Centerville football 'made for more' going into sectional vs. 3A runners-up Lawrenceburg

CENTERVILLE, Ind. — Centerville could not have had a tougher first-round draw to begin IHSAA sectional play Friday night.

The 9-0 and 13th-ranked Bulldogs drew 15th-ranked and Class 3A state runners-up Lawrenceburg (7-2 overall), albeit at home, with a potential road game against 8-1 and 12th-ranked Batesville next week should they win.

As the state's fifth smallest school in its second year of 3A with 520 students, Centerville isn't looking at Friday's contest with the Tigers, the state's 16th largest in 3A with 718 students, as a David vs. Goliath battle.

As a matter of fact, coach Ryan Cole and his Bulldogs are approaching the game just as they have every single game this season, just with the added stakes that their first loss will also be their last.

That's not to say Lawrenceburg isn't different than other teams they've played.

"They're bigger up front," Cole said. "They're really good in the run game and it kind of reminds me of Winchester, as far as just that they love power and counter, and they've got unbelievable and dynamic playmakers on the perimeter. I don't think we've seen a team that we can really compare with them."

One major difference between Lawrenceburg and the rest of Centerville's schedule is that not once this season did the Bulldogs play a team from Class 3A or higher, one downside to its eight-game Tri-Eastern Conference schedule made entirely of 1A and 2A opponents, with its lone nonconference opponent being Class 2A Eastern Hancock.

"We would have loved to play more 3A teams and some 4A teams, but it's just the way our schedule is made in our conference," Cole said. "We've always been a 2A school so we've always played within our conference made up of other 1A and 2A schools. There's nothing we can do about it and it's something that's out of our control, so we're going to worry about what we can control and approach the tournament and prepare just like we always have."

'Made for More' have been words to live by for Bulldogs this season

The motto that the Bulldogs have gone by this year has been "Made for More," a phrase that came to Cole at the start of the season when thinking about the personality of the team and especially the senior class.

"The one thing that has always stuck to me once I even took the job was that they've never won a sectional championship in program history," he said. "Our goal is to win a conference championship, but the ultimate goal is to win a sectional championship and do something that's never been done here."

Cole continued, "So that's kind of how it came about, and it's just something that we've talked about how it's not just football, it's life. I want them to always know that they're not just football players, their identity is much more than that in as they go through life, they're made to do great things ... We want them to believe that they're made for more and I think they do believe it."

Offensive line and team playing for Jonny

Nathan Westover, a senior and the centerpiece of Centerville's offensive line, said that the offensive line, that has helped the Bulldogs score 27 rushing touchdowns this season, has been coming to practice each day "bringing the best energy we can bring."

"I think we're in a really good physical state along with mental state," he said. "We're pretty mentally strong right now and it should be fun for us Friday night. We're just thankful for the opportunity to play football; I'm a big believer in that. We feel good and we've just got to go out there and play like we can."

One player who Westover and Cole said unfortunately missed the opportunity to play his senior season, among others, was former guard Jonny Snyder.

"We had a couple of injuries and a heartbreaking injury," Westover said. "He is my best friend and it's hard not watching him play with us, but we were able to overcome everything and at the end of the day, there's five of us up there, all brothers, and you've just got to trust in each other."

Snyder was injured in a summer wrestling camp by tearing his labrum, after previously having surgery in the offseason last year. Cole said that his replacement Timmy Wright, has "done a phenomenal job buying into the position" but that the team still misses Snyder.

"Every time I lace up the cleats every day, I take the time to think about it and how to never take anything for granted," Westover said. "Everything that this group has been through, we've all had to stop and think about stuff that we're lucky to have had come through, by every day I think about [Jonny] when we step on the field."

Rest of Wayne County

IHSAA Class 2A Sectional 38 First Round

Northeastern (7-2) at Winchester (6-2), 7 p.m.

The first time these two TEC foes faced off back in week three, the Knights won 19-7 in Fountain City to give the Golden Falcons their first loss of the season.

Northeastern was the only team to have held Winchester to single digits this season, as the Golden Falcons have scored at least 20 points in every other game.

The now unranked Knights, just coming off a loss to Hagerstown, will look to repeat the same result they gave Winchester over a month ago, with the winner facing either Shenandoah or Heritage Christian next week.

IHSAA Class 1A Sectional 45 First Round

Hagerstown (6-3) at Sheridan (6-3), 7 p.m.

Sheridan was the same team that sent the Tigers packing in the sectional championship a year ago, winning a shootout that ended 75-36, and also ended the Tigers season way back in the 1994 regional championship, the only other meeting between the two schools.

Hagerstown is coming off their victory at Northeastern after being shut out in its two prior games, and the Blackhawks are coming off of back-to-back losses, including a 24-0 defeat to Carroll (Flora) last week.

Both coaches for each side come in experienced, with Hagerstown's Scott Snodgrass in his 13th year with the Tigers and 20th overall, while Sheridan's Larry Wright enters his 58th postseason with Sheridan and 59th overall as the state's current winningest coach.

IHSAA Class 4A Sectional 22 First Round

Mount Vernon (Fortville) (5-4 overall) at Richmond (1-8), 7 p.m.

The Red Devils got a favorable draw in terms of playing at home, but not so much in regards to who they'll be playing.

The Marauders score an average of 33.3 points per game while giving up 32.2 points, in comparison to Richmond's 8.6 points per game on offense and 34.9 points given up on defense.

While the Red Devils are on a four-game losing streak, Mount Vernon, who finished fourth in a Hoosier Heritage Conference that saw the top five close out the season with winning records, is on a three-game winning streak. Its most recent victory was a 35-21 home defeat of Yorktown.

IHSAA Class 1A Sectional 46 First Round

Milan (6-3) at Lincoln (1-6), 7 p.m.

Aside from their victory against Union County, the Golden Eagles have had a tough season, missing two games due to injuries and only scoring in the double digits three times.

Lincoln's sectional draw doesn't make it any easier as they host the Indians, who have won five of their last six, including the last two against South Decatur (49-7) and Madison (43-0).

The Indians score an average of 32.9 points per game and give up 16.6, compared to Lincoln's defensive average of 60.9 points per game.

This article originally appeared on Richmond Palladium-Item: IHSAA football: Centerville 'made for more' in Lawrenceburg matchup