BY CRAIG ADKINS
For The Reporter
It’s hard to believe that the 51st annual high school football state tournament is in the regional round and now we’re down to the Elite Eight in each of the six classes.
Hamilton County is fortunate to have three of its eight teams still playing, in hopes of winning their respective regional championships. The only problem for two of them is that they face each other, as they did in 2022.
Hamilton Southeastern and Westfield meet again for a rematch of last season’s regional final. The Royals shut out the Shamrocks on their home field last year.
Sheridan also has a rematch from last year’s regional and would very much like to avenge that loss to North Decatur from 2022.
Class 6A Regional 2
Hamilton Southeastern Royals (9-2) at Westfield Shamrocks (10-1)
Hamilton Southeastern travels west to Hoosier Crossroads Conference foe Westfield for yet another regional championship tilt. These two are all too familiar with each other, playing in the same conference.
In their Week 5 matchup, it was a somewhat high-scoring game that went down to the wire. It was Westfield that escaped HSE with a thrilling 30-28 win. Jackson Gilbert tossed a two-yard
TD pass to Kendall Gilbert as time expired to stun the Royals by two.
Two things are on each teams’ mind. Westfield would love to redeem their regional shutout loss (20-0) at Southeastern in 2022. And, fresh on HSE’s minds is the walk-off loss to the ‘Rocks in the regular season. Regardless, this will be one of the top matchups in the state when the No. 7 Royals visit the sixth-ranked Shamrocks.
HSE was able to outlast Fishers at home last week in the Class 6A Sectional 3 championship, 38-21. The Royals just proved to be too much offensively for the Tigers. A tight game in the first half, Southeastern had a 17-14 halftime edge. In the second half, the Royals were able to outscore the Tigers 21-7 to push away for a 38-21 victory.
Once again, it was a battle of backfields. Khobie Martin had 129 yards in his final game as a Tiger gave him 2,746 in two-plus seasons. Bennett Gorak threw for 197 yards on 8-for-11, also in his last game for Fishers. Jalen (137), Chandler Weston (120) and AZ Wallace (69) were a well-oiled rushing attack that propelled HSE to the sectional crown.
Westfield was able to get past a feisty, gritty Noblesville team to win the Class 6A Sectional 4 title game, 24-12. The Millers led 6-3 at halftime as the two kickers traded field goals in the first two periods. A couple big special teams plays helped Westfield score twice in consecutive drives to take the lead to go up 17-6 late in the third. Early in the fourth, Noblesville cut it to 17-12. The ‘Rocks drove deep into Miller territory and were forced to a field goal attempt.
A fake field goal turned into Gilbert pitching to kicker Brody Boehm for a two-yard TD run to seal the sectional crown for Westfield.
Kendall Garnett had quite the night on the ground with 141 and two scores that gives him 1,000 yards exactly. Logan Shoffner had 123 on 29 carries in his final high school game, closing out his Miller totals as the all-time leading rusher with 4,178 yards.
Class 1A Regional 3
North Decatur (9-3) at Sheridan (9-3)
For the second year in a row, the North Decatur Chargers will make the 77-mile trek from Greensburg and head northwest to Sheridan to face the Blackhawks for a shot at a semi-state berth. In 2022, the Chargers were able to grab the big road win 29-14 over the ‘Hawks.
This will be the second meeting between North Decatur and Sheridan. The Blackhawks were the winners in the 1998 1A regional matchup at home, 56-20. After starting the ‘98 season with a two-point loss to Western Boone, Sheridan rattled off 14 wins in a row, the regional being number 12 of the streak, on their way to the 1998 1A state championship over North White, 56-33.
No. 10 Sheridan is looking to head back to the semi-state for the first time since 2012. They would be turned away by Lafayette Central Catholic 13-3. North Decatur is looking to build on last season’s tournament success and get one step further. The Chargers took out Sheridan in the regional, but would be ousted in the semi-state to eventual Class 1A state champ Indianapolis Lutheran, 28-7.
The Blackhawks have been fortunate enough to play two of its first three playoff games at home. Last week’s sectional championship at Monroe Central put them to the test. Down 14-0 at halftime and the season on the line, Sheridan’s offense woke up in big fashion in the second half.
The third quarter belonged to Eli Kolb. The senior running back scored two touchdowns, one midway through and then with 1:25 in the period, found the end zone again. In the fourth, Trent DeCraene recovered a Monroe Central fumble in the end zone for a TD. Zach Bales would score the game-winner with 3:26 left in the game to put Sheridan on top for the win, 27-22. This is the Blackhawks’ 21st sectional in program history.
The one-two punch of Kolb and Bales were too much for the Bears’ defense to handle in the second half. For the game, Kolb (126) and Bales (117) combined for 243 yards and three TDs to help push Sheridan past Monroe Central.
No. 15 North Decatur had its toughest game of the playoffs thus far when they went on the road to defeat the Milan Indians, 31-28. In the first round of Class 1A Sectional 46, the Chargers easily routed South Decatur (41-3) and shut out Edinburgh in the semifinal (63-0).
Kolb’s 126 gives him 1,204 yards and 18 touchdowns on the season. The other half of the backfield punch, Bales has 695 yards and 12 TDs.
