(PHOTOS BY DOUG.CLEMENTS@PROMOTIONPHOTOS.COM)
Editor
And now there are four.
A quartet of determined Southside football teams face IHSAA regional action Friday night.
Two 5A sectional championship teams – ground savvy Whiteland and upstart 5A No. 7 Decatur Central – collide at Devere Fair Field on the far westside Friday night.
Meanwhile reigning three-time consecutive 6A state champion 6A No. 1 Center Grove (10-1) is host to unranked Warren Central (5-6) at Ray Skillman Stadium.
And the dominant two-time consecutive Class A state champion Lutheran (12-0) finally has a much welcome playoff game at home against formidable No. 4 Providence (12-0) that averages a phenomenal 50.6 points per game on offense. The visiting Pioneers are in somewhat uncharted territory of not having won a regional trophy since 1993.
The Saints have ripped off 14 consecutive playoff wins and an overall win streak of 40 games. After dominating Covenant Christian Friday, the Saints now have captured three consecutive sectional titles and 10 in program history.
The top Southside dual matches 2022 5A runnerup Whiteland at Decatur Central.
The graduation depleted Warriors, coached by veteran, Darrin Fisher have stuck to a ground game with running back Slate Valentine, who carried a remarkable 39 times for 261 yards and two touchdowns Friday against Terre Haute South.
This season, workhorse Valentine has 271 carries for 1,836 yards (6.78 yards per carry) and 19 TDs.
Whiteland aims Friday at its third regional championship and second in a row.
The Hawks utilized 51 carries for 341 yards and three TDs on the ground. DC quarterback Bo Polsten mixed it up with two TD passes. The Hawks seek their second regional trophy Friday.
Center Grove jumped to a 35-0 halftime lead, exactly what veteran coach Eric Moore wanted, on the road at Columbus North for a running clock in the second half.
CG quarterback Tyler Cherry was on target for 16 of 17 passes for 178 yards and two TD passes, all in the first half. Top receiver Noah Coy caught 10 passes for 108 yards and a TD.
The Trojans were able to utilize many team members in the second half, in anticipation of a hard-hitting rivalry playoff matchup against Warren Central for the regional title.
CG has rattled off 13 consecutive sectional championships and 19 overall.
The CG-WC winner faces the No. 2 Ben Davis-Cathedral winner in semistate action Nov. 17; in 5A, the Whiteland-DC winner meets the No. 2 Bloomington South-No. 12 Evansville North winner; and in Class A, the Providence-Lutheran winner faces the No. 10 Sheridan- No. 15 North Decatur winner.
The IHSAA State Finals are Nov. 24-25 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Tickets for all IHSAA playoff games are digital.
Info: ihsaa.org.
Sectional championships Center Grove 38, Columbus North 12 Decatur Central 34, W. Laf. Harrison 17 East Central 47, Greenwood 0 Lutheran 57, Covenant Christian 14 Warren Central 47, Southport 0 Whiteland 34, Terre Haute South 10 Regional championships (Friday 7 p.m., unless indicated) Class 6A Warren Central (5-6) at Center Grove (10-1) Class 5A Whiteland (7-4) at Decatur Central (9-2) Class A Providence (12-0) at Lutheran (10-0) The secret to Lutheran’s success in winning its third consecutive Class A Sectional championship Friday against visiting Covenant Christian was simply to hand the ball off to senior running back Braydon Hall (33). In top photo, that’s exactly what quarterback Jackson Willis is doing. Hall carried the ball 27 times for 246 yards. In bottom photo, Hall flies across the goal line as he scores one of his five touchdowns for the Saints. (SOUTHSIDER VOICE PHOTOS BY DEIDRE BARNETT) | Running back Kaiden Davidson of Whiteland falls forward for yardage with Terre Haute South outside linebacker in pursuit. Trying to avoid being tackled, Whiteland running back Jordan Palmer attempts to slip past Terre Haute South’s Treva Branch. Lutheran wide receiver DeVuan Jones eludes the grasp of a Covenant Christian tackler in Class A Sectional championship Friday. (SOUTHSIDER VOICE PHOTO BY DEIDRE BARNETT) |