Staff Report
Western Boone Shuts Out North Montgomery to Advance in Class 3A Tournament
CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. — The first time Western Boone and North Montgomery met this season, points came in bunches.
The playoff rematch couldn’t have been more different.
Western Boone’s defense completely smothered North Montgomery on Friday night, while the Stars’ offense produced more than enough big plays to roll to a 35-0 victory and advance in the Class 3A state tournament.
It was an emphatic postseason performance for Western Boone, which improved to 8-3 and moved on to face Tri-West Hendricks. North Montgomery, meanwhile, saw its season end at 4-7. The shutout was particularly impressive considering what happened when the teams met during the regular season. Western Boone won that Sept. 18 matchup 45-32, with the teams combining for 77 points. Six weeks later, the Stars didn’t allow North Montgomery to score once.
Western Boone’s defense set the tone by taking away the explosive plays that had caused problems in the first meeting. The Stars intercepted two passes, with Nathan Thompson and Luke Shirley each coming away with a pick. Those turnovers helped keep North Montgomery from developing any sustained offensive rhythm and repeatedly put the game back in the hands of Western Boone’s offense.
The Stars had plenty of firepower of their own. Senior quarterback Quinn Westerfeld hurt North Montgomery with his legs, rushing for 85 yards and a touchdown on only seven carries. His biggest play was a 59-yard run that helped stretch the defense and demonstrated Western Boone’s ability to strike quickly.
Senior Nathan Thompson was even more damaging around the end zone. Thompson accounted for three touchdowns while producing 67 total yards, giving Western Boone a dependable finisher whenever the Stars moved into scoring position. His impact wasn’t limited to offense, either. Thompson’s interception made him one of the central figures in a victory built on contributions from both sides of the football.
While Western Boone steadily built its advantage, North Montgomery could never find the answer it needed.
That was a dramatic reversal from the teams’ September meeting. North Montgomery quarterback Caden Eller threw for 213 yards and two touchdowns in that game, while Dakota Glasson rushed for a touchdown and Clayton Brown produced 103 receiving yards and a score. This time, Western Boone slammed the door.
North Montgomery entered the playoff rematch coming off a 50-0 victory over Indianapolis Washington, a game in which the Chargers rushed for 243 yards. Earlier in October, they had piled up 510 yards of offense in a 58-14 victory over Frankfort. Against Western Boone, none of that offensive momentum carried over.
The Stars’ defense kept the Chargers off the scoreboard from beginning to end, and the longer the shutout remained intact, the more pressure shifted onto North Montgomery to manufacture something — a turnover, an explosive run, a deep completion — that might change the direction of the game.
Western Boone never allowed it to happen.
Instead, the Stars gradually turned control into separation. Westerfeld provided the explosive running threat, Thompson kept finding the end zone, and a defense that had surrendered 32 points to North Montgomery in September didn’t surrender a single one in October.
The result also continued a season-long trend for Western Boone. The Stars have now won six games by at least 21 points, showing an ability to turn an early advantage into a comfortable margin. Friday night was another example. Only this time, there was no response from the other side. Western Boone had beaten North Montgomery 45-32 in a regular-season shootout. In the postseason, the Stars won with defense. And when the final seconds disappeared Friday night, the scoreboard told the story as clearly as possible:
