North Central draws Warren Central in football sectional

            It’s official: North Central will play at Warren Central in the first round of the Class 5A Sectional 5 Indiana High School Athletic Association football tournament. According to the Sagarin ratings, which ranks every team in the state regardless of class size, Warren Central (8-0)  is ranked No.1 and North Central (4-4) is No. 13. Both teams play in the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference. Earlier this season, Warren Central defeated visiting North Central 48-16.
            The winner of the North Central-Warren Central game will play the winner of the No. 136 Arsenal Tech (4-4) vs. No. 47 Lawrence North game. No. 8 Lawrence Central (7-1) plays at No. 26 Southport (5-3). No. 33 Perry Meridian (3-5) plays at No. 2 Carmel (7-1).
            North Central is 3-3 against top 25 teams.
           Sagarin’s top 25:
1.      Warren Central (8-0)
2.      Carmel (7-1)
3.      Hamilton Southeastern (7-1)
4.      Ben Davis (7-1)
5.      Avon (7-1)
6.      Brownsburg (7-1)
7.      Cathedral (5-3)
8.      Lawrence Central (7-1)
9.      Penn (8-0)
10.  Fishers (6-2)
11.  Center Grove (5-3)
12.  Zionsville (5-3)
13.  Indianapolis North Central (4-4)
14.  Columbus North (5-3)
15.  Castle  (8-0)
16.  Bishop Luers  (7-0)
17.  Bishop Chatard (6-2)
18.  Pike (3-5)
19.  Lake Central (7-1)
20.  Homestead (8-0)
21.  Andrean (8-0)
22.  Columbus East (7-1)
23.  Crown Point (5-3)
24.  Merrillville (5-3)
25.  North Putnam (8-0)

Panthers are 7th in AP poll; 9th in coaches poll

Associated Press Poll
Class 5A



W-L Pts Prv
1. Warren Central (14) (2-0) 298 1
2. Carmel (1) (2-0) 264 2
3. Hamilton Southeastern (2-0) 236 3
4. Indpls Ben Davis (2-0) 196 5
5. Center Grove (2-0) 142 7
6. Penn (2-0) 128 8
7. Indpls N. Central (2-0) 106 9
8. Fishers (1-1) 68 4
9. Castle (2-0) 60 T10
10. Crown Point (2-0) 40 NR


Others receiving votes: Avon 38, Lawrence Central 18, Brownsburg 14, Southport 12, Ft. Wayne Snider 10, Homestead 8, Floyd Central 6, Columbus North 4, Lake Central 2,


Indiana Football Coaches Association



Class 5A Poll (8/29/11)
1. Warren Central
2. Carmel
3. Hamilton Southeastern
4. Ben Davis
5. Penn
6. Center Grove
7. Crown Point
8. Homestead
9. Indianapolis North Central
10. FW Snider

North Central Beats Pike

In sports, especially football, you can’t give up; quitting is not an option.

        North Central finally got it.
        North Central overcame a 14-7 deficit by scoring 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to defeat host Pike 21-14 Friday night in Indiana high school football. It was the first time that North Central has defeated Pike in football in five years.
         The no-quit attitude was displayed on special teams. After North Central tied the score at 14 on quarterback Gavin Alexander’s 48-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Krayshawn Brewer, North Central kicked off to Pike with 5:17 left in the game.  The Red Devils didn’t field the kick cleanly, the ball was fumbled, and a Panther hustled down the field and recovered it with 5:05 left.
         After a rough first half, Alexander continued his hot passing. Four plays after the recovered fumble, Alexander threw a 14-yard TD pass to Jordan Williams, making the score 21-14. In the final quarter, Alexander completed 5-of-6 passes with TD throws to Brewer and Williams. He also threw the first of his three TD passes to Brewer, a 38-yard strike that gave the Panthers a 7-0 first-quarter lead.
         Alexander finished the game 8-of-17 passing for 135 yards.
         But it was the defense that may have won the game. North Central gave up a lot of field position, many times punting the ball away near its own goal line.  Despite having to defend a short field, the Panthers defense came up with several stops and big plays. Defensive backs Kory Rogan and Melvin Graham came up with interceptions. Defensive lineman Trey Williamson had a sack and Panther teammates Darius Latham and Deon Posey applied consistent pressure on Pike quarterback Aloyis Gray.
        North Central kicker Ben Stoller ended the Panthers’ scoring by going 3-of-3 on points after touchdowns.
         Again, not giving up may have led to the victory.