Michiana’s high school football season ended Friday night as Concord, Saint Joseph and Knox all lost in SemiState.

5A: Merrillville 41, Concord 14

Concord’s high tempo offense finally met its match Friday night in the 5A SemiState as the Minutemen saw their season end with a a 41-14 loss at Merrillville.

Reese Breveard rushed for a 51 yard touchdown with 1:28 left in the 1st quarter as Concord jumped out to a 7-0 lead. Concord was on the doorstep of going up 14-0 when the Minutemen fumbled the ball at the Merrillville 1 yard line and the Pirates jumped on it in the end zone for a touchback.

Moments later, Merrillville rushed for an 80 yard touchdown to tie the game at 7. The Pirates had three touchdowns in the 2nd quarter in total to take a 20-7 lead into halftime.

Breveard scored his 2nd touchdown of the night midway through the 3rd quarter to pull the Minutmen within 6 but it was the final points of the night for Concord as Merrillville would score 21 straight to close the game.

Concord’s season ends with an 11-2 record. It was their first regional championship since 2013 and their best season overall since playing for the state championship in 2006.

Merrillville is headed to the state finals for the first time since 1976.

4A: Bishop Dwenger 28, Saint Joseph 7

A magical season for the Saint Joseph Huskies came to an end with a 28-7 loss on the road at Bishop Dwenger in the 4A SemiState.

In a battle of two the state’s best defenses, Dwenger struck first with a 47-yard field goal midway through the first quarter to take a 3-0 lead.

Saint Joseph answered as Sam Scicchitano connected with Dallas Downey for a 16 yard touchdown pass to put the Huskies up 7-3 with 2:30 left in the 1st quarter. Saint Joe would then intercept a pass to take over at Dwenger’s 31.

But the good fortune ended their as Saint Joe’s field goal attempt was blocked and Dwenger returned it for a touchdown to take a 10-7 lead with 1.7 seconds left in the 1st quarter. The Saints would take a 13-7 lead into halftime.

Saint Joseph’s defense would intercept another pass in the 3rd quarter but were unable to come away with points. Dwenger scored a touchdown with 36 seconds left in the 3rd to open up a 19-7 lead and never looked back.

It was a season no one could have imagined for Saint Joe which hadn’t won a sectional title let along a regional championship in 10 years. Behind an incredible defense, the Huskies defied the odds throughout the year to finish with a 12-2 record, marking their best season since they played for a state title in 2011.

3A: Bishop Luers 35, Knox 0

Knox senior standout Myles McLaughlin was held to a season low 78 yards rushing as the Knox Redskins saw their undefeated season come to an end with a 35-0 loss on the road at Bishop Luers in the 3A SemiState.

McLaughlin, who has captured the attention of so many across the country, finishes his career as the nation’s 3rd all time leading rusher with 11,839 yards. He also finishes with two national records. His 4,846 yards rushing this season and his 71 rushing touchdowns are both the most of any player in a single season in the history of high school football across the country.

It was also the most prolific football season in the history of Knox, ending a 13-1.

Here are the matchups for the IHSAA State Finals next weekend at Lucas Oil Stadium:

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 28th
Class 1A | 11am | Pioneer vs South Putnam
Class 3A | 3pm | Luers vs Gibson Southern or Cascade
Class 5A | 7pm | Merrillville vs New Palestine

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 29th
Class 2A: 11am | Andrean vs Brownstown Central
Class 4A: 3pm | Dwenger vs Roncalli
Class 6A: 7pm | Westfield vs Brownsburg