NEWS AND NUGGETS
Cascade finished 15-0 for the first time in program history.
The attendance for the six championship games was 36,853.
The Indiana High School Athletic Association's Success Factor will have the following teams move up or down one class for the next two years.
Adams Central from Class 2A to Class 3A.
East Central from Class 5A to Class 4A
Fort Wayne Bishop Luers from Class 3A to Class 4A.
Fort Wayne Snider from Class 6A to Class 5A
Indianapolis Bishop Chatard from Class 4A to Class 3A
Lafayette Central Catholic from Class 2A to Class 1A
South Putnam from Class 1A to Class 2A
West Vigo is on the lookout for a new coach with the departure of Aaron Clements, who was 10-31 in his four years with the Vikings.
IHSAA STATE FINALS RECAPS
CLASS 1A: South Putnam 55, Pioneer 29: Drew Cline was 8-of-9 for 189 yards with two touchdowns and carried the ball six times for 53 yards as the No. 5 Eagles used a 41-point second-half outburst to break a 14-14 halftime tie and soar to their first second state title and first since 1986. Ty Benton added 19 rushes for 134 yards with a score and three receptions for 47 yards for South Putnam (13-2). Noah VanMeter totaled 20 carries for 151 yards with two touchdowns and Phillip McFatridge chipped in 11 rushes for 112 yards with a score and two catches for 35 yards for the Panthers (13-2). Pioneer's Micah Rans was the winner of the IHSAA's Blake Ress mental attitude award.
CLASS 2A: Andrean 7, Brownstown Central 0: Brady Stovall's two-yard run with five minutes was the difference as the No. 5 59ers surprised No. 2 Brownstown Central to earn their fourth state championship. Brady Elish added 21 carries for 120 yards and completed 9-of-12 for 96 yards as Andrean (13-1) held the Braves (14-1) scoreless for the first time since 1997 (Paoli 53-0). Micah Sheffer, who was named the IHSAA's Blake Ress mental attitude award winner, went 9-of-17 for 110 yards and ran 19 times for 39 yards, while Owen Wischmeier racked up 16 tackles with two for loss and forced a fumble for Brownstown Central, which was making its first appearance in the title game.
CLASS 3A: Cascade 29, Fort Wayne Bishop Luers 14: Dayton Mink carried the ball 25 times for 119 yards with two touchdowns, helping the No. 2 Cadets claim their first state crown in their first appearance in the title affair. Brady Trebley, who the IHSAA's Blake Ress mental attitude award recipient, completed 5-of-9 for 88 yards with a touchdown and ran five times for 25 yards with another tally as Cascade (15-0) raced to a 19-0 first-quarter lead. Brandon Gaither scampered 19 times for 99 yards and caught three passes for 73 yards, while Terrance Epperson tallied 17 rushes for 94 yards with two scores for the Knights (9-6), who finished state runner-up for the second straight season.
CLASS 4A: Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger 36, Indianapolis Roncalli 29: Lucas Nguyen's 37-yard touchdown pass to AJ Shefferly on a fake field goal early in the fourth quarter was the difference as the No. 8 Saints rallied past No. 6 Roncalli for their sixth state championship. George Hackman's interception in the end zone on the game's final play preserved Bishop Dwenger's (13-2) first crown since 2018. Henry Jordan completed 15-of-26 for 183 yards with a score and ran 16 times for 74 yards with another tally for the Saints. Collin Fry, who was selected as the IHSAA's Phil N. Eskew mental attitude winner, finished 10-of-18 for 151 yards with a touchdown and carried the ball 15 times for 52 yards with two more scores for the Royals (11-4). Alex Jarvis added 21 rushes for 69 yards with a touchdown for Roncalli.
CLASS 5A: New Palestine 38, Merrillville 17: Jacob Davis ran 17 times for 129 yards and completed 6-of-11 for 84 yards with a touchdown as the top-ranked and defending Class 4A state champion Dragons used a 21-point fourth quarter outburst to earn their second straight state title and fifth overall. Caden Jacobia chipped in 125 yards and two scores on 26 attempts and Josh Ranes totaled 48 yards and two fourth quarter touchdowns for New Palestine (14-0), which has now won 28 consecutive games. Darnell Jones came off the bench to go 13-of-20 for 137 yards with a score and Mikel Smoot came up with three catches for 84 yards with a touchdown for the No. 5 Pirates (11-3), who was back in the finals for the first time since 1976. Abe Walling of New Palestine earned the IHSAA's Phil N. Eskew mental attitude award.
CLASS 6A: Brownsburg 38, Westfield 31: In addition to catching four passes for a state-finals record 151 yards with a touchdown, Branden Sharpe also returned a kickoff for an overall state-finals best 99 yards for another score as the top-ranked Bulldogs made it back-to-back state championships. Aiden Jobe chipped in 21 carries for 120 yards with three scores, and Oscar Frye went 7-of-14 for 178 yards with a touchdown and ran six times for 30 yards for Brownsburg (14-0), which has now won 19 straight contests. Cooper Melvin completed 19-of-35 for 265 yards and carried the ball 12 times for 75 yards with a touchdown for the Shamrocks (11-3). Caiden Snow came up with five receptions for 102 yards, while Deacon King added 14 rushes for 29 yards with two touchdowns for Westfield, which finished state runner-up for the second straight year and fourth time in the last six seasons (2020 and 2021). Westfield's Cash Ballard was chosen as the Phil N. Eskew mental attitude award winner.
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP RECORDS
CLASS 1A: None
CLASS 2A: None
CLASS 3A: None
CLASS 4A: None
CLASS 5A: Most Penalties (Tied): 11 by Merrillville.
CLASS 6A: Team: Most Passing Attempts: 37 by Westfield. Total Offensive Plays: 75 by Westfield . Total Combined Offensive Yards: 811 by Westfield (407) and Brownsburg (404). Most First Downs: 25 by Westfield. Highest Punting Average: 46.7 by Brownsburg. Most Penalties: 12 by Brownsburg. Most Penalty Yards: 114 by Brownsburg.
Individual: Most Points (Tied): 18 by Aiden Jobe, Westfield. Most Touchdowns (Tied): 3 by Aiden Jobe, Westfield. Most Rushing Touchdowns (Tied): 3 by Aiden Jobe, Westfield. Most Passes Completed (Tied): 19 by Cooper Melvin, Westfield. Most Passes Attempted: 35 by Cooper Melvin, Westfield. Most Receiving Yards: 151 by Branden Sharpe, Brownsburg. Highest Punting Average: 46.7 yards by Will Orlando, Brownsburg. Longest Kickoff Return (Overall): 99 by Branden Sharpe, Brownsburg
Here is the last time these teams were unbeaten.
Brownsburg (14-0-1985), Cascade (15-0-first time), and New Palestine (14-0-2024).
LONGEST CURRENT WINNING STREAKS
New Palestine is on a 28-game winning streak.
Brownsburg is on a 19-game winning streak.
Cascade has claimed 15 straight victories.
Andrean has claimed 13 consecutive victories.
Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger and South Putnam have won eight straight contests.
POST-SEASON SUCCESS
New Palestine has won 11 straight contests.
Brownsburg has captured 10 straight wins.
Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, Cascade, and South Putman have claimed six consecutive wins.
Andrean has run off five wins in a row
Prior to 2025, here is the last time these teams won a state championship.
CLASS 6A: Brownsburg (2024).
CLASS 5A: New Palestine (2024).
CLASS 4A: Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger (2018).
CLASS 3A: Cascade (first time).
CLASS 2A: Andrean (2021).
CLASS 1A: South Putnam (1986).
ALL-TIME STATE CHAMPIONS: Indianapolis Bishop Chatard 17, Indianapolis Cathedral 14, Fort Wayne Bishop Luers 12, Indianapolis Roncalli 10, Indianapolis Ben Davis 10, Sheridan 9, Warren Central 9, Carmel 9, Lafayette Central Catholic 8, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger 6, Center Grove 5. Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter 5, New Palestine 5, Penn 5, Andrean 4, Brownsburg 4, East Central 4, Franklin Central 4, Hobart 4, Tri-West 4, Jimtown 4, Western Boone 4, Columbus East 3, Fort Wayne Snider 3, Indianapolis Lutheran 3, Mishawaka Marian 3, Lawrenceburg 3, Pioneer 3, Adams Central 2, Blackford 2, Bloomington South 2, Bremen 2, Castle 2, Evansville Mater Dei 2, Evansville Memorial 2, Evansville Reitz 2, Goshen 2, Heritage Hills 2, Indianapolis Scecina 2, North Montgomery 2, South Putnam 2, Valparaiso 2, West Lafayette 2, Zionsville 2.
WINNINGEST ACTIVE COACHES
Russ Radtke (Knox) 426, John Hart (Brownsburg) 363, Jeff Adamson (Eastbrook) 331, Reed May (Brownstown Central) 326, Eric Moore (Center Grove) 313, Craig Buzea (Crown Point) 266, Bart Curtis (Warsaw) 265, Kevin O'Shea (Twin Lakes) 259, Tim Able (Triton Central) 245, Dave Pasch (Indianapolis Lutheran) 239, Darrin Fisher (Whiteland) 211, Herb King (Fountain Central) 209, Kirk Kennedy (Kankakee Valley) 208, Chris Meeks (Rensselaer Central) 204, John Hochstetler (Monroe Central) 189, Phil Mason (Griffith) 179, Steve Stirn (North Decatur) 179, Chad Zolman (Homestead) 173, Bud Ozmun (Oak Hill) 170, Kevin Wright (Carmel) 168, Michael Mosser (Adams Central) 168, Kurt Tippmann (Fort Wayne Snider) 161, Andy Dorrel (Culver Academy) 161, Andy Thomas (Angola) 158, Steve Cooley (New Albany) 158, John Hurley (Evansville Memorial) 157, Tom Dilley (Guerin Catholic) 157, Kyle Ralph (New Palestine) 155, Doug Hurt (Castle) 149, Aaron Tolle (Tipton) 149, Bill Peebles (Indianapolis Cathedral) 147, Jayson West (Franklin Central) 145, Nick Hart (Gibson Southern) 145, Brian Crabtree (North Vermillion) 143, Ryan Knigga (Lawrenceburg) 140, Nate Andrews (NorthWood) 136, Monte Mawhorter (West Noble) 135, Brian Oliver (Linton-Stockton) 135, Jason Hawkins (Clarksville) 131, Doug Dinan (Carroll Fort Wayne) 128, Scott Buening (Southridge) 128, Shane Fry (West Lafayette) 127, Ryan Langferman (Milan) 126, Todd Wilkerson (Heritage Hills) 122, Josh Edwards (Eastern Greentown) 122, Mike Wilhelm (Yorktown) 121, Chris Coll (Franklin) 117, Greg Barrett (Terre Haute South) 117, Curt Funk (Fishers) 115, Justin Pelley (Western Boone) 114, Mark Raetz (Northview) 113, Brandon Baker (Northfield) 112, Justin Bogunia (Bremen) 111, Ron Qualls (Indianapolis Shortridge) 107, Brad Seiss (Merrillville) 107,Travis Nolting (Greenfield-Central) 102, Kyle Lindsay (Fort Wayne Bishop Luers) 104,Adam Berry (Pioneer) 101, Jed Richman (Pendleton Heights) 99, Mark Peterson (Chesterton) 98, Pete Gast (Alexandria) 98, Tim Miller (Lapel) 97, Desson Hannum (Southmont) 97, Rob Doyle (Indianapolis Bishop Chatard) 96, Waylon Schenk (North Posey) 95, Chris Skinner (Andrean) 91, Grant Moser (South Adams) 90, Kyle Enright (Decatur Central) 90, Scott Snodgrass (Hagerstown) 89, Paul Sade (Churubusco) 87, Pat Shanley (Lafayette Jeff) 86, Mike Jones (Winchester) 84, John Hebert (Noblesville) 83, Craig Koehler (Concord) 83, Cory Brunson (Evansville Reitz) 80.
