The first time that the Westfield and Hamilton Southeastern football teams played each other in 2021 was right at the midpoint of the regular season – Week 5, to be exact.
The Shamrocks won that game 34-21. Now the two teams will meet again, this time for the Class 6A Sectional 4 championship. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday at Westfield’s Riverview Health Stadium.
ANOTHER TOUGH ONE
The Shamrocks are 9-1 for the season. Of those nine victories, the Shamrocks’ 13-point win over the Royals was the second-closest. (Westfield hosted Brownsburg in Week 6 and got past the Bulldogs by three points, 24-21.) Therefore, ‘Rocks coach Jake Gilbert is expecting a tough game.
“They’re just really well-coached to be honest, so it’s going to be a great football game,” said Gilbert. “We beat them, but we played really well and it took every bit of that to beat them. I think these are two very even football teams. Two senior-dominated squads, too.”
Southeastern is 8-2 for the season, and began sectional play with a big first-round victory over district rival Fishers 34-0.
Senior quarterback Sam Jacobs has completed 46 of 92 pass attempts for HSE, totaling 787 yards and 10 touchdowns. Gilbert said Jacobs “has gotten better and better at quarterback, just leading them,” and is also “a good athlete and very fast.”
Senior Will Gerig leads the Royals in receptions with 13, including two for touchdowns. Senior Jack Wafford has 11 catches, three for scores, while another senior Dylan Conner, has 10 catches, including four TDs.
Senior Blaine Wertz is Southeastern’s top running back, with 1,118 yards and 21 touchdowns.
“He’s outstanding as a running back,” said Gilbert. “He’s always got our atteniton.”
Senior Owen Jones has gained 677 yards and scored eight touchdowns, while Jacobs has gained 672 yards and scored four TDs. Jacobs’ longest run of the season is 91 yards, while Wertz and Jones both have 50-yard runs.
“We got to find a way to limit some of that explosiveness,” said Gilbert.
Senior Louden Sundling leads the Royals’ defense with 72 tackles, including 11 for a loss.
Westfield has some very impressive players as well, many of whom were part of the Shamrocks’ run to the Class 6A state championship game last year. Senior Maximus Webster has been a force at quarterback, going 103-for-143 with 1,613 yards and 15 touchdowns. Webster has also rushed for three touchdowns as well.
“Their quarterback is phenomenal. And (Micah) Hauser, he runs hard. He creates a lot of challenges for us,” said HSE coach Michael Kelly after the Royals’ win over Fishers. The coach said it will be important that the team “stay in our lanes,” as well as be “disciplined, we read our keys, we don’t get our eyes caught in the backfield. We did that in the very first play of the game last time.”
Freshman Gabe Aramboles is the leading receiver for Westfield, with 28 catches, four of them for touchdowns. Senior Ian Bruch has 24 receptions, including four TDs. Seniors Jackson Wasserstrom and Nic Depasquale each have three touchdowns among their 19 catches.
The afore-mentioned Hauser, a senior, leads the rushing with 819 yards and 17 scores, while senior Trevon Hatchett has 413 yards and seven touchdowns. Junior Tyler Dikos is on top of the defensive list with 103 tackles, followed by Hauser with 89. Senior Popeye Williams has 13.5 tackles for a loss.
CARMEL-BROWNSBURG
Carmel will go back on the road Friday night, traveling to Brownsburg to play in the Class 6A Sectional 5 championship game. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
The Bulldogs are 8-2 for the season. Brownsburg opened sectional play last week by cruising past Pike 37-0.
“Brownsburg is big and very physical on both sides of the ball,” said Greyhounds coach John Hebert. “Their defense is solid in every way but their defensive line really causes a lot of problems for people. Offensively, they run the ball very well because of their great offensive line, physical tight ends, and very talented running back. We have to match their physicality and make plays in our passing game in order to establish control of the game. Their kicking game is very strong too, so our special teams play will be essential for us.”
Junior Jayden Whitaker is the Bulldogs’ quarterback, going 95-of-143 for 1,219 yards and five touchdowns. Senior Alex Hoover is the top receiver, with 23 catches.
Junior Caleb Marcus leads the Brownsburg rushing with 872 yards and 10 touchdowns. Sophomore Garrett Sherrell has 709 yards on the ground and six scores. Whitaker has also scored six touchdowns as well. Senior Rashon Myles Jr. also has scored six touchdowns, in addition to being a co-leader in tackles with 64. Junior Keegan Moore is the other co-leader with 64 stops. Senior Garrett Dalton has made 11 tackles for a loss.
Carmel is 9-1 for the season. The Greyhounds began the sectional with a 35-21 win at Avon, so this will be the second trip to Hendricks County for the team.
“Of course, we’d love to play at home in front of our own fans, but we’ve had a lot of success on the road this season,” said Hebert. “Sometimes, playing on the road can really unite a team. I’d like to think we can play at our best in someone else’s stadium. We’ve really tried to paint that picture for our team this week in our meetings.”
Senior quarterback Zach Osborne is having an outstanding season, going 122-for-205 with 1,751 yards and 20 touchdowns. Junior Desmond Duffy has 44 catches, including 11 touchdowns, followed by senior Jaedon King with 35 receptions, three of them for scores.
Senior Ethan Hall leads the rushing with 450 yards and two TDs, while Osborne has 382 yards and 10 scores. Junior Nick Beidl has gained 314 yards rushing and scored three touchdowns. Junior Will Heldt has 99 tackles for the Carmel defnse, including 10 for a loss. Junior Winston Berglund has 80 stops for the season.
