EVANSVILLE — Memorial coach John Hurley picked up on the vibe during the pregame walkthrough.
He knew something was off. So did his team captains. Whatever the reason, the standard wasn't met during the first half of the Tigers' regular season finale. The result was a halftime deficit for the second straight week.
But for the second straight game, and every other week this fall, the Tigers rose to the occasion when it mattered.
Another outright conference championship. Another 9-0 record entering the tournament.
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No. 1 (3A) Memorial put the finishing touches on a third straight undefeated regular season with a 37-14 win over Castle on Friday, Oct. 16 at Enlow Field. A stunning sequence of complementary football starting in third quarter quickly erased any threat of a possible upset. The Tigers played like a championship team after emerging from the locker room.
"We just decided we’re going to come at them and get things rolling in the right direction," Hurley said. "Offensively, if we're rolling, the defense gets some juice. The same thing when the defense starts rolling. The offense gets confidence. It's good team ball."
First order of business was the start. The Southern Indiana Athletic Conference champions were out of sorts.
Credit goes to Castle (5-4) for limiting explosive plays and stifling the run over the first two quarters. The Tigers also gave the Knights short fields on a failed run by the punter and a fumble on a punt return. Brodie Farmer accounted for both touchdowns — a two-yard run, and a 19-yard pass to Drew Slepsky on fourth down.
Memorial trailed 14-10 going into the locker room after a Liam Ragan 25-yard field goal at the buzzer. It followed similar starts against Floyd Central and North. No excuses were given from captains Luke Brown or Grayson Carter. Neither found the first half good enough.
"We need to have a better approach," Brown said. "The right things were said at halftime. Keep fighting. Keep finding ways to do things a little more productive. We've been doing this all year, finding ways to come out in the second half and be resilient."
What followed is why Memorial is still undefeated. This team is never down until the final whistle.
Everything flipped across a 10-minute sequence starting in the third quarter. Geno Aimone capped a lengthy drive with a rushing touchdown. Carter intercepted a pass on the next play. The senior punched in a 1-yard touchdown with 11:40 remaining to put Memorial up 23-14.
Reece Becker recovered a fumble on the next play. Then Brown hit Grant Rogier for a 35-yard touchdown. Then Evan Heldt intercepted a pass. That led to a Vance Alsman touchdown run with 6:38 showing.
Four touchdowns and three takeaways. Memorial turned a four-point deficit into a 23-point lead. The Tigers forced four turnovers – Carter intercepted another pass on Castle's final possession – and unofficially limited the Knights to 51 yards in the second half. The run defense was even more impressive: Castle had 61 total yards on the ground.
That sequence might sum up Memorial at its peak. True complementary football between offense and defense.
"That was our true form right there," Carter said. "When we came out of halftime, we were so disciplined. All 11 guys doing their job. When that happens, you have a chance to make plays like that. We're such a well-rounded group. We have so many athletes on this team. Everyone is so bought in this year."
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Aimone totaled 110 rushing yards on 17 carries (plus a team-high 78 receiving yards) following his own slow start. Brown was 19 of 34 passing for 210 yards and one score. The only negatives were a few misfires on special teams, including an extra point that hit the upright. The final outcome was still a 27th straight regular-season victory.
Memorial is the first to win three straight outright SIAC title since Mater Dei from 2014-16. The regular season streak is now approaching rarified air. Only a handful in conference history have won 30 or more consecutive games. Not even the Tigers' state title teams from 2017 and '19 survived the regular season with zero blemishes.
"They compete," Hurley said. "We have a lot of guys who moved around this year. A few different positions. They're willing to do what the team needs them to do. It's selfless football. They're playing good, team football."
The other piece of the puzzle, of course, is the lack of postseason championships during this current run. Memorial enters the state tournament as the favorite in Sectional 32, but a pair of ranked opponents are looming on the path to the title. First is a lengthy trip to North Harrison next week. Hurley and his players noted the importance of starting that game locked in.
Part of that is approach during the week. Part of that is the correct mindset on Friday nights. Memorial believes in its potential should the pieces align like it did in the second half. The latest effort also proved the opponent needs to finish the job given the opportunity.
"We find ways to win together," Brown said. "It's not about who you are on your own. It's about how you play 11 as 1. We have so many weapons. We can run the ball down anybody and make plays. We try to utilize it the best we can."
Kyle Sokeland is a sports reporter for the Courier & Press. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @kylesokeland or email at kyle.sokeland@courierpress.com.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Memorial football completes third straight undefeated regular season