The IHSAA’s football post-season draw takes place on Sunday, and teams are starting to measure the time until sectionals in days, not weeks.
But there are still two regular-season games left to play, including tonight’s Week 8 games. That includes an all-county contest: Westfield will travel to Fishers for a 7 p.m. game.
The Shamrocks hold a 3-2 Hoosier Crossroads Conference record, and an overall mark of 4-3. Westfield got above .500 last Friday when it beat Avon at home, 35-21.
“We have had an uneven year,” said Shamrocks coach Jake Gilbert. “All three phases have showed flashes of playing great but have also struggled at times. We have to get everyone playing great at the same time to win the sectional.”
Senior quarterback Cole Ballard is 89-of-151 for the season, with 1,205 yards and seven touchdowns to his credit. Sophomore Gabe Aramboles has 24 of those catches, including two for touchdowns.
Sophomore Kendall Garnett remains the leading rusher with 398 yards, including seven scores, while Ballard has 336 yards and eight touchdowns. Senior Tyler Dikos has been dominant on defense with 81 tackles.
“Westfield is a tough opponent,” said Fishers coach Curt Funk. “What impresses me the most is how hard they play on every snap. Their kids play with excitement and give full effort. We will need to match their energy on Friday night.”
The Tigers also hold an HCC mark of 3-2 and are 5-2 overall. Fishers beat Franklin Central on the road last week 26-15.
“Our team has room for growth,” said Funk. “The past two weeks, we have played in two close games.” The coach said his team needs to play four quarters of “solid football to have success in the postseason.”
“Fishers has found ways to win,” said Gilbert. “I respect that for sure.”
Senior quarterback Lucas Minns has completed 59 of 106 pass attempts, totaling 882 yards and 10 touchdowns. Seniors Aidan Zimmer and Carson Dunn have 17 and 16 catches respectively; each have caught two touchdown throws.
Junior Khobie Martin has 671 yards rushing with eight TDs, followed by Dunn with 429 yards and six touchdowns. Senior Grady Stanley leads the defense with 54 tackles; junior Brady Wolf has made 14.5 tackles for a loss.
“This is a very good football team,” said Gilbert. “Great running backs. Excellent corners. Fundamentally sound defense. Pretty good everywhere.”
SHERIDAN-EASTERN
Sheridan has the county’s only other home game tonight, and it’s a big one: The Blackhawks welcome Eastern to Bud Wright Stadium in a crucial Hoosier Heartland Conference game.
Sheridan leads the HHC race with a 5-0 record, while the Comets are 4-1. Eastern’s only loss in the conference has been to Carroll, 42-14 in Week 5.
The Comets’ HHC victories have come against Delphi 49-0, Taylor 48-20, Clinton Central 52-8 and Tri-Central 44-6. Outside of the conference, Eastern fell to Oak Hill 41-3 in its opener, then beat Northwestern 53-30.
Junior quarterback Eli Edwards is 93-of-134 through the air, with 1,303 yards and 18 touchdowns. Junior Blake Robinson leads the receptions with 26, including four touchdowns, while junior Clayton Kelley has six TDs among his 20 catches.
Junior Jayden Eagles is on top of the rushing chart with 899 yards and nine touchdowns. Senior Reid Keisling leads the defense with 67 tackles, while Edwards has 60 stops, including 12 for a loss.
The Blackhawks are 6-1 overall, and are coming off a 42-0 win at North Central Farmersburg last Friday. Senior Peyton Cross has moved into four-digit territory in rushing, with 1,019 yards and 13 touchdowns. Junior Zach Bales has 502 yards and eight scores, followed by Jacob Jones with 305 yards and six TDs.
Sophomore quarterback Caleb Alexander is 15-of-29 with 295 yards and four touchdowns, with Trent DeCraene making nine of those catches. Bales leads the tackles with 75, while Cross has 68 stops and Jones has 66.
CARMEL-WARREN CENTRAL
Carmel travels to Warren Central tonight for a 7 p.m. kickoff
The Warriors are 3-4 for the season, with victories against Detroit King 44-26, North Central 47-28 and Pike 49-14, and losses to Center Grove 17-8, Lawrence Central 32-20, Ben Davis 42-28 and Lawrence North 35-14.
The Greyhounds are 5-2, having won their last five games. Senior Jack Kazmierczak is having an outstanding season, completing 88 of 130 attempts for 1,286 yards and 13 touchdowns. Senior Reece Bellin has 44 of those catches, including nine touchdowns.
Junior Alijah Alfayyad has been solid on the ground with 342 yards rushing, with one touchdown. Senior Will Heldt leads the defense with 69 tackles.
GUERIN CATHOLIC-EAST CENTRAL
Guerin Catholic is headed to southeastern Indiana to take on East Central. This game kicks off at 7:30 p.m.
The Trojans are one of the top teams in Class 4A with a 6-1 record. East Central’s wins are against Lawrenceburg 38-3, Harrison (Ohio) 41-7, Franklin County 54-0, Batesville 35-0, South Dearborn 48-6 and Connersville 42-14. The Trojans’ lone loss is to Moeller, a Cincinnati powerhouse, 43-14.
The Golden Eagles are 4-3 and picked up a 59-35 win over Northview last week. Sophomore quarterback Malcolm Houze is 47-of-106 with 648 yards and seven touchdowns to his credit. Senior Will Fremion has 40 receptions, nine of them for touchdowns.
Senior Justin Zdobylak leads the rushing with 540 yards, including five scores. Senior Luke Moody has 68 tackles, followed by junior Gavin Stella with 64.
HAMILTON HEIGHTS-LEWIS CASS
Hamilton Heights travels to Lewis Cass tonight for the Hoosier Conference East Division finale for both teams. The conference crossover games are next week. Both the Huskies and Cass are 2-1 in the division.
The Kings are 5-2 overall for the season. They won their first five games, over Pioneer 16-0, Maconaquah 20-14, Benton Central 35-6, Tipton 21-0 and Northwestern 42-14 before dropping games to Western 28-6 and West Lafayette 41-6.
Heights is also 5-2 overall, and coming off a big win over Tipton, 42-7 last week. Junior quarterback Bodie Derrer is throwing at an 82-of-135 clip for 1,256 yards and 16 touchdowns. Sophomore Tyler Champion has 29 of those receptions, including nine scores.
Senior Trey Ehman leads the rushing with 509 yards and seven touchdowns. Senior Vincent Harley leads the defense with 50 tackles, followed by junior Eric Balcom with 44.
NOBLESVILLE-BROWNSBURG
Noblesville heads west to Brownsburg tonight for a 7 p.m. HCC game with the unbeaten and 6A No. 1 Bulldogs.
Brownsburg’s seven wins have come against Ben Davis 21-16, Cathedral 42-35, Franklin Central 42-7, Avon 60-21, Fishers 41-28, Westfield 31-14 and Zionsville 50-3. Senior quarterback Jayden Whitaker has been very efficient, completing 122 of 167 throws for 1,661 yards and 12 touchdowns. Junior Corey Smith leads the receptions with 23; both he and senior Matthias Pilkington have four touchdown catches.
The Bulldogs have four rushers over 300 yards, led by junior Garrett Sherrell with 498 and eight touchdowns. Senior Caleb Marcus has gained 456 yards, and both he and Whitaker have run for seven scores. Senior Keegan Moore leads the defense with 52 tackles.
The Millers are 2-5 and looking for their first HCC win of the season. Junior Logan Shoffner leads the rushing with 752 yards and four touchdowns. Junior Gage Gulley has 419 yards and six touchdowns on the ground, with junior Blake Widget scoring five while running for 339 yards.
Freshman quarterback Landon Hughes has thrown for three touchdowns, all of them caught by sophomore Aiden Brewer. Junior Austin Hastings leads the tackles with 93.
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN-FRANKLIN CENTRAL
Hamilton Southeastern, unbeaten at 7-0, travels to Franklin Central tonight for a 7 p.m. HCC game.
The Flashes are 3-4, including a 2-3 conference record. Franklin Central’s wins have come against Perry Meridian 37-7, Avon 38-21 and Noblesville 21-7, while the Flashes have fallen to Roncalli 17-0, Brownsburg 42-7, Zionsville 14-7 and Fishers 26-15.
The Royals continued their perfect season last week by beating Noblesville 38-14. Senior quarterback Ty Bradle is 83-of-142 through the air for 1,012 yards and 12 touchdowns. Junior Donovan Hamilton leads the receptions with 31, including seven TDs, while senior Clayton Wilke has 26 catches, including two scores.
Junior Jalen Alexander is on top of the rushing list with 710 yards and seven touchdowns. Senior Griffen Haas has 57 tackles, with senior Evan Sherrill making 11 tackles for a loss.