Warren Central Runs Away from Lawrence North in Second Half, 53-37: Indiana High School Football

INDIANAPOLIS — The Circle City was the site of one of the nation's most intriguing high school football matchups Friday night when two teams ranked in the top five of the High School On SI Indiana Football State Rankings met on the gridiron.

No. 2 Warren Central ended up running away from No. 5 Lawrence North in the second half, 53-37, Friday night on the legs of Keyon Thomas, who ran for more than 300 yards and six touchdowns in the Hoosier State’s Game of the Week.

The Warriors led 34-31 after a wild first half in which the visiting No. 5 Wildcats scored two more touchdowns that were called back on their first possession of the night. But on a night when Thomas refused to go down, the Warriors were not to be denied at home.

The win keeps the Warriors undefeated at 7-0, still lurking behind top-ranked Brownsburg. Lawrence North falls to 5-2 with sizable losses now to both Brownsburg and Warren Central.

If you missed our live updates, you can still review our blog from the game below:

FINAL — Warren Central 53, Lawrence North 37

Warren Central 53, Lawrence North 37

One final LN score, and this marathon is finally over after nearly three and a half hours.

Warren Central 53, Lawrence North 31

Thomas scores his sixth touchdown of the night, and they've run away with this in the second half. There's still the entire fourth quarter to go, but it's looking like it will be too much for this Wildcats' squad tonight.

THIRD QUARTER — Warren Central 47, Lawrence North 31

Warren Central 47, Lawrence North 31

On third and goal, Warren Central connects on a jump ball throw to the right corner of the end zone. This is going to be tough for LN because they haven't shown they can stop the Warriors enough on defense yet to mount a comeback.

Thomas continuing to torture this Lawrence North defense with 326 yards tonight. He just had a 61-yard run to the LN 6-yard line.

Warren Central has added a touchdown to take a 40-31 lead. In terms of how this game has game, that's a significant lead.

The third quarter is under way.

SECOND QUARTER — Warren Central 34, Lawrence North 31

Warren Central 34, Lawrence North 31

Lawrence North's kicker hits his first field goal of the season, and it's a 44-yarder to end the half!

Prather loses the ball but manages to get back on it. But it's a big loss back to the 13.

It has been a long half for a high school game, approaching one hour 45 minutes. That's what happens with all this scoring.

Lawrence North will get the ball first in the second half so a stop here would be huge for Warren Central.

Sales has not played for Lawrence North, but they've got plenty of offense without him. Both teams have more than 300 yards of total offense in the first quarter.

And just like that, LN has a first and goal with 21 seconds to play. Timeout on the field.

Warren Central 34, Lawrence North 28

Warren Central finds pay dirt again with 59 seconds to play in the first half.

Thomas gets free again for a 39-yard jaunt down to LN's 41. He has 17 carries for 204 yards and four touchdowns.

Just over two to play before the half.

Lawrence North 28, Warren Central 27

Moore takes it in for the score on an option pitch around left end. His second score tonight to even things up, and the PAT is good.

Lawrence North with a run down to the 3 yard line on a run by Prather where they'll face a fourth and 1. Warren Central calls a timeout to set their defense.

Warren Central 27, Lawrence North 21

WC forces a fourth down, and they get the stop, and so they avoid any damage following the interception.

Warren Central with the first really crucial mistake of the game. The Warriors are intercepted on their own 40, and LN takes over from there.

It's been everything we thought it would be so far.

They've played less than three minutes in the second quarter, and these two teams have each scored town touchdowns.

Lawrence North 21, Warren Central 20

On the first play after the WC touchdowns, Moore goes 66 yards for LN to tie it up again at 20-all. THe PAT is good, and LN is back in front.

Warren Central 20, Lawrence North 14

Thomas on the receiving end of a screen pass on third and 9, and he takes it 48 yards down to LN's 2-yard line. Thomas carries it on the next play to put the Warriors back out in front.

Warren Central on the move approaching midfield.

Lawrence North 14, Warren Central 13

Lawrence North drives down for the equalizer, and thanks to WC's missed PAT, the Wildcats have their first lead at 14-13.

Warren Central 13, Lawrence North 7

Warren Central punches it in, but they miss the crucial PAT wide left.

Warren Central will open the second quarter just a yard away from doubling its lead.

FIRST QUARTER — Lawrence North 7, Warren Central 7

Warren Central with a nice answer drive. They've already got 10 first downs in the first quarter. Thomas drove it down to the 1-yard line on the final play of the first quarter, and that's where the first quarter ends.

Lawrence North 7, Warren Central 7

Prather scores on a 2-yard quarterback keeper to even things up in Indy.

Another first down to WC 22.

Gain of 19 by LN's Moore, and they're on the move.

Lawrence North forces a fourth down at their own 30, and Warren Central is unable to convert, turning the ball over on downs.

Another 16-yard gain, and WC has five first downs on its first eight plays. Down to LN's 32.

Warren Central with a quick 20 yards, and they're on the move again.

So, despite those two big plays, LN comes up short on third down, and they punt to Warren Central which fields the ball on a fair catch at its own 32.

Prather hits Ethan Abdulraheem on a 62-yard touchdown pass play on the first play after the return, but it's called back for a penalty, too. Crazy start for the Wildcats who have scored twice, but have no points on the board, yet.

Izayveon Moore with an absolutely incredible 95-yard touchdown return on the ensuing kickoff. A hold is bringing back, but you get an early glimpse there of just how dangerous this kid can be.

Warren Central 7, Lawrence North 0

The Warriors go 80 yards in just five plays, capped by a 5-yard Keyon Thomas scamper to take the lead just 94 seconds into this one.

And it's 1st-and-goal from the 5 yard line.

Warren Central with a 40-yard run down to LN's 21.

It's "Pink Week" at WCHS, an annual tradition here. They're in their pink unis to raise awareness for cancer research.

Warren Central on offense first. The sun is out, and this field is an East-West configuration. So, for the first 20 minutes or so, Warren Central will be staring right into the sun. That could impact Lawrence North's receivers, too, as they are looking back for the ball.

They're doing the coin flip now. About to get under way.

And we've got our first look inside the stadium now, and it looks like it's gorgeous weather in Indy.

Battle for MIC!

Class 6A No. 2 Warren Central (6-0, 5-0) hosting 6A No. 6 Lawrence North (5-1, 4-0) @WarriorNation_2 @lnwildcats @KyleNeddenriep pic.twitter.com/2FZLvunmOT
— Richard Torres (@RichTorres23) October 2, 2026

Confirming that the pregame video feed is up and running for anybody inclined to purchase the feed.

Both these teams currently harbor high hopes of winning a state championship this fall. The Wildcats from Lawrence North have already been teamed by Brownsburg, but it's hard to beat a great team twice. And the experience of having already measured themselves against the state's No. 1 team could be valuable tonight against this Warren Central Warriors squad.

The game is available to stream for purchase via the link above. $9.99 if following a live blog isn't enough for you.

AccuWeather is telling us it's 63 degrees in Indianapolis and cloudy. That's really about where it should stay throughout the game with no real chance of precipitation. There are some decent wind gusts up to the 12-13 mph range so that's something to keep an eye on.

Check in closer to the scheduled kickoff for an AccuWeather update on the Friday night forecast in the Indianapolis area.

Preview

Who: Lawrence North (Indianapolis) at Warren Central (Indianapolis)
When: 7 p.m. ET local
Where: WCHS Warrior Stadium, Indianapolis
Livestream: ISC Sports Network

Lawrence North's biggest win to date is a 28-21 victory over No. 11 Carmel, a 3-3 team whose three losses have come by a combined 13 points. Carmel's other losses came against No. 3 Westfield, 38-34, and No. 4 Center Grove, 36-34. A win over Warren Central would immediately become the biggest addition to the Wildcats' résumé this season.

The Warriors, meanwhile, have a victory over No. 4 Center Grove serving as the foundation for their unblemished record. They'll face Carmel next weekend, but there's already one common opponent between Warren Central and Lawrence North: No. 18 Ben Davis. Warren Central defeated the Giants 25-8 two weeks ago, while Lawrence North beat them 54-28 last week.

Both teams feature a wealth of Division I talent, but two names stand out above the rest. Lawrence North wide receiver Monshun Sales is a five-star recruit committed to Indiana and currently rated as the top prospect in the Hoosier State. Warren Central linebacker Sean Fox is a four-star prospect ranked No. 2 in the state and is committed to Kentucky.

Sales has seen only limited action in two games this season because of nagging injuries, but reports indicate he could appear in a limited role against Warren Central. His availability could add another intriguing element to an already loaded matchup.

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