On November 13, No. 7 ranked Merrillville beat the Elkhart Lions at Rice Field in a brawl for the Regional Championship in a final score of 27-24. 

In the beginning of the half, Merrillville had a strong lead at 14-0 against the Lions from an unbreakable defense which led to outstanding offensive plays. 

Elkhart then pulled through with a 45-yard touchdown pass by Senior, Cameron Wiltfong to teammate Derrick Woods.  

The Lions fought to out-defend the Pirates whenever they had a chance to score. To finish the first half, Merrillville took a knee to complete their 14-6 lead. 

After halftime, the Lions decided it was time to kick it in gear, with a 37-yard touchdown toss from Wiltfong to Junior, Donovan Johnson. Senior, Vincent Ambrose then ran a conversion run to tie the game to 14-14.

Senior, Jaylen Holmes exclaims, “We ran the ball really well, we decided to stick with it”.

At the end of the third quarter, Senior Naieem Bean kicked a 3 point field-goal to give the Lions a 17-14 lead. 

Merrillville then scored a go ahead touchdown to lead 21-17. Elkhart responded quickly with a touchdown from an interception by Senior Michael Echartea that led them 24-21 with 6:16 left in the fourth quarter. 

Merrillville scored with 3:23 left in the fourth quarter that ended the Lions season with a 27-24 loss. 

Senior, Clayton Lundy finishes the season with a message to the fans and supporters, “I’d just like to thank anyone and everyone who have done anything to help give us the opportunities we’ve gotten this season”. 

The Lions had an amazing first season with the new merger that started the legacy of what Elkhart Football would be for the future.