Championship Friday: Logan, Cass, Pioneer gear for sectional title games

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The Logansport football team has got its rematch with Lebanon.

As an added bonus the game is at home and a sectional championship is on the line.

The Berries (8-3) host the Tigers (9-2) for the Class 4A, Sectional 20 championship game tonight. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Parkview Logansport Stadium.

Last year the Berries had a disappointing sectional loss to the Tigers after a dominating run to the Hoosier Conference Big School championship.

This year hasn’t gone quite as smoothly for the Berries after the graduation of some great players, but one thing is for sure is that they are battle-tested as they’ve played in six straight one-score games heading into the showdown with Lebanon. They also feel like they have the talent to make a deep tournament run.

They had to survive another close one last week in a 31-24 victory at old rival Muncie Central.

“I knew going into the game it was gonna be a tough game,” Logansport coach Troy Hudson said. “They were a big group. I thought we’d be able to score. It was gonna come down to where we were gonna be able to get enough stops or enough plays defensively to win the game. And we were able to come away with a couple big interceptions. Louis Rozzi had a big interception. On their first touchdown he was coming off the edge and he forgot to take the back and they scored on that. And they tried to come back to that and this time he read it right and was able to get the pick. That was a huge interception for us.

“And then the one there at the end with Karsen Jackson was just if you watch it on film, it was just a crazy athletic play by an athletic kid. But then offensively we moved the ball extremely well. I think we punted the ball one time all night. The offense is really clicking right now. Defensively it came down to us being able to get some stops or make plays, and I think it’s gonna be a similar situation this week.”

Lebanon senior quarterback Chris Hill has passed for 1,555 yards and 15 touchdowns. His top receivers are Tannon Monden (46 catches, 617 yards, 9 TDs) and Jacob Jones (33 catches, 512 yards, 5 TDs). The Tigers also have a 1,000 yard rusher with Josh Parks (1,062 yards, 12 TDs).

“They’re definitely gonna present some challenges. They’re an explosive offense,” Hudson said. “They’ve got guys at all different levels. Their quarterback is very dynamic. He can throw it, he can run it. They’ve got a couple running backs that are just shifty and fast. Their backs are not real big, even their quarterback’s not big, but they’re really shifty and fast. So we can’t over pursue on these guys. You feel like you’re gonna get to them and then I’ve seen multiple teams that just run right by the back or the quarterback. So it’s one of those things, we get to the line of scrimmage, we’ve got to break down and make sure we keep those guys in front of us. And they’ve got a good wide receiver. He’s explosive as well. They’ve got a really good offensive line. They create some really nice holes for their backs.

“I think their quarterback transferred in from Chatard. He is just extremely athletic and quick and he can throw the ball pretty well. So it makes it tough on both our defensive line and our secondary to make sure that we’re just doing our assignments.”

The Berries are led by junior fullback Elliot Baldini and his 1,384 yards rushing and 15 TDs. Quincy Jackson has 601 yards and 7 TDs. Jaxsyn Walker adds 453 yards and 4 TDs. Karsen Jackson has 391 yards and 10 TDs. Bryson Herr has passed for 778 yards and 13 TDs. Karsen Jackson leads the defense with 102 tackles, 15 tackles for a loss and five interceptions. Loran Taylor has 14 tackles for a loss and eight sacks.

Hudson thinks his wing-T offense can be effective against the Tigers.

“I think there’s opportunities there for us to be able to definitely put some points up both in the run game and the pass game if we need to,” he said. “So it’s gonna be one of those games that once you get to this point anyways, there’s usually no easy teams that you’re gonna be playing, no gimme games. So it’s definitely gonna be a tough game. It’s gonna probably come down to who’s able to stop who, who’s able to earn an extra possession. It’s just so important for us to be able to try to come away with some stops. Even if they get their yardage, once they get down to the red zone, can we find a way to keep them out of the end zone I think is extremely important. I think time of possession could be important for us as well. If we can kind of grind some drives out and keep their offensive on the sideline, I think that’d be beneficial for us. But it’s definitely gonna be a challenge. But I know our boys are excited for it to play here at home and they’re looking forward to it.

“We can definitely win the game. I think it’s gonna come down to the defensive side for both teams and who can come up with stops.”

The Berries have won four sectional titles in football, the last coming in 2020. The Tigers’ lone sectional title was in 1997.

Lebanon leads the all-time series with Logan 2-1. The Berries are a 4-point favorite according to JohnHarrell.com.

SOUTHMONT (10-1) AT CASS (8-3)

The Kings have gotten hot at the right time.

They were supposed to be in an even matchup last week against Seeger when they exploded for a 55-14 victory at Owens Memorial Field.

It was similar to their 55-20 win the week before at North Montgomery. In both games, senior fullback Gavin Smith set new school records.

He one-upped himself last week against Seeger with 317 yards rushing and six touchdowns. Both contests followed similar game scripts.

“It’s been the same story the last two weeks. I think both teams we played have been good teams and we played them very even in the first quarter,” Cass coach Clay Mannering said. “And then in the second quarter Gavin Smith just runs so hard that he starts running through tackles and they start misfitting our offense. And so both games we scored five touchdowns in the second quarter to put the games out of reach. So I don’t know if we can count on that this week, but that’s certainly helped us.”

Southmont is coming off a 33-11 win over Western Boone.

“Southmont’s one of the best teams we’ve played all year. They kind of remind you of a Pioneer or Rochester,” Mannering said. “They do a lot more formations than a lot of teams, but at the end of the day, they want to run the ball. So they’re averaging 260 on the ground and 77 in the air.”

The Mounties will have a size advantage on the Kings, Mannering said.

“They’re very big up front. I looked at our starting lineups and when their offense is on the field against our defense, we give up an average of 47 pounds at each position,” he said. “But they’re also human. They’ve got a loss to a very good team, just like we’ve got a few losses to good teams. So it’s a game that we’ve got a shot at the end.”

The Kings’ late-season surge is a good sign that the program remains strong. They are seeking their ninth sectional title and first since 2019. The Mounties have won just one title which came two years ago.

“I feel like that every year there are lots of games when we’ve been undersized or had less speed or talent, but our kids are playing really hard,” Mannering said. “They’ve really bought in, they play together and they have gotten better every week. So when that’s your formula, you can become a pretty dangerous team at the end of the year. And so that’s obviously what’s happened to us. So we feel like we can play with anybody, but it’s because our kids are very coachable.

“I talked at the beginning of the season, we had a big junior class that all played JV last year. Well, they’re essentially seniors now. They’ve got 11 games under their belts. So we feel like in the tournament now we’re an upperclassmen heavy team.”

JohnHarrell.com is predicting another close game for the Kings, who enter as a 3-point underdog on their home field. Southmont leads the all-time series 2-1 with the last meeting being a double-overtime victory by the Kings in a 1994 sectional game.

“We’re glad we’re at home. We’ve not lost at home yet this year, so hopefully that gives us a little edge,” Mannering said. “We’re looking for little advantages. I think they played nine games on turf this year and two on grass. And obviously we’re the opposite. But I think it will be a dogfight. Our game plan is that we don’t plan on running away from them like we have the last couple games, but make it a ball game, play sound defense and we’ve got to be able to move the sticks on offense, take care of the football. And if we do those things, I think we’ll have a shot at the end of the game.”

Smith leads the Kings with 1,777 yards and 26 TDs on the ground this season. Tyler Grist has 356 yards and 8 TDs. Cole Rush has passed for 663 yards and 7 TDs. Kyland Magers leads the defense with 70 tackles. Grist has four interceptions.

Avery Stadler has rushed for 1,572 yards and 21 TDs to lead Southmont. Heath Tolliver has 546 yards and 14 TDs and Cale Chadd has 514 yards and 9 TDs. Tolliver has passed for 751 yards and 4 TDs.

The Class 2A, Sectional 34 final kicks off at 7 p.m. at Owens Memorial Field.

PIONEER (10-1) AT CARROLL (7-3)

It’s a game that Carroll no doubt has been looking forward to after a stunning 49-7 loss to Pioneer last year in a sectional semifinal.

The Cougars had to survive Taylor 20-19 last week. Taylor knocked off Pioneer 28-6 in last year’s sectional final.

“I’m sure all offseason they were talking about what happened in sectionals and that they were working for potentially getting a rematch to fight for a sectional championship again,” Pioneer coach Adam Berry said. “And we were saying the same thing from the offseason how our season didn’t end how we want it to either. So it’s always a dogfight when we play Carroll in the postseason and we are expecting the same thing this coming Friday.”

The Cougars were a three-time defending sectional champion before last year’s loss to Pioneer. Carroll coach Blake Betzner is 49-11 in his fifth year at the school.

“He’s developed that program,” Berry said. “You put on their film, it’s like, my gosh, I thought they graduated their big guys and they just have more coming through. That’s something Carroll’s always had are just strong players.

“Their upperclassmen have won a lot of games. They’ve won a lot of big games and it’s no different this year for them. They’re not coming in as high of ranking as they were last year, but that doesn’t really mean too much. They are still a very good team. The losses that they have, two of them are going for sectional championships themselves, and the third loss is a darn good football team. So they are still a very solid, good football team. We’re gonna have to be on our A game. They’re running their stuff extremely well. They are taking care of the ball and their defense has been doing their job as well.”

Berry said Carroll runs a similar offense to Pioneer. Junior quarterback Cale Peters guides the Cougars.

“It starts with their quarterback, Peters. He’s 6-2, 190 pounds. He runs extremely well in between the tackles, but then once he gets out on the edge, he shows he has some speed also,” he said. “Right beside him you have, No. 3 (Aiden) Wiles. He’s a hard runner. And then they have some speed with No. 1, (Emery) Deaton, who is also a tremendous runner.”

Pioneer has had Carroll’s number, beating them nine straight times, all in tournament play. Carroll’s last win over Pioneer was in a 1996 sectional game en route to a state runner-up finish.

“I don’t look into that stuff,” Berry said. “We are obviously just concerned about the present and what we have to do to bring a sectional championship back to Royal Center. They’re talking the same over there, bringing a sectional championship back to their hometown.”

The Panthers have a balanced offensive attack this year and are led by Micah Rans (1,007 yards, 23 TDs), Noah Van Meter (963 yards, 13 TDs), Shiloh Rine (724 yards, 11 TDs) and Phillip McFatridge (600 yards, 5 TDs). Rans has passed for 376 yards and 6 TDs. J.J. Solano leads the defense with 86 tackles. Eli Guffey has 16.5 tackles for a loss and four sacks. McFatridge has three interceptions.

Pioneer is seeking its first sectional title since 2020.

The Panthers are a 7-point favorite according to JohnHarrell.com. The Class 1A, Sectional 42 final is set to kick off at 7 p.m. at Lambert Field.

“We’re hoping to get Panther Nation over to Carroll to support us,” Berry said.

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