HERE’S TO THE WINNERS
East Central (15-0): Brayden Rouse accounted for 10 tackles, including 2.5 for loss, a quarterback sack, and an interception to help the top-ranked Trojans repeat as Class 4A champions with a 42-14 win over NorthWood.
Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (12-3): Kohen McKenzie was 7-of-10 for 126 yards with three touchdowns in the No. 7 Knights’ 40-3 win over No. 4 North Posey in the Class 2A finale.
Fort Wayne Snider (13-1): Lukas Rohrbacher registered 13 tackles and an interception for the No. 2 Saints in their 33-6 win over No. 7 Decatur Central for the Class 5A crown.
Indianapolis Ben Davis (13-1): Mark Zackery managed six catches for 86 yards with a score and two tackles in the No. 3 Giants’ 38-10 win over No. 4 Crown Point in the Class 6A final.
Indianapolis Bishop Chatard (15-0): Colin Guy came up with six receptions for 66 yards, three tackles, and three interceptions as the top-ranked Trojans made it back-to-back Class 3A state titles with a 35-7 win over No. 7 Heritage Hills.
Indianapolis Lutheran (13-0): Cole Snow registered 11 tackles and a quarterback sack as the top-ranked Saints claimed their third straight Class 1A state title with a 35-28 win over No. 2 Adams Central.
SECOND BEST
Adams Central (14-1): Ryan Tester hauled in five passes for 81 yards with a touchdown and notched three tackles for the three-time state runner-up Flying Jets against Indianapolis Lutheran.
Crown Point (13-1): Dominick Fantin amassed eight tackles and an interception for the Bulldogs against Ben Davis.
Decatur Central (11-3): Ashton Vogel converted field goals of 35 and 41 yards for the Hawks against Fort Wayne Snider.
Heritage Hills (13-2): Tyler Ruxer chipped in 11 tackles and five catches for 72 yards with a touchdown for the Patriots against Bishop Chatard.
North Posey (13-2): Jackson Graff recorded six tackles and an interception for the Vikings against Bishop Luers.
NorthWood (12-3): Ni’Tareon Tuggle hauled in nine passes for 160 yards with two touchdowns for the Panthers against East Central.
FINAL FABULOUS FIVE
- Penn (10-2): In his final game with the No. 8 Kingsmen, Nolan McCullough completed 20-of-39 for 376 yards and five touchdowns and ran nine times for 57 yards in a 34-33 loss against Crown Point in the Class 6A regional finale
- NorthWood (12-3): Keith Miller racked up 15 tackles for the Panthers against East Central in the Class 4A state title affair.
- Mishawaka (9-3): Brady Fisher closed out his high school career for the No. 9 Cavemen by going 7-of-8 for 246 yards with two score and running 11 times for 16 yards in a 19-18 loss against Fort Wayne Snider in a Class 5A regional final.
- New Prairie (10-3): Marshall Kmiecik finished with 16 carries for 125 yards with a score and was 5-of-13 for 64 yards in the Cougars’ 38-14 loss against NorthWood in the Class 4A regional final.
- Warsaw (9-2): Quinton Brock raced 74 yards for a touchdown for the Tigers in the Class 6A sectional final against Penn.
HONORABLE MENTION
Bremen (6-6), Concord (6-5), Glenn (7-5), Northridge (9-3), Riley (8-2)
MATT’S MATCHUPS – FINAL
I closed out the 2023 campaign by going 5-1 (83 percent) in the state finals. My final record was 206-45, which was good for 82 percent this season.
