Every county football team playing in sectional semi-finals
There likely won’t be a bigger football game in Indiana tonight than the one taking place at Carmel Stadium.
The Greyhounds will host Westfield at 7 p.m. tonight in the semi-finals of Class 6A Sectional 3, as IHSAA tournament play gets underway for the 6A and 5A schools across the state. This game is one of seven sectional games to feature Hamilton County teams.
Both Carmel and the Shamrocks are ranked in the IFCA 6A coaches poll: The ‘Hounds are No. 6, and Westfield is No. 9. Also, both teams have identical records of 6-3. The Shamrocks were 6A state runners-up in 2020 and 2021.
The Greyhounds dropped their first two games of the season, to powerhouses Louisville Trinity and Center Grove, but have since recovered to win six of their last seven games. Carmel finished the regular season with a 27-7 victory over Lawrence Central.
“We need to take care of the ball and find ways to score,” said Westfield coach Jake Gilbert. “They always play great defense at Carmel. We also have to limit mistakes in general. They are very disciplined. We have to be even more disciplined.”
Senior Jack Kazmierczak has had a solid year as the Greyhounds’ quarterback, completing 105 of 153 pass attempts for 1,439 yards and 14 touchdowns. Carmel’s top receiver is senior Reece Bellin, who has 58 catches, nine for touchdowns.
Junior Alijah Alfayyad is the rushing leader, with 532 yards and a pair of scores. Freshman Levell Stewart has four rushing touchdowns. On defense, senior Will Heldt leads the tackles list with 82 stops.
The Shamrocks are on another three-game win streak, with victories over Avon 35-21, Fishers 28-17 and Franklin Central 24-13 to finish with a 5-2 record in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference.
“Jake Gilbert has done a great job building his program into what it is,” said Carmel coach John Hebert. “He has a great staff and I know their kids work very hard in the weight room. Their success is not a surprise to me each year. This will be a great game. I think the turnover margin will be very important.”
Hebert said both teams are solid in all three phases of the game.
“The team that can force the other into more mistakes will likely gain the advantage needed to win the game,” said Hebert.
Westfield senior quarterback Cole Ballard has been similarly solid for the Shamrocks, going 107-of-179 for 1,430 yards and 10 touchdowns. Sophomore Gabe Aramboles leads the receptions with 27, including two for touchdowns, while junior Maximus Nosler has 24 catches, four for TDs.
Sophomore Kendall Garnett leads the rushing with 535 yards and seven scores, with Ballard right behind him at 492 yards and 11 touchdowns. Senior Tyler Dikos is the defensive leader with 105 tackles.
Both teams are coming off the bye week that was given to the 5A and 6A teams.
“We used the first week to get some basic preparations underway and to focus on the development of our younger players,” said Hebert. “We are now the healthiest we’ve been in the past month or so which should really help with our depth. Our team is very excited to see what we can accomplish in the playoffs!”
Gilbert said his team spent “most of the week having fun, building character, and building team. This week we were back to preparing for Carmel.”
NOBLESVILLE vs. ZIONSVILLE
Noblesville will host the first-ever sectional game at Beaver Stadium tonight, welcoming Zionsville for a 7 p.m. Sectional 4 kickoff.
The Eagles are 4-5 for the season and finished HCC play with a 2-5 record. Senior Christian Abney is Zionsville’s quarterback, and is 103-of-193 through the air with 1,242 yards and 13 touchdowns. Sophomore Eugene Hilton is the Eagles’ top receiver with 46 catches, five of them for TDs. Junior Wrigley Bumgardner has 38 receptions, including four touchdowns.
Senior Hanson Hinshaw is the leading rusher with 496 yards and three scores. Senior Will Sorg is on top of the defense with 58 tackles.
The Millers are 3-6, and won their last regular-season game in a shootout, beating Avon 43-41. Junior Logan Shoffner has been outstanding on the ground, with 1,115 yards rushing and six touchdowns. Juniors Gage Gulley (477 yards) and Blake Widget (413 yards) have also been solid, and scored seven TDs each.
Freshman quarterback Landon Hughes has thrown for six touchdowns, with sophomore Aiden Brewer counting three TDs among his 14 receptions. Gilley also has three receiving touchdowns. Junior Austin Hastings leads the defense with 120 tackles.
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN vs. HOMESTEAD
Hamilton Southeastern, which finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the 6A poll, will host Homestead in a Sectional 3 semi-final tonight at 7 p.m.
The Spartans are 5-4, playing the entirety of their schedule in the Summit Conference. Homestead won its first three games over Northrop 50-14, Concordia Lutheran 31-7 and Bishop Luers 24-16, then dropped four in a row, to Bishop Dwenger 14-10, Snider 49-21, FW North Side 50-49 and Carroll 52-120. The Spartans finished the season with wins over Wayne 61-54 and FW South Side 49-6.
Senior quarterback Peyton Slaven has had a productive season, completing 131 of 208 pass attempts for 2,009 yards and 19 touchdowns. Junior Brett Fuchs has 38 catches, including two for scores. Senior Grant Leeper has six touchdown catches, while senior Mason Auxier has five.
Junior Kamden Johnson leads the rushing with 639 yards and 13 touchdowns. Senior Gavin Weible is top of the tackling list with 73, while senior Jackson Christmon has 13 tackles for a loss.
The Royals completed an undefeated, 9-0 regular season with an epic win over Brownsburg 31-28 on Oct. 14, which gave Southeastern an unbeaten HCC championship. The Royals were 7-0 in conference play for the year.
Senior quarterback Ty Bradle is throwing solid, at a 111-of-189 clip, totaling 1,349 yards and 14 touchdowns. Junior Donovan Hamilton has 41 receptions, including eight for touchdowns.
Junior Jalen Alexander has been dominant on the ground with 911 yards rushing and eight scores, while sophomore Azariah Wallace has seven rushing touchdowns. Senior Griffen Haas has 73 tackles, with senior Evan Sherrill making 12.5 tackles for a loss.
FISHERS vs. FORT WAYNE NORTHROP
The other Sectional 3 semi-final will be another HCC-Summit match-up, as Fishers travels to Fort Wayne Northrop for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
The Bruins are 1-8 for the season. Northrop fell to Homestead in its opener 50-14, then beat South Side 17-12 for its lone win. The Bruins have since lost to Wayne 31-14, Carroll 38-0, Concordia Lutheran 24-17, Bishop Luers 35-10, Snider 48-0, North Side 49-12 and Bishop Dwenger 45-20.
Senior Tavon Freeman is Northrop’s top rusher with 580 yards and two touchdowns, while junior Julante Hinton has scored five running touchdowns. Hinton also leads the defense with 46 tackles.
The Tigers finished the regular season 6-3, beating Zionsville 37-7 in their regular-season and HCC finale for a 4-3 conference record. Senior quarterback Lucas Minns is 65-of-129 for 942 yards and 10 touchdowns, with senior Aidan Zimmer making 22 catches and senior Carson Dunn collecting 20 receptions. Both have two touchdowns. Sophomore JonAnthony Hall has four TD receptions.
Junior Khobie Martin has been outstanding as the lead rusher, with 1,025 yards and 12 scores. Dunn has also run well with 643 yards and eight TDs. Senior Grady Stanley has 66 tackles, while junior Brady Wolf has made 17.5 tackles for a loss.
HAMILTON HEIGHTS vs. BISHOP CHATARD
Hamilton Heights is back at home this week, taking on Class 3A No. 3 Bishop Chatard in a Sectional 28 semi-final game.
The Trojans are 6-4 for the season. Chatard has beaten Brebeuf Jesuit 24-13, Arsenal Tech 48-8, Columbus North 41-27, Guerin Catholic 31-30 and Terre Haute North 49-0, while dropping games to Roncalli 17-14, Cathedral 38-0, Christian Brothers 55-24 and Cincinnati Elder 21-16. In last week’s Sectional 28 first-round game, the Trojans won at Northwestern 47-19.
The Huskies are 8-2 and also won their sectional opener on the road, beating Maconaquah 51-18. Junior quarterback Bodie Derrer has had a great season, throwing at a 108-of-182 clip for 1,596 yards and 23 touchdowns. Sophomore Tyler Champion has 41 of those catches, including 12 TDs.
Senior Trey Ehman has been dominant on the ground with 1,120 yards rushing and 13 scores. Senior Vincent Harley has 80 tackles.
GUERIN CATHOLIC vs. TIPPECANOE VALLEY
Guerin Catholic, ranked No. 9 in 3A, is back on the road for its Sectional 28 semi-final game, playing at Tippecanoe Valley tonight.
The Vikings are 9-1 for the season, winning their first eight games over Wawasee 26-0, Northfield 49-19, Peru 41-22, Manchester 43-13, Rochester 26-17, Whitko 60-6, Maconaquah 57-14 and Wabash 65-19. Southwood spoiled TV’s bid for a perfect season by beating the Vikings 28-26, but the Vikings rebounded by beating Peru 50-0 in the first round of the sectional.
Junior Cody Eastgate has been efficient as quarterback, completing 50 of 66 passes for 877 yards and 10 touchdowns. Junior Wade Jones has 13 receptions, three for scores.
Tippecanoe Valley has six players with over 100 yards rushing; junior Nathan Parker is by far the leader with 1,206 yards and 24 touchdowns. Senior Noah Prater leads the defense with 49 tackles, 12 for a loss.
The Golden Eagles are 6-4, and coming off a hard-fought sectional win at Oak Hill last week, 24-21. Sophomore quarterback Malcolm Houze has thrown for 1,135 yards and 10 touchdowns, with senior Will Fremion leading the receptions with 47, nine of them for TDs.
Senior Justin Zdobylak leads the way on the ground, with 894 yards and eight touchdowns. Senior Luke Moody is on top of the tackles with 92, while junior Gavin Stella has 88 stops, 10 of them for a loss.
SHERIDAN vs. MONROE CENTRAL
Sheridan, ranked No. 5 in 1A, will play a second Sectional 45 game at Bud Wright Stadium tonight, hosting Monroe Central.
The Golden Bears are 5-3; they did not play a Week 4 game during the regular season and received a bye in the first week of sectionals. Monroe Central has wins over Winchester 30-14, Union City 38-0, Wes-Del 31-14, Eastern Hancock 47-42 and Traders Point Christian 20-15, while falling to North Decatur 43-0, South Adams 35-19 and Shenandoah 27-6.
Senior quarterback Luke Jones is 59-of-98 for the season, with 702 yards passing and five touchdowns. Jones is also by far the rushing leader, with 910 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Senior Cole Munchel has the most receptions with 20, including four TDs. Junior Ryder Bowlin leads the tackles with 75.
The Blackhawks are 9-1 and opened the sectional with a 62-0 victory over Union City last week. Senior Peyton Cross has been outstanding on the ground, with 1,689 yards and 21 touchdowns rushing. Senior Jake Jones has run for 570 yards and 11 touchdowns, while junior Zach Bales has 527 yards and nine running TDs to his credit.
Sophomore Caleb Alexander has thrown four touchdown passes. Junior Zach Bales leads the defense with 114 tackles (11 for a loss), followed by Jones with 108 (17 for a loss) and Cross with 99.