Ben Davis boys soccer will be seeking its first Marion County championship tonight when it hosts Perry Meridian for the 2024 crown.
The Giants advanced to the county title game via a 5-4 penalty kick shootout win over North Central.
“Our defensive organization and commitment to teamwork have been key to our advancement,” coach Ola Ladapo said. “Our players have bought into our system, staying disciplined and focused during crucial moments. We’ve worked hard to transition quickly from defense to attack; that balance has been a game-changer.”
The Giants take an 8-5-2 record into the county championship while Perry Meridian is 9-4-3. After tonight’s game, the Giants play at North Central on Thursday and then open sectional play October 8 at 6 p.m. against Decatur Central. The sectional is at Avon.
“I’m incredibly pleased with the team’s progression this year,” Ladapo said. “Our young squad, mainly composed of sophomores, has shown tremendous resilience and improvement, especially in key areas like ball control, pressing, and decision-making. Our defensive unit has gelled.”
Ladapo likes his teams chances over the next few weeks.
“For the county, our goal is to win by playing our soccer style and giving ourselves a chance to win the title,” he said. “Sectionals are always tough, but we aim to make a deep run. When we continue to build on our performances, I believe we have the potential to surprise many teams.”
In addition to the boys soccer county game tonight, the girls soccer team hosts Senior Night festivities Wednesday before they turn their attention to sectional play.
Cross country
Junior Aboubakar Ibrahim became the second runner in school history to win the individual title at the MIC Meet. Ibrahim’s finish helped the boys to a second place team finish. Cross country is off until running at the Brownsburg Mini Invite October 12 and then hosting sectionals on October 19.
Tennis
The boys tennis team celebrated its Senior Night festivities Monday night after rain postponed their meet on Saturday. No meet was played Monday but the team celebrated its seniors. The boys open sectional play Wednesday at home against Cardinal Ritter.
Volleyball
Volleyball begins Marion County tournament action this week. Sectional play starts October 15 at Brownsburg.
Football
Our Giants look to snap a three-game losing streak this Friday at Carmel. Ben Davis (1-4) and Carmel have played 50 times with each school winning 25 games.
Our Unified Flag team will open sectional play Saturday at noon against Southport. All games are at Brownsburg.
In other football news, former BD head coach Jason Simmons was named the interim offensive coordinator at Purdue on Monday. Simmons left Ben Davis two years ago and spent one year coaching running backs at Miami of Ohio before being hired at Purdue.
