A guide to this week’s high school football state title games

Indiana High School Athletic Association logo. (Provided Image/IHSAA via X)

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — 14 weeks of football have led to this weekend, with the high school football state finals at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Three teams will look to complete an undefeated season, one team is playing in their first ever state championship, and four teams are playing for their first ever state title.

Here is a breakdown for each state championship game from each class in Indiana.

Class 6A

Brownsburg (12-1) vs. Westfield (12-1) (Friday at 7 p.m.)

It’s a Hoosiers Crossroads Conference showdown in the 6A state championship. They played earlier in the season on September 28, with Brownsburg winning at home, 17-13.

Westfield cruised through the playoffs, winning all four of their games by at least 14 points. They defeated Crown Point 30-7 in the semi-state round.

The Shamrocks are in their third state championship in five seasons. They made it in 2020 and 2021, losing to Center Grove both times.

Westfield last won the state championship in 2016, defeating Columbus East in 5A.

Brownsburg has had a much more challenging time in the playoffs. All four of their wins have come by just one score, and their last three wins have been decided by a total of just eight points. They won at Center Grove in the semi-state round 31-27 in the semi-state round. In the sectional championship, they made a comeback from down 35-7 against the defending state champions, Ben Davis, to win 38-35.

This is the first time since 1985 that Brownsburg has made it to the state championship. They won in back-to-back years, in 1984 and 1985.

Class 5A

Decatur Central (10-2) vs. Warsaw (10-3) (Saturday at 7 p.m.)

Decatur Central started the season 1-2, but have since rattled off nine straight wins to find themselves in their second straight state championship game. The Hawks lost last season to Fort Wayne Snider, 33-6.

Decatur Central won their semi-state game 27-13 at Bloomington South. Only one of their playoff games has been a one score game, with that being a five point win against East Central in the regional championship.

Warsaw also did not have the best start to the season, starting 3-3. They have won seven straight games to get to their first ever state championship.

The Tigers made the trip down to Indianapolis earlier this season to play Warren Central. They lost 34-0.

The winner of this game will win their first ever state title.

Class 4A

East Noble (13-1) vs. New Palestine (13-0) (Friday at 3 p.m.)

New Palestine is one of three undefeated teams playing for a state title, with the other two being 1A schools. The Dragons have had a dominant defense, allowing less than nine points per game (sixth best in the state).

They won all of their playoff games by at least two touchdowns except for an overtime thriller against Bishop Chatard in the regional championship.

East Noble has won 12 straight games. The only game they lost was to 6A Fort Wayne Snider. Only one of their playoff games has been a one score game, with that being an 18-13 win against Mishawaka in the semi-state round.

East Noble last won a state championship in 2000 and last appeared in one in 2019, losing to Evansville Memorial. New Palestine won back-to-back state championships in 2018 and 2019.

Class 3A

Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (10-4) vs. Heritage Hills (13-1) (Saturday at 3 p.m.)

Fort Wayne Bishop Luers is the only defending state champion to make it back to state this season. They beat North Posey 40-3 last season.

The Knights lost three straight games leading up to the playoffs, but rattled off five wins in the playoffs to make it back to state. They defeated Garrett 28-14 in semi-state.

Luers is third in the state in most state championships (12), trailing only Bishop Chatard (17) and Cathedral (14).

Heritage Hills has won 12 straight games with their only loss being to out-of-state Christian Academy (Kentucky). They have been especially dominant in the last two games, winning the regional and semi-state by a combined score of 92-7.

Heritage Hills lost to Bishop Chatard in the state championship last season. Their only state title was in 2000.

Class 2A

Adams Central (13-1) vs. Linton-Stockton (12-2) (Friday at 11 a.m.)

Adams Central has won 13 straight games, with their only loss coming in the first week of the season against Garrett. In semi-state they beat Andrean by seven points, which was their only one score win of the entire season.

Adams Central has made it to state three straight years and lost to Lutheran every time. This is their first season competing at 2A. Their four straight state title appearances is the longest active streak in the state.

Linton-Stockton has won nine straight games. They’re competing in their first state championship since 2016, which is also their only state title.

Class 1A

North Judson-San Pierre (14-0) vs. Providence (13-0) (Saturday at 11 p.m.)

It’s the only undefeated vs. undefeated matchup at the state championships. It’s also the only matchup between the #1 (North Judson-San Pierre) and #2 (Providence) ranked teams (coaches poll and USA Today poll) in their class.

North Judson-San Pierre has been the most dominant team in the state this season, ranking first in points per game (54.1) and second in points allowed per game (7.2). They have the largest average margin of victory (46.9 points) in the state by a whopping eight points.

They pitched 6 shutouts this season, including a 46-0 victory over South Adams in semi-state. The closest game they played all season was a 42-21 victory over 3A Knox in the first week of the season.

Providence has one of the best defenses in 1A, allowing just 11.8 points per game (4th in 1A). They played their first one score game since the third week of the season in the semi-state round, beating South Putnam 35-30.

This is Providence’s first state championship appearance since 1993. This is North Judson-San Pierre’s first state title appearance since 1986.

Neither school has ever won a state title.

Full state tournament brackets

6A, 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A, 1A

More High School Football coverage

State championship-winning head coach returns to Carmel football

The Zone: Semi-state scores and highlights