Now that nine weeks of the regular season are in the books for area prep football teams, it is time to look ahead to sectional play.
We continue our sectional football primers in Class 3A, Sectional 26 as Garrett looks to continue its magical season.
THE DRAW
Lakeland (5-3) at Garrett (9-0)
Woodlan (5-4) at Tippecanoe Valley (6-3)
West Noble (8-1) at Angola (4-5)
Concordia Lutheran (2-7) at Fairfield (4-5)
THE FAVORITE
GARRETT (9-0)
Not only did the Railroaders sweep through the regular season with an undefeated record, it did so while beating four teams that are in this sectional field – Lakeland, West Noble, Fairfield and Angola.
No team in the area has garnered as much hype this fall as Garrett. If you need proof, just check the OTH Player of the Week winners. So you can bet the home games will be raucous for the Railroaders as “Roll Big Train” looks to continue its dominance.
The defense will be key if the Railroaders are to capture their first sectional crown in eight years. A player that hasn’t garnered too much attention is junior lineman Aiden Hunt, who leads Garrett in tackles for loss (11) and sacks (six) to go with 30 tackles.
Garrett gets a rematch with Lakeland followed by a tricky matchup in Round 2 regardless of who wins. West Noble looms on the bottom part of the bracket, a team Coach DePew’s defense stymied in their regular-season showdown.
THE CONTENDER
WEST NOBLE (8-1)
If anything, the 17-6 loss to Garrett in Week 6 really pissed the Chargers off.
Since then, West Noble has won three straight, all shutouts, by a combined score of 149-0. And it’s not like it was playing bums, as the trio of opponents have a combined 13 wins.
If that dominant play continues, the Chargers should be able to find themselves in the sectional championship game. But it isn’t a cake walk to get there. First-round opponent Angola is a better team than when West Noble beat them by 25 points in Week 4 (then again, the Chargers will say they are better now, too).
We all know the key to dubs for Coach Monte Mawhorter’s team is the running game that has amassed 2,536 yards and 43 touchdowns on the ground. But it may be a defense that is peaking at the right time that could be the key to West Noble’s first-ever sectional crown.
THE REST
ANGOLA (4-5)
The Hornets have won three of four heading into the playoffs, including an impressive 25-7 victory in Week 9 over Eastside.
However, Angola is just 1-3 against sectional foes, losing to West Noble, Lakeland and Garrett, all by double digits.
The rushing attack is sound, with do-everything quarterback Hawk Hasselman leading the way with 878 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. A pair of seniors deserve a watch, Ty Maggart in the backfield and leading receiver Korbin Roan on the outside.
The defense is young but has some athletes, namely Dallas Davidson, a junior corner who leads the team in tackles (76) and tackles for loss (six).
The defense will need to be elite if Angola is to survive the first round. West Noble’s Seth Pruitt rushed for 291 yards in the first matchup between the two teams in the regular season.
FAIRFIELD (4-5)
This is a run-heavy team that will have problems if made one dimensional.
Senior Breckan Moran is the star offensively, rushing for 975 yards and 15 touchdowns.
The problem is, Fairfield gives up its fair share of points – 31.3 per contest.
The Falcons have a favorable first-round draw, but Concordia has enough playmakers to move the ball and score, forcing Fairfield to make sure Moran is cookin’ on the ground.
LAKELAND (5-4)
The Lakers are almost a copy of Fairfield, other than the fact that it has a prolific passing attack, but can’t seem to get stops when needed.
In consecutive losses to Fairfield, Jimtown and West Noble to close out the regular season, Lakeland allowed a total of 127 points. While the offense was able to score against Fairfield and Jimtown, the defense couldn’t get stops.
That was the issue in the Week 4 showdown at Garrett, where Lakeland’s offense woke up in the second half facing a big deficit, but couldn’t climb back into the game because they couldn’t force the Railroaders to punt, instead allowing touchdown after touchdown.
Could we see a repeat of that on Friday at Garrett? Or does Lakeland have what it takes to rise up defensively when it matters most?
TIPPECANOE VALLEY (6-3)
The Vikings held their own in the inaugural season of the Indiana Northern State Conference, a six-team league headlined by Jimtown and Knox.
Blitz may be sleeping a bit on Tippy Valley, provided it can move the ball on the ground. Junior Wes Parker is the leading rusher, going for 617 yards and eight touchdowns this season. Overall, the Vikings average 234 yards per game on the ground.
Don’t be surprised if Coach Steve Moriarty’s team makes some noise in this sectional.
WOODLAN (5-4)
No love for the Warriors?
Here’s the thing. Woodlan played the weakest schedule in the sectional, per the Sagarin Ratings. Does that mean everything? Of course not, but we do have to take it into consideration.
There is no doubt that Coach Brock Rohrbacher has done a superb job in Year 1 with the Warriors. But the draw isn’t friendly. Having to go to Death Valley to open the postseason is not ideal for a young defense.
Cousins Carter and Drew Fleek are do-everything athletes who are all over the field pretty much all the time. But they will need some other dudes to step up in situations they are new to.
CONCORDIA LUTHERAN (2-7)
The Cadets enter a 3A sectional having played just one 3A team all year – Bishop Luers.
That’s how it usually goes for Concordia, who showed it can compete against schools more its size when it beat Scecina and Eastbrook to start the season.
The problem for Concordia is that it has zero run game. Counting sacks, the Cadets have rushed for 54 yards on the season while averaging 0.3 yards per carry.
That puts a ton of pressure on senior quarterback Jack Andrews to perform, not to mention a defense that is surrendering 32 points per game.
The competition in this sectional is more Concordia’s level, but can it raise its level of performance to be a factor?
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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