BEAR NECESSITIES: What you need to take out of Week 10

Do you smell that? Postseason football is officially in the air and Blitz couldn’t be happier if he had a big bowl of honey made in Angola.

So how did week one of the postseason kickoff? You know Blitz has you covered.

CLASS 5A

• If you question how strong Elkhart Central’s regular season schedule was, you should be ashamed. They proved that they were more than 2-games better than North Side, despite only being 2-games ahead of them in record. Ricardo Rocha made it difficult for North Side to move the ball very well with 10 tackles and a sack. North Side only lost 46-22, but 16 of those points came late in the fourth.
• It was a quiet early exit for a North Side team that made big strides this year. They lose some talent, but the returns of Ronald Collins III, Alex Holliday-Robinson and Theo Redmond are key for their growth next year. Blitz may not buy into North Side as a contender, but they are certainly better.

CLASS 4A

• Did DeKalb just almost do that? Color Montel Williams impressed. The Barons showed fantastic grit in a 33-32 loss to Northeast 8 megapower East Noble. DeKalb’s Jon Bell and East Noble’s Kaiden Harshberger traded hard hitting runs and scores all night long and in the end, it was the Knights who continued to stay strong. East Noble did what we know they do. It was DeKalb who continues to show that a program resurgence is happening and happening now.
• Don’t do to me what you did to The Pig, please?! Ok, Angola was more than one point better than Culver. Maybe Blitz is done taking the Hornets for granted. Then again, maybe I need to see more from one of the area’s best names: Marcques Tagliaferri. Because his fumble recovery returned for a touchdown was one of the best plays of the postseason. And his name is cool.
• Wayne won easily. Paint me shocked.
• New Haven showed more tenacity than we’ve seen some weeks in avenging their earlier season loss to Columbia City. They better dig deeper next week.
• Ending their two year Sectional win skid was important for Leo and they showed out with a different player than expected. Lets face facts: A.J. Restivo and Alex Wertman have shouldered the offensive load. Peyton Wall took his turn not leaving many touchdowns for anyone else. The question is, can Leo play with more finesse than grind? Perhaps that is more of a question for next week. For now, the Lions’ roar is big.
• Dwenger dominates. Tippmann, Tippmann and Tippman. Better law firm name than Young & Young?

CLASS 3A

• Most spectators and so-called fans didn’t give Lakeland much of a chance Friday night. How can a middling NECC team contend with a SAC offensive power? Lakeland made some statements, but Concordia Lutheran made the ultimate statements. Their defensive core, anchored by Liam Fletcher and Zachary Byrd-Leach was pretty much phenomenal. Yes, I do know big words, thank you very much. In the trenches and at the goal line, the Cadets were dogs. Good luck Class 3A.
• Speaking of a gap in conferences. What does mid of the road SAC look like versus the bottom of the ACAC? Well we got our answer from Bishop Luers. Lets just say Jordan Presley was nicer to Heritage than he probably could have been.
• Is there anything more satisfying for the Disney movie fan in all of us than to see a winless team get their first W in the playoffs? Ok, so Garrett wasn’t a fan of Decatur putting on in the sectional. But Blitz, I loved it. Heck, I picked it. Enjoy your week Braves.

CLASS 2A

• Blitz supposes that Woodlan was due a rebound year. Doesn’t make it any less painful for a team who went to the state title game last year. Their loss to Bremen on Friday night was at least expected. Blitz does have to give it up to young Benjamin Reidy, who has found a flair in the passing game, throwing for 322 yards in the loss. So maybe Woodlan’s future is in the air?
• Word is that Central Noble has the best grilled pork in Northeast Indiana. Word is they may serve grilled Apache this week though if there is any left over from Friday.
• Prairie Heights beat a team that wasn’t home schooled kids. What does that mean about Whitko? Shrug.
• Blitz supposes that congrats are in order to Everett Johnson, the Bluffton senior who became the school’s all-time leading rusher with just another 200-plus yard game. You know, nothing special for him. What is special? His now 1,728 yards and counting breaks the record of defensive coordinator Todd Morgan. Blitz thinks you’ll hear more about this record in the coming week.

CLASS 1A

• Southern Wells beat Fremont 42-0 in the opening week of the season. Fremont won Friday’s rematch 25-14. I give up. Just made my prognosticating look silly. It was however Fremont’s first sectional game win since 2011. Your reward? Southwood.
• Bates, Hammond, Macklin, lather, rinse, repeat. Don’t I say that every week? Hey, the reality is that if they can do every week what they did to Northfield, they may not be beatable. They grind out big leads early and then are able to slow themselves in the second half and keep something for next week. Blitz likes to think he knows football and Blitz likes to think that is a good gameplan.
• You hate to see a team and a coach like South Adams end their season the way they did. This is a team that was one of Blitz’s favorite to take in. The good things: they will bounce back if they follow their coach. Grant Moser will be fine. So will his young team.
• Churubusco stepped up in the game of the week situation. Gage Kelly scored first, he scored again to start the fourth and the Eagles have some depth rolling. Can they complete the Adams County Class 1A sweep? Is it another game of the week?