Here are 10 snap judgements from Week 1 of the high school football season:
Champs still the champs: Were there some doubts at halftime of Class 6A No. 1 Brownsburg’s eventual 48-25 win over No. 4 Lawrence North? Possibly. The Wildcats took a 19-14 lead into the locker room after Darian Prather zinged a 15-yard touchdown pass to Amari Moore with 1.9 seconds left in the half. But Brownsburg scored 28 consecutive points in the third quarter to take the juice out of the much-anticipated matchup. Brady Lewis ran for 223 yards and three touchdowns on 35 carries as the two-time defending Class 6A state champions asserted themselves after halftime. Nice response in a challenging situation.
A big MIC win for Warren Central: Doesn’t it sound nice to call Warren Central at Center Grove a MIC game again? For the first time in four years both Center Grove and Carmel are part of the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference … just in time for the league’s 30th anniversary. Warren Central, ranked No. 5 in 6A, held off No. 6 Center Grove 20-14, stonewalling the Trojans inside the 10-yard-line in the final minute. Warren Central accounted for 429 yards of total offense, including 130 rushing yards and two TDs from Keyon Thomas. Senior Anthony Dennison, getting the start at quarterback with Jack Quillen recovering from illness, was up to the task, going 19-for-38 passing for 263 yards and the game-winning TD to Zechariah Wallace. I’ll predict this: Warren Central will be 6-0 going into Week 7 vs. Lawrence North.
Week 1 roundup: IHSAA football Week 1 roundup: Central Indiana scores, highlights, stats as season kicks off
A slugfest in Fort Wayne: When Roncalli and Fort Wayne Dwenger play, count on a close finish. It was a 0-0 tie going into overtime on Friday night in a rematch of last year’s Class 4A state championship (a 36-29 Dwenger win). Let me say this first: No. 1 Roncalli hurt itself badly with six turnovers, including a fumble in the second overtime that cost the Royals a chance to salt the game away. But after a 15-yard TD run by Kallen Stahley in the third overtime, Roncalli had a 14-7 lead. After a pass interference call on third-and-goal from the 6, Dwenger scored to pull within a point. On the 2-point conversion, Kolyn Campbell took the direct snap and ran to the left, appearing to be tackled short of the goal line. But it was ruled a conversion and a 15-14 Dwenger win. Maybe these teams will meet again.
Game of the night? How about Pendleton Heights’ 43-42 win over Lebanon for a strong candidate. In overtime, after Lebanon scored a touchdown, Pendleton Heights answered with a 10-yard pass from Brandt Gray to Sam Behrendt. Instead of playing for the tie, the Arabians went for the 2-point conversion and got it on Gray’s run into the end zone. Gray finished 9-for-13 passing for 81 yards and three TDs and ran for 147 yards and a score. Junior running back Joel Weaver added 177 yards and two TDs on 27 carries. Both of these teams were 10-win squads last year and should be strong again.
Mudsock woes: Ouch. It was a rough night for both Hamilton Southeastern and Fishers … and maybe we should have seen it coming. Fishers lost so much from last year’s sectional title team and has underclassmen in several key spots, including a freshman quarterback. The Tigers were outgained 394 yards to 115 in a 47-0 loss to third-ranked Carmel. More stunning was No. 10 Hamilton Southeastern’s 54-23 loss to No. 8 Fort Wayne Carroll. HSE trailed 40-0 before halftime. Carroll quarterback Gabe Frisinger loaded up for 380 passing yards and seven TDs, and Hunter Scheele had 15 receptions for 231 yards and five TDs. Maybe Carroll is that good. It will be interesting to see what the rivals’ records are when Fishers goes to HSE in Week 4.
Positive momentum for Ben Davis: Sometimes a season just needs a little positive momentum to get off the ground. That has not been the case for Ben Davis the past two seasons with 0-2 and 1-5 starts both years. But 33-27 win over 5A second-ranked Cathedral gives Brett Cooper his first win as Ben Davis coach and a little boost going into a big game at Avon on Friday. The Giants led 21-7 and 27-10, then had to rally for a late score – a 9-yard touchdown pass from Gabe Kennett to Cam Crawford with 1:50 left – after Cathedral had pulled even. Kennett went 24-for-32 passing for 327 yards and four TDs and Michael Williams pulled down nine catches for 119 yards for the Giants.
State bragging rights: Class 5A top-ranked New Palestine had a battle on its hands against visiting Wheaton St. Francis, last year’s 5A state champion out of Illinois. The Dragons trailed by a field goal in the fourth quarter before an 84-yard touchdown run by quarterback Rhys Ragan put New Palestine on top to stay with 8:32 left in a 28-17 victory. Good win for the Dragons against a talented team and for Indiana high school football.
Kirschner gets first win (again): Mike Kirschner’s first game in his return to Mt. Vernon was a success as the Marauders went on the road to notch a 21-12 win over Kokomo. The Marauders went 0-10 last season and had not won the opener since 2020, which was Kirschner’s final season of his first tenure at Mt. Vernon. The Marauders host Brebeuf this week.
Sorgi lights it up: Wisconsin commit Jack Sorgi went 14-for-20 passing for 310 yards and four TDs in Class 3A No. 6 Tri-West’s 42-20 win over visiting. He also ran for 40 yards and a TD. Carter Cummings had five catches for 117 yards, and a TD and Quentin Alexander had five catches for 100 yards and a TD. Tri-West plays Evansville Reitz Saturday at Gibson Southern.
Fun opening night: The scene at Lawrence North was awesome for Week 1. I’ll have more about that game in Monday’s Insider, but that atmosphere was incredible for a season opener. Cool to have the first Lawrence North team of 1976 honored, too, before the game. Indiana high school football just gets better every year.
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649. Get IndyStar’s high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA football Week 1 snap judgments: Momentum for Warren, Ben Davis, Mudsock woes, more
Reporting by Kyle Neddenriep, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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By Kyle Neddenriep, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
