By CRAIG ADKINS
For The Reporter
We’re now at the point that two regular season games remain, and the high school football season has flown by. Teams are that much closer to finding out their postseason fates, as the sectional draw for the IHSAA football state tournament draw takes place at 6 p.m. Sunday on www.ihsaatv.org.
Early next week, The Reporter will have a breakdown of the matchups for all eight Hamilton County teams and who they will face in their respective classes to begin the state football tournament.
6A No. 3 Westfield (6-1, 4-1) at 6A No. 13 Fishers (4-3, 3-2)
The Rocks and Tigers head into their 22nd meeting with a lot at stake on both sides. Westfield is looking to stay close to Brownsburg, who it narrowly lost to last week, and Fishers aims to get into a groove as both teams end the regular season and head into the playoffs.
Westfield has won five in a row in the series, including last season’s 28-14 win. Although Fishers is 13-8 in the 21 meetings, their last win was in 2019 (19-14).
Last Friday, the Shamrocks hosted Avon and had no trouble at all in a 45-13 win.
Deacon King got Westfield up 14-7 through one with a pair of rushing touchdowns.
The Rocks made a second-quarter statement, putting up 31 points for a 45-7 halftime lead on the Orioles.
King began the second with his third score, followed by a Mikeah Webster 27-yard interception return TD on Avon’s next drive. Toward the end of the half, Broc Parker found the end zone on a 23-yard run and Gabe Aramboles caught an 11-yard TD from Carsen Melvin. Owen Wright capped off the Shamrock scoring with a 34-yard field goal in the final seconds of the half. The entire second half was played with a running clock; the Orioles scored six points in the third quarter.
King had 108 yards on 20 carries, while Broc Parker provided a good one-two punch with 73 on five rushes. Beau Braun led the receivers with four grabs for 60. Carsen Melvin went an efficient 11 of 15 for 128 yards passing.
The Tigers lost a tough one last week at Franklin Central, 22-13. Franklin Central led 9-0 after one, on a touchdown and safety.
Fishers fought back when JonAnthony Hall got the Tigers on the board in the second period with a six-yard run and Fishers cut it to 9-7 at halftime.
Franklin Central went ahead 12-7 after a field goal, but the Tigers took the lead late in the third after Hall caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Caden Hill for a 13-12 edge. But the Flashes regained the lead with another field goal, then a late five-yard touchdown run sealed the game.
Denkota Fletcher led in receiving with 74 yards on four receptions, while Hall grabbed five for 54. As a team, the Tigers rushed 22 times for 19 yards.
Carmel (3-4) at 6A No. 6 Warren Central (6-1)
The Greyhounds and Warriors have quite the history on the gridiron. Throughout the past MIC regular season meetings and epic playoff battles, these two state powers have duked it out 74 times. Carmel leads the series with a 42-29-3 advantage. The 75th meeting Friday should be no different.
Warren Central took its first loss of the season at the hands of then-No. 6, now No. 2 Lawrence North, 33-7.
Carmel had quite the high-scoring affair, but unfortunately, the Giants found ways to push past the host ‘Hounds, 58-30.
Nathan Williams caught TD passes (45 and 8 yards) from Anthony Coellner in the first, but Ben Davis had answers for each, tying the game 14-14 after one.
BD got itself breathing room in the second, outscoring the Greyhounds 16-6 to lead 30-20 at halftime and didn’t look back.
The third would be one score each to make it 37-27 on Jacob Bellin’s 4-yard TD catch from Coellner.
The Giants used a 21-3 fourth to run away with a 58-30 road win.
Carmel’s run game was held to 16 yards on 18 carries by seven ball carriers. Coellner went 23 of 42 for 255 yards passing and three TDs. Nathan Williams led with 91 yards on five catches. Bellin led in receptions with seven and 67 yards. Dominic Shockley grabbed six for 31 and Liam Mann five for 60.
Noblesville (2-5, 0-5) at 6A No. 1 Brownsburg (7-0, 5-0)
The Millers head to Hendricks County to face top-ranked Brownsburg on Friday night. This will be the 32nd meeting between the Millers and Bulldogs. Brownsburg holds a 20-11 lead, winning last year 27-22 for its seventh in a row. Noblesville’s last win in the series was in 2016, when it staged a fourth quarter comeback for a 22-21 win.
Last Friday, the Bulldogs blew by Zionsville on the road, 66-28.
Noblesville came up on the short end of a back-and-forth battle at home to Hamilton Southeastern. The two HCC rivals traded touchdowns throughout with HSE winning late, 28-21.
Brody Gump got the Millers on the board on first the play of the game with an 80-yard TD run, 7-0.
A few minutes later, Kendrick Pennybaker caught a 23-yard pass from Chandler Weston to tie it 7-7.
Noblesville grabbed a 14-7 lead at half on a Ty Holmes two-yard TD run with 58 seconds left in the second.
The Royals tied it 14-14 midway through the third on a Carter Reed run from two yards away.
The fourth became the survival of the fittest. On the first play of the quarter, Vaughan Johnson put HSE out in from 21-14 with a 19-yard run.
The Millers tied it again 21-21 with Holmes’ second touchdown run. Southeastern stunned the home crowd when Johnson ran in his second score with six seconds left to give the Royals the 28-21 win.
Gump led the rushing battle with 177 yards on 12 carries. Noblesville rushed for 295 as a team.
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