In order to play in the biggest game, the Westfield football team will have to make one of its longest trips in program history on Friday.
The Shamrocks will travel to Merrillville to play in the Class 6A north semi-state Friday night. The game is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time, or 6:30 p.m. Central Time – this might be the first time Westfield has played a game in the Central Time zone.
With a bus ride that will probably last as long as a normal football game (it’s roughly a two-hour, 15-minute trip from Westfield to Merrillville), Shamrocks coach Jake Gilbert and his staff put together a plan to make sure that his team is ready to play after the trip.
“We have put quite a bit of planning into what’s best for our guys mentally and physically,” said Gilbert. “We have to get focused at the right time without burning ourselves out too early. We have to make sure we eat, but again eat at the right time so that we are ready for the football game. We have a plan, but it certainly has taken quite a bit of logistics.”
Of course, Gilbert is also focused on the Merrillville football team. Everyone is good at the semi-state level, and the Pirates are no exception.
Merrillville will come into the semi-state with a 10-1 record. The No. 7-ranked Pirates were 7-1 in the regular season (they did not play a Week 5 game), with their only loss to Bishop Chatard, the top-ranked team in 3A. The Trojans won 45-28 in a Week 7 contest.
Aside from that, Merrillville has had its way with most every other team on its schedule. The Pirates beat next-door neighbor Andrean 40-13 to open the season, then took care of another close-by rival, Hobart, 23-7, in Week 2.
The remainder of the schedule went to Duneland Conference play, and Merrillville finished 5-0 to win the league title. The games were all easy: Crown Point 42-7, Portage 58-19, La Porte 33-7, Lake Central 35-7 and Chesterton 34-10.
In the post-season, the Pirates took care of Crown Point 39-0 in the semi-finals of Sectional 1, then beat Lafayette Jefferson 48-14 for the championship. Merrillville traveled to Elkhart for the Regional 1 championship, and emerged victorious in a back-and-forth game, 27-24.
“They are big and fast,” said Gilbert. “They are explosive on offense with some scary wide receivers.”
Junior Angel Nelson is the Pirates’ quarterback. He has completed 125 of 193 pass attempts for 2,348 yards and 24 touchdowns. Senior Jojo Johnson is the top receiver with 44 catches, nine of them for scores. Another senior, Marcus Hardy Jr., has 31 receptions, but leads in touchdown catches with 11. Junior Lavarion Logan is Merrillville’s leading rusher, with 1,492 yards and 23 TDs.
Gilbert also praised the Pirates’ defensive line as well. Merrillville has allowed opponents only 13.9 points per game this season.
“All in all, they have a lot of seniors playing, which makes you pretty sound,” said Gilbert. “We are going to have to out-execute them and not allow the big, explosive play.
“On offense we are going to have to do what we do and continue to get great quarterback play,” said Gilbert. The coach also said that Westfield’s special teams will “have to find a way to tackle their returners.”
Westfield is 11-1 for the season, having won 11 straight games since dropping its opener to Cathedral. The Shamrocks won the Sectional 4 title with two shutouts, over Noblesville 35-0 and Fishers 31-0. Westfield then beat Homestead 42-9 to win the Regional 2 trophy.
Junior quarterback Maximus Webster has completed 118 of 175 pass attempts for the ‘Rocks, totaling 1,906 yards and 25 touchdowns. Senior Mason Piening has 42 of those catches, including 12 scores. Junior Nic Depasquale has made 31 receptions and four touchdowns, while senior Reid Schepers has 24 catches, eight of them TDs.
Junior Micah Hauser is the top rusher with 932 yards and 10 touchdowns. Webster has gained 656 yards on the ground with 15 scores. Hauser is also Westfield’s top tackler with 97 stops, followed by senior Kyle Pape with 70 tackles. Junior Popeye Williams has 10 tackles for a loss and four sacks.
“We are beyond grateful for this opportunity,” said Gilbert. “We started the season just wanting to be able to play at all. We are hoping and praying we can stay healthy and avoid quarantines and finish the season. We have a big challenge Friday, but we are happy to be there. God willing, we aren’t finished yet.”