When the Noblesville soccer teams travel to Kokomo on Saturday, they will be trying to do something few schools have done before.
Both the Millers boys and girls teams are not only competing for Class 3A north semi-state championship, but also a chance to go to the state finals. The boys will go first, taking on Penn at 3:30 p.m., then the girls play Crown Point afterwards, with that game starting around 6 p.m.
Should both Millers teams win their respective games, Noblesville would join an elite list of schools that have had both their boys and girls soccer squads qualify for state in the same year. Three other schools are attempting to accomplish that feat as well: Mishawaka Marian and Fort Wayne Canterbury are both trying for a first boy-girl state double, while Evansville Memorial is looking to do it for a state-record extending fifth time.
Carmel did the boy-girl state double last season, as the Greyhounds sent both teams to the Class 3A final. Carmel’s girls are still in the mix as well: The ‘Hounds will play Center Grove in the 3A south semi-state championship, which starts at 1 p.m.
Similar Records
Noblesville’s boys will meet a Penn team that has a similar record to the No. 7-ranked Millers. Noblesville is 14-3-3, while the No. 15-ranked Kingsmen are 13-4-4.
Penn had the majority of its ties in the early part of the season. After opening with a 2-1 victory over Homestead, the Kingsmen played to draws with Northridge (0-0), Munster (2-2), Concord (1-1).
At one point during its campaign, Penn held a record of 2-3-3. Since then, the Kingsmen have won 11 of their last 13 games, including their last six contests.
Penn began its tournament run at Sectional 3, hosted by South Bend Adams. The Kingsmen upset No. 6-ranked Chesterton in the first round 2-1, then beat South Bend Riley 12-0 in the semi-finals and South Bend Adams 2-1 in the championship. In the regional, Penn won its semi-final at Goshen 5-4, then returned home for the final, where the Kingsmen defeated Lake Central 2-1.
The Millers are also on a six-game win streak. Noblesville won Sectional 8 at Fishers by beating Pendleton Heights 5-0 in the semi-finals, then defeated No. 5-ranked Hamilton Southeastern 3-0 in the championship.
The Millers then hosted Warsaw in the regional semi-final, and got past the No. 14-ranked Tigers 2-1. That sent them to Kokomo for the regional final, and Noblesville staged a remarkable comeback, pulling itself out of a 3-1 deficit to tie the game 3-3 at the end of regulation.
The final eventually went to penalty kicks, and the Millers won the shootout 4-2. Noah Bernot made the winning PK, and it was no surprise that Noblesville named him as the Player of the Game afterwards.
If your name is Sam and you’re on the Millers team, then you are leading the offense. Junior Sam Holland has the most goals with 12 and is second in assists with seven. Meanwhile, senior Sam Divis is the assist leader with nine and second in goals scored with 11. Junior goalkeeper Cole Thompson has 61 saves, and made some crucial plays for Noblesville during its shootout with Carroll at the regional.
Sectional Streaks
The 3A girls north semi-state features two teams that are on sectional win streaks. Top-ranked Noblesville has won four sectional titles in a row, while No. 12-ranked Crown Point has claimed three straight sectional crowns.
The Bulldogs are 17-4-1 for the season and started their tournament at Sectional 2 at Portage. Crown Point won a firefight over Valparaiso 5-3 in the first round, beat Hobart 7-0 in the semi-finals and edged out No. 13-ranked Chesterton 2-1 in the championship.
The Bulldogs hosted Lake Central in the regional semi-final and won 2-0. Crown Point then traveled to Penn for the championship and played the host Kingsmen, with the Bulldogs winning 2-1. It was Crown Point’s first regional title since 2012 and the school’s fourth overall.
Senior Zoey Wells is the Bulldogs’ scoring leader with 11 goals, and she has also handed out eight assists. Sophomore Ava Haluska is by far the leader in assists with 16, and is second in scoring with nine goals. Wells and junior Braelyn Witte each have dished out eight assists, while sophomore Izzy Sainato has put in eight goals. Senior goalkeeper Addison Poulter has 34 saves.
The Millers are 18-1 for the season. Noblesville was the site of the always-tough Sectional 8 this year, and started its run with a 3-1 victory over Fishers in the first round. The Millers then beat No. 2-ranked Hamilton Southeastern 1-0 in the semi-finals before defeating Pendleton Heights 3-0 in the championship.
Noblesville hosted Homestead in the regional semi-final, and took care of the Spartans 3-0. That qualified the Millers for the championship at Kokomo, where they defeated Fort Wayne Carroll 5-0.
Senior Ava Bramblett, committed to Ohio State, has the most goals for Noblesville with 15, and has also dished out five assists. Sophomore Meredith Tippner has 11 goals and leads the assists list with nine. Senior Meskerem James and junior Sydney Elliott both have seven goals for the season, with senior Lauren Adam making six assists. Sophomore Bella Wyatt has 27 goalkeeper saves.
Re-match at Seymour
The Carmel and Center Grove girls soccer teams played each other earlier in the season, back on Sept. 21 in the Greyhounds’ Senior Night game. Carmel won 2-0.
The two teams will meet in Seymour for a re-match, with the ‘Hounds ranked No. 3 and the Trojans rated No. 7. Both teams hold 17-2-2 records for the season.
The Trojans hosted Sectional 14, and beat No. 9-ranked Bloomington South in the first round 1-0. After that, Center Grove defeated Bloomington North 3-0 in the semi-finals and Terre Haute South 4-0 in the championship.
In the regional semi-final, the Trojans hosted Roncalli and won 2-0. That sent Center Grove to Bloomington South for the championship, and they beat No. 10 Evansville Reitz handily, 4-1.
Two seniors lead the Trojans’ scoring: Emily Karr has put in 13 goals with Ali Wiesmann has 12 goals. Junior Taylor Wert has handed out 14 assists to go along with her seven goals, while senior Molly Tapak has seven goals to her credit. Junior Sophia Gorall has 65 goalkeeper saves.
Carmel began its tournament run at Sectional 10 at Westfield. The Greyhounds beat Crispus Attucks 7-0 in the first round, then took care of two ranked teams: No. 4 Zionsville 3-1 in the semi-finals and No. 14 North Central 2-0 in the championship.
Carmel hosted both its regional games, starting with a 3-0 victory over Brownsburg in the semi-finals. The ‘Hounds beat No. 11-ranked Cathedral 4-2 in the championship.
Junior Megan Hamm is on top of the Carmel scoring list with 12 goals and eight assists, with sophomore Olivia Cebalo putting in 10 goals. Senior Sophie Shepherd also has handed out eight assists for the season. Senior goalkeeper Aubree Empie has 52 saves.