Jets and Starfires to battle for 1A title at Team State Finals
The Adams Central Jets and South Adams Starfires will make the trip to Rochester, Indiana on Saturday morning for the IHSWCA Class 1A Team State Finals.
Adams Central will have the benefit of a first-round bye, sending the top-ranked team in 1A directly through to the quarter-finals.
Beyond their ranking, there is plenty of reason to believe the Jets could lift the trophy. They have already won the ACAC Duals this season and tested Bellmont last month.
The Jets are coming off a big win over Homestead that saw them hold off a furious rally from the Spartans.
While the Jets have the advantage of being able to sit out the first round, they will not know what team they are going up against until the morning of.
They will know that their opponent will be either Cascade or North Miami.
Cascade brings in a 10-9 record. Their overall mark may not be impressive, but of note going into the tournament, the Cadets are 3-0 against 1A schools.
North Miami could potentially present the greater challenge, though. The Warriors are currently 17-0. They are a perfect 7-0 versus 1A opposition this year.
Their only defeats have come against Maconaquah and Western, two schools who will be competing in the 2A tournament.
South Adams was voted into the 1A field.
Currently 11-4, the Starfires will tune up for Saturday by competing at Huntington North on Thursday.
Unlike Adams Central, the first opponent for South Adams is already confirmed.
The Starfires, who are currently ranked fifth in Class 1A, will start what they hope will be a lengthy tournament run with a dual versus Southmont in the opening round.
The Mounties come in 6-7 on the year. They have beaten both of the 1A opponents they have gone up against.
Should the Starfires get past Southmont, they will face a tough test in the quarter-finals versus fourthranked Tell City. The Marksmen will be coming off a first-round bye.
With both the Jets and Starfires being placed on the same half of the bracket, the possibility exists for an Adams Central-South Adams semi-final.
In the other two first-round matchups, Faith Christian will face Prairie Heights, while Cowan will battle Bluffton.
Along with Adams Central and Tell City, Rochester and West Central earned free passes to the quarter-finals.
The action is scheduled to get underway at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday.