FOOTBALL VS. INDIAN CREEK (10/3)
By James Polston | Oct 6, 2025 6:20 PM
TC FOOTBALL BEATS INDIAN CREEK, CLINCHES SHARE OF HLC TITLE. Facing a top-15 opponent and playing without its starting quarterback, Class 2A No. 10 Triton Central leaned on senior leadership and resilience Friday night to stay unbeaten in Hoosier Legends Conference play. Senior running back Braden Brown, pressed into quarterback duty, delivered a gritty, all-around performance to lead the Tigers to a 17-14 victory over Class 3A No. 13 Indian Creek at home on Senior Night. Brown carried the ball 28 times for 104 yards and a touchdown, while completing 2-of-3 passes for 44 yards and another score, helping Triton Central (6-1, 3-0 HLC) remain atop the conference standings. The Tigers were forced to improvise after losing starting quarterback Matthew Wilkins to injury last week in a 21-14 loss to Lebanon, head coach Tim Able turned to Brown, senior Conner McClure, and sophomore Dylan Showalter to share quarterback duties in practice. Early on, the offense struggled to find rhythm. Triton Central’s opening drive lost seven yards and ended in a punt, and Indian Creek (4-3, 1-2 HLC) capitalized quickly with a 72-yard scoring drive, capped by an Evan Clark 1-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead. The Tigers’ second possession again stalled, but their defense responded, forcing a punt and shifting the game’s momentum. From there, the Triton Central ground game began to click. Alternating between Brown and Cooper Marlin, the Tigers marched down the field, and Brown finished the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run to tie the game early in the second quarter. Indian Creek threatened again on its next possession, using a long run from Drew Pingleton to reach the red zone, but the Tigers’ defense held firm, stopping Pingleton on fourth down. A late first-half penalty against the Braves swung momentum further toward the home team. The Tigers crossed midfield, and Brown hit Henry Kemper for a 34-yard pass—his first completion as a quarterback—to set up a scoring opportunity. Two plays later, Brown connected with McClure on a 10-yard touchdown pass, giving Triton Central a 14-7 halftime lead. Indian Creek answered out of the break, stringing together a 98-yard drive capped by a 32-yard touchdown run from Pingleton to tie the game at 14-all. But the Tigers’ defense locked in from that point on. Marlin intercepted Clark on the next drive, and a botched punt attempt by Indian Creek set Triton Central up deep in Braves territory. From the 14-yard line, the Tigers settled for a 27-yard field goal by Nick Tormoehlen—his third game-winning kick of the season—to reclaim the lead at 17-14. Triton Central’s defense sealed the win from there, forcing punts on the Braves’ final two possessions. A late penalty on a punt attempt gave the Tigers a game-clinching first down with under a minute remaining. With the victory, Triton Central can clinch the Hoosier Legends Conference championship outright with a win next Friday at Beech Grove (2-5, 1-2 HLC). In junior varsity action Saturday, the Tigers rolled to a 34-0 road win over Indian Creek, improving their JV record to 2-5.