HERE’S TO THE CHAMPIONS
Ben Davis (14-0): Reese Taylor threw for 340 yards and six touchdowns and ran for 131 yards and one score as the top-ranked Giants dismantled No. 4 Penn, 63-14, in the Class 6A final.
Columbus East (14-1): Jaedin Miller scampered for 132 yards and three scores for the No. 2 Olympians in their 42-28 win over Kokomo in the Class 5A finale.
East Central (12-3): Alex Maxwell’s six-yard touchdown run with just over two minutes remaining lifted the No. 9 Trojans to a 14-7 victory over No. 1 Lowell for the Class 4A crown.
Evansville Memorial (14-1): Branson Combs hauled in nine passes for 82 yards with a touchdown and also racked up five tackles for the No. 4 Tigers in a 29-17 victory Brebeuf Jesuit in the Class 3A championship game.
Southridge (13-2): Tucker Schank caught a 42-yard touchdown pass as well as the game-winning two-point conversion throw from Jayce Harter with 1:22 left for the No. 5 Raiders in their 15-14 win over No. 6 Woodlan for the Class 2A title.
Pioneer (15-0): Danny Gregorich raced nine times for 88 yards with a touchdown in the top-ranked Panthers’ 42-14 triumph against No. 2 Eastern Greene in the Class 1A title clash.
SECOND BEST
Penn (12-2): Ryan Lynch’s 103 yards passing with a touchdown and another on the ground were not enough for the Kingsmen against Ben Davis.
Kokomo (9-5): Jack Perkins rambled for 148 yards and a score and caught four passes for 67 yards with a touchdown for the Wildkats against Columbus East.
Lowell (14-1): Chandler Austgen recorded 10 tackles for the Red Devils against East Central.
Brebeuf Jesuit (10-5): Gabe Wright had seven receptions for 124 yards and a score for the Braves against Evansville Memorial.
Woodlan (12-3): Logan Hahn caught five passes for 139 yards for the Warriors against Southridge.
Eastern Greene (11-4): Caleb Hamilton ran for 151 yards and two touchdowns and tossed for 64 yards for the Thunderbirds against Pioneer.
FINAL FABULOUS FIVE
- Penn (12-2): The Kingsmen finished Class 6A state runner-up for the second time in three years and seventh time overall.
- Northridge (9-1): The No. 4 (Class 4A) Raiders posted their first unbeaten regular season in program history.
- Concord (10-2): The No. 6 (Class 5A) Minutemen went 6-0 away from Jake Field in 2017.
- New Prairie (11-2): The No. 6 (Class 4A) Cougars averaged 44.2 points in claiming a sectional crown for the first time since 2014.
- Culver Academy (10-2): The Eagles tallied 30 or more points in 10 of their 12 contests.
HONORABLE MENTION
Knox (9-2): The Redskins recorded back-to-back nine-win campaigns for the first time in program history.
LaVille (8-5): The Lancers claimed their first Class 1A sectional trophy since 2003.
Marian (9-5): The Knights overcame their share of injuries to claim their third straight Class 3A sectional title and second regional crown in three years.
Triton (8-4): The Trojans finished over .500 for the first time since 2008.
Riley (7-4): The Wildcats posted their first winning mark since going 8-4 in 1997.
MATT’S MATCHUPS
A 4-2 (67 percent) in the state finals left me with a final record of 223-75, which left me at 75 percent for the 2017 season.
