Dream season ends for Indians
Lindsay DeBolt
Milan head coach Ryan Langferman huddles his team together one final time this season after the Indians fell in Friday night’s Class A South Semi-State against South Putnam.
It was a standing room only crowd, sold out parking lots and shuttle buses going too and fro. Milan High School was tremendous in its hosting of Friday night’s Class A South Semi-State but unfortunately it would be an evening that saw the Indians on the football field bow out of the state tournament, falling 40-7 to No. 2 South Putnam.
South Putnam (12-2) will play in the IHSAA Class A State Championship this Friday morning at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Eagles face No. 3 ranked Pioneer, a back-to-back state champion in 2017 and 2018.
Milan was playing in its first semi-state since 1996 and early on it looked as if the black and gold would be able to contend as the defense kept in check several South Putnam weapons and the offense was able to control the clock and use the run game to its advantage. South led 6-0 after the first quarter but the Indians hit pay dirt and took a 7-0 lead late in the second frame when Wyatt Marsh ran in for a touchdown and Nick Voss kicked an extra point.
Unfortunately the drive seemed to jolt South Putnam and the Putnam County crew controlled the rest of the way. The Eagles ended the first half with a 35-yard touchdown pass and connected on a two-point conversion after to head into the locker room with a 14-7 advantage and that was followed up by an explosive second half that saw 26 unanswered points and a slew of big plays despite Milan’s best efforts.
Despite only having the ball for 14 minutes on Friday night, South Putnam managed 468 yards of total offense while Milan was limited to only 202 yards. South quarterback Drew Cline completed five passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns and junior wide receiver Bransyn Ensor caught three passes for 108 yards and a score. Another junior in running back Ty Benton, the state’s second leading rusher, carried the ball 16 times for 120 yards and a touchdown.
NCAA Division I recruit Keenan Mowery-Shields had 27 total tackles and Hunter Weddle added 18 tackles. Blake Witt added two interceptions and a pass deflection.
Marsh’s touchdown run for Milan was a part of 11 rushes for 44 yards and freshman Beckett Langferman totaled 20 carries for 71 yards. Marsh, a senior, completed three passes for 67 yards, two of which went to classmate Micah Norman for 58 yards. Defensive statistics for the Indians were not provided by time of print.
Milan ends a Final Four season with an overall record of 7-5 and is set to return several weapons on both sides of the football in 2026 despite losing a strong senior class to graduation this upcoming spring.
