SIX PACK OF CHAMPIONS
Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger (14-1): T.J. Tippmann’s nine-yard scamper in the fourth overtime lifted the No. 6 Saints to a 16-10 win over No. 8 Evansville Central in the Class 4A finale.
New Palestine (14-0): Charlie Spegal rambled 27 times for 228 yards and two scores in the No. 1 Dragons’ 28-14 decision over No. 2 Decatur Central in the Class 5A final.
Pioneer (15-0): Jack Kiser capped off his brilliant career by going 4-of-6 for 88 yards with two touchdowns and running 16 times for 235 yards and three scores as the top-ranked Panthers made it back-to-back Class 1A championships with a 60-0 blanking of No. 7 North Vermillion.
Warren Central (14-0): Romeir Elliott raced 25 times for 162 yards with two scores and also caught a 65-yard touchdown pass in the No. 1 Warriors’ 27-7 victory against No. 3 Carmel in the Class 6A affair.
West Lafayette (15-0): Sage Hood’s three-yard touchdown run with 42 seconds left helped the No. 2 Red Devils earn the Class 3A crown with a 47-42 upset of top-ranked and defending state champion Evansville Memorial.
Western Boone (15-0): Logan Benson’s nine receptions for 159 yards with a state finals record four touchdowns gave the No. 1 Stars their first state title since 1988 with a 34-20 victory against No. 5 Eastbrook.
FINAL FABULOUS FIVE
- Mishawaka (12-2): Chris Harness set the school and single-season rushing record with more than 2,700 yards this season for the No. 2 (Class 4A) Cavemen.
- NorthWood (11-1): Bronson Yoder accounted for over 2,300 yards on the ground with 28 touchdowns and more than 400 yards through the air with six scores for the top-ranked (Class 4A) Panthers.
- Michigan City (10-3): The running of Lyric McFarrin helped the No. 3 Wolves claim their second straight Class 5A sectional and regional championships.
- Bremen (11-3): Nathan Mullen accounted for 211 carries for 1,451 yards and 18 scores for the No. 11 (Class 2A) Lions.
- Penn (8-3): Brock Boynton was one of the unsung heroes for the No. 9 (Class 6A) Kingsmen.
HONORABLE MENTION
Culver Academy (6-3): Elijah Pack was one of the offensive standouts for the Eagles.
Marian (8-5): John Brach accumulated more than 1,000 total yards of offense as the Knights claimed their fourth straight Class 3A sectional title.
New Prairie (7-4): Chris Mays recorded 118 carries for 931 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Cougars.
Triton (9-4): Tye Orsund caught 32 passes for 703 yards and 10 scores for the Trojans in their run to a Class 1A sectional title.
Warsaw (7-3): John Culbertson racked up more than 100 tackles for the Tigers.
MATT’S MATCHUPS – FINAL
A 5-1 (83 percent) mark in the state finals left me with a final record of 264-75, which was good for 78 percent for the 2018 season.
