In the last two seasons, the football champion of the Hoosier Crossroads Conference went undefeated in league play.
Brownsburg won the HCC title in 2018, while Avon was the conference champion in 2019. Both finished HCC play 7-0. On Friday, Westfield will try to make it three years in a row for an unbeaten champion, as it hosts Franklin Central for Week 9 of the regular season. Kickoff is 7 p.m.
The Shamrocks are 6-0 in the conference and 7-1 overall, a record that has not gone unnoticed across Indiana. Both the media poll and the coaches’ poll have Westfield ranked No. 2 in Class 6A, behind only unbeaten Center Grove.
After dropping its opening game to Cathedral, the undisputed No. 1 team in 5A, the ‘Rocks have won seven straight games. Westfield defeated Fishers 45-6 last week to officially clinch the conference title.
Franklin Central’s season has gone in the opposite manner. After winning their opening game over Perry Meridian, the Flashes have lost seven in a row. Franklin Central has played teams close, though, with narrow losses to Noblesville 20-13 and Hamilton Southeastern 14-7.
“They are very physical,” said Shamrocks coach Jake Gilbert. “They are tough and play very good defense. We are going to have to sustain blocks and get movement up front. They have a strong running game and big running backs that break tackles. We are pretty small on defense so this will be a good challenge for us.”
Senior quarterback Colin Badgero has passed for 1,028 yards and four touchdowns this season. Junior Bryan Marshall is his top receiver with 28 catches. The Flashes also have two solid runners in junior Aataeveon Jordan (511 yards, two TDs) and senior Josh Ruley (484 yards, six TDs).
On defense, seniors Ben Massey and Luke Shoemaker are the tackles leaders with 72 and 70 stops, respectively. Sophomore Julius Parker has two sacks.
Westfield’s junior quarterback Maximus Webster has become a force over the season. Webster has completed 80 of 120 passes for 1,293 yards and 16 touchdowns, in addition to 10 rushing scores. Senior Mason Piening is the top receiver for the ‘Rocks with 32 catches, eight of them TDs, followed by junior Nic Depasquale with 24 receptions, including three touchdowns.
Junior Micah Hauser is the top rusher with 719 yards and seven touchdowns, and also leads the defense with 81 tackles. Junior Popeye Williams has eight tackles for a loss and three sacks.
“Our players have been great,” said Gilbert. “I’ve been on the lookout for a letdown, but our seniors have ensured that we practice well. I’m so excited to coach these guys every day.”
NOBLESVILLE-AVON
Noblesville is also back home on Friday, welcoming Avon to Beaver Materials Field for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
The Orioles are 3-3 in the conference, currently sitting in fourth place, and are 4-4 overall. Avon has won three of its last four games, with victories over Franklin Central 35-7 and Fishers 49-14, before falling to Westfield 59-33 two weeks ago. The Orioles beat Zionsville 28-19 last week.
Avon will be led by its outstanding quarterback, Henry Hesson. The senior, who has offers from Ball State and Central Michigan, has passed for 2,109 yards at a 117-of-179 clip, including 27 touchdowns. Senior Wallace Stovall leads the receptions with 46, followed by senior Remington Gall with 30; both have caught 10 touchdown passes.
Junior Chrishon McCray leads the rushing list with 471 yards and five TDs. Senior Clayton Peters is far and away the Orioles’ leading tackler, with 85 stops, 12 for a loss.
The Millers hold a 1-5 conference record and are 2-6 overall. Noblesville will try to halt a two-game losing streak, having fallen to Hamilton Southeastern 27-17 and Brownsburg 29-8 in the past two weeks.
The Millers’ ground game has been strong, with three solid runners. Junior Owen Jones has gained 633 yards and scored four touchdowns, senior Holden Montarsi has rushed for 388 yards and two scores, and Tyler Speek has 219 yards on the ground and three TDs.
Junior quarterback Conner Meinerding has thrown for 199 yards and one touchdown, with sophomores Andrew Page and Chance Yeager having caught four receptions each. Junior Sam Steinhofer leads the defense with 63 tackles, including eight for a loss, and senior Skyler Tolliver has 56 stops, 5.5 for a loss. Junior Alairic Rogers-Walton also has 5.5 tackles for a loss, and both he and Tolliver have made 3.5 sacks.
FISHERS-ZIONSVILLE
Fishers travels to Zionsville on Friday to wrap up the regular season. Kickoff for this game is 7 p.m.
The Eagles are 2-4 in conference play and 3-5 overall, but have lost their last three games. Zionsville was edged out by Hamilton Southeastern 14-13, then fell to Brownsburg 41-13 and Avon 28-19.
Senior Josh Stone is the Eagles’ quarterback, and he has completed 84 of 140 attempts for 1,010 yards and nine touchdowns. Senior Luke Baumgartner is the top receiver for Zionsville, with 25 catches and two scores.
Junior Colin Price handles most of the rushing duties, with 767 yards and six TDs. On defense, junior Otto Kyler leads the total tackles with 43, including 5.5 for a loss. Luke Nolan has eight tackles for a loss; both he and senior Zach Bielecki have four sacks each.
The Tigers are 2-4 in the HCC and 2-6 overall. Fishers beat Franklin Central 33-14 two weeks ago, but ran into the Westfield buzzsaw last week and fell 45-6.
Senior quarterback Lucas Prewitt has been a true leader for the Tigers, throwing for 1,467 yards at a 123-197 clip, including 10 touchdowns. Junior Jeffrey Simmons leads the receptions with 43, two of them for TDs, while senior Landon Morris has 36 catches, five for scores.
Sophomore Carson Dunn leads the rushing list with 464 yards; both he and Prewitt have three running touchdowns. Senior Billy Reiter tops the tackles list with 55, followed by senior Seth Dunnuck with 51. Junior Colin Kearshner has 8.5 tackles for a loss and four sacks.
HAMILTON HEIGHTS-WEST LAFAYETTE
Hamilton Heights will host West Lafayette for the second time this season at 7 p.m. Friday.
This game will be a big one, as it will decide the Hoosier Conference championship. The Huskies finished on top of the East Division with a 3-1 record, while the Red Devils won the West Division with a 4-0 mark.
The two teams first played on Sept. 4, with West Lafayette winning 49-14. The 3A No. 2 Red Devils are 7-1 overall. After losing to Lafayette Jefferson 27-16 to open the season, West Lafayette beat McCutcheon 41-3. Following their game with Heights, the Red Devils defeated Lafayette Central Catholic 47-14, Rensselaer Central 27-21 (double overtime), Benton Central 65-6, Lewis Cass 51-20 and Twin Lakes 49-14.
Senior Colin Martin has had an exceptional year as West Lafayette’s quarterback, completing 141 of 202 pass attempts for 1,678 yards and 14 touchdowns. Junior Cannon Melchi has 58 of those receptions, including seven touchdowns.
Sophomore Max Mullis is the Red Devils’ leading rusher with 509 yards and 10 scores. Junior Brice Rider, Martin and Melchi also have five running touchdowns. On defense, junior Mariere Omonode has been dominant, with 60 total tackles, including 21 for a loss, and nine sacks. Junior Connor Barket has five sacks.
After an 0-3 start, the Huskies have had a solid season, winning four of their last five games. Heights beat Lewis Cass 28-19 last Friday to finish division play.
Junior quarterback Guy Griffey has thrown for 645 yards in six games, including 10 touchdowns. Sophomore Vincent Harley has stepped in at times and also done well, totaling 173 yards on 13-of-23 passing, including one TD. Junior Isaac Tuma is Heights’ top receiver with 15 catches, five of them for scores.
Sophomore Trey Ehman leads the rushing with 814 yards and six touchdowns, while junior Nate Hulen has also run for six TDs. Junior Harrison Hochstedler is the defensive leader with 82 tackles, followed by senior Kaleb Schakel with 67 stops and Hulen with 63. Schakel has seven tackles for a loss, and Hochstedler has made three sacks.
CARMEL-LAWRENCE CENTRAL
Carmel will return to its home stadium on Friday to play Lawrence Central in a Metropolitan Conference game. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
The Bears are 0-6 in MIC play and 0-8 overall. Lawrence Central has dropped games to Hamilton Southeastern 24-0, Lafayette Jeff 43-28, Lawrence North 28-21, Warren Central 40-0, Warren Central 41-0, Pike 66-0, North Central 41-21 and Ben Davis 42-0.
Senior quarterback Reggie Mason has thrown for 674 yards on 64-of-113 passing, including four touchdowns. Junior Davion Owens is the top receiver, with 32 catches, three of them for scores.
Mason is also the leading rusher, having gained 264 yards and four touchdowns. Sophomore Tylen Cunningham is tops on the defense with 58 tackles (four for a loss), followed by senior James Day with 51. Sophomore Joshua Mickens has 4.5 tackles for a loss.
The Greyhounds, ranked No. 6 in 6A, come in to this game with a 5-1 MIC record and are 6-2 overall. They currently sit in second place in the MIC; Center Grove clinched an undefeated conference title last week. Carmel is riding a five-game win streak which began on Sept. 11 with a double-overtime, 45-44 win over Pike. The ‘Hounds have since beaten Lawrence North 36-34, North Central 38-14, Ben Davis 31-9 and Warren Central 38-14.
Junior quarterback Zach Osborne has completed 79 of 154 attempts for 1,099 yards and 13 touchdowns. Senior Colton Parker has 24 of those catches, five of them for scores.
Senior Zach White leads the rushing with 522 yards and five TDs, followed by Osborne’s 351 yards and five touchdowns. Three Carmel seniors have over 60 tackles on defense: Senior Tamarris Springfield (67), Gavin Hale (64) and Andrew Turvy (61). Turvy and senior Andrew Cheesebourgh both have tackles for a loss. Junior Hayden Cate has made four sacks.
SHERIDAN-CARROLL
Sheridan will go on the road Friday to finish up Hoosier Heartland Conference play, traveling to Carroll for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
The Cougars are 1-3 in HHC play and 2-4 overall. This will be Carroll’s first game since Sept. 25, when it lost to Tri-Central 36-0. The Cougars beat Tri-County 48-6 and Taylor 56-28, also falling to Delphi 17-0, Parke Heritage 59-12 and Eastern 52-0.
Sophomore Grady Lytle is Carroll’s quarterback, and has 308 yards on 26-of-46 passing, including one touchdown. Junior Wade Peters has 18 receptions for the season.
On the ground, senior Jaden Harness has rushed for 477 yards and seven scores, followed by junior Clay Metzger with 225 yards and five TDs. Harness is also the top tackler with 69 stops (six for a loss), followed by senior Chase Humphreys with 51 tackles.
Sheridan is 2-2 in the conference and 4-3 overall. The Blackhawks will try to break a two-game losing streak, having fallen to Seeger 28-14 and Eastern 49-14.
Senior Cameron Hovey has been dominant on the ground for Sheridan, totaling 1,238 yards rushing and scoring 16 touchdowns. Junior quarterback Silas DeVaney has thrown for 198 yards and three TDs, with senior Keenan Warren grabbing two of those touchdown passes.
Sophomore Jacob Jones is on top of the defense with 61 tackles, eight of them for losses, and six sacks. Hovey is next with 57 stops.
GUERIN CATHOLIC-CULVER ACADEMIES
Guerin Catholic hosts Culver Academies to wrap up the regular season. Kickoff for this game is at 7:30 p.m.
The Culver Eagles are 3-4 for the season. After beating Tippecanoe Valley 16-0 to start its campaign, Culver dropped four in a row, to New Prairie 24-7, Hanover Central 46-20, Hobart 38-0 and North Judson 23-20. The Eagles rebounded to beat Woodlan 43-6 and South Bend St. Joseph 27-14.
Culver quarterback Jimmy Pisani rushed for 133 yards in the game against St. Joseph, including a 50-yard touchdown run. Jaxon Mull, Eli Pack and Mario Esquivel all had long touchdown runs in the game as well; Mull’s was 44 yards, Pack’s was 41 yards and Esquivel’s was 61 yards.
The Golden Eagles are 2-4 for the season and will look to rebound after a 42-10 loss at Decatur Central last Friday. Jagger Albert rushed for 88 yards, while Elijah Edwards made three catches. Anthony Ferrucci caught a touchdown pass from quarterback Sam Miller.
Guerin Catholic’s Elijah Edwards (5) had three catches for the Golden Eagles during their game at Decatur Central last Friday. Guerin Catholic hosts Culver Academies at 7:30 p.m. this Friday. (Margaret Fallin)