Blackhawks fall short in battle for state championship title
By RICHIE HALL
SHERIDAN – The Sheridan football team was trying to do what no one has done since 2020: beat Lutheran.
The Saints, two-time defending Class 1A state champions, came into Bud Wright Stadium Friday for the 1A south semi-state game. Lutheran blasted through the first half, scoring 35 unanswered points, and that gave the Saints all the momentum they needed for a 56-14 win over the Blackhawks.
Lutheran scored twice in the opening quarter. The Saints’ first touchdown came when Braydon Hall punched the ball in from the one-yard line – a preview of things to come.
Lutheran added a second score when quarterback Jackson Willis threw a pass to Jeremiah King, who turned it into a 58-yard touchdown. The Saints went for two after both touchdowns; the attempt after the first touchdown was no good, but they were good on a pass following the second touchdown.
The second quarter turned into the Hall Show. The senior running back ran in four touchdowns, scoring from everywhere on the field. Hall ran the ball in from 1, 35, 12 and 71 yards, with his 12-yard run putting Lutheran ahead 35-0.
“We played our butts off,” said ‘Hawks coach Larry “Bud” Wright, but the coach admitted that the Saints “were too big up front for us.”
Sheridan coach Bud Wright addresses the team after the game. This was Wright’s 58th season as coach of the Blackhawks. (Allison Waitt)
“Big long arms and stuff, and we’re small and short arms,” said Wright. “They just ward us off. We just didn’t have enough soap to do it.”
Sheridan’s Nolan Page interrupted that show with a tremendous touchdown of his own. The senior grabbed a punt return and zoomed 94 yards to get the Blackhawks on the board. Owen Bell followed that with an extra-point kick. But Hall stepped up again, making his 71-yard touchdown run and putting the Saints up 42-7 at halftime.
The entire second half was played using a running clock. But Sheridan battled until the end. Eli Kolb finished his career with a dramatic touchdown, grabbing a fumble on the Sheridan one-yard line and running it all the way to the Lutheran end zone, a 99-yard fumble recovery touchdown. Bell again made the extra-point kick.
“They fought to the end,” said Wright.
But Hall got one more score, taking the ball 38 yards for his sixth touchdown of the game. The Saints’ DeVuan Jones finished the scoring with a 55-yard TD in the fourth quarter.
Lutheran’s defense held the Blackhawks to 44 yards rushing as a team. Kolb was the individual leader with 35 yards.
Sheridan finished the season 10-4, and also claimed the program’s first regional championship since 2012.
“I’m proud of every one of them,” said Wright. “They fought to the end and got a regional title.”
INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN 56, SHERIDAN 14
Score by Quarters
Lutheran 14 28 7 7 – 56
Sheridan 0 7 7 0 – 14
Team stats LHS SHER
First Downs 13 7
By Rush 7 5
By Pass 6 2
By Penalty 0 0
Rushes-Yards 21-220 32-44
Passing Yards 201 38
Comp-Att-Int-TD 8-13-0-1 4-13-1-0
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 2-0
Penalties-Yards 5-35 3-25
Punts-Average 1-10.0 4-26.3
Sheridan Scoring
Second Quarter
3:10 – Nolan Page 94-yard kickoff return (Owen Bell kick)
Third Quarter
4:30 – Eli Kolb 99-yard fumble recovery (Bell kick)
Sheridan individual stats
Rushing: Kolb 12-35, Zach Bales 12-22, Bell 4-minus 6, Page 4-minus 7.
Passing: Bell 4-13-38.
Receiving: Page 2-21, Trent DeCraene 2-17.