By RICHIE HALL
Reporter Sports Editor
When it comes to football championships, very few schools match the records of Carmel and Fort Wayne Snider.
The Greyhounds won their record 29th sectional title last Friday. The Panthers won their 26th that same day, placing them in a tie for second with Bishop Chatard, another school with a long record of championships.
This Friday, Carmel and Snider will meet for the first time in the Class 6A post-season at the regional. The No. 10-ranked ‘Hounds will travel up to Fort Wayne to take on the No. 2-ranked Panthers, with the game to be played at Northrop High School. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.
Closer to home, Fishers (7-4) is hosting a regional on Friday. The Tigers will play No. 1 Ben Davis, yet another team with a history of championships. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. at Reynolds Tigers Stadium.
Fishers’ football program is still relatively young compared to the other schools mentioned here, but it has developed a championship tradition already. The Tigers won their third sectional title last Friday with a 28-7 win over Pike. Fishers also won sectional trophies in 2012 and 2010, the same year it went all the way and won the Class 5A state championship.
The Giants edged out Warren Central last Friday 36-29 to win their 22nd sectional title in the program’s history, this after beating Lawrence Central 33-20 in the Sectional 6 semi-finals. Ben Davis is 11-0 and prior to the sectional, hadn’t come close to losing.
The Giants blasted Arsenal Tech 49-7 and Avon 52-20 in their first two games of the season, then ran through Metropolitan Conference play unbeaten: Pike 69-34, Center Grove 40-7, Warren Central 45-16, Lawrence North 41-8, Carmel 28-10, Lawrence Central 42-7 and North Central 58-14.
“Ben Davis is a very talented team, especially at the skill positions,” said Fishers coach Rick Wimmer. “They present a real challenge for our defense because we could defend a play exactly right and they have a couple of players capable of turning it into a big play anyway. Their quarterback Reese Taylor is especially capable of that and is their most dangerous and our most difficult challenge to defend.
“Defensively, they are very physical and fast so they can make it difficult to sustain drives with consistency. Offensively, that is our biggest challenge: Possess the football, sustain drives, and finish in the end zone with a touchdown or a field goal.”
Taylor, a senior, has put up sensational numbers for Ben Davis. He has completed 175 of 238 passes (a rate of 73.5 percent), totaling 2467 yards and 31 touchdowns. His top target is senior Broc Thompson, who has caught 59 passes, including 13 scores, and has 909 yards to his credit. Other big receivers are seniors Kesean Tunstill with 40 catches (five TDs) and Jermaine Hoskins with 36 catches (eight TDs).
On the ground, senior Johnny Adams has rushed for 1238 yards and has reached the end zone 14 times.
“Our goal is always the same: Put together a plan that allows our players to play fast, play hard, and execute,” said Wimmer. “If we can do that against this great team, that is all we can ever ask of our players. I have been extremely impressed with the resiliency, competitiveness, and improved execution level of our players. I know they will give a great effort on Friday.”
OLD RIVALS
The last time Carmel (7-4) and Snider played each other was Nov. 13, 2009, in a Class 5A regional (back when 5A was the largest class). The Greyhounds won that one in a squeaker, 10-7. The two teams have played each other eight times in the past 22 years, always in the regional round. The Panthers’ last win came in 2004, by the score of 40-22.
This is Snider’s first year in 6A, which was introduced to the IHSAA football tournament in 2013. The Panthers had been a 5A school since that level began in 1985. Snider is still 5A by enrollment, but got moved up to 6A by the success factor after winning a state title in 2015 and a regional last year.
“Fort Wayne Snider is a premier program that has maintained a level of excellence over four decades,” said Carmel coach John Hebert. “Kurt Tippman and his staff are as good as gets in this state in developing their team into contenders every year. They are big, fast, aggressive, and very disciplined. They are very fundamentally sound on both sides of the ball and have achieved their undefeated season by being more physical than their opponents. It will be a great game Friday. We are so excited to have this opportunity to travel up there and compete for a Regional Championship.”
The Panthers are undefeated for the year at 11-0. They play in the Summit Conference, a 10-team league that consists of all Fort Wayne schools. Snider went through the conference mostly unscathed, with only one close game on its record – a 34-31 win over Bishop Dwenger, one of the top teams and a state title contender in Class 4A.
Other regular-season victories came over North Side 59-7, Carroll 69-7, Concordia Lutheran 24-7, South Side 52-12, Homestead 52-31, Wayne 27-0, Northrop 49-35 and Bishop Luers 48-7. In the sectional, the Panthers took care of Homestead 37-0 in the semi-finals and Carroll 52-14 in the title game.
The Panthers’ quarterback is senior Michael Haupert, who is 76-for-135 with 1116 yards and 14 touchdowns. Senior David Nakasen is his top receiver with 22 catches, including four touchdowns. Junior Elijah Maxwell has 16 catches. Snider’s main scoring threat is senior Christian Covington, who has rushed for 17 TDs and 926 yards.
“Just like Fort Wayne Snider, we are program with a very long history of success,” said Hebert. “We have several players on this team whose fathers, uncles, grandfathers, etc. played in the program. Our assistant coaches are committed professional educators who mentor our guys toward daily and weekly improvement while putting the team first. We have great support from our parents as well, who allow us to promote a very competitive yet supportive environment.”
Carmel will take on an old regional rival Friday night in Fort Wayne, as the Greyhounds will play Snider at Northrop High School for the regional title. Pictured are Carmel defensive players Kyle Lozen (32), Alex Brown (40), William Padgett (47) and Andrew Colombo (9). (Richie Hall/File photo)
Fishers’ Collin Statz is the Tigers’ leading receiver with 37 catches this season. Fishers will host Ben Davis on Friday for the regional championship. (Kirk Green/File photo)