Warsaw sees dream postseason end with 5A state championship loss

Fa’Rel Carter knew the feeling he and his Decatur Central teammates had walking off the Lucas Oil Stadium field after falling in the Class 5A championship game in 2023.

By making it back this season, Carter wanted to make sure his Hawks teammates didn’t feel that again.

Carter’s 170 yards rushing and three touchdowns – including a jaw-dropping, 74-yard scamper with 3:33 left – clinched Decatur Central’s 38-24 triumph over Warsaw to avenge last year’s loss and a defeat in 2018.

“My feelings? Look at this …,” Carter said amidst the immediate post-game celebration. “We were just crying last year. It wasn’t just a goal to get back here, it was to win this time. We made it happen.”

“Our goal was to get the blue (ribbon),” DC coach Kyle Enright said. “We finally kicked the door in.”

In claiming the school’s first state title, the Hawks (11-2) finished the season on a nine-game winning streak by never trailing in the contest and taking advantage of five Warsaw turnovers, while turning it over just once.

Decatur Central broke from a 7-7 tie after one quarter with a decisive 17-point second quarter to help it withstand Warsaw’s comeback attempts.

While the Tigers (10-4) hung tough throughout, they couldn’t overcome the turnovers and DC’s athleticism.

“The two things that concerned me came to fruition,” Warsaw coach Bart Curtis said. "We’re not built to overcome those type of mistakes and we didn’t tackle well enough in the open field. Decatur Central was better than us and my hat’s off to them.”

The Hawks went up, 24-7, in the second quarter before Warsaw closed the half with a 47-yard field goal by Mason Smythe, then opened the third quarter by scoring on a 61-yard run by fullback Brody Duncan.

But Carter came back on the ensuing DC drive and scored on a 4-yard run to put the Hawks up, 31-17, with 7:41 left in the third quarter.

While both teams had chances to score over the next quarter-plus of play, it wasn’t until Carter’s 74-yard burst that opened the game up for the Hawks.

Warsaw didn’t fold, however, and scored on a 5-yard pass from Drew Sullivan to Ethan Egolf, then recovered an onside kick with 1:35 left.

The Tigers, making their first-ever state finals appearance, fought down to the last play -- which turned out to sum up the evening. Sullivan fired a fade pass to the back corner of the end zone, which Carter turned into a one-handed, circus-catch interception.

“It was icing on the cake,” Carter said. "I knew the clock was out, so I just thought it was time to have fun.”

Duncan (101 yards), Tucker Reed (99) and Quinton Brock (98) led Warsaw’s vaunted rushing attack, while Reed and Egolf each caught four passes to lead the Tigers.

Decatur Central quarterback Bo Polston threw for 147 yards and two scores, hitting Kasmir Hicks six times for 91 yards. He caught a 38-yard pass for the Hawks’ first touchdown, then added an 8-yard TD catch in the second.

The win allowed Enright to join his father, Dave, in the exclusive father-son combo state-champions club. Dave Enright coached Hamilton Southeastern to a state title in 1981. The four other father-son duos have combined to win state titles.

“My father wasn’t able to be here and my mother was at home with him,” Enright said. “They’ve been my biggest supporters. It’s been my goal to join him (as a state champion), but my main goal is to impact young people like they did.

“I hope I’ve made them proud.”

Class 5A State Championship Records

Fumbles Lost (Tied): 3 by Warsaw Community vs. Decatur Central.

Mental Attitude Award to Warsaw's Drew Sullivan

During the awards ceremony, Andrew (Drew) Sullivan of Warsaw Community High School was announced by the IHSAA Executive Committee as the recipient of the Phil N. Eskew Mental Attitude Award in Class 5A Football.

The award is annually presented to a senior who is nominated by his principal and coach, and has demonstrated excellence in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership, and athletic ability during his four years of high school.

Drew currently ranks 12th in his senior class and is involved in Warsaw’s National Honor Society and the Tiger Leadership Council.

Drew’s athletic career has been one of redemption after battling through multiple injuries that plagued not only last season but this one as well. He has continued to be at the forefront of the team throughout his own injuries and been an amazing presence and leader as a team captain for this season. He’s also a three-year member of the Tigers basketball team.

He is the son of Rob and Andrea Sullivan of Winona Lake, IN. His college destination is undecided, but he is interested in studying Physical Therapy or becoming a physician’s assistant.

The award is named in honor of Commissioner Phil N. Eskew, who served as the IHSAA’s third commissioner from 1962-76. Under his leadership, the IHSAA football state tournament was initiated in 1973.

The Indianapolis Colts, the presenting sponsor of the state tournament, presented a $1,000 scholarship to Warsaw Community High School’s general scholarship fund in the name of Andrew (Drew) Sullivan.