Center Grove football coach Eric Moore chuckled when asked if he expected to be playing Warren Central again this year after losing 28-14 to the Warriors in the regular-season finale.

“I had a definite feeling about the Warriors being back,” said Moore, whose team plays at No. 3 Warren in a Class 5A semistate game tonight. “I had them picked to win the whole thing.”

Warren Central coach John Hart said much the same thing about tonight’s opponent when asked about their Oct. 16 game.

“I thought they would make it (to the semistate),” Hart said. “I knew Columbus East (which Center Grove beat 21-14 in a sectional semifinal game) would be a tough out. But I knew it was extremely likely they would come back through. I knew with our path, it would be quite challenging.”

History says it’s not much of a shock. The programs have combined to win five of the past six 5A state titles and eight regional titles this decade.

But the path to this point has been far from smooth for both.

Center Grove won six of its first seven games, then endured a stunning overtime loss to North Central before playing Warren Central the following week. That game, which was tied at 14 entering the fourth quarter, featured the Warriors’ Shakir Bell rushing for 305 yards.

“But we were happy we were starting to get some people back and we thought we could come together,‘’ Moore said. "It’s not been a total shock, but it’s been a pleasant surprise the way this team has come around the last few weeks.’’

Five Center Grove starters missed all or nearly all of the first game against Warren because of injuries and illness, including starting defensive backs Tyler Sykes and Nick Stoner . Moore hopes they help provide better run support in an attempt to slow Bell.

“This year’s team has had a lot of stuff happen,” he said. “Our kids just keep going at it. There’s no Luke Swift (last year’s star running back now playing at Miami of Ohio) that can’t be replaced.”

Warren Central needed a late fourth-quarter interception return for a touchdown to pull out a 14-13 victory over Franklin Central in a first-round sectional game. The Warriors haven’t had a scare like that since, although they received a test in a 14-6 victory over Brownsburg in a regional game last week.

“I know our defense is playing terrific,” Hart said. “If you’re going to win a state championship, you have to have a great defense. That’s been a huge emphasis for our staff and I think we’re getting there. But I would like to see more consistency out of our offense. We’re making more mistakes than I would like.”

Kennedy selected

Cathedral’s Kyle Kennedy has been selected to participate in the 2010 U.S. Army National Combine Jan. 7-9 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The event is modeled after the NFL Scouting Combine. The combine is part of the week-long activities leading to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

Chat online tonight

Chat with Star reporters covering tonight’s action and get updates from semistate games involving Indianapolis area teams at IndyStar.com.

Call Star reporter Michael Pointer at (317) 444-2709.