West Noble opened IHSAA football sectional play with a convincing 44-6 victory over South Bend Washington Friday night at School Field. The Chargers improved to 9-1 and will host Jimtown next Friday at 7 p.m. in a sectional semifinal matchup. West Noble took control early, scoring three first-quarter touchdowns to build a 20-0 lead. Xy’Mire Barnes-Bridges opened the scoring with a 17-yard touchdown run, Jackson Christlieb added a 4-yard scoring run, and Barnes-Bridges reached the end zone again from 14 yards out. Christlieb connected with Brayden Limerick for an 11-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter, sending the Chargers into halftime with a 27-0 advantage. West Noble continued to pull away after the break. Brogan Parks scored on a 1-yard run, and Christlieb broke loose for a 40-yard touchdown run on the final play of the third quarter to make it 41-0. Washington scored its lone touchdown in the fourth quarter before Marco Macias capped the scoring with an 18-yard field goal. Barnes-Bridges led the ground attack with 128 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Christlieb added 67 rushing yards and two scores on five attempts while completing 12 of 16 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown. Parks contributed 22 yards and a touchdown as the Chargers finished with 233 rushing yards and five scores on the ground. Limerick paced the receivers with five catches for 70 yards and a touchdown. Caleb Saggars caught three passes for 44 yards, Brody Mast added two receptions for 34 yards, and Barnes-Bridges caught two passes for 10 yards. The Charger defense held Washington scoreless through three quarters and limited the Panthers to 145 total yards, including just 24 through the air. West Noble finished with 391 yards of offense and forced Washington to punt eight times. Macias converted all five of his extra-point attempts in addition to his field goal and recorded five touchbacks on eight kickoffs. The Chargers now turn their attention to Jimtown with a berth in the sectional championship game on the line. Come out next Friday for the 7 p.m. kickoff and help cheer West Noble on! Great job, Chargers! photos by Mike Deak