IHSAA football Class 6A state finals preview: Is the HCC Indiana’s new top conference?

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…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ihsaa-football-class-6a-state-004011817.html

Author : Indianapolis Star

Publish date : 2024-11-29 00:40:00

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