Indiana high school football playoffs: Ranking IHSAA semistate games

On November 23, 2024By Littum

There are only 24 teams left. Let’s count down to Friday Indiana high school football semistate game from no. 12 to no. 1:

12. Batesville (9-3) at Heritage Hills (12-1), Class 3A, 6 p.m. 19.30

Batesville is a regional champion for the first time since 1986 after a 41-37 win over Tri-West. Senior Gage Pohlman ran for 201 yards on 27 carries and Will Jaisle passed for three scores, including the game-winner in the final seconds, as the Bulldogs rallied from two TDs in the fourth quarter. Does Batesville have what it takes to hang with No. 2 Heritage Hills? The Patriots beat the no. 6 Gibson Southern, Vincennes Lincoln and no. 1 Evansville Memorial in the sectional and then dominated North Harrison 50-7 in the region. Heritage Hills has been to three state finals since winning its only title in 2000, including last year. Junior Jett Goldsberry (1,507 passing yards, 23 TDs; 1,418 rushing yards, 23 TDs) is having an incredible season for the Patriots.

11. South Adams (8-5) at North Judson (13-0), Class A, 6 p.m. 8 p.m

It is the fourth year in a row that top-ranked North Judson has reached the semistate. The journey ended here in 2021, ’22 and ’23 against Adams Central, which now plays in the 2A semistate via the tournament success factor. Now the Bluejays will have to get through another Adams County team to reach the state finals for the first time since winning the Class A title in 1986. North Judson is averaging 399 rushing yards per game. game with three players — seniors Kole Wilcox (1,754 yards, 36 TDs), Brock Benson (1,455 yards, 19 TDs) and quarterback Jesiah McDaniel (1,025 yards, 20 TDs) — with more than 1,000 rushing yards. South Adams, which plays a schedule loaded with 2A and 3A programs, has won five in a row, including over top-10 teams Madison-Grant and North Miami the past two weeks. Tytus Lehman has 2,618 passing yards and 29 TDs for the Starfires.

10. Linton-Stockton (11-2) at Lutheran (12-1), Class 2A, 6 p.m.

Third-ranked Lutheran is the top-ranked team remaining in 2A after Lafayette Central Catholic lost to Andrean 20-17 and Linton-Stockton defeated No. 2 Brownstown Central 22-21. The Saints could have been the favorite, regardless. Lutheran lost star quarterback Jackson Willis to a broken bone in his left (throwing hand) in the sectional championship, but junior Mason Shrum stepped in and did the job in a 35-0 win over Lapel. “We’re very confident that this offense won’t miss a beat,” Lutheran coach Dave Pasch said. Hudson Mills caught two touchdowns in the first half and returned an interception for a score. Linton-Stockton scored with 27 seconds left on a 5-yard pass from Braylon McBride to Hayden Feltner. Linton-Stockton won its first Class A state title in 2016. Lutheran, winner of the past three Class A state titles, has won 21 consecutive tournament games.

9. Decatur Central (9-2) at Bloomington South (8-4), Class 5A, 6 p.m.

No. 4 Decatur Central won a heart stopping 21-16 regional over East Central, holding off the Trojans after they drove inside the 5-yard line in the final minute. Fa’Rel Carter had three catches for 104 yards, ran for 43 yards and was involved in the pass breakup at the 1-yard line on East Central’s final drive. Carter leads the Hawks in rushing (541 yards, six TDs) and is second in receiving (30 catches, 401 yards). Bo Polston has completed 63.4% of his passes for 1,716 yards and 18 TDs. These teams met in this round a year ago, though this Bloomington South team was ranked No. 3 and had a more powerful offense. Decatur Central won 24-12 to reach the state final. Bloomington South quarterback Duncan Combs went 22-for-26 through the air for 250 yards and two TDs in a 28-21 win over Castle in the region. Braylen Townsend ran for 179 yards and two TDs on 34 carries.

8. Martinsville (12-1) at New Palestine (12-0), Class 4A, 6 p.m.

No. 1 New Palestine was pushed to overtime against no. 4 Bishop Chatard, pulling out a 28-21 victory as Josh Ranes ran for 122 yards and two TDs and quarterback Jacob Davis ran for 108 yards and a score. Ranes has 1,963 rushing yards and 25 rushing TDs for the season, and Davis has 1,693 passing yards and 21 TDs and 557 rushing yards and 12 TDs. New Palestine’s defense is allowing just 172 yards of offense per game. game and has forced 25 turnovers. Can no. 3 Martinsville keep pace with its powerful offense? The Artesians led Evansville Reitz by 20 points, lost it all to trail by one point, then used a blocked punt and a short field to rally for a 35-28 win on quarterback AJ Reynolds’ 5-yard TD- race with 20 seconds left. Reynolds has 2,919 passing yards and 37 TDs and 498 rushing yards and 15 TDs for the season. His top receiver is senior Hunter Stroud (104 catches, 1,397 yards, 16 TDs). The last time Martinsville played in a semistate game was 1996.

7. South Putnam (11-2) at Providence (12-0), Class A, 6 p.m. 19.00

No. 7 South Putnam steamrolled Sheridan 60-19 in the regional as sophomore Ty Benton ran for 326 yards and six touchdowns on just 15 carries. Benton went over 1,500 rushing yards for the season. Senior quarterback Wyatt Mullin (1,723 passing yards, 25 TDs; 480 rushing yards, seven TDs) is one of the top QBs in Class A. No. 2 Providence is coming off a 28-10 win over Milan in the regional as senior quarterback Preston Kempf passed for 182 yards on the ground and two TDs and passed for 104 yards and two more scores — both to Nick Stoner, who had 104 receiving yards. This should be a good game. South Putnam’s losses came to Lutheran (34-12) and North Putnam, a 2A team that finished 7-3. South Putnam’s only state title came in 1986 against North Judson – potential matchup again next week in Class A.

6. East Noble (12-1) at Mishawaka (11-2), Class 4A, 6 p.m. 19.30

If there is a team out there that can beat the no. 1 New Palestine, is it perhaps no. 2 East Noble. The Knights, led by first-year coach Alex Stewart, formerly of Western, have dominated four tournament opponents, including No. 10 Leo and FW Bishop Dwenger. East Noble’s defense is led by senior linebacker Dylan Krehl (98 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, five sacks), who is also an offensive leader with 1,472 rushing yards and 18 rushing TDs. Quarterback Rylee Biddle has 1,569 passing yards and 20 TDs. East Noble’s only loss this season came to 6A FW Snider in Week 2. The Knights last reached the state final in 2019, losing to Evansville Memorial. No. 5 Mishawaka edged NorthWood by one point in the sectional championship and knocked off New Prairie 21-7 in the regional championship. The Cavaliers have a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in sophomore Kadyn O’Neal (1,273 yards, 16 TDs) and sophomore quarterback Landon Snyder (1,088 yards, 17 TDs).

No. 5. Garrett (13-0) at FW Bishop Luers (9-4), Class 3A, 6 p.m.

Fourth-ranked Garrett lives dangerously, but is still alive after one-point wins over No. 10 West Noble (21-20) for the sectional championship and Knox (41-40) in the region. Senior quarterback Calder Hefty is the offensive leader for the Railroaders, passing for 1,031 yards and 15 TDs and running for 1,131 yards and 20 TDs. Senior Camden Ruble has 1,339 rushing yards and 18 TDs. Garrett is 0-2 in previous semistate games, but won the Class A state championship in 1974 when not every team made the tournament. Luers, which lost its four matches to 4A and 6A programs, beat No. 3 Mississinewa (34-28) and no. 7 Maconaquah (31-28) out the past two weeks in close games. Daryea Williams leads the Luers offense with 1,168 rushing yards and 12 rushing TDs.

4. Adams Central (12-1) at Andrean (9-4), Class 2A, 6 p.m.

The Flying Jets are back again. Fourth-ranked Adams Central, the Class A runner-up the past three seasons to Lutheran, moved up to 2A via the tournament success factor and continues to roll. Adams Central’s wing-T offense got going in the second half of the regional against Eastern (Greentown), breaking open a 7-7 halftime tie and winning 42-7. Adams Central forced four turnovers in the second half and finished with 329 rushing yards, led by Matt Heiser’s 126 yards on the ground. Andrean is coming off a 20-17 win over Lafayette Central Catholic no. 1 in the region. Freshman Javier McCoy has 176 rushing yards and a TD on 32 carries. Brady Elish has 1,599 passing yards and 15 TDs, with senior receiver James Finley (52 catches, 802 yards, eight TDs) doing most of the damage at receiver. Andrean is a three-time state champion and most recently won the 2A title in 2021.

3. Merrillville (11-1) at Warsaw (9-3), Class 5A, 6 p.m. 19.30

This promises to be fun. No. 2 Merrillville has steamrolled to three tournament wins, including a 48-14 victory over Valparaiso last week in the region. Sophomore Cameron Jordan (982 rushing yards, 15 TDs) and junior Jacquarious Johnson (939 rushing yards, 15 TDs) lead the Merrillville running attack, and junior quarterback Jordan Sanders has thrown for more than 1,000 yards. No. 10 Warsaw knows a thing or two about running the ball. Quarterback Drew Sullivan ran for 310 yards on 32 carries in Warsaw’s 44-27 win over No. 3 Lafayette Jeff. Merrillville is 0-9 all-time in semistate games. This is Warsaw’s first regional championship. Coach Bart Curtis led Warsaw to its 2019 division title.

2. Brownsburg (11-1) at Center Grove (8-4), Class 6A, 6 p.m.

These programs last met in 1990 when Center Grove won 38-14 in a Central Suburban Athletic Conference game. When Center Grove moved to the South Central Conference the following year, the game was dropped and, somewhat surprisingly, the teams have not met since. Center Grove got off to a great start last week with a 23-15 win over No. 5 Warren Central in the region and took a 17-0 lead. Center Grove’s passing game was mostly held in check, but Jake Browning ran for 57 yards and two TDs and a 76-yard punt return by Drake McClurg helped the fast start. This is a matchup of two of the better sophomore receivers in the state in McClurg (61 catches, 944 yards, six TDs) and Brownsburg’s Branden Sharpe (61 catches, 1,075 yards, five TDs). No. 4 Brownsburg has been on an emotional ride the past two weeks with a 28-point comeback for a 38-35 win over Ben Davis and a last-minute comeback for a 22-21 win over Lawrence North. How much will tradition matter? Center Grove has eight semistate titles and five state championships. Brownsburg has not played in a semistate game since 1985.

1. Crown Point (12-0) at Westfield (11-1), Class 6A, 6 p.m. 8 p.m

This one was wild and crazy last year when Crown Point led by 17 points at halftime, then hung on for dear life for a 38-31 double-overtime win to earn the Bulldogs’ first appearance in the state finals. Senior Larry Ellison had 165 rushing yards on 37 carries in last year’s game. No. 2 Crown Point has not played that schedule, no. 3 Westfield has, but that’s irrelevant given that Crown Point has been there, done that. The Bulldogs rolled to an 18-point lead at halftime of the regional game against FW Carroll en route to a 38-21 victory. Westfield responded well after the Fishers came back to tie the regional game, pulling away in the fourth quarter for a 42-28 victory. Junior Deacon King (1,208 rushing yards, 15 TDs) has been a big part of the offense and senior quarterback Carsen Melvin (1,655 passing yards, 15 TDs; 292 rushing yards, nine TDs) has had a big season. Don’t overlook the defense, either, led by senior linebackers Keegan Krupp (94 tackles), Mikeah Webster (77 tackles, 11½ tackles for loss) and Lennox Williams (71 tackles, four sacks).

Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.