-Del, 43-34.
Kolb joined the 1,000-yard club and has 1,063 to go with his 16 touchdowns rushing. Bales is up to 578 and also has double-digit TDs with 11. Owen Bell has helped the Blackhawk offense become more two-dimensional, passing for 689 yards and nine touchdowns, completing 57 percent of his passes. DeCraene (406) and Page (269) have also combined for 10 touchdown grabs.
Jerimiah Ullom leads a balanced Bears rushing game with 736 yards and 14 touchdowns, pacing seven ball carries that have 130 or more yards. Twin brother Justus Ullom is the leading receiver with 421 yards, tops of Monroe Central’s four receivers with 220-plus in receiving yards.
