Heading into the IHSAA 5A Sectional 13 Championship between Decatur Central and Harrison, both teams had shown a reliance on strong committees of running backs and Friday night was no different. 

A stout Decatur Central defense would force a quick three-and-out on the games opening possession, however a muffed punt on the ensuing kick would give Harrison a second-life on the opening drive. 

Harrison would go to their biggest playmaker in Carter Knoy on the following play who would take the pitch 30 yards to the house for the opening score of the game. 

Decatur Central knew they wanted to run the ball from the start, giving two-way star Halbert Aguirre the first touch of the game which set the tone for the whole night. 

The more nimble of the running back committee, N’po Dodo, would have a thrilling run to get the Hawks down towards the goal line before Bo Polston would finish it off with a quarterback sneak from a yard out to tie it up 7-7. 

As the opening quarter came to a close, Harrison would have a costly fumble on the following possession. Polston wasted no time taking advantage of the situation, finding Keion Berry wide open on the wheel route to put the Hawks up 14-7 going into the second quarter. 

Senior quarterback Cailix Dillon would not back down from the fight, though. He would keep the option and get a massive 40 yard run to flip the field for his offense. A big-time tackle-for-loss by 2026 linebacker Mykul Campbell would force a Raider field goal, cutting the lead down 14-10. 

On the following Decatur Central drive, Berry would do all the heavy lifting getting the ball all the way down inside the five on consecutive gashing runs. Polston would get his third score of the night on the following play on an impressive five-yard scramble to put the Hawks up 21-10 midway through the second quarter. 

Campbell continued to make plays on the defensive side, getting another tackle-for-loss and shutting down a triple option play that had previously gashed the Decatur Central defense on two previous plays. 

The Decatur Central offense would not be able to do much, and a first down fumble by Polston led to a three-and-out. 

Harrison would not let this opportunity go to waste, and soon after receiving the punt inside the 50 yard line Dillon would find Jackson Gavin on the deep post to claw back and make the score 21-17. 

Polston would show his age on the following drive and end up getting picked off, giving Harrison the ball at midfield with a minute to go in the half. 

Dillon put together quite the drive to get his team in field goal range, but a missed field goal with five second left would send the teams to the locker room with a score of 21-17. 

The Decatur Central offense did not miss a beat, pounding the ball all the way down the field before Dodo would take an end around at the goal line to extend the lead 28-17. Wasting nearly half the quarter to further their lead. 

The score would stay put entering the fourth quarter after teams exchanged punts, but on 4th and long in field goal range Harrison elected to go for it and Dillon’s pass would get deflected at the line. Giving Decatur Central the ball back with 8:40 left to play and up 11. 

Berry continued to run hard down the stretch, before Polston would find Aguirre on a jump pass to secure his fourth score of the night. A blocked PAT would make 34-17 with 6:02 to play. 

Despite having time outs and still some pride to play for, Harrison would decide to punt the ball away with four minutes to play which would essentially end the game. Decatur Central would get a couple of first downs and kneel this one away after a dominant ground performance. 

Overall, the game lived up the hype a 9-1 vs 8-2 championship should get. Harrison ends their impressive season 9-2 and undefeated in the North Central conference. Their defense that gave up just 9 points per game was incapable of stopping the run despite showing that ability earlier in the year. On the other hand, Decatur Central ran plenty of power with Polston and Aguirre which was very successful and set up gashing off-tackle runs by Dodo and Berry throughout the night. 

For Harrison, they had a senior-heavy team this year and going undefeated in conference play and losing just two games all year is nothing to be ashamed of. They opened their season with a 42-6 rout of West Lafayette and even tonight was just a couple plays away from it being a different outcome. 

For Decatur Central, their young core of talent led by Polston will be a problem to reckon with for a while at the 5A level. Polston looked like a veteran quarterback and they just play football the right way. They are a hard-nosed team that can run down your throat with elaborate motions to distract linebackers and will take the top off a defense in the same formations they run in. They will have a second round with Whiteland in the regional championship next week who they beat in week three 31-15. It is hard to beat a team twice in one season, but if the Hawks play like they did tonight there are not many 5A teams that will stop this offense. 

Game Awards

Impact Play of The Game: Decatur Central fumble recovery- There were a lot of great offensive plays tonight for Decatur Central, including a touchdown that seceded this play. However, that touchdown does not happen and might end up differently if Harrison does not fumble at the end of the first quarter. Before the fumble, it was a tied 7-7 game and the fumble and touchdown gave Decatur Central all the momentum that carried them to victory. 

Unit of The Game: Decatur Central Running Backs- Keion Berry, Halbert Aguirre and N’Po Dodo. Each one of these guys did more than just run the ball for this Decatur Central team, but each one of them had a great game. Berry had a big-time receiving touchdown and plenty of yards on the ground. Dodo had a rushing score of his own and was running hard all night off the tackle. Aguirre- the man who set the tone on the first play of the game. Not only had a good game from the I-Back spot, he blocked amazingly at full back and wing, caught a receiving touchdown and played great defense as the starting linebacker. Aguirre wins my “Football Guy” award, he was awesome to watch, 

Player of The Game; Bo Polston- Two passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns and about 200 total yards on the night. The sophomore quarterback played great all night and was able to show he can be an effective runner despite averaging just about 3.8 yards per carry heading into the game. 

“We had a great game plan going into the week just to run the ball,” Polston said. “I know my arm is a weapon but tonight we needed my legs. I just have not really shown I can run the ball this year until this game so it felt good to get back on track.” 

There are not many underclassmen quarterbacks who play in big school football, but the 6’2” quarterback is on his second playoff run as the starting quarterback and has all the experience needed already.

“It is an amazing feeling [leading the team],” Polston said. “We [have] worked day-in, day-out since November 4th last year when we lost the sectional championship. Every single day coming into work was able to pay off today.”