IHSAA 5A Regional Championship Matchups & Players to Watch

<p>This is the week we go from eight teams down to four in each class. 5A is stacked with talent on both sides of the ball. The matchups are going to be close and will be entertaining to watch on Friday. Let's take a look at the matchups and impact players to watch in 5A this week.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Valparaiso (9-2) @ Merrillville (9-2)</h2>   <p>Merrillville will host the defending 5A state champs, Valparaiso, for a 5A Regional Championship this Friday. In September, Valparaiso beat Merrillville at home 26-24. Valparaiso will seek to win their 11th regional title, and Merrillville will seek to win their 10th. This will be a great rematch between these two and should come down to the very end.</p>   <p>Valparaiso won the sectional title game against Michigan City 26-7 on Friday at home. The defending 5A state champs are currently cruising through this tournament. They are aware of the opponent this week and how close the past two games against them have been. Justin Clark is familiar with their opponent and will look to have an outstanding performance. In the sectional title game, he went 10/15 for 129 yards and 24 carries for 146 yards. His top target of the night was junior WR Julian Stokes. Julian had 3 receptions for 82 yards in the win on Friday. This duo will look to link a few times on Friday and put some points on the board. On defense, a young and upcoming LB, Ben Fedorchak, is a guy to watch. This young man continues improving and will be a sought-after 2026 LB. Valparaiso has the pressure on them to make it back to Lucas Oil, but these guys are locked in and are focused on one game at a time.</p>   <p>Merrillville picked up a sectional title on the road last week against Hammond Morton, 42-18. Merrillville is ready for revenge in this one and will look to get it done on both sides of the ball. Speaking of both sides of the ball, [player_tooltip player_id='109626' first='Trey' last='Stephens'] continues to impress on both sides. On offense, he had 11 carries for 101 yards and 2 TDs in the win on Friday. He helped take the load off of sophomore RB JQ Johnson. JQ ended up with 86 yards on 8 carries and 1 TD. This duo will look to have another excellent performance in the regional championship game on Friday. Everyone needs to watch junior DL [player_tooltip player_id='321379' first='Trenton' last='Nixon'] on Friday. He has been impressive this season and continues to get better each week. Nixon has a great frame at 6'4" and uses his length to his advantage. Merrillville will look to redeem themselves and get over that hump and beat Valparaiso at home on Friday.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Fort Wayne Snider (10-1) @ Mishawaka (9-2)</h2>   <p>Mishawaka will be home for the 5A Regional Championship game against Fort Wayne Snider. These two met in last season's regional title game, and Snider won 41-27. Fort Wayne Snider will look to win their 18th regional title, and Mishawaka will look to win their 4th. Another great matchup is set up for Friday. Let's take a look at the key players for both sides.</p>   <p>Last Friday, Fort Wayne Snider beat Fort Wayne North Side 49-14 in the sectional title game. Snider had an impressive performance on both sides of the ball. [player_tooltip player_id='608069' first='Uriah' last='Buchanan'] (Sr.) RB was stellar for Snider's offense in the sectional title game. He ended up with three TDs and ran numerous people over all night. Uriah is not afraid to run right through a defender when there is no other choice. He had multiple big runs that started with him breaking a tackle and getting loose from the defense. On defense, [player_tooltip player_id='1402669' first='Landen' last='Fry'] (Jr.) LB and [player_tooltip player_id='553074' first='Brandon' last='Logan'] (Jr.) DB were crucial in defending the aerial attack on Friday. Fry had 1 INT, and Brandon had 2 INTs and 1 for a TD. Both are committed to playing baseball at the D1 level, and it will be fun to watch them compete in this regional matchup. Fort Wayne Snider is coming into this hot and ready to make an appearance in another semi-state game.</p>   <p>Mishawaka beat Concord on the road in the sectional championship game, 20-14. Mishawaka came away with a tight win on Friday. The game-winning touchdown came from [player_tooltip player_id='644330' first='Novell' last='Miller'] (Jr.). RB in the last 2 minutes of the game. Novell had 108 yards and 2 TDs on the night. He is a shifty back with tremendous speed and is not afraid to run someone over. Senior QB [player_tooltip player_id='541839' first='Brady' last='Fisher'] continues to be a great dual-threat QB for Mishawaka. He had 15 carries for 106 yards and 1 TD in the sectional title win. Fisher and Miller will have to have another outstanding performance on the ground this Friday. On defense, keep an eye out for senior DL Jason Martin. He has an explosive get-off when the ball is snapped and shows to be disruptive in the backfield all night. Jason will look to have another disruptive game on Friday and help stuff the run all night. Mishawaka knows the task at hand and will have the crowd behind them.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Whiteland (7-4) @ Decatur Central (9-2)</h2>   <p>Whiteland will travel to Decatur Central for their 5A Regional Championship game this Friday. Whiteland won the last matchup between these two in September, 31-15. With a win on Friday, Whiteland would win their 3rd regional title, and Decatur Central would win their 2nd. Let's take a look at the impact players for both teams below.</p>   <p>Whiteland won 34-10 against Terre Haute South on Friday in the Sectional 14 title game. Whiteland continues to be a dominant force in the run game. It is the "[player_tooltip player_id='1072006' first='Slate' last='Valentine'] Show" and has been all season. Slate had 37 carries for 247 yards and 2 TDs. The junior RB continues to be a ground-and-pound back with tremendous endurance to make significant runs all game. Whiteland will continue to lean on [player_tooltip player_id='1072006' first='Slate' last='Valentine'] to help them win football games. On defense, two individuals were impressive in the win last Friday: Jordan Palmer (So.) LB and Andrian Kolliegbo (Sr.) DB. Jordan Palmer has been a standout sophomore LB all season, and on Friday, he ended up with 3 solos, 3 assists, 6 total, and 1 INT. Kolliegbo was stellar in the secondary with 8 solos, 2 assists, and total in the sectional title win. This Whiteland team knows what it takes to return to semi-state and will be prepared on Friday.</p>   <p>Decatur Central claimed a sectional title last Friday, 34-17, against Harrison. Decatur Central is on a mission this season and looks to improve each week. On offense, KC Berry (Sr.) RB and [player_tooltip player_id='223703' first='Bo' last='Polston'] (So.) QB had impressive performances in the sectional championship game on Friday. KC Berry is electrifying and will look to take over this game with his speed and athleticism. He ended up with 14 carries for 141 yards. [player_tooltip player_id='223703' first='Bo' last='Polston'] was offered by Michigan this weekend after an impressive performance on the ground last week. He had 16 carries for 72 yards and 2 TDs. These two will look to dominate on the ground and help their team to a victory on Friday. On defense, keep an eye out for Stephen Oyatayo (Sr.) LB to have a big game against Whiteland's rushing attack. He had 7 solos, 5 assists, and 12 total in last Friday's win. Decatur Central is looking forward to this one and will look to get it done for the home crowd.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Bloomington South (10-1) @ Evansville North (8-3)</h2>   <p>Bloomington South will be on the road against Evansville North for a 5A Regional Championship. These two have not met this season or in last season's playoffs. Bloomington South will be going for their 12th regional title, and Evansville North will be going for their 2nd. It is time to preview the matchup and the key players.</p>   <p>Bloomington South won their sectional title game against Seymour 49-14 last Friday. The offense was firing on all cylinders in the sectional title win for Bloomington South. [player_tooltip player_id='603982' first='Jarrin' last='Alley'] (Sr.) QB continues his dominance this season. This young man has been dealing all season and throughout the playoffs. He went 15/24 for 267 yards and 5 TDs in Friday's win. He has the accuracy and arm strength to be a D1 QB. He will look to continue these performances all the way to state. Another impact player for Bloomington South's offense is Lucas Waldon (Sr.) WR. He came up with a couple of TDs in the win on Friday. He shows great athleticism and is a tough one to bring down in the open field. Look for him to have another big game this week. [player_tooltip player_id='541796' first='Drew' last='Crum-Hieftje'] is my impact player on defense to look out for this week. He does a great job in the secondary and is a great tackler in the open field. Bloomington South is ready to take care of business on Friday.</p>   <p>Evansville North won in a shootout last week against Castle, 60-50, in the Sectional 16 title game. North was in a wild one last Friday and is ready to move on and focus on the next one. Their offense was unstoppable, and the player of the game on offense was Jason Rucker (Jr.) RB. He had 14 carries, 293 yards, and 4 TDs. This young man is an explosive back with tremendous speed and will find ways to make defenders miss all night. Another offensive weapon that emerged was James Mercer (Jr.) WR. He had 5 receptions for 111 yards and 2 TDs. James has significant playmaking abilities and will be a factor in this one. On defense, it was the Kasey Hospelhorn show. The senior DB had the most production of the defense with 7 solos, 8 assists, 2.5 TFLs, 1 sack, 1 INT, and 2 fumble recoveries. This young man was impressive in the sectional title win. North will need to clean up things on defense and put on a show for their home crown on Friday.</p>

This is the week we go from eight teams down to four in each class. 5A is stacked with talent on both sides of the ball. The matchups are going to be close and will be entertaining to watch on Friday. Let's take a look at the matchups and impact players to watch in 5A this week.