2000 IHSAA FOOTBALL STATE FINALS

Class 4A

November 25, 2000

RCA Dome, Indianapolis

 

EAST NOBLE WINS CLASS 4A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

East Noble jumped to a 14-0 lead and ran up 359 yards on the way to a 28-7 victory over Plainfield and its first IHSAA state championship in any sport.

East Noble (14-1), ranked sixth in the final Associated Press poll (eighth in the coaches poll), was coached by Tim Able, who guided the Knights to their first appearance in the football state finals this year.

The Knights scored on three consecutive possessions in the first half to take control of the game. Senior Jesse Cox ran in a 7-yard score at 6:18 of the first quarter and after Plainfield’s next drive stalled at its own 44-yard line, East Noble quarterback/defensive back David Gater blocked the punt which was recovered in the endzone by Josh Hitzeman. Cox ran in the two-point conversion for a 14-0 East Noble lead.

On its next possession, Plainfield put its lone score on the board when Tommy Restivo carried the ball 2 yards to make it 14-7 with 8:50 left in the first half. Gater then drove the Knights on a 10-play, 73-yard drive that took 5:57 and gave East Noble a 21-7 advantage with 2:53 left before the half.

After a scoreless third quarter, Tyler Knox then carried several would-be tacklers into the endzone from 11 yards out with 9:26 to go in the game to account for East Noble’s final touchdown.

Offensively, Gater completed 6-of-8 passes for 89 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, besides the blocked punt, he had five tackles and picked off two Plainfield passes to raise his season total to 13, tied for second in the state this year. He also returned two punts for 68 yards and one kickoff for 35 yards.

Cox carried 26 times for 168 yards in rushing for East Noble.

The East Noble defense held Plainfield to just 166 yards on offense and limited Restivo to just 40 yards on the ground, 128 yards below his average. Jeremy Happel led East Noble with 9 tackles, while Cory Partlow recorded 12 stops and Restivo 9 for the Quakers.

Plainfield, coached by Chuck Schwanekamp, suffered its first loss of the season finishing 14-1.

 

Plainfield (14-0)

0

7

0

0

--

7

East Noble (13-1)

14

7

0

7

--

28

 

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

East Noble – Jesse Cox 7 run (kick failed), 6:18.

East Noble – Josh Hitzeman fumble recovery in end zone of blocked punt (Jesse Cox run), 1:48.

2nd Quarter

Plainfield – Tommy Restivo 2 run (Mark Server kick), 8:50.

East Noble – Matt Spencer 32 pass from David Gater (Anthony Mangona kick), 2:53.

3rd Quarter

No scoring.

4th Quarter

East Noble – Tyler Knox 11 run (Anthony Mangona kick), 9:26.

 

 

Team Statistics

Plainfield

 

East Noble

8

First Downs

21

24/80

Rushes/Yards

52/270

86

Passing Yards

89

5/12/3

Passing Comp./Att./Int.

6/9/0

36/166

Plays/Total Net Yards

61/359

73

Return Yards

154

3/17.3

Punts/Avg.

0/0

5/39

Penalties/Yards

6/41

1/1

Fumbles/Lost

3/1

16:57

Time of Possession

31:03

Individual Statistics

Rushing

Plainfield – Tommy Restivo 13-40; Greg Ferguson 3-16; Cory Partlow 2-14; Jake Wiltrout 6-10.

East Noble – Jesse Cox 26-168; David Gater 14-45; Jeremy Happel 6-36; Tyler Knox 2-13; Matt Spencer 1-11; Team 3-minus 3.

Passing

Plainfield – Jake Wiltrout 5-11-86-0-1; Jamaal Edwards 0-1-0-0-1.

East Noble – David Gater 6-8-89-1-0.

Receiving

Plainfield – Jamaal Edwards 2-56; Jason Pociask 1-12; Tyler Roberts 1-10; Tommy Restivo 1-8.

East Noble – Matt Spencer 4-59; Tyler Knox 2-30.

Tackles

Plainfield – Cory Partlow 12; Tommy Restivo 9; Adam Fuller 7; Tyler Carmichael 6; Jake Wiltrout 5; Eric Newlin 5; Dan Brown 5; Jason Pociask 5; Jamaal Edwards 3; Greg Ferguson 2; Wayne Walker 2; Dustin Fish 1; Ray Wright 1; Mike Brown 1; Wes Hall 1.

East Noble – Jeremy Happel 9; Ryan Everage 5; David Gater 5; Darrin Taylor 4; Nathan Rodenbeck 3; Tyler Knox 3; Thad Conley 3; Jake Leighty 3; Matt Shire 2; Jesse Cox 2; Daniel Agee 1; David Ley 1; Matt Spencer 1.

Sacks

Plainfield – None.

East Noble – Ryan Everage 3; Thad Conley 1.

Interceptions

Plainfield – None.

East Noble – David Gater 2; Nathan Rodenbeck 1.

Fumble Recoveries

Plainfield – Eric Newlin 1.

East Noble – Team 1.

 

CLASS 4A GAME NOTES

EAST NOBLE’S FIRST STATE TITLE IN TEAM SPORT – East Noble claimed its first state title in a team sport in the school’s history with the victory over Plainfield.

EAST NOBLE IS 62ND FOOTBALL STATE CHAMPION – The Class 4A state championship for East Noble made the Knights the 62nd different school to win an IHSAA football state championship in the 28-year history of the tournament. East Noble is the fourth first-time football state champion this weekend, following Adams Central in Class A, Evansville Mater Dei in Class 2A and Heritage Hills in Class 3A.

GATER MOVES INTO TIE FOR SECOND IN STATE INTERCEPTIONS – East Noble senior David Gater picked off two Plainfield passes in the game to raise his season total to 13, which ranks in a tie for second on the state’s list this season.

CORY PARTLOW NAMED CLASS 4A MENTAL ATTITUDE AWARD RECIPIENT

Cory Partlow, a senior at Plainfield High School, was selected by the IHSAA Executive Committee as the 2000 recipient of the Phil N. Eskew Award for Mental Attitude in Class 4A football.

Partlow was a running back and linebacker for the Quakers. He entered the state championship game with 841 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns on 110 carries at running back. Defensively, he ranked among the team leaders in tackles with 106, including 10 for a loss.

Partlow also has lettered in wrestling the past three seasons.

Academically, Partlow ranks 12th in his senior class of 296 students and has 4.238 grade point average on the school’s weighted academic scale. He is a member of the National Honor Society and achieved perfect attendance twice during his first three years of high school. He is active in several other extracurricular activities at the school and is a community volunteer.

Partlow plans to enroll at DePauw University and pursue a pre-medicine curriculum.

Farm Bureau Insurance, corporate partner of the IHSAA, presented a $1,000 check to Plainfield High School in Partlow’s name.

 

CLASS 4A QUOTES

East Noble Coach Tim Able

"This game was exactly what we talked about all week, to a tee. We talked about special teams being a key, we talked about getting to the fourth quarter with a chance to win the game. We talked about the fact that we were the quicker team."

"There’s no doubt about it. Our big-play players made the plays and it’s all about the line of scrimmage. Our linemen won the war in the trenches."

"There’s no doubt about it. When you look back at the Carroll game (East Noble’s only loss), it’s one of the biggest blessings we’ll ever have. At the time, it hurt a lot. But it taught us a lesson. And that’s a big reason we’re sitting here today."

"The big key to the game was got them out of their mode. They only ran the sweep play once in the second half. And when you get away from your bread and butter, it always makes you a less effective team."

East Noble’s David Gater

(On building confidence with key regular-season wins) – "We took Homestead into overtime and they’re a good ballclub. That showed us that we can beat anybody if we put four quarters together at a 100 percent."

(On the block punt that gave East Noble a touchdown and a 14-0 first-quarter lead). "The blocked punt was pretty easy. I got right in there and blocked it untouched.

East Noble’s Tyler Knox

(On shutting down Plainfield’s running game) – "We pounded it down their throats. We came out and stopped the sweep play and they didn’t know what to run after that."

Plainfield Coach Chuck Schwanekamp

"I think you have to give credit to East Noble. They had a great game plan. When we out after the two turnovers only down 7-0, I thought we had a chance. But we could never get anything going. They kept us on our heels and they made great plays."

"I’m disappointed in this day but I’m not disappointed in this season. In 15 games, this is the worst one we’ve played."

"They made so many great plays, they broke tackles and made great catches. But this does not diminish our season. We had a great year, but not a great day. We beat a lot of good teams to get here."

"We were trying to gamble a little bit late in the game. They took us out of our game plan. We want to power run the football and we couldn’t do that."

"There is not a better senior class than this one in the 22 years of my coaching at any level."

Plainfield’s Tommy Restivo

The big key in the game was our turnovers. Give credit to them, they outplayed us.