By Mike McGraw
Executive Director
INDIANAPOLIS – A heavy underdog in any sport must do two things to pull off the upset. Above all, it must protect the ball – it cannot give the favorite extra opportunities. Then, it must prevent the big play – make the favorite earn its victory the hard way, a little at a time.
Unfortunately for third-ranked Fountain Central, the Mustangs were able to do neither versus No. 2 Lafayette Central Catholic in the Class A state title game Nov. 27 at Lucas Oil Stadium. The result was a 52-0 verdict for the Knights, who completed a perfect season at 15-0 in winning the school’s third football title.
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The contest started well enough for Fountain Central as the Mustangs staved off the Knights’ first drive despite Central Catholic starting with very good field position. After failing to move, the Mustangs again held Lafayette’s powerful offense in check and forced a second punt.
That punt might have been the unsung, key play in the entire contest. Chris Mills, better known for his quarterbacking, booted a beauty that pinned the Mustangs down on their own 5-yard line.
What followed was the big play Fountain Central was trying to avoid. CC’s Scott Windler intercepted a Brian Moore pass on the very first play, and suddenly the Knights were goal to go. Two plays later, Mills threaded a seven-yard scoring pass to Cody Christopher, and Fountain Central’s long day had commenced as the Knights took a 7-0 lead.
Despite being handled at the line of scrimmage, Fountain Central kept the deficit at one score through the end of the first quarter. The Mustangs actually began to move a bit in the early moments of the second stanza, but disaster struck again.
Another interception stopped a Fountain Central drive at the Central Catholic 33. Three plays later, the second big play was unleashed by the Knights. This one was a 59-yard pass and run from Mills to Danny Anthrop.
It was 14-0, and the deficit would grow quickly before halftime.
On its next possession, CC traveled 67 yards in just four plays as Mills completed his third touchdown pass of the half. This one covered 33 yards to Marc Withers, and the score was mounting at 21-0.
The Knights added one more before the break. Fountain Central attempted a fourth-down conversion near midfield and failed with just under five minutes to play in the opening half. Four plays and 49 yards later, Mills snuck across from the 1, and the tally was 28-0.
“The first quarter, I thought the defense carried us – they gave us a short field, and we were able to score off of it,” said second-year CC coach Kevin O’Shea. “It took us a little while to figure what was going on on offense.
“Once we did, our athleticism took over.”
Mills, the talented Knights’ signal caller, ended the half 10 for 16 with three scoring strikes.
“Our defense came up with some big plays like I expected them to,” Mills said. “Our offense then came out and put some points on the board.
“We had a great game plan and a real good week of practice. I knew our guys would be real fast and they couldn’t keep up with us.”
The more telling statistic, however, came from the Fountain Central side of the ledger as the Mustangs rushed the ball 15 times in the opening two quarters for a total of only 17 yards.
The same lack of success at the line of scrimmage that led to that low total had Moore running for his life on most of his pass attempts. He ended the half 5 of 12 for just 54 yards and with two interceptions.
Any chance of the Mustangs clawing back into the contest was personally squashed by Anthrop in the third quarter.
The sophomore struck on the ground early in the quarter, finishing a short Knights’ drive with a 12-yard scoring jaunt. Four minutes later he was on the receiving end of Mills’ fourth touchdown pass of the day, this one from 32 yards. Two minutes after that, Anthrop scampered 56 yards around the left end for another Knights’ score.
Suddenly it was 49-0.
“Danny (Anthrop) … for a sophomore to come in and in this big a game setting was fantastic,” O’Shea said.
Central Catholic added a field goal midway through the fourth quarter for the final tally. Mills saw little action in the final 12 minutes, and the Knights did not attempt a pass in the quarter. Mills ended the day 12 of 18 for 230 yards and four touchdowns.
“We knew how good they were – they’re a great ball club,” said fourth-year Fountain Central coach Rick Malone, whose Mustangs remarkably rebounded from a 3-7 season last year to finish 14-1. “They are a very quick team, and when you see it on film you don’t really get a feel for how fast they really are.
“We gave them a short field in the first half four times, and we just can’t do that. It just killed us.”
Central Catholic’s Burns wins Mental Attitude Award
Greg Burns of Lafayette Central Catholic was named winner of the 2009 Phil N. Eskew Mental Attitude Award for Class A football by members of the IHSAA Executive Committee. Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, the IHSAA’s corporate partner, presented a scholarship check for $1,000 to the school in his name.
The award is presented annually to a senior in each classification who best demonstrates excellence in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership, and athletic ability. Since 1989, more than $575,000 in college scholarships has been presented by Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance to deserving high school students in Indiana.
Burns is a member of the National Honor Society, Academic Super Bowl, and Young Life Youth Group. He has been named to the honor roll each semester and was named outstanding student in several of his classes. He has volunteered at the El Salvador School Supplies Drive and Jubilee Christmas Event among several other service projects.
Burns has helped the Knights to four consecutive Hoosier Heartland Conference championships. The four-year letterman earned recognition as the Most Valuable Defensive Back for the Knights after the 2008 campaign, and he also is on the track & field team.
Burns ranks second in his class at Lafayette Central Catholic and carries a 4.04 GPA on a 4.0 scale. The son of Tom and Mary Ann Burns of Lafayette plans to attend Purdue University and major in engineering.
The box score:
Fountain Central 0 0 0 0 – 0
Central Catholic 7 21 21 3 – 52
04:23 CC CHRISTOPHER, Cody 7 yd pass from MILLS, Chris (NOONAN, Niall kick)
2 plays, 5 yards, TOP 0:49 0 – 7
11:05 CC ANTHROP, Danny 59 yd pass from MILLS, Chris (NOONAN, Niall kick)
3 plays, 67 yards, TOP 1:02 0 – 14
08:18 CC WITHERS, Marc 33 yd pass from MILLS, Chris (NOONAN, Niall kick)
4 plays, 62 yards, TOP 1:07 0 – 21
03:32 CC MILLS, Chris 1 yd run (NOONAN, Niall kick)
4 plays, 49 yards, TOP 1:22 0 – 28
08:14 CC ANTHROP, Danny 12 yd run (NOONAN, Niall kick)
5 plays, 33 yards, TOP 2:03 0 – 35
04:36 CC ANTHROP, Danny 32 yd pass from MILLS, Chris (NOONAN, Niall kick)
2 plays, 45 yards, TOP 0:49 0 – 42
02:29 CC ANTHROP, Danny 56 yd run (NOONAN, Niall kick)
2 plays, 59 yards, TOP 1:01 0 – 49
06:07 CC NOONAN, Niall 25 yd field goal
12 plays, 40 yards, TOP 7:16 0 – 52
FC CC
First Downs 6 16
Rushing 1 8
Passing 5 8
Penalty 0 0
Rushing 29-7 34-224
Passing 9-20-2 111 12-18-1 230
Total Offense 118 454
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 4-0
Penalties-Yards 5-35 3-26
Punts-Yards 8-31 2-45
Possession Time 24:11 23:49
3rd Down Conv. 3 of 13 5 of 9
4th Down Conv. 0 of 2 0 of 0
Sacks By 0-0 3-22
Fountain Central
Rushing No. Gain Loss Net TD Long Avg.
Spear, Trent 5 16 1 15 0 8 3.0
Shoaf, Sam 4 6 0 6 0 2 1.5
Duane, Michael 2 2 1 1 0 2 0.5
Seymour, Cameron 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
Nelson, Brent 1 0 2 -2 0 0 -2.0
Robertson, Zach 5 1 4 -3 0 1 -0.6
Moore, Scott 11 12 22 -10 0 6 -0.9
Totals 29 37 30 7 0 8 0.2
Passing Cmp-Att-Int Yds TD Long Sacked
Moore, Scott 9-20-2 111 0 31 3
Receiving No. Yds TD Long
Lawson, Tyler 4 60 0 31
Robertson, Zach 4 44 0 22
Spear, Trent 1 7 0 7
Totals 9 111 0 31
Lafayette Central Catholic
Rushing No. Gain Loss Net TD Long Avg.
Anthrop, Danny 5 79 1 78 2 56 15.6
Team 3 56 2 54 0 54 18.0
Naville, Joe 10 52 1 51 0 10 5.1
Christopher, Cody 9 33 1 32 0 7 3.6
Schrader, Brad 3 8 0 8 0 5 2.7
Budny, Nathan 1 2 0 2 0 2 2.0
Mills, Chris 3 2 3 -1 1 1 -0.3
Totals 34 232 8 224 3 56 6.6
Passing Cmp-Att-Int Yds TD Long Sacked
Mills, Chris 12-18-1 230 4 59 0
Receiving No. Yds TD Long
Anthrop, Danny 6 117 2 59
Christopher, Cody 3 29 1 13
Withers, Marc 2 41 1 33
Mackey, Connor 1 43 0 43
Totals 12 230 4 59
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