Playoff Primer: Indiana Sectional Finals

Three of the eight Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference squads will be playing for Sectional championships on Friday night. Last season league members East Central and Batesville brought home trophies from Sectional conquests. It was the first two Sectional titles for the EIAC since 2012. The conference would love nothing more than to keep that momentum going.

Lawrenceburg WR/DB Ben Murphy (photo by Mike Noyes/TriStateFootball.com)

Class 4A, Sectional 23 semifinals
(Friday, November 4th, 7:30 p.m.

East Central (9-2) at Seymour (8-3) – After an 0-3 start Seymour has reeled off eight straight wins. The Owls are looking their first Sectional title since 2001 and fifth in school history.

This is Seymour’s first winning season since 2005. They had just seven combined victories over the last three years. The Owls have won some shootouts. Seymour has played in six contests in which they and their opponents have combined for 58 points or more. They are paced by quarterback Alan Perry. The junior has amassed 2,482 yards of total offense (1,348 passing, 1,134 rushing) and accounted for 35 touchdowns (23 rushing, 12 passing).

The Owls defense has played well down the stretch. Seymour is giving up just 19.0 points per game over its last five outings after giving up 36.5 points per contest the first five games of the season. They will need to keep up that effort if they are to win this affair.

East Central is shooting for back-to-back Sectional crowns and its 17th overall in the programs storied history. The Trojans defense has been very good. They have only given up more than 30 points once this season. It is an opportunistic group that has come up with 29 takeaways (19 interceptions).

East Central RB Logan Storie (photo by Linda Lyness Maxwell)

Everyone has chipped in for an East Central offense that has battled injuries and the growing pains of having a first-year sophomore, Alex Maxwell starting under center. Maxwell continues to get better and the team is getting healthier. Junior running back Logan Storie has run for 1,508 yards and 19 touchdowns after being elevated to the primary option after senior Garren Messmore went down with injuries and illness. Messmore is back and the Trojans are deep at the skill positions with him in the lineup. His ability to catch the ball out of the backfield make these Trojans a hard team to prepare for.

Prediction: East Central 42, Seymour 28

Class 3A, Sectional 30 semifinals
(Friday, November 4th, 7:00 p.m.

Greensburg (8-3) at Lawrenceburg (6-4) – This is a rematch of a Week 4, EIAC 3A division opener. Lawrenceburg won that contest, 42-21. It was the first time in the last eight meetings between the two squads that the game had been decided by more than eight points. Lawrenceburg holds a 6-2 advantage in those affairs.

Greensburg did a great job of containing Tigers runner Austin Bowling in Week 4 holding him to season lows of 83 yards and just one touchdown rushing. The Pirates did however give up way too many big plays on that night to other Tigers. Bowling enters the Sectional title game with 2,222 yards and 40 touchdowns rushing. He has at least four rushing touchdowns in each of Lawrenceburg’s past five outings.

Bowling isn’t the only Tiger capable of changing the momentum of a contest. Quarterback Reid Strobl has thrown for 1,831 yards with 24 touchdowns tosses and just five interceptions. Lawrenceburg is averaging 48.8 points per game. The Tigers have scored more than 60 points four times in their last nine tilts.

On defense, junior Mason Parris is a real beast. He has 140 total tackles, 14 tackles for losses, five sacks, three interceptions, three fumble recoveries and five forced fumbles. Parris is the only player in the EIAC with a Division I scholarship offer (from Cincinnati).

Greensburg is vying for its third Sectional championship in school history and second in the last four campaigns. Sam Slusher has taken his game to a new level over the past three weeks. The senior has run for 485 of his 972 yards and eight of his 13 touchdowns in that span. Juniors Jesse Hunter and quarterback Taylon Hogg have combined for 1,129 yards and 15 scores rushing.

Prediction: Lawrenceburg 38, Greensburg 20

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