By E. Shawn Aylsworth
Managing Editor
INDIANAPOLIS – In a Class 5A state championship battle for the ages that this wordsmith could never justify by description, No. 3 Warren Central benefited from a controversial call in the last second to reach overtime before outlasting top-ranked Carmel, 42-36, in double overtime Nov. 28.
Hyperbole? Yes. Underrated hyperbole? You betcha.
(CLICK HERE FOR GAME PHOTOS FROM MARK GRICIUS WITH EQUIPMENT PROVIDED BY ROBERTS IMAGING, CHECK OUT THE GALLERY OF PHOTOS FROM JEFF HEMMER, AND ENJOY THE VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS PACKAGE FROM CENTER GROVE STUDENT COLIN HEMMER!!)
Just take a look at these facts (and observations) from the final of five games played this weekend at Lucas Oil Stadium:
• Warren Central senior running back Shakir Bell carried 40 times for 236 yards and two touchdowns, most of that production coming on an extremely gimpy left ankle that had him shuttling in and out of the game down the stretch. (Truly the effort of a warrior.)
• The Warriors captured their seventh state title in seven tries: 1984 in 4A and 1985 in 5A during the QB reign of Jeff George, four straight from 2003-2006 behind RB Darren Evans, and now the fifth of the last seven 5A titles behind Bell. (The dynasty talk may continue.)
• The controversial touchdown catch by Warren Central senior WR Maurice Magee with :01 remaining in the game on a 4th-and-goal prayer from senior QB Derek Hart – made out-of-bounds by all accounts – certainly got the monkey off the back of Hart, the coach’s son whose ability to make the big play when it mattered most had been constantly scrutinized since the duo’s arrival from Evansville Reitz two years ago. (Crank up the banter for instant replay … and check out the QB’s crazy stat line of seven carries for 0 yards but three touchdowns!)
• The undeniable maturation of Carmel senior quarterback Adam Shaffer, who went from being burdened by the giant footsteps of reigning Mr. Football Morgan Newton to performing magnificently in the pocket whether it be scrambling for 56 yards on five carries or finding the open receiver on a 17-of-31 night with 248 yards and five touchdowns. (At this rate of development, the Eskew Mental Attitude Award winner could one day be playing at the highest level.)
• The almost lost-in-the-shuffle receiving output of Carmel senior Nick Logan, who caught seven passes for 159 yards and three of Shaffer’s TDs. (Normally, that kind of game puts your names in the headlines – not on this night!)
We’ll let Jackson Coram, sports editor of the Warren Central school newspaper The Owl, take it from here …
Coming into the Class 5A state championship game two days after Thanksgiving, the Warren Central Warriors had been undefeated in state title football games. Coach John Hart & Co. were looking to keep that streak alive against Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference rival Carmel.
Both teams’ defenses held up well early on until senior Derek Hart hit senior Maurice Magee on a bubble screen for a 50-yard gain down to the Carmel 2-yard line. That drive was capped off by a touchdown run from senior workhorse Shakir Bell to put the Warriors up 7-0.
Carmel’s offense struggled converting on third down until senior Adam Shaffer hit fellow senior Nick Logan for a 60-yard gain down to the Warriors’ 10. Shaffer followed that immediately with a touchdown pass to wide receiver Jon Schmidt to tie the game at 7-7.
Less than 20 seconds later, the Warriors were on the scoreboard again with a 74-yard touchdown run down the left sideline by Bell.
The Greyhounds ended the half with a 54-yard touchdown pass from Shaffer to Logan, tying the game at 14-all.
Nothing but silence came from the players in the locker room. For the coaches, the message to their players was clear: Finish the season.
Out of the gate in the second half, it looked like that message might have fallen on deaf ears after Warren had a punt blocked, giving Carmel the ball deep in Warrior territory.
Shaffer wasted no time in hitting Logan for another touchdown pass, allowing the Greyhounds to take their first lead of the game at 21-14.
The Warriors responded with a touchdown run from Bell with six minutes left in the third quarter, but a missed extra point kept the Warriors down, 21-20.
The Warrior defense was close to making a stop on the next Carmel drive, but a 54-yard scamper by Shaffer gave the Greyhounds 1st and goal at the Warrior 5. Shaffer followed that run with his fourth touchdown pass of the night.
Warren Central had one last shot with 2:34 left in the game and down 28-20. The Warriors worked their way down the field bit by bit before Bell went down again with 1:33 left.
The Warriors faced a daunting 4th and six with Bell on the sideline. Hart was able to scramble a bit and evade a sack before hitting Magee for a first down and keeping the team’s hopes alive.
Hart hit senior Demetrius Cowherd shortly after that for a 1st and goal at the 5 with 22 seconds left.
After three incomplete passes, the Warriors faced 4th and goal with nine seconds remaining. In the most controversial play of the game – and perhaps in the history of the state finals – Hart slung the ball up to the right corner of the end zone for Magee. Magee caught the ball in mid-air and landed out-of-bounds, but the nearest official ruled a touchdown.
With no challenges or replay reviews in high school football, the call stood. The Warriors were just a two-point conversion away from sending the game to overtime.
Hart took the snap, rolled left, and hit senior JaJuan Keyes for the successful conversion.
The Warriors got the ball first in overtime and took full advantage with a touchdown run by Hart and a two-point conversion by Bell. But Carmel responded with a successful touchdown and two-point conversion to send the game into the second overtime.
After a few incomplete passes, a couple of defensive pass interference calls on the Warriors, and a huge offensive pass interference call on the Greyhounds, Carmel faced 4th and goal at the Warriors’ 3.
Instead of opting for the field goal, Carmel coach Mo Moriarty elected to go for the touchdown. But a dropped pass from Shaffer in the end zone gave the Warriors the ball with the opportunity to win with a simple field goal.
The Warriors ran the ball down inside the 1 and were met with 4th and inches to win the game. With a quarterback sneak up the middle by Hart, the Warriors won their fifth state title in seven years.
A state championship game that played host to one of the biggest rivalries in the state was also one of the most historic state championship games ever. It was also the highest-scoring 5A title game in history.
Bell’s 248 yards rushing made him the first 5A player to rush for more than 3,000 yards in a season. Meanwhile, Shaffer’s five touchdowns tied him with former Bloomington South quarterback Rex Grossman for most TD passes in a championship game.
Carmel’s Logan also tied the record for most touchdown catches in a championship game with three.
After winning four state championships in a row but none since 2006, the win over Carmel means a return for the Warriors to the top of the heap in the state of Indiana.
(Thanks, JC!)
Carmel’s Shaffer wins Mental Attitude Award
Adam Shaffer of Carmel was named winner of the 2009 Phil N. Eskew Mental Attitude Award for Class 5A football by members of the IHSAA Executive Committee. Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, the IHSAA’s corporate partner, presented a scholarship check for $1,000 to the school in his name.
The award is presented annually to a senior in each classification who best demonstrates excellence in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership, and athletic ability. The award is named in honor of the third commissioner of the IHSAA, who guided the Association from 1962 to 1976.
Shaffer is a member of the Student Athletic Board, National Honor Society, and Spanish National Honor Society. He is a volunteer with the Carmel Dad’s Club, serving as a referee and demonstrator for young athletes during clinics. Shaffer also assists with Carmel High School’s Community Open House as well as Mohawk Trails Elementary School’s annual fundraiser.
As the starting quarterback, Shaffer is a three-time varsity letterwinner and a 2009 team captain. He is a three-time Scholar Athlete Award winner, a two-time member of the Academic All-Conference team (2007, 2008), and a 2009 All-Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference selection.
He ranks in the top 10 percent of his class and carries a 3.8 GPA. The son of Mark and Gerri Shaffer is undecided on his college and major of choice, but is considering Penn, Columbia, Harvard, and Indiana University.
The box score:
Carmel 0 14 14 0 8 0 – 36
Warren Central 7 7 6 8 8 6 – 42
05:26 WC HART, Derek 2 yd run (LOYAL, Derek kick)
12 plays, 91 yards, TOP 3:57 0-7
09:38 Carmel SCHMIDT, Jon 8 yd pass from SHAFFER, Adam (BABCOCK, Jordan kick)
3 plays, 80 yards, TOP 0:38 7-7
09:19 WC BELL, Shakir 74 yd run (LOYAL, Derek kick)
1 play, 74 yards, TOP 0:13 7-14
01:12 Carmel LOGAN, Nick 54 yd pass from SHAFFER, Adam (BABCOCK, Jordan kick)
5 plays, 68 yards, TOP 0:35 14-14
10:28 Carmel LOGAN, Nick 6 yd pass from SHAFFER, Adam (BABCOCK, Jordan kick)
1 play, 6 yards, TOP 0:06 21-14
05:59 WC BELL, Shakir 10 yd run (LOYAL, Derek kick failed)
13 plays, 74 yards, TOP 4:20 21-20
04:19 Carmel ERWIN, Brett 10 yd pass from SHAFFER, Adam (BABCOCK, Jordan kick)
5 plays, 69 yards, TOP 1:32 28-20
00:01 WC MAGEE, Maurice 5 yd pass from HART, Derek (KEYES, Ja’Juan pass from HART, Derek)
16 plays, 81 yards, TOP 2:42 28-28
OT1 WC HART, Derek 1 yd run (BELL, Shakir rush)
3 plays, 10 yards, TOP 0:00 28-36
OT1 Carmel LOGAN, Nick 10 yd pass from SHAFFER, Adam (MALLORY, Dylan pass from SHAFFER, Adam)
3 plays, 10 yards, TOP 0:00 36-36
OT2 WC HART, Derek 1 yd run
4 plays, 10 yards, TOP 0:00 36-42
C WC
First Downs 9 21
Rushing 2 13
Passing 6 6
Penalty 1 2
Rushing 18-104 55-262
Passing 17-31-0 248 15-36-1 185
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 2-0
Penalties-Yards 9-71 11-74
Punts-Avg 7-28.7 5-28.2
Time of poss. 17:38 30:22
3rd Down Conv. 3 of 11 7 of 22
4th Down Conv. 0 of 1 8 of 8
Sacks-yards 1-14 0-0
Carmel
Rushing No. Gain Loss Net TD Long Avg.
Shaffer, Adam 5 58 2 56 0 52 11.2
Brinson, Devin 7 35 1 34 0 13 4.9
Robertson, Drew 2 7 0 7 0 4 3.5
Fraser, D.J 1 4 0 4 0 4 4.0
Hollander, J. 3 3 0 3 0 2 1.0
Totals 18 107 3 104 0 52 5.8
Passing Cmp-Att-Int Yds TD Long Sack
Shaffer, Adam 17-31-0 248 5 63 0
Totals 17-31-0 248 5 63 0
Receiving No. Yds TD Long
Logan, Nick 7 159 3 63
Schmidt, Jon 4 46 1 29
Fraser, D.J 3 18 0 10
Erwin, Brett 2 19 1 10
Brinson, Devin 1 6 0 6
Totals 17 248 5 63
Warren Central
Rushing No. Gain Loss Net TD Long Avg.
Bell, Shakir 40 238 2 236 2 74 5.9
Bolden, Jamal 4 15 0 15 0 9 3.8
White, Nathan 4 11 0 11 0 6 2.8
Hart, Derek 7 14 14 0 3 4 0.0
Totals 55 278 16 262 5 74 4.8
Passing Cmp-Att-Int Yds TD Long Sack
Hart, Derek 15-36-1 185 1 47 1
Totals 15-36-1 185 1 47 1
Receiving No. Yds TD Long
Magee, Maurice 5 66 1 47
Cowherd, Dem. 3 43 0 26
Durrett, Auri 3 35 0 18
Bell, Shakir 2 27 0 15
Davis, Anthony 1 10 0 10
Bolden, Jamal 1 4 0 4
Totals 15 185 1 47
Processing your request, Please wait....
