Tonight’s matchup:
Decatur Central at Columbus East
Game time
7 p.m.
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Season’s records
Columbus East 11-2, Decatur Central 11-1
Last week
East beat Castle 20-13; Decatur Central beat Bloomington South 28-0
Last year’s meeting
Teams did not play.
Coaches
Bob Gaddis is 315-136 in his 40th year, including 197-36 in his 18th year at East. Kyle Enright is 28-6 in his third year at Decatur Central.
Key players
East QB Cole Gilley, RB Mark McDonald, WR Dalton Back, WR Cody Horner, TE Isaac VanCuren, G Jacob Bolte, DT Julian Greenwell, LB Nash Murphy, S Jonah Wichman, K Sam Thomasson; Decatur Central QB Parker Harrington, RB Kenneth Tracy, RB Will Gibson, WR/DB Jason Allen Jr., LB Dylan Renick, LB Chamaar Smith.
What to watch for
The Class 5A co-No. 3 Olympians are seeking their third consecutive trip to the 5A state title game and their fourth in six years. They’re in the semistate for the seventh time in the past eight seasons. The 5A No. 2 Hawks, meanwhile, won only their second sectional title in school history this year and captured their first regional championship last week. They’ve ran off eight straight wins following an 18-15 loss at Martinsville in Week 4. East has won 11 in a row following an 0-2 start.
Prediction
Columbus East 35, Decatur Central 28
