Sheridan hosts Cloverdale; Guerin Catholic visits Tri-West
By CRAIG ADKINS
For The Reporter
The first two weeks of the football state tournament have flown by. Five of the eight county teams are still alive in hopes of hoisting the sectional championship trophy.
Sheridan and Guerin Catholic play in their respective sectional title games Friday night.
1A, Sectional 46: Cloverdale Clovers (5-4) at Sheridan Blackhawks (6-5)
Tomorrow’s sectional championship game at Bud Wright Stadium will be just the second meeting between Cloverdale and Sheridan. The Blackhawks won the first time around in the first round of the sectional in 1998 on the Clovers’ home field, 55-0. That season, Sheridan won the Class 1A state crown.
One hour and 17 minutes (70 miles) separates the two schools, so it’s not the closest road trip for Cloverdale.
Last week’s semifinal saw Sheridan win its second straight road playoff game 48-20 at Clinton Prairie. Through two tournament wins, the Blackhawks have outscored their two opponents 92-26.
Sheridan got off to a 21-12 lead in the first half. Rushing touchdowns from Owen Bell and Jon Barnes, along with Bell completing a 34-yard touchdown pass to Dayne Voege on the final play of the second provided a nine-point cushion.
The Blackhawks got a pair of second half touchdowns from Jacob Hall and another from Bell to pull away. Midway through the fourth, Ryker Ream picked up a fumble and returned it 36 yards for a touchdown, sealing the win.
Bell threw with precision against the Gophers, completing 9 of 14 for 180 yards, including three to Voege for 85 and two for 56 to Chance Spencer. Cravens ran for 115 on 19 rushes.
Alex Cravens now sits just 103 yards from 1,000 on the season with 897 on 199 carries and has seven touchdowns. With Bell and Hall each scoring twice, they both have five rushing scores.
Head coach Bud Wright has a state-best 463-218 record in his 60th season overall, leading Knox’s Russ Radtke by 51 wins.
Cloverdale head coach Tyler Lotz is 8-21 in his third season. The Clovers won their lone sectional title in 1992.
Starting off 3-1, the Clovers rattled off three wins over Edinburgh, Brown County and Southside Homeschool by a combined 175-6, after a season-opening loss against Riverton Parke, 34-33. Cloverdale was 1-3 to end the regular season and beat Indianapolis Tindley in the sectional semifinal.
Landon Duncan leads at quarterback, going 73 of 115 (63.5 percent) for 1,390 yards, good enough for 22 TD passes and just four INTs.
Levi Johnson is the top rusher with 610 on 103 carries and five touchdowns. Tayt Jackson is Duncan’s top target with 32 receptions for 697 yards and 11 TDs.
*If Sheridan wins, it will host Riverton Parke or play at South Putnam for the Regional on Nov. 15.
3A, Sectional 29: No. 14 Guerin Catholic Golden Eagles (6-5) at Tri-West Bruins (7-4)
Friday night’s sectional championship will be the third between the Golden Eagles and Bruins. Both games were played in Hendricks County. The first was in the 2016 sectional first round (35-3) and two years earlier in the regional matchup (23-15), both won by the Bruins.
Guerin will make the 40-mile trek to Lizton in Hendricks County to battle Tri-West.
The Golden Eagles got to work quick last week at Hamilton Heights, scoring twice in the first four minutes. Malcolm Houze found Aiden Horn for a 28-yard TD pass and Dominic Elliott returned a blocked punt 28-yards for a score.
Heights answered with a TD run by Joey Sigler to cut it to 14-7. The Huskies tied it 14-14 when Sigler found Tyler Champion for a TD pass.
Houze would run 40-yards for the 21-14 lead, but Heights tied it 21-21 in the final minute of the half with another Sigler to Champion pass.
Houze made it 28-21 with another rushing score. Cam Fleming caught what would have been a game-tying score, but a missed extra-point kept it at 28-27.
It would be all Guerin in the fourth. The Golden Eagles started off with a safety, then Houze threw his second TD pass, this time to Elias Niccum. The senior standout QB then ran in for his third rushing score for the final of 44-27.
Houze passed for 189, completing 25 of 33. He now sits at 2,295 yards on the season, going 192 of 303 (63.4 percent) with 27 touchdowns. Malcolm also has 459 rushing yards and 12 TDs.
Jack Linden leads on the ground with 861 yards and nine TDs. Hayden Cler heads up the receiving corps with 781 yards and 10 touchdowns on 61 catches. Aiden Horn has 483 and eight TDs, along with Trevor Macey (403).
Guerin is looking for its first sectional crown since 2014, has four overall and two regional titles. The Golden Eagles also have two semi-state appearances (2010, 2011).
Tri-West head coach Jason Ward (52-18) is in his sixth season, winning two sectionals (2021, 2023). Last season, the Bruins lost to Gibson Southern in the regional and also lost to Gibson Southern in the 2021 semi-state.
Winning 14 sectionals, 10 regionals and six semi-states, Tri-West has four state championships (1996, 2003, 2004 & 2014), along with two runner-up finishes (1989, 1995).
Starting 2-1, the Bruins got wins over Western and Frankfort with a loss to Brebeuf Jesuit. They then lost three to Western Boone, Danville and Lebanon, all who are playing for a title this week.
The Bruins have won five in a row by a combined score of 246-58.
QB Jackson Sorgi has 1,242 yards with 15 TDs. Malachi Walden (570) and Derek Reid (550) are the top rushers with 19 touchdowns. Thaddeus Brown (538), Carter Cummings (351), Eli Morgan (331) and Nate Hiland (265) have 21 TDs between them.
*If Guerin Catholic wins, it will host Batesville or play at Lawrenceburg for the Regional on Nov. 15.