6A
Homestead (10-1) at Westfield (10-1)
The Spartans are right back to where they were last year, except they won’t have to face Carmel this year in regionals. Instead, they’ll play a team that’s as good as and arguably better in Westfield. That’s what happens when you make it this far and now Evan Ormsby will try to lead Homestead to their first 6A regional title ever. What will it take from him? Probably a lot of what he’s been doing the last couple of weeks, with 456 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 79% completion rate. This game will likely come down to what he and his receivers can muster against a ferocious Shamrock defense.
Opponent Analysis: Westfield is easily a top five team in the state. They’ve sure shown that so far winning their sectional games by a combined score of 66-0 against Noblesville and Fishers. This is part of a stretch where the Shamrocks haven’t given up a single point to any of their opponents in their last three games. They’ve done this with QB Maximus Webster at the helm. Webster has 1,667 yards, 21 touchdowns, and only 3 interceptions on the year, and is a very accurate passer. They’ve gone with plenty of different running backs but their most effective has been Micah Houser. He’s got 932 yards and 10 touchdowns while running for 7.2 yards per carry. DE Popeye Williams is Westfield’s standout defensive player with 39 tackles, 10 TFL, and 5 for sacks. And keep in mind, the Shamrocks have only given up more than 20 points 3 times this year. What Spartans fans should take away from this is that Westfield is really good, just like Carmel, and Homestead will need their best game all year to keep their championship hopes alive.
Final Score: 31-14 Westfield
5A
Bishop Dwenger (10-1) at Zionsville (5-5)
Dwenger is a win away from making their fourth straight semi-state appearance. After yet another slow start but strong finish last week, the Saints are looking to play great football for all four quarters and get off to a hot start. They’ll look to their senior quarterback once more, as Brenden Lytle has been able to come up with 326 yards passing, 164 yards rushing, and 7 touchdowns over his last two games. He’ll need to continue to play well for this offense to function as it should. The vaunted Saints defense has also come on strong recently, not allowing more than 12 points since mid-September when they faced Carroll! They’ve been tremendous this year, only allowing more than 20 points in regulation once, and have gotten continuous pressure on the quarterback. As long as Dwenger has that side of the ball to lean on, they’ll be able to stay in these games.
Opponent Analysis: Zionsville comes from the Hoosier Crossroads Conference, the same conference as Westfield. In their meeting earlier this year, Westfield beat Zionsville 49-16. Josh Stone has been a solid QB for the Eagles, passing for 1,525 yards, rushing for 387 yards, and collecting 21 touchdowns between the two. RB Colin Price has 1,204 yards as a rusher and 12 touchdowns. These two make this a very balanced and effective offense that will be a handful for Dwenger. Their defense isn’t quite as strong and has more weaknesses, but their linebacker tandem of Otto Kyler and Owen Rossell, similar to Dwenger’s Devon Tippmann-John Michael Fabini linebacking pair, has accounted for over 100 tackles this year. These are two evenly matched teams and both could come away with a win, but we’ll stick with the hometown Saints to get it done again at regionals.
Final Score: 24-17 Dwenger
3A
Concordia (6-5) at Bishop Chatard (10-1)
You may have forgotten, but Concordia had a nice run going last year too, until they lost to this same Chatard team in regionals. The final score was 56-28 in favor of the Trojans, but Concordia was in that game for much of the first half and actually gave Chatard the best game of any team on their way to a state title. Much of that same Concordia team returns this year, including QB Brandon Davis who’s coming off his best game this season. Davis has 213 yards and 2 touchdowns in their win over Norwell. Davis was okay in last year’s game, but two interceptions really hurt his performance. The same could be said for RB Amir Drew who only had 70 yards and 1 touchdown against Chatard. He’ll look to get going this year against a stout defense, but Concordia has one of their own. Kam Vanderbosch, Kam Johnson, Brayden Payne, and James Rusher all have multiple interceptions this year and would like to force even more against the Trojans.
Opponent Analysis: The Trojans have been widely regarded as the best team in 3A this year as they look to repeat as state champions. They’ve beaten some really good teams this year, including 6A Merrillville who is 9-1 and still playing in their tournament. Chatard’s only loss came at the hands of the best team in 5A, 10-1 Indianapolis Cathedral. Really this game is going to come down to how well Concordia can move the football. Teams have yet to figure that out with the Trojans shutting down their opponents for only 10 points total across three games. The offense has been explosive with all of their wins coming by double-digits. Junior QB Carter St. John has had a lot to do with that and can sling the ball all over the field. Just like 2019 Chatard, this year’s Trojan team seems poised to win a state title, but Concordia has an opportunity to unleash some chaos upon 3A football. We’ll see who stays alive after Friday.
Final Score: 31-13 Chatard
2A
Bishop Luers (6-6) at Tipton (9-2)
After finishing the regular season with a 3-6 record, Luers rattled off 3 straight to win a sectional title and keep their state championship hopes alive. Like we told you at the end of the year, they may not have a great record in the SAC, but Luers is more than capable of a deep playoff run, and now they have a very real possibility of making it to Indy. It starts with the heart of this team, their junior quarterback Carson Clark who played well all season but has really shined in the last few weeks. Clark has 865 yards, 13 touchdowns, and a completion percentage right around 78%. He’s been quite impressive and his top receiver Brody Glenn has benefitted big time, with 8 receptions for touchdowns in the tournament. Luers still has some problems on defense, but it may not matter as long as their offense continues to rip through their competition for 500 yards and 50 points each week. This week is another great opportunity for their offense to light up the scoreboard.
Opponent Analysis: Tipton is a good 2A team, but they’ve only faced one school above 3A this year. Compare that with the 8 4A and above SAC schools that the battle-tested Knights had to face this year. Even then, the Blue Devils have some talent on their roster. Take quarterback Sam Edwards for example. He’s passed for 1,848 yards, 20 touchdowns, and only 2 interceptions. Regardless of the competition he faces, he stats show that he’d be a pretty good SAC quarterback, perhaps similar to Clark. They also have a sophomore tailback who has run wild this season, collecting 990 yards, 7.1 yards per carry, and 16 touchdowns. WR Drew Pearce has also been a playmaker with 39 receptions for 568 yards and 9 touchdowns. While their offense has found a lot of success and should give Luers some problems, their defense is where their problems lie in this game. The Blue Devils defense has come up with a few shutouts, but none against winning teams. In fact, they’ve surrendered 20 or more points to every team they’ve played with a winning record. We know Luers is more than capable of hanging 20 on you in the first half alone, which tilts the game in the Knights favor.
Final Score: 48-35 Luers
