Concord is back in familiar territory, but the road to another regional championship has been anything but easy. The defending Class 5A regional champion Minutemen will host Chesterton Friday night with a trip to the SemiState on the line in the Sports Michiana Game of the Week.

A year ago, Concord went 8-1 in the regular season before its run ended in the SemiState. This season has been a different story. The Minutemen finished the regular season 4-5, with four of their five losses coming by one score or less.

But Concord has found its footing in the postseason. The Minutemen rolled past Adams 54-28 and followed that with a 38-14 victory over LaPorte to repeat as sectional champions.

Chesterton also finished the regular season 4-5, but the Trojans are riding the momentum of a milestone achievement. They captured the first sectional championship in program history, defeating Michigan City 31-13 before knocking off Munster 27-7.

Concord is averaging 34.5 points per game while allowing 20.7. Chesterton has been stronger defensively, giving up just 18.5 points per contest, but the Trojans are averaging 20.4 points offensively.

The Minutemen will look to use their offensive firepower and home-field advantage to defend their regional title, while Chesterton hopes to make more history by capturing its first regional championship.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET Friday night, with pregame coverage on the Sports Michiana Game of the Week beginning at 7:15 p.m ET.

Important viewing information: Per IHSAA guidelines, postseason broadcasts are not available on YouTube or Facebook. Friday’s regional championship will stream exclusively on the Sports Michiana page at IHSAATV.

Visit sportsmichiana.com/watch to go directly to our IHSAATV broadcast page.