Stars eyeing title

BERNE — As the Starfires walked out of their locker room Wednesday, their eyes landed on an unusual sight. Across the sidewalk, sitting on a bench, was the sectional championship trophy.
They walked past it on the way to the practice field, some stopping to get a closer look, but none touching it. That is an honor they’ll have to earn Friday night.
South Adams will host the No. 5 Churubusco Eagles in the Class 1A Sectional 35 championship game at 7 p.m. as it seeks its first title since 1996.
“It’s pretty big for us as seniors,” said lineman Tony Roman before Wednesday’s practice. “When we were in eighth grade the football team lost in overtime to Madison-Grant. Since I’ve been here, we haven’t really done anything in the tournament.
“It would be great to get a championship. It’s been our goal since June.”
For the first half of the season, the Starfires didn’t seem like a group that would have a chance to make it to the sectional finale for the first time since that 26-20 loss at Madison-Grant in 2006.
They lost their first five games, giving up fourth-quarter leads against Bellmont and Bluffton in back-to-back weeks and losing 6-2 to Heritage in the process.
Then again, South Adams opened 1-5 in 2006 before heating up and making it to the sectional championship game. And in 1996, when the school won its last sectional crown 12-0 over LaVille, they dropped three of their first four.
The worst loss of the opening stretch this season came by a 43-6 score to Leo. But despite the margin, SAHS coach Jason Arnold says that was the night his team turned the corner.
“We were able to move the football on Leo,” he said of the Class 3A Lions, who will also play for a sectional title Friday. “We made mistakes and couldn’t get in the end zone, but we were able to move the ball. I think that kind of gave the guys some confidence, and then getting that first victory against Adams Central just made them realize that they could get this stuff done.”
That victory over the Flying Jets came a week later, in convincing fashion at Ball State’s Scheumann Stadium.
The Starfires left no doubt as it rolled out to a 19-0 over Adams Central, which at the time was 4-1, and cruised to a 46-21 victory. They fought off Garrett on the road a week later, and then picked up their first win at home 37-6 over Woodlan on Oct. 8.
South Adams added its most impressive victory came when it destroyed Class 1A No. 9 Southern Wells, which lost 12-6 to Churubusco in the sectional semifinal round, 69-14 in the regular-season finale.
“For us the difference is definitely confidence,” said junior quarterback Dustin Wanner, who was a ball boy the last time the Starfires played for a sectional title. “In the beginning of the year we weren’t really confident in what we were doing. …
“Beating (Adams Central) by 25, that really helped us gain confidence, because they were a good team.”
Churubusco (10-1) brings with it a resume as impressive as any team the Starfires have played all season.
The Eagles have scored at least 35 points in nine of their 11 games, and have held opponents to single digits seven times. Their lone loss came in a 52-38 shootout against Fairfield.
Senior running back Kyle Mathewson leads the squad as he ranks fifth in the state in rushing yards with 2,012. He has scored 31 touchdowns this year.
“He’s very big … and he has skills that you usually don’t see in a running back that big,” said Arnold. “(Mathewson) can plow straight ahead. He also can put moves on you. He’s fast. He is a very good running back for 1A high school football.”
Churubusco quarterback Kyle Monk, also a senior is 42-of-78 passing for 707 yards and 14 touchdowns this season, and Josh LeFever has 433 rushing yards to go along with 16 receptions for 292 yards.
While the Eagles rely heavily on Mathewson, the Starfires counter with a multifaceted attack.
South Adams has four runners who have cleared the 400-yard mark this year, with Taylor LeFever leading the way with 770 yards and an average of more than seven yards per carry. Wanner has picked up more than 500 yards on the ground in addition to his 1,049 through the air, and Zach Morgan has carried the ball for 447 yards.
They are all focused now on bringing home the Starfires’ sectional title in 14 years.
“It’s what we play for,” said Arnold. “This team, and I know it sounds foolish to people with us starting 0-5, but when we sat down and created team goals at the beginning of the season their goal was to win a trophy. … It would mean a lot.”[[In-content Ad]]