BROOKVILLE
A perfect performance has never been a prerequisite for postseason advancement.
First-year Indian Creek coach Casey Gillin can attest after watching his Braves excel in some facets of the game and struggle in others Friday night in a wild 37-36 Class 3A sectional-opening win at Franklin County.
The victory improved Gillin’s squad to 7-3, advancing it to Friday’s semifinal game at Batesville (6-5).
“It’s fun to win,” said Gillin, his nerves frayed a bit more than he anticipated considering the Wildcats were 3-6 coming in and averaging only 12.4 points a game. “When I came here in January, we had a lot of things to work on.
“One of those things was playing hard football games, and that was a hard football game that we thought we were going to control, and should have controlled. We’ve just got to continue to get better.”
Franklin County led 30-21 with 6:46 remaining in the third period, but the Braves responded with junior Jalen Sauer’s 1-yard touchdown run at the 4:30 mark. Quarterback Arj Lothe’s conversion pass to freshman Jaxon Ramey trimmed the spread to a single point.
On the ensuing possession, the Wildcats made it deep inside Indian Creek territory. But on fourth and goal from the Braves’ 3, the home team’s short pass attempt was snuffed out for a three-yard loss by junior defensive back Carter Modlin.
“I knew it was a big play, and it was basically win or lose there,” Modlin said. “I went all out for it and took him down.”
Indian Creek took the lead for good by going 94 yards in 13 plays. Lothe’s dart over the middle to senior Gerson Coroa at 7:08 of the final period, plus Coroa’s conversion run, made the score 37-30.
Franklin County scored on a 10-yard touchdown run with 1:39 left. However, an offensive pass interference call whistled against the Wildcats moved the ball back to the 18 on the conversion try.
It was there that junior defensive back Lance Butler broke up what could’ve been the game-winning points as quarterback Quinn Gillman’s pass to he end zone fell incomplete.
Modlin wasn’t done; he recovered the onside kick to put the game away.
Lothe completed 16 of 35 pass attempts for 281 yards. Indian Creek’s ground attack was solid all night as well, with sophomore Levi Pappas carrying the ball 21 times for 128 yards and three first-half touchdowns. Sauer added 54 yards on eight tries.
Indian Creek held a slim 21-16 lead at the half, with Pappas scoring all three of the touchdowns on runs covering 9, 6 and 1 yards.
His first, coming only 75 seconds into the game, gave Indian Creek a quick 8-0 advantage.
Late in the period, the Braves marched all the way to the Franklin County 2. On second and goal, they fumbled and the ball was scooped up by Wildcats senior linebacker Brady Morehead, who took it 98 yards the opposite direction to knot the score.
Pappas’ second trip to the end zone made it a 15-7 game. Franklin County answered with a six-play, 71-yard drive, with Gillman running it the final 7 yards only 13 ticks into the second stanza.
A two-point conversion pass from Gillman put the home team up by a point. On the ensuing series, Indian went 61 yards in eight plays to retake the lead.
The Braves looked to be in position to widen the margin after they recovered a kickoff that caromed off a Franklin County up man. Indian Creek made it all the way to the FC 8, but a holding penalty on third and five preceded a pair of incomplete passes.
Franklin County struck first in the second half to go ahead, 22-21, on Gillman’s 64-yard pass to a wide-open Morehead on third and 10 at 10:23 of the third quarter.
The Braves finished with 478 yards of total offense compared to the Wildcats’ 451.
