Area football teams gearing up for sectional

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

On Sunday, the draws for the 2011 IHSAA football sectional were announced and three of four Putnam County schools will host first-round matchups. Some teams couldn't be happier with their draws, while others will begin their quest for a sectional title being thrown to the lions.

In Class A sectional action, Cloverdale (2-6) will host Riverton Parke (0-8) to get things going. The two squads have one common opponent in Turkey Run, with each school experiencing different outcomes. Cloverdale easily handled the Warriors 52-13 back on Sept. 9, while the Panthers lost to Turkey Run 39-14 two weeks later on Sept. 23

The Clovers would face the winner of North Vermillion (3-5) and Attica (6-2) in the second round if they win. Cloverdale managed to draw the favorable side of the sectional, as No. 6 Rockville and No. 9 North Central face off on the opposite half of the bracket.

Putnam County has two teams competing in the Class 2A sectional No. 30 in North Putnam and South Putnam.

North Putnam, the No. 3 ranked team in Class 2A tangles with No. 5 Speedway on the road to open its 2011 tournament. The Cougars are perfect through eight weeks, while the only blemish on Speedway's record came at the hands of Indianapolis Lutheran in Week 8 when they lost 33-27. The only point of reference is both teams have faced Monrovia during the regular season, with the Cougars blowing out the Bulldogs 49-7, while the Sparkplugs edged Monrovia 38-35.

Awaiting the Cougars or Sparkplugs in round two will be the winner of Broad Ripple (5-3) and Cardinal Ritter (6-2).

South Putnam received the best draw of the county schools as they begin play against South Vermillion (0-8). The last time the two team faced off was the sectional opening in 2009 when the Eagles defeated the Wildcats 33-28 to advance. South Putnam would next face the winner of Park Tudor (2-6) and Cascade (1-7). The Eagles will get a good look at Cascade as they host the Cadets Friday to close out their season.

As tough as North Putnam's draw of Speedway to open sectional might be, Greencastle's was even tougher in the Class 3A No. 21 sectional.

The Tiger Cubs will have the Herculean task of trying to bounce Class 3A No. 2 ranked defending state champion Indianapolis Bishop Chatard when it opens sectional play. Chatard's two losses came at the hands of Class 4A No. 8 ranked Fort Wayne Dwenger 24-14 and to Class 4A No. 1 ranked Indianapolis Cathedral and that was by just a touchdown, 21-14.

The good news for GHS is they will host the Trojans and will surely have a loud fan base cheering on their efforts. If the Tiger Cubs are able to pull the upset, they would face the winner of Indianapolis Arlington (1-7) and Danville (4-4).

All sectional games begin Oct. 21 with kickoff set for 7 p.m.