This is what the Brebeuf Jesuit football team has been waiting for.

When Ryan Gallogly took over as coach three years ago, he knew success in Class 3A in Indianapolis — and the state — went through Bishop Chatard. His first two seasons, the Braves lost in sectionals to the team that played Bishop Chatard in regionals. This year, after realignment, Brebeuf (10-1) will get its chance at the Trojans in the sectional championship at 7 p.m. Friday.

“There’s a bit of relief and a lot of excitement,” Gallogly said. “This is an opportunity we’ve been working toward for a while. We had a tremendous offseason, and this game was the motivation for most of it. To play (Bishop Chatard) in the sectional championship means a lot.”

Gallogly has seen Brebeuf grow from a small core of dedicated players to a full-fledged program. The Braves have won at least seven games for three consecutive seasons for the first time, equaled their best three-year victory total with a 26-7 mark (Brebeuf was 26-3-1 from 1965-67) and tied the school’s single-season victory record (10 in ’65 and ’66).

“You’re always trying to grow and take steps,” Gallogly said. "Our hope is to be successful this week and we’re putting plenty of energy into it, but we’ll grow from this game regardless of the outcome. The environment, the competition, the fact we’re playing for hardware, these types of things don’t happen here traditionally.

“I hope it’s the first of many big-time games down the road.”

For No. 1 Bishop Chatard (10-1), however, this game is business as usual. The Trojans have won a state record nine state titles and 25 consecutive sectional games.

“I appreciate that,” Bishop Chatard coach Vince Lorenzano said when told of Brebeuf’s anticipation for this game, "but what it comes down to is you’ve got to do what you do with what you’ve got. (Brebeuf has) its own home field and coaches in the building.

“We don’t deal with those issues. We don’t compare ourselves. We deal with our situation to the best of our ability. (Gallogly’s) done that, and I respect the work he’s done, but we’re just trying to do what we do.”

What the teams do is similar, though they take different approaches.

Bishop Chatard is second in 3A in scoring at 42.2 points per game behind a power-oriented running attack led by Ari Pappas (1,733 yards, 36 touchdowns).

Brebeuf is seventh in scoring at 33.6 points per game with Evan Kroot (1,338 yards, 19 touchdowns despite missing three games with mononucleosis) but runs a spread attack and has gotten 1,499 yards of offense and 17 scores from quarterback Aloyis Gray.

Defensively, Bishop Chatard is No. 7 in 3A, allowing 9.1 points per game, while Brebeuf is ninth at 9.6.

“(Bishop Chatard) doesn’t change,” Gallogly said. "We know what they do. They know we know what they’re going to do. They believe they’re going to play Bishop Chatard football — play hard and physical and don’t make any mistakes — and that will lead them to victory. We have to be just as physical and limit our mistakes; the question is can we do it for four quarters.

“Our confidence is through the roof. We’re a dangerous team, (but) I don’t think anybody’s going to give us credit for being an elite team until we win one of these games.”

Warren Central (9-2) at Lawrence Central (6-5)

When: 7 p.m. Friday.

Last meeting: Warren Central 32-23 in 2008.

Last 10 years: Warren Central leads 6-0.

Warren Central’s key players: QB Derek Hart (95-of-157, 1,089 yards, 11 TDs, 7 INTs), WR Maurice Magee (360 receiving yards, 4 TDs), RB Shakir Bell (2,097 rushing yards, 23 TDs), RB Jamal Bolden (471 rushing yards, 6 TDs), WR Auri Durrett (310 receiving yards, 1 TD), LB Brandon Almond (67 tackles, 2 sacks), LB Nick Temple (75 tackles, 1 INT), S James Manual (77 tackles), LB Koree Terrell (88 tackles), S Richard Norris (62 tackles, 1 sack, 2 INTs), DT Kris Harley (64 tackles, 4 sacks), DE Keith Brown (55 tackles, 2 sacks), DT Elijah Jones (48 tackles, 4 sacks).

Lawrence Central’s key players: QB Tre Roberson (912 rushing yards, 7 TDs; 66-of-138, 806 yards, 6 TDs, 6 INTs), RB Isaiah Roundtree (904 rushing yards, 12 TDs; 43.1-yard average on kickoff returns, 2 TDs; 20.8-yard average on punt returns, 1 TD), WR Desmond Cheesebrough (236 receiving yards, 1 TD), WR Andrew Lee (173 receiving yards, 1 TD), PK Ryan Ullrich (9-of-12 on FGs, long of 47).

What to watch for: Lawrence Central is peaking at the right time with three impressive victories after a dip toward the end of the regular season. Warren Central, however, is a step up. The Bears’ misdirection offense should be able to move the ball against the Warriors’ aggressive defense and they’ve done a nice job against quality backs during the three-game win streak. If Lawrence Central can contain Bell, it has a chance, but no one’s contained Bell yet.

Cathedral (10-1) at Plainfield (8-3)

When: 7 p.m. Friday.

Last meeting: Cathedral 35-7 in 2006.

Last 10 years: Cathedral leads 2-1.

Cathedral’s key players: QB Kofi Hughes (65-of-111, 1,208 yards, 14 TDs, 1 INT; 1,051 rushing yards, 17 TDs), RB Nick Najem (840 rushing yards, 11 TDs; 185 receiving yards, 2 TDs), WR Michael Bender (269 receiving yards, 4 TDs), WR Stevie Wilson (315 receiving yards, 2 TDs), WR Reece Horn (231 receiving yards, 3 TDs), DB Wesley Vassilo (34 tackles, 3 INTs), LB Ben Hizer (27 tackles, 2 INTs), DB Tyler Willis (38 tackles, 3 INTs), LB Kyle Kennedy (42 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT), DB Schuyler Montefalco (38 tackles, 3 INTs), DB Jake Zupancic (69 tackles, 1 INT), DL Cameron Beard (42 tackles, 6 sacks), PK Scott Miller (4-of-7 FGs, long of 44).

Plainfield’s key players: DB Gabe Cunningham (82 tackles, 4 for loss), LB Chandler James (48 tackles, 3 for loss, 2 sacks), OL/DL James Hurst (33 tackles, 5 for loss), DB Griffin Wheeler (42 tackles, 4 INTs), QB Johnny Jay (50-of-88, 728 yards, 6 TDs, 3 INTs), RB/LB Elliott Hughes (852 rushing yards, 15 TDs; 89 tackles), RB Chandler James (404 rushing yards, 4 TDs), RB Jordan Nieto (341 rushing yards, 3 TDs), LB/WR Jordan Massey (321 receiving yards, 2 TDs; 41 tackles, 5 for loss).

What to watch for: Plainfield improved throughout the season, turning a potentially disappointing year into a berth in the sectional championship game. That’s as far is it will go, however. The Quakers have struggled against top defenses, and Cathedral will be the best unit they have seen. Plainfield is good defensively, but the Irish offense is going to put points on the board against anyone it faces.

Bishop Chatard (10-1) at Brebeuf Jesuit (10-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday.

Broadcast: WHMB (Channel 40), 10:30 p.m. Friday.

Last meeting: Bishop Chatard 56-12 in .2003

Last 10 years: Bishop Chatard leads 5-0.

Bishop Chatard’s key players: RB Ari Pappas (1,733 rushing yards, 36 TDs; 108 receiving yards, 2 TDs), RB Nolan Miller (360 rushing yards, 3 TDs), RB Ryan Kleinschmidt (348 rushing yards, 4 TDs), QB George Van Vliet (26-of-41, 445 yards, 4 TDs), TE Garrett Arnold (143 receiving yards, 2 TDs).

Brebeuf’s key players: QB Aloyis Gray (84-of-163, 997 yards, 11 TDs, 9 INTs; 502 rushing yards, 6 TDs), RB/DB Evan Kroot (1,338 yards, 19 TDs; 19 tackles, 3 INTs), WR/DB Austin Bruen (394 receiving yards, 7 TDs; 33 tackles, 4 INTs), TE/LB J.D. Robinson (238 receiving yards, 1 TD; 60 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT), LB Justin Klausner (102 tackles, 21/2 sacks), DE Michael White (51 tackles, 41/2 sacks), DL Wisdom Adaka (34 tackles, 9 sacks), DE Cody McFarland (36 tackles, 10 sacks), LB Tommy Green (41 tackles, 11/2 sacks).

What to watch for: This is the game Brebeuf has been waiting for after losing to the team that played Bishop Chatard in regionals the past two seasons. This game will determine just how far the Braves have come under coach Ryan Gallogly. Don’t expect Brebeuf to have caught up to the Trojans quite yet, but Bishop Chatard should get its most competitive game in nearly two months.