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IHSAA announces high school football sectional pairings for Evansville area

Kyle Sokeland and Treasure Washington, Evansville Courier & Press
·4 min read

EVANSVILLE — The path to Indianapolis is now set.

The Indiana High School Athletic Association announced its high school football sectional pairings this evening. The first round of the state tournament is scheduled for October 21 with Class 5A beginning the following week.

Gibson Southern (3A) and Mater Dei (2A) both advanced to the final weekend last season. Will any Southwestern teams be fortunate to earn a trip to Lucas Oil Stadium? A handful of teams have the potential to make a deep run.

Here are the sectional pairings in the Courier & Press coverage area and breakdown of how the blind draw came out this year.

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IHSAA football state tournament

Class 5A

Sectional 16

Game 1: Floyd Central (3-5) at North (4-4)

Game 2: Castle (5-3) at New Albany (2-6)

Quick analysis: North stays at Bundrant Stadium in the opening round but Floyd Central is usually a tough opponent. Other than a trip to Floyd County, Castle comes out well in these pairings. It would host the sectional championship regardless of the opponent. North and Castle could provide more fireworks if they meet after the week one matchup was decided by one score.

North’s Angelo St.Louis (7) runs the ball past Jasper defender Charlie Kabrick (1) as the North Huskies play the Jasper Wildcats at Bundrant Stadium in Evansville, Ind., Friday evening, Oct. 7, 2022.
North’s Angelo St.Louis (7) runs the ball past Jasper defender Charlie Kabrick (1) as the North Huskies play the Jasper Wildcats at Bundrant Stadium in Evansville, Ind., Friday evening, Oct. 7, 2022.

Class 4A

Sectional 24

Game 1: Memorial (5-3) at Bosse (1-7)

Game 2: Jasper (5-3) at Game 1 winner

Game 3: Boonville (6-2) at Harrison (2-6)

Game 4: Central (0-8) at Reitz (8-0)

Quick analysis: A fairly balanced job by those ping pong balls. Memorial wouldn't leave Enlow Field the first two weeks if it beats Bosse with a rematch against Jasper in the semifinal. A possible Reitz-Boonville semifinal at Bennett Field would also be the other top potential pairing. The first round game to watch here is Boonville at Harrison to see how the PAC-SIAC compare.

Memorial’s Caleb Ellspermann (13) runs the ball as the Memorial Tigers play the Reitz Panthers at Enlow Field in Evansville, Ind., Friday evening, Sept. 30, 2022.
Memorial’s Caleb Ellspermann (13) runs the ball as the Memorial Tigers play the Reitz Panthers at Enlow Field in Evansville, Ind., Friday evening, Sept. 30, 2022.

Class 3A

Sectional 30

Game 1: Vincennes Lincoln (4-4) at Gibson Southern (8-0)

Game 2: Owen Valley (8-0) at Mount Vernon (4-4)

Game 3: Princeton (0-8) at West Vigo (3-5)

Game 4: Washington (2-6) at Pike Central (1-7)

Quick analysis: The top half of this bracket is brutal. Defending state champion Gibson Southern gets Vincennes Lincoln at home making this turnaround season for the Alices tougher. It was also a rough draw for Mount Vernon with undefeated Owen Valley. Whoever survives this gauntlet will be the favorite to advance to the regional.

Gibson Southern’s Sean DeLong (2) is tackled by Southridge's Blake Taylor (65) as the Gibson Southern Titans play the Southridge Raiders at Southridge High School in Huntingburg, Ind., Friday evening, Sept. 16, 2022.
Gibson Southern’s Sean DeLong (2) is tackled by Southridge's Blake Taylor (65) as the Gibson Southern Titans play the Southridge Raiders at Southridge High School in Huntingburg, Ind., Friday evening, Sept. 16, 2022.

Sectional 32

Game 1: Scottsburg (2-6) at Corydon Central (3-5)

Game 2: North Harrison (6-2) at Southridge (7-1)

Game 3: Madison (4-4) at Heritage Hills (4-4)

Game 4: Charlestown (7-1) at Salem (2-6)

Quick analysis: Southridge is the favorite here but North Harrison may be an interesting first round. If the Raiders do win, it'll be the 11th sectional title in program history. Heritage Hills had a tough regular season but things look a little better for the Patriots with a visit from Madison. A potential semifinal against Charlestown, on the road, wouldn't be easy.

Class 2A

Sectional 40

Game 1: Forest Park (1-7) at North Posey (6-2)

Game 2: Mitchell (1-7) at Paoli (6-2)

Game 3: Tell City (2-6) at Crawford County (0-8)

Game 4: Perry Central (7-1) at Mater Dei (6-2)

Quick analysis: A potentially tough opener for No. 4 Mater Dei against Perry Central, but it will be at the Bowl. North Posey looks like the most formidable opponent in the other half of the bracket. If both advance that far into the tournament, the Wildcats would get the home game. Mater Dei won that matchup in the sectional final last year on the way to the state championship game.

Forest Park's Garrett Tretter (53) tries to bring down Tecumseh's Drew Dupont (10) during their game at Tecumseh High School Friday evening, Sept. 9, 2022.
Forest Park's Garrett Tretter (53) tries to bring down Tecumseh's Drew Dupont (10) during their game at Tecumseh High School Friday evening, Sept. 9, 2022.

Class 1A

Sectional 48

Game 1: South Spencer (4-4) at Tecumseh (8-0)

Game 2: North Daviess (5-3) at Game 1 winner

Game 3: Springs Valley (4-4) at Providence (6-1)

Game 4: West Washington (5-2) at Eastern Greene (1-7)

Quick analysis: This draw sets up well for the No. 6 Braves. They avoid Providence, arguably the toughest opponent in the field, until a potential championship game. Tecumseh would host the opening two rounds if it beats future conference opponent South Spencer. The undefeated Braves also beat North Daviess in week one.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: IHSAA announces high school football sectional pairings for SW Indiana