IHSAA football playoffs: Ranking the 10 best regional games across Indiana
The high school football regional matchups are set for Friday night. Counting down the top-10 games around Indiana (and something to know about the other games):
10. Park Tudor (12-0) at North Judson (8-4), Class A
These teams met in last year’s regional, a 49-13 North Judson win. The Bluejays ran for 490 yards in that game, but graduated a lot of talent from teams that won back-to-back regional titles in 2021 and ’22. North Judson, though not as experienced, is still diverse in the run game led by junior Brock Benson (1,119 rushing yards, 15 TDs). Fifth-ranked Park Tudor has four sectional titles in its history, but never gone further. Senior quarterback D.J. Gordon (2,273 passing yards, 27 TDs; 1,526 rushing yards, 27 TDs) could lead the Panthers within one step of Lucas Oil Stadium. The winner here will be player either No. 2 Adams Central or No. 3 Carroll (Flora) in the north semistate.
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9. Mooresville (7-5) at New Palestine (10-2), Class 4A
Different matchup. These programs have not met since 2004, which is kind of strange. Mooresville is coming off a 40-39 thriller over Brebeuf Jesuit, advancing on Tyler Church’s 35-yard field goal with no time left. Senior Hogan Denny (2,103 passing yards, 21 TDs; 1,160 rushing yards, 14 TDs) is having a huge season for the Pioneers. Can Mooresville slow down No. 3 New Palestine? The Dragons, on a 10-game winning streak, average 38.8 points per game.
8. Providence (12-0) at Lutheran (10-0), Class A
Top-ranked Lutheran smashed Providence 49-7 in the regional last season, but the fourth-ranked Pioneers should be more competitive this time. Senior quarterback Carter Lannan (1,253 passing yards, 22 TDs) and junior defensive end Griffin Tucker (52 tackles, 11 ½ sacks) lead the Pioneers. Lutheran has 40 consecutive wins following last week’s 57-14 win over Covenant Christian. Braydon Hall ran for 246 yards and five TDs for the Saints in the sectional final.
7. Gibson Southern (10-2) at Tri-West (11-1), Class 3A
These programs met in the semistate two years ago. Mr. Football Brady Allen was too much on that evening, leading Gibson Southern to its first state championship a week later. This sixth-ranked Gibson Southern team is not quite as dominant but still dynamic on offense with senior quarterback Tanner Boyd (1,948 passing yards, 20 TDs; 690 rushing yards, 10 TDs) and running back Sean DeLong (1,077 rushing yards, 14 TDs). No. 8 Tri-West beat a tough Monrovia 28-21 last week. Quarterback Malachi Walden continues to be the guy opponents try to stop but can’t. He has 1,422 rushing yards and 18 TDs to go with 1,413 passing yards and 16 TDs. The Bruins are 10-3 all-time in regional games.
6. Evansville North (8-3) at Bloomington South (10-1), Class 5A
Third-ranked Bloomington South is averaging 46.4 points per game, including a 44-31 win over No. 1 Bloomington North in the sectional opener. Jarrin Alley had 220 passing yards and six passing TDs in that win. Evansville North is coming off a 60-50 win over Castle, rushing for more than 500 yards. The Huskies have played a schedule that should have them ready for a game with these stakes.
5. Whiteland (7-4) at Decatur Central (9-2), Class 5A
These Mid-State Conference rivals have never met in the tournament. Whiteland, last year’s state runner-up, ran for 226 yards in a 31-15 win over No. 7 Decatur Central in Week 3. The Hawks are on a seven-game winning streak, though, coming off a 34-17 win over No. 5 Harrison in the sectional championship. Quarterback Bo Polston, who received a Michigan offer over the weekend, was injured in the previous meeting with Whiteland. He threw for two touchdowns and ran for 71 yards and two scores against Harrison. Slate Valentine had 247 rushing yards and two TDs on 37 carries in a 34-10 win over Terre Haute South.
4. Valparaiso (9-2) at Merrillville (9-2), Class 5A
There is a lot of familiarity here. Defending state champion Valparaiso, ranked No. 4, knocked off Merrillville 15-14 in last year’s regional and 26-24 in Week 7 of this season. Thomas Burda ran for 135 yards in that regular-season game and quarterback Justin Clark had 102 rushing yards. No. 6 Merrillville, which played in the 6A semistate for three consecutive years from 2019-21, is in its second year in 5A.
3. North Posey (11-1) at Triton Central (11-1), Class 2A
No. 1 Triton Central has been tripped up in this round of the tournament each of the past four seasons and this could arguably be the toughest test in the Tigers’ attempt to win a state title. Fourth-ranked North Posey knocked out defending state champion Evansville Mater Dei 35-34 in overtime two weeks ago and has been tested by a tough schedule. The Vikings run for 280 yards per game, led by junior Jed Galvin (1,037 yards, 18 TDs).
2. Hamilton Southeastern (9-2) at Westfield (10-1), Class 6A
No. 5 Westfield knocked off No. 6 HSE 30-28 in a controversial finish in Week 5 when Jackson Gilbert connected with Kendall Garnett for a touchdown on the final play of the game. Garnett caught the 2-yard pass right at the goal line. Westfield lost the following week to Brownsburg 37-7, but has rallied to win five in a row, including a 24-12 win over Noblesville for its fourth consecutive sectional title. HSE knocked off Westfield 20-0 in last year’s regional. The Royals ran for 434 yards in last week’s 38-21 win over Fishers, including 184 yards and three TDs from Jalen Alexander.
1. Ben Davis (10-1) vs. Cathedral (8-3), at UIndy, Class 6A
These teams have not met since the 2016 regional, which Ben Davis won 51-21. The third-ranked Giants, after a furious rally for a 28-25 win over No. 1 Brownsburg in the sectional opener, had a breather last week in a 53-0 sectional title win over Pike. Quarterback Thomas Gotkowski is over 2,000 passing yards on the season now with 25 passing TDs. Cathedral played its best defensive game of the season last week in a 20-3 win over Lawrence North, holding the Wildcats to 120 yards of offense. Jalen Bonds ran for 262 yards and two TDsto take some pressure off Danny O’Neil (1,931 passing yards, 30 TDs; 621 rushing yards, eight TDs on the season) and the passing game.
A look at the other 14 games around the state:
Class 6A
∎ Crown Point (11-0) at Penn (10-1): No. 4 Crown Point is coming off its first sectional championship in five years, a dominant 42-7 win over Lake Central as junior Noah Ehrlich passed for four touchdowns. Crown Point’s only regional championship was back in 1988. Since that time, No. 8 Penn has won four state championships and appeared in seven other state finals. Jake Balis had 860 rushing yards and 11 TDs going into last week’s 31-10 win over Warsaw. The winner here plays the Hamilton Southeastern-Westfield winner.
∎ Warren Central (5-6) at Center Grove (10-1): Warren Central cruised past overmatched Perry Meridian (49-0) and Southport (49-0) in the sectional. I would not be surprised at all if the Warriors make this a four-quarter battle similar to the 31-28 loss to Ben Davis in Week 5. Warren Central will need to run the ball successfully to have a chance with junior Jaylan McMoore (749 yards, six TDs) playing a key role. Three-time defending champion and second-ranked Center Grove knocked off Warren Central 42-32 in last year’s regional. Duke recruit Tyler Cherry (2,376 passing yards, 27 TDs) is completing 73.3% of his passes this season.
Class 5A
∎ Fort Wayne Snider (10-1) at Mishawaka (9-2): This is another regional rematch from 2022. Fort Wayne Snider won 41-27 last season, then lost to Valparaiso in overtime in the semistate. Snider has some serious talent, including running back Uriah Buchanan and quarterback Keron Billingsley. No. 9 Mishawaka edged Concord 20-14 last week in the sectional championship. The Cavemen are 3-11 all-time in regional games.
Class 4A
∎ Leo (10-2) at Mississinewa (12-0): This is Mississinewa’s fourth sectional title since 2017, but the fifth-ranked Indians have a six-game regional losing streak going back to their only regional win in 1985. No. 10 Leo took out No. 6 East Noble 45-42 in the sectional semifinal, then rolled 31-13 over Bishop Dwenger. The Lions, led by quarterback Kylar Decker (1,801 passing yards, 21 TDs) are in the regional for the first time since 2011.
∎ New Prairie (10-2) at NorthWood (10-2): New Prairie reached the state finals last year, losing to East Central. The Cougars are led by senior quarterback Marshall Kmiecik, a 1,000-yard passer and rusher. NorthWood knocked off No. 8 Northridge 17-14 last week for the sectional title as Georgia commit Nitro Tuggle caught seven passes for 117 yards and a touchdown from quarterback Owen Roeder.
∎ East Central (12-0) at Evansville Memorial (9-3): This one just missed the top-10 cut. Top-ranked East Central is just so dominant. The Trojans knocked off Evansville Memorial 35-21 in last year’s regional. John Ringer ran for 148 yards and two TDs in last week’s 47-0 win over Greenwood, which was East Central’s sixth shutout in 12 games. Evansville Memorial upset second-ranked Evansville Reitz 21-16 in the sectional championship, avenging a 34-0 loss in Week 7.
Class 3A
∎ Knox (12-0) at West Lafayette (9-3): Knox, ranked No. 9, was blown out by West Lafayette 55-14 in last year’s regional. Coach Russ Radtke (403 career wins) has led Knox to two of its three sectional titles, but the program has never advanced beyond the regional. West Lafayette is coming off a 42-41 overtime thriller over No. 2 Hanover Central. Junior Benny Speaker has 74 catches for 849 yards and seven TDs.
∎ Bishop Chatard (12-0) at Delta (8-4): Top-ranked Chatard has already knocked out three teams ranked in the top-5: Guerin Catholic and Tippecanoe Valley, tied for No. 3, and No. 5 Hamilton Heights. Delta, which has not won a regional title since 2001, edged Yorktown (24-21) and Garrett (21-15) to win its first sectional championship in seven years.
∎ Heritage Hills (11-1) at Batesville (11-1): No. 7 Heritage Hills cleared a big hurdle in the sectional semifinals with a 23-20 win over Southridge. The Patriots have not made it this far since reaching the state finals in 2019. Sophomore Jett Goldsberry (great name!) leads Heritage Hills in rushing (950 yards, 13 TDs). Batesville won its only regional title in 1986. Junior Will Jaisle has 1,463 passing yards and 26 passing TDs.
Class 2A
∎ LaVille (11-1) at Lafayette Central Catholic (9-3): This would be new territory for fifth-ranked LaVille, which won its only regional title in Class A in 1982. No. 10 Lafayette Central Catholic, an eight-time state champion, has won eight in a row after a 1-3 start. Bobby Metzger leads the Knights with 2,492 passing yards and 30 TDs.
∎ Bluffton (10-2) at Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (9-3): No. 7 Luers rolled to a 35-6 win over Bluffton in last year’s regional before running into Andrean in the semistate. No. 8 Bluffton won a sectional last season for the first time since 1988. The Tigers won their only regional that year in Class A.
∎ Eastern Hancock (8-4) at Southmont (7-5): This matchup is a fun one and could easily be included in the top-10. Eastern Hancock is in the regional for the first time since 2014, while Southmont is here for the first time after back-to-back overtime wins in the sectional over Cascade (22-21) and Linton-Stockton (36-34).
Class A
∎ Adams Central (12-0) at Carroll-Flora (12-0): This game probably belongs in the top-10, but No. 2 Adams Central rolled to a 35-0 win over Carroll in last year’s regional. It should be closer this time. Third-ranked Carroll has allowed just 41 points (!) this season. Adams Central, the state runner-up the past two seasons, has allowed just 65 points against a tougher schedule.
∎ North Decatur (9-3) at Sheridan (9-3): This is another regional rematch. North Decatur won last year’s matchup 29-14 before falling to Lutheran in the semistate. Sheridan scored late in the fourth quarter to defeat Monroe Central 27-22 last week in the sectional championship. Sheridan’s last regional championship for coach Bud Wright was in 2012.
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana high school football tournament: Friday's best regional games
