Head coach Bart Curtis and Warsaw have a very juicy draw in the IHSAA football sectionals, the Tigers set to visit Penn in the opening round. (File photo by Mike Deak)

INDIANAPOLIS – The fall version of Selection Sunday took place in the IHSAA offices Sunday evening as the stages were set for the 2018 IHSAA football playoffs.

Brackets were drawn for each of the six classes, with games set to begin in two weeks on Oct. 19.

Starting in Class 6-A in Sectional No. 2, the overlords aligned the matchup everyone in Tiger stripes wants to see, as Warsaw will visit defending sectional champion Penn. Warsaw head coach Bart Curtis, the former boss for the Mishawaka Cavemen, knows the Kingsmen all too well, and knows how to beat them. The Cavemen beat the Kingsmen four times under Curtis, and are the only Northern Indiana Conference school to do so in the last 33 years. Warsaw is still seeking its first-ever sectional championship.

The other half of the four-team bracket will have Chesterton visit Valparaiso.

The 6-A games start Oct. 26 as each of the four-team brackets receive a first-round bye.

In Class 4-A, the pairings in No. 19 are intriguing all around. The final weekend of the regular season will pit undefeated NorthWood at Plymouth for the Northern Lakes Conference championship, the Panthers already with at least a share of it and the Rockies looking to steal the other half with a win. The two will then shift the rivalry from the Rock Pile to Andrews Field for the first round of the sectional. The winner will get visit the survivor of backyard rivals East Noble and DeKalb.

In the bottom half of Sectional 19, head coach Tom Wogomon and Northridge will revisit his old stomping grounds at Wawasee, and defending sectional champs and undefeated Angola will load the bus for a day trip to Culver Academy to take on the powerful Eagles. Wawasee hasn’t won a sectional title since 2004, the Panthers were in the state finals in 2016.

In Class 3-A, Tippecanoe Valley could be riding high into the Sectional 27 tourney if it can earn a Three Rivers Conference championship this week at Southwood. The Vikings will visit currently winless Peru in round one, with either John Glenn or Maconaquah set to host a second-round matchup. Valley hasn’t hoisted a sectional championship trophy since 1992 when head coach Steve Moriarty was wearing the Viking horns.

The other half of the 27 bracket has the historical teams, with three-time defending champion Mishawaka Marian visiting Fairfield and Knox heading to Jimtown.

And finally, in Class 1-A, Triton will likely be the favorite in its first two opportunities, drawing a trip to Culver in round one then visiting either Winamac or Caston, who play in the other top half of the Sectional 41 draw. Triton already has lopsided wins over Culver and Caston this season and visit WInamac this week to potentially set the tone for a semi-final rematch. Triton is seeking its first sectional championship since 2008.

The other half of the 41 bracket has North Judson visiting defending champion LaVille and South Central traveling to West Central.

CLASS 6-A SECTIONAL 2
Oct. 26
Chesterton (3-5) at Valparaiso (6-2)
Warsaw (6-2) at Penn (7-1)

Nov. 2
Championship

CLASS 4-A SECTIONAL 19
Oct. 19
Plymouth (6-2) at NorthWood (8-0)
East Noble (7-1) at DeKalb (5-3)
Northridge (4-4) at Wawasee (0-8)
Angola (8-0) at Culver Academy (5-2)

Oct. 26
Semi-finals

Nov. 2
Championship

CLASS 3-A SECTIONAL 27
Oct. 19
Tippecanoe Valley (5-3) at Peru (0-8)
John Glenn (1-7) at Maconaquah (6-2)
Knox (5-3) at Jimtown (4-4)
Mishawaka Marian (4-4) at Fairfield (0-7)

Oct. 26
Semi-finals

Nov. 2
Championship

CLASS 1-A SECTIONAL 41
Oct. 19
Triton (5-3) at Culver (2-6)
Winamac (4-4) at Caston (0-8)
North Judson (4-4) at LaVille (5-3)
South Central (2-6) at West Central (3-5)

Oct. 26
Semi-finals

Nov. 2
Championship