'We’re going to be ready.' Ben Davis turns tables on Avon, prepares for No. 1 Brownsburg

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AVON – Ben Davis safety Keontay Toomer waited for the play to start late in the second quarter. Faced with fourth down, the ball snapped and was handed off to Avon running back Andrew Warfield II before Toomer, a Louisville commit, went untouched through an open hole.

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The senior laid a big hit at the line of scrimmage and forced a turnover on downs.

It was that type of night for a Ben Davis team (5-5) that earned a 32-10 win over Avon (6-4) in a Class 6A Sectional 5 semifinal on Friday. The Giants set up a sectional title game meeting against top-ranked Brownsburg (10-0) next week.

“Defensively, we never quit,” Toomer said. “There was kind of one drive where they got loose a little bit. After that, we went to the huddle tent and said, '110% effort every play,’ and that’s really what it was. They couldn’t mess with us after we showed that effort.”

Toomer was fearless when he exploded through a gap and leveled the Avon running back. It’s a word that describes this gritty Ben Davis bunch, who - on paper - were the sectional underdogs entering the postseason.

The Giants suffered a 22-12 loss to the Orioles back in Week 2 of the Indiana high school football season. That defeat felt like ancient history compared to the dominant performance in Friday's postseason opener.

Avon was held to its second lowest scoring output (10 points) this season, after averaging about 22 points all season entering the sectional semifinals.

“Those kids just play hard,” said Ben Davis coach Brett Cooper on the team’s defense. “It was all about guts and grit. When it comes down to fourth down, you just got to line up and play and know your responsibility, and these kids executive at a high level.

“We played well on all three phases of the game, and we lost here in Week 2 but we’re a completely different team. We settled in a little bit. We know what our strengths are and we didn’t turn the ball over tonight. We’re explosive on offense and we got a pretty darn good defense.”

The Giants opened the game in great field position thanks to a long kick return by Toomer. He put the team at the Orioles 6. The road team settled for a field goal by Venzdel Jacques Casillas.

Avon fumbled on its first offensive possession. Senior Marcus Powe scooped it up and put the Giants at the Orioles’ 2-yard line. On the next play, Ben Davis sophomore quarterback DJ Mitchell drove in a touchdown run from a yard out. That gave Ben Davis an early 10-0 lead.

With two minutes and change left in quarter one, senior kicker Tim Paciorek put the home team on the board with a 27-yard field goal.

Ben Davis countered with a big 62-yard catch by junior Michael Williams, which put the road team in enemy territory. A few plays later, Mitchell converted his second touchdown run from about two yards out right before the start of quarter two.

Warfield ran in a seven-yard touchdown that cut Avon’s deficit, 17-10, with 10 minutes and change left in the second frame. That turned out to be the final points scored by Avon the rest of the way.

With 49 seconds left before halftime, Ben Davis senior Cameron Crawford caught a 13-yard touchdown. That gave the road team a 24-10 advantage at the break.

The Orioles were blanked on their five possessions of the second half: Punt, fumble, turnover on downs, turnover on downs, game clock expired.

With under a minute left in the postseason opener, KeShaun Taylor sealed the deal for Ben Davis with a one-yard touchdown.

“Everybody doubted us every step,” Taylor said. “They didn’t (think) we were going to make it out of this first round, but we did it, man. We believe in ourselves. That’s all we got.”

The Giants, who entered the postseason with a losing record, quieted the naysayers. They outworked an Avon team that had home field advantage and had owned bragging rights from Week 2. They blanked their first sectional opponent in the second half, with unshaken enthusiasm for their next battle against 6A favorite Brownsburg.

The sectional championship will pose an even greater threat. Mistakes have to be at a minimal while defense needs to be rock solid. That’s how the Giants got the job done on Friday - a winning recipe that needs to be even more potent next week.

“Our three goals are: win the turnover battle, win the explosive play battle and then win field position,” Cooper said. “So, all three phases got to get taken care of. If we don’t turn the ball over, we got a chance.”

The men of Ben Davis played with no fear. They ran onto Avon’s home territory and took a win out of their grasp. The Giants enter the next round of sectionals as the underdogs but their confidence is that of a top dog. They flexed their superiority against the Giants and understand that same energy -- or even more – is needed against 6A juggernaut Brownsburg.

“We just got to be fearless, for real,” Toomer said. “I know the defense, we’re ready for everything. Everything they bring at us, we’re going to be ready.”

Marc Ray is a high school sports reporter at the IndyStar. He can be reached at [email protected] , and on X, formerly Twitter, at @themarcszn.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 'We’re going to be ready.' Ben Davis turns tables on Avon, prepares for No. 1 Brownsburg

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