Unified flag football
Local teams eliminated
Whiteland and Indian Creek both reached sectional championship games on Saturday but came up short of winning the title. The Warriors, completing their debut season, beat host Mooresville 40-34 in a tight semifinal before dropping the final to Franklin Central, 55-26. The Braves, meanwhile, topped Jasper in their semi matchup, 28-18, but lost to host Bedford North Lawrence.
Franklin was eliminated by Franklin Central, 46-23, in a semifinal game, while Greenwood dropped its first-round game against Mooresville, 24-6.
Girls volleyball
Grizzly Cubs split, Trojans drop two
Franklin got a 25-17, 31-29, 24-26, 25-21 victory over Noblesville during the North/South Showcase on Saturday while also losing in three sets to Class 4A No. 1 Hamilton Southeastern; the Grizzly Cubs are 22-3. Seventh-ranked Center Grove was also swept by the top-ranked Royals and lost a 25-23, 18-25, 25-20, 13-25, 15-11 battle with the Millers.
Sectional pairings are set to be released by the IHSAA on Sunday evening.
Franklin College
Football drops HCAC opener
Franklin College battled host Rose-Hulman to a draw through much of Saturday’s HCAC contest but wound up on the losing end of a 24-14 score on Saturday afternoon.
The Grizzlies (1-4, 0-1) got field goals of 29 and 35 yards from Dakota Foerg in the first and second quarters before giving up a touchdown in the closing seconds of the half to fall into a 14-6 hole. Garrett Cora’s 5-yard touchdown run, followed by a two-point pass to Owen Wright, tied the game at 14-14 with 6:03 left in the third period, but the Engineers countered with a touchdown drive of their own and added a field goal for insurance midway through the fourth.
Cora rushed for 85 yards, and his TD rush was the 33rd of his career, a school record. Kai Ross was 14 of 24 passing for 146 yards; Wright caught a team-high six passes for 74 yards. Haden Durnil and Kahari Jackson both intercepted passes, with Durnil also making nine tackles.
Women’s soccer posts shutout
Freshman Issy Pridemore broke a scoreless draw with 10 minutes to go, lifting Franklin College to a 1-0 win at new HCAC member Berea on Saturday. Makenna Mundy made three saves to keep the shutout for the Grizzlies (3-4-2, 2-0).
Volleyball defeated in four
Franklin College began its conference schedule with a 25-23, 18-25, 25-8, 25-14 home loss to Anderson on Saturday. McKenzie Schroeder had 10 kills and Trinity Schroeder added nine for the Grizzlies (7-11, 0-1). Brionna Linkel had 34 assists and Charlotte Goto totaled 14 digs.
