New trophy, same rivalry: Memorial upends Castle in battle of the 'Cake Eaters'

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — From postseason titles to rivalry wins, the Memorial football program has hoisted countless trophies over the past decade.

But while cleaning the display case this past summer, head coach John Hurley stumbled upon an award he hadn’t seen in years. It was almost like discovering a memento from a previous time, a trophy for the annual Week 9 rivalry game with Castle. Yet, the cup was outdated. It hadn’t appeared in years and was sponsored by a company no longer in business.

Hurley, along with the rest of the Memorial and Castle athletics departments, had an idea to start a new tradition for a classic rivalry.

Indiana high school football: Check out all the Week 9 Evansville-area scores

After Memorial won 28-19 on Friday at Enlow Field, the Tigers were presented with the “Cake Eater Bowl” trophy sponsored by Donut Bank. An extra incentive for defeating a rival.

“We thought it would be a neat thing to have the Cake Eater Bowl. It’s kind of fun; this is always such a competitive game,” Hurley said. “We knew it was going to be a tight game again, no question.”

This matchup always tends to provide plenty of intrigue. Both teams are typically near the top of the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference. Their head coaches, Hurley and Doug Hurt, have earned plenty of praise from their peers. And each program has been blessed with high-profile athletes.

Of course, there have been some stunning finishes, too. Remember the game that came down to the 1-yard line two years ago? Whenever these two teams meet, there’s bound to be wild plays.

“Both of us have really historic programs and we always bring in good guys,” said Memorial senior linebacker Carac Johnson. “I think that’s why it’s always a battle because it’s just guys having fun on a Friday night and battling it out.”

While this year’s showdown didn’t necessarily come down to the final seconds, it was still another contest that had its fair share of big plays. A majority of those were made by Memorial, which led the entire contest.

Some of the biggest plays came on defense. An interception by Jackson Draper set the tone early. Then a tipped-ball interception by Johnson as Castle was marching in the fourth before a final fourth-down stop with 1:44 left to seal the game. When the Tigers needed stops – especially when the Knights trimmed their deficit to as close as a one-possession – the defense stood tall.

“No one is going to accuse us of being the most athletic defense,” Hurley said with a laugh. “But I’ll tell you what – they’re disciplined, well-coached and those kids play hard.”

There were also a pair of important plays made on special teams that were certainly felt in the final score. After Castle scored its first touchdown in the second quarter on an eight-yard pass from Brayden Bishop to Weston Aigner, Memorial’s Hugh Pearce blocked the extra point to keep it an eight-point game.

Then again in the fourth quarter, special teams made a stop – perhaps the most important of the night. After a nine-yard rushing score from John Purdy that appeared to make it a one-possession game with less than eight minutes to play, Memorial’s Kelton Farmer leaped high to block the extra point. That was the closest the Knights would get.

“They’re definitely the most underrated team,” Farmer said with a laugh about the special teams unit. “It can make or break a game.”

Of course, the offense came through when it needed to as well. Specifically junior running back Porter Rode and the Tigers’ offensive line. Rode finished with a season-high 212 yards and two touchdowns, including a 67-yard jaunt to the end zone in the fourth quarter that felt like a dagger.

That play – along with a 20-yard touchdown reception from Matthew Fisher to Johnson on a fourth-and-2 shortly before half – were just a couple examples of how the Tigers shifted the momentum. Memorial made plays in all three aspects of the game when they needed to the most.

“Over the summer, a lot of guys had to fill in and over time we’ve started to trust ourselves,” Johnson said. “We believe in ourselves.”

Memorial begins postseason play in the Class 4A sectional next week against Bosse. After an 0-2 start to the season, the Tigers finished with a 6-1 run. Even when things looked bleak, no one on Lincoln Avenue hung their heads. There was always a belief that this group could accomplish something special.

With a large number of upperclassmen, they’ll be counted on moving forward in win-or-go home territory. Their leadership will be looked toward in more ways than one.

“We’ve got a lot of good seniors who don’t want to stop playing. We want to keep going, fighting with our brothers,” Johnson said. “We have to pass that along to the rest of the guys and I think we’ll really start to see it stick in the playoffs.”

Farmer added: “We have a lot of hard workers and a lot of people who step up. I think we’re able to rise to the challenge.”

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: Memorial upends Castle in battle of 'Cake Eaters'