When it comes to the Summit Athletic Conference and the IHSAA’s release of sectional pairings Sunday, the word of the day is rematch.
Snider will get its much-desired rematch with Carroll in Class 6A, Bishop Dwenger and Wayne appeared headed for a championship-round rematch in Class 4A, and the same goes for Bishop Luers and Concordia on a collision course in Class 3A.
Some patience will be required. There’s still a final regular-season Friday night to go, when we’ll see who will be crowned the SAC champ. But after that, the postseason race is on, and it promises to be as fun as ever.
Here’s a look at the sectionals with the most local flavor in the Fort Wayne area, a look at what to expect and the early favorite for hardware:
CLASS 6A
Snider (6-2) at Carroll (3-5)
Homestead (5-3) at Northrop (3-5)
Snider was worked over 38-14 by Carroll when the teams met in Week 2, but since then they’ve moved in different directions. Snider has improved steadily, capped by a win on Friday over previously unbeaten Bishop Dwenger. The maturing of quarterback Jon Barnes has been huge for Snider. Carroll has lost four of its last five. Homestead won a shootout with Northrop in Week 1, and the Spartans are coming off a win over Wayne last week. Looks like a Snider-Homestead final unless the Spartans unwisely look past Northrop.
Early favorite for sectional hardware: Snider over Homestead
CLASS 5A
North Side (2-6) at Elkhart Central (4-4)
Concord (4-4) at Elkhart Memorial (2-6)
Goshen (1-7) at Winner Game 1
This is a good opportunity for North Side to take advantage of the preparation from its challenging schedule. Elkhart Central is the prohibitive favorite and is clearly a solid team, having lost 20-17 to Class 6A Penn, ranked fourth in the latest coaches’ poll. North Side’s improvement this season is a credit to coach Mike Brevard’s persistence in working to improve the team’s culture. My guess is the Legends are a year away.
Early favorite for sectional hardware: Elkhart Central over Concord
CLASS 4A
Wayne (6-2) at South Side (0-8)
New Haven (4-4) at Columbia City (4-4)
Leo (5-3) at Jay County (3-5)
Bishop Dwenger (7-1) at Logansport (3-5)
This sectional has some intrigue outside the SAC, as New Haven will seek to avenge a regular-season loss to Columbia City and Leo will seek to show it is a different team after a struggling first half of the season. But it seems inevitable Wayne will gain its rematch with Dwenger. Both teams suffered losses on Friday (Wayne to Homestead and Dwenger to Snider). If it takes place, it could be quite an epic battle. Dwenger’s defense got pushed around a bit by Snider’s running game. Look for that to serve as supreme motivation in the postseason. Don’t count out the Generals, who have been itching to get another shot at Dwenger.
Early favorite for sectional hardware: Dwenger over Wayne
CLASS 4A
Plymouth (6-2) at NorthWood (8-0)
East Noble (7-1) at DeKalb (5-3)
Northridge (4-4) at Wawasee (0-8)
Angola (8-0) at Culver Academy (5-2)
DeKalb has won four in a row since a 35-7 loss to East Noble and will prep for this game with a season-finale showdown with Leo. East Noble is one of the more underrated teams in the area, with only a loss to Warsaw. The problem for either of those teams is the fact No. 2 NorthWood likely awaits in the semifinal. On the other side of the bracket, the Angola-Culver first-round game could be tremendous.
Early favorite for sectional hardware: Angola over NorthWood
CLASS 3A
West Noble (6-2) at Norwell (2-6)
Heritage (2-6) at Bishop Luers (5-3)
Concordia (3-5) at Lakeland (5-3)
Garrett (2-6) at Bellmont (0-8)
Concordia could be the most dangerous 3-5 team in the state, with receiver Kamari Anderson-Drew being almost impossible to contain. And now it looks like they have two quality quarterbacks. The Cadets can play with anyone, as wins over Class 6A Northrop and Carroll have shown. Bishop Luers has more playmakers than anyone in Class 3A and the return to health of Justin Gaston makes the Knights even more explosive. I expect an SAC rematch of their regular-season game, which Luers won in two overtimes.
Early favorite for sectional hardware: Luers over Concordia
CLASS 2A
Woodlan (4-4) at Bremen (7-1)
Wabash (1-7) at Central Noble (5-3)
Bluffton (5-3) at Manchester (2-6)
Whitko (1-7) at Prairie Heights (1-7)
This is a good draw for resurgent program Bluffton, as the Tigers should be able to advance to the championship game. Once they get there, expect to see fifth-ranked Bremen, whose only loss was last week to Class 3A Jimtown in a 35-28 battle. Could Woodlan surprise Bremen in the opener? Yes, it could. Will it? With that first round game at Bremen’s home field, I doubt it.
Early favorite for sectional hardware: Bremen over Bluffton
CLASS 1A
Eastside (5-3) at Southwood (8-0)
Southern Wells (1-7) at Fremont (1-7)
Adams Central (8-0) at Northfield (4-4)
South Adams (6-2) at Churubusco (7-1)
The first round game with coaches poll No. 15 South Adams at No. 3 Churubusco will require fans to arrive early if they want a seat. Those are two typical community-supported schools who rally entire small towns around them. It’s too bad they’re on the same side of the bracket as No. 2 Adams Central. Southwood, ranked fourth, has allowed only 29 points this season with four shutouts.
Early favorite for sectional hardware: Adams Central over Southwood
Feature photo of Jordan Presley run by Josh Gales
