Resilient Castle football 'never gave up' on quest for Class 5A sectional championship

NEWBURGH, Ind. — John Purdy didn’t need any extra motivation. He was well aware of the implications of this play.

With Castle holding on to a 10-point lead against North with about eight minutes remaining, he knew he needed to make a stop. The Huskies had a 4th-and-short opportunity from the 6-yard line. A touchdown would make it a one-possession game.

Then, in what felt like the blink of an eye, Purdy and several Castle defenders were in the backfield to force a turnover on downs. Essentially, a championship-clinching play.

“Through all of this, I’ve just been trying to live in the moment. I just had to look up at the crowd. I know I don’t have too many games left,” Purdy said. “Moments like those make me appreciate everything that much more.”

Indiana high school football:Check out all the Evansville-area sectional championship scores

Castle defeated North 28-18 to win the Class 5A sectional championship on Friday night at John Lidy Field. The Knights will host Bloomington South in next week’s regional championship.

The Knights (7-4) have fought through highs and lows this season. There were strong victories, such as the opener against this same North team and later an impressive victory over Vincennes Lincoln. But plenty of endings stung along the way. A three-point loss to Mater Dei. A dismantling against Reitz. A heartbreaking overtime loss to Jasper on a two-point conversion.

Still, those defeats proved to be valuable. It helped this group learn about itself.

“A group with lesser character could have just mailed it in or felt sorry for themselves. But these guys just worked,” said Castle head coach Doug Hurt. “That’s a tribute to our staff, our players, our parents and just the entire Castle community. They never gave up.”

Castle had to fight through adversity again Friday night. The Knights made some key plays in the first half. A 29-yard touchdown pass from Brayden Bishop to Izach Salpietra for an early lead. A 19-yard scamper by Bishop to go up double digits.

North, however, rallied back in a hurry. Jason Rucker took a kickoff return 90 yards to the house. Sam McKinney found Kaleb Harris for a 10-yard score and Jaylonn Mitchell converted a two-point conversion to put the Huskies in front. Mitchell Renfro's field goal extended the lead to 18-14 in favor of North at the break.

Castle never worried.

“You never know when it’s going to be your last game. You have to treat them all like it’s going to be your last and give it your all,” Bishop said. “Everyone on this team gave it their all tonight.”

It didn’t take long for Castle to regain momentum after halftime. A rushing touchdown from Purdy gave the Knights the lead midway through the third quarter after a few long rushes from Antonio Harris set them up in scoring position.

The play that felt like a back-breaker happened just before the end of the third quarter. With the Knights marching downfield, Bishop found a wide-open Weston Aigner for a 39-yard touchdown. Bishop didn't let a hand injury he suffered late in the first half slow him down.

“I’ve just got faith in him, wherever that ball is he’s going to go get it,” Bishop said of Aigner. “I just threw it down there and he went and got it.”

The fourth quarter – and the majority of the second half – was dictated by Castle’s defense. A pair of sacks from Purdy and Zach Schultz. The fourth down stop. Finally, an interception from Nick Harper to ice the game.

It’s no secret Castle’s defense isn’t the biggest group. In fact, Hurt referred to them as “tiny.” That’s only in stature, though.

“We play with great emotion, great character and we fly around,” Hurt said. “We wanted to eliminate explosive plays – Angelo St. Louis (83 yards on 11 carries) can make you pay in a hurry. I’m proud of these guys, but we’re not satisfied.”

Castle will have a tough challenge in next week’s regional. The Knights will face Bloomington South, a 9-1 team that hasn’t lost since August and is ranked third in Class 5A. But they’re not worried about their opponent. They’re focused on themselves.

For a team that’s seen about everything, they’re hoping their strong bond can lead them on a postseason run.

“I just love this family,” said senior Will Bracher. “We’re one team and one heartbeat.”

Purdy added: “Everybody thinks they have a special group but the group that we have? These guys are the real deal. We know at the end of the day that we’re always going to stick together and make this thing work.”

Contact Courier & Press sports reporter Hendrix Magley via email at hendrix.magley@courierpress.com or via Twitter @TweetsOfHendrix.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: IHSAA football: Resiliency led Castle to a sectional title over North