Ranking the 12 semistate games this weekend
Just 24 teams remain. Let’s count down this weekend’s high school football semistate games from No. 12 to No. 1: Games at 7 p.m., Friday unless otherwise noted.
No. 12: North Judson (9-4) at Adams Central (13-0), Class A, 7:30 p.m.
These teams have met the past two years in this round of the tournament, both times at North Judson. Adams Central won 42-7 two years ago and 35-0 last year before running into Lutheran both years in the state championship and falling to the Saints. It is possible the same scenario plays out for the third consecutive year. North Judson was too much for Park Tudor in the regional, running for 377 yards and six touchdowns. The Bluejays have three juniors — fullback Brock Benson (1,401 rushing yards, 19 TDs), quarterback Jesiah McDaniel (1,020 yards, 15 TDs) and running back Kole Wilcox (871 yards, 12 TDs) — who lead a rushing attack that averages 294 yards per game. Adams Central is allowing just 5.0 points per game and is coming off a 29-0 win over No. 3 Carroll (Flora) in the regional. The Flying Jets, coached by Michael Mosser, are a strong running team on offense led by senior running back Keegan Bluhm, who ran for 205 yards and three TDs on 25 carries in the win over Carroll. Senior quarterback Jack Hamilton is a capable runner and passer.
No. 11: Southmont (8-5) at North Posey (12-1), Class 2A, 5 p.m. Saturday
This is all new territory for Southmont, which is a sectional and regional champion for the first time and now just one win from the state finals. The Mounties are accustomed to playing close games in the tournament, beating Cascade (22-21) and Linton-Stockton (36-34) in overtime and holding off Eastern Hancock 41-34 in the regional. Senior Wyatt Woodall (1,358 rushing yards, 24 TDs; 185 tackles) is a big-time player on both sides of the ball for Southmont. Quarterback Nolan Boyer (1,477 passing yards, 14 TDs; 719 rushing yards, six TDs) can pass and run. Fourth-ranked North Posey took out No. 1 Triton Central on the road last week, controlling the game with 315 rushing yards. Senior quarterback Liam Stone is closing on 1,000 yards passing and rushing (958 passing yards, eight TDs; 950 rushing yards, four TDs. North Posey made it to the state finals once previously, losing 35-7 to Jimtown in the 2005 2A finals.
Considering the success of these two programs over the years (19 combined state championships), it is a little surprising they have never met in a tournament game. Lafayette Central Catholic, ranked No. 10, won in Class A the same year Luers won in 2A five times (1999, 2009, ’10, ’11 and ’12). LCC is a passing offense with junior quarterback Bobby Metzger (2,758 yards, 33 TDs) throwing to Ray Clayton (71 catches, 911 yards, seven TDs), Jackson Cain (46 catches, 453 yards, six TDs) and Hudson Gutwein (35 catches, 401 yards, six TDs). No. 7 Luers edged No. 8 Bluffton 15-7 last week in the regional. Luers is led by senior quarterback Kohen McKenzie, who has passed for 1,666 yards and 19 TDs. His top receivers are senior Isaac Zay (34 catches, 573 yards, six TDs) and junior Jaylen White (34 catches, 438 yards, seven TDs).
No. 9: Lutheran (11-0) at Sheridan (10-3), Class A
Top-ranked and two-time defending champion Lutheran extended its winning streak to 41 games with a 14-7 regional win over No. 4 Providence. The Saints are an outstanding defensive team, led by Cole Snow (110 tackles) and Johnny Hall (102 tackles, seven tackles), allowing just 59 rushing yards per game. The offense has been strong on the ground in the tournament, led by senior running back Braydon Hall (1,747 yards, 25 TDs), but the Saints can also throw it with junior quarterback Jackson Willis (2,106 passing yards, 26 TDs) and junior receivers Javerrea Cooper (17 catches, 329 yards, six TDs) and Devuan Jones (13 catches, 272 yards, six TDs). Sheridan has edged past Monroe Central (27-22) and North Decatur (24-20) the past two weeks to win the regional for the first time in 11 years for coach Bud Wright. Senior Eli Kolb (1,228 rushing yards, 18 TDs) leads a Sheridan offense that averages 195 rushing yards per game. Senior Zach Bales can also run it and leads the Blackhawks’ defense with 153 tackles.
No. 8: Knox (13-0) at Bishop Chatard (13-0), Class 3A, 7:30 p.m.
Top-ranked Chatard cruised to a 35-6 win over Delta in the regional as quarterback Aidan Arteaga went 20-for-25 passing for 207 yards and a touchdown. Running back Daniel Shaw (1,129 rushing yards, 13 TDs) had 180 rushing yards and two TDs in the win. Senior receiver Colin Guy (57 catches, 745 yards, 13 TDs) is a playmaker for the Trojans’ offense. The defense is led by Sam Feeney (70 tackles, 16 tackles for loss) and Matthew Woods (56 tackles, 21 1⁄2 tackles for loss). Chatard allows just 8.5 points per game. No. 9 Knox knocked off West Lafayette 41-23 for its first regional championship. Coach Russ Radtke has 404 career wins in his 47th season, trailing only Sheridan’s Bud Wright in wins among active coaches.
NorthWood cruised to a 38-14 win over New Prairie in the regional as Georgia commit Nitro Tuggle had 12 catches for 208 yards and three TDs. Tuggle has 82 catches this season for 1,245 yards and 16 TDs. NorthWood senior quarterback Owen Roeder (3,092 passing yards, 36 TDs) is having a big season with five receivers with at least 25 receptions. Senior Keith Miller leads the defense with 96 tackles. NorthWood last reached the state finals in 2016. No. 10 Leo knocked NorthWood out in the sectional in 2019 and 2020 in close games. These programs also met in the 2011 regional and 2014 sectional with Leo also winning both of those games. Leo is led by senior quarterback Kylar Decker (1,905 passing yards, 22 TDs) and receivers Brock Schott (33 catches, 696 yards, six TDs) and Kaden Hurst (48 catches, 675 yards, nine TDs). Schott is also a standout on defense with 18 sacks.
No. 6: Merrillville (10-2) at FW Snider (11-1), Class 5A, 7:30 p.m.
Second-ranked Snider came about as close as possible to being eliminated from the tournament before Mang Tung saved the day with a 45-yard field as time expired for a 19-18 win over Mishawaka in the regional. Wow. Snider’s last trip to the state finals was in 2015, a wilder-than-wild 64-61 victory over
New Palestine. The Panthers are led on offense by senior quarterback Ke’ron Billingsley and senior running back Uriah Buchanan. Merrillville reached the regional in 2019, 2020 and ’21, but those were all 6A appearances. The Pirates were close to reaching this game a year ago, losing to 15-14 in the regional to Valparaiso, which went on to win state. Merrillville avenged the loss with a 24-20 win over Valpo last week. Trey Stephens jarred the ball away from a Valparaiso receiver in the end zone on the final play of the game.
No. 5: Westfield (11-1) at Crown Point (12-0), Class 6A, 7:30 p.m.
Fifth-ranked Westfield eliminated No. 6 Hamilton Southeastern 24-21 in the regional as Kendall Garnett ran for 223 yards and three touchdowns on 35 carries. The Shamrocks are regional champions for the seventh time overall and third time in four years. The offense is led by senior quarterback Jackson Gilbert (2,039 passing yards, 20 TDs) and the junior Garnett (1,099 rushing yards, nine TDs). Tight end Max Nosler (37 catches, 597 yards, six TDs) is also a key the Shamrocks’ offensive success. Junior Mikeah Webster (137 tackles, 9 ⁄2
1 tackles for loss) is a leader on defense for coach Jake Gilbert’s team. Fourthranked Crown Point, a regional champion for the second time and first since 1988, edged Penn 34-33 last week as Larry Ellison ran for 178 yards and three touchdowns on 38 carries.
No. 4: Gibson Southern (11-2) at Heritage Hills (12-1), Class 3A, 8 p.m.
It seems crazy that these conference rivals meet in the semistate but here we are. No. 6 Gibson Southern, coming off a 38-21 win at Tri-West in the regional, knocked off No. 7 Heritage Hills 31-28 during the regular season. Senior quarterback Tanner Boyd (2,135 passing yards, 21 TDs; 800 rushing yards, 12 TDs) has a lot of talented weapons around him, including senior Sean DeLong (1,155 rushing yards, 14 TDs; 39 catches, 412 yards, seven TDs). Heritage Hills sophomore quarterback Jett Goldsberry (1,044 passing yards, 14 TDs; 1,235 rushing yards, 19 TDs) leads an offense that averages 270 rushing yards per game. The Patriots knocked out Southridge 23-20 in the sectional semifinal and edged Batesville 24-21 in the regional. Heritage Hills has made three state finals appearances, most recently in 2019. Gibson Southern made its first appearance two years ago and won the 3A title.
No. 3: Bloomington South (11-1) at Decatur Central (10-2), Class 5A, 7 p.m.
No. 3 Bloomington South rolled to a 42-21 win last week over Evansville North as quarterback Jarrin Alley passed for 229 yards and two TDs (he ran for another). Lucas Waldon had eight catches for 168 yards and two TDs and Gavin Adams ran for 117 yards and three TDs on 29 carries for the Panthers. Alley has put up big numbers all season for Bloomington South, which has lost four consecutive semistate games since winning a state championship in 1998. Decatur Central’s only regional title before this season was in 2018. The Hawks won the semistate that year over Columbus East, 27-24, before falling in the state finals to New Palestine. Decatur Central, coming off a 41-7 win over Whiteland in the regional, is led on offense by sophomore quarterback Bo Polston (1,544 passing yards, 19 TDs; 406 rushing yards, six TDs), junior running back N’po Dodo (1,040 rushing yards, seven TDs; 15 catches, 315 yards, five TDs) and senior running back KC Berry (735 yards, seven TDs; 22 catches, 374 yards, three TDs).
Top-ranked and defending state champion East Central pummeled Evansville Memorial 47-7 on the road Friday in the regional and will attempt to reach the state finals for the sixth time overall and fourth since 2015. The Trojans are led by senior running back and Miami of Ohio commit Josh Ringer (2,512 rushing yards, 50 TDs; 12 catches, 272 yards, five TDs) and senior quarterback Cole Burton (1,312 passing yards, 21 TDs). Senior Ryan Brotherton (34 catches, 756 yards, 14 TDs; 339 rushing yards, four TDs) is also a dangerous weapon on offense. Third-ranked New Palestine has outscored its four tournament opponents 179-12. The Dragons will run the ball with seniors Grayson Thomas (2,259 rushing yards, 33 TDs) and Kyler Kropp (502 yards, 10 TDs), though sophomore Gavin Neal (57.2 passer, 1,434 yards, 14 TDs) made some big throws in last week’s 39-6 win over Mooresville. Seniors Kropp (37 catches, 773 yards, nine TDs) and Ty Mitchell (20 catches, 376 yards, three TDs) are top receiving targets. The most interesting matchup will be Ringer and Co. against a New Palestine defense that is playing its best football with junior Michael Thacker (47 tackles, 18 tackles for loss in seven game) back in the lineup. This should be a great matchup.
The showdown. I think many of us looked forward to the winner of the Ben Davis-Brownsburg sectional game running into Center Grove in the semistate. There is a little bit of unknown here as these teams did not meet in the regular season due to Ben Davis playing IMG Academy. But there is obviously a lot of history between the programs, including three semistate meetings from 2019 to 2021 (all Center Grove wins). Coach Eric Moore’s team is a little different this year on offense with the passing game of quarterback Tyler Cherry (73.4% passer, 2,750 yards, 31 TDs) and receiver Noah Coy (90 catches, 1,260 yards, 19 TDs) the most reliable means of moving the ball for the secondranked Trojans. The defense is relatively young, though senior linebackers Owen Bright (109 tackles, seven tackles for loss) and Kaden McConnell (76 tackles), tackle Nate Johnson (64 tackles, five sacks) and defensive back Brody Boswell (seven interceptions) are the standouts on that side of the ball. No. 3 Ben Davis has been pushed twice in the tournament, rallying from an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat No. 1 Brownsburg 28-25 in the sectional and holding off Cathedral 27-24 in the regional. Senior Thomas Gotkowski can match Cherry’s season at quarterback (2,312 passing yards, 28 TDs; 341 rushing yards, 10 TDs) and has several dynamic players around him, including junior running back Alijah Price (834 rushing yards, 10 TDs; 24 catches, 236 yards, four TDs) and junior receiver Mark Zackery (45 catches, 679 yards, seven TDs). Senior linebackers Toreeq Oyesigi (96 tackles, 14 1⁄2 tackles for loss), Andrew Evans (86 tackles, 12 tackles for loss) and Nylan Brown (77 tackles in seven games) were everywhere in the regional win over Cathedral. Fantastic matchup.
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.