GREENFIELD — Pendleton Heights will have a third rematch in as many games when it travels to Mt. Vernon for the Class 4A Sectional 21 championship Friday night.
This time the Arabians would like a different outcome from the regular-season tilt.
Pendleton Heights lost to Mt. Vernon 18-14 in Fortville on Sept. 27.
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Pendleton Heights had the ball at the Mt. Vernon 1-yard line in the final minute of the game. The Marauders forced a fumble and made the recovery to put an end to a possible Arabians comeback.
To get to Friday’s championship game, Pendleton Heights defeated Greenfield-Central 42-7 in a sectional semifinal road game last Friday. It was the Arabians’ second win of the season against the Cougars. In a regular-season game in Pendleton on Sept. 13, the Arabians won in similar fashion, 47-6.
It’s been a unique tournament run. After finishing off the regular season with a 55-8 win versus winless Shelbyville, the Arabians opened with the Golden Bears in the first round of the sectional. Pendleton Heights won 54-6.
Pendleton Heights coach Jed Richman said he’s been happy with his team’s focus, considering the opponents the past three weeks have a combined 2-18 record, with both wins by Greenfield-Central against Shelbyville and Muncie Central, another team that finished the season without a victory.
“The last three weeks have been challenging,” Richman said. “Records are what they are, and everybody wants to talk about the future instead of right now.
“Going against Shelbyville two weeks in a row and against a much-improved 2-8 Greenfield-Central team, it was challenging mentally in many ways,” Richman said. “Our kids did a really nice job of staying grounded and staying focused. I have been pretty proud of them the last three weeks after a really bad Yorktown loss.”
Against Greenfield-Central, the Arabians trailed early. The Cougars scored on their opening drive to take a 7-0 lead, but it was all Arabians after that.
Pendleton Heights senior running back Joe Rios scored on an 11-yard run with 7:08 left in the first. The Arabians took the lead for good on a 4-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Kirby Hess with 3:40 left in the opening quarter.
The Arabians broke it open in the second half. Up 21-7, Clay Britt took the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown. Britt blocked a punt on the next Cougars’ series to give the Arabians the ball at the Greenfield-Central 10. Two plays later, Kamden Earley scored on a 10-yard run, extending the visitors lead to 35-7 with 9:44 remaining in the third quarter.
Richman knows the biggest challenge lies ahead. Mt. Vernon is 9-2 on the season, and like the Arabians, have won two tournament games against lesser opponents.
MV beat a winless Connersville team 64-0 to start the post season. The Marauders, in a regular-season rematch, beat 4-7 New Castle for the second time this season, 45-8.
Friday’s game has rivalry — it’s about a 10-minute drive between schools, and redemption from the regular season and a sectional title on the line.
“We know what they do in Fortville, and we know how good they are,” Richman said. “The sectional goes through there. We have to be at our best next Friday because they are very well-coached and play extremely hard. They have really good players, we have our work cut out for us.”
Pendleton Heights is looking for its first sectional title since 2011. Mt. Vernon has not won a sectional championship since 2012.