East Central falls in 4A Final

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Things went south in a hurry for East Central after a promising first half in Saturday afternoon’s IHSAA Class 4A state title game at Lucas Oils Stadium in Indianapolis. The Trojans went into halftime with a 3-0 lead over Bishop Dwenger, winners of 13 straight games.

East Central had just registered six straight scoreless quarters versus two of Indiana’s top catholic schools – Dwenger and Roncalli. That success would be short-lived as the Saints capitalized on turnovers and used their dominance up front, denying East Central its first ring since 1994.

East Central K Nick Stidham Bishop Dwenger RB Amaun Clark (photo by Mike Noyes/TriStateFootball.com)

Both teams struggled mightily on offense in the first half. Dwenger opened the game with an extended drive that lasted more than half the stanza. The Saints would be stopped on fourth down and never threaten the rest of the half. That included two interceptions by quarterback Blake Podschlne.

East Central had the only scoring drive of the first half. The Trojans went 85 yards on 14 plays, but could not penetrate the end zone. They settled for a 21-yard field goal by Nick Stidham. It was the only score before intermission.

East Central looked out of sync on the opening drive to start the second half. They punted from inside their own 10-yard line after penalties and sacks sent them backwards. It would be an omen of the Trojans’ misfortunes to come.

Dwenger returned East Central’s punt to the Trojans 32. Four plays later Amaun Clark took a hand off from Podschlne and scampered 24 yards for a touchdown on fourth-and-two play. It gave the Saints their first lead at 7-3 and at that point the Dwenger offensive line began winning the war in the trenches.

After forcing an East Central punt, the Saints would go 91 yards on nine plays. Clark finished it off from four yards out with 9:17 left in the fourth quarter.

Bishop Dwenger RB Amaun Clark (photo by Mike Noyes/TriStatefootball.com)

An interception by Dwenger’s Austin Burns gave the Saints the ball first and 10 on the East Central 23. Four plays later Clark would find the end zone from 11 yards out for a third time in the second half. He was sensational in the second half and ended his evening with 236 yards on 23 carries.

Things went from bad to worse for the Trojans as Patton was intercepted again. It gave Dwenger the ball 1st-and-10 on the East Central 32. Three plays later Podschlne would sneak into the end zone from a yard out. The only thing left was the crowning of the Saints after the final ticks of the clock.

“Our defense kept giving us a chance and our offense finally hit its stride in the second half,” interim head coach Ernie Bojrab said.

It was the fourth state championship for Bishop Dwenger and first since 1991.

“They were really quick and athletic up front and we knew that,” East Central head coach Justin Roden stated about the performance of Dwenger’s line play. “They won the battle in the trenches.”

“The results of this game doesn’t have that much impact on how much value it has on our community to see all these people come out who haven’t been out to see East Central in a number of years, giving these guys the credit they deserve,” a proud Roden stated about the community support for his players.

This is just Roden’s third year atop the Trojans. To get to this game was a huge step for the program and should provide plenty of momentum for East Central to build on. The future looks very bright in St. Leon.

EAST CENTRAL 0-3-0-0-3
vs. BISHOP DWENGER 0-0-7-20-27

E: Stidham 21 field goal
B: Clark 24 run (Buenconsejo kick)
B: Clark 4 run (Buenconsejo kick)
B: Clark 11 run (Buenconsejo kick)
B: Podschlne 1 run (kick blocked)

Records: East Central (12-3); Bishop Dwenger (14-1)

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