The 2021 IHSAA Class 6A football north semi-state game will be a battle between two teams that got to know each other at the same level in 2020.
The only difference is the venue. Last year, Westfield traveled to Merrillville and won the semi-state, sending the Shamrocks to the state finals. This year, the Pirates are headed to Westfield for the big game, to be played at Riverview Health Stadium. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
After making such a long – although ultimately successful – trip for the semi-state championship last year, the Shamrocks are thrilled they get to play on their home turf this time.
“I love it,” said Westfield coach Jake Gilbert. “I especially love that we get to play in front of our fans at home one more time. It’s been such a special place to play for our seniors.”
The Shamrocks are hoping for a repeat of last season’s result. Westfield pulled away from Merrillville for a 41-23 victory. While both teams graduated a couple key players, many of them will play again on Friday.
“Some of our guys have been working for this for years,” said Gilbert. “They are ready to compete.”
The Pirates will come to Westfield with a 12-0 record and have not been close to being challenged. Merrillville barreled through the regular season with a 9-0 record, including a Duneland Conference championship. The Pirates cruised past Andrean 47-21, Hobart 41-14, Crown Point 50-13, Portage 45-13, Michigan City 40-14, La Porte 54-19, Valparaiso 42-7, Lake Central 34-7 and Chesterton 40-6.
In the post-season, the Pirates won the Sectional 1 title with victories over Crown Point 29-13 and Lafayette Jefferson 42-14. Merrillville then took care of Penn 39-7 to defend its Regional 1 championship.
“They are better,” said Gilbert. The coach believes that Merrillville’s returners “are even better this year,” and the Pirates have a move-in player, junior Justin Marshall, who Gilbert calls “spectacular.”
“We’ll have our work cut out for us,” said Gilbert.
Senior Angel Nelson returns as the Pirates’ quarterback, and he is having an incredible season. Nelson has completed 120 of 180 pass attempts for 2,378 yards and 26 touchdowns. Marshall has the majority of those catches, with 52 receptions, including 18 touchdowns.
Another returning senior, Lavarion Logan, is dominating the rushing game with 2,087 yards and 36 touchdowns. On defense, senior Taijon Span has the tackles with 63. Senior Kenneth Gresham has made 17 tackles for a loss, with senior Kenneth Grant making 14.5 and senior Jordan Magee getting 11.
Westfield comes into the semi-state with an 11-1 record. The Shamrocks dropped their season-opener to Cathedral, but have won every game since then. Westfield beat Noblesville 49-6 and Hamilton Southeastern 24-22 to win Sectional 4, then ran away from Fort Wayne Carroll 37-14 to claim the Regional 2 championship.
Senior quarterback and Ball State commit Maximus Webster is having a great year, going 125-of-177 for 2,045 yards and 16 touchdowns.Freshman Gabe Aramboles is leading the receiving with 36 catches and four touchdowns. Seniors Ian Bruch and Jackson Wasserstrom have also caught four touchdown passes; Bruch has 24 overall receptions and Wasserstrom has 23. Senior Nic Depasquale has 23 catches, three of them for TDs.
Senior Micah Hauser continues to lead the rushing, with 1,045 yards and 20 touchdowns. Senior Trevon Hatchett has gained 465 yards and scored nine TDs. As for the defense, junior Tyler Dikos has 118 tackles to his credit, with Hauser making 105 stops. Senior Popeye Williams leads in tackles for losses with 15.5.
