Playoff season is just as much dejecting as it is exciting.
As we break down big matchups and top performances, some teams are heading into the off-season after falling on Friday.
While we didn’t have any major upsets, there is plenty to talk about after the first night of the playoffs.
Let’s fire up some Bear Necessities.
CLASS 4A
• Lost in the shock around New Haven‘s 43-0 loss to East Noble was the return, and subsequent exit, of Mylan Graham.
After missing three weeks, the senior Ohio State commit returned to the Bulldogs lineup, seeing a lot of action on offense and defense. That is until he was upended while attempting to haul in a pass close to the goal line in the third quarter of Friday’s game.
Graham was attended to by trainers and went to the sideline. He never returned to the game.
Thus ends the prep football playing career of Graham, who finished the season with 34 receptions, 496 yards and six touchdowns.
For his career, Graham hauled in 107 passes for 1,992 yards and 21 scores.
It is uncertain right now whether or not Graham will play hoops for the Bulldogs.
• Social media has been abuzz through the weekend regarding a huge play at the end of the first half between Wayne and Bishop Dwenger.
With the Generals up 10-7, Ethan Springer hit Caleb Lehrman for a 36-yard touchdown as time expired in the second quarter.
The highlight, courtesy of Summit City Sports, shows Lehrman initially catching the ball but having it subsequently knocked away by Darrion Alexander. The official had already turned to signal touchdown to the press box and did not see the ball come loose.
The concept of “completing the catch” is ambiguous even at the NFL level, but per the National Federation of State High School Associations, the rule is as follows:
The rules associated with this play are found in Rule 2 – under the definitions of “Catch” and “Possession.” A catch is the act of establishing possession of the ball in flight and first contacting the ground inbounds while maintaining possession. A ball in player “Possession” is a live ball held or controlled by a player after he has caught it. In order for a catch to be completed, the player must establish that he has possession. Possession of the ball is determined by the player’s ability to hold and control the ball … after he has caught it. This implies that there is some period of time between the catch and when possession has been established and two specific actions – catch and possession. The completion of the catch is based on the player’s ability to show that he has possession of the ball and possession is based on his ability to control it.
The official must be in position to see if the player has caught the ball, and then he must determine if possession was established.
NFHS Handbook
The question is, based on the above explanation, was it a catch?
Those on both sides of the argument feel they have plenty of evidence to back up their claim.
In the end, it was a huge play that put Bishop Dwenger up going into halftime in an eventual 21-10 victory.
• How dominant was Leo‘s defense against South Side on Friday?
The Lions held the Archers to just one total offensive yard and three first downs.
South Side gained 16 yards through the air and 27 on the ground, but six sacks for 42 yards negated all but one yard gained. Brock Schott had a pair of sacks, while Lucas Sheron, Tristan Roberts, Jared Jasper and Cooper Olson all added one each.
It is also time to talk about Kaden Hurst as perhaps the OTH Player of the Year frontrunner. The senior scored a trio of touchdowns in the game – one rushing, one receiving, one punt return – and has scored 17 total touchdowns on the season.
When you talk about a player who impacts the game in all three facets, no one in the area is as effective as Hurst.
• There were plenty of questions regarding Columbia City with its four-game losing streak entering the playoffs. The primary one for Blitz was the defense, which had given up 21 or more points in each of the four losses.
But the Eagles responded Friday by holding Huntington North to seven points and 133 total yards in a 27-7 victory.
Coach Brett Fox‘s team compiled seven tackles for loss and three sacks in the win, with Ian Stahl notching two TFL and an interception.
There is surely pressure on the offense to score, but the Eagles’ postseason fate will be decided by the defense. A bigger challenge awaits on Friday at home against an undefeated Mississinewa team that is averaging 37 points per game.
CLASS 3A
• It may be just one week in, but we may not have a better playoff game locally than what we saw up in Ligonier on Friday.
Nefty Silva, a FRESHMAN, nailed a 28-yard field goal with less than four seconds left to lift West Noble to a 46-43 win over Mishawaka Marian.
This game had everything, monumental comebacks, huge plays on both sides and moxie on the side of the Chargers, who kept their undefeated record intact.
The fourth quarter saw 26 points scored between the two teams. For those who thought West Noble was just a one-trick pony, it threw for 262 yards while only rushing for 127.
Drew Yates threw for those 262 yards and three touchdowns, while also adding 101 yards and two scores on the ground.
West Noble’s win sets up an undefeated showdown at Knox next week.
CLASS 2A
• Kudos to Churubusco, which put a big-time scare into Bishop Luers on Friday as the Knights escaped Turtle Town with a 41-30 victory.
Mistakes were plentiful for Luers, which turned the ball over three times and had issues containing junior running back Angelo Ianucilli.
The Knights trailed at halftime but took control after the break, allowing just a single touchdown by the Eagles the rest of the game.
Luers finished with 213 yards on the ground and 168 through the air.
But the issues with the Knights remain. They are not good enough to overcome a significant amount of miscues. Churubusco’s offensive scheme is difficult to prep for and be disciplined enough to stop, but Luers found what it needed to at halftime.
Still, the hope is the nervous moments Friday will lead to a better showing next week against Eastside.
• Linkin Carter has been a revelation for Eastside this season.
Since going for 193 yards and three touchdowns in Week 1, the sophomore has torched team after team for the Blazers.
Friday was no exception, as he carried the ball 16 times for 130 yards and four touchdowns in Eastside’s rout of Wabash. That puts Carter over 20 total rushing scores on the year.
Containing Carter will be a top priority for Bishop Luers next week.
• The biggest thing that has stood out to Blitz this year regarding Bluffton is its physicality.
So when the Tigers drew one-loss Alexandria to open the playoffs, a team that likes to balance a solid passing game with a running game to keep defenses honest, Blitz looked at it as an opportunity for the Tigers to throw their weight around defensively.
They did just that in the 26-14 victory, holding Alexandria to minus-7 yards rushing for the game.
Conversely, Bluffton rushed for 294 yards, with both Khamel Moore (26 carries, 127 yards) and Tucker Jenkins (20-109-3) eclipsing 100 yards rushing.
Coach Brent Kunkel‘s team was also able to pick off Brady Gast twice – one each by Ben Ramseyer and Andrew Hunt – the Alexandria QB who came into the game with just four picks all year.
CLASS 1A
• Your weekly Adams Central dominance update.
Coach Michael Mosser‘s team amassed 466 yards of total offense in Friday’s 42-6 win over South Adams.
The Flying Jets threw one time against South Adams. It was a 40-yard touchdown from Jack Hamilton to Cam Smith.
That means AC rushed for 426 yards, led by Keegan Bluhm‘s 155 yards and two scores.
Just stupid stats being put up by the Jets week to week.
QUICK HITS
New Haven‘s 43-point loss to East Noble was its worst postseason defeat since a 48-3 loss to NorthWood on Nov. 5, 1999…DeKalb has not lost in its opening round of sectional play under Coach Seth Wilcox. The Barons are now 4-0 in Week 10 during his tenure…Jay County put a scare into Kokomo despite missing nearly half their offensive starters, including 1,000-yard rusher AJ Myers. The Patriots lost 21-14…Prior to Friday’s win, Fairfield had not beaten Jimtown since 1979…Garrett has allowed an average of 8.4 points in its wins and 30.2 points in its losses…Blackhawk Christian earned their first 11-man football win Friday, with a 58-42 win over Vanlue (OH). It was the season ended for the Braves, who are not eligible for postseason play this year.
Be the first to comment