SHARPSVILLE — At the outset, it appeared pure mismatch — a deep, talent-rich No. 11-rated Lapel Bulldog crew against a Tri-Central Trojan squad that was a total stranger to success with 11 winless seasons and seven 1-9 campaigns in 39 years.
But for a few brief moments Friday night, coach Nate Andrews’ Bulldogs had to be wondering after the Trojans of first-year coach George Gilbert strolled to the dressing with a 14-6 halftime lead.
Granted, fumbles and a rash of penalties took much of the starch out of the Bulldogs, but so did a fired-to-the-gills TC crew that ignored a 10-yard TD jaunt by Shelby Weeks opening the second period to score twice in the last 5:42 of the half.
Freshman running back Austin Horn ran through the Bulldogs for a 4-yard TD to give TC a 6-6 tie at the 5:42 mark. And on the Bulldogs’ ensuing series, TC defensive end Eric Cage broke through and ripped the ball out of quarterback Sam Foust’s hands and bolted 26 yards untouched. Horn’s scamper for the PAT gave the Trojans a surprising 14-6 command.
Then the climate took an abrupt turn.
First it was a driving rain, but even worse for TC was another storm in the persons of Weeks and Foust who hit the Trojans full force, especially in the second half. Foust had touchdown runs of 24 and six yards, and Weeks broke free for scores of 46 and 36 yards.
It was a 14-14 contest after three quarters, but from that point on, it was a total Bulldog scene.
Lapel switched from its opening 4-3 defense to an eight-man front in the second half, and the Trojans had all they could do to muster 37 yards in 24 carries, suffering 39 negative yards on 11 trips.
Weeks was more than the Trojans could handle, bolting for 107 yards on 13 first-half carries and adding 120 on just seven totes the last half for an overall figure of 227 yards in 20 carries.
Foust outran the Trojan defense for 64 yards on 13 carries and had two TDs called back due to Lapel penalties.
And yet, it was the bullish Lapel defense in the second half that chilled the Trojans.
That eight-man front took away the TC running game, and the constant pressure allowed Tri-Central one lone pass completion for six yards in nine attempts.
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Bulldogs drop Tri-Central
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Madison-Grant outlasts Alex
Jeremy Johnson was mad, and John Irwin was glad.
After being demoted from the starting lineup, Johnson took out his frustrations on Central Indiana Conference leader Alexandria, scoring a career-high 27 points, including the game-winner, as Madison-Grant defeated the Tigers 58-56 on Friday night in Fairmount. -
Arabians roll over Tigers for HHC title
Pendleton Heights reportedly didn’t miss many shots in practice this week.
The Arabians likely missed even fewer Friday night at Yorktown.
In a de facto Hoosier Heritage Conference championship game, the visitors made 24 of 34 attempts from the field and rolled to a 64-26 victory against the Tigers. -
Indians excel at exceeding expectations
In the field for today’s Pendleton Heights Wrestling Regional are 21 wrestlers ranked in the top 20 in their respective weight classes by IndianaMat.com. Four of those are 21 are recognized as the No. 1-rated wrestler in their division by the state’s top website for high school wrestling.
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Korn’s 34 leads Frankton to victory over Mississinewa
Frankton had a near-perfect first quarter and parlayed that and Aaron Korn’s 34 points into a Central Indiana Conference win here Friday.
The Eagles survived 35 3-point attempts by Mississinewa to defeat the Indians 80-66. Frankton is now 8-7 and 4-1 in the CIC. -
Bulldogs stomp Faubion, Lutheran
It was Samaritan’s Feet night on Friday as Lapel faced Indianapolis Lutheran in an Indiana Crossroads Conference battle.
Both coaching staffs went sans shoes to raise awareness and to provide money for shoes for the less fortunate.
It didn’t stop the Bulldogs from stomping on the Saints.
Lutheran’s J.C. Faubion was averaging 25 points per game heading into Friday’s matchup, but Lapel wasn’t intimidated. The Bulldogs held the Saints sharpshooter to 12 points, crushing their opponents 62-37. -
Richmond bedevils Anderson
Quinten Hunter scored 11 of his team-high 21 points in the fourth quarter, Kristian Rodriquez and Joel Okafor each netted 15 and the Richmond Red Devils moved to 3-1 in the North Central Conference with Friday’s 69-62 win against the Anderson Indians at Tiernan Center
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Anderson, Pendleton swimmers move on
In many respects, Thursday’s girls’ swim sectional at Fishers High School went better than expected for the small contingent of Anderson and Pendleton Heights swimmers in attendance. With little hope of upending heavyweights Hamilton Southeastern, Fishers and Yorktown in the team standings, swimmers concentrated on individual performances and simply trying to advance to Saturday’s final round. Each of the three relay teams for both schools advanced, along with one individual from each school.
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Tri-Central trips up Frankton girls
It might not have been the best end result for Senior Night that a Frankton basketball team has ever experienced. But Eagles coach Dean Riddle found some positives despite a 70-53 loss to Tri-Central here Thursday night.
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Pike powers past Anderson
Senior night is a time for celebrating the accomplishments of those players who have made a commitment to the program. Unfortunately, the Anderson Indians girls basketball team had nothing to celebrate as they dropped a 63-42 decision to Indianapolis Pike on Thursday.
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Eagles lose to Trojans 70-53
Photos from Frankton as the Eagles hosted the Tri-Central Trojans on Thursday.
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