By RICHIE HALL
SHERIDAN – The Sheridan football team began its 2024 season Friday with a welcome home against Western Boone at the renovated Bud Wright Stadium.
The Sheridan football team cut the ribbon at the first-ever Blackhawks football game on the team’s new artificial turf field. (Allison Waitt)
The Stars took control of the game in the second half, beating the Blackhawks 35-14. The action took place on Sheridan’s new artificial turf field, and the hundreds of football fans who attended the game streamed through a brand new stadium entrance. There were also new food stands, all overlooking Sheridan’s new gymnasium.
Unfortunately, Bud Wright himself was missing on the new field. Wright had to miss the opening game of his 59th season.th season with the Hawks after being injured last Friday during Sheridan’s practice game in Crawfordsville, but is recovering from surgery.
Jacob Chesney, a 2016 Sheridan University graduate and Blackhawks football star, served as the team’s assistant head coach and said the team “played really well” with WeBo.
“We were close, the score doesn’t really reflect that,” Chesney said. “But man, we were missing a couple of plays that would have changed some drives that would have helped us find the end zone and it would have been a closer game. But overall, they played hard. The O-line stepped up and really came into their own. The backs ran hard.”
Sheridan scored its first touchdown with 3:08 left in the first quarter after the Stars had scored earlier. Senior quarterback Owen Bell threw a 24-yard pass to Dayne Voege, which set up a three-yard touchdown run for senior Jaylen Arnold, who came from Carmel. Bell made the extra point kick.
Jacob Chesney, a former Sheridan player and 2016 graduate, stepped in as head coach for Bud Wright, who was absent
ruled out of the game after suffering an injury last week. He is pictured with Blackhawks quarterback Owen Bell. (Allison Waitt)
“He’s a great athlete,” Chesney said of Arnold. “Great athlete. I don’t know how much he played on offense, he’s a cornerback coming out of Carmel and that obviously shows. He’s strong offensively, we just have to get the ball to him and let him run.”
Western Boone scored a few seconds later to take a 14-7 lead. The Blackhawks tied the game again in the second quarter when Bell found Caleb Alexander for a 13-yard touchdown pass. Bell followed with his second extra point kick.
“Really, all the seniors are great leaders,” Chesney said. “But the senior, QB, has it. He’s vocal. He relays information from coaches to players when needed. He’s a real leader. I have the utmost confidence in him.”
The Stars scored a long touchdown pass with 5.1 seconds left in the first half and went into halftime with a 21-14 lead. Western Boone scored another touchdown in each quarter of the second half, scoring a short touchdown in the third quarter and a 40-yard touchdown pass in the fourth.
Jon Barnes was the Sheridans’ best rusher with 94 yards, Arnold had 55 yards. Bell completed 6 of 16 passes, Alexander caught four of those passes.
Friday’s game was the final one in the Sheridan-WeBo series, which has been the season opener for both teams since 1997. Western Boone is leaving the Sagamore Conference after this school year to compete in the new Monon Athletic Conference, which means necessary schedule changes for the Stars in 2025.
The Blackhawks will be on the road next week and will travel to North Miami.
