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For the second time in five years, the IHSAA’s 3A State Championship game will feature the Indianapolis Bishop Chatard Trojans and Heritage Hills Patriots, two programs with dynamic quarterbacks at the helm and a whole lot to play for beyond a trophy.
The contest, which is scheduled for a 3 pm ET kickoff at Lucas Oil Stadium on Friday, will act as a rematch between the two schools after Bishop Chatard took home it’s first of four titles over the last five seasons with a 34-3 decision in 2019.
With that history in the background and Heritage Hills holding the keys to avenging that 2019 loss for its first state championship since former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler was at the helm of the offense in 2000, the focus for both teams moving forward is on dynamic playmakers and a recent history of success against ranked opponents.
Ranked as the No. 1 team in 3A in the Associated Press and IFCA Coaches Polls, Bishop Chatard – playing in what their head coach, Rob Doyle, describes as the best sectional in the state – defeated No. 2 Guerin Catholic, 21-10, for its second of three consecutive victories against ranked opponents.
After suffering a three-point loss to No. 3 Gibson Southern on Sept. 22, Heritage Hills (No. 7/No. 5) flipped the script and knocked off the semi-state rival for their first bid to Indianapolis since that 2019 matchup with the Trojans.
“We have history with Chatard,” Heritage Christian head coach Todd Wilkerson said. “We’re aware of how good they are defensively, they’re just extremely fast. Offensively, they execute very well. Obviously, they’ve played a great schedule. We understand we’re going to play an outstanding team Friday, but we feel like we’ve been playing some pretty good football and I feel like our kids believe in the team that we are.”
The Class 3A State Championship featuring Indianapolis Bishop Chatard (14-0) and Heritage Hills (13-1) will stream via PPV on IHSAAtv.org this Friday at 3 pm ET / 2 CT!
Friday’s matchup will be a classic battle of that fast-paced defense and a dynamic offense. The Patriots’ offense has scored 38.79 points per game this season, the 25th-highest mark in the state and third-highest in 3A. On the other sideline, the Trojans defense has allowed just 8.93 points per game, the lowest mark in 3A and fifth-lowest in the state.
Heritage Hills quarterback Jett Goldsberry leads the team in multiple scoring categories when he runs the ball, including touchdowns (20), rushing yards (1,301) and yards per game (92.9).
“He’s fast, he’s really fast,” Doyle said. “We’re going to have to slow him down somehow. Offensively, I think if we remain balanced, control the football, keep him off the field and do the things we normally do, I think we’ll have a really good chance.”
To pair with their dominant defense, the Trojans have senior quarterback Aiden Arteaga leading their offense. In 11 games, he has thrown for 18 touchdowns and compiled 1,487 total passing yards, an average of 135.2 yards per game.
Bishop Chatard is no stranger to playing in the state championship games. This game represents its record 18th football state championship game, and a win would extend their state record to 17 football titles.
“We have Senior Talks every Thursday night before each game. The first game, one of the kids who was appointed that night [stood] up and started his speech with ‘State championship game number one.’” Doyle said. “Week two, state championship game number two. Last week, state championship game number 14. They embrace that, their goal each year is to get there, to hit the top of the mountain. We don’t shy from that.”
For the Patriots, a trip to Indianapolis is something they have been fighting for. Now, they’re prepared to bring home something the community hasn’t seen in over two decades.
“I feel like this group is special,” Wilkerson said. “They’ve overperformed, they’ve done more than people expected them to do and they’ve improved so much each week. It’d be an awesome thing to bring a state championship back home to our community.”
