Rocks fall to Bulldogs in football state finals

By RICHIE HALL
sports@readthereporter.com

INDIANAPOLIS – The Westfield football team was hoping to flip the script on its rematch with Brownsburg in the Class 6A state championship game on Saturday, Nov. 29.

Last season, the Shamrocks had an early lead on the Bulldogs before Brownsburg came back to win. This year, the Bulldogs got on top first and stayed in front, holding off a Westfield surge in the fourth quarter to win 38-31 in front of 21,378 fans at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Brownsburg finished its season a perfect 14-0, while the Rocks were 11-3.

“I think we dug ourselves in a whole in that first half, and they made some plays, too,” said Westfield coach Josh Miracle. “Credit to them, they have a great program, great staff. I’m just proud of our kids for the fight and resiliency they showed not to quit and fight to the end.”

After the Shamrocks’ first drive ended in a punt, there were seven consecutive drives that finished with a score. The Bulldogs got the first score, with Aiden Jobe concluding a 13-play drive by running one yard for a touchdown.

Westfield got on the board in the next series and made its way down to the Brownsburg 9-yard line. Diego Herrera kicked a 26-yard field goal for the Rocks’ first points.

Brownsburg scored seconds later with its first big play of the game. Oscar Frye connected with Branden Sharpe on a 63-yard pass that turned into a touchdown and a 14-3 lead before the end of the first quarter.

Westfield used a big play – a 39-yard pass from Cooper Melvin to Andrew Noble to get into the red zone, then Melvin made a 12-yard run for first and goal. The Shamrocks only needed one down, with Deacon King running five yards to score.

A kick from Herrera brought Westfield to within 14-10. But the back-and-forth kept going: Frye tossed a 55-yard pass to Sharpe, then Jobe finished it up with a four-yard run to the end zone.

Melvin made another nice throw, a 44-yard connection with freshman Caiden Snow to get the Shamrocks in scoring position. King again took care of business with a two-yard TD run. Herrera’s kick made the score 20-17.

“He’s been great for us, along with a lot of the other seniors,” Miracle said of the Northern Illinois-bound King. “The offensive linemen up front lead the way. Wish it would’ve worked out differently for him that the end here, but we’re still really proud of that group.”

Brownsburg stepped up again, making a historic play: Sharpe caught Westfield’s kickoff at the 1-yard line and zoomed 99 yards to the end zone, a new state record for a kickoff return. After holding the Rocks to a three-and-out, the Bulldogs finished the half with a 26-yard field goal from Will Orlando and a 30-17 lead.

Brownsburg scored the only points of the third quarter. Jobe punched the ball in from the 1, then Sharpe threw a two-point pass to Avin Robinson to give the Bulldogs a 38-17 advantage.

Westfield fought until the end, scoring twice in the fourth quarter. Melvin made a 20-yard touchdown run with 7:31 left. The Shamrocks scored again with 14 seconds to go when Baylor Conner threw a one-yard TD pass to Henry Everts.

Herrera made the extra-point kick after both scores. Westfield tried for an onside kick, but Brownsburg recovered and ran the clock out.

Melvin completed 19 of 35 passes for 265 yards, with Noble making six receptions and Snow getting five.

Isaac Weingart led the defense with 12 total tackles, followed by Ja’Deon Smith with eight, then King and Olumide Fapetu both had seven total tackles. Alex Aramboles had one quarterback sack.

Chase Ballard wins Mental Attitude Award

Westfield’s Chase Ballard won the Phil N. Eskew Mental Attitude Award for Class 6A football at the conclusion of the game.

“It’s great,” said Ballard. While he admitted to being “a little bit upset by the loss,” Ballard considered receiving the award “an incredible honor. I just give thanks to God. It’s all Him and we’re just glad to win it.”

Photos by Justin Sicking