Giants can’t handle CG’s second half onslaught
November 23, 2020
At halftime of Friday’s Class 6A semistate game against Center Gove, it looked like Ben Davis might be in line to pull a major upset.
Not so fast.
The Class 6A No. 1 ranked Trojans overpowered Ben Davis with 35 unanswered points on their way to a 48-13 semistate win. It marked the second straight season that Center Grove ended the Ben Davis tournament run in semistate.
“Offensively, we didn’t sustain drives and get first downs like we did in the first half,” BD coach Jason Simmons said. “Our defense was put in some bad spots in the third quarter and Center Grove’s experience capitalized on those opportunities. They were the more assertive of the two teams in the second half. That allowed them to seize control of the game in the third and pull away.”
The defeat gives Ben Davis a 7-6 record in Simmons’ third year in charge of the program. Today, Simmons was named the Marion County coach of the year for his efforts in guiding BD to a second straight berth in the Class 6A Final Four. Also honored today were senior defensive backs Daylan Carnell and Charles Knuckols, who both earned first-team all-county status.
Carnell had 39 solo tackles and three interceptions this year while Knuckols had 102 tackles and four tackles for loss.
Center Grove moves on to its second straight berth in the state title game, where the Trojans will face Westfield Friday at 7 p.m. Westfield is coached by BD graduate Jake Gilbert. CG lost to Carmel in last year’s state final.
