Indiana
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.
Curt Cignetti wants players approaching spring practice with ‘great sense of urgency’
Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti talks about how he defines progress for his position groups and players during spring practice:
BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football’s offensive line had a lot to say about the program’s historic success last season.
The Hoosiers only gave up 11 sacks during their 10-0 start and didn’t allow a single sack in five of those wins. The group allowed fewer quarterback pressures last season (86) than they did through the first six games of 2023 (87).
There was a noticeable drop-off in performance late in the year — the season-ending injury that starting left guard Drew Evans didn’t help — and IU coach Curt Cignetti went into the offseason looking to bolster their talent and depth up front.
Indiana had success in the portal by landing Notre Dame center Pat Coogan (26 career starts), Ohio State tackle Zen Michalski (a former 4-star prospect) and Colorado guard Kahlil Benson (21 career starts). Benson is a familiar face having spent four seasons in Bloomington as a member of the team’s 2020 signing class.
Cignetti offered his thoughts on the state of the offensive line on Tuesday morning after the team wrapped up the sixth practice of the spring.
“I see progress,” Cignetti said. “Coogan is making progress, Carter Smith has got to get better. They all got to get better, right? All of them.”
Indiana’s new quarterback Fernando Mendoza was a bit more effusive when he talked about the offensive line last week. Mendoza was sacked 40 times last season at Cal — third-most in the FBS — and pressured on 156 of his 460 dropbacks.
“I could go on and on about all of those guys,” Mendoza said. “Those are all phenomenal players, and I have a ton of time (to throw the ball). Quite honestly it is a little more time than I am used to, I would say. But it has been great, and I have had great offensive lines in the past, and I am blessed to have an amazing offensive line this year.”
There have been some roadblocks for the line this spring.
Evan’s Achilles injury will sideline him until the fall — Cignetti hasn’t offered an exact timeline for his return — and Benson is on the shelf as well with an undisclosed injury. Indiana backup guard Austin Leibfried broke his hand during spring camp but is playing through the injury.
“He’s in a big hand cast and that’s limiting him a little bit right now,” Cignetti said.
Cignetti said the younger linemen getting reps in their place have done a “nice job.” He specifically mentioned redshirt freshman Adedamola Ajani along with early enrollees Baylor Wilkin and Matt Marek. Ajani is working at guard while Wilkin is getting reps at tackle and Marek is at center.
“The first line looks like an offensive line for the most part,” Cignetti said. “Functions like an offensive line for the most part. We’ve got to continue to get better, working together.”
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Severe weather is expected to hit Indiana Wednesday evening. A dangerous line of storms will move into central Indiana between 6 p.m. and midnight.
Storm Track 8 says recent weather primed the environment for intense thunderstorms, damaging winds, large hail, and isolated tornadoes.
The western half of Indiana is under a tornado watch until 11 p.m. Parts of southern Indiana will remain under a tornado watch until 1 a.m. tomorrow.
The Indiana Department of Transportation prepared for the severe weather and has crews on standby to respond to heavy flooding. Southern Indiana is expected to get the worst of the flooding.
You’re urged to use caution and stay tuned for weather updates.
Storm Track 8 weather blog | Check the Storm Track 8 interactive radar | Indiana’s travel advisory map
5:10 p.m.
A line of intensifying thunderstorms in Illinois will move into Indiana after 6 p.m. Widespread winds up to 70-80 mph, hail, and flash floods are expected.
4:15 p.m.
A tornado watch has been issued for most of Indiana until 11 p.m.
Counties under a tornado watch are: Benton, Boon, Brown, Carroll, Cass, Clay, Clinton, Daviess, Fountain, Fulton, Grant, Greene, Hamilton, Hendricks, Howard, Jasper, Johnson, Knox, Kosciusko, Lake, Lawrence, La Porte, Marion, Marshall, Martin, Miami, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Newton, Owen, Parke, Porter, Pulaski, Putnam, Starke, Sullivan, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Vermillion, Vigo, Wabash, Warren, White
by: Christopher Claffey and Gregg Montgomery
Posted: / Updated:
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indiana Pacers celebrated entering the NBA playoffs, although the team didn’t play Tuesday night.
The Portland Trailblazers beat the Atlanta Hawks 127-113, and that loss by the Hawks put the Pacers in the playoffs.
Now, the Pacers will wait to find out what team they’ll oppose. At the current standings, the Pacers say they could possibly play the Detroit Pistons with a home-court advantage.
The team’s “magic number,” to secure a top-four seed and the home-court advantage in the first round, was 5 on Tuesday night.
The Pacers put a poster on social media to celebrate and shared a link for tickets.
The Pacers went to the playoffs last season, but the Boston Celtics swept the best-of-seven conference championship series with four wins.
On Wednesday night, the Pacers play the Charlotte Hornets with a 7 p.m. tip-off.
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