Westfield vs. Carroll Regional Championship Game Preview

In Class 6A, the top dogs throughout the season have been the Center Grove Trojans. But there have been many squads who have certainly made a push to get to that spot. Two of the teams who fall into that category will meet in Fort Wayne this week with a Regional championship at stake. The Westfield Shamrocks and the Carroll Chargers have talent all over the field, meaning that an outstanding contest is likely on the cards. Today, we look ahead to one of the most enticing matchups that Regional Championship week has to offer. Westfield Shamrocks The Westfield Shamrocks will be hoping to take another big step towards a return to Lucas Oil Stadium when they make the trip up north to Carroll this week. The Shamrocks will be bringing a potent offense that is capable of putting up a lot of points. The offense is lead by Ball State commit, [player_tooltip player_id="98076" first="Maximus" last="Webster"]. Webster has put together another sensational season. He has thrown for 1,800 yards and he enters this game with 16 touchdown passes to just two interceptions. But while Webster is an accomplished passer, Carroll will have to respect his running ability as well. Webster has managed to pick up 287 yards on the ground. But without a doubt, Micah Hauser is the team’s main running threat. Hauser has rushed for just under 900 yards this season while scoring an impressive 18 rushing touchdowns. In the passing game, Webster does a tremendous job of getting multiple receivers involved. Jackson Wasserstrom, Gabriel Aramboles, Nic Depasquale and Ian Bruch have all racked up over 350 receiving yards this year. Hauser also makes an impact on defense. He has come up with four interceptions so far. A takeaway in a game of this magnitude could shift the balance of the game dramatically. The pass rush is paced by Louisville commit, [player_tooltip player_id="39044" first="Popeye" last="Williams"]. Williams has accumulated four sacks this year. He will need to get pressure on Carroll’s [player_tooltip player_id="98016" first="Jeff" last="Becker"] to take some of the pressure off of the secondary. Carroll Chargers Since dropping their Week 1 game at home against Bishop Luers, the argument can be made that few teams in the state have played better than the Carroll Chargers. Carroll rolled past Warsaw in the Sectional Championship game. Now they will have to rely on the balance that they have shown all season long if they are to continue their playoff run. Leading the Chargers on offense is [player_tooltip player_id="98016" first="Jeff" last="Becker"]. Becker is committed to South Dakota State and he has had a tremendous final season at Carroll. Becker has piled up close to 1,300 yards through the air with 22 touchdown passes and five interceptions. On the ground, Becker is one-half of a devastating rushing attack. He has posted a little over 700 rushing yards while Luke Carmody has rushed for over 800 yards. But the Westfield defense cannot get lulled to sleep by the Carroll running-game. If they do, leading receiver Jameson Coverstone can hurt them. On defense, Carroll has done a great job of taking the ball away. Both [player_tooltip player_id="107189" first="Dylan" last="Bennett"] and Alex Smith have four interceptions to their names. Carroll’s coverage will be tested by this Westfield offense. But a turnover could give the Carroll offense an advantage. Westfield’s offense versus Carroll’s defense may be the matchup to watch in this game.