My View/Your View: Can anyone end MIC football reign?; Irish look unbeatable!

Here’s a look at teams in the Indiana high school football playoffs as we prepare for Friday’s start of the 37th state tournament, with sectionals set for Oct. 23 and 30 and championships to be determined on Nov. 6:

In Class 5A, can anyone finally go from pretender to contender and spoil what has become an annual state championship celebration in the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference?

I mean, c’mon, the MIC has won eight straight 5A titles and nine of the past 10. Pretty ho-hum, you say? Probably pretty bleak for the rest of the field, too, eh?

Is there a potential powerhouse lurking? Could this be the year that a team from the Hoosier Crossroads Conference, such as Hamilton Southeastern (8-1) or Fishers (8-1), provides a dagger to the heart?

Keep in mind that Hamilton Southeastern, which allows only 7.8 points per game, and Fishers are in Sectional 4 with top-ranked Carmel. In fact, Carmel may have to beat both teams from the Town of Fishers in order to keep alive its hopes of four straight trips to the state championship game.

Still, I can’t help but wonder if the Greyhounds (8-1) are playing as if they have something to prove after losing a big lead and then the state championship to Center Grove in 2008. If so, that should add to their focus, and that could spell bad news for the competition.

Right now, the only thing I think is safe to say is that 4A No. 1 Cathedral (8-1), a winner over perennial powers Carmel and Warren Central, looks unbeatable. Thus, the Irish, ranked No. 8 in the Midwest by PrepNation, should be prohibitive favorites to win a second successive championship at Lucas Oil Stadium on Nov. 28. They’ve won 16 of their past 17 games over two seasons against Indiana teams and 48-of-53 since 2004, and have bagged two of the past three 4A crowns.

The lone Irish loss was to Cincinnati St. Xavier (Ohio), currently ranked No. 2 by USA Today, following those emotional wins over Carmel and Warren Central. They also closed the regular season on the road with a 35-7 thrashing Saturday afternoon of Birmingham Rice, the winningest high school program in Michigan high school history.

Here’s the rundown:

Class 5A: I still think you must go with the MIC. I like Carmel or Warren Central, but defending state champion Center Grove and/or Ben Davis loom as possible spoilers if they can get a win or two under their belts while they work on getting healthy. Remember, this is conference where they knock each other silly on a regular basis, so anything is possible.

The skinny . . .

• Carmel is long on defense and big-game experience. Coach Mo Moriarity has won three state titles, two coming at Bloomington South and winning it all in 2007 at Carmel. He has taken the Greyhounds to the state championship game three straight years . . . Carmel is coming off its first unbeaten conference season, which is quite a feat in the MIC . . . Quarterback Adam Shaffer, who replaced Mr. Football Newton Morgan, has performed well, both as a passer and runner, and it’s pretty remarkable how cool he seems to be even under adverse conditions. The dual threat senior has displayed tremendous leadership skills while also completing 83-of-119 passes (69.7 percent) for 1,042 yards . . . The ’Hounds, who rank fourth in the state defensively, are exceptionally strong on both lines. They are pretty much a blue-collar team. No real flash or swagger; they just get the job done.

• Warren Central has a strong offensive line and a tremendous running back in Shakir Bell, arguably the state’s premier runner. He has rushed for 1,964 yards, averaging 7.9 per carry and 218.0 per game . . . QB Derek Hart, coach John’s son, has developed a great deal over last season when the Warriors reached the regionals . . . The Warriors, who lost to Carmel by two points on Oct. 2, rank second to the Greyhounds in the 5A Sagarin ratings . . . Warren Central is a championship program that cannot be taken lightly. The school won four straight state titles beginning in 2003, and played the state’s toughest regular-season 5A schedule in 2009.

Other teams to watch: Columbus East (9-0), Penn (8-1), Pike (8-1), Martinsville (8-1) , Zionsville (7-2), and Kokomo (9-0), which averages 53.1 points per game.

Class 4A: Cathedral. Wow, talk about a juggernaut! The Irish average close to 36 points per outing and have held five opponents to seven or fewer points. They play such a “Murderer’s Row’’ schedule in preparation for the big show. I really don’t see any big-time contenders in this class. Should someone emerge and prove me wrong, well, I won’t be the only one to be surprised.

The skinny . . .

• Let’s start with a few individual positives. Indiana University-bound Kofi Hughes is a pass-run quarterback who is oh-so-elusive once he decides to tuck the ball and go; Stevie Wilson averages nearly 18.0 yards per reception and is a dangerous punt returner; Nick Najem is a finesse runner with power; and free safety Jake Zupancic is a can’t-miss Division I player who anchors a very solid defense . . . The offensive line has great size . . . Coach Rick Streiff has won four state titles.

Other teams to watch: Fort Wayne Dwenger (9-0), Delta (9-0), Jasper (9-0), Plymouth (9-0), Lowell (8-1), New Palestine (7-2), Roncalli (6-3).

Class 3A: Bishop Chatard (8-1), another no-brainer, you say? Yeah, probably so. But not so fast. Have you seen Batesville (9-0) or Indian Creek (9-0) or Brebeuf Jesuit? All are quite competitive. Still, a tough schedule helps state a solid case for the Trojans, who have won two of the past three state titles. Oh, by the way, their loss was against Cathedral.

The skinny . . .

• The Trojans have a big, talented offensive line and a hell’s-bent-for-election running back in Ari Pappas, who has powered his way to 158 points . . . Chatard is another program that knows how to win on the big stage; the school has produced nine state titles, three won by current coach Vince Lorenzano.

• Indian Creek, the Mid-Indiana Football Conference champion, has a terrific passing game, led by junior Trey Reese, who has struck for 1,774 yards and 21 TDs . . . Brebeuf, like Chatard, a top Independent, is led offensively by top runner Evan Kroot and defensively by rugged Michael White . . . Batesville’s Connor Kelley (6-2, 215) is one of the top option QBs I’ve seen.

Other teams to watch: West Lafayette (9-0), Heritage Hills (8-1), Eastbrook (9-0), Hamilton Heights (7-2), and reigning 3A champ Bellmont (6-3), whose losses were to teams in higher classes.

Class 2A: Can defending Class A champion Cardinal Ritter (8-1), which moved up a class, add another title. The Raiders may have made a statement last Friday by shooting past reigning 2A champion Heritage Christian 55-31. They could meet in a rematch in Round 2 of the tournament in two weeks. But before you get too excited, this is a deep, competitive class. So don’t forget unbeaten Monrovia and battle-tested Fort Wayne Luers, which won four games against a schedule that included three 5A schools, four 4A schools and two 3A schools. Luers also ranks second to Ritter in the Sagarin ratings.

The skinny . . .

• Ritter has quarterback Ross Hendrickson, and that’s pretty good place to start. Then throw in a strong offensive line that came up big as Michael Timko ran for 219 yards and four TDs the last time out of the gate . . . Carlos deLuna was an all-state linebacker in 2008 . . . Coach Ty Hunt has a 46-7 won-loss record (.868 percentage) in his fourth season.

• Heritage Christian (6-3) lost to two bigger schools . . . The Eagles have a premier pass-catch duo in Jackson Kirtley throwing to James Houck. Kirtley has thrown for 30 touchdowns and more than 2,000 yards, while Houck has 55 catches for 1,084 yards and 16 TD.

• Monrovia got the job done by pitching six shutouts and also beat 3A Brown County (60-8), the biggest school it faced . . . QB Austin Parks, who has rushed for 1,218 yards and kicked a 37-yard field last week, is the straw that stirs the drink.

Other teams to watch: Paoli (9-0), Wheeler (9-0), Rensselaer (7-2), Tipton (7-2), South Spencer (7-2).

Class A: The first name that always comes to mind is nine-time state champion Sheridan, the runner-up in 2008. It will take more than calling on tradition to enable the young Blackhawks (2-7) to make it to the state championship game for the fifth straight season. Are the football gods listening? Regardless, most eyes will likely be on Sectional 34 where unbeatens Pioneer and Lafayette Central Catholic meet right off the bat. Both are ranked No. 1 in different polls.

The skinny . . .

• Bryce Kiser and Nate Grigsby provide a strong 1-2 punch on the ground for Pioneer . . . The Panthers average 50.8 points and allow 3.7.

• Chris Mills has passed for 1,799 yards and also handles punting duties for Lafayette CC . . . The Knights average an incredible 58.4 points and give up only 1.3 points per game.

Other teams to watch: Winamac (8-1), South Newton (7-2), Lapel (6-3), and Indianapolis Lutheran (5-4), which defeated 5A Arsenal Tech.

Mark Morrow is an online columnist for VYPE High School Sports Magazine, Central Indiana. He can be reached at mediamarko@sbcglobal.net or by leaving a comment.

Photos courtesy of David Dixon and Jeff Rider/INHSPHOTOS.COM