Now in his 38th season as a head football coach in Indiana, Mike Gillin has experienced his share of sectional pairings drama.
Though he doesn’t get as anxious about the annual draw compared to earlier in his career, the Indian Creek coach still considers it one of the most important times of the season.
“I’m always looking at great match-ups, but, yeah, there’s always some anxiety,” said Gillin, whose Braves (4-3) open Class 3A Sectional 30 play at Indianapolis Washington for a second consecutive season.
“I don’t know anything about Washington, but we’ll prepare like we always do.”
Should Indian Creek prevail Oct. 21, it would likely travel to play Lawrenceburg (6-1) in the semifinal round.
These teams played Week 1 of this season with the Tigers doubling up the Braves, 42-21.
Defending Class 6A state champion Center Grove begins its attempt to repeat on Oct. 28 when the Trojans host Jeffersonville, a program it blasted, 56-6, last season, in Sectional 8.
This sets up a potential sectional championship game against No. 5 Columbus North, which is off to a 7-0 start. Center Grove is 6-1 and ranked fourth.
In 5A’s Sectional 14, Franklin Community (1-6) gets to play at Johnson County and Mid-State Conference rival Whiteland (4-3) for a second time this season. These programs squared off Week 4 with the Warriors winning 51-21.
In Class 4A, Roncalli and Greenwood could potentially meet in the Sectional 21 final.
The undefeated Rebels host Northview. Greenwood, which started 4-0 and has since lost three straight, makes the long trek to play at Frankfort (2-5).
Edinburgh (2-5) opens Class A Sectional 47 by traveling to North Decatur (3-4). These teams met on the same field in Week 2 with the Chargers winning, 32-3.
