HS Football 6A State Finals Preview, Prediction: Brownsburg vs. Westfield

Class 6A final: Westfield vs. Brownsburg, 7 p.m., Friday
Stream PPV on IHSAAtv.org

The Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference — and those formerly part of the MIC — have had a stranglehold on Indiana high school football’s largest class for years.

Since 2013, the first year Class 6A was added, MIC schools Warren Central and Ben Davis and former MIC schools/now-independent Carmel and Center Grove have all won 11 state championships. That streak will come to an end Friday night at Lucas Oil Stadium when Hoosier Crossroads Conference rivals Brownsburg (12-1) and Westfield (12-1) meet for the 6A title.

“It’s a big testament to the conference,” said Westfield’s Josh Miracle, in his first year as head coach after 13 years as an assistant.

Nobody does it alone.The state finals coaches give thanks on Thanksgiving.

Whether this is a one-year deviation or a sign of things to come remains to be seen. The margin was razor-thin even this year, as Brownsburg needed a 28-point comeback to beat Ben Davis 38-35 for the section championship and needed a touchdown and a 2-point conversion in the final seconds to win Defeating No. 1 Lawrence North of MIC, 22-21, in the region.

But the HCC has clearly closed the gap with the MIC – with or without Carmel and Center Grove, which were voted out of the MIC in December 2021 after applying for membership in the HCC. Enrollment at HCC’s eight schools has increased (both Brownsburg and Westfield have more than 3,000 students) and have facilities on par with small colleges.

The level of competition followed suit. Three conference teams (Hamilton Southeastern finished ninth) finished in the top 10 and two others (Fishers and Franklin Central) were ranked at one point in the season. Even last-place Noblesville, which finished 0-7 in the HCC, was within a touchdown of Westfield in the fourth quarter and nearly upset Brownsburg in a 22-18 loss.

“It’s great for us to be part of this conference,” Brownsburg coach John Hart said. “I think Coach Miracle would say the same thing. Every week, unless you’re playing really well in our conference, and I think that’s what sets us apart, one in eight is a two-touchdown spread. It’s a really close conference.”

Anything other than a close game, decided one way or the other, would be a surprise on Friday evening. The first meeting, played on a Saturday afternoon in Brownsburg after Hurricane Helene postponed Friday night games in the area, ended with a kickoff return for a touchdown by Brownsburg sophomore Branden Sharpe and a 17-13 victory for the Bulldogs .

Winning close games has become second nature for Brownsburg, which won all four of its tournament games by a touchdown or less.

“I don’t know if you can have three ulcers, but I probably developed three of them,” Hart said. “…It’s a special team. There really is no stopping and no blaming. It’s really unique. You would have really thought there would be a lot of crying when we were 35-7 (against Ben Davis). We just talked about, ‘Hey, this is it. Let’s be together and play our best football,’ and they responded.”

This memorable run for Brownsburg is the first to reach the state finals since the Bulldogs won back-to-back titles in 1984 and 1985. The latter was a 23-17 victory over Hobart in Class 4A (the first year of the five-class system) on a 48-yard touchdown pass from Dan Gatlin to Scott Wells on the final play of regulation.

Westfield represents the toughest test yet. The Shamrocks have an outstanding senior class and have been one of the most consistent programs in 6A in recent years.

“Consistency,” Miracle said of his superiors. “There are a lot of people who have built up our youth program over the years and embraced it. That was one of the big questions we were asked. In our graduating class last year, the leadership was great. They really rose to the challenge. It’s not my team, it’s not the coaches’ team, it’s their team. These guys definitely pushed that forward.”

Here’s a closer look at the Class 6A title game:

Matchup: Westfield (12-1) vs. Brownsburg (12-1)

Rankings: Westfield No. 3; Brownsburg #4

Start: Friday, 7 p.m., at Lucas Oil Stadium

Here’s how to watch: IHSAAtv.org

Championships: Westfield won its only Class 5A football state championship in 2016 with a 16-13 win over Columbus East. The Shamrocks also appeared in state finals in 1992 (2A), 2013 (5A), 2020 (6A) and 2021 (6A). Westfield has four state girls cross country titles and three in boys golf. Brownsburg won football state titles in 1984 (3A) and 1985 (4A). The Bulldogs were runner-up in 2A in 1978. The school also has state titles in baseball (2005 in 4A), boys’ basketball (4A in 2008), boys’ track and field (2023), Unified Flag Football (2022), and wrestling (2017 and 2024).

trainer

Westfield coach Josh Miracle, 36, is in his first season as head coach at Westfield after 13 years as an assistant to Jake Gilbert. Miracle was also the boys track and field coach at Westfield. He graduated from Hobart in 2007 and Wabash College in 2011. He is an AP Psychology teacher at Westfield.

Brownsburg coach John Hart, 62, has an 81-19 record in his ninth season at Brownsburg and a 348-100 record in 40 seasons overall. Hart, a native of Newton, Illinois, began his head coaching career at Edwards County (Ill.) in 1985 and moved to Mt. Carmel (Ill.) in 1990 for 11 seasons. He took the Evansville Reitz job in 2001 and led Reitz to a 4A state title in 2007. Hart transferred to Warren Central for four years, led the Warriors to a 5A title in 2009 and then coached at Huntley (Ill.) for four years. years before he came to Brownsburg in 2016.

A closer look at Westfield

Westfield shared the Hoosier Crossroads Conference championship with Brownsburg. The Bulldogs handed Westfield its first and only loss in Week 6, 17-13. The Shamrocks reached the 6A state finals in 2020 and 2021, losing both games to Center Grove. Brownsburg will be the second-seeded team Westfield will face in five tournament games after defeating third-seeded Crown Point 30-7 in the semistate. The Shamrocks rank third in 6A in scoring (34.0 ppg) and fifth in points allowed (13.9 ppg).

The Shamrocks have a balanced offense, averaging 188 rushing yards and 149 passing yards per game. Junior running back Deacon King (1,353 rushing yards, 16 TDs) leads the ground attack behind an offensive line that includes juniors Malachi Mills and Job Mavrick at left guard, senior center Isaac Cole and seniors Tristan Cooke-Dennis and Avery Huggins the right side. Senior quarterback Carsen Melvin (1,793 passing yards, 16 TDs; 326 rushing yards, 10 TDs) is one of the best in the state and has quality talent in Beau Braun (29 catches, 434 yards, three TDs) and Parker Knott (20 catches). receiver, 285 yards, three touchdowns). The defense is also outstanding, allowing just 96 yards per game and forcing 29 turnovers. Linebackers Keegan Krupp (101 tackles, 6 ½ for loss), Mikeah Webster (89 tackles, 12 ½ for loss, four sacks) and Lennox Williams (76 tackles), lineman Alex Aramboles (58 tackles, 15 ½ for loss, 9 ½ sacks). ) and safety Drew Law (47 tackles, six interceptions) are leaders.

A closer look at Brownsburg

Brownsburg rattled off eight straight wins, including a 17-13 win over Westfield in Week 6, before losing its final regular-season game 30-23 to Hamilton Southeastern. Brownsburg ranks fifth in Class 6A in scoring (33.2 ppg). The Bulldogs beat reigning state champion Ben Davis 38-35 in the section championship, rallied from a 28-point second-half deficit and beat No. 1 Lawrence North in the region with a touchdown and a 2-point conversion 13 seconds left. and won 31-27 at Center Grove in the semistate. Coach John Hart joins Russ Radtke and Craig Buzea as the third coach to lead three different schools to the state finals.

The Bulldogs use a two-quarterback system, with sophomore Oscar Frye (2,283 passing yards, 22 TDs; 139 rushing yards) and senior Iosua Stephens (565 passing yards, seven TDs; 565 rushing yards, 12 TDs). share the time. Look for junior Kovon Sumpter Bey (721 yards, seven touchdowns; 22 catches, 205 yards, two touchdowns) to start at running back, although sophomore Brady Lewis (707 yards, six touchdowns) , is also a key player. Receiver is a strong position, led by junior Branden Sharpe (64 catches, 1,132 yards, six touchdowns), junior Avin Robinson (39 catches, 853 yards, 12 touchdowns) and junior Tez Virgil (31 catches, 280 yards). The defense limits teams to less than 100 rushing yards per game, led by senior linebacker Alex Burke (91 tackles, 21½ tackles for loss, five sacks), senior outside linebacker Jamere Pendleton (75 tackles, five interceptions), senior lineman Mason Keifer (15 tackles for loss, five sacks) and senior cornerback Quentin Russ (44 tackles, six interceptions).

How Westfield can win

Benefit from opportunities. The Shamrocks failed to do this in the first meeting, giving Brownsburg the opportunity to turn the game around with a kickoff return for a score. The running game has proven itself in the tournament. Control the ball and keep it out of Brownsburg’s hands.

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HS Football 6A State Finals Preview, Prediction: Brownsburg vs. Westfield

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