We crowned sectional champions on Friday, with some definite surprises around the area.
Let’s tackle all that went down with the Week 12 edition of Bear Necessities.
CLASS 6A
• It has been quite the playoff run for Will Jeffries of Carroll.
A mainstay in the middle of the Chargers defense the last few years, the senior has been thrust into a top role in the offensive backfield over the last month.
Why? With Coach Doug Dinan relying on Nate Starks on defense, he has wanted to keep the senior fresh for that side of the ball and keep him as healthy as possible. Enter Jeffries, who didn’t even get his first carry of the season until Week 9 against North Side.
Jeffries has maximized the opportunity, eclipsing the 100-yard mark in three of his four games in the backfield, including rushing for 114 yards and a score in Friday’s 21-10 win over Snider.
But Jeffries’ role on defense has not diminished. He finished the sectional title game with a team-high 12 tackles.
• Snider put up an admirable fight against the Chargers with its top player, as Brandon Logan was unable to play.
The senior safety and Notre Dame commit went down with an ankle injury in the first half against Elkhart the week before and did not return. After rehabbing all week, Logan was still unable to run effectively heading into the Carroll game.
It is not an injury that will hamper Logan long-term, but his absence was massive for the Panthers on Friday.
• Snider actually outgained Carroll in total yards 310-256 in the Chargers victory.
So what happened?
A combination of turnovers and a slow start. The Panthers turned the ball over three times, while Snider’s first seven possessions went – fumble, punt, punt, turnover on downs, fumble, half, interception.
In the meantime, Carroll built a 14-0 lead before Snider was able to get on track and score 10 unanswered points, but was unable to keep the Chargers from scoring again to put the game out of reach.
CLASS 5A
• How about the night for Quinton Brock?
Senior Drew Sullivan got the majority of the snaps behind center for Warsaw in its 31-28 upset of Class 5A No. 1 Concord, but it was Brock, a junior, who made the most of his opportunities at quarterback.
Brock completed just one pass, but it was a 15-yard strike to Tucker Reed late in the second quarter that cut the Tigers deficit to four heading into the break.
And it was Brock who plunged into the end zone on fourth down from the 4-yard line for the winning touchdown with 12 seconds left in regulation. It was one of just three carries in the game for the junior.
Warsaw actually converted three fourth downs on its game-winning drive. In another diabolical stat, the Tigers ran 74 total plays in the game compared to just 17 for Concord. While the Minutemen struck offensively with chuck plays, Warsaw was its usual methodical self as it controlled the clock and moved the ball slowly but surely.
CLASS 4A
• Not sure which side of the ball was more impressive for East Noble in its 38-0 thumping of Bishop Dwenger, handing the Saints their worst postseason loss in program history.
Offensively, the Knights piled up 292 rushing yards, led by Dallas Plattner, who went for 136 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. Dylan Krehl was also highly effective, finishing with 121 yards and a score, while Rylee Biddle added another rushing touchdown.
But it may have been the defense that was more impressive. East Noble held Bishop Dwenger to just seven first downs, a combined 2-of-11 on third/fourth down and just 69 rushing yards total.
Considering the strength of the Saints was up front and the running game, East Noble’s ability to completely dominate with its offensive and defensive lines was very impressive.
• Senior kicker Johan Van Sandersleben didn’t have to wait very long to redeem himself on Friday night, and end three-plus decades without a sectional title for Huntington North.
With 12 seconds left in regulation with the Vikings tied at host Lebanon, Van Sandersleben lined up for a go-ahead field goal, but the attempt was blocked.
In overtime, the Huntington North defense held firm, with Sully Stahl a key sack on third and goal that pushed Lebanon out beyond its 20-yard line.
After an incomplete pass to the end zone on fourth down, Huntington North had its overtime possession needing any kind of points to win. Lebanon held firm for three plays, but Van Sandersleben, who just a few minutes before saw a winning opportunity evaporate, nailed this chance, officially a 32-yard field goal to give the Vikings the 31-28 win.
There have been many heroic efforts over the course of this season as Huntington North has gone from a one-win team a year ago to 9-3 and sectional champions in 2024. Van Sandersleben is the most recent.
CLASS 3A
• The numbers are simply astounding.
In 10 games against foes not named Garrett, West Noble’s Seth Pruitt rushed for 1,712 yards and 32 touchdowns this season.
Against the Railroaders, the senior running back amassed just 54 yards and a score on 28 carries. That’s less than two yards per rush.
Friday’s effort against the star runner was actually better than the regular-season performance for the Garrett defense. While Pruitt did score a touchdown, he finished with just 15 yards on 12 carries.
Complete dominance by the Garrett defensive unit to lead the way to the program’s first sectional crown in eight years.
• It was another spirited effort for Dee Hogue in Bishop Luers’ 34-28 downing of previously-undefeated Mississinewa to capture its fifth Class 3A sectional title.
Hogue, a junior, averaged 10.8 yards per carry in the win, 119 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Meanwhile, he picked off a pair of passes on defense.
The secondary of the Knights has been superb all season, with Hogue a big reason for that. His emergence as a sophomore has only been magnified with him a year older.
CLASS 2A
• Much like Bishop Luers, moving up a class is supposed to make things a bit more challenging for Adams Central.
And much like the Knights, we haven’t seen it yet.
However, it’s coming.
While Adams Central will entertain Eastern in the regional round, powerhouse programs Andrean and Lafayette Central Catholic will meet in the other northern regional, with the winner playing the Flying Jets (or Comets).
Over the last three years, no one in the Class 1A North has been able to match Adams Central. It has not been til the state championship when Indianapolis Lutheran has been that team to challenge the Flying Jets, emerging victorious each of the last three years.
However, Class 2A is different, with a huge challenge awaiting in semistate if AC can get there.
This isn’t to say the Flying Jets can’t get to Lucas Oil Stadium for the fourth straight year, but the bump to 2A makes it more challenging come the semistate round.
CLASS A
• While the stats don’t bear it out, South Adams’ defense came up huge in the 43-36 win over Madison-Grant on Friday.
For the game, the Starfires allowed 372 rushing yards and over 425 yards of total offense. But after South Adams took the lead on a 20-yard Dillan Ramirez run barely three minutes into the fourth quarter, the defense did not allow Madison-Grant to respond.
In fact, Coach Grant Moser’s squad held the Argylls scoreless for the final 10 minutes and 40 seconds of regulation.
While South Adams had its issues at times with Madison-Grant’s prolific rushing attack, it held its own when it absolutely needed to.
QUICK HITS
Per Snider football, Carroll is the fourth team to beat the Panthers multiple times in the same season. North Side did it in 1988 and 1990, while Penn did so in 2011…This is the first time since 1999 in which neither Snider or Bishop Dwenger won a sectional title.
FRIDAY’S REGIONAL SCHEDULE
CLASS 6A
Carroll (9-2) at Crown Point (11-0)
CLASS 5A
Lafayette Jeff (11-0) at Warsaw (8-3)
CLASS 4A
Huntington North (9-3) at East Noble (11-1)
CLASS 3A
Knox (9-3) at Garrett (12-0)
Bishop Luers (8-4) at Maconaquah (12-0)
CLASS 2A
Eastern (8-4) at Adams Central (11-1)
CLASS 1A
North Miami (10-2) at South Adams (7-5)
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