IHSAA 6A Regional Championship Matchups & Players to Watch

<p>We are one week closer to crowning state champions in Indianapolis. This Friday, the state will crown regional champions. 6A is now down to 8 teams, and these matchups are must-watch. There are stud athletes in each matchup in 6A. Check out each matchup and those stud athletes throughout the article.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Crown Point (11-0) @ Penn (10-1)</h2>   <p>Penn will be the home team for a regional championship game against undefeated Crown Point. These two teams have yet to meet this season or in last season's playoffs. Crown Point will look to win its 2nd regional championship, and the last time they won one was 1988. Penn will look to win its 19th regional championship, and they last won one in 2017. This matchup will be a fun one to watch, and to keep eyes on the key players below.</p>   <p>Crown Point is coming off a dominant win against Lake Central, 42-7, in the sectional championship game. It is hard not to highlight [player_tooltip player_id='243219' first='Noah' last='Ehrlich'] (Jr.) QB and Larry Ellison (Jr.) RB again this week. Noah went 9/9 for 193 yards and 4 TDs in the first half of the sectional title game. He continues to be impressive and leads this team to victory each week. Larry Ellison rushed for 119 yards and 4 total TDs in the first half last Friday. Get the ball to Larry, and good things will happen for Crown Point. Last week, I picked the other brother to be an impact player for this defense, and now I am going with [player_tooltip player_id='919480' first='Paul' last='Clark'] (Sr.) DL. Paul and Will are both committed to playing football for Buffalo next year. Paul is incredible up front and is rarely ever blocked for long. When Paul plays his best game, he causes problems up front, which opens up opportunities for his teammates to make plays. Crown Point has the talent to continue this undefeated run all the way to Lucas Oil.</p>   <p>On Friday, Penn claimed a sectional title against Warsaw, 31-10. Penn remains dominant on the ground with [player_tooltip player_id='603981' first='Nolan' last='McCullough'] (Sr.) QB and Jake Balis (Sr.) RB. Nolan was successful Friday with 11 carries, 114 yards, 1 TD, and 1 passing TD. He continues to improve each week as a dual-threat QB. Jake Balis carried the ball 20 times for 61 yards in the sectional championship game. He has been a tough runner to bring down all season and will carry his team on his back if he needs to. These two will look to fire on all cylinders on Friday to help Penn win. Defensively, the two impact players for this one is Jackson Griffith (Sr.) LB and Brandon Lynch (Sr.) LB. Griffith and Lynch each had 6 tackles in the win against Warsaw on Friday. These two are flying around and making plays all over the field. Look for them to come up with critical stops all night on Friday. Penn will look to ruin their opponent's perfect resume on Friday.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Hamilton Southeastern (9-2) @ Westfield (10-1)</h2>   <p>Westfield will host Hamilton Southeastern for a 6A Regional championship game on Friday. Westfield won against Hamilton Southeastern, 30-28, in September of this year. Hamilton will look to go back-to-back regional champions on Friday and pick up their 6th regional title in school history. Westfield is seeking to claim their 7th regional title, and the last time they won one was 2021. Let's look at the impact players of this matchup on both sides.</p>   <p>Hamilton Southeastern took down Fishers 38-21 in the Sectional 3 championship game. Hamilton's offense has been successful this season with the help of their great blockers up front. [player_tooltip player_id='334101' first='Styles' last='Prescod'] (Sr.) OL and [player_tooltip player_id='1111495' first='Cameron' last='Gorin'] (Jr.) OL are my two impact players for Hamilton's offense this week. Styles is committed to Notre Dame for football, and Cameron will be a Power D1 OL when he graduates. These two are fun to watch dominate the trenches and bulldoze their opponents numerous times a game. On defense, keep an eye out for [player_tooltip player_id='541943' first='Donovan' last='Rhodes'] (Sr.) DB and Jack Seyferth (Sr.) DL this week. Donovan was outstanding last Friday with 3 solos, 2 assists, 5 total, and 2 INTs. Donovan has been a shutdown CB all season. Jack Seyferth ended up with 2 solos, 7 assists, 9 total, and 1 TFL. He will continue causing havoc in the backfield this Friday. Hamilton is ready to bring home another regional championship this Friday.</p>   <p>Westfield won a sectional title against Noblesville, 24-12, last Friday. This Westfield team is out for revenge in this one. There are two players on Westfield's offense I would like to see impactful performances on Friday. Gabe Aramboles (Jr.) WR is ready to have a tremendous playoff performance on Friday. He is crazy athletic and will be one of the best WRs on the field on Friday. Maximus Nosler (Sr.) TE is my other impact player. He continues to be productive; he had 3 receptions for 39 yards last Friday. Westfield will look for these two to make impactful plays through the air on Friday. On defense, my two impact players for Cathedral are [player_tooltip player_id='956087' first='Mikeah' last='Webster'] (Jr.) LB and [player_tooltip player_id='331132' first='William' last='Goodvine III'] (Sr.) DL. Webster was productive in the sectional title win with 4 solos, 10 assists, and 14 total. Goodvine ended up with 1 solo, 5 assists, and 6 total on Friday. Westfield will look to win in front of the home crown on Friday.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ben Davis (10-1) @ Cathedral (8-3)</h2>   <p>Ben Davis will be on the road for their regional championship matchup against Cathedral. These two did not meet this season or in last season's playoffs. Ben Davis is playing for the chance to win their 21st regional title, and the last time they won a regional title was in 2021. Cathedral will seek to be back-to-back regional champs on Friday and win their 22nd regional title. This matchup will be a heavyweight battle; let's look at the key players for both sides.</p>   <p>Ben Davis shut out Pike, 53-0, in the sectional title game on Friday. Ben Davis' OL has been outstanding all season, and it is time to shout them out. The two who are my impact players for Friday are [player_tooltip player_id='322412' first='Anthony' last='Boswell'] (Sr.) and Kenneth Guinhouya. These two have been taking care of business in the trenches. They continue to be powerful specimens and mow down DL all night. Anthony and Kenneth will be vital for this offense to succeed on Friday. On defense, the impact players I have chosen is Chris Green (Sr.) DL and [player_tooltip player_id='236325' first='Andrew' last='Evans'] (Sr.) LB. Chris has been impressive in the playoffs so far. He continues to show that he is dominant when it comes to shedding blocks and causing havoc in the backfield. Andrew has been a solid backer for Ben Davis this season. He is excellent at recognizing plays and getting to the football quickly to make plays. Ben Davis is ready for a fight on Friday.</p>   <p>Cathedral won on the road against Lawrence North, 20-3, last week for the Sectional 6 championship title. Cathedral's sectional title game was the "[player_tooltip player_id='1259375' first='Jalen' last='Bonds'] Show" on offense. The junior RB remains dominant on the ground with another great performance in the playoffs. He had 33 carries, 262 yards, and 2 TDs in the win on Friday. The aerial attack was less prominent in the win against Lawrence North, but keep an eye on Keith Long (Sr.) WR for Friday's matchup against Ben Davis. Keith had 8 receptions for 55 yards last Friday. On defense, [player_tooltip player_id='541917' first='Hosia' last='Smith'] (Sr.) DL and [player_tooltip player_id='712336' first='Jack' last='Lockhart'] (Jr.) LB/DB are my two impact players for Cathedral. Hosia was productive in the win with 4 solos and 1 sack. He continues to be a force in the trenches. Lockhart ended up with 3 solos, 2 assists, and 5 total. These two are ready to have outstanding performances this Friday. Cathedral is familiar with these types of games; they will be prepared.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Warren Central (5-6) @ Center Grove (10-1)</h2>   <p>Warren Central will travel to play the reigning 6A champs, Center Grove, for a regional championship this Friday. Last season's playoffs was the last time these two met, and Center Grove won 42-32. Warren Central will look to win their 10th regional title; 2018 was the last time they have won a regional title. Center Grove will look to win their 6th straight regional championship and their 18th total. This is an exciting matchup and will have some exciting players to watch for in this one.</p>   <p>Warren Central continued their playoff run last week with a win against Southport, 47-0. This week, I will highlight a few different guys that have been playing well recently. On defense, we start with Donovan Dungy (Jr.) LB and [player_tooltip player_id='1402658' first='Marcus' last='Bell'] Jr (Jr.) DL. Dungy had 6 solos, 3 assists, 9 total, 1 TFL, and 1 sack in the sectional title game. He showed excellent play recognition and speed last week. Marcus had 5 solos, 4 TFLs, and 1 sack on Friday. He showed off his great motor he plays with and consistent pad level all night. Keep an eye out for these two this Friday. On offense, I want to highlight some of the OL that have been crushing this season. [player_tooltip player_id='553020' first='Cameron' last='Herron'] (Jr.) and Derrius Riggs (Sr.) are two OL you need to watch in this one. These two have been playing great up front and have been moving bodies all season. Warren Central will be ready for the challenge on Friday and look to knock off the reigning state champs.</p>   <p>Center Grove cruised to a 35-12 victory over Columbus North in the sectional title game. Center Grove made history by winning their 13th straight sectional title on Friday. Offensively, they were led by the outstanding performances of [player_tooltip player_id='541779' first='Tyler' last='Cherry'] (Sr.) QB and Matthew Yoder (Sr.) RB. Cherry is a special player; he went 16/17 for 168 yards and 3 TDs in the first half on Friday. Matthew Yoder had 9 carries for 84 yards in the sectional title win. These two will be rested up and ready to go for the regional title. One guy on defense that I want to highlight this week is [player_tooltip player_id='762094' first='Michael' last='Soderdahl'] (Sr.) DB. Soderdahl has helped make the Center Grove secondary a "no fly zone" this season. He has been flying around all season, making tackles and being disruptive in the throw game. Keep an eye on Michael and watch for him to have a big game Friday. Center Grove is on a mission to make it back to Lucas Oil.</p>

We are one week closer to crowning state champions in Indianapolis. This Friday, the state will crown regional champions. 6A is now down to 8 teams, and these matchups are must-watch. There are stud athletes in each matchup in 6A. Check out each matchup and those stud athletes throughout the article.