Concord football's season ends with semi-state title loss to Merrillville
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MERRILLVILLE — When Concord quarterback Bo Brunner scrambled toward the end zone with about nine and a half minutes left in the second quarter, it looked like the Minutemen were about to take a two-touchdown lead against Merrillville.
A Concord defense that allowed an average of 22.7 points per game in the 12 contests leading up to Friday’s IHSAA Football Class 5A semi-state championship held a Pirates offense that averaged 37.3 points in 12 games to none in the first quarter.
The Minutemen led 7-0 thanks to a 49-yard rushing touchdown from Ball State commit Char’rese Breveard, and Brunner was just a few yards short of reaching the end zone again. Until Merrillville senior Warren Brown punched the ball out and the Pirates recovered in the end zone for a touchback.
Here at Merrillville High School for an IHSAA Class 5A football semi-state championship game between the host Pirates and the Concord Minutemen set for 7:30 p.m. ET. Concord has a chance to punch its ticket to the state championship for the first time since 2006. 🏈🏆🧵 pic.twitter.com/HvmC2iQIh3
— Kyle Smedley (@KyleSmedley03) November 21, 2025
On the very next play, Merrillville junior Cameron Jordan rushed for an 80-yard touchdown to knot the game at seven apiece after a successful extra point. Though the game was far from over, that sequence was a microcosm of the Minutemen’s trip to Lake County.
As the rest of Concord’s nightmare second quarter unfolded, Brunner fumbled again and threw an interception while the Pirates scored two more touchdowns to hold a 20-7 lead at halftime. The Minutemen got a spark out of the break when Breveard rushed for his second score of the game to put Concord within six points.
“It gave us some life — we came out with a lot of energy,” Breveard said. “It’s hard to beat us, and we knew if we came down and scored, we’ll have a chance to win the game.”
The Minutemen’s defense even forced a punt out of Merrillville on the next drive, but the Concord offense failed to capitalize, and the Pirates truly began to pull away. A 41-yard rushing touchdown for Jordan with 31 seconds left in the third quarter began a 21-0 run for Merrillville as the Pirates cruised to their first semi-state championship ever with a 41-14 victory.
They’ll face New Palestine (13-0) in a state championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium Friday, November 28 at 7 p.m. For the Minutemen, their season ended at 11-2.
Head coach Craig Koehler had the perspective to remind Concord how fulfilling their season truly was despite an ugly loss to end it. The Minutemen won their first regional championship since 2013, after all.
“We have some tough a– kids who fight,” Koehler said. “The day we start determining success based upon whether or not we go to a state championship every year, we need to all get out … We were one of the four best teams in Indiana 5A football, if you can’t have perspective that that’s a pretty successful year, then you’re going to be miserable.”
Donovan Arnold, a four-year starter on Concord’s offensive and defensive line, said it was tough for Koehler’s message to truly sink in moments after playing his final snap. Arnold will continue his athletic ventures in college, but he’ll do it as a member of Purdue University Fort Wayne’s Track & Field program.
Friday night was the last time he’ll ever put on shoulder pads.
“This is the best program I’ve been a part of,” Arnold said. “I remember coming from eighth grade thinking, ‘This is football, I’m going to have fun.’ It wasn’t what I expected. People always said it was going to be quick, but I didn’t feel like it was going to be this quick at all.”
While Koehler was adamant that wins and losses don’t define Minutemen football, he was equally certain about what does.
Faith, Family, Future, Football, Friendship. One Heartbeat. F5-OH.
It’s stamped on a rock that each Concord football player touches before taking the field each week. It’s a motto plastered on the wall of the Minutemen’s home locker room.
It’s a mantra Arnold will take with him as he enters into adulthood.
“Pushing through the hard times,” Arnold said. “When you’re growing up, you’re going to have tough times in life, and you have to push through it no matter what.”
For Arnold to have that perspective is all Koehler could ask for out of a 22-deep senior class. After wrapping up his 11th season as Concord’s head coach and his 25th season on the Minutemen’s staff, Koehler had one final message for the 2025 team.
“When you don’t get what you want, it hurts, because you invest a lot into it,” Koehler said. “Coaches, players, everyone … This hurt will go away. We’ll be able to take a step back and realize we had a hell of a year.”
Kyle Smedley is a sports reporter at the South Bend Tribune. Contact him via email at ksmedley@usatodayco.com or follow him on X @KyleSmedley03.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Concord football won't be defined by semi-state loss to Merrillville
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