Maconaquah Schools

The greatest chapter in Maconaquah's 62-year gridiron history will play on for another week after the Braves smothered a potential go-ahead touchdown by the host West Lafayette Red Devils at the four-yard line with seven seconds remaining Friday night to claim the IHSAA Sectional 27 championship, 17-14. The biggest win in school history set off a massive celebration among players and the large contingent of Brave fans that made the trip to West Lafayette and set up Friday's IHSAA Regional game at Maconaquah with Fort Wayne Luers. The Braves will take a perfect 12-0 record into the contest. Luers, who knocked off previously unbeaten Mississinewa 34-28 Friday night, will enter with an 8-4 slate. West Lafayette ended its season at 8-4. Maconaquah is one of two unbeaten teams remaining in Class 3A and is the third-highest ranked team still alive. The Braves were ranked eighth in the final AP Class 3A poll, while Luers was ranked 16th. The only teams ranked higher are third-ranked Heritage Hills and unbeaten (12-0) fourth-ranked Garrett. Two wins separate the Braves from a trip to the state finals at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 30. Mac is one of eight teams remaining left in the Class 3A tourney. First-year coach Michael Fenters gathered the champs in the east endzone following the game and reminded his troops that "this special journey started with a midnight practice (early August) and you've been tested to unbelievable limits. Your community will remember this, West Lafayette will remember this and the entire state will remember this." He finished with a loud roar saying, "the trophies get a little bigger along the way." It was Mac's first football sectional championship after runner-up finishes in 1987. 1998. 1999 and 2018. The 1987 game was at West Lafayette. One who knows a little about "the bigger trophies" is assistant coach Dan Robinson. Robinson, who has been in the coaching ranks for 50+ years, led Northwestern to the state championship game in 1992 and was an assistant at Hamilton Heights in 2012 when the Huskies made it to the title game. Asked to compare the two teams with this years Maconaquah squad, he said the 2024 Braves are better because "they are a complete football team." His son, Scott, was quarterback for NW in 1992 and is now Mac's offensive coordinator. It's now a family affair at MHS as its QB is sophomore Aiden Robinson, son of Scott and grandson of Dan. Think they'll be any football talk around the Robinson family Thanksgiving table this year?? West Lafayette took the opening kick and put together a 14-play, 61-yard scoring drive to take an early 7-0 lead at the 7:04 mark. It was only the fifth time this year that the Braves had trailed in a game. Maconaquah responded with a long drive, sparked by Conner Eldridge's 37-yard run. After reaching the WL nine-yard line, the Braves failed to capitalize on four plays and turned the ball over on downs after losing five yards when getting to the one with 3:59 showing. The Red Devils moved to near midfield on a 38-yard pass on its next possession, but were forced to punt four plays later thanks to a big tackle-for-loss by Austin Ringeisen. Starting at its own nine, the Braves would begin their first scoring drive. A pair of Eldridge runs sandwiched passes from Robinson to Jorden VanNess and Nolan Tarrh. Robinson then hit Fuddy Kile with a 17-yarder and Eldridge followed with a 20-yard burst that was aided by a facemask penalty. After Robinson fired two short passes to AJ Kelly, moving Mac to the one, Eldridge scored and Max Sachse added the PAT, 7-all with10:12 showing. West Lafayette returned the ensuing kick 41 yards setting up its next and final scoring drive. Starting at its own 47, the Red Devils marched the distance in eight plays, regaining the lead at 14-7 with 6:49 left in the second act. The Braves started their next drive at their own 34 after a 17-yard kickoff return by Eldridge. Eldridge, filling in for injured leading-rusher Marcell Sims for the second straight game, carried eight times during the drive. With the Mac offensive line opening huge holes, Eldridge got four first downs along the way and got the Braves to the WL nine before a Robinson-to-Kile pass fell incomplete. Sachse drilled a 26-yard field goal with 1:29 left trimming West Lafayette's lead to 14-10 at the half. A Sachse 42-yard FG attempt at the end of the half fell short. Sachse, an exchange-student from Germany, was still pumped after the game. "This is absolutely stunning and such an amazing feeling." Playing football for the first time in his life he said that it was "an amazing feeling to be a Maconaquah Brave. The students and fans were so loud ... I couldn't even hear my own voice. I can't believe all these fans came from an hour away. What are the odds of us doing this... one in a million?" The Braves would take the lead for good to start the third quarter and then turn everything over to their defense which is now the best defensive unit in the state, allowing just 6.5 points per outing. Eldridge returned the second half kickoff to his own 36 to start the game-winning drive. The shifty, lightning-quick junior capped the eight-play drive with a three-yard TD with 8:38 left in the third stanza. Robinson directed the attack with four completions, including a 15-yard pass to VanNess on a big third-and-three situation at the WL 46. Kile followed that with a fancy 21-yard reception that Robinson threaded through five Red Devil defenders. The rest of the game was a defensive slugfest. West Lafayette threatened midway through the third period, getting to the Mac 19. Big stops by Ringeisen and Kile halted the Red Devil scoring opportunity. Ringeisen dropped WL for a four-yard loss. On fourth-and-nine, the Red Devils threw a short pass to Dawson Martin who appeared to be heading to the endzone before Kile came out of nowhere and nabbed him a yard short with a diving tackle. Dawson, who was the state's 14th leading rusher entering the game, finished with 130 yards on 28 carries after rushing for 299 vs Northwestern a week earlier. A Brave interception in the fourth quarter set up the frantic final seven minutes of the game. Taking control at its own 41, Dawson carried the mail six straight times moving the pigskin to the Mac 36. After an incompletion, he carried twice to the 21. The Red Devils got to the 12 when Dawson took a swing pass eight yards on a big third-and-seven. A quarterback keeper was snuffed out by Joe Butcher on first down for a one-yard loss. Dawson bulled his way to the MHS five on second down. On third-and-three Ringeisen and Ryley Rodkey stopped Dawson at the four, setting up the epic game-winning defensive stop. After a timeout with :15 on the clock and the ball resting at the four, facing a fourth-and-two, the Red Devils opted for another Dawson run around his left end. He was met head-on by Tarrh and Eldridge for no gain. A pair of penalties by both teams slowed the final seven seconds, but the Braves ran out the clock and began the victory celebration. Unofficially, Tarrh led Mac with 10 tackles... including the "BIG ONE". Carsten Hollars had nine and three tackles for loss, while Kelly, Ringeisen and Dakoda Dauenhauer each were credited with eight. Others included: Butcher (7), Brady Dausch (6) and Kile (5). SIDELINE NOTES >> Robinson finished with 201 yards passing, completing 23 of 30 attempts >> Robinson has now passed for 2872 yards this year... 2nd most by QB in single season at MHS >> Receiving: Kile (8-76), Kelly (7-54), Tarrh (6-41) and VanNess (2-30) >> Eldridge surpassed 100 yards rushing for the second straight game... 23 carries 157 yards >> Mac is now on a school-record 12-game win streak >> Kile now has 4,099 career receiving yards . . . fifth-best in Indiana state history >> Kelly has now caught 200 passes at MHS and has 2,680 career yards receiving >> MHS trailed 12 minutes nine seconds in its first 11 games... 23:59 vs W. Lafayette >> IT WAS A GREAT NIGHT TO BE A BRAVE!! Like Max said... "Amazing" >> The sectional champs had a fire truck escort back to school.. Thanks to Pipe Creek F.D.