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Culver holds South Central to -5 yards rushing, wins 18-0; Pioneer handles Delphi 18-0
BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
Football
Mishawaka Marian 29, Tippecanoe Valley 0 (Friday): Kapafule Lusanga ran for 142 yards and three touchdowns, and the Mishawaka Marian defense held the Valley offense to just 89 yards in posting a shutout win in a Class 3A, Sectional 26 semifinal Friday.
Lusanga had a 4-yard touchdown run on Mishawaka Marian’s first possession and later added scoring runs of 2 and 14 yards. Greg Atkisnon had a 12-yard touchdown run. Alec Markley kicked a 26-yard field goal.
Valley was blanked for the first time since a 16-0 loss to Culver Academy in the 2020 season opener. Valley averaged 47 points per game in nine regular season games but just 11 points per game in two postseason games.
Nate Parker led Valley with 27 yards rushing, and he also had two catches for 17 yards.
Branson McBrier threw for 55 yards. Landon Durkes had a 35-yard reception.
Wade Jones had an interception on defense.
No. 7 Valley finished 10-1. Their 10-0 start to the season was their first since 1981.
They lost to Mishawaka Marian for the fourth straight time – all in sectional games – dating back to 2006.
Valley has not reached a sectional final since 1993 and has not won a sectional title since 1992.
No. 12 Mishawaka Marian will host No. 11 Jimtown in the sectional final. Mishawaka Marian is seeking their seventh straight sectional title.
Mishawaka Marian 29, Tippecanoe Valley 0
Mishawaka Marian 6 6 3 14 – 29
Valley 0 0 0 0 – 0
First quarter
MM – Kapafule Lusanga 4 run (run failed)
Second quarter
MM – Lusanga 2 run (pass failed)
Third quarter
MM – Alec Markley 26 FG
Fourth quarter
MM – Greg Atkinson 12 run (Markley kick)
MM – Lusanga 14 run (Markley kick)
Culver 18, South Central (Union Mills) 0 (Friday): Emiliano Ortiz had a 71-yard touchdown run less than four minutes into the game, and Shane Shuman ran for 111 yards on 27 carries for the host Cavaliers in a win over visiting South Central in a Class 1A, Sectional 41 semifinal Friday.
Tucker Fisher ran a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, and Blake Thompson ran 28 yards for a score in the fourth quarter.
Culver had 263 rushing yards while South Central had -5. Culver did not complete a pass but held South Central to 80 yards of offense.
South Central came into the game on a five-game winning streak. They were averaging 41 points per game during that span.
The win was Culver’s first shutout since a 44-0 win over West Central in September 2019 and their first shutout win in a postseason game since a 28-0 win over Whiting in the 1999 sectional quarterfinals.
Culver will travel to North Judson for the sectional final at 7:30 p.m. Eastern this Friday. Culver lost to North Judson 19-0 on Aug. 20.
Culver 18, South Central 0
South Central 0 0 0 0 – 0
Culver 6 6 0 6 – 18
First quarter
CUL – Emiliano Ortiz 71 run (kick failed)
Second quarter
CUL – Tucker Fisher 1 run (two-point conversion failed)
Third quarter
(no scoring)
Fourth quarter
CUL – Blake Thompson 28 run (two-point conversion failed)
Pioneer 18, Delphi 0 (Friday): The Panthers blanked Delphi in a Class 2A, Sectional 34 semifinal at Logansport Friday.
Pioneer led 10-0 after one quarter and added another touchdown and two-point conversion in the fourth quarter.
Pioneer eliminated Delphi from the sectional for the second straight year. They also beat Delphi 38-8 in the 2020 quarterfinals.
Delphi’s Kooper Kinsler, who rushed for 372 yards and seven touchdowns in his previous two games combined, was held to 48 yards in this game.
The shutout was Pioneer’s first since a 44-0 win over Lewis Cass in the 2020 season opener.
Pioneer 18, Delphi 0
Delphi 0 0 0 0 – 0
Pioneer 10 0 0 8 – 18
