The Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference — and those formerly part of the MIC — have had a stranglehold on the largest class of Indiana high school football for years.
Since 2013, the first year Class 6A was added, MIC schools Warren Central and Ben Davis, along with former MIC schools/now independents Carmel and Center Grove, have won all 11 state championships. That streak will come to an end Friday night at Lucas Oil Stadium when Hoosier Crossroads Conference rivals Brownsburg (12-1) and Westfield (12-1) meet for the 6A title.
“It’s a huge testament to the conference,” said Westfield’s Josh Miracle, in his first year as head coach after 13 as an assistant.
No one does it alone. State finals coaches give thanks on Thanksgiving.
Whether it is a one-year aberration or a sign of things to come is yet to be seen. The margin was razor thin even this year, with Brownsburg needing a 28-point comeback to knock off Ben Davis 38-35 for the sectional championship and a touchdown and 2-point conversion the final seconds to defeat No. 1 Lawrence North of the MIC, 22-21, in the regional.
But the HCC has obviously closed the gap on the MIC — with or without Carmel and Center Grove, which were voted out of the MIC in December of 2021 after applying for membership in the HCC. The eight schools in the HCC have grown in enrollment (both Brownsburg and Westfield have more than 3,000 students) and have facilities on par with small colleges.
The level of competition followed suit. Three conference teams (Hamilton Southeastern was ninth) finished in the top-10 and two others (Fishers and Franklin Central) were ranked at one point in the season. Even last place Noblesville, which went 0-7 in the HCC, was within a touchdown of Westfield in the fourth quarter and nearly upset Brownsburg, losing 22-18.
“It’s great for us to be part of this conference,” Brownsburg coach John Hart said. “I think coach Miracle would say the same thing. Every week, if you don’t play really well in our conference, and I think that’s what makes us different is one to eight is about a two touchdown spread. It’s a really close conference.”
Anything other than a close game, decided either way, would be a surprise on Friday night. The first meeting, played on a Saturday afternoon at Brownsburg after Hurricane Helene postponed Friday night matchups around the area, turned on a kickoff return for a touchdown by Brownsburg sophomore Branden Sharpe in a 17-13 Bulldogs’ win.
Winning close games has become second nature for Brownsburg, which won all four of its tournament games by a touchdown or less.
“I don’t know if you can have three ulcers, but I’ve probably developed three of them,” Hart said. “ … It’s a special team. There’s really no quit in them and there’s no finger pointing. It’s really unique. You would have really thought, when we were down 35-7 (to Ben Davis), there would be a whole lot of crying. We just talked about, ‘Hey, this is going to be it. Let’s be together and playing our best football,’ and they responded.”
This memorable run for Brownsburg is the first to the state finals since the Bulldogs won back-to-back titles in 1984 and ’85. The latter was a 23-17 win over Hobart in Class 4A (the first year of the five-class system) on a 48-yard touchdown pass from Dan Gatlin to Scott Wells on the final play of regulation.
Westfield represents the toughest test yet. The Shamrocks have an outstanding senior class and have been one of the most consistent programs in 6A in recent years.
“Consistency,” Miracle said of his seniors. “There are a lot of guys who have built themselves up over the years in our youth program and have embraced it. That was one of the big questions we had coming in was our senior class the year before, the leadership was awesome. They’ve really stepped up to the challenge. It’s not my team, it’s not the coaches’ team, it’s their team. Those guys have certainly led that.”
Here is a closer look at the Class 6A title game:
Matchup: Westfield (12-1) vs. Brownsburg (12-1)
Rankings: Westfield No. 3; Brownsburg No. 4
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday, at Lucas Oil Stadium
How to watch: IHSAAtv.org
Championships: Westfield won its only football state championship in 2016 in Class 5A with a 16-13 victory over Columbus East. The Shamrocks also made state finals appearances in 1992 (2A), 2013 (5A), 2020 (6A) and 2021 (6A). Westfield has four girls cross-country state titles and three in boys golf. Brownsburg won football state titles in 1984 (3A) and 1985 (4A). The Bulldogs were state runner-up in 2A in 1978. The school also has state titles in baseball (2005 in 4A), boys basketball (4A in 2008), boys track and field (2023), unified flag football (2022) and wrestling (2017 and 2024).
Coaches
Westfield coach Josh Miracle, 36, is in his first season as the head coach at Westfield after 13 years as an assistant for Jake Gilbert. Miracle was also the boys track and field coach at Westfield. He is a 2007 graduate of Hobart, 2011 graduate of Wabash College. He is an AP psychology teacher at Westfield.
Brownsburg coach John Hart, 62, is 81-19 in his ninth season at Brownsburg and 348-100 overall in 40 seasons. Hart, a native of Newton, Ill., started his head coaching career at Edwards County (Ill.) in 1985 and moved on to Mt. Carmel (Ill.) in 1990 for 11 seasons. He took the job at Evansville Reitz in 2001 and led Reitz to a 4A state title in 2007. Hart moved on to Warren Central for four years, leading the Warriors to a 5A title in 2009, then coached at Huntley (Ill.) for four years before coming to Brownsburg in 2016.
A closer look at Westfield
Westfield tied for the Hoosier Crossroads Conference championship with Brownsburg. The Bulldogs handed Westfield its first and only loss, 17-13, in Week 6. The Shamrocks reached the 6A state finals in 2020 and ’21, losing both games to Center Grove. Brownsburg will be the second ranked team Westfield will see in five tournament games after dispatching third-ranked Crown Point 30-7 in the semistate. The Shamrocks are third in 6A in scoring (34.0 ppg) and fifth in points allowed (13.9 ppg).
The Shamrocks have a balanced offense, averaging 188 rushing yards and 149 passing yards per game. Junior running back Deacon King (1,353 rushing yards, 16 TDs) leads the ground attack behind an offensive line of juniors Malachi Mills and Job Mavrick on the left side, senior center Isaac Cole and seniors Tristan Cooke-Dennis and Avery Huggins on the right side. Senior quarterback Carsen Melvin (1,793 passing yards, 16 TDs; 326 rushing yards, 10 TDs) is one of the best in the state and has quality receivers in Beau Braun (29 catches, 434 yards, three TDs) and Parker Knott (20 catches, 285 yards, three TDs). The defense is outstanding as well, allowing just 96 yards rushing per game and forcing 29 turnovers. Linebackers Keegan Krupp (101 tackles, 6 ½ for loss), Mikeah Webster (89 tackles, 12 ½ for loss, four sacks) and Lennox Williams (76 tackles), lineman Alex Aramboles (58 tackles, 15 ½ for loss, 9 ½ sacks) and safety Drew Law (47 tackles, six interceptions) lead the way.
A closer look at Brownsburg
Brownsburg reeled off eight consecutive wins, including a 17-13 win over Westfield in Week 6, before losing the final game of the regular season, 30-23, to Hamilton Southeastern. Brownsburg ranks fifth in Class 6A in scoring (33.2 ppg). The Bulldogs knocked off defending state champion Ben Davis 38-35 in the sectional championship, rallying from a 28-point second half deficit, took out No. 1 Lawrence North in the regional with a touchdown and 2-point conversion with 13 seconds left, and won 31-27 at Center Grove in the semistate. Coach John Hart is the third coach to take three different schools to the state finals, joining Russ Radtke and Craig Buzea.
The Bulldogs utilize a two-quarterback system with sophomore Oscar Frye (2,283 passing yards, 22 TDs; 139 rushing yards) and senior Iosua Stephens (565 passing yards, seven TDs; 565 rushing yards, 12 TDs) splitting time. Look for junior Kovon Sumpter Bey (721 yards, seven TDs; 22 catches, 205 yards, two TDs) to get the start at running back, though sophomore Brady Lewis (707 yards, six TDs) is also a key player. Receiver is a position of strength led by sophomore Branden Sharpe (64 catches, 1,132 yards, six TDs), junior Avin Robinson (39 catches, 853 yards, 12 TDs) and junior Tez Virgil (31 catches, 280 yards). The defense limits teams to under 100 rushing yards per game, led by senior linebacker Alex Burke (91 tackles, 21 ½ tackles for loss, five sacks), senior outside linebacker Jamere Pendleton (75 tackles, five interceptions), senior lineman Mason Keifer (15 tackles for loss, five sacks) and senior cornerback Quentin Russ (44 tackles, six interceptions).
How Westfield can win
Cash in on opportunities. The Shamrocks failed to do that in the first meeting, leaving the door open for Brownsburg to flip the game with a kickoff return for a score. The running game has been effective in the tournament. Control the ball and keep it out of Brownsburg’s hands.
How Brownsburg can win
Stay on course. Sumpter Bey and Lewis ran the ball well last week against Center Grove, along with Stephens. Brownsburg got into some difficulty last time against Westfield in obvious passing situations. The more 3rd-and-shorts, the better. Special teams (Sharpe’s kickoff return) proved big last game.
IHSAA football Class 6A state final prediction
Westfield 24, Brownsburg 23. These teams are so evenly matched, I’m going with the odds that the season series a split. But honestly think this one is a 50/50 game.
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 270-4904.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: HS football 6A state finals preview, prediction: Brownsburg vs. Westfield
