How SBLive Indiana's Power 25 teams fared in Week 8: Warren Central upsets No. 4 Carmel

By Kevin Messenger

Here’s a look at the Week 7 results for the teams in the SBLive Indiana Power 25.

1. Brownsburg (8-0) defeated Noblesville 45-28

Noblesville scored with the Bulldogs early, but couldn’t keep up with the Brownsburg offense. QB Jayden Whitaker threw three second-quarter touchdown passes and running back Garrett Sherrell scored three TDs as the No. 1 Bulldogs rolled. Sherrell caught Whitaker’s first TD pass to give Brownsburg its first lead at 14-7. A 4-yard TD pass to Cayden Olinger and a 53-yard strike to Corey Smith gave the ‘Dogs a 28-14 lead at halftime.

2. Center Grove (Greenwood) (7-1) defeated Lawrence North 38-14

Micah Coyle and Jalen Thomeson both rushed for over 100 yards while helping the No. 2 Trojans coast past the Wildcats. Coyle ran 26 times for 188 yards and a score. Thomeson toted 14 times for 144 yards and a 61-yard TD for Center Grove’s final score.

3. Cathedral (Indianapolis) (6-1) defeated Brebeuf Jesuit 42-21

The Irish took advantage of five takeaways and used QB Danny O’Neil to keep control of the offense. O’Neil threw for 303 passing yards and two touchdowns, completing 22 of 31 throws. He scored another TD on the ground.

4. Carmel (5-3) lost to Warren Central 20-13

Despite a losing record through seven weeks, traditional power Warren Central delivered one of the season’s biggest upsets by leading Carmel from start to finish. The Warriors beat the Greyhounds for the first time since 2018 to deliver a shake-up in the Top 5.

5. Hamilton Southeastern (Fishers) (8-0) defeated Franklin Central 38-14

Azariah Wallace had two rushing touchdowns and Jalen Alexander ran 14 times for 141 yards and another score as the Royals set the stage for next week’s game of the week against top-ranked Brownsburg.

6. New Palestine (7-0) defeated New Castle 63-12

Isaiah Thacker returned the opening kickoff 75 yards for a quick score and the game was never close. The Dragons led 42-0, and it was 63-6 at intermission.

7. Fishers (5-3) lost to No. 9 Westfield 28-17

Khobie Martin ran for 152 yards on 23 carries and evened the score at 7 in the first quarter, but it wasn’t enough for the Tigers to overcome the Shamrocks.

8. Carroll (Fort Wayne) (8-0) defeated Fort Wayne Concordia 51-0

The Chargers left nothing to chance while defeating cross-town Concordia to earn Carroll’s second straight Summit Conference title. The Chargers led 14-0 after one quarter and added 30 more by halftime. Owners of the state’s top average margin of victory (31 points), the Chargers won by 51 behind five TD throws and 237 passing yards from Jimmy Sullivan.

9. Westfield (5-3) defeated No. 7 Fishers 28-17

The Westfield defense held Fishers to a season-low 17 points and Shamrocks QB Cole Ballard was the offensive star with a hand in all four Westfield touchdowns. Ballard passed for 113 yards and rushed for 103 in a convincing road win. His rushing touchdowns all came in the second half, from 49, 51 and 12 yards to help the Shamrocks command a 28-10 advantage.

10. Roncalli (Indianapolis) (7-1) lost to Cincinnati Elder (Ohio) 24-23

The Panthers crossed the border and slowed down Luke Hansen, something no Indiana school has been able to do. Elder led 17-0 before succumbing to a safety and a rare Roncalli passing touchdown to lead 17-9 at halftime. Hansen, who finished with 221 rushing yards, finally got on the board in the third period, and later scored on a screen pass to push the Royals into the lead, 23-17 in a contentious battle through three periods. Elder got its game-winning score with over eight minutes to play and claimed the victory when its defense turned the Royals over on downs.

11. East Central (St. Leon) (7-1) defeated Guerin Catholic 41-7

East Central led 41-0, with Josh Ringer scoring each of the Trojans’ first three touchdowns – a catch sandwiched between a pair of TD runs. East Central ran its record to 7-1 ahead of next week’s finale against Roncalli, pitting two of the state’s top running backs and 4A powers head-to-head.

12. Ben Davis (5-3) defeated Lawrence Central 29-28

Ben Davis trailed 28-0 after watching Lawrence Central return the second-half kickoff for its fourth touchdown. But the Giants managed a monstrous comeback to stay unbeaten in the MIC. Ben Davis traveled 85 yards in the last two minutes to pull within 28-27, and a two-point conversation sealed the win with 0:07 to play. Thomas Gotkowski hit Lincoln Murff for the 3-yard touchdown, and Gotkowski pitched it to Murff for the gutsy 2-point conversion. Student radio station WBDG reports it was the largest comeback in Giants history.

13. Crown Point (8-0) defeated Chesterton 41-21

JJ Johnson and the Bulldogs’ offense was too much for Chesterton. Johnson scored on three runs and completed 14 of 16 passes for 197 yards and another touchdown. Chesterton kept pace, but Crown Point stretched its win with a kickoff return for touchdown and a 65-yard pick-six in the second half.

14. Zionsville (4-4) lost to Avon 27-20

Tied at 20 after three quarters, Avon used an interception to set up Mason Reynolds’ 34-yard rushing TD as the Orioles won for the first time this season.

15. West Lafayette (8-0) defeated Twin Lakes 51-6

The Red Devils eclipsed 40 points for the seventh straight week and the Indians, who had reached 40 points the past two weeks, were limited to just four first downs. West Lafayette led 45-6 at intermission.

16. Evansville Reitz (8-0) defeated Evansville Bosse 41-12

Reitz claimed its first outright Southern Indiana conference championship since 2010. Jonas Burnett rushed for 159 yards and scored four touchdowns.

17. NorthWood (8-0) defeated Wawasee 57-0

Five different Panthers scored touchdowns on offense and the defense pitched its second shutout in three weeks. NorthWood clinched at least a share of the Northern Lakes Conference championship with a dominant win over the Warriors.

18. Merrillville (7-1) defeated Lake Central 24-10

The Pirates racked up 518 yards in offense but had to overcome its own miscues to put away Lake Central. Linebacker John Roche led a strong defensive effort that allowed the offense to overcome a pair of red zone fumbles. Justin Marshall finally put the game away for Merrillville with a 13-yard rushing score late in the third. Marshall totaled 331 scrimmage yards.

19. Bishop Chatard (Indianapolis) (5-3) defeated Terre Haute North 49-0

Seven different players scored touchdowns for Chatard who outmuscled and outmanned a depleted Terre Haute North squad. The Trojans led 35-0 at intermission and limited the Patriots to just five first downs.

20. Fort Wayne Snider (7-1) defeated Fort Wayne Dwenger 28-0

Snider led 14-0 through three quarters but used two interceptions to set up a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. It was the Panthers’ fourth shutout of the season.

21. Whiteland (7-1) defeated Plainfield 41-14

The Warriors led 14-0 quickly and the Quakers never closed within one score the rest of the way. Whiteland ran for five scores and QB Kevin Denham tossed another as the 5A Warriors continued their push toward the sectionals which begin in two weeks.

22. Mishawaka (7-1) defeated Concord 15-11

For the second week in a row, Mishawaka struggled to score points despite over 400 yards in total offense. After scoring 30+ in six straight weeks, the Cavemen managed only a touchdown against NorthWood last week and took their first lead, 15-8, in the third period at Concord this week. Concord had the ball in the final minutes but fumbled to seal its defeat.

23. Gibson Southern (8-0) defeated Princeton 63-0

The unbeaten 3A Titans pummeled the winless Tigers 63-0 in a game that was never in question.

24. Kokomo (8-0) defeated Richmond 48-6

The Kats ripped winless Richmond by allowing fewer than 10 points for the sixth time in eight games. Kokomo scored on six of its first seven offensive possessions and also took advantage of a blocked punt, a fumble recovery and an interception.

25. Lawrence Central (4-4) lost to No. 12 Ben Davis

The Bears led 21-0 at intermission, then Mataio Russell returned the second-half kickoff 66 yards to stake Lawrence Central to a four-touchdown advantage. Twenty-nine unanswered points later, the Bears found themselves victim to one of the state’s most Giant comebacks, falling to Ben Davis 29-28 on a 2-point conversion with 7 seconds remaining. Ahmaad Duff scored a pair of early TDs and it appeared LC was well in control of an upset over the No. 12 Giants.