With the start of the high school football playoffs set to begin in less than two weeks it only seems like a great time to look and some playoff history for our three county schools.
ATHENIANS LED THE WAY
Crawfordsville was the first county team to make the playoffs as it played its first game on Nov. 2, 1982, under head coach Rick Schavietello. The Athenians entered the game ranked 13th and went toe-to-toe against sixth-ranked Franklin Central before losing a defensive struggle 9-6. Ironically, the winning field goal was kicked by Burt Austin and the 25-yard field goal was the first the Flashes had kicked in four years.
That loss ended the Athenians’ season at 7-4. The Athenians went the entire season without allowing a single point in the fourth quarter. For the year the Athenians allowed just 85 points and 55 of those came in the first three games where were losses to Lafayette Jeff (34-0), McCutcheon (14-7) and Harrison (7-6).
Crawfordsville didn’t waste any time returning to the playoffs as they posted the school’s first playoff win the following year against seventh-ranked Edgewood 21-14 at historic Hoover Field. The following week the Athenians beat second-ranked Oak Hill 16-14 before losing to Fort Wayne Luers 19-6 to finish the season 9-4.
As was the cause for most Schavietello teams the defense led the Athenians by coming up with a goal line stand on a fourth-and-3 when the Mustangs receiver was shoved out-of-bounds at the Crawfordsville 2 which just 32 seconds to play.
Crawfordsville fell to Western Boone 42-7 last year in the sectional opener. The Athenians have bowed out of the sectional in the first round 15 straight years.
Overall, the Athenians have an 18-42 playoff record. That includes a 16-39 record in the sectional round and two sectional titles (1983 and 1989). The Athenians are 2-0 in regional play and 0-2 in semistate action. The Athenians have lost 17 straight sectional games with the last win coming in the first round of the 2007 sectional against West Vigo (36-0).
CHARGER HAVE BEST RECORD
North Montgomery had to wait until the IHSAA began including all teams into playoffs in 1985 before making its first appearance. Like Crawfordsville, the first playoff appearance wasn’t a pleasant one.
In its first playoff game the Chargers fell to sixth-ranked Zionsville 26-21 in a game where North Montgomery quarterback Ron Reed threw for a school record 315 yards as he completed 22 of 36 passes. Zionsville scored the winning touchdown with just 2:02 to play. The loss ended North’s season at 4-5.
North Montgomery didn’t waste any time in its first playoff win as it accomplished that feat the following year with an impressive 38-6 win over Western Boone in a rain-soaked game at Charger Field to go 9-0 on the season under head coach Charley German. Chuck Carpenter led the Chargers with a pair of touchdown receptions from quarterback Kurt Schlicher who threw for 162 yards.
The Chargers went 1-1 last year, beating Western Boone 20-7 before losing to Tri-West 42-6. In the past seven season the Chargers have advanced to the second round in half of those seasons (2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023).
Overall, the Chargers have an above .500 record as the Chargers are 44-37 in postseason action. That includes a 38-36 record in the sectional. The Chargers won sectional titles in 1995, 1996 and 2008. The Chargers are 2-1 in regional play, 2-0 in both the semistate and state finals.
MOUNTIES SEARCHING FOR FIRST TITLE
The Mounties followed also lost their first sectional game in 1985 in a double overtime loss to Danville 26-20. Both teams scored in the first overtime and Southmont blocked Danville’s extra, but then missed its kick to go into the second OT. Senior Kelly House had an outstanding game for the Mounties as he split time at tailback and quarterback and rushed for 154 yards on 29 carries and threw for 87 yards and two TD passes.
Just like their counterparts, the Mounties tasted victory in its second playoff try.
In 1986 the Mounties beat Seeger 33-6 under the guidance of Hall of Fame coach Ken Coudret. Leading the Mounties in the victory was Brad Stephens (22 carries for 106 yards) and Don Martin (73 yards). Stephens’ 100-yard game marked the first time a Mountie back had 100 yards in a game for the season. Sean Brown and quarterback Mike Brown each scored twice for the Mounties.
Last year was a magical run for the Mounties as they won their first sectional and regional titles before falling to North Posey in the semistate. After beating Sullivan 32-21, the Mounties won back-to-back one-point wins in overtime the next two weeks beating Cascade 22-21 and Linton-Stockton 35-34. A 41-34 win over Eastern Greene propelled the Mounties to the semistate where they fell 37-7. In the past six years the Mounties have won its sectional opener in three of those seasons.
The Mounties enter this year’s postseason with a 26-39 record. Prior to last year the Mounties had never won a sectional but had advanced to the sectional championship game four times (1989, 1998, 2008, 2017).
Barry Lewis has been involved in Montgomery County sports for nearly 50 years. He has a passion for keeping its rich history and tradition alive.
