Class 4A state championship
Hobart (11-2) vs. Roncalli (12-1)
When: 3 p.m.
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, 500 S. Capitol Ave., Indianapolis
Admission: $15. Tickets were sold at participating schools in advance; contact Roncalli High School or the Lucas Oil Stadium ticket office to check on remaining availability. All seats are reserved, grouped in assigned pods of varying sizes. Masks are required at all times unless actively eating or drinking.
Gates open: The stadium will be cleared at the end of the Class 2A game before 4A ticket-holders are allowed in.
TV: Fox Sports Indiana
Webstream: IHSAATV.org (live broadcast will only be shown outside of Fox Sports Indiana coverage area)
Radio: CBS Sports 1430
Recent history: This will be the first meeting between the teams.
Common opponents: None
Sagarin ratings: Hobart 75.63 (37th in Indiana, sixth in Class 4A), Roncalli 94.18 (seventh in Indiana and first in Class 4A)
Players to watch: Hobart — QB Riley Johnston, RB/DB Tyler Turley, WR/DB Zachary Vode, LB Bobby Babcock, LB Cameron Smith; Roncalli — QB Aidan Leffler, RB Baron Huebler, WR Kyle Lockard, LB Sean Sinovic, DB Dominic Brown, DB Ryan Papandria
What to look for: The Brickies boast a stingy defense that ranks second in Class 4A in points allowed (10.15 per game) and has posted five shutouts this season, including three in a row to close out October. But it’s also been a while since that unit has faced an offense as potent as Roncalli’s, which leads all 4A teams in scoring (41.31 a game) and has been particuarly effective in the postseason. Both teams have the ability to move the ball through the air; Vode has 54 catches for more than 1,000 yards, while Roncalli has six different players with at least 14 catches. The differences will likely be an opportunistic Roncalli defense, particularly a secondary that has intercepted 24 passes, and Huebler, who is over 2,000 yards rushing for the season after a 306-yard output in last week’s semistate win over Mooresville. John Rodenberg’s team won convincingly against Mt. Vernon and Mooresville, widely considered the next best teams in the class; unless it lays an egg on the big stage, it should be able to do the same against a less tested Hobart team.
