EVANSVILLE — Memorial coach John Hurley didn’t require much time in addressing his team postgame.
There wasn’t much to truly say in the moment. Only one team advances at this stage. The other sat on the goal line fighting back tears in near freezing temperatures. Hurley did push across one talking point during the brief time in front of his team.
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This season was a success by all measures. One result in November won’t diminish it.
More: Southwestern Indiana regional football scores, updates
Elsewhere around the area: Second half costs Castle football in Class 5A regional championship game
No. 4 Indian Creek defeated No. 1 Memorial 31-28 in the Class 3A regional championship on Friday, Nov. 13 at Enlow Field. A perfect season came to a close behind early mistakes and missed opportunities. Give them one more possession in the second half, and the Tigers (12-1) are potentially playing for a spot in Lucas Oil Stadium.
They just came up short. Such is football.
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“I give our kids a lot of credit to compete all the way up until the end,” Hurley said. “It’s tough to go through our conference. It’s tough to go through that schedule we went from Week 7 on. We got a little bit beat up. It showed up a little bit tonight.”
This result boiled down to a few factors. One, Indian Creek (12-0) controlled the line of scrimmage.
The Braves scored on their first two possessions of the second half and nearly bled the clock dry on a third. The offense finished with 266 rushing yards – Paxton Walters went for 109 and Patrick Dowty totaled 85 – on 49 attempts. It felt like more in the moment.
Indian Creek continued to hold possession with the lead, especially a bruising drive in the fourth quarter with multiple fourth-down conversions. Quarterback Evan Clark was only asked to attempt seven passes. IC coach Max Goodin believes his team can win any number of ways – a physical push was simply the best option.
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“We knew we wanted to pound the rock,” Goodin said. “We wanted to sustain long drives and play great defense. We really challenged our kids this week to move them up front. Pound the rock and play great defense. We feel like that’s what wins championships in November.”
Memorial’s Dru Ellis (5) runs the ball as the Indian Creek Braves play the Memorial Tigers in the 2026 IHSAA Class 3A football regional championship in Evansville, Ind., Friday, Nov. 13, 2026.
Memorial was constantly playing down multiple scores. It couldn’t get Indian Creek off the field until the final minutes.
The other factor was injuries finally catching up on defense. All-State linebacker Grayson Carter was a notable absence in the middle after suffering a torn ACL in the sectional semifinal.
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It was the most points allowed by the Tigers since 2024.
“Grayson is a big deal,” Hurley said. “Especially in the second half. It’s a grinder going through the back end of our schedule. Hats off to Indian Creek. They did a great job. Coach Goodin has those guys playing really well. Some of those small things come and bite us back in the end.”
The final factor was another slow start. Memorial fell behind 21-7 in the second quarter following multiple mistakes. The opening kickoff was dropped and led to an interception near the Tigers’ own end zone. Indian Creek later returned a kickoff inside the 5 to set up a short touchdown. A fumble recovered by Indian Creek at the goal line in the second half loomed large. So did an offsides call on Memorial after it looked to recover an onside kick in the third.
The Braves won their first regional title since 2010 – a full calendar year after losing to Gibson Southern at the same stage. Indian Creek, who has played five straight road games, host the Class 3A semi-state against No. 10 Tri-West (11-2) in a rematch from Week 5.
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“We earned seven more days,” Goodin said. “That’s been my message throughout (the postseason). We’re playing for seven more days together. These kids love each other. This is an unbelievable team.”
Indian Creek’s Evan Clark (4) passes as the Indian Creek Braves play the Memorial Tigers in the 2026 IHSAA Class 3A football regional championship in Evansville, Ind., Friday, Nov. 13, 2026.
Credit to the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference champions for never throwing in the towel.
Luke Brown completed 20 of 33 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns. Geno Aimone and Dru Ellis were true playmakers in space. The former had a team-high 52 rushing yards (one score) and caught seven passes for 114 yards (two TDs). Ellis had 101 receiving yards on five catches, including an impressive touchdown grab with a defender being called for interference.
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The defense forced two takeaways in the first half (Wade Barrett interception and Evan Heldt forced fumble). Just one stop short of giving the Tigers an opportunity to take the lead. The final score was a 32-yard touchdown pass to Aimone with 1:32 remaining, but Memorial failed to recover the ensuing onside kick.
“Going forward, hopefully they use it for fuel for the younger guys,” Hurley said. “Tonight, we just couldn’t stop the run in the second half and get the ball back. We weren’t efficient enough offensively to take advantage of the three possessions we had.”
Memorial’s Gene Aimone (4) celebrates a touchdown as the Indian Creek Braves play the Memorial Tigers in the 2026 IHSAA Class 3A football regional championship in Evansville, Ind., Friday, Nov. 13, 2026.
The Tigers have key pieces to replace at every level of the lineup – notably quarterback, running back and linebacker. There is still plenty returning to keep Memorial in the SIAC and sectional conversation, at minimum. The Tigers also carry a 27-game regular season win streak into the opener next August.
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Hurley thought this team reminded him in many ways of the 2019 group that won the 4A state title. They weren’t physically imposing but consistently made winning plays. A deep junior class now takes over in the Tigers’ pursuit for more championships.
“We didn’t walk on the field one time and pass the eye test,” Hurley said. “We were the smallest team on the field every week. These guys still competed. We’re going to miss the seniors, but I think they left a strong legacy.”
Kyle Sokeland is a sports reporter for the Courier & Press. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @kylesokeland or email at kyle.sokeland@courierpress.com.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Memorial football comes up one possession short in 3A regional championship
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
