When asked at state finals media day how his team differs from last year’s state championship group, Brownsburg coach John Hart’s first answer was the quarterback system.
Last year, Brownsburg played two. This year, just one. Last year, Westfield played one. This year, the Shamrocks play two.
When the Hoosier Crossroads Conference rivals meet for the Class 6A state championship on Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium, there is plenty of familiarity and countless similarities between the programs. That two-quarterback system is one.
“They kind of forced our hand,” Westfield coach Josh Miracle said of senior Aiden Grabowski and sophomore Cooper Melvin. “It was truly a competition (coming into the season). I think sometimes at their position, people think you have to come out of there with a winner and a loser. I don’t think that’s the case. We want to play great players. In our system, we want to be deep in a lot of areas and they have both earned the right to be on the field.”
Brownsburg utilized then-senior Iosua Stephens mostly as a running option last year to mix in with then-sophomore Oscar Frye. The Bulldogs needed both during their tournament run that ended with a 22-17 win over Westfield in last year’s 6A title game. This year, Frye is the guy.
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The junior has passed for 2,327 yards and 28 touchdowns to lead a balanced offense that can lean on a veteran offense line and three running backs, including senior A.J. Jobe (1,483 rushing yards, 20 TDs).
“We had two different systems,” Hart said of Brownsburg’s offense a year ago. “Iosua was our running quarterback who could throw it long. Oscar was our quarterback who was going to be a traditional quarterback. Both of their two guys do virtually the same thing. One of is more of a vertical runner and one is more of an athletic runner. But I don’t think we’re going to change much defensively based on who is at quarterback.”
Hart called Westfield “the best defense we have played” and senior defensive end Alex Aramboles the best defensive player in the state. In the first game between the teams in Week 6, a 14-10 Brownsburg win, Westfield held Brownsburg to 91 passing yards. Leading receiver Branden Sharpe had four catches but was limited to 18 yards.
“They did a great job taking Sharpe away from us,” Hart said. “I don’t think we will allow that this time. They did things we weren’t prepared for. They played a guy under and over him. It wasn’t truly a double team but we kind of acted like it was and came off our reads. We still need to get the ball out to him and Oscar is really good at that.”
There will not be many secrets between the programs coming into Saturday night’s game. Considering the stakes, there is plenty of motivation on both sides. But Westfield, a three-time 6A runner-up (2020, ’21 and ’24), is looking for a breakthrough. The Shamrocks won a 5A state title in 2016 under former coach Jake Gilbert, but are still looking for a 6A title.
“It’s a credit to Jake’s legacy,” Miracle said. “He’s put us in position to be successful, even after he’s moved on to Wabash. You don’t want to take these moments for granted. That hungry still persists. We haven’t pulled ahead here on the 6A stage, so the hungry to prove it in 6A is still there.”
Here is a look at the Class 6A title game:
Matchup
Westfield (11-2) vs. Brownsburg (13-0)
Rankings
Westfield No. 6 in USA TODAY Network Indiana poll; Brownsburg No. 1
Kickoff
7 p.m. Saturday, at Lucas Oil Stadium
How to watch
IHSAAtv.org
Championships
Westfield won its only state championship in Class 5A in 2016. The Shamrocks were runners-up in 2A in 1992 and 5A in 2013 and in 6A in 2020, 2021 and 2024. Westfield has nine state championships, including four in girls’ cross country and boys’ golf. Brownsburg has three state championships in football (3A in 1984, 4A in 1985 and 6A last year). The Bulldogs were the 2A runner-up in ’78. Brownsburg has 10 state championships overall across six sports.
Coaches
Westfield coach Josh Miracle, 37, is in his second year as coach with a 23-4 record. Miracle led the Shamrocks to the state finals a year ago, falling to Brownsburg. Miracle, a 2007 Hobart graduate, started his coaching career at Westfield after graduating from Wabash College in 2011. He was an assistant for 13 years before taking over for Jake Gilbert, the current Wabash coach, last season.
Brownsburg coach John Hart, 63, graduated from Newton, Ill., in 1980. After graduating from Eastern Illinois in 1984, Hart started his coaching career at Charlestown, Ill. He was hired as coach at Edwards County (Ill.) in 1985 and after five seasons was hired at Mt. Carmel, Ill., where he coached 11 seasons. Hart moved over to Indiana at Evansville Reitz in 2001 and led Reitz to a state championship in 2007. He coached four seasons at Warren Central, winning another title in 2009, and then coached at Huntley (Ill.) for four seasons before coming to Brownsburg in 2016. Hart has a 95-19 record at Brownsburg and is 362-100 overall.
A closer look at Westfield
The Shamrocks rank third in Class 6A in scoring defense, allowing just 13.4 points per game. This will be the third ranked team Westfield has played in the tournament. The Shamrocks defeated No. 2 Carmel 23-20 in overtime in the sectional championship and No. 9 Fishers 20-10 for the regional championship.
Westfield plays two quarterbacks: senior Aiden Grabowski (730 passing yards, four TDs; 616 rushing yards, 13 TDs) and sophomore Cooper Melvin (1,073 passing yards, seven TDs). Northern Illinois commit Deacon King (793 rushing yards, 11 TDs) returned as the starting running back last week after suffering an ankle sprain during the regular season. The top pass catches are sophomore Andrew Noble (28 catches, 536 yards, four TDs) and freshman Caiden Snow (38 catches, 431 yards, four TDs). The defense is led by senior Alex Aramboles (80 tackles, 28 ½ TFLs, 14 sacks), senior Ja’Deon Smith (81 tackles, three sacks, three fumble recoveries), junior Olumide Fapetu (105 tackles, 8 ½ TFLs, 2 ½ sacks) and Isaac Weingart (91 tackles, eight TFLs, 4 ½ sacks).
A closer look at Brownsburg
Brownsburg defeated last year’s Class 5A state champion, No. 8 Decatur Central, 47-23 in the regional. The Bulldogs knocked off Pike (43-14) and Avon (53-29) in the sectional and Warren Central (31-0) in the semistate. Brownsburg ranks fifth in 6A in scoring offense with 38.5 points per game.
The Bulldogs are well-balanced on offense, averaging 230 rushing yards and 184 passing yards per game. Junior quarterback Oscar Frye (2,327 passing yards, 28 TDs), senior A.J. Jobe (1,483 rushing yards, 20 TDs), junior receiver Branden Sharpe (55 catches, 992 yards, 12 TDs) and senior receiver Avin Robinson (40 catches, 652 yards, six TDs) are the offensive leaders at the skill positions. The defense is led by Alex Fisher (82 tackles, 7 ½ TFLs), Chancelor Adams (66 tackles, three interceptions), Drew Bostic (54 tackles, two interceptions), Saik Diallo (36 tackles, 10 TFLs and three sacks) and Dami Sowunmi (31 tackles, 10 TFLs, five sacks).
How Westfield can win
Make it a defensive game. The lower the score, the more the outcome is going to benefit Westfield. The Shamrocks did an excellent job of limiting the big plays in the first meeting between the teams – a 14-10 Brownsburg win. Sharpe was held to four catches for 18 yards. On offense, avoid the big mistakes and establish the run game.
How Brownsburg can win
Get off to a good start and keep the Shamrocks off balance. The Bulldogs have been great at mixing the run and pass all season. Jobe went for 141 yards on 24 carries in the first meeting between the teams, part of a 249-yard game on the ground. That will work. On defense, pressure the quarterbacks and keep King from getting it going.
Prediction
Brownsburg 24, Westfield 21.
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