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Defensive stands early and late in the first half set the tone before Indianapolis Cathedral turned to running back Gino Gillum for the finishing touches in a 42-7 victory over South Bend Washington in the Class 4A state championship game.

The title was top-ranked Cathedral's second straight, fourth in six years and ninth overall. It marked the seventh championship for Coach Rick Streiff.

Cathedral (12-3) stopped the Panthers (11-4) after they advanced to the Irish 7-yard line on their first possession of the game. Just before halftime, the Irish defense rose again to prevent a score after Washington had first-and-goal at the Cathedral 3. Cathedral's pass rush never let Washington quarterback Daigien Morgan get comfortable.

The Irish totaled five takeaways. They made five quarterback sacks. Tyler Willis and Chase Mattingly led Cathedral with six tackles apiece. Cathedral held six playoff opponents to an average of 9.2 points a game.

Gillum's power running controlled the game as he accumulated 180 yards on 31 carries. His four rushing touchdowns tied a Class 4A championship game record. Quarterback Corey Babb passed for 81 yards completing 7-of-10.

Washington's Morgan completed 8-of-25 passes for 210 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Gehrig Dieter had five receptions for 168 yards and a score.

Coach Antwon Jones' Washington team was making its first state finals appearance since 1973, the first year of the tournament. The Panthers defeated Cathedral, 19-13, in that game.

Cathedral’s Jacob Bailey named Eskew Mental Attitude Award Winner
Indianapolis Cathedral’s Jacob Bailey was selected by members of the IHSAA Executive Committee as this year’s winner of the Phil N. Eskew Mental Attitude Award in Class 4A Football.

The award, named in honor of the IHSAA’s third commissioner from 1962-76, is presented annually to a senior in each classification who best demonstrates excellence in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability.

Bailey maintains a 3.98 GPA, is a Presidential Scholar and earned a football scholarship to Indiana University where he is also a direct admit to the Kelley School of Business.

He was selected by the school staff to be a peer mentor, personally overseeing a group of 14 freshmen students as they acclimate into Cathedral’s culture in their first year of high school.

Bailey has served as a football team co-captain and twice been selected All-State and All-City.

He is the son of Todd and Cyndy Bailey.

Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, the IHSAA’s corporate partner, presented a scholarship check for $1,000.00 to Indianapolis Cathedral High School in the name of Bailey.  Since 1989, more than $745,000 in college scholarships have been presented by Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance to deserving high school students in Indiana.

Four Teams Repeat as State Champions for First Time
Indianapolis Cathedral’s victory marks the first time that four teams have repeated as state champions (Lafayette Central Catholic, Fort Wayne Bishop Luers, Indianapolis Bishop Chatard, Indianapolis Cathedral).

Since the IHSAA state tournament went to four classes in 1983, there have been three occasions when three teams won a second consecutive state championship:
1990 and 1991: Ben Davis, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, Indianapolis Scecina.
2001 and 2002: Ben Davis, Fort Wayne Bishop Luers, Indianapolis Bishop Chatard.
2003 and 2004: Roncalli, Tri-West Hendricks, Warren Central.

Indianapolis Cathedral Coach Rick Streiff
“This is a great group of kids. We’ve had a long, tough year. We’ve traveled all over the Midwest on buses and to finish up like this is just awesome. The last three weeks, the kids have done everything we’ve asked and that’s why you’re seeing them where they are right now.”

“Getting the turnover on the opening drive of second half was a momentum changer for us. We were nervous about letting them hang around because you saw some plays that showed what kind of athletes they had. And we just didn’t want to let ‘em get on a roll and get too comfortable.”

(On the physical difference in the game)
“I think (Washington) had four or five guys going two ways and I think it caught up with them in the second half. They got tired…hats off to them. They physically played very hard for as long as they could. Having (platoons) meant the world to us. Our line was awesome today. That made a difference late in the third and into the fourth quarter and really wore them down.”

(About Washington’s David Perkins and Gehrig Dieter)
“Both are great players and have the ability to go the distance. I don’t know that we shut them down as much as we corralled them. They’re such great players that they can score from anywhere on the field.”

(On season)
“We lost to Ben Davis here (at Lucas Oil Stadium) in the season opener and we told the guys not to give up and to hang in there. It’s a long season. These guys worked hard and got a lot better between there and here. We have a lot of good football players and a handful who are exceptional players but this was definitely a team win from special teams to defense to offense. It’s hard to get here once. It’s even harder to get here multiple times. It’s always great to know you finished your season with a win.”

South Bend Washington Coach Antwon Jones
“We didn’t execute like we wanted to. We had more than a few opportunities down inside the 20 and we didn’t capitalize.”

“This game was a great step in the right direction for our program. We lost to a great team. We came down here to win it but things just didn’t go our way. But this was a lifetime memory for our players.”

“We had a lack of execution by our offense. It was self-inflicted. We drove down the field on them on several occasions but we had mental errors and we didn’t get rid of the ball when we had to. That gave them too many turnovers.”

“I’m just proud of my players. We battled. We had an up-and-down season but we set our goals four years ago to play for a state championship. We told the players that we expected to win.”

“This game means a lot for our community. Even though it didn’t come out the way we wanted it to, our kids played hard and we just didn’t execute. The referee after the game said that the score didn’t show what kind of game this was.”