By E. Shawn Aylsworth
Managing Editor
INDIANAPOLIS – It took exactly one play for Warren Central to re-establish its pre-eminence in the world of Indiana high school football Aug. 22 at Warrior Stadium. On the first play from scrimmage in the sixth-ranked Warriors’ Class 5A battle with No. 2 visiting Merrillville, senior running back Eric Williams bolted 80 yards to the end zone.
The punch to the Pirates’ mouth – a throwback to how Warren Central manhandled opponents during a four-year reign of terror that led to back-to-back-to-back-to-back state championships – ignited a run of 36 straight points in under 20 minutes as the Warriors avenged Merrillville’s then-shocking 17-10 win in the season-opener a year ago with a devastating 42-0 victory.
Williams (nine first-half carries for 105 yards and three touchdowns) and senior running mate George Cheesebourough (13 rushes, 106 yards, one TD before halftime) provided the offensive balance. On the other side of the ball, the Warriors – under the tutelage of former head coach and current defensive coordinator Steve Tutsie – limited Merrillville to –5 yards of total offense in a lopsided first half that made a major statement.
The first-half defensive feat featured a thorough curtailment of heralded Pirates quarterback Dolapo Macarthy. The 6’4” senior was harassed into a 5-of-17 performance in the opening 24 minutes, when he amassed a total of four yards passing and was intercepted once.
Meanwhile, Macarthy’s counterpart, 6’4” Warren Central junior Derek Hart (the coach’s son – another son, Nick, serves as the Warriors’ offensive coordinator), enjoyed a solid first half. Although Hart would end up with pedestrian numbers (5 of 16 for 74 yards with two interceptions), he logged an impressive first half that ended with all five completions and an 18-yard touchdown pass on 3rd and 15 to mammoth 6’9” senior tight end Ed Hazelett.
All told, Warren Central outgained Merrillville 399-10 on the ground. The only real concern for the Warriors was an alarming number of penalties – 15 for 116 yards.
Williams’ game-opening run set quite the tone. Taking Hart’s handoff off right tackle, the 6-foot, 198-pounder darted to the right sideline before spinning out of a tackle and cutting all the way back across the field to the left corner of the end zone. Senior kicker Zach Sparks added the first of four point-after kicks (the Warriors missed two PATs, and Sparks also missed on a 41-yard field goal attempt), and the romp was on.
After a three-and-out on Merrillville’s first possession, Warren Central took just 3:27 to go 56 yards in eight plays. The back-breaker was Cheesebourough’s 35-yard run around right end on a 3rd and 8, and Williams would score on a two-yard run to put the Warriors up 14-0 with 7:34 still to play in the first period.
The lead grew to 16-nil when a punt snap sailed over senior Ryan Stokes’ head and he kicked it out the back of the end zone at the 2:01 mark of the opening stanza. Utilizing a short field following the post-safety kickoff, the Warriors needed just four plays to find paydirt and a 22-0 lead when Williams went in from eight yards out exactly one minute later.
Following yet another three-and-out by Merrillville – the Pirates’ only first down in the opening half came on a Warren Central personal foul penalty – Warren Central moved 49 yards in eight plays as Cheesebourough scored from four yards out for a 29-0 advantage with 8:11 left in the half.
One more Merrillville three-and-out preceded a six-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in the Hart-to-Hazelett scoring strike and an astounding 36-zip lead at 4:05. Three consecutive plays – a 10-yard pass from Hart to Cheesebourough, a 38-yard run off left tackle by Williams, and an 18-yard pass from Hart to junior running back Shakir Bell – ate up 66 of those yards and removed any doubt about the outcome.
In a relatively quiet second half, the only scoring came on Warren Central’s second possession, a five-play drive that went 54 yards and consumed just 68 seconds off the clock.
The big play occurred on 3rd and 5 when Williams scooped up a fumble and rumbled up the middle for 40 yards down to the Merrillville 9. Two plays later, Cheesebourough scored from three yards out.
For the game, Williams finished with 227 yards on 12 carries while Cheesebourough added 115 yards on 17 rushes.
Next up for Warren Central is an Aug. 30 trip to Cincinnati for a Herbstreit Classic battle with Huber Heights Wayne. Meanwhile, Merrillville looks to get back on track with an Aug. 29 game at 4A No. 8 Griffith, a 40-13 Week 1 winner over 4A 18th-ranked Hammond Morton.
Stay tuned for video highlights and post-game interviews with Williams, coach Hart, and Merrillville coach Zac Wells!
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