Indians dethrone Chargers for sectional title

PHOTO BY LINDSAY DEBOLT

Milan football brings its first sectional championship trophy in eight years over to the hometown crowd last Friday night after upsetting Class A No. 4 North Decatur.

For six-straight years in Class A Sectional 47 it has been Milan forced to be a victim of North Decatur’s but a well-balanced attack and a program that has been battle-tested all season long finally got the monkey off its back on Friday night as the host Indians knocked off the No. 4 Chargers 24-17 in the Sectional 47 Football Championship.

The win not only gave Milan its first sectional title since 2016 but also denied North Decatur (10-2) a third-straight title after many heralded the Chargers as a clear favorite to march through the postseason.

Regardless of predictions, at least everybody agreed prior to that this matchup would yet again be a classic between the two postseason rivals and it was. North Decatur was spotted an early 7-0 lead but Milan’s response was one that ultimately served as a knockout blow. The Indians proceeded to score 13 unanswered points in the second quarter and followed with eight more points in the third frame which allowed for a commanding 21-7 advantage. Both teams traded field goals in the final stanza and Milan’s defense continued to star, never allowing the Chargers a true opportunity to make a run at a comeback.

That defensive performance allowed for the black and gold to force North Decatur into three turnovers, all of which were interceptions. Junior Micah Norman was responsible for two of those picks while Dylan Offill had the other interception.
Against a Charger defense allowing only 8.5 points per game, Milan racked up 333 yards of total offense, led by quarterback Wyatt Marsh and running back Austin Green. Marsh was 12-of-17 passing for 164 yards which included a touchdown throw to Offill. Green totaled 135 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries.

Offill led the receiver group with 74 yards on six catches. Norman caught three passes for 65 yards. Dylan Hon was 1-for-2 on extra point kicks and connected on a 30-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.

Milan (8-4) plays No. 2 ranked Providence (11-0) in the Class A Regional Championship this Friday at 7 p.m. with the winner advancing to the Final Four of the state tournament. The two teams have already met up once this season with the Pioneers winning by a 35-21 final score on October 4.

Providence defeated North Daviess 51-6 in a sectional championship game.