LIGONIER, IN — The West Noble Chargers celebrated Senior Night in impressive fashion Friday evening, October 16, defeating the Prairie Heights Panthers 40-19 to close out the 2026 regular season with an outstanding 8-1 record. The Chargers also finished a perfect 4-0 in the NECC Big School Division, capturing the conference division championship. West Noble wasted little time taking control of the contest, exploding for 20 first-quarter points and building a commanding 33-0 halftime advantage. The Chargers used a combination of explosive offensive plays, a strong defensive effort, and outstanding special teams play to secure their eighth victory of the season. Senior quarterback Jackson Christlieb turned in an outstanding performance, completing 10 of 11 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Christlieb connected with several different receivers as the Chargers consistently produced big plays through the air. The Chargers opened the scoring when Xy'Mire Barnes-Bridges broke loose for a spectacular 71-yard touchdown run with 4:48 remaining in the opening quarter. Senior kicker Marco Macias added the extra point to give West Noble a 7-0 advantage. Just over three minutes later, Christlieb connected with Brayden Limerick on a 72-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 14-0. The Chargers weren't finished, as Caleb Saggars recovered a Prairie Heights fumble and raced 20 yards into the end zone for a defensive touchdown, giving West Noble a 20-0 lead after one quarter. The Chargers continued their offensive explosion in the second quarter. Christlieb found Saggars for a 56-yard touchdown reception before connecting with Brogan Parks on a 37-yard scoring strike with just 12 seconds remaining in the half. West Noble entered the locker room holding a commanding 33-0 advantage. West Noble added its final touchdown early in the third quarter when Barnes-Bridges scored from four yards out. Macias converted the extra point to push the Chargers' lead to 40-0. Prairie Heights continued to battle, scoring once in the third quarter and twice in the fourth to account for the final 40-19 margin. Barnes-Bridges led the Chargers' rushing attack, finishing with 93 yards on just six carries and two touchdowns. He averaged an impressive 15.5 yards per rushing attempt. Barnes-Bridges also contributed 74 yards on three kickoff returns. The West Noble receiving corps enjoyed an excellent evening. Brayden Limerick led the Chargers with three receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown. Caleb Saggars added three catches for 71 yards and a touchdown, while Brogan Parks hauled in a 37-yard touchdown reception. Trevor Martin also contributed an eight-yard reception. Overall, the Chargers accumulated 335 yards of total offense, including 202 passing yards and 123 rushing yards. West Noble averaged an impressive 11.2 yards per offensive play. Defensively, the Chargers were outstanding throughout the first half, holding Prairie Heights scoreless while creating a key turnover that resulted in Saggars' 20-yard fumble return touchdown. The West Noble defense also limited the Panthers to just one completed pass for negative one yard on the evening. Special teams once again played an important role in the victory. Senior kicker Marco Macias connected on four extra points and delivered seven kickoffs totaling 397 yards, including three touchbacks. His strong kicking helped the Chargers control field position throughout the contest. Prairie Heights was led offensively by David Mason, who rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns. The Panthers finished with 226 rushing yards but were unable to overcome West Noble's explosive first-half performance. Friday's contest was also a special evening as West Noble honored its senior football players, Marching Band Members, Cheerleaders, Girls Golf, Boys Tennis and Cross Country members and their families for their dedication, leadership, and contributions to West Noble. The senior class has helped lead West Noble to an NECC Big School Division championship 3 of the last 4 years and one of the program's strongest regular-season finishes. With the regular season now complete, the Chargers will turn their attention to the IHSAA state tournament. West Noble will travel to South Bend to face South Bend Washington in the opening round of sectional play. The game will be played at TCU School Field with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Congratulations to the Chargers on an outstanding 8-1 regular season, a perfect 4-0 conference division record, and an NECC Big School Division championship! Best of luck as you begin sectional tournament play! GO CHARGERS! West Noble Statistical Leaders Player Statistics Jackson Christlieb 10-of-11 passing, 202 yards, 3 TD Xy'Mire Barnes-Bridges 6 carries, 93 yards, 2 TD; 74 return yards Brayden Limerick 3 receptions, 91 yards, 1 TD Caleb Saggars 3 receptions, 71 yards, 1 TD; 20-yard fumble return TD Brogan Parks 1 reception, 37 yards, 1 TD Marco Macias 4 PATs, 3 kickoff touchbacks