Two Hamilton County football teams will play for conference championships tonight.
Hamilton Southeastern hosts Brownsburg in what should be a great game between two undefeated teams. The winner will take home the Hoosier Crossroads Conference trophy. Meanwhile, Sheridan travels to Carroll, with the Hoosier Heartland Conference trophy on the line.
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN-BROWNSBURG
Both the Royals and the Bulldogs are unbeaten for the season at 8-0. Brownsburg is rated No. 1 in Class 6A, while Southeastern is No. 4 in 6A.
The Bulldogs had tough games with two other elite 6A programs to start the season, but still beat Ben Davis 21-16 and Cathedral 42-35. Brownsburg then turned to conference play, beating Franklin Central 42-7, Avon 60-21, Fishers 41-28, Westfield 31-14, Zionsville 50-3 and Noblesville 45-28.
Senior quarterback Jayden Whitaker has completed 139 of 195 pass attempts for 1,900 yards and 15 touchdowns. Seven different Bulldogs receivers have over 13 catches, including two over 20: Junior Corey Smith with 28 (and five touchdowns) and senior Fredrick Hawthorne with 23, including a TD.
Junior Garrett Sherrell has rushed for 572 yards and nine scores, with senior Caleb Marcus gaining 562 yards and scoring eight touchdowns. Senior Keegan Moore leads the defense with 63 tackles.
The Royals’ senior quarterback Ty Bradle is 97-of-165 through the air, with 1,122 yards and 13 touchdowns to his credit. Junior Donovan Hamilton has made 34 receptions, eight of them for scores, and senior Clayton Wilke has 31 catches, two for TDs.
Junior Jalen Alexander has led the way on the ground, rushing for 851 yards and eight touchdowns. Senior Griffen Haas is on top of the defense with 67 tackles, while senior Evan Sherrill has 11.5 tackles for a loss.
SHERIDAN-CARROLL
Sheridan and Carroll will also be a game of ranked teams, this time in Class 1A. The Cougars are
No. 4 in the IFCA coaches poll, while the Blackhawks are ranked No. 10.
Carroll is unbeaten for the year at 8-0, running through Tri-County 51-0, Delphi 39-6, Taylor 48-20, Southern Wells 43-6, Eastern 42-14, Tri-Central 39-13, Clinton Central 59-6 and Clinton Prairie 42-6.
Sheridan is 7-1, having won seven straight games after an opening-week loss to Western Boone, and shares a 6-0 record with the Cougars. The ‘Hawks have been led by senior running back Peyton Cross, who has totaled 1,386 yards and 17 touchdowns so far. Junior Zach Bales has 510 yards and eight scores.
Sophomore quarterback Caleb Alexander is 15-for-30 and has thrown four touchdown passes. Junior Trent DeCraene leads the receptions with nine. Bales leads the tackles with 90, while senior Jacob Jones and Cross have 78 and 77 stops respectively.
HAMILTON HEIGHTS-LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC
Another game with conference implications takes place at Hamilton Heights tonight. The Huskies host Lafayette Central Catholic in the third-place game of the Hoosier Conference playoffs. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.
The Knights are 6-2 and ranked No. 6 in Class 2A. Central Catholic finished second in the conference’s West Division with a 3-1 record, beating Rensselaer Central 42-7, Twin Lakes 49-7 and Benton Central 51-0. The Knights’ only division loss was to West Lafayette 52-21. Out of the division, LCC beat Seeger 45-31 and Tipton 35-21 and fell to Guerin Catholic 47-10.
The Knights’ sophomore quarterback Bobby Metzger is 100-of-167 passing, with 1,226 yards and 18 touchdowns. Senior Evan Dienhart has 57 catches and nine touchdowns, with senior Owen Munn also catching nine TD passes.
Senior Baylor Smith has had a big rushing season, with 1,120 yards and 12 scores. Senior Aiden Sattler has 77 tackles, including 10 for a loss, while junior Albert Schwartz has made 11 tackles for a loss.
Heights is also 6-2, and finished 3-1 in the conference’s East Division. Junior quarterback Bodie Derrer is 93-of-153 through the air, with 1,398 yards and 17 touchdowns. Sophomore Tyler Champion has 34 of those catches, 10 of them for TDs.
Senior Trey Ehman leads the rushing with 671 yards and eight touchdowns. Senior Vincent Harley leads the defense with 63 tackles, followed by junior Eric Balcom with 58 stops.
NOBLESVILLE-AVON
Noblesville hosts Avon tonight at Beaver Stadium. Kickoff is 7 p.m.
The Orioles are 1-7, having won their first game of the season last Friday over Zionsville, 27-20. Junior Mason Reynolds is Avon’s quarterback, and has gone 118-for-228 with 1,691 yards and 11 touchdowns. Senior Anthony Kennedy has the most receptions with 34, including three scores.
Senior Jaden Jones leads the Oriole’s rushing with 594 yards and five touchdowns. Junior Carson Foxen is on top of the defense with 103 tackles, 11 for a loss.
The Millers are 2-6 for the season. Junior Logan Shoffner is up to 898 yards rushing with four touchdowns. Junior Gage Gulley leads the rushing TD list with seven and has gained 440 yards, while junior Blake Widget has 339 yards and five scores.
Freshman quarterback Landon Hughes has thrown for five touchdowns, with sophomore Aiden Brewer catching three and Gulley two. Junior Austin Hastings leads the defense with 111 tackles.
GUERIN CATHOLIC-CULVER ACADEMIES
Guerin Catholic will welcome Culver Academies to the Eagles Nest tonight for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
The Eagles are 2-6 for the season. Culver’s wins have been against Arsenal Tech (17-14) in Week 1 and Hammond Morton (38-6) last week.
Guerin Catholic, ranked No. 9 in 3A, is 4-4 for the year. Sophomore quarterback Malcolm Houze has thrown for 821 yards and eight touchdowns, while senior Will Fremion leading the receptions with 43 and nine scores.
Senior Justin Zdobylak has gained 589 yards in rushing and scored five touchdowns. Senior Luke Moody is on top of the defense with 77 tackles.
WESTFIELD-FRANKLIN CENTRAL
Westfield will host Franklin Central tonight in a 7 p.m. HCC game.
The Flashes are 3-5, falling to Hamilton Southeastern 38-14 last week. Sophomore quarterback Nevan Tutterow is 90-for-167 through the air, totaling 1,086 yards and eight touchdowns. Junior Jayon Harvey leads the receptions with 19, four of them for touchdowns.
Junior Braylen Gillard has gained 589 yards rushing, scoring four touchdowns. Senior Wyatt Penney has 64 tackles, while senior Julius Parker has 20 tackles for a loss, and senior Eli Cox has 10 for a loss.
The 6A No. 9 Shamrocks have a 4-2 conference record and are 5-3 overall. Senior quarterback Cole Ballard is 99-of-166 for the season, with 1,322 yards and eight touchdowns. Sophomore Gabe Aramboles has 27 catches, including two scores, while junior Max Nosler has 20 receptions, four for touchdowns.
Sophomore Kendall Garnett has rushed for 463 yards and seven touchdowns, while Ballard has 442 yards on the ground and 11 touchdowns. Senior Tyler Dikos leads the defense with 95 tackles.
CARMEL-LAWRENCE CENTRAL
Carmel welcomes Lawrence Central tonight for a 7 p.m. game.
The Bears are 4-4 for the season, with wins over Lawrence North 21-3, Warren Central 32-20, Pike 32-28 and North Central 32-0. LC has lost to Hamilton Southeastern 12-7, Westfield 42-27, Center Grove 63-41 and Ben Davis 29-28.
The 6A No. 5 Greyhounds are 5-2 for the season. Senior quarterback Jack Kazmierczak is 88-of-130 for the season, with 1,286 yards and 13 touchdowns to his credit. Senior Reece Bellin has 52 catches, nine for scores.
Junior Alijah Alfayyad leads the rushing with 475 yards and a touchdown, while freshman Levell Stewart has scored four TDs on the ground. Senior Will Heldt is on top of the defensive list with 76 tackles.
FISHERS-ZIONSVILLE
Fishers travels to Zionsville tonight for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
The Eagles are 4-4, falling to Avon 27-20 in their previous week’s game. Senior quarterback Christian Abney is 91-of-171 through the air, with 1,061 yards and 13 touchdowns to his credit. Sophomore Eugene Hilton is the top receiver, with 41 catches, five of them for TDs.
Senior Hanson Hinshaw leads the rushing with 451 yards and two scores. On defense, senior Will Sorg has 58 tackles.
The Tigers are 5-3 and hold a 3-3 record in the HCC. Senior quarterback Lucas Minns has completed 64 of 119 passes for 936 yards and 10 touchdowns. Senior Aidan Zimmer has 22 catches, two for a touchdown, while sophomore JonAnthony Hall has caught four TD passes.
Junior Khobie Martin has had a solid rushing year with 823 yards and nine touchdowns, followed by senior Carson Dunn with 525 yards and six scores. Senior Grady Stanley has 62 tackles, while junior Brady Wolf has made 16.5 tackles for a loss.