INDIANAPOLIS
One of Indiana’s more enduring — and intense — rivalries manufactured its 65th staredown Friday night.
Both Bishop Chatard and Roncalli blinked, only the visiting Trojans did so fewer times.
The Class 4A No. 2 Trojans rallied for a hard-fought 9-3 victory, the latest in a long line of low-scoring battles between the teams through the years.
“Hats off. They did a great job,” first-year Royals coach Sam Otley said. “For four quarters, the game’s going to be physical. That’s what we expect from this game, and in a game like this where it means a lot to both sides, it’s going to be the guys who make fewer mistakes that win the game. Just the amount of things we did that put us back, it ended up making the difference.”
Chatard leads the overall series, which began in 1969, by a 41-24 count. Aside from a brief two-year span (1973 and 1974), the programs have met on the gridiron a minimum of once annually. There have been 10 years when they played in the postseason as well.
The latest installment did the rivalry proud, Roncalli taking a 3-0 halftime lead before Chatard’s offense was able to effectively mix the run and the pass in order to sustain drives the final two quarters.
Perhaps the game’s biggest play came midway through the third, when junior quarterback Jack Harrington threw to senior wideout Kalen Sargent for a 33-yard gain down the left sideline to the Roncalli 1. Senior running back Daniel Shaw scored what proved to be the winning points on the following play, testing the left side at the 5:54 mark.
The Trojans looked to extend their lead late, driving from their own 6 to the Roncalli 16. But on second and 7, Harrington ran right and coughed up the football at the 9, giving Otley’s squad one final chance for a potential game-winning touchdown with 2:18 left.
On second down, senior quarterback Jayden Buchanan was sacked at his own 2. On the next play, he took a knee for a safety in order to give Roncalli a shot at recovering the ensuing onside kick.
Chatard has other ideas, pouncing on the football and running out the clock to improve to 3-0 on the season.
Even with the loss, Otley watched his team grow up in many respects.
“They’re a good team, and, man, it was a hard-fought game. There were three or four plays that can make the difference in a game when it’s that close,” Otley said. “Heck of an effort from our defense.
“We talked about fly around the football, secure tackles and be physical. They did a great job. We got better tonight. We got to see what real Friday night football is with a team that’s going to come at you, and understanding what it’s going to be like to match that for 48 minutes.”
The right foot of Roncalli junior Gavin Louthain played a major role in the Royals’ slim halftime lead.
Louthain, in order, rocketed a 72-yard punt, a second punt that pinned Chatard at its own 1-yard line and drilled a 32-yard field goal from the right hash for the half’s lone points with six seconds remaining before the break.
The field goal was set up by yet another special teams effort from the Royals, sophomore Will Hegwood partially blocking a Trojan punt to return the ball to the hosts at the Chatard 28 with 1:07 showing.
Roncalli was impressive on the game’s opening drive, advancing the pigskin a total of 63 yards. However, facing fourth and 5 from the Trojans’ 16, the Royals only netted four yards on Buchanan’s pass to junior back Zach Dozier.
Things don’t get easier for Roncalli (1-1), which plays at 6A No. 10 Columbus North (3-0) on Friday.
