The IHSAA football postseason marches on, and we’re onto sectional semifinals.
And the blind draw (sorry, Kyle) has given us some absolutely ridiculous matchups tonight. There are four games statewide pitting No. 1 vs. No. 3 in their respective classes (6A: Brownsburg-Ben Davis; 5A: Bloomington North-Bloomington South; 3A: Bishop Chatard-Guerin Catholic; 2A: Triton Central-Brownstown Central).
IndyStar’s team in the field will provide live updates, highlights, post-game interviews, recaps and loaded photo galleries from across Central Indiana. There’s also a statewide scores list at bottom of the article to keep up with who is advancing and who is out.
IHSAA football: Sectional championship pairings, schedule
All-City football team: Danny O’Neil (offense), Luke Purichia (defense) players of year
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Ben Davis 28, Brownsburg 25
IHSAA football sectional highlights: Ben Davis 28, Brownsburg 25
In a matchup of No. 1 vs. No. 3, it was the third-ranked Giants who used a furious fourth-quarter comeback to pull off the win Friday night.
Three takeaways from third-ranked Ben Davis’ frantic fourth-quarter comeback in a Class 6A Sectional 5 semifinal to knock off No. 1 Brownsburg 28-25 Friday night.
Play of the game: Almost every play was amplified in a fourth quarter where Ben Davis needed to make nearly all of them – and did. The biggest was Mark Zackery’s interception and return for touchdown. It came after Ben Davis had cut Brownsburg’s lead to 25-14 early in the fourth quarter. Zackery jumped the route on a play he said he had studied on film during the week, picked it off and returned it 20 yards for a score. That put the Giants within 25-20 with 8:52 left. Plenty of time. Plenty of momentum. It was a big-time play by a big-time player.
For subscribers: No. 3 Ben Davis stuns No. 1 Brownsburg
Turning point: While Zackery’s play was the biggest splash play of the furious fourth-quarter comeback, the turning point came a drive earlier. Ben Davis, after a frustrating night on offense, was faced with a third-and-goal at the Brownsburg 8-yard-line, trailing 25-7. Ben Davis quarterback Thomas Gotkowski tried to roll to his right but was cut off by Brownsburg lineman Jackson Sarjent. Gotkowski darted back to his left and toward the sideline, outracing the Bulldogs’ defense and into the end zone. That made it 25-14 with 9:31 remaining.
Standout performer: Zackery’s interception probably makes him the obvious choice. The junior defensive back and receiver had Michigan at the game watching him and he performed in the biggest moments, even after he gave up two “explosive plays” as he called them to Brownsburg receiver Corey Smith earlier in the game. But you could also make a strong case for Gotkowski and Ben Davis linebacker Nylan Brown, who returned from injury and was key to slowing down Brownsburg running back Garrett Sherrell. — Kyle Neddenriep
| Brownsburg | 3 | 10 | 6 | 6 | — | 25 |
| Ben Davis | 0 | 7 | 0 | 21 | — | 28 |
Br – Spencer Porath 21 FG
Br – Porath 32 FG
BD – Alijah Price 38 run (Ben Rudolph kick)
Br – Garrett Sherrell 65 run (Porath kick)
Br – Sherrell 1 run (run failed)
Br – Sherrell 45 run (run failed)
BD – Thomas Gotkowski 8 run (Rudolph kick)
BD – Mark Zackery 20 interception return (pass failed)
BD – Gotkowski 16 run (Gotkowski run)
Rushing — Borwnsburg: Sherrell 25-167, A.J. Jobe 1-6, Dunn 9-(-43). Ben Davis: Alijah Price 10-105, Gotkowski 16-60, Cameron Morrison 1-5.
Passing — Brownsburg: Dunn 11-17-1 203. Ben Davis: Gotkowski 18-41-1 216.
Receiving — Brownsburg: Cayden Olinger 8-101, Smith 2-106, Sherrell 1-(-4). Ben Davis: Zackery 5-59, Zane Skibinski 4-66, Nate Williams 4-66, Tyler McClain 4-18, Price 1-7
New Palestine 35, Greenfield-Central 0
IHSAA football sectional highlights: New Palestine 35, Greenfield-Central 0
The Dragons continued their dominance over the Cougars on Friday night.
More: New Palestine maintains its dominance over Greenfield-Central
Lawrence North 38, Lawrence Central 16
IHSAA football sectionals Lawrence North defeats Lawrence Central 38-16
Lawrence North defeats Lawrence Central 38-16 in sectional play. The Wildcats will face Cathedral next Friday, November 3, 2023.
Center Grove 40, Franklin Central 14
IHSAA football sectional highlights: Center Grove 40, Franklin Central 14
The three-time defending Class 6A state champion Trojans turned it on in the second half to pull away from the Flashes.
Player of the game: Center Grove’s Luke Barrett. The junior defensive back was a part of three of the Trojans’ four takeaways in the game, recording two interceptions and a fumble recovery. The first interception, which came in the third quarter, he returned for a touchdown. He picked up the second interception while Franklin Central was in the red zone, and managed to keep his poise even after a Flashes player had a late hit and pushed him over a trainer’s table on the Trojans’ sideline.
Play of the game: Luke Barrett’s 45-yard pick-six. The ball bobbled out of Franklin Central’s hands and into Barrett’s, and he evaded multiple defenders (and the out-of-bounds line) as he ran down the Flashes’ sideline and into the end zone. That interception return put Center Grove up by three possessions in the third quarter, making it easier for the Trojans to get past the pesky Flashes.
Turning point: Brody Boswell’s interception with four minutes left in the game. It was his second interception of the night, and Franklin Central was making a last-ditch effort to get the ball down the field while it was down three possessions. Boswell’s interception allowed Center Grove to time out in the trenches, stopping Franklin Central from having a chance to make a comeback. — Chloe Peterson
| Franklin Central | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | — | 14 |
| Center Grove | 13 | 6 | 14 | 7 | — | 40 |
CG — Noah Coy 11 from Tyler Cherry (Patrick Smith kick)
CG — Noah Coy 65 from Cherry (Smith kick blocked)
FC — Broderic Middleton 2 rush (Zachary Haesssen kick)
FC — Jayon Harvey 69 from Nevan Tutterow (Haessen kick)
CG — Brevin Holubar 7 from Cherry (Smith kick missed)
CG — Coy 1o from Cherry (Tyler Schruben kick)
CG — Luke Barrett 45 interception return (Schruben kick)
CG — Coy 38 pass from Cherry (Smith kick)
Rushing — Center Grove: Matthew Yoder 20-93, Austin Hennessy 8-16, Cherry 5-(minus-21), Drake McClurg 1-3; Franklin Central: Lawrence 1-2, Brown-Echols 1-(minus-2), Harvey 6-11, Middleton 7-10, Tutterow 2-0, McKinley 1-17,Beauchamp 1-2.
Passing — Center Grove: Cherry 17-27-0 261; Franklin Central: Tutterow 17-31-4 227.
Receiving — Center Grove: Coy 8-84, Holubar 5-146, Tristan Baxter 1-9, McClurg 1-8; Franklin Central: Logue 8-96, Harvey 3-82, Swanigan 2-18, Moritz 2-3, McKinley 1-14, Johnson 1-14.
Mt. Vernon 42, Beech Grove 12
IHSAA football sectional highlights: Mt. Vernon 42, Beech Grove 12
The high-flying Marauders are on to the sectional final with a commanding win over the Hornets.
Special for IndyStar
Westfield 37, Carmel 21
CARMEL – Things started well enough for Carmel in Friday’s Class 6A sectional semifinal. The Greyhounds forced a fumble on Westfield’s opening drive to snag the early momentum.
The No. 5 Shamrocks quickly snatched it back on Carmel’s ensuing drive with a 50-yard scoring interception by Drew Law, and never looked back, cruising to a 37-21 win.
Westfield controlled the game at all levels – offensively, defensively and on special teams. The Shamrocks scored three touchdowns in the second quarter, with two set up by critical Carmel turnovers in Greyhounds territory.
Westfield (9-1) moves on to the sectional championship game and will face Noblesville. The Shamrocks’ win ended the season for Carmel (5-5) for the second year in a row.
Play of the Game: Law, a junior defensive back, jumped in front of a Carmel receiver to snare the interception early in the first quarter and raced 50 yards down the middle of the field for the score and a 7-0 Westfield lead.
Player of the Game: Junior running back Kendall Garnett was a workhorse for Westfield, finishing with 100 yards on 20 carries. His effort kept the chains moving and the Shamrocks offense on the field. Westfield didn’t punt until there was 11:22 left in the game.
Turning Point: Carmel was already trailing 21-0 late in the second quarter when the offense suffered another deflating possession. Westfield’s Coleton Vondersaaar broke through with a strip sack and Sam Bola recovered the ball at the Carmel 25. Westfield scored four plays later on a 2-yard keeper by quarterback Jackson Gilbert to take a 28-0 lead into the half. — Paul Shepherd
| Westfield | 7 | 21 | 7 | 2 | — | 37 |
| Carmel | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | — | 21 |
W – Drew Law 50 interception (Brody Boehm kick)
W – Mikeah Webster 1 run (Boehn kick)
W – Broc Parker 7 pass from Jackson Gilbert (Boehm kick)
W – Gilbert 7 run (Boehm kick)
C – Colin Johnson 20 run (Matthew Obermeier kick)
W – Gabriel Aramboles 3 pass from Gilbert (Boehm kick)
W – Safety, team (intentional grounding)
C – Ozzy Pollard 12 pass from Anthony Coellner (pass failed)
C – Jacob Bellin 42 pass from Anthony Coellner (Nathan Rodgers pass from Coellner)
Rushing — Westfield: Kendall Garnett 20-100, Gilbert 8-22, Webster 2-10, Gabriel Aramboles 1-11, Maximus Nosler 2-9, Carsen Melvin 2-(-6), Austin Umbaugh 6-15, Will Irwin 1-(-1); Carmel: Norvil Tucker 9-46, Colin Johnson 3-32, Anthony Coellner 9-54.
Passing — Westfield: Gilbert 7-7-0 78, Melvin 2-2-0 3; Carmel: Coellner 18-32-3 252.
Receiving — Westfield: Aramboles 2-10, Parker Knott 1-34, Parker 2-10, Nosler 1-9, Beau Braun 1-15, Will Irwin 1-5, Reis Middleton 1 (-2); Carmel: Christian Peterson 4-53, Ozzy Pollard 4-27, Nathan Rodgers 4-57, Jacob Bellin 5-105, Tucker 1-10.
Mooresville 17, Roncalli 9
| Roncalli | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | — | 9 |
| Mooresville | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | — | 17 |
M — Tyler Church 23 FG
M — Levi Dorn 26 pass from Hogan Denny (Church kick)
R — Zach Dozier 1 run (kick blocked)
M — H. Denny 90 run (Church kick)
R — Gavin Louthain 24 FG
Rushing — Mooresville: Landon Clements 20-78, H. Denny 16-144; Roncalli: Jayden Buchanan 11-38, Henry Adams 6-27, Dozier 6-6, Ben Brandenburg 3-(minus-1).
Passing — Mooresville: H. Denny 13-23-0 231; Roncalli: Buchanan 22-37-1 256.
Receiving — Mooresville: Kaden Bruhn 3-94, Dorn 3-77, Trey Bennett 2-30, JJ Knight 2-17, Nate Thomas 2-9, Tyler Denny 1-4; Roncalli: Christian Swiezy 4-98, Rudy Schottle 4-36, James Guthrie 3-40, Will Hegwood 3-32, Charlie Elsener 3-19, Dozier 3-13, JJ Prendergast 2-18.
Bishop Chatard 21, Guerin Catholic 10
Hamilton Heights 28, Maconaquah 21
| Hamilton Hts | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 | — | 28 |
| Maconaquah | 0 | 14 | 7 | 0 | — | 21 |
HH — Carson Fettig 46 punt return (Teigan Scoles kick)
M — DJ Elliott 32 pass from Braxton Birner (Nolan Tarrh kick)
M — AJ Kelly 59 pass from Birner (Tarrh kick)
HH — Eric Balcom 1 run (Scoles kick)
M — Kelly 20 pass from Birner (Tarrh kick)
HH — Owen VanHaaren 6 run (Scoles kick)
HH — VanHaaren 7 run (Scoles kick)
Rushing — Maconaquah: Ty Galvan 7-27, Birner 11-27, Kaleb Shelton 2-6; Hamilton Heights: VanHaaren 24-103, Balcom 11-36, Bodie Derrer 5-6, Tyelr Champion 3-11.
Passing — Maconaquah: Birner 22-34-0 284; Hamilton Heights: Derrer 16-22-1 245.
Receiving — Maconaquah: Shelton 3-38, Fuddy Kile 6-55, Kelly 7-110, Elliott 4-83, Galvan 2-(minus-7); Hamilton Heights: Dre Chandler 4-76, Champion 1-43, Jaylyn Pugh 2-56, Cam Fleming 5-44, VanHaaren 2-16, Connor Baumann 2-10.
IHSAA football sectional semifinals scores
CLASS 6A
Sectional 3
Fishers 42, Homestead 14
Hamilton SE 56, FW Northrop 7
Sectional 4
Westfield 37, Carmel 21
Noblesville 31, Zionsville 24
Sectional 5
Ben Davis 28, Brownsburg 25
Pike 42, Avon 41, OT
Sectional 6
Cathedral 42, North Central 2
Lawrence North 38, Lawrence Central 16
Sectional 7
Warren Central 49, Perry Meridian 0
Southport 41, Tech 12
Sectional 8
Center Grove 40, Franklin Central 14
Columbus North 58, Jeffersonville 0
CLASS 5A
Sectional 13
Harrison (West Lafayette) 39, Plainfield 13
Decatur Central 33, McCutcheon 0
Sectional 14
Whiteland 63, Terre Haute North 7, 4Q
Terre Haute South 14, Franklin 10
CLASS 4A
Sectional 21
Brebeuf Jesuit 70, Lebanon 49
Mooresville 17, Roncalli 9
Sectional 22
New Palestine 35, Greenfield-Central 0
Mt. Vernon 42, Beech Grove 12
Sectional 23
Greenwood 43, Jennings County 12
East Central 56, Martinsville 20
CLASS 3A
Sectional 28
Bishop Chatard 21, Guerin Catholic 10
Hamilton Heights 28, Maconaquah 21
Sectional 29
Tri-West 42, North Montgomery 6
Monrovia 20, Speedway 3
Sectional 31
Batesville 20, Lawrenceburg 14
Indian Creek 37, Franklin County 0
CLASS 2A
Sectional 37
Linton-Stockton 26, Greencastle 21
Southmont 22, Cascade 21, OT
Sectional 38
Eastern Hancock 44, Cardinal Ritter 21
Winchester 20, Heritage Christian 14
Sectional 39
Triton Central 28, Brownstown Central 17
Eastern (Pekin) 44, Switzerland County 0
CLASS A
Sectional 42
Park Tudor 48, Clinton Central 6
North Vermillion 50, Clinton Prairie 42
Sectional 45
Monroe Central 43, Wes-Del 34
Sheridan 54, Tindley 6
Sectional 46
North Decatur 63, Edinburgh 0
Milan 14, Tri 8
Sectional 47
Lutheran 21, South Putnam 14
Covenant Christian 37, Riverton Parke 18
IHSAA STATEWIDE SECTIONAL SEMIFINAL SCORES
CLASS 6A
Sectional 1
Lake Central 23, Portage 0
Crown Point 42, Lafayette Jeff 10
Sectional 2
Warsaw 31, Carroll (Fort Wayne) 17
Penn 35, Elkhart 0
CLASS 5A
Sectional 9
Merrillville 49, Munster 7
Hammond Morton 52, Hammond Central 6
Sectional 10
Michigan City 6, LaPorte 5
Valparaiso 31, Chesterton 14
Sectional 11
Mishawaka 48, Goshen 14
Concord 49, South Bend Adams 10
Sectional 12
FW Snider 44, Anderson 14
Sectional 15
Bloomington South 44, Bloomington North 31
Seymour 39, Columbus East 20
Sectional 16
Evansville North 28, Floyd Central 20
Castle 35, New Albany 17
CLASS 4A
Sectional 17
New Prairie 28, Kankakee Valley 21, OT
Culver Academy 46, Highland 13
Sectional 18
NorthWood 56, South Bend Washington 14
Northridge 49, Wawasee 20
Sectional 19
FW Bishop Dwenger 42, DeKalb 28
Leo 45, East Noble 42
Sectional 20
Mississinewa 31, Columbia City 15
Kokomo 35, Marion 0
Sectional 24
Evansville Reitz 42, Bedford North Lawrence 6
Evansville Memorial 17, Jasper 14
CLASS 3A
Sectional 25
Hanover Central 41, Boone Grove 20
West Lafayette 42, Rensselaer Central 7
Sectional 26
John Glenn 25, Fairfield 8
Knox 15, West Noble 13
Sectional 27
Delta 24, Yorktown 21
Garrett 20, Heritage 6
Sectional 30
Vincennes Lincoln 63, Pike Central 0
Gibson Southern 48, Washington 14
Sectional 32
Scottsburg 38, Salem 31, OT
Heritage Hills 23, Southridge 20
CLASS 2A
Sectional 33
Bremen 21, Wheeler 18
LaVille 50, Whiting 0
Sectional 34
Lafayette Central Catholic 28, Rochester 22
Seeger 20, Lewis Cass 16
Sectional 35
FW Bishop Luers 14, Eastside 10
Manchester 28, Central Noble 21
Sectional 36
Eastern (Greentown) 42, Tipton 0
Bluffton 35, Eastbrook 21
Sectional 40
North Posey 35, Evansville Mater Dei 34, OT
Paoli 50, Forest Park 14
CLASS A
Sectional 41
North Judson 42, South Newton 0
Triton 56, Culver 0
Sectional 43
Carroll (Flora) 49, Caston 6
Tri-Central 17, West Central 8
Sectional 44
Madison-Grant 43, North Miami 14
Adams Central 48, Southwood 0
Sectional 48
Springs Valley 24, West Washington 0
Providence 50, North Daviess 13
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