Noblesville stuns 6A No. 8 Fishers 27-24
By RYAN NAYLOR
ISL Correspondent
Expectations were high for Fishers entering its season opener against HCC rival Noblesville.
Trouble was, T.C. McKiernan didn’t care. The senior passed for 221 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another 160 yards in Noblesville’s 27-24 victory on Friday night.
The result was shocking because Fishers entered the season ranked No. 8 in The Associated Press’ Class 6A poll while Noblesville was coming off a 5-6 season.
“This was a huge win for our program,” Noblesville Coach Lance Scheib said. “We found a way to finish. I couldn’t be more proud of our boys.”
Fishers appeared poised to take control of the game midway through the third quarter when quarterback Conner Christiansen threw a 78-yard touchdown bomb to J-Shun Harris to put the Tigers up 17-13. The Millers responded quickly with a scoring drive of their own, ending in a 17-yard touchdown pass from McKiernan to junior wideout Joey Herron.
Noblesville extended its lead early in the fourth when McKiernan connected with tight end Mitch Krum on a 26-yard pass to put the Millers up 27-17.
With 4:39 left in the game, Christiansen rallied the Tigers. His 1-yard yard keeper for a touchdown pulled Fishers within three.
Noblesville’s next drive stalled, giving Fishers a final scoring opportunity. With only two minutes left in the contest, Noblesville’s Luke Kseniak picked off a Christiansen pass to seal the win for the Millers.
“Other than giving up a couple big plays, our defense was great tonight,” Scheib said. “Limiting their running game like we did set the tempo for the whole game.”
