IHSAA football: Sheridan falls to North Decatur in regional
SHERIDAN – Shortly after the Sheridan football team’s stinging 29-14 loss to North Decatur on Friday night in a Class A regional, legendary coach Larry “Bud” Wright went from coach to consoler.
He offered handshakes, hugs and encouragement as many of his players fought back tears. His Blackhawks football team, the 57th he’s coached, came up short of a 15th regional title and first in 10 years. But this year’s team made a lasting impression on Wright.
“They came a long way,” Wright said. “At the start of the season, we wouldn’t have given them a chance to do what they accomplished. Winning 11 ballgames in a row is a great accomplishment. We started out the year with a lot of positions to fill, and the kids got better and better as the year went along.”
While Sheridan (11-2) was looking to add to its football legacy, its opponent, third-ranked North Decatur (13-0), was looking to jumpstart its. The Chargers finally broke through with their first regional title after coming close the past few years, losing in regionals in 2019 and 2020.
Scores, highlights, stats:Indiana high school football regional roundup
Leading 15-14 for most of the second half, the Chargers punched a ticket to semistate on Nov. 18 against Lutheran by scoring two touchdowns in the final 6:08.
“I’m really proud of the kids,” North Decatur coach Steve Stirn said. “I think history will determine what it means, but this kind of takes the ceiling off. Years ago, people couldn’t imagine what we are doing right now.
“I have a lot of respect for coach Wright, and, obviously, we weren’t playing the ghosts of the past, but that’s a good football team. I hate to be the one that ends his season, but I’m proud that we’re still playing.”
Both teams entered averaging just over 43 points per game, and there were plenty of early fireworks.
Trailing 7-0, North Decatur scored touchdowns on two straight possessions – a 37-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Carson Parmer to Kaden Muckerheide and a 1-yard scamper by Parmer to help push the Chargers’ lead to 15-7 with 10:18 remaining in the first half.
On the first play of Sheridan’s ensuing drive, senior running back Jacob Jones answered with a 76-yard touchdown run to help cut the lead to 15-14, a score that would last until midway through the fourth. Jones added a 60-yard run in the first half and finished with 156 rushing yards on 11 carries.
“Jones came into the game tonight averaging 16 yards per carry,” Wright said. “In 57 years as a head coach, I’ve not seen anyone with an average like that. That’s a heck of an accomplishment. A lot of teams key in on Peyton (Cross), and they forget about Jones, and he’s a ball player.”
In the second half, Sheridan struggled offensively. The Blackhawks managed just three first downs and 74 yards of offense. Cross, who rushed for more than 2,000 yards on the season, managed 69 yards on 19 carries against a stout defensive front for the Chargers.
“We couldn’t get field position in the second half,” Wright said. “Their defensive line was a little better than I thought there were, and their quickness just offset our offensive line. No one has shut us down all year long like did there at the end.”
Leading by a point, North Decatur eventually cushioned its lead with an 11-play drive that culminated with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Parmer to senior receiver Evan Howell to give the Chargers a 22-14 lead with 6:08 to play.
With a final chance, Sheridan quarterback Caleb Alexander was picked off with 5:04 to play, which eventually set up another North Decatur touchdown.
“I think our overall speed on defense was critical tonight,” Stirn said. “We don’t have one guy; it’s really a team defense. We didn’t play a perfect game, but I thought we had a tremendous effort getting to the football. They have big backs, and we don’t have those big defensive players, and we did a nice job of getting to the ball.”
Senior running back Reid Messer starred for the Chargers. He rushed for 167 yards on 32 carries and a touchdown and caught a pass for 37 yards.
Next weekend: IHSAA 2022 semistate matchups
North Decatur 29, Sheridan 14
N. Decatur 8 7 0 14 — 29
Sheridan 7 7 0 0 — 14
Scoring Plays
S – Peyton Cross 1 run (Owen Bell kick)
ND – Kaden Muckerheide 37 pass from Carson Parmer (Reid Messer run)
ND – Parmer 1 run (Aiden O’Dell kick)
S – Jacob Jones 76 run (Bell kick)
ND – Evan Howell 25 pass from Parmer (O’Dell kick)
ND – Messer 13 run (O’Dell kick)
Individual Stats
Rushing — ND: Reid Messer 32-167, James Evans 8-30, Kaden Muckerheide 4-12, Carson Parmer 4-(-11). S: Jacob Jones 11-156, Peyton Cross 19-69, Zach Bales 2-5, Caleb Alexander 2-(-1).
Passing — ND: Parmer 4-12-104-1. S: Alexander 3-8-34-1.
Receiving — ND: Messmer 2-42, Muckerheide 1-37, Evan Howell 1-25. S: Trent DeCraene 2-19, Jones 1-15.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA football regional: Sheridan loses to North Decatur
