MUNCIE — The path to Indianapolis has been set.
The Indiana High School Athletic Association announced its football sectional pairings via its annual blind draw on IHSAATV.org Sunday, Oct. 12. The first round of the state tournament is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 24, with Class 5A and 6A beginning the following week.
Three teams from the Muncie area are currently receiving votes in the USA Today Network Indiana media poll — Yorktown (4A), Shenandoah (2A) and Winchester Community (2A). There are no defending sectional champions in East Central Indiana, as the area’s last sectional champion was Delta in 2023. Will anyone change that this season?
Here are all the pairings for the Muncie-area teams, along with analysis of each draw.
(ECI teams listed in bold)
Class 4A
Sectional 20
Game 1: Lebanon (7-1) at Culver Academies (2-6)Game 2: Muncie Central (5-3) at Marion (1-7)Game 3: Huntington North (3-5) at Logansport (6-2)Game 4: Frankfort (0-8) at Game 1 Winner
Muncie Central will look to continue its quick turnaround under new coach Kyle Buresh with a first-round matchup at Marion, where the Bearcats won 41-21 in the regular season on Sept. 19. The Bearcats are seeking their first sectional title since 2006, but with strong teams like Lebanon (receiving votes in the USA Today Network media poll) and Logansport (defeated Central 35-13 in last year’s first round) in the bracket, it will be a tough challenge for Muncie Central.
Sectional 21
Game 1: Beech Grove (2-6) at Richmond (3-5)Game 2: Pendleton Heights (7-1) at Mt. Vernon (Fortville) (0-8)Game 3: New Castle (2-6) at Greenfield-Central (5-3)Game 4: Yorktown (6-2) at Game 1 Winner
Sectional 21 will have a new champion with New Palestine’s return to Class 5A and will feature two ECI schools in New Castle and Yorktown. The Trojans will take on Greenfield-Central in the first round, while Yorktown drew the bye and will face the winner of Beech Grove vs. Richmond.
This bracket feels like Yorktown and Pendleton Heights are on a crash course for a rematch in the sectional title game. The Tigers and Arabians both beat the other three Hoosier Heritage Conference teams in this bracket (New Castle, Greenfield and Mt. Vernon) pretty handily in the regular season. Beech Grove is better than its 2-6 record might reflect, as the Hornets forfeited victories in their first three games due to fielding an ineligible player, and could certainly give Yorktown a good challenge if they get past Richmond.
Class 3A
Sectional 28
Game 1: Mississinewa (7-1) at Oak Hill (5-3)Game 2: Jay County (2-6) at Bellmont (0-8)Game 3: Norwell (1-7) at Heritage (5-3)Game 4: Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (4-4) at Delta (3-5)
Jay County will visit a winless Bellmont team to open the postseason for the second year in a row. Meanwhile, Delta will host a tough challenge in Fort Wayne Bishop Luers, the reigning Class 3A state runner-up. At the top of the bracket, Central Indiana Conference foes Mississinewa and Oak Hill should provide an entertaining contest.
Class 2A
Sectional 36
Game 1: Eastbrook (8-0) at Alexandria-Monroe (6-2)Game 2: Rochester (7-1) at Elwood (2-6)Game 3: Eastern (Greentown) (7-1) at Blackford (0-8)Game 4: Wabash (1-7) at Tipton (4-4)
Blackford will host Eastern (Greentown), the reigning Sectional 36 champion, in the first round. The Bruins lost the same matchup, 35-7, in the first round last season.
The top-half of the bracket produced a very intriguing matchup with undefeated Eastbrook — ranked No. 5 in 2A by the USA Today Network’s latest media poll — visiting a very solid Alexandria-Monroe squad. The Panthers won that matchup, 34-24, at home in the regular season, but the Tigers will hope for better luck on their home field.
Sectional 38
Game 1: Northeastern (7-1) at Shenandoah (5-3)Game 2: Triton Central (7-1) at Centerville (6-2)Game 3: Lapel (8-0) at Winchester Community (7-1)Game 4: Eastern Hancock (5-3) at Union County (1-7)
Sectional 38 is perhaps the most loaded sectional in Class 2A and one of the more intriguing sectionals across the state. Shenandoah will host Northeastern in a rematch of the Raiders’ thrilling 50-43 win on Oct. 3. Meanwhile, Winchester will host undefeated Lapel — the No. 3 team in the latest USA Today Network media poll and reigning Sectional 38 champion — in what should be one of the best first-round matchups in all of Class 2A.
Class 1A
Sectional 44
Game 1: Union City (2-6) at Hagerstown (3-5)Game 2: Cambridge City Lincoln (0-8) at Monroe Central (4-4)Game 3: Madison-Grant (5-3) at South Adams (5-3)Game 4: Wes-Del (4-3) at Tri (4-4)
Monroe Central has not won a sectional since going back-to-back in 2017-18, but the Golden Bears got a favorable draw with a depleted, winless Cambridge City Lincoln in round one. Wes-Del, meanwhile, faces a much tougher road. The Warriors drew Tri for the second year in a row after losing 55-0 to the Trojans in the first-round last season.
The first-round matchup between Madison-Grant and South Adams is the most interesting of this sectional. The Argylls were ranked No. 10 in Class 1A in the most recent USA Today Network media poll, while South Adams is receiving votes in the same poll and won this sectional last season.
Contact Cade Hampton via email at cbhampton@muncie.gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.