Page 40 - 2015-16 Football State Finals Program

Last Year’s State Finals in Review

Cathedral garners some history with win over LaPorte in Class 5A

Coach Rick Streiff and the Indianapolis Cathedral in the record books. The win over LaPorte marked the 10th
Fighting Irish carried home several historical accomplish- football championship for the coach, moving him ahead of
ments along with another trophy for the school’s ever- Matt Lindsay (formerly of Fort Wayne Bishop Luers) and
growing display case. Bud Wright (Sheridan), each with nine.
Max Bortenschlager passed James Schulz led Cathedral with
for 195 yards and three touch- 73 receiving yards and a touchdown on
downs and Caleb Cross rushed three catches. Evan Christopher rushed for
for 108 yards, leading the Irish 62 yards and three touchdowns.
over the LaPorte Slicers, 56-7, The Irish, ranked seventh by the
in the Class 5A state champion- Associated Press, finished 9-5. The Irish
ship game. have won three consecutive state cham-
For Cathedral, it was a pionships with five losses on their record.
record fifth consecutive state NorthWood, in 2005, won the Class 3A
title while the final-game victory crown with a 9-6 record.
extended its record of tourna- Coach Bob Schellinger’s Slicers,
ment triumphs to 30, dating who were unranked and competing in their
to 2010. It also was the 12th first football state championship game,
football championship overall completed their season 8-6.
for the Irish, tying them with Charles Salary led LaPorte with
Indianapolis Bishop Chatard for 123 rushing yards, including a touchdown.
the most in state history.
Streiff, like his team,
continues to build a lofty position

Ben Davis stuns No. 1-ranked Carmel in Class 6A

When the Ben Davis Giants fell behind by 17 points tournament, was seeking its second state title in four years
early in the second quarter, they didn’t panic. They perse- and eighth overall.
vered. And they started chipping away. For Carmel, Shakir Paschall rushed for 94 yards and
The Giants scored 42 consecutive points and pulled out a touchdown on 13 attempts. Chris Perkins rushed for 64
a 42-24 victory over the top-ranked Carmel Greyhounds in yards and a pair of scores on 13 carries.
the Class 6A state championship game. Ben Davis, making
its 10th appearance in a football championship game and
the first in 12 years, collected its eighth title. The Giants
became the seventh school with as many crowns.
Coach Mike Kirschner’s Giants, ranked fourth in the As-
sociated Press poll, finished with a 12-2 record. The Giants
captured the state championship on the strength of victories
over four consecutive top-10 teams to end the year.
One of the night’s biggest plays for Ben Davis came
with 5:38 left in the game. The Giants lined up as if to
attempt a field goal. Instead, holder Kyle Castner took the
snap, turned and headed for the right corner of the end
zone, scoring a 3-yard touchdown that put Ben Davis ahead
by 18.
On the Giants’ first two touchdowns of the second half,
they capitalized on a fumble recovery and a pass intercep-
tion. The two takeaways set them up in Carmel territory,
leading to scoring drives of 26 and 38 yards.
Castner, also the Giants’ quarterback, passed for 136
yards and two scores on 18-of-30. Running back Chris
Evans rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.
Coach Kevin Wright’s Carmel team completed its
season 13-1. Carmel, also the runner-up in last year’s
40 43rd Annual IHSAA State Football Tournament is proudly presented by the INDIANAPOLIS COLTS.