INDIANAPOLIS – The IHSAA was not kind to local prep football teams Sunday night.

The road to a sectional championship for area high school teams, for the most part, will be a tough one after the drawing for the 43rd annual tournament was held.

Postseason play for the 321 teams in six classes commences on Friday, Oct. 23.

Both Warsaw and Wawasee drew tough first-round foes and on the road no less.

The Tigers, who have won three of their last four games to sit at 4-4, meets familiar opponent Carroll (Fort Wayne) in Class 6-A Sectional 3. Carroll defeated Warsaw 40-3 in a first-round sectional game a year ago and the Chargers beat the Tigers 42-7 in the sectional final in 2013. Carroll is 5-3 with losses to Fort Wayne North, Fort Wayne Snider and Fort Wayne Dwenger. The Chargers average 35.5 points-per-game.

The Warsaw-Carroll winner will play the Homestead-Fort Wayne Northrop winner in the sectional final on Oct. 30.  Carroll is the defending sectional champion.

Wawasee, 3-5 on the season, will face Northern Lakes Conference foe Plymouth in a first-round game in the Class 4-A Sectional 19 field. The Warriors dropped a 29-20 final to the Rockies, then ranked No. 2 in Class 4-A, in Syracuse on Sept. 25. Plymouth’s lone loss thus far was a 35-6 setback to Concord. The Wawasee-Plymouth winner will meet the winner of DeKalb-Angola in a sectional semifinal game.

Tippecanoe Valley will venture north to face Jimtown in Class 3-A Sectional 26 action.  The Vikings are 3-5 on the season after being awarded a forfeit win over Northfield. The Jimmies are 6-2 with losses to NorthWood (16-6) and Mishawaka Marian (7-6). Jimtown is the defending sectional champion. The Valley-Jimtown winner will face the winner of the Garrett-West Noble contest.

Whitko was the lone team to receive a “favorable” draw. The Wildcats, who are 4-4 and host Peru Friday night for the Three Rivers Conference title, host winless Prairie Heights in Class 2-A Sectional 35. Prairie Heights is being outscored by almost 42 points-per-game this season and is just 1-17 over the past two years.  If Whitko wins, they will play the winner of the South Adams-Churubusco game.

Triton will be at home versus Southwood in its sectional opener in Class 1-A. The Trojans have lost seven in a row. Southwood has won three of its last four games on the field and also was one of the teams in the TRC to receive a forfeit win over Northfield. The Triton-Southwood winner advances to play either Caston or Northfield.

Sectional Football Pairings
Friday, Oct. 23
Times TBD

Class 6-A
Sectional 3
Warsaw (4-4) at Carroll (5-3)
Homestead (5-3) at Northrop (2-6)

Class 4-A
Sectional 19
East Noble (7-1) at NorthWood (5-3)
Columbia City (2-6) at Northridge (5-3)
Wawasee (3-5) at Plymouth (7-1)
DeKalb (4-4) at Angola (4-4)

Class 3-A
Sectional 26
Lakeland (4-4) at Heritage (5-3)
Fairfield (5-3) at Culver Academies (4-4)
Garrett (6-2) at West Noble (0-8)
Tippecanoe Valley (3-5) at Jimtown (6-2)

Class 2-A
Sectional 35
South Adams (1-7) at Churubusco (5-3)
Prairie Heights (0-8) at Whitko (4-4)
Bluffton (2-6) at Eastside (5-3)
Woodlan (8-0) at Central Noble (5-3)

Class 1-A
Sectional 43
Fremont (2-6) at LaVille (6-2)
North Miami (1-7) at Culver (3-5)
Southwood (5-3) at Triton (1-7)
Caston (1-7) at Northfield 3-5)