HSE riding high on last week’s win over Fishers
For only the second time in history, two Hamilton County football teams will play each other tonight for a regional championship.
Westfield will travel to Hamilton Southeastern tonight for the Class 6A Regional 2 championship, which kicks off at 7 p.m. The Shamrocks are going for their third consecutive regional title, while the Royals will be looking for their first regional trophy since 2005.
It is appropriate that Southeastern is playing in this all-county regional game, as the Royals also played in the first contest. That was back in 1981, when HSE traveled to Sheridan and won a wild 1A regional game. (For more about that, see the related story on this page.)
As Hoosier Crossroads Conference opponents, the two teams met back on Sept. 16 at Westfield, with the Royals winning 26-21. Southeastern is ranked No. 1 in both the Class 6A Associated Press and Indiana Football Coaches Association polls, and is unbeaten for the season at 11-0.
“HSE has an elite defense and some explosive players on offense,” said Shamrocks coach Jake Gilbert. “They are disciplined and well coached. They deserve the success they’ve had.”
The Royals broke an 11-year drought by winning the Sectional 3 championship. Southeastern cruised past Homestead 35-0 in a semi-final game, then beat county rival Fishers on the road 35-13 for the title. Even after getting such a big win, the Royals are staying focused.
“We were the same this week as we have been all year,” said HSE coach Michael Kelly. “This team is very businesslike in their approach.”
Senior quarterback Ty Bradle has led the way for the Royals, completing 124 of 218 pass attempts for 1,556 yards and 16 touchdowns. Junior Donovan Hamilton is the leading receiver, with 44 catches, including nine touchdowns. Senior Clayton Wilke has 37 receptions, three of them scores.
On the ground, junior Jalen Alexander has dominated, with 1,266 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. Sophomore Azariah Wallace has also been solid, with 382 yards and eight TDs. Senior Griffen Haas has 83 tackles, with senior Evan Sherrill making 16.5 tackles for a loss, and junior Jack Seyferth making 10 tackles for a loss. Sherrill and senior Dom Burgett both have made 7.5 sacks.
The No. 9-ranked Shamrocks earned a place in the regional after winning Sectional 4 for the third year in a row. Westfield opened with a 28-9 victory at Carmel in the semi-finals, then hosted Noblesville in the championship game, pulling away for a 42-21 victory.
“I am very proud of our culture and progress,” said Gilbert. “We have joined some elite company and have a very bright future. We have a family and commitment culture, here to out work and out love. That culture has allowed us to build a great program.”
The Shamrocks are 8-3 for the season, having won their last five games.
“They have improved over the course of the season,” said Royals coach Michael Kelly. “Our first game was almost a season ago. We have to play fast, physical, relentless, and disciplined to win.”
Senior quarterback Cole Ballard continues to be impressive, going 120-of-203 for the season with 1,573 yards and 11 touchdown throws. Sophomore Gabe Aramboles has 30 catches, including three for scores, while junior Maximus Nosler has 26 receptions, with four TDs.
Sophomore Kendall Garnett leads the rushing with 787 yards and 12 scores, while Ballard has gained 621 yards and 13 touchdowns. Senior Tyler Dikos has been outstanding on defense with 125 tackles, an average of 11.4 per game. Sophomore Lennox Cruz Williams has 4.5 sacks, with junior Cooper Vondersaar making four sacks.
SHERIDAN-NORTH DECATUR
Sheridan’s Bud Wright Stadium will be the site of a huge Class 1A Regional 23 championship tonight, as the No. 5-ranked Blackhawks host No. 3 North Decatur. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
The Chargers are 12-0 for the season and have been rolling through their opponents by an average score of 43-6. North Decatur was not challenged during the regular season, sweeping through the Mid-Eastern Conference without giving up a point. The Chargers beat Eastern Hancock 40-0, Monroe Central 43-0, Shenandoah 36-0 and Wes-Del 51-0 to win their conference championship. In non-conference games, North Decatur beat South Decatur 57-0 Lapel 43-18, Rushville 55-14, North Daviess 35-14 and Switzerland County 56-0.
The Chargers got some resistance in the early games of Sectional 46. North Decatur beat Tri 22-8 in an away first-round game, then defeated Milan 25-14 at home in the semi-finals. Only the championship game was easy, as the Chargers romped past Knightstown 56-6 on their home field to win the trophy.
“They’re a very good football team,” said Wright. “They’re a well-balanced team. They’ve got a lot of quickness. They’ve been running over people.”
North Decatur’s quarterback is Carson Parmer, who is 110-of-189 for 1,864 yards and 21 touchdowns. At 6-4 and 215 pounds, he is an imposing figure on the field.
“Big kid,” said Wright. “He can throw the football and he can run the football. He’s very accurate with his passing.”
Junior Kaden Muckerheide is the top receiver, with 33 catches, 10 of them for scores. Senior Reid Messer has 31 receptions, including for TDs.
Messer is by far the top rusher, with 1,365 yards and 34 touchdowns to his credit. Senior James Evans has 24 catches and five rushing touchdowns, and also leads the tackles with 78 stops.
“They’ve got good speed,” said Wright. “They’ve got three receivers that have caught a lot of balls. They’ve got a good, solid football team.”
The Chargers’ sectional win was their third in the past four seasons.
“We’ve got to come out and play,” said Wright. “We can’t mess around the first half like we did last week.” The Blackhawks trailed at times during its game with Hagerstown, then blasted through the second half.
“We won’t be able to do that this week,” said Wright.
Sheridan is 11-1 for the season. The Blackhawks scored at a high clip as they made their way through Sectional 45, beating Union City 62-0 in the first round, Monroe Central 42-26 in the semi-finals, and Hagerstown 75-36 in the championship, the only road game for Sheridan in the sectional. It was the Blackhawks’ 20th sectional title, and their first since 2012.
Senior Peyton Cross has been a force on the ground for the ‘Hawks, with 2,082 yards and 27 touchdowns this season. Senior Jake Jones has 707 yards and 14 touchdowns, while junior Zach Bales has 630 yards and 10 scores.
Sheridan’s Peyton Cross has rushed for 2,082 yards and scored 27
touchdowns. The Blackhawks host North Decatur tonight. (Si DeVaney III)
Sophomore Caleb Alexander has thrown at a 21-of-40 clip with 420 yards and five touchdowns. Junior Trent DeCraene has the most receptions with nine. On defense, Sheridan’s three runners have been just as dominant stopping the ball: Bales has 134 tackles (12 for a loss), Jones has 132 stops (17 for a loss) and Cross has 118 tackles (12 for a loss).