IHSAA football playoffs: Scores, live updates, highlights from regional finals

The road to Lucas Oil Stadium continues tonight with IHSAA football regional titles on the line.

IndyStar's team in the field will provide live updates, highlights, post-game interviews, recaps and loaded photo galleries from across Central Indiana. There's also a statewide scores list at bottom of the article to keep up with who is advancing and who is out.

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6A: Ben Davis 24, Cathedral 24, 4Q

6A: Westfield 24, Hamilton SE 21, 4Q

6A: Center Grove 14, Warren Central 0

5A: Decatur Central 41, Whiteland 7

Host Decatur Central avenged a regular-season loss to Whiteland but more importantly moved on to the semistate with its commanding 41-7 win in Friday’s regional.

The Class 5A No. 7 Hawks will Winner faces winner between No. 3 Bloomington South and No. 13 Evansville North.

The Hawks (10-2) dominated the first half with three rushing touchdowns by three different players. Quarterback Brayden Polston put Decatur Central on the board first with a 1-yard keeper to cap an 11-play, 83-yard drive.

Whiteland (7-5) needed just two plays to answer, with junior running back Slate Valentine finding an opening to go 69 yards untouched for a 7-7 tie.

The Hawks scored on the following drive, with N’Po Dodo taking the handoff around left side 22 yards to the end zone and a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter.

Whiteland attempted a fake punt on its next drive, but the Decatur Central defense stopped the Warriors short of the first-down marker. With the ball at midfield, the Hawks needed just 15 seconds to score. Keion Berry took the end around from the left side, juked a defender and raced down the right sideline for a 51-yard score. Ashton Vogel’s 27-yard field goal late in the second send the Hawks into the break with a 24-7 lead. Decatur Central amassed 251 rushing yards in the first half.

Decatur Central’s only other regional championship came in 2018.

Turning Point: With the game tied 7-7 heading into the second quarter, Decatur Central scored on the opening play of the quarter on a 22-yard run by Dodo. Whiteland went on a nine-play drive on its next possession but facing fourth down from near midfield, the Warriors elected a fake punt attempt that the Hawks stopped short of the gain. Decatur Central needed just 15 seconds on its ensuing drive to score, with Keion Berry taking it 51 yards to open a 21-7 lead. The Warriors never threatened after.

Players of the Game: Dodo, the Decatur Central junior running back, finished with 159 rushing yards on 17 carries and a touchdown. Berry, a senior running back for the Hawks, added 117 yards and a pair of scores on nine carries.

Play of the Game: With the game all but over midway through the fourth quarter, Berry was still showing some nifty moves. He took the handoff to the right, cut to the middle, then reversed field to race 28 yards for his second touchdown of the game. — Paul Shepherd

Whiteland 7 0 0 0 — 7

Decatur Central 7 17 7 10 — 41

DC – Brayden Polston 1 run (Ashton Vogel kick)

W – Slate Valentine 69 run ( kick)

DC – N’Po Dodo 22 run (Vogel kick)

DC – Keion Berry 51 run (Vogel kick)

DC – Vogel 27 FG

DC – Aguirre 14 pass from Polston

DC – Berry 28 run (Vogel kick)

DC – Vogel 34 FG

4A: New Palestine 32, Mooresville 6, 4Q

3A: Bishop Chatard 35, Delta 6

2A: North Posey 21, Triton Central 7, halftime

Central Indiana football regional scores

CLASS 6A

Westfield 24, Hamilton Southeastern 21, 4Q

Ben Davis 24, Cathedral 24, 4Q

Center Grove 14, Warren Central 0

CLASS 5A

Decatur Central 41, Whiteland 7

CLASS 4A

New Palestine 32, Mooresville 6, 4Q

CLASS 3A

Bishop Chatard 35, Delta 6

Gibson Southern at Tri-West, 3 p.m., Saturday

CLASS 2A

Eastern Hancock 34, Southmont 28, 4Q

North Posey 21, Triton Central 7, halftime

CLASS A

North Judson 8, Park Tudor 7, 2Q

Sheridan 24, North Decatur 20

Lutheran 14, Providence 7, halftime

IHSAA football statewide regional scores

CLASS 6A

Crown Point 20, Penn 13, 2Q

CLASS 5A

Valparaiso 7, Merrillville 7, 1Q

FW Snider 10, Mishawaka 9, halftime

Bloomington South 28, Evansville North 14, 3Q

CLASS 4A

East Central 34, Evansville Memorial 7, 2Q

NorthWood 28, New Prairie 0, 2Q

Leo 41, Mississinewa 7

CLASS 3A

Knox 24, West Lafayette 10, halftime

Heritage Hills 7, Batesville 0, 1Q

CLASS 2A

LaVille at Lafayette Central Catholic

FW Bishop Luers 15, Bluffton 7, 4Q

CLASS A

Adams Central 7, Carroll (Flora) 0, 2Q

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana high school football playoffs scores, highlights regionals