Monroe Central

IHSAA Sectional 44, Round 2: Hagerstown 22, Monroe Central 8 It was a battle to the final whistle, but the Monroe Central football team saw its 2025 season come to an end Friday night with a 22-8 home loss to Hagerstown in IHSAA Sectional 44 sectional semifinal action. The game was a defensive struggle through the first three quarters, as neither team was able to muster a single point in the first 36 minutes of action. That all changed a minute into the fourth quarter, however, as the Tigers (4-5) broke the scoreless tie with a 25-yard touchdown pass to take a 7-0 lead. The Golden Bears answered right back. After alternating possessions with Hagerstown, Monroe Central got the ball back via the punt at their own 18 yard line. After a 12-yard run play on a pitch by Ethan Hunt — who was hit out of bounds, resulting in a 15-yard personal foul penalty — quarterback Carson Siekmann launched a deep pass to wide receiver Kyler Bogue, who ran it into the end zone for a 55-yard touchdown. The Golden Bears then reached into their bag of tricks on the ensuing two-point conversion attempt, as Siekmann took the snap and pitched it to Caleb Luedike, who then completed a pass to Griffin Gannom in the end zone, giving Monroe Central an 8-7 lead with 6:16 left in the ballgame. But Hagerstown wasn’t phased. On a 2nd-and-12 play from their own 43-yard line on the ensuing drive, the Tigers completed a screen play to the outside and slipped away from the defense, running 57 yards to the end zone for the touchdown, adding a two-point conversion via the pass. After a Golden Bears lost fumble on their next drive, Hagerstown was able to add some insurance — this time on the ground, as they found the end zone once again with a 43-yard rushing score to go up 22-8 and head into next week’s sectional final. Monroe Central had 255 yards of total offense on the night. Siekmann completed 10-of-28 passes for 159 yards with one touchdown. Hunt had a team-best 65 rushing yards on seven carries, converting three first downs. Bogue, who had a forced fumble, and Travis Reed unofficially had a team-best nine tackles each on the night, including a tackle for loss, while Luke Anderson added eight tackles. Kaden Sullivan and Julius Ullom also had sacks. Monroe Central’s season ends with a 5-6 record.