EVANSVILLE — Memorial coach John Hurley was asked this week how many sectional championships he has won.
He didn’t know the number off hand, nor was it important. All of his attention and emphasis was on the next opportunity. Hurley, now in his 19th season at his alma mater, knows not to anticipate anything easy once the calendar turns to November. Just ask his undefeated teams the last two seasons.
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A singular pointed goal: extend the season another week.
More: Southwestern Indiana high school football sectional finals updates, scores
No. 1 Memorial defeated No. 8 Mater Dei 28-7 on Friday, Nov. 6 at Reitz Bowl to win the Class 3A sectional championship. Far from a masterpiece performance – too many penalties, for starters. The result was still the same. The Tigers (11-0) stood firm behind its defense in the second half to reach the regional round for the first time since 2023.
“You get to this time of the year, anything can happen,” Hurley said. “We’re just going to keep grinding away at it. I’m just proud of the kids. I know what they’ve done to get to this point.”
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No offensive explosion or head-turning sequence this week. Memorial was simply the tougher team.
The defense limited the opponent to only 174 total yards – a miniscule 2.3 yards per carry when factoring in sacks. The only scoring drive for Mater Dei came in the first quarter after converting a fake punt. The Wildcats only ran around a dozen offensive plays after halftime. The major reasoning: the Tigers won every notable moment on defense.
Kellan Carter forced a fumble midway through the third quarter. Rhylan Brogden made a fourth down stop. Both led to scoring drives capped by visits to the end zone by Geno Aimone. His third touchdown of the night, a 34-yard screen pass, put Memorial up three scores with 8:33 remaining.
Evan Heldt secured the third takeaway of the evening with an over-the-shoulder interception at the goal line two minutes later. The Tigers have forced 29 turnovers through the sectional championship and allowed only seven points over the last six quarters. Those results typically equate to winning football.
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“We believe in ourselves,” Heldt said. “We go out there and know that we can shut any team down. Our defensive coordinator, coach Johnson, puts us in the right position to go win. We had some dawgs on defense step up when we needed it.”
Memorial’s Gene Aimone (4) runs the ball for a touchdown as the Memorial Tigers play the Gibson Southern Titans in the IHSAA Class 3A Sectional 32 semifinal game in Evansville, Ind., Friday, Oct. 30, 2026.
It was a defensive effort made all the more impressive considering who wasn’t available. All-State linebacker Grayson Carter is out for the season after tearing his ACL in the semifinal against Gibson Southern – he still had two takeaways in the second half on a bad knee. Liam Schmitt also went down in the first half on Friday with an ankle injury.
The mentality remained unchanged. The Tigers rotated guys into different positions – LaTroy Savaged played in the secondary with Thomas Pope moved to linebacker – and continued to make plays. Mater Dei (9-3) was limited to its lowest scoring output in over a year with Ty’Rie Compton (47 rushing yards on 11 carries) securing the Wildcats’ lone touchdown.
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“Defense stood up in the second half,” Hurley said. “It’s guys paying attention and locked in during the week of practice. Coach Johnson and the defensive staff do a great job getting the kids prepared.”
The Tigers slowly built a cushion with the usual cast of characters. Luke Brown was 13 of 19 passing for 170 yards and two touchdowns – the first was a 50-yard strike to De’Andre Fellows to answer Mater Dei’s first-quarter lead. Dru Ellis and Aimone combined for 139 rushing yards.
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Their job was made easier by short fields after turnovers. Memorial also possessed the ball for most of the second half. The only true negative, equally shared across both sides of the ball, was 10 penalties for 100 yards.
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“We have a really good next-play mentality,” Brown said. “You don’t let anyone else dictate what you do. (The defense) has been lights out all year. Having them be dominant, it’s an awesome gamechanger to have. It just fires the rest of the team up.”
Memorial’s Luke Brown (11) calls the play as the Memorial Tigers play the Mater Dei Wildcats during the Hunger Bowl in Evansville, Ind., Friday, Sept. 11, 2026.
There were signs since August of a potential postseason run. Memorial was consistently the stronger team after halftime, pointedly so the last two weeks. The big-play ability on either side is also a gamechanger when other details slow down the operation. The Tigers are the first outright Southern Indiana Athletic Conference champion to win a sectional title since 2020.
The program played a role in that statistic the last two years with sectional losses at Heritage Hills and Gibson Southern. Memorial simply ran into a talented opponent who made one or two more plays. The Tigers left no room for doubt this season. Nor is the job finished, in their mind, as one of 15 remaining undefeated teams left in the state tournament.
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The first step was a sectional championship returning to Lincoln Avenue. Hurley’s 11th title in 19 years, for the record.
“These past two years I don’t think we were dialed in enough,” Heldt said. “This time, we’re ready every day.”
The Tigers will host No. 4 Indian Creek (11-0 following a 30-point win over Sullivan) in a 3A regional title game Friday, Nov. 13 at Enlow Field.
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 pulls away in second half to win Class 3A sectional championsip
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