The high school football regular season goes fast.
Nine weeks isn’t a long time. Sometimes, it takes nine weeks for Blitz to catch a trout with his paw in the local stream. Have you seen how fast those little devils move?
But while the season is short, Blitz’s commitment to making wholesale changes to his power poll takes awhile.
Look at the top five. It hasn’t changed from last week.
Luckily, we start getting into some major showdowns in the next few weeks between teams in the top 5, so expect some movement soon.
As for the best of the rest? It’s a fluid situation.
Blitz takes his best shot at who are the best in the area as Week 4 looms on Friday.
1. SNIDER PANTHERS (2-1)
WHY #1?
The offense has gotten on track the last few weeks, scoring a combined 76 points against the likes of East Noble and Concordia Lutheran. The defense is the best in the area.
Following Friday’s trip to South Side, the Panthers will play Carroll, Homestead and Bishop Dwenger in a four-week span, as well as upstart Northrop.
2. CARROLL CHARGERS (1-2)
WHY #2?
Congratulations to the Chargers in picking up their first win last Friday, a 49-0 rout of South Side.
This week against Bishop Dwenger will give us a real barometer of where Carroll is in relation to the best teams in the area. Carroll’s two losses to Hamilton Southeastern and Center Grove represent two losses to teams currently ranked No. 5 and 6 in the state in Class 6A. In other words, better teams than anyone around here.
WHY NOT HIGHER?
Blitz won’t punish Carroll for defeats to HSE and Center Grove, but he won’t reward them either. Some might say it is a reward to still have Carroll this high, but who has proven better at this point?
3. HOMESTEAD SPARTANS (1-2)
WHY #3?
If Homestead plays like it did in the first half last Friday against Wayne, the Spartans can beat anyone in the SAC. If it plays like it did in the second half, they will suffer several more losses.
That’s kind of where we are at with Homestead, which will go to Northrop this Friday, with Bishop Dwenger, Snider and Carroll looming in consecutive weeks after the Bruins.
In other words, Homestead better start putting together a complete 48 minutes of football.
WHY NOT HIGHER?
Lack of consistency.
4. LEO LIONS (3-0)
WHY #4?
The Lions continue to look like the most complete team in the Northeast Eight. The defense has led the way, with big plays on offense making an appearance when necessary.
Some will point out some concerns offensively, but Blitz had the same questions around this time last year and that Leo team ended up advancing all the way to semistate. In other words, let’s give the offense some time to cook.
WHY NOT HIGHER?
A win against an SAC team like Bishop Luers is good, but it pales in comparison to knocking off one of the ‘Big 3’ above the Lions in Blitz’s poll.
5. BISHOP DWENGER SAINTS (1-2)
WHY #5?
Even without starting QB Henry Jordan, the Saints were able to get by North Side last Friday.
It was an imperfect performance, but anytime you are able to bottle up the talent the Legends are able to employ offensively, you’ve done something right.
Linebacker Nick Pelkington continues to be one of the more overlooked defensive players in the area. He leads the Saints in both tackles (26) and tackles for loss (4.5).
WHY NOT HIGHER?
Tough to push the Saints any higher without a marquee victory. That can change as soon as this week when Carroll visits Shields Field on Friday.
6. WARSAW TIGERS (2-1)
WHY #6?
Congratulations to Coach Bart Curtis, who picked up his 50th victory as coach of the Tigers last week. That dub, and the start to the season by Warsaw, helped the program pick up a first-place vote in Class 5A in the most recent IFCA Poll.
Warsaw is completely one-dimensional. If it can run the ball, it has a great chance to win. If it can’t, it becomes much more difficult. However, stopped their rushing attack is easier said than done (just ask Carroll last year in sectionals).
A big game with Concord looms in Week 5.
WHY NOT HIGHER?
Lack of area opponents makes this tough, but Warsaw is a force to be reckoned with in Class 5A. That much is clear.
7. EAST NOBLE KNIGHTS (2-1)
WHY #7?
That was a gutsy, well-earned victory on the road at Huntington North last Friday. The run defense was superb and really was able to command the line of scrimmage for the majority of the game.
The defense is led by seniors, with the trio of Kobe Ritchie, Logan Hatton and Dylan Krehl having combined for 105 tackles and 17 TFL through the first three games.
WHY NOT HIGHER?
Blitz may be selling East Noble short. Its one loss is to Snider and its two wins are over a pair of solid teams in Bremen and Huntington North. The next two weeks will be very telling, games against DeKalb and at Leo.
8. BISHOP LUERS KNIGHTS (2-1)
WHY #8?
Kudos to the Knights, who demolished Northrop last Friday in one of the more surprising scores of Week 3. The Bruins were without quarterback David Callison, which did impact the game considerably, but you have to feel good about Bishop Luers’ chances this week against Wayne.
The running game is going to be key for the Knights’ success long-term this season. Senior Daryea Williams is well on his way to a 1,000-yard season with 449 yards and five touchdowns thus far.
WHY NOT HIGHER?
The offense is still a work in progress, particularly the passing game. No. 8 feels fair at this point.
9. WAYNE GENERALS (1-1)
WHY #9?
Blitz watched Wayne play last week, and it was definitely a tale of two halves. The Generals weren’t ready to play in the first two quarters and trailed Homestead 22-0 at the break. In the second half, Wayne played with purpose and executed while scoring the only points over the final two quarters.
What we will find out Friday against Luers is, are the Generals capable of playing a complete game up to their potential at this point in the season?
WHY NOT HIGHER?
Missing that impressive victory over a team in the area.
10. GARRETT RAILROADERS (3-0)
WHY #10?
The Railroaders dropped a spot this week more out of necessity to bump Warsaw up. Fact of the matter is, Garrett remains one of the best stories of the year in the area, thus far anyway.
The running game and a stiff defense has been the combination to dubs for Garrett thus far. Might it need to strike more through the air against Lakeland this Friday? Calder Hefty has been good, but no team has yet forced the Railroaders to go vertical.
Blitz just keeps challenging Coach Chris DePew’s team to show him more.
WHY NOT HIGHER?
Highest-ranked team outside of the SAC, NE8 and NLC. That is fair, right?
NEXT FIVE
11. Columbia City
12. Bluffton
13. Adams Central
14. West Noble
15. DeKalb
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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