Six schools that have never traveled this far before seek to end their 2000 high school football seasons with the ultimate prize on Thanksgiving weekend at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. Adams Central, Attica, Center Grove, East Noble, Heritage Hills and Plainfield are one more victory away from winning an IHSAA football state title.

Those six will be joined by former state runner-up (Evansville Mater Dei) and three former state champions (Fort Wayne Luers, Penn and Zionsville) in the 28^th IHSAA Football State Finals Friday and Saturday (Nov. 24-25).

Adams Central, who won its first semi-state title after seven previous attempts, leads the way for the first-time state final entrants. Center Grove and Heritage Hills had reached the semi-state round once before, while Attica, East Noble and Plainfield celebrated their first football semi-state crowns one-week after collecting their first regional titles.

By earning their way into the 2000 IHSAA Football State Finals, the teams from Adams Central, Attica, East Noble and Heritage Hills have the opportunity to win the first IHSAA state title in any sport for their school.

Adams Central -- First appearance.

Attica -- First appearance.

Center Grove -- First appearance.

East Noble -- First appearance.

Evansville Mater Dei – 1994 (2A runner-up).

Fort Wayne Luers -- 1983 (2A runner-up), 1985 (2A champion), 1989 (2A champion), 1991 (2A runner-up), 1992 (2A champion), 1996 (2A runner-up), 1999 (2A champion).

Heritage Hills -- First appearance.

Penn -- 1983 (4A champion), 1989 (5A runner-up), 1991 (5A runner-up), 1995 (5A champion), 1996 (5A champion), 1997 (5A champion), 1999 (5A runner-up).

Plainfield -- First appearance.

Zionsville -- 1987 (3A champion), 1996 (3A champion).

Two teams that have never played this far before will open the weekend festivities. Attica finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in Class A in the final Indiana Football Coaches Association (IFCA) and Associated Press (AP) polls. Adams Central was unranked by the coaches and No. 9 by AP.

It's the first IHSAA state finals appearance in any team sport for Attica, and the first for Adams Central in a boys sport. The only other IHSAA state finals appearance by an Adams Central team came in the inaugural IHSAA volleyball state finals in 1972 where the Flying Jets fell in the quarterfinals of the eight-team state finals.

After three straight semi-state setbacks, Adams Central comes to the dome via a 12-6 triumph over seventh-ranked North White. The Flying Jets have eliminated three ranked teams on their tournament path, including undefeated and No. 2-ranked Southern Wells 15-14 in the sectional final. That avenged a 19-14 season defeat. Adams Central followed with a 34-19 regional triumph over No. 3-ranked host Hagerstown.

Adams Central is coached by Rick Minnich, who has compiled a 170-102 record in 24 seasons at his alma mater. Adams Central is a 51-year-old consolidation of Kirkland, Monroe and Pleasant Mills located at Monroe in Adams County.

It has been a storybook season at Attica, where the Red Ramblers have celebrated the first sectional, regional and semi-state football titles in school history. Attica came from behind to defeat 1999 Class A state runner-up Perry Central 14-6 in the semi-state.

Leading the way as he has all season for the Red Ramblers was senior Josh Smith. The senior running back and linebacker was outstanding on both sides of the ball with 166 yards rushing, 14 tackles, a fumble recovery and an interception that he returned 70 yards for the game-winning touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.

Smith has amassed staggering season and career numbers. He’s averaging 31.1 points this season and has scored 40 or more points four times this season, topped by 49 against North Central (Farmersburg) on Oct. 6. Smith now ranks second to legendary Brett Law of Sheridan on the state list in season (436 points) and career (798 points) scoring. He’s fourth in season rushing (2,774 yards) and seventh in career rushing (6,122 yards). Smith trails Law’s state season scoring record (453) by 17 points and his season touchdown record (66) by five. Law’s career mark of 952 points is out of reach. On the season rushing list, Smith trails Otis Shannon of Indianapolis Cathedral (3,252 yards in 1999) by 478 yards. Shannon’s career rushing mark (7,560 yards) is out of reach, but Smith could finish as high as fifth.

Attica coach David McDonald is 42-15 in five seasons with the Red Ramblers and 125-100 in 23 seasons overall at Lewiston (Ohio), Seeger and Rossville-Alvin (Ill.).

The defending champion goes for a repeat, while Evansville Mater Dei seeks its first football state championship in a battle of parochial powers.

After winning their respective conference titles in leagues primarily composed of Class 4A and 5A schools, Fort Wayne Luers (No. 1) and Evansville Mater Dei (No. 2) entered the state tournament series solidly atop the Class 2A polls. Evansville Mater Dei won its first Southern Indiana Athletic Conference crown, while Fort Wayne Luers captured its first victory over perennial 5A power Fort Wayne Snider on the way to a 9-0 record in the Summit Athletic Conference.

Fort Wayne Luers seeks to become the seventh repeat champion in Class 2A. The Knights defeated Danville 38-6 in 1999 for their fourth title, all under the direction of coach Matt Lindsay. He has compiled a 122-51 record in 13 seasons at his alma mater after serving eight seasons as an assistant.

This year’s team authored six shutouts during the regular season and has battled through the tournament with a strong mix of that same defense and a balanced offense paced by junior quarterback Kyle Lindsay (1,601 passing yards) and senior running back Michael Ledo (2,277 rushing yards).

Long known for its wide-open passing game, Evansville Mater Dei brings an attack that features junior quarterback Jake Schiff and a complementary running game led by senior Nathan Wildeman with 1,701 ground yards.

Schiff has thrown for 3,562 yards this season, which ranks fourth in state history. It’s slightly behind his 3,947-yard pace in 13 games as a sophomore in 1999 when he led the state in passing. Schiff tossed 42 touchdown passes in 1999 and has 40 this season. The state record is 45 by Warren Central’s Jeff George in 14 games in 1985.

With Schiff at the throttle, the Wildcats are averaging 399 yards in total offense and continuing a tradition of big passing numbers. Five of the state’s top six all-time individual season passing totals have been accumulated by Evansville Mater Dei quarterbacks. The all-time season mark of 3,973 yards was established by Rick Mirer of Goshen while directing the Redskins to the 1988 Class 4A title. Schiff has already eclipsed Mirer’s career total and stands seventh on the state list with 7,509 yards. With a season to go, Schiff figures to challenge the state record of 11,100 yards set by Martinsville’s Earl Haniford in 1995.

Evansville Mater Dei coach Mike Goebel was an assistant coach in 1994 when the Wildcats finished as the state runner-up to Bremen. He also is the school’s long-time wrestling coach, guiding the Wildcats to the last six IHSAA state championships and seven overall.

Zionsville returns in quest of its third title while high-scoring Heritage Hills makes its initial IHSAA state finals appearance in a team sport.

Zionsville entered tournament play ranked No. 6 in both polls, while Heritage Hills was No. 1 in AP and No. 2 in the IFCA poll.

While contained a bit down the stretch, Heritage Hills has outscored its opponents 719-61. Only Whiteland, a 32-22 victim in the regional, has managed more than a touchdown on the Patriots. Meanwhile, their offense has posted 50 or more points seven times, topped by 90 against Pike Central.

Senior quarterback Jay Cutler leads an offense averaging 370 yards a game. He’s thrown for 2,150 yards, and with 477 rushing yards, Cutler is one of four Patriots to gain at least 450 yards on the ground.

Heritage Hills coach Bob Clayton is a 1969 graduate of Evansville Mater Dei where he was a teammate of current Wildcats coach Mike Goebel. He has compiled a 195-54 record in 23 seasons at Heritage Hills. The school is a 29-year-old consolidation of Chrisney and Dale located at Lincoln City in Spencer County.

After a 2-3 start, Zionsville has run off nine straight victories to reach the state finals. The Eagles were the Class 3A state champions in 1987 and 1996.

Zionsville’s tournament drive includes road victories over No. 9-ranked Benton Central (43-13) in the sectional championship and No. 5-ranked NorthWood (21-20) in a dramatic semi-state overtime battle. The latter came as Zionsville thwarted NorthWood’s two-point PAT attempt after Ryan Wagner scored from 10 yards out on its first overtime possession and Mark Nicolet kicked the winning PAT.

An opportunistic defense has provided Zionsville a 39-9 edge in turnovers. The Eagles have picked off 19 passes, including 10 interceptions by senior Billy Slama. He also leads the team with 47 receptions for 730 yards.

Zionsville coach Larry McWhorter guided the Eagles to their second state as a first-year head coach in 1996 and is 52-12 in five seasons.

Two first-time state finalists will seek one more victory to conclude memorable seasons. It’s the first time in an IHSAA state finals for East Noble in any team sport and only the second for Plainfield (3A boys basketball, 1999).

East Noble finished the regular season ranked sixth by AP and eighth by the IFCA. The Knights have avenged their only regular-season loss at Carroll (Fort Wayne) in the sectional semifinals, knocked out No. 10-ranked host Goshen 21-14 in the regional and cruised past Plymouth 25-7 in the semi-state to earn their trip.

Senior quarterback and defensive back David Gater leads East Noble with 25 touchdowns on his own and 11 in the air. He also has intercepted 11 passes.

East Noble coach Tim Able has compiled a 28-37 record in six seasons with the Knights and 49-48 overall in nine seasons as a head coach. He came to East Noble in 1995 after three seasons at North Daviess. East Noble is a 35-year-old consolidation of Avilla, Kendallville and Rome City located at Kendallville in Noble County.

Plainfield quelled a Delta drive that reached the Quakers’ 4-yard-line midway through the fourth quarter in a 19-14 victory for the semi-state championship. Undefeated Delta (No. 4 AP, No. 5 IFCA) was the second rated opponent to fall victim to Plainfield, who finished the regular season ranked No. 2 in both poll. The Quakers eliminated two-time defending state champion and top-ranked Indianapolis Cathedral 14-7 in the sectional semifinals.

Offensively, Plainfield shows balance behind senior running back Tom Restivo (2,027 yards, 26 touchdowns) and senior quarterback Jake Wiltrout (1,303 yards, eight touchdowns). Wiltrout is a multiple-sport standout who scored a team-high 19 points in the 1999 Class 3A boys basketball state championship game, a 77-64 Plainfield victory over Muncie Southside.

Plainfield coach Chuck Schwanekamp is in his second tour of the duty with the Quakers. He guided them from 1987-90 and returned in 1996. He’s 48-40 in nine seasons at Plainfield and 95-46 in 13 seasons as a head coach. He coached Indianapolis Chatard to Class 2A state titles in 1983 and 1984 during a four-year stint.

It’s the first time to the state finals for Center Grove while Penn makes its eighth appearance in a battle of 13-1 teams whose only blemishes came at Ben Davis during regular-season play.

Both losses came early as Penn fell at Ben Davis 28-21 on Aug. 25 and Center Grove stumbled 29-14 at Ben Davis on Sept. 15. Center Grove (No. 4 IFCA, No. 6 AP) gained revenge on the Giants with a 30-28 semi-state thriller last week while Penn (No. 2 IFCA, No. 2 AP) was eliminating host Noblesville 38-15.

Center Grove is the first team from Johnson County to reach the state finals in football. The Trojans were the only team to beat top-ranked Carmel during the regular season. Besides Ben Davis (No. 3 AP, No. 3 IFCA), Center Grove has eliminated Bloomington South (No. 6 IFCA, No. 4 AP) and Castle (No. 7 IFCA, No. 8 AP) on its way to the dome.

Center Grove’s wing-T offense includes three rushers with 700 or more yards. Leading the way is senior Jonny Zwitt, Johnson County’s all-time rushing leader with 2,388 yards this season and 4,501 yards for his career.

Coach Eric Moore is 17-6 in two seasons with the Trojans. A graduate of Edgewood High School, he returned to Indiana from Florida in 1998 after serving four seasons as head coach at Charlotte High School.

Penn’s Kingsmen have become almost a constant on Thanksgiving weekend at the dome. Penn will be making its seventh trip to downtown Indianapolis in the 17 seasons the IHSAA state finals have been played indoors. Six of those journeys have come in the last 10 years. Penn won its first state championship in Class 4A in 1983, the last year the state finals were played outside. The Kingsmen added 5A state titles in 1995, 1996 and 1997. They were the 5A state runner-up in 1989, 1991 and 1999.

In a program known for its soundness on both sides of the ball, the 2000 season has been typical. The Kingsmen blanked six straight opponents after the loss at Ben Davis. In tournament play, they’ve allowed opponents only 53 points. First-year senior quarterback Eric Moore directs an offense averaging 369 yards a game. He’s hit on 55 percent of his attempts for 1,613 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Penn coach Chris Geesman has compiled a 286-44 record in 28 seasons with the Kingsmen. Prior to coming to Penn, he coached five seasons at Kenton, Ohio, with a 29-18-3 record. Overall, he's 315-62-3 in 33 seasons as a varsity coach.

Friday and Saturday (Nov. 24-25) – Continuous state finals updates under Football/2000 State Finals.