Eagles open football sectional play in a big way

Monday, October 23, 2017
Aidan LeBlanc returned to action Friday from injury and ran for 195 yards against Covenant Christian.
Banner Graphic file photo

South Putnam entered Friday’s sectional football game with visiting Covenant Christian as the underdog, if you went solely by the regular-season records.

The Eagles had lost their last eight games following a win over Cloverdale in the first week of the season, while Covenant Christian — a private school from Indianapolis — had compiled a 7 -2 record in the regular season.

As they say, however, “everybody is 0-0” when the playoffs start.

South Putnam coach Nathan Aker hoped going into the game that his team’s tough schedule against all schools of larger enrollment classes would pay off against the Warriors, — who built up their superior record against a schedule full of non-IHSAA schools and fellow private schools with fledgling programs not yet established in the nuances of the sport.

Aker watched week by week as several key players were sidelined due to injury, but everything came together on Friday in South Putnam’s 40-15 win — including the return of some of those players from the injured list.

“The benefits of our schedule and playing in a tough [Western Indiana] conference really showed up on Friday night,” Aker said. “We were superior physically, and we were really prepared for a big playoff run. That’s what we have talked about since day one with this group, and they really bought into it.

“It’s really, really refreshing to go and take out some of that frustration on somebody else,” Aker added. “Covenant Christian was the first 1A team we’ve played all year, and it’s nice to do that in the playoffs. We are really proud of our kids and how they responded.”

Aker acknowledged that his players were thrilled with how Friday’s game went, based upon the breaking of the losing streak.

“They had a great week of practice leading up to the game,” Aker said. “We changed some things up on fall break. We practiced at DePauw one morning and had a late-night practice on Thursday. The kids responded very well, and that says a lot about their commitment and resiliency.”

After a scoreless first quarter on Friday, the Eagles dominated the second quarter to take a 21-7 lead into halftime.

The Eagles outscored CC 13-0 in the third period for a 34-7 lead, and each team produced a touchdown in the fourth quarter when the game was long since decided.

“We were able to get everyone in the game, which was a goal of ours,” Aker said.

Two of the Eagles returning to action were junior running back Aidan LeBlanc and sophomore wide receiver Kain Gregory.

“Aidan ran for almost 200 yards,” Aker noted. “Kain had some good catches on offense and also played a good game on defense. It was great to have those guys back.”

LeBlanc carried the ball 12 times for 195 yards and one touchdown, with a long run of 64 yards.

Gregory caught three passes for 38 yards and two touchdowns from senior Christian Zeffel, who completed 6 of 8 passes on the night for 118 yards. Zeffel also ran eight times for 97 yards and two touchdowns, while Dalton Scott carried 12 times for 56 yards and one TD.

Scott ran for a 2-point conversion, while Jon Hodge kicked a pair of extra points.

Freshman Dru Teipen continued his outstanding play with two catches for 61 yards.

Defensively, Colin Adams paced the Eagles with 12 tackles (five solo), while Scott added 11 tackles (four solos) and junior Nick Theis added eight tackles (five solo). Zeffel also recovered a fumble.

The Eagles will take to the road on Friday night to meet Indianapolis Howe, a team that was winless during the regular season and picked up its first win on Friday with a 22-6 victory over the Indiana School for the Deaf.

“They play a tough schedule,” Aker said of the Hornets, who list powerhouse teams such as Triton Central and Beech Grove among their defeats. “They also played their first 1A team of the year on Friday [in the School for the Deaf]. They don’t have a lot of guys, but they are very athletic and have a little speed.

“They do a lot of different things,” Aker said. “They are tough to prepare for, but we’re going to give it our best shot. Our kids are excited for another chance to play in the playoffs.”

Aker noted that Howe has a fast group of running backs that his defense will need to contain in order to be successful.

“Their receivers are quick, too, and we have to not let them get behind us,” he said. “Defensively, they blitz a ton so we have to pick that up and seal gaps. If we can do that, we’ll be OK.”

The winner of the Howe-South Putnam game will advance to the sectional finals on Nov. 3 against the survivor of Indianapolis Arlington (7-2, who had a bye last week) and Indianapolis Tindley (7-3 after beating Indianapolis Shortridge on Friday).

By playing on the road this week, and being the bottom team on the bracket, the Eagles would be the home team in the finals if they win on Friday.

Football sectional schedule

Class 3A

Sectional 30

Friday

Sullivan (9-1) at Greencastle (6-4)

Tri-West (5-5) at Danville (10-0)

Nov. 3

Championship game

Class 2A

Sectional 38

Friday

Western Boone (7-3) at Tipton (9-1)

Cloverdale (5-5) at Park Tudor (3-6)

Nov. 3

Championship game

Class A

Sectional 45

Friday

Indianapolis Arlington (7-2) at Indianapolis Tindley (7-3)

South Putnam (2-8) at Indianapolis Howe (1-9)

Nov. 3

Championship game

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