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What you should know for each IHSAA football region in Southwest Indiana

What you should know for each IHSAA football region in Southwest Indiana

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EVANSVILLE – How many teams will be playing football in Southwest Indiana beyond this weekend?

Based on past and current successes, the answer could be many. The IHSAA boys and girls state tournaments continue this week with the regional round. The Evansville region has six girls teams and five boys teams remaining, some of which are among the favorites to advance.

Here’s an overview of the players to keep an eye on, as well as a quick look at each region in the region. The girls’ semi-final will take place on Wednesday and the boys’ semi-final on Thursday, all times listed in the CDT. The championships are scheduled for Saturday.

How they got here: IHSAA football section results for the Evansville area

Class 3A boys

No. 1 Center Grove (18-0) and No. 7 Bloomington South (17-1), 5 p.m

Seymour (13-5) at No. 12 Castle (14-3-1), 6 p.m

Championship in Seymour

Players to Watch: Stefan Bartlett, Bloomington South; David Beaver, Castle; Myles Chandler, Seymour; Joe DeGiorgio, Bloomington South; Charlie Habig, Center Grove; Gus Hanjorgiris, Bloomington South; Austin Lowden, Center Grove; Marckenson Paul, Seymour; Brady Rider, Castle; Danny Tkachuk, Castle; Niekos Whitney, Center Grove.

Outlook: The semifinals in Bloomington deserved a lot of attention, especially with the top-ranked team in the state. Center Grove won against Bloomington South and Castle in the regular season. I wouldn’t completely discount the Knights’ chances. With just two goals allowed, Mike Reiter’s club is playing its best football since the Indiana-Kentucky Challenge in early September. First regional appearance for Seymour since 2009.

Class 3A girls

No. 14 Center Grove (13-3-4) at Terre Haute South (14-3-2), 5 p.m

Floyd Central (9-5-1) at No. 7 Castle (15-2-2), 6 p.m

Championship in Seymour

Players to Watch: Anderson Broshears, Center Grove; Addie Crowe, Center Grove; Kennidy Dillion, Terre Haute South; Mia Gianfagna, Floyd Central; Jilly Higgins, Castle; Noah Killinger, Terre Haute South; Mia Marlin, Center Grove; Taylor Moore, Floyd Central; Morgan Ott, Castle; Izzie Ryan, Castle.

Outlook: The choice would be Castle at full strength. However, the path forward is complicated by the loss of three key starters. The current lineup is still good enough to make a breakthrough, as three tough group wins show. The closest challenger is Center Grove, which the Knights defeated 1-0 on September 14th. Castle also defeated its semifinal opponent Floyd Central 8-1 on Sept. 7. Terre Haute South won its first sectional since 2011 with a victory over No. 15 Bloomington South.

Class 2A boys

Lawrenceburg (6-9-3) at Charlestown (15-2), 5 p.m

No. 12 Washington (15-3) at No. 1 Memorial (15-2-1), 6 p.m

Championship at Heritage Hills

Players to Watch: Ivan Bennett, monument; Cohen Havill, memorial; Cristian Martinez, Charlestown; Dominic Mattingly, Washington; Jensen Mulcahey, Lawrenceburg; Jaime Ortiz-Casillas, Charlestown; Walter Palma, Washington; Alan Santillan, Washington; Simon Theby, monument.

Outlook: Memorial was ranked No. 1 all season. The team overcame another difficult schedule with just two losses (Castle, Trinity) and just seven goals. Cohen Havill leads the SIAC with 25 goals. The Tigers need two more good tries to advance, first against Washington and its own top-scoring striker Dominic Mattingly (25 goals). The Hatchets are the last program to beat Memorial in the region (2018). Charlestown makes its first regional appearance.

More: Five Southwest Indiana teams win IHSAA boys soccer sectional championships

Class 2A girls

No. 2 Lawrenceburg (17-1) at Madison (14-4), 5 p.m

No. 13 Gibson Southern (13-3) at No. 8 Mater Dei (15-2), 6 p.m

Championship at Heritage Hills

Players to Watch: Kyra Ayler, Madison; Ella Hamilton, Mater Dei; Morgan Manford, Lawrenceburg; Ava Merkel, Lawrenceburg; Olivia Niemeier, Mater Dei; Preslee Rugg, Lawrenceburg; Paige Schnaus, Gibson Southern; Kenzie Smith, Madison; Morgan Wannemühler, Mater Dei; Mabrey Wilson, Gibson Southern.

Outlook: One of the better regionals. Lawrenceburg has the edge on paper, but the favorite is against Mater Dei. The Wildcats’ only losses came against two of Class 3A’s best (Memorial, Castle). They also have a strong midfield and a strong attacker. Mater Dei first has to worry about Gibson Southern and Corinne Stevens (19 goals) in the September 10 rematch (a 2-0 win for Mater Dei). The Titans have not conceded a goal in their last eight games.

Class 1A boys

No. 13 White River Valley (13-1-3) at Northeast Dubois (12-5), 5 p.m

No. 6 Providence (7-8-4) at Tell City (13-6), 6 p.m

Championship in Providence

Players to Watch: Camden Ames, Tell City; Ty Betz, Northeast Dubois; Caleb Hulse, Tell City; Drew Kelly, Providence; Charles Linneweber, White River Valley; Noah Moore, White River Valley; Brycen Morz, Northeast Dubois; Zaiden Tribbie, Tell City.

Outlook: Both Southwest Indiana teams are expected to be underdogs in the semifinals. Providence gets the favorite role despite its record – the Pioneers play a brutal schedule and traditionally field a strong team. Tell City and Northeast Dubois beat the top 10 teams in the section, so it helps to play your best now. A pair of first-time section winners in White River Valley and Tell City.

Class 1A girls

No. 2 Providence (16-3) at Vincennes Rivet (12-5-1), 5 p.m

No. 8 Forest Park (14-5) at Pike Central (12-5), 5 p.m

Championship in Providence

Players to Watch: Ava Aaserud, Pike Central; Maggie Kerber, Forest Park; Daegan Knepp, Pike Central; Paige Memmer, Forest Park; Jaelynn Miley, Pike Central; Kamden Pierce, Providence; Molly Richards, Providence; Addison Schipp, Forest Park; Lissa Willis, Vincennes Rivet.

Outlook: The Pioneers are the favorite with a strong group performance (38-0 in three games) and a tough schedule that included a win at Forest Park. The Rangers didn’t allow a goal in their group stage but needed overtime to beat Northeast Dubois. Their semifinal could also be close in a rematch against Pike Central, competing in the region for the first time since 2014. The regular season game was a 2-1 overtime victory for the Rangers.