Sheridan rolled into the championship game of Class 1A Sectional 44 by beating Wes-Del 35-8 in a Friday away game.
With the weather rainy and chilly, the No. 6-ranked Blackhawks decided to keep their game on the ground. That traditional running game that Sheridan fans know and love came up big, as the ‘Hawks ran up 424 yards on 59 carries.
“At times we played pretty good, other times we didn’t,” said Sheridan coach Bud Wright. “We didn’t finish a lot of things that we should have. But we played pretty good for the weather.”
Joe Callahan scored four of the Blackhawks’ five touchdowns, with Ange Gnamkey scoring one early in the second quarter on a 21-yard run. Sheridan led 7-0 after the first period, then was ahead 21-8 at halftime.
Callahan’s scores were mostly short runs, with the exception of his first TD, which was a 16-yarder early in the first period. Callahan took a score in from eight yards with 4:01 left in the second quarter, then punched in two touchdowns during the middle part of the third period.
In all, Callahan gained 241 yards on 36 carries.
“He had a pretty good ball game,” said Wright.
Gunnar Williams kicked all five extra points, bringing his new extra-point streak to 16 in a row.
Sheridan is now 9-2 for the season and returns to Bud Wright Stadium next Friday for the Sectional 44 championship. The ‘Hawks will take on No. 4-ranked Monroe Central, a 42-12 winner over Clinton Prairie in the other semi-final.
