(Article) South Putnam 55 Pioneer 29
The 53rd annual Indiana High School Football Championship Games got started on Friday night with Pioneer (13-1) battling South Putnam (11-2). I covered all six games from the comforts of the press box at Lucas Oil Field Stadium.
With the game scoreless, Pioneer got a 12-yard run from Noah Van Meter to keep the drive going. From there, Micah Rans picked up 16 yards to give the Panthers a first down on the Eagles' 15-yard line, with 6:26 left in the quarter. Van Meter took the ball to the 1-yard line, then Rans plowed in to make this a 6-0 game. Phillip McFatridge was true on his PAT, making this a 7-0 game, with 3:51 left on the clock.
Later in the quarter with 3:51 left, the game became tied when Drew Cline hooked up with Blake Witt for the 59-yard score. Aden Beasley converted the PAT. For Witt it was his fourth touchdown this year.
Just ten seconds later, Keenan-Mowery-Shields hit Cole Franklin, causing the ball to come loose, and pouncing on it for the Eagles was Witt. Witt, a junior, goes 5-8, 155, but his size seldom stops him from coming up big.
Van Meter picked up 39 yards on a tackle-breaking run to keep things moving for the Panthers at the 1:34 mark of the quarter. The drive continued into the second quarter, where McFatridge picked up 24 yards to set the Panthers up on the Eagles' 12-yard line. Van Meter ended the 9-play, 88-yard drive that took 5:15 off of the clock with a 1-yard touchdown run to make this a 14-7 game.
Drew Cline connected with Ty Benton for 26 yards to keep the Eagles offense flying high. Benton would be thrown down for a loss of 4 yards by Eli Guffey, slowing the drive down but not ending it. Cline found Bransyn Hanley for the 27-yard score to lock things up at 14. The drive went for 8 plays, 59 yards, taking up 4:13.
The Eagles' defense got a huge hit from Lucas Hall, who put Rans on the turf for a loss of three. The Panthers offense recovered quickly when Rans hit McFatridge for a 26-yard gain on third and ten, with 3:05 left in the half. Rans was sacked with 0:46 left in the half for a loss of two by Khalil Jefferson.
Just eleven seconds into the third quarter, Ty Benton went to his left, picking up 39 yards. He would end the 5-play, 66-yard drive with a 15-yard touchdown run, making this a 21-14 game.
McFatridge would not only lose five yards on the carry but also fumble the ball, where Jefferson scooped it up and scored from 32 yards out to make this a 28-14 game, with 8:27 showing on the third quarter clock.
The Eagles offense was at it again with 6:38 left on the clock, with Cline finding Keenan Mowery-Shields for a gain of twenty-eight yards. Cline then made like former Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Antwaan Randle El, picking up 23 yards on a big run. Cline would put a nice touch on a pass to Jefferson that picked up 18 yards. Shields ended the 10-play, 65-yard drive that took 4:00 off the clock with a 1-yard touchdown run. Liam Roach blocked the PAT to keep this a 34-14 game with 2:52 left in the one-sided third quarter.
The last big play in the quarter came when Damon Cox got to Rans for a loss of five. The drive continues into the final frame, where Van Meter raced 33 yards for the score, making this a 34-21 game. The drive went for 66 yards, taking 8 plays.
The Eagles would respond right back on their next drive. Brier Cook picked up 18 yards to set up his offense on the Panthers' twelve-yard line, with 10:02 left in the game. Cline took the ball and picked up 11 yards at the 8:39 mark. Cook ended the drive with a short touchdown run followed by a two-point conversion run by Cline, making this a 42-21 game, with 7:46 left.
The Panthers would go for it on fourth and one on the ensuing drive, and that decision did not go their way, with Shields stopping Van Meter for no gain.
It would take just two plays for the Eagles to light up the scoreboard again when Witt outran the defense for the 27-yard score to make this a 48-20 game, with 6:17 left.
With 5:36 left, Cline picked off the Rans pass and picked up 42 yards on the return. Three plays later we had a 55-21 game with Hayden Tincher running left for the 14-yard score.
McFatridge would go up the middle of the Eagles' defense for a 65-yard touchdown, followed by a two-point conversion run from Cole Franklin, making the final score 55-29.
Some official stats
Total offense plays
Pioneer 55
South Putnam 49
Total offense
Pioneer
349 yards
South Putnam
447
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