FISHERS, Ind. — Friday night's matchup between the Class 6A No. 2 Brownsburg Bulldogs and the Fishers Tigers was an all-time classic between the two Hoosier Crossroads Conference rivals.
Entering the game, Fishers had dropped out of the top 10 in the rankings despite a narrow 37-35 win over crosstown rival Hamilton Southeastern in the Mudsock game last week. Meanwhile, Brownsburg entered the matchup 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the conference.
The game was delayed about a full hour from its scheduled kickoff due to lightning in the area. When the game finally kicked off, the two teams traded possessions until Brownsburg quarterback Oscar Frye found Shakovon Sumpterbey for a 17-yard touchdown pass to put the Bulldogs up 7-0 late in the first.
At the start of the second quarter, Fishers running back Brady Griffitts found his way into the endzone with a 4-yard run to tie the game at 7.
On their very next possession, Brownsburg's Iosua Stephens ran for a 10-yard touchdown. Scoring continued to heat up when Fishers' quarterback Gage Sturgill took off for a 36-yard rushing touchdown to even things at 14.
Following an interception by Fishers' Cameron Haag, Jon Tangara knocked through a 21-yard field goal to give the Tigers a 17-14 lead late in the first half. Not long after, Brownsburg scored again off a 1-yard rushing TD by Sumpterbey to take back the lead.
The Bulldogs led the Tigers 24-17 at halftime.
As the third quarter began, neither team appeared to have the explosiveness that they had in the first half. The only score of the third quarter came on a 29-yard field goal kick from Fishers' Jon Tangara. Brownsburg held a 24-20 lead heading into the final quarter.
The Tigers remained determined to fight. Fishers' defense forced a turnover on downs, leading to Sturgill finding Donovan Proll for a 22-yard touchdown pass. Fishers continued their scoring barrage with a 37-yard field goal by Tangara to put the Tigers up 30-24 with about three minutes left to play in the game.
However, the Tigers might have scored a bit too early. Oscar Frye had plenty of time to help lead the Bulldogs down the field in what became a one-score game. With less than a minute to go, Frye found Branden Sharpe to tie the game. A Will Orlando extra point put the Bulldogs ahead 31-30 with very little time for Fishers to score again before the clock ran out.
The Tigers fell to 3-2 on the season and 2-1 in the conference while Brownsburg stays undefeated, moving to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the conference.
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