IHSAA football tournament pairings

The IHSAA football tournament pairings have been announced. Here they are

In Class 4A's sectional 13, the three Hancock County schools all drew opposite each other. #1/4 New Palestine drew a 2-6 Muncie Central squad in the opening round. The teams have two common opponents -- NP beat Richmond 29-7 and Pendleton Heights 34-21. Muncie Central fell to PH 65-0 in Week 1, then fell to Richmond 23-19. Bearcats' wins came in Week 2 vs. Muncie South (38-6) and Week 4 vs. New Castle (28-26). The winner faces either Frankfort or Delta. Frankfort is winless, Delta 5-3 on the field and has played really well in recent weeks. Delta's defense found its way in a 12-7 victory over Mt. Vernon last week.  NP and Delta would be favored in the first round. If they meet in the second round, it will be at Delta.

Greenfield-Central is much better than its 5-3 record shows -- the Cougars are four points away from being 7-1. The Cougars will face a 3-5 Muncie South team at home in the opening round. G-C would be a favorite on paper. South is 3-5, with wins over Connersville (twice) and Arlington. They have one common opponent. The Rebels also took Yorktown to overtime in Week 1 before falling 27-20. G-C beat Yorktown 23-20 in Week 4. Mt. Vernon will visit Pendleton Heights in a rematch of their Week 5 game. PH won that game 38-6, using a huge 21-point swing in the final four minutes of the opening half, but also using a strong offensive line push. If they advance, G-C would be on the road regardless in the second round, MV would be at home regardless.

Class 4A sectional 13
Muncie Central (2-6) at New Palestine (8-0)
Frankfort (0-8) at Delta (5-3 on the field)
Muncie South (3-5) at Greenfield-Central (5-3)
Mt. Vernon (5-3) at Pendleton Heights (7-1)  

Eastern Hancock drew Cambridge City Lincoln in the opening round in a road game. CCL is 6-2. The two teams have two common opponents -- South Decatur and Wes-Del. Both teams are 2-0 against those common foes. CCL scores 37.5 ppg, allows 18.5 ppg. The Golden Eagles' two losses were a 42-27 loss to a strong 2A squad in Centerville and 20-7 last week to Union County.

Class A sectional 37
Indiana Deaf (0-8) at Northeastern (4-4)
Eastern Hancock (2-6) at Cambridge City Lincoln (6-2)
Knightstown (5-3) at Hagerstown (5-3)
Scecina (5-3) at Tri (0-8)


In the Hoosier Heritage ConferenceClass 3A sectional 19 (Yorktown)
Yorktown drew Class 3A #3/4 Eastbrook in its first-round game. Eastbrook is 5-3, but had to forfeit three games. The Tigers know that territory -- they gave one of 3A's top-ranked teams in Hamilton Heights a scare early in the tournament last year, leading the Huskies in the fourth quarter on the road.
Yorktown (4-4) at Eastbrook (8-0 on the field)
Bellmont (3-5) at Blackford (2-6)
Mississinewa (7-1) at Maconaquah (1-7)
Western (6-2) at Peru (0-8)

Class 3A sectional 22 (Rushville)
Rushville is in a very winnable Sectional 22. Only two teams -- Howe and Edgewood -- have winning records. Rushville is 2-0 in non-conference play and showed very well last year in the tournament. The Lions are young, but are battle-tested against a 4A schedule. The rest of the schools in the sectional primarily play in conferences with 3A schools and smaller.
Howe (5-3) at  Edgewood (5-3)
Batesville (2-6) at Greensburg (3-5)
Brown County (4-4) at Rushville (2-6)
Beech Grove (0-8) at Indian Creek (4-4)

Class 4A sectional 15 (Shelbyville)
The Golden Bears got a tough draw with the top three teams in the sectional in their half of the bracket. Gunnar Kiel and Columbus East will meet a strong Shelby defense led by Ethan Runnebohm. Winner gets either unbeaten East Central or South Dearborn. The favored matchup would match up two top-five teams in the semifinals.
Richmond (3-5) at Franklin County (5-3)
Connersville (2-6) at New Castle (0-8)
East Central (8-0) at South Dearborn (6-2)
Columbus East (7-1) at Shelbyville (1-7)