Clinton Prairie earns first football sectional title win over Central Catholic

FRANKFORT — The ball sat at the 1-yard line with 2:59 remaining in the third quarter. Central Catholic only trailed 20-14 against Clinton Prairie in the Class 1A, Sectional 42 championship game Friday, Nov. 6, and had an opportunity to take the lead with a score.

Instead of taking it to the ground, the Knights went for a pass. Quarterback Dru Stapleton looked to his right and fired off a pass to receiver Joey Metzger, but outside linebacker Alex King was listening.

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“Out, out, out,” King heard.

The senior read the out and sprinted with the ball down the sideline, doing his best not to get run down. He didn’t.

King’s 99-yard pick-six gave the Gophers a two-score lead and became the defining moment in Clinton Prairie’s first football sectional championship in school history Friday, beating LCC, 27-21.

“It feels great,” King said. “We came into it with a winning mentality and we came out with it too. It’s awesome.”

Another defensive play before King’s pick-six was equally instrumental. Stapleton and Central Catholic were on the 41-yard line trying to add to their 14-13 lead with 2:20 remaining in the first half, but the signal-caller was strip-sacked on the way to the ground.

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It was junior middle linebacker Ryder Mitchell who secured the football, taking it all the way to the end zone for a scoop and score.

Gophers coach Kurtis Schlicher has told his players all year that it’s just one play at a time. Friday night was emblematic of that and the journey this team has been on all season.

“You can’t get too far ahead and too far behind,” Schlicher said. “It’s a huge win for the kids, really. Everybody says for the program, but really for these kids.”

Clinton Prairie (8-4) has its highest win total since the 2010 season, in which it finished 10-2. It lost back-to-back games to end the regular season against Carroll and Eastern, with only 13 combined points to show for. When sectional pairings were released, it matched up with Carroll again in the quarterfinal.

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The Gophers have been determined to be above the standard each time they play, and that’s been foreseen during this postseason run. It beat Carroll in the rematch 28-12 and ran away with a 47-8 win over North White last week.

This group has bought into the mission even through the tough weeks, and they were allowed to reap the benefits of it at a home field that’s never gotten to celebrate the occasion.

“This team has really improved, and it’s evolved,” Schilcher said. “These kids, they love being around each other. In the weight room today even … you could just tell the energy of the kids, they want to keep playing. And I think that’s important this time of year, right? You got to love each other.

“There is something to the human spirit, but I think our kids are showing that right now.”

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It took beating a Central Catholic (5-7) program that has dominated both Class 1A and 2A sectionals over the last couple of decades.

The Knights had pockets where it looked like it could shut down Clinton Prairie’s hopes. Senior wide receiver Wyatt Williams had a 13-yard touchdown, multiple tough catches and an interception of Gopher quarterback Gage Kuzmicz in the first quarter. The Knights defense as a whole picked up three interceptions on the night.

But execution and a series of penalties going against them stalled out Central Catholic’s late-game drives. Neither team scored in the fourth quarter, meaning the two defensive scores from the Clinton Prairie proved to be the difference.

The Gophers will face North Judson-San Pierre (11-1) at home for a regional title Friday, Nov. 13. The Bluejays took down West Central 40-8 to win its sectional.

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Schlicher’s message will be the same as it was before Central Catholic.

“You’re playing for your pads,” Schlicher said. “So, let’s have our pads on Monday for practice, and that’s what we get to do.”

Jeff wins third straight sectional title

Make that a three-peat.

Lafayette Jeff won its third consecutive sectional championship with a 44-6 win over Huntington North in the Class 5A, Sectional 12 bracket.

Quarterback Trysten Barrett completed 14-of-19 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Bryce Vanostran, who recorded 98 receiving yards, caught a score, while tight end Jamell Thomas had the other.

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Running back Darrontae Harris rushed for 183 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Daelyn Neely also had a strong performance on the ground with 84 yards and two touchdowns on eight snaps.

Avery Barnes, Chris Hardy, Myles Stetler and Eli Buchanan combined for four sacks on the front-seven, while Parker Barnard tallied an interception.

Kicker Madden Gifford made a field goal from 38 yards out.

The Bronchos (9-2) will face Warsaw (10-1) in the regional championship game on Nov. 13 at home, a rematch from 2024 in which the Tigers won 44-27.

Other Lafayette-area high school football sectional results

• Hamilton Heights 34, West Lafayette 28: The Red Devils (4-8) were unable to win their first sectional title since 2023, but their turnaround in the playoffs, including a 54-26 win over previously undefeated Maconaquah last week, was impressive. They lost to Hamilton Heights 38-0 in the regular season but rebounded to make Friday night’s game a close one.

• Andrean 38, Twin Lakes 7: The Indians (8-4) fall short of back-to-back sectional wins against an 11-1 Andrean team that has been dominant all year.

• North Judson-San Pierre 40, West Central 8: The Trojans end an impressive 10-2 campaign against an 11-1 Bluejays team, coming just short of their first sectional title since 2005.

Chase Gemes covers high school sports and Purdue women’s basketball for the Journal & Courier. He can be reached at cgemes@usatodayco.com.

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This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Clinton Prairie earns first football sectional title win over Central Catholic

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