Legendary Coach Bud Wright clinches 100th playoff victory
By RICHIE HALL
SHERIDAN – The Sheridan victory train kept rolling Friday night at Bud Wright Stadium.
The Class 1A No. 5 Blackhawks, fresh off a Hoosier Heartland Conference championship, started their quest for another title by taking on Union City in the first round of Sectional 45. Sheridan took care of business early, defeating the Indians 62-0 to advance to the semi-finals.
“We just went with the attitude that if we came out and played our game, we’d be okay, so we had to get fired up to do it,” said Wright. And the coach said his team came out “on fire,” and never let up.
The win was also a significant milestone for Wright, as he collected his 100th IHSAA playoff win. Wright now has 445 wins in his nearly six-decade career.
Sheridan led 27-0 with 3:42 left in the first quarter. Peyton Cross scored the first touchdown, a 42-yard run, at the 8:47 mark. Jacob Jones followed that with two scores, the first a 78-yard sprint with just over seven minutes left in the period.
Two more long runs would follow in the first quarter: Jones scored again from 22 yards, then Cross took a 66-yard trip into the end zone for the game’s fourth touchdown. The defense was playing well too, as Trent DeCraene made a first-quarter interception.
Sheridan’s Jacob Jones scored four
touchdowns for the Blackhawks during their Sectional 45 win over Union City on Friday. (Kirk Green)
The Blackhawks didn’t let up in the second quarter. Cross made a 70-yard touchdown run with 10:53 left in the period, then Jones took off on a 34-yard cruise into the end zone. DeCraene got his touchdown midway through the quarter on a 19-yard run, then Zach Bales (24 yards) and Jones (33 yards) added the final two touchdowns with under three minutes left in the half. Owen Bell had eight extra-point kicks.
The second half belonged to the junior varsity players, and Wright complimented their play, saying he thought the JV kids “had pretty good intensity” when they were in the game.
“The reserves, I thought they did some good things,” said Wright.
Sheridan’s running game was remarkably efficient, with 458 yards in just 26 carries. Cross had five rushes for 192 yards, while Jones totaled 167 yards in four carries.
The Blackhawks are 9-1 for the season and host Monroe Central in next Friday’s Sectional 45 semi-finals. The Golden Bears had a bye this week.
“We just got to get ourselves prepared,” said Wright. “Monroe Central’s got a good, solid football team and they’ve got one really good coach.”
SHERIDAN 62, UNION CITY 0
Score by Quarters
Union City 0 0 0 0 – 0
Sheridan 27 35 0 0 – 62
Team Stats UC SHER
First Downs 7 15
By Rush 4 14
By Pass 3 1
By Penalty 0 0
Rushes-Yards 29-2 26-458
Yards Passing 27 30
Comp-Att-Int-TD 6-27-1-0 3-5-0-0
Fumbles-Lost 5-2 3-1
Penalties-Yards 3-27 6-40
Punts-Average 6-34.3 2-33.5
Sheridan Scoring
First Quarter
8:47 – Peyton Cross 42-yard run (Owen Bell kick)
7:06 – Jacob Jones 78-yard run (kick failed)
5:02 – Jones 22-yard run (Bell kick)
3:42 – Cross 66-yard run (Bell kick)
Second Quarter
10:53 – Cross 70-yard run (Bell kick)
7:44 – Jones 34-yard run (Bell kick)
5:54 – Trent DeCraene 19-yard run (Bell kick)
2:43 – Zach Bales 24-yard run (Bell kick)
2:17 – Jones 33-yard run (Bell kick)
Sheridan individual stats
Rushing: Cross 5-192, Jones 4-167, Bales 5-48, Bell 4-19, DeCraene 1-19 Eli Kolb 2-18, Chance Spencer 1-6, Jonathan Barnes 2-1, Jacob Hall 1-minus 5, Caleb Alexander 1-minus 7.
Passing: Alexander 2-3-27, Bell 1-2-3.
Receiving: Erich Retz 1-18, Keagan Hampton 1-9, Hall 1-3.