By RICHARD TORRES
For The Reporter
FISHERS – The rematch is set.
For the second straight year, the Class 3A Sectional 8 championship will be settled between rival Hamilton Southeastern and Fishers.
On Wednesday night, both programs proved they were ready.
During the first sectional semifinal Wednesday, 3A No. 17 Fishers (10-4-4) shut out Anderson 4-0 to advance into Saturday’s title game at Fishers High School at 2 p.m.
No. 10 HSE (10-3-5) followed suit in the second semifinal by blanking Mt. Vernon (12-4) with a 2-0 victory.
A year ago, HSE defeated Fishers, 1-0, in the sectional title game to secure the program’s seventh championship since 2004 and sixth in 12 years.
Fishers has captured two sectional titles in program history with its most recent in 2020.
“It’s always fun to play them. We tied in the regular season, so Saturday will be fun on our home field this time, and that will feel good,” Fishers coach Phil Schmidt said. “It’ll be a great environment, and it should be a great game.”
Since 2019, Fishers has posted a 4-1-2 record against HSE in regular-season meetings, tying the Royals twice in the past two matchups to retain the Mudsock trophy for five straight seasons.
In sectional games, Fishers carries a slim 3-2 advantage over the same span with wins in 2023, 2021 and 2020.
“It’s the sister school, the rivalry. We’ve not been very happy since they’ve been able to keep the Mudsock trophy with these ties the last few years, but hopefully, we can come back and repeat,” White said. “We know they’re as good as anyone defensively in the state.”
During the semifinals, both teams showcased their defense and revved up their offenses in anticipation of their upcoming Hamilton County showdown.
Fishers scored two goals in the first half against Anderson (13-4) and two in the second with four different players lacing the back of the net.
The Tigers converted a pair of corner kick set pieces to build their 2-0 lead with a goal credited to senior Jack Butts (assisted by senior Andres Artigas) in the 15th minute and another by senior Hudson Frazo (assisted by junior Kraidien Bumbala).
Bumbala assisted junior Osvel Urdaneta to make it 4-0 in the 77th minute, while senior Pierce Haynie made it 3-0 in the 59th minute.
Fishers’ goalkeeper Riley Sturgill, a junior, logged five saves against 11 shots by Anderson.
“A game like that, an early goal can make a big difference, so we were really pushing for that. It came a little bit later than I would have liked, but it was pretty good,” Schmidt said.
“Some of the guys were there last year. Some of them weren’t, but certainly, we came up a little short last year, 1-0, at HSE. We want to get it done on Saturday,”
HSE broke a scoreless tie with Mt. Vernon in the 23rd minute with a goal from junior Cooper Perez. In the second half, the Royals poured an insurance goal in the 69th minute by senior Jose Charris (assisted by junior Jonathan Ramos Perez).
On Tuesday night, the Royals survived a 2-1 double-overtime thriller against Pendleton Heights, using 31 seconds to tie and take the lead for good.
“Two fights back-to-back. It’s a tough draw. Pendleton (Heights) was playing extremely well, and they had some dangerous attackers. To get that Tuesday night and come back, we knew we had our hands full with Mt. Vernon,” White said.
Mt. Vernon’s Charlie Cole was the primary mark for HSE. A senior forward with 26 goals this season and 65 in his career, Cole tested the Royals’ defense.
“Charlie Colt, I can’t say enough about him. Coming off the (shoulder) injury (missing five games), the way he battles, I think he’s one of the best attackers in the state,” White said.
HSE defeated Mt. Vernon, 4-1, during the regular season on Aug. 16, but the postseason is a different test altogether, and that will be the focus this weekend with the title on the line.
“We got to come back with the same kind of mental focus and effort from everybody. We did tonight because that’s what it’s going to take to be on their home field,” White said.
