It’s that time of year. The leaves are falling. The weather is turning. Mrs. Blitz has put up Christmas decorations (seriously).
And it’s also title time in high school football, where every Friday (and Saturday) from here on out, we are handing out some postseason hardware.
Who claims a sectional title this week amongst teams in the area? Blitz has your answers.
Last week: 14-2 (.875)
Overall: 191-38 (.834)
SNIDER AT CARROLL. When these two teams met in the regular season, Carroll handed Snider a 24-point loss while holding the Panthers to just six points. Blitz expects this game to be closer. No local coaching staff is better at learning and adjusting from a previous matchup. There are questions about the health of Carroll quarterback Jimmy Sullivan and his non-throwing arm, but he’s still the best quarterback around. The last team to beat Snider twice in a season? Not as long ago as you think, Homestead in 2020. BLITZ SAYS CARROLL BY 6.
WARSAW AT CONCORD. Another rematch from the regular season. In Week 5, Warsaw held a 17-point halftime lead over the Minutemen, only to see it evaporate in a 28-24 Concord victory. The Tigers knows what it takes to beat Concord, and they must control the line of scrimmage and limit possessions. But can the Warsaw defense get enough stops of quarterback Bo Brunner, running back Jaron Thomas and the Minutemen offense? BLITZ SAYS CONCORD BY 7.
EAST NOBLE AT BISHOP DWENGER. No game this week has created more buzz in the area than this one. East Noble fans expect the Knights to prove a point against perennial power Bishop Dwenger, while SAC lifers claim the Saints will do to East Noble what they did to Columbia City to open the playoffs. The Knights have lost three straight to Dwenger in playoff action, the last dub coming in 2003, the year East Noble went to the state championship game. Bishop Dwenger is strong, physical and wins ugly. East Noble is strong, physical and wins slightly less ugly. Points will be at a premium at Shields Field, where the Saints are 6-1 all-time in the postseason. BLITZ SAYS BISHOP DWENGER BY 2.
HUNTINGTON NORTH AT LEBANON. The Vikings have to take the long trip to Lebanon for the opportunity to capture its first sectional crown in 33 years. Meanwhile, Lebanon has only one sectional championship to its name, way back in 1997. The Tigers can sling it, with QB Jackson Folden having completed 71 percent of his passes with 33 touchdowns. Three different receivers have at least seven touchdown receptions. Lebanon has scored at least 30 points in all nine of its victories. Can Huntington North slow down the offense and pile up points itself? First to 40, perhaps? BLITZ SAYS LEBANON BY 5.
GARRETT AT WEST NOBLE. This matchup comes down to one thing – the ability of West Noble, specifically Seth Pruitt, to run the football. In the regular-season meeting between these two, Pruitt was held to 2.4 yards per carry – 16 attempts, 39 yards. In every other game, he has ran for at least 100 yards. Can Garrett shut down Pruitt again? Conversely, the Chargers were the lone team this year to really limit Garrett’s offense. This one will be another slugfest. What if Blitz went against one of the area’s best storylines? West Noble wins its first-ever sectional title in a surprise. BLITZ SAYS WEST NOBLE BY 2.
MISSISSINEWA AT BISHOP LUERS. Ole Miss is not your typical rural program that waltzes in and gets owned by a city school. This is a better squad than last year’s that won a 4A sectional beating the likes of Columbia City and Kokomo. Kellen Rock has thrown for 20 touchdowns and Ahlijah Monday has rushed for over 1,300 yards and 23 touchdowns. This is a big challenge for the Knights. However, this team has found itself in recent weeks, limiting mistakes and finding a rhythm on offense. But Mississinewa isn’t Jay County or Norwell, and Luers hasn’t beaten a team with a winning record all season. BLITZ SAYS MISSISSINEWA BY 3.
ADAMS CENTRAL AT EASTSIDE. Back in 2021, the Blazers knocked off Adams Central in Week 2 behind the heroics of one Laban Davis behind center. Jobe Richman did some good things last week at QB1, but even if Linkin Carter is back as the Blazers’ signal caller, it’s going to be difficult to score enough points to keep up with the Flying Jets. BLITZ SAYS ADAMS CENTRAL BY 21.
SOUTH ADAMS AT MADISON-GRANT. Lost in the story of South Adams’ epic rally from 25 points down last week is the fact that Tri rushed for 399 yards. Madison-Grant is a better running squad than Tri, averaging 332(!) yards per game on the ground. In other words, the Starfires have a huge challenge on Friday in rural Grant County. South Adams must be prolific offensively and hope the Argylls turn the ball over a few times to limit scoring opportunities. Tough task. BLITZ SAYS MADISON-GRANT BY 12.
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It amazes me that now one has caught on to the fact that all you do is use John Harrell to get your predictions all year and don’t have an original thought, http://www.johnharrell.net/. You might add or subtract a few points, but everything has been based on that website. Below is the predictions for this week from John Harrell for those that haven’t looked it up….. Get an original thought!!
Snider v Carrol -3
Warsas v Concord -3
East Noble v Dwenger -1
Huntington North v Lebanon -1
Garrett v West Noble -3
Mississnewa -3 v FW Luers
Adams Central -21 v Eastside
South Adams v Madison Grant -12
Blitz finds you funny. Believe what you want to believe.
He can’t take anyone seriously who doesn’t know how to spell “Carroll” correctly.