What to Watch For: Cathedral at Brownsburg

Two of the Indy-area's best teams have been on a collision course, and now they go head-to-head. One of the Semi-State spots in Class 6A will go to either the Cathedral Fighting Irish or the Brownsburg Bulldogs. But for one of those team the season will end at the Regional stage. The two teams met in the regular season with Brownsburg emerging victorious, but as we have seen time and again, the regular season does not matter once we get to tournament time. With stars all over the field for both teams, here are some of the prospects to keep a close eye on.   Indianapolis Cathedral Fighting Irish   Offense   The Irish offense is led by prolific Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='109625' first='Danny' last='O'Neil']. The Junior has been shredding opposing defenses all season. O'Neil has completed 183 passes on 282 attempts. O'Neil has topped 2,400 yards passing with an outstanding 31 touchdown passes. For the Bulldogs to force interceptions, it will require something special. O'Neil has only thrown five interceptions. The defense will have to constantly be vigilant as O'Neil is the owner of nearly 300 rushing yards this season.   The Cathedral offense is a unit stocked with playmakers all over the ball. Running Back [player_tooltip player_id='476363' first='Carson' last='Johnson'] is the engine that keeps the running-game operating. Johnson has amassed 919 rushing yards with seven touchdowns. Johnson has carried the ball 135 times. He can get the Brownsburg defense tired. If Johnson can have a productive day, that could open up a lot of things in the passing-game.   [player_tooltip player_id='107080' first='Jaron' last='Tibbs'] is the main target for O'Neil. Tibbs has totaled 842 receiving yards and he will be looking to up that total against Brownsburg. Tibbs has caught 54 passes. Having a baker's dozen of touchdown receptions, Tibbs is someone who will demand constant attention. But he will not be alone in the receiving department. Fellow Senior David Ayers enters Regional week with 547 receiving yards on the year. Ayers has reeled in six touchdown receptions. Senior Tight End [player_tooltip player_id='39075' first='Brennan' last='Wooten'] accounts for eight of O'Neil's 31 touchdown passes.   Defense   Junior Jackson Weingart has been making a difference in the middle of the defense all year. Weingart can get after the quarterback and make plays in the backfield. He currently has six-and-a-half sacks and four quarterback hurries to his name. Weingart has one interception, fumble recovery, forced fumble and blocked field goal so far. Making any one of those plays could be the difference between advancing and going home.   The Cathedral defensive backfield has been lights-out all season. The team has swiped 14 interceptions, making this a group that is extremely difficult to throw against. The group is led by Seniors Kyuss Gargett and Caleb Martin. The duo have combined for seven picks with Gargett nabbing four of them. Gargett has defended against seven passes and recorded 31 tackles. Martin has a forced fumble on his resume.   Brownsburg Bulldogs   Offense   Senior [player_tooltip player_id='284228' first='Jayden' last='Whitaker'] has displayed complete command of the Brownsburg offense in what has been a splendid final campaign for him in a Brownsburg uniform. Whitaker has thrown only five interceptions while putting up 17 touchdowns, throwing for over 2,300 yards in the process. Like O'Neil, Whitaker can be effective running the ball. He has posted 315 yards on 48 carries this year. If Whitaker can deliver another big performance, the Bulldogs could find themselves a step closer to Lucas Oil Stadium.   It is not all on the shoulders of Whitaker, though. He has plenty of talent around him. Helping take the load of him is Junior Running back [player_tooltip player_id='322418' first='Garrett' last='Sherrell']. Currently sitting at 996 rushing yards, the next carry for Sherrell could take him over the 1,000-yard mark for the year. Sherrell is a credible receiving threat, having added over 200 yards through the air. Adding to one of the state's best backfields is Senior [player_tooltip player_id='39066' first='Caleb' last='Marcus']. Marcus has rushed for 740 yards on 130 attempts in his final high school season. Like Sherrell, Marcus is always an option out of the backfield, having put up 192 yards as a receiver. Both backs have rushed for over 100 yards in a game on four occasions this year. Do not overlook Junior [player_tooltip player_id='322415' first='Ariyan' last='Ballance']. Ballance has 429 rushing and 162 receiving yards, making him another prospect that the Cathedral defense will have to worry about.   Whitaker's go-to option this season has been Junior [player_tooltip player_id='322414' first='Corey' last='Smith']. Smith has caught 37 passes this season. He leads the team with 773 receiving yards. He has caught six touchdown passes. Smith can create the big play that could decide the game.   Defense   Middle Linebacker Keegan Moore has shut down opposing offenses with ease this season. Moore enters this contest leading the Bulldogs in tackles. His 92 tackles have him topping the charts, but the fact that 65 of those stops have been solo may be even more impressive. Moore can get penetration as his seven tackles-for-loss would indicate. The Irish offense will have to keep tabs on Moore for all four quarters.   On the back end, the Bulldogs are marshaled by Senior Nick Cloyd. The Strong Safety will undoubtedly be looking for an errant pass that he can convert into what would be his seventh interception of the year. Cloyd has defended against ten passes. He has been credited with 21 tackles. Cloyd will have his work cut out for him with the weapons that Cathedral possesses, but if his form throughout this season is any indication, he could make a game-altering play.

Two of the Indy-area's best teams have been on a collision course, and now they go head-to-head. One of the Semi-State spots in Class 6A will go to either the Cathedral Fighting Irish or the Brownsburg Bulldogs. But for one of those team the season will end at the Regional stage. The two teams met in the regular season with Brownsburg emerging victorious, but as we have seen time and again, the regular season does not matter once we get to tournament time. With stars all over the field for both teams, here are some of the prospects to keep a close eye on.