EVANSVILLE — The path to Indianapolis is set.
The Indiana High School Athletic Association announced its football sectional pairings via the annual blind draw on Sunday, Oct. 12. The first round of the state tournament is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 24, with Class 5A and 6A beginning the following week.
There are currently eight teams from the Evansville area receiving votes in the USA Today Network Indiana media poll. The following are the defending sectional champions locally: Castle (5A), Reitz (4A) and Heritage Hills (now in 4A). Will any area team extend its season to Thanksgiving weekend?
Below are the sectional pairings for every team in Southwestern Indiana and quick analysis of the draw.
Class 5A
Sectional 16
North (6-2) at New Albany (0-8)
Floyd Central (7-1) at Castle (6-2)
Analysis: The winner here is the Huskies. Big favorites in the semifinal and possibly hosting the championship depending on the Floyd Central-Castle result. North would match its best win total since 2007 by running the table through the sectional. The Knights get a rematch with the Highlanders following last year’s semifinal. The difference is staying home at John Lidy Field.
Class 4A
Sectional 24
Central (1-7) at Reitz (5-3)
Heritage Hills (7-1) at Washington (3-5)
Jasper (6-2) at Boonville (4-4)
Bosse (0-8) at Harrison (1-7)
Analysis: I actually like this draw. Heritage Hills and Jasper stay opposite until a possible championship meeting. The Wildcats do get the better path and would host the Patriots if the bracket goes chalk. Heritage Hills would get Reitz at home in that semifinal. Two other items of note: this is the seventh time Reitz and Central play in the opening round since 2015; Bosse vs Harrison face each other now in back-to-back weeks, starting with Week 9.
Class 3A
Sectional 32
Gibson Southern (7-1) at Vincennes Lincoln (3-5)
Memorial (8-0) at Gibson Southern-Vincennes Lincoln winner
Mount Vernon (5-3) at Southridge (4-4)
Mater Dei (4-4) at Princeton (3-5)
Analysis: It could have been worse. Still not great when the top teams meet before the championship. Memorial would travel to Gibson Southern in that scenario for the semifinal. They haven’t played each other since the sectional final in 2018 (the Tigers were in 4A for five years). Regardless of how the draw shook out, it’s better for Southwestern Indiana when this matchup happens. The real question is who comes out of the bottom half? Could Mater Dei, even without quarterback Tate Mallory, get on a roll and play for the title?
Class 2A
Sectional 39
Sullivan (5-3) at South Vermillion (2-6)
Pike Central (0-8) at North Posey (6-2)
Greencastle (4-4) at Brown County (1-7)
Mitchell (0-8) at Linton-Stockton (6-2)
Analysis: Good draw for North Posey, who beat Pike Central 49-6 on Sept. 19. The Vikings would also avoid No. 9 Linton until the championship. That would be an under-the-radar matchup compared to a few others around the area.
Sectional 40
Crawford County (4-4) at Clarksville (3-5)
Salem (4-4) at Switzerland County (6-1)
Brownstown Central (8-0) at Tell City (4-4)
Eastern (Pekin) (1-7) at Paoli (6-2)
Analysis: Tough deal for Tell City to get No. 2 Brownstown out of the gate. It’s a rematch of the championship game last year. By all accounts, the Braves are even better with a state-best 61.6 points per game. Switzerland County is the other winner, avoiding Brownstown and Paoli until the championship.
Class 1A
Sectional 48
Forest Park (3-5) at Springs Valley (8-0)
Providence (5-2) at North Knox (3-5)
North Daviess (8-0) at Perry Central (0-8)
South Spencer (2-5) at Tecumseh (4-4)
Analysis: Three top-10 teams in this field. The winner from that group is No. 9 North Daviess, who is having its best start in program history. The Cougars would avoid No. 1 Springs Valley (their Week 9 opponent) and No. 4 Providence until the championship. Tough draw for the Rangers to get the Blackhawks immediately. We also get a rematch between Tecumseh and South Spencer.
Kyle Sokeland is a sports reporter for the Courier & Press. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @kylesokeland or email at kyle.sokeland@courierpress.com.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Here are the 2025 IHSAA high school football sectional pairings for the Evansville area
Reporting by Kyle Sokeland, Evansville Courier & Press / Evansville Courier & Press
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