And then there were two.
We lost two-thirds of the local teams competing in Friday’s regional action, more than Blitz thought we would see bow out of the tournament.
With the focus in the new week centering on Bishop Luers and South Adams, let’s look back at the rest of the local action before turning the page to semistate.
CLASS 6A
• For the first time since Week 1, Homestead quarterback Evan Ormsby was held without a touchdown pass in Friday’s 42-9 loss at Westfield.
No other stat told more of the story than that in the Spartans’ defeat. The Homestead offensive line was superb throughout most of the season in allowing Ormsby time in the pocket, which also enabled his receivers to get downfield.
That wasn’t the case against the Shamrocks. Westfield was able to get the best of the Spartans offensive front and hound Ormsby for most of the night. Junior rush end Popeye Williams was nearly unstoppable.
• Northeast Indiana remains winless in Class 6A regional games since the inception of the class in 2013. Can anything be done to buck the trend? Or are 6A teams elsewhere in the state just consistently better?
There is no consensus among interested parties, but put Blitz firmly in the category of how much a pair of non-conference games would help higher-class SAC foes prepare for elite teams that will be faced in the postseason.
CLASS 5A
• The Bishop Dwenger defense was as-advertised against Zionsville for the first two and a half quarters of Friday’s game.
The Eagles went 0-for-7 in their first seven possessions against the Saints, with their only points coming on a fumble return for a touchdown.
But quarterback Josh Stone and the Zionsville offense found a rhythm through the air when it counted. A pair of touchdown passes from Stone coupled with a clutch drive led by the senior quarterback that culminated in the field goal with mere seconds left by AJ Vinatieri to put the Eagles ahead for good proved to be the difference.
In the end, it was Zionsville wearing out the Bishop Dwenger defense over the course of the game and making plays when it mattered, exactly what the Saints are known for.
CLASS 4A
• We have seen this season how the East Noble defense struggled to limit big plays without Rowan Zolman on the field.
With the stud junior limited on Friday, Marion was able to get its electric running game going to the point that the Giants only had to throw three times on the night in their 28-20 victory.
Without Zolman at 100 percent playing that center field position at safety that can close and wrap up backs who break through the front two levels of the defense, Giants runners Khalid Stamps and Malachi Silmon had nearly free reign once in the open field.
Marion averaged 6.3 yards per rushing attempt on the night, evidence that the Knights defense had issues throughout the evening matching the Giants’ power and athleticism.
Considering East Noble was able to shut down Leo in the fashion it did the week before with Zolman in the lineup, Blitz is convinced the junior being was as big of a factor as any in the defeat. However, he still made an impact, notching a fumble recovery.
CLASS 3A
• While Concordia Lutheran came up short 28-18 against top-ranked Bishop Chatard on Friday, it was a phenomenal effort by the Cadets, who trailed by just three late in the game.
Particularly impressive was the defense that held Chatard below its season scoring average and under 265 yards of total offense for the game.
Time after time, Concordia’s defensive unit stopped the Royals cold with the game still in doubt. Chatard was held to 4-of-12 on third-down conversions and 1-of-3 on fourth-down attempts.
The offense also did all it could. With Amir Drew out, Sam Hudson carried the load in the backfield, rushing for 86 yards on 26 touches. Brandon Davis and Tyler Grossman connected for seven passes, 114 yards and a score.
Yes it was a loss, but Concordia gave No. 1 quite the test.
CLASS 2A
• Carson Clark did throw his first interception in a month and a half, but his four touchdown passes and 293 yards passing were more than enough to make up for the pick as Bishop Luers won its second regional in three years.
While Clark did hook up junior Brody Glenn downfield for some big plays, it was Krashaun Menson who shined the brightest. Short passes were turned into big plays by the junior, who went for 130 yards and a pair of scores on just five receptions.
Once again, the playmakers of the Knights proved too much for a defense to contain. Can that trend continue against Pioneer?
CLASS 1A
• In the post-game huddle following South Adams’ 48-35 win over Southwood, Coach Grant Moser was asked by one of his players why the coaches had waited so long to let James Arnold run the ball.
The Starfires quarterback rushed six times for 53 yards in the win, including an 11-yard touchdown run that included trucking a poor Southwood defender at the 2-yard-line.
Entering Friday, Arnold had negative yardage in rushing for the season.
“We do not like to run him because he is such a valuable asset and we have other guys who can run the ball,” Moser said. “But we mixed some things up during the game and James is always asking us to let him run.”
It definitely is tense every time that Arnold takes off, but it caught Southwood unawares several times.
It gives the Starfires yet another offensive weapon going forward.
APPETIZERS
Westfield went 8-of-10 on third-down conversions. Homestead was just 2-of-9…Bishop Dwenger remains winless against Zionsville at 0-2 all-time…Bishop Luers has now won nine-consecutive regional road games. The Knights’ last regional loss on the road came at River Forest in 1990, a 15-12 defeat.
These opinions represent those of Blitz and Outside the Huddle. No opinions expressed on Outside the Huddle represent those of any of our advertisers. Follow Blitz on Twitter at Blitz_OTH
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