Staff Report
Plainfield Blanks Arsenal Tech 57-0 in Class 5A Playoff Opener
INDIANAPOLIS — It didn’t take long for Plainfield to turn its postseason opener into a runaway.
The Quakers erupted for 23 points in the first quarter, piled on another 27 in the second and overwhelmed Arsenal Technical 57-0 Friday night in the Class 5A state tournament.
By halftime, Plainfield had scored seven touchdowns and built a stunning 50-0 advantage triggering a running clock, effectively putting the game away before the teams returned to the field for the second half.
Quarterback Bryce Sebanc was at the center of the offensive explosion, accounting for six touchdowns. Sebanc threw four touchdown passes and rushed for two more scores as Plainfield repeatedly struck for big plays. Wide receiver Zander Nattam was Sebanc’s primary target, finishing with 79 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
But this was much more than an impressive offensive performance. Plainfield’s defense made sure Tech never had an opportunity to answer. The Titans, who had scored 50 points in their previous game, were shut out from beginning to end as Plainfield dominated both sides of the football.
Quakers seize control immediately
Any thoughts Tech had of turning the game into a four-quarter battle disappeared quickly.
Plainfield came out aggressively and scored 23 points in the opening quarter. The Quakers’ combination of explosive plays and a defense that continually gave the offense opportunities quickly put the Titans in a difficult position. By the end of the first 12 minutes, Tech was staring at a 23-0 deficit.
Instead of slowing down, Plainfield became even more productive in the second quarter. The Quakers scored four more touchdowns during the period, adding 27 points and stretching the margin to 50-0 by halftime. Sebanc’s versatility presented problems Arsenal Tech couldn’t solve. Through the air, he completed 6 of 8 passes for 80 yards and four touchdowns. When he kept the football, he was even more explosive, rushing for 69 yards and two scores on just three attempts. One of those runs covered 58 yards.
It was the type of big play that defined Plainfield’s night. The Quakers didn’t need long, methodical possessions to score. They repeatedly found ways to turn individual plays into touchdowns.
Nattam was particularly dangerous in the passing game. The senior caught four passes for 79 yards, and three of those receptions went for touchdowns. In other words, nearly every time Sebanc and Nattam connected, the result was devastating for the Titans.
With Plainfield already ahead 23-0 after one quarter, the Sebanc-led offense continued pouring it on in the second. By the time the halftime horn sounded, the Quakers had reached 50 points.
Ground game adds another dimension
Plainfield wasn’t simply beating Tech through the air. The Quakers rushed for 224 yards, giving the Titans another problem to contend with and allowing Plainfield to control the game regardless of who was carrying the football. Sebanc supplied 69 of those yards, with his 58-yard burst providing the night’s biggest run. The rushing performance was Plainfield’s best of the season and helped produce the Quakers’ highest-scoring game of the year.
The combination was overwhelming.
When Tech concentrated on stopping the run, Plainfield had the ability to attack through the air. When the Titans tried to protect against Sebanc’s passing, the Quakers could turn to a running game that was producing chunk yardage. And whenever Plainfield got close to the end zone, the Quakers finished drives. That efficiency explains how a game could get away from Tech so rapidly.
Defense never allows Titans back into game
With a 50-point lead at halftime, Plainfield’s offense had done more than enough.
Its defense made certain there would be no second-half response. The Quakers held Arsenal Tech scoreless in the third quarter as the running clock and enormous margin dramatically changed the pace of the game.
For the first time all night, Plainfield also failed to score during the third period.
The score remained 50-0 entering the fourth quarter. Plainfield eventually added one final touchdown in the fourth to make it 57-0, completing a night in which the Quakers dominated from the opening quarter through the final whistle.
Perhaps the most striking part of the shutout was the opponent.
Tech had entered the game coming off a 50-0 victory over Phalen Leadership Academy. Two weeks later, the Titans found themselves on the opposite side of an almost identical result.
Plainfield simply never allowed Tech’s offense to get started.
Each early defensive stop gave the Quakers’ offense another opportunity, and each Plainfield score put additional pressure on the Titans to find an answer.
None came.
Plainfield carries momentum into next round
The victory improved Plainfield to 8-2 and continued an impressive run for the Quakers.
After opening the season with a 31-7 loss to Franklin Central, Plainfield responded by winning seven of its next eight games.
The Quakers have been particularly dangerous offensively during the second half of the season. Plainfield beat Franklin Community 48-14, edged Whiteland 28-27 and then scored 56 points against Martinsville before producing a season-high 57 against Arsenal Tech. That means the Quakers have scored 189 points over their last four games, an average of more than 47 points per contest.
Friday’s performance may have been the most complete of the group.
Plainfield scored 23 points in the first quarter and 27 in the second, taking a 50-0 lead into halftime. Neither team scored in the third before the Quakers added seven more points in the fourth.
The result ended Tech’s season at 4-6.
For Plainfield, the postseason continues against Terre Haute South. And if Friday night’s opening-round performance was any indication, the Quakers enter the next round with an offense operating at full speed and a defense capable of making an early lead feel insurmountable.
Against Tech, Plainfield didn’t merely take control of the game. The Quakers did it almost immediately. Twenty-three points in the first quarter put Arsenal Tech on its heels. Twenty-seven more in the second removed virtually all doubt. By halftime, the scoreboard read 50-0.
The final 24 minutes merely completed Plainfield’s 57-0 postseason statement.
