| 11/8/2008 2:30:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article | ||||||||
North upends county-rival Southmont, wins first sectional championship in 12 years By John Groth Sports Editor LINDEN – Ethan Carpenter finished off a family tradition. North Montgomery High School’s senior running back had watched just one of his three older brothers each earn sectional football championships. Only five- or six-years old at the time, he still remembers sitting in the stands, cheering the Chargers on as his brother, Ben, and teammates lifted up the trophy. He wanted that feeling. And in his final season, the youngest brother chased it down. Carpenter rushed for 72 yards and two touchdowns, including a 45-yard third-quarter score, to give Class 3A No. 3 North Montgomery a 24-8 IHSAA Sectional 21 championship-game victory Friday night over county- and Sagamore Athletic Conference rival Southmont. Ethan brought home one more sectional title and didn’t let his older brothers down. “[Ben and I] each have one. I’m the last one,” said Carpenter, who now has a sectional title along with older brother Ben Carpenter – a 1998 graduate. His other two older brothers, Luke (2002 graduate) and Eli (2004 graduate), had also played in sectional title games. “We all got to play on the field. I’m glad I got a sectional championship. I’m proud of all my brothers and this team. We’re all playing together and that’s what we need to do next week to win.” North Montgomery (12-0) advanced to play Bishop Chatard (9-1) in a Class 3A regional final game next Friday. Bishop Chatard defeated Rushville 41-13 in the Sectional 22 championship game. North Montgomery won its first sectional title in 12 years, with its last victory coming in 1996 when the Chargers defeated Speedway and went on to win the second of back-to-back Class 2A State championships. Both times North Montgomery won sectional titles, the Chargers defeated the Trojans in the regional final. North Montgomery coach Charley German last coached them to those back-to-back IHSAA sectional and State titles. “It’s for the kids,” he said. “None of these kids were around. Or if they were, they might have been in first or second grade when we won last time. We didn’t even get the chance to sing the school song when our fans got on the field.” Southmont (6-6) finished with its first winning season since 1998, when the Mounties ended 6-6 and lost to conference rival Western Boone in the sectional title game. They ended their season winning five out of their last six games, making the sectional title game and exceeding expectations in coach Desson Hannum’s second year. “We’ve got a great foundation right now to build off of,” he said. “Even [Friday] night we kept fighting.” Known for its prolific and high-scoring offense, North Montgomery won this historic county sectional battle – a first in Montgomery County football history – with its defense. The Chargers forced Southmont into four turnovers (including three interceptions) and sacked Mounties’ junior quarterback Logan Petry seven times – with all seven coming in the second half. North Montgomery also limited Southmont to only 1-of-7 fourth-down conversions and stopped the Mounties in all but one of their trips inside the Chargers’ 30-yard line. While the defense created turnovers, the offense capitalized off quick drives and plays. Carpenter scored in the first quarter on an 11-yard rush, while sophomore quarterback Clayton Dale hooked up with senior wide receiver Brett Stamper on a 55-yard bomb early in the second to give North Montgomery a 16-0 lead. Carpenter added his second score early in the third before Southmont answered with a late fourth-quarter 12-yard touchdown pass from Petry to junior wide receiver Lucas Long with 45.1 seconds left. Petry scored on a two-point conversion and the Mounties then recovered an onside kick to make things interesting. But they ended up turning the ball over on downs. “When we got that onside kick, it showed the character of our kids,” Hannum said. “We got the ball in their territory. We just couldn’t convert.” Southmont rushed for 157 yards, with Petry accounting for 117 of them. He had six rushes of 10 yards or more, including a 38-yard run on the second play of the game. But the Chargers didn’t allow him to score on any of them. “We don’t give up the long, long touchdown runs,” German said. “Last year, that was our problem. This year, we’re able to make the tackle, which gives us a chance to regroup and make a play.” As for Southmont, Hannum said now they’ll take some time off before starting to prepare for next season. They’ll have most of their offensive corps back – including Petry, running backs Jordan Burkett, Micah Hatch and Tanner Hill, along with Long. It’s the defensive and offensive lines where they’ll be hit harder. “We bring back leadership and experience,” Hannum said. “We’ve got some guys into their third year as starters. We’ve got a lot of positives coming back. “ | |||||||||
