WARSAW – Welcome to November football.

That was the message that Warsaw coach Phil Jensen delivered to his team Tuesday as the Tigers hit the practice field on a very un-November like 75 degree day.

Warsaw is preparing for a chance to make history come Friday night. The Tigers will play in a sectional championship game for just the fifth time in program history, joining teams from 2002, 2007, 2009 and 2013. The title game will also be only the fourth time in November that Warsaw has suited up for a postseason contest.

Warsaw, which is 12-31 all-time in playoff games, has never claimed a sectional title on the gridiron.

It’s what the tight-knit group of Warsaw seniors have been shooting for all season.

“I just told our kids Tuesday night to relish this and enjoy it,” said coach Jensen Wednesday afternoon. “This is the one goal that our seniors talked about all offseason, winning that first-ever sectional. Now we have an opportunity to do that.

“We need to be grateful for the chance that we have. We just now need to not shy away from it. We need to line up Friday night and give it our best shot. It hasn’t always been pretty, but we have put ourselves in the position that we wanted to be in.”

Warsaw, sporting a 6-4 mark, will host No. 11 Homestead at Fisher Field in the Class 6-A Sectional 3 finale. The Spartans sit at 8-2.

The Tigers will face a stiff challenge Friday night come 7 p.m. Homestead has won five in a row since back-to-back losses to a pair of powers in Fort Wayne Dwenger (34-13) and Fort Wayne Snider (23-17) on Sept. 9 and 16.  Class 4-A No. 8 Dwenger, the defending state champion, is 8-3 and Class 5-A No. 1 Snider is 10-0 and both will be playing for sectional titles come Friday night. The Spartans, who have won four sectional titles in program history, beat Fort Wayne Northrop 66-31 last Friday night.

“They are a really good football team that is big, physical and fast,” said Jensen of Homestead. “They like to pound the football at you with their run game.”

Homestead is averaging 38 points-per-game and allowing 22 per outing. The Spartans average 280 yards per game rushing and 120 through the air.

The Spartans, who won a sectional title last year before losing to Carmel 41-7 in the regional, have overcome a tremendous loss this season. Star quarterback Drew Keszei, who has committed to play at Ohio University, suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the first game of the season on Aug. 19 (a 41-28 win over Northrop). Keszei was 178-296 passing for a single-season record 2,748 yards last year with 30 touchdown passes. He also rushed for 773 yards and eight more touchdowns.

Homestead is led by the 1-2 punch of running back Jordan Presley and quarterback Jiya Wright. Sophomore Presley, a 5-10, 175-pounder, has 180 carries for 1,548 yards and 24 touchdowns. Wright, a 6-0, 170-pound junior, has 114 rushes for 781 yards and nine scores and is 72-117 passing for 1,071 yards and eight touchdowns with four interceptions since replacing Keszei. Junior Grant Raber has 24 receptions for 298 yards and four touchdowns and senior Matt Anderson 17 catches for 419 yards and three scores.

“We just need to do the same things we did last week and be really good in all three phases of the game,” remarked Jensen, who is 98-79 in his 17th season at WCHS. “It’s going to take the same effort. We have to take care of the football, not give up the big play and win the special teams and field position part of the game.”

“When we face adversity, we have to stay focused Friday night. We just need to come out and play like we are capable.”

The Homestead defense is led by Tico Brown. The monster defensive tackle, who checks in at 6-3 and 265 pounds, has 75 tackles. Brown, who had 10 stops last week, has 18 tackles for loss and 10 sacks this season. Senior linebackers Hunter Terrell and RJ Carpenter are also key players for the Spartans on defense.

Warsaw was sound last week in every phase of the game in topping Carroll 23-13 at home. Senior quarterback Michael Jensen threw two touchdown passes to senior tight end Jeremy David and senior All-American kicker Andrew Mevis drilled three field goals in the win.

The Tigers are averaging 33 points-per-game and allowing 22. Jensen is 124-226 passing for 1,872 yards with 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Junior Will McGarvey has 161 carries for 1,019 yards and five scores. Senior D’Andre Street has 39 receptions for 516 yards and 12 touchdowns, while David has 34 catches for 596 yards and five scores, Senior Devin Street 18 catches for 329 yards and three scores and junior Tristan Larsh 10 grabs for 198 yards and two scores.

Mevis, who will represent the Tigers in the Under Armour All-American Bowl in Florida in January, is 9-12 on field goals, including 4-5 on those from 40 yards and greater. He has had just one kickoff returned all season in 62 attempts with 56 touchbacks.

The Warsaw defense, which was lights out last week, is led by David. The senior linebacker has 55.5 tackles, including nine for loss. Senior linebacker Mason Faas had 54 tackles, junior Lane McClone 43.5 (nine for loss) and senior lineman AJ Villarreal 34.5 with seven for loss and four sacks. Junior cornerback Zach Riley leads the way with a team-high four interceptions.

Warsaw and Homestead have just one common opponent this season in Carroll. Warsaw beat the Chargers 23-13 last Friday night at home, snapping a four-game losing skid in the postseason to them. Homestead beat Carroll 35-18 on Sept. 30.

The Spartans, who are 109-34 under 13th year head coach Chad Zolman, rushed for 426 yards last week in rolling past Northrop. Presley had 16 carries for 243 yards and three scores, while Wright was 4-6 passing for 170 yards for one score and had five carries for 43 yards and two touchdowns.

The Tigers are expected to be healthy Friday night. Junior linebacker Lane McClone, who has missed the last two games due to a shoulder injury, has been practicing. McGarvey, who left the game in the first half last week after getting dinged up, is also expected to play.

Homestead leads the all-time series versus the Tigers, who they used to face in the regular season, by a 10-6 count. The Spartans have won the last three meetings and six of the last eight. The teams last played in 2012 with Homestead posting a 63-9 win. The teams have met in the playoffs on three previous occasions with Homestead winning in 1997 (49-0) and 2006 (26-7) and Warsaw prevailing in 2009 (10-7).

The Warsaw-Homestead winner will face the winner of the Carmel-Fishers game on Nov. 11 in the regional. No. 7 Carmel is 6-4 and No. 15 Fishers is 4-6. The two face off Friday night at Fishers. Warsaw, with a win Friday night, would play on the road in the regional contest.