Indiana

IHSAA football sectional pairings takeaways: Early showdowns, tough draws, new champs

Published

1 year ago

October 13, 2024

IHSAA football sectional pairings takeaways: Early showdowns, tough draws, new champs

The path to Lucas Oil Stadium is set.

The Indiana High School Athletic Association unveiled the football sectional draw Sunday night for the 52nd annual tournament presented by the Indianapolis Colts. The first round sectional games for Class 4A through Class A are set for Oct. 25, with 5A and 6A to begin the following week. The state finals for all six classes will be played Nov. 29 and 30 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

IHSAA football sectional draw: Check out the 2024 tournament pairings

What we learned from Week 8: On Lawrence North, Cascade, surprises

Here are 10 takeaways from the sectional draw:

Big-time matchups in 6A

There might not be the major league showdown last year like there was last year when Brownsburg played Ben Davis in the first round, but there are some good ones. Three of the best:

∎ Franklin Central at Columbus North, Sectional 8: Franklin Central (5-2) has been one of the hottest teams in the class with wins the past two weeks over Fishers and Hamilton Southeastern and a four-game winning streak overall. Coach Jayson West’s Flashes are guaranteed of having a winning season for the first time since joining the Hoosier Crossroads Conference in 2018. Can Franklin Central get through No. 9 Columbus North (7-1) and get a shot at No. 7 Center Grove (5-3)?

∎ Lawrence North at Lawrence Central, Sectional 6: Beating a rival twice is always tough. Class 6A fourth-ranked Lawrence North (8-0) has proved itself against the toughest teams on its schedule with decisive wins over Ben Davis, Warren Central and Center Grove the past three weeks. But the Wildcats had to hold on in Week 1 for a 33-26 win over Lawrence Central. The Bears (3-5) are capable of making it tough for the Wildcats.

∎ Carmel at Zionsville, Sectional 3: Hard to believe but Carmel (3-5) has not won a sectional since 2020. Zionsville (3-5) won one sectional title in 6A in 2019 with wins over Pike and Brownsburg. Carmel has been struggling in recent weeks, losing four of five. Zionsville has dropped three in a row after a promising start. These programs have never met in tournament play. Third-ranked Westfield (7-1) will likely be waiting on the other side of the bracket.

Sectional 5 could still go through Ben Davis

If top-ranked Brownsburg (8-0) can win at Avon (2-6) in the first round of Sectional 5, the Bulldogs could be headed back to defending 6A champion Ben Davis for the sectional championship game.

Ben Davis (3-5) will have to win at an improved Pike (5-3) in the first round. After a 1-5 start, Ben Davis has won two in a row over Carmel and Lawrence Central by a combined 48 points. The Giants rallied last year from an 18-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Brownsburg 28-25 in the first round of the sectional, then go on to win the state title.

Ben Davis and Brownsburg did not meet during the regular season. The Giants lost to Avon in overtime, but beat Pike 38-14. Brownsburg handled Avon 45-15 after a slow start.

A wide-open Sectional 4

Hamilton Southeastern (5-3), the two-time defending sectional champion, might still be the team to beat in Sectional 4. But it seems like a smaller margin than it has been. Despite its record, Noblesville (2-6) could be a sleeper pick. The Millers battled top-ranked Brownsburg into the fourth quarter on Friday before losing 22-18 and have lost five games by a touchdown or less, including a 28-21 loss to HSE in Week 7. Fishers (4-4) beat HSE 37-35 in Week 4.

Fishers plays at Noblesville and HSE is at Homestead (4-4).

A showdown in Class 4A

Bishop Chatard, the 3A state champion in 2022 and ’23, will attempt to win its first state title in 4A this season. The 4A third-ranked Trojans (6-1) will start with Crispus Attucks (5-1) in Sectional 22 and then play the winner of Mooresville (3-5) and Shortridge (2-5).

More of the intrigue in Sectional 22 will be on the bottom half of the bracket, where high-scoring No. 8 Brebeuf Jesuit (6-2) will host Danville (7-1) and Roncalli (3-4) hosts Northview (7-1). Chatard beat Brebeuf 58-35 in the opener and defeated Roncalli 9-3 in Week 3.

The Danville-Brebeuf game should be fun. Danville’s only loss came in Week 1 to 3A state-ranked Gibson Southern. Brebeuf, averaging more than 48 points per game, is putting up video game numbers every (non-hurricane weather) week.

A loaded local 5A sectional

The two teams to make it to the state finals the past two years from the bottom half of the 5A bracket will meet in the first round of Sectional 13.

Whiteland (3-4) is at fourth-ranked Decatur Central (5-2) in a rematch of a game the Hawks won 42-29 in Week 3. Decatur Central reached the state finals last year, losing to Fort Wayne Snider. Whiteland was the 5A entry two years ago, falling to Valparaiso.

Sitting on the other side of the four-team sectional is No. 5 Plainfield (7-1), which will play winless Anderson.

A great route for Martinsville

One of the stories of the season has been 4A second-ranked Martinsville (8-0), which ran into the freight train of East Central in the sectional each of the past three seasons. But East Central is now playing up in 5A and Martinsville has a much more favorable sectional this season in Sectional 23.

The Artesians will open at home against Charlestown (1-7) and then play the winner of Silver Creek (3-5) and Connersville (2-6) in the semifinal. The next-best team in the eight-team field is probably Greenwood (2-6). This is a good year for Martinsville to break a sectional title drought that dates to 1996. The Artesians can really sling with quarterback A.J. Reynolds and receiver Hunter Stroud.

I like Martinsville to make the semistate.

A murderer’s row in 3A sectional

How about Class 3A Sectional 32. Wow.

No matter how you slice it, Sectional 32 was going have some heavyweight matchups in the first round with four top-10 teams in the field. No. 1 Evansville Memorial (8-0) will play at seventh-ranked Evansville Mater Dei (7-1) in a rematch of a game Memorial won 41-13 in Week 4. Also, No. 2 Heritage Hills (7-1) will play at No. 6 Gibson Southern (6-2) in the bottom half of the bracket.

Southridge (6-2) is another team to watch in the sectional.

The path for Lutheran

Coach Dave Pasch’s Lutheran team, the three-time defending champion in Class A, is playing in Class 2A for the first time and will be one of the favorites to compete for a state championship. The 7-1 Saints, who saw their 45-game winning streak snapped by Triton Central earlier this season, will host sixth-ranked Heritage Christian (6-2), arguably the next-best team in the seven-team sectional, in the first round of Sectional 37.

The other top contender in Sectional 37 is Monrovia (6-2), which is hosting Scecina (3-5) on the top half of the bracket. Lutheran is 4-0 against the sectional field, including a 49-14 win over Monrovia. The Saints have not played Heritage Christian.

Tough draw for Western Boone

Western Boone, the Class 2A state champion three consecutive years from 2018 to 2020, is playing in 2A again after three years of playing up in 3A. The fourth-ranked Stars (7-1) are a contender to make a deep run but did not receive a favorable draw in Sectional 34. The first-round matchup is against North Putnam (7-1) with top-ranked Lafayette Central Catholic (7-1) awaiting in the sectional semifinal.

Lafayette Central Catholic, an eight-time state champion in Class A, won a regional for the first time last year in 2A before falling to Fort Wayne Luers in the semistate. This is a sectional with not a lot of familiarity; LCC, Western Boone and North Putnam have not played one another.

Odds and ends

There are guaranteed to be at least five new state champions this season with Fort Wayne Snider (moving up from 5A to 6A), East Central (4A to 5A), Bishop Chatard (3A to 4A), Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (2A to 3A) and Lutheran (A to 2A) all moving up after winning state championships via the tournament success factor. … There are 312 teams entered in the tournament. … Chatard has the most state championships in tournament history with 17, followed by Cathedral (14) and Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (12). … In addition to the five teams listed above playing up through the tourney success factor, Adams Central (2A), Cathedral (6A) and Lafayette Central Catholic (2A) are also playing up. … Lutheran has the longest active tournament winning streak with 17. … No. 1 New Palestine (7-0) will open Class 4A Sectional 21 at home against Mt. Vernon (4-4). Greenfield-Central (6-2) is on the other side of the bracket.

Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.

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Indiana

Indiana lawmakers in state House to convene session with redistricting top of mind – The Boston Globe

Published

6 hours ago

December 1, 2025

Press Room

Indiana lawmakers in state House to convene session with redistricting top of mind – The Boston Globe

Indiana House members are expected to push forward Monday with redrawing the state’s congressional districts in Republicans’ favor, increasing pressure on their defiant counterparts in the GOP-led Senate to meet President Donald Trump’s demands.

Republicans who control the House chamber have said there’s no doubt that redistricting will pass that chamber. But the fate of any proposal to emerge remains uncertain in the Senate. Republicans also control that chamber but members of the caucus have resisted pressure to redistrict for months.

Senate leadership recently backed off from previous intent not to meet at all, agreeing to convene next Monday. But it’s still unclear if enough senators will back a new map.

No official map or legislation had been made public by late Friday.

Republicans hold seven of Indiana’s existing nine U.S. House seats. Trump and other Republicans want to make the map 9-0 in the GOP’s favor, aiming to give the party two extra seats in the 2026 elections that will determine control the U.S. House. Democrats only need to flip a handful of seats to overcome the Republicans’ current margin.

Indiana lawmakers have been under mounting pressure from the White House to redistrict like Republicans in Texas, Ohio and North Carolina have. To offset the GOP gains, Democrats in California and Virginia have moved to do the same.

But some Indiana Republicans have been far more resistant. Republicans in the state Senate rebelled against Republican Gov. Mike Braun in November and said they would not attend a special session he ordered on redistricting.

The chamber’s top Republican, President Pro Tem Rodric Bray, at the time said the Senate did not have the votes. A spokesperson for Bray’s office did not respond Friday when asked if that is still the case.

Meanwhile, Trump attacked Indiana senators on social media, particularly Bray. He swore to endorse primary opponents of defecting senators. A spree of threats and swatting attempts were made against lawmakers who either said they do not support redistricting or have not taken a stance. At least one lawmaker in favor of redistricting and Braun were also threatened.

Last week, the House announced plans to convene in Indianapolis on Monday.

“All legislative business will be considered beginning next week, including redrawing the state’s congressional map,” House Speaker Todd Huston said in a statement Tuesday.

The Indiana Senate, where a number of lawmakers objected to leadership’s refusal to hold a vote, then said members would reconvene Dec. 8.

“The issue of redrawing Indiana’s congressional maps mid-cycle has received a lot of attention and is causing strife here in our state,” Bray said in a statement Tuesday. He said the Senate will finally decide the matter this month.

Volmert reported from Lansing, Michigan.

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Indiana

Travel watch for most of our area, snow covered roads

Published

22 hours ago

November 30, 2025

Press Room

Travel watch for most of our area, snow covered roads

You are being urged to stay home except for essential travel and emergencies.

Nearly all of northern Indiana is under a Travel Watch, according to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security’s website.

St Joseph, Elkhart, LaGrange, Kosciusko, Marshall, Starke, Pulaski and Fulton counties are all under a Travel Watch.

This means conditions are threatening to the safety of the public and only essential travel is recommended.

La Porte County is under an advisory, which is the lowest level of warning.

Snow covered roads are leading to multiple slide offs through out our area.

U.S. 31 appears to be a problem area.

St. Joseph County police says one southbound lane was closed overnight due to a stuck semi.

This was just south of Kern Road.

Photo captured from INDOT snowplow near Rochester on Old U.S. 31 at 5:20 Sunday morning.

The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office shared the Highway Department pulled all snowplows from the roadways overnight, due to hazardous conditions.

Plows were expected to be back out Sunday morning.

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Indiana

How trajectories of Indiana, Purdue turned Bucket game into one-sided rivalry

Published

2 days ago

November 29, 2025

Press Room

How trajectories of Indiana, Purdue turned Bucket game into one-sided rivalry

WEST LAFAYETTE — Indiana football is firmly in control of the Old Oaken Bucket.

The No. 2 Hoosiers (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten) beat Purdue 56-3 on Friday night at Ross-Ade Stadium to keep the trophy in Bloomington for a second straight year.

Indiana has put together consecutive wins against the Boilermakers that rank among the most dominant pair of victories in the history of the series.

This is the first time in eight decades the Hoosiers have held their rival without a touchdown in two straight games. Their margin of victory in the wins (119 points) is the most in program history and third most all-time for either team.

The other games on the list? Those happened back in the 1890s.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti has fueled the Hoosiers recent success, but he took a measured approach when talking about the current state of the rivalry.

“The fact that we’ve outscored them like we have, it’s just a fact where we are at and where they are at right now,” Cignetti said. “They are going to get better, there’s no doubt in my mind that they are going to get better. Coach (Barry Odom) is going to do a great job of improving that roster and coaching that football team, they sort of hit rock bottom, it timed up with my arrival.”

Odom steered clear of addressing the rivalry head on as well. He thanked the fans for supporting the team throughout the 2025 season even though they didn’t give them much to cheer about.

“I’ll get it fixed,” Odom said.

The game on Friday night showed he had a long way to go as did the makeup of the crowd. By the final whistle, the sections behind IU’s bench were completely full of fans decked out in crimson.

“I think we pretty much took over the stadium tonight,” Indiana linebacker Aiden Fisher said. “This game, this rivalry, means a lot to former players, alums and fans, everybody included in Indiana football. When you travel like that, it can feel like a home environment at times, it’s special.”

Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar’s Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.

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