Outside the Huddle is breaking down every area regional matchup scheduled for this Friday.
We continue in Class 3A where Knox (9-3) travels to undefeated Garrett (12-0).
TWO STORYLINES
1. A RECORD-BREAKING RUNNER
If anyone outside Knox knows anything about the program, it is surely Myles McLaughlin.
The junior running back has been re-writing the program record books since he began at Knox and isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
McLaughlin became Knox’s all-time leading rusher a year ago…as a sophomore. This season, he has rushed for 2,561 yards and 38 touchdowns, while also manning the quarterback position.
But McLaughlin isn’t the only dangerous runner for the Redskins. Senior Jake Conroy has rushed for 1,613 yards and 25 touchdowns.
All told, Knox has amassed 4,473 yards and 65 touchdowns on the ground, compared to just 356 yards and three scores through the air on just 29 total attempts ALL YEAR.
2. TEAM OF DESTINY?
The town of Garrett has been in a frenzy over its football team since the Railroaders downed perennial power Adams Central 20-7 in Week 1.
Since then, the wins have only continued to pile up for Coach Chris DePew’s team, which is sitting at 12-0 for the first time in program history.
While this team has had its fair share of blowouts, it has also found ways to pull out close games. It took down county rival DeKalb on the road in overtime in Week 2, and pulled out a pair of tough dubs at West Noble – once in the regular season and again in the sectional final – to hand the Chargers their only two losses of the season.
This is a classic case of a town becoming fully invested into a dream campaign by one of its namesake high school athletics programs. Each week seems to bring out more and more fans jumping on the bandwagon.
FOUR PLAYERS TO WATCH
MYLES MCLAUGHLIN, JUNIOR, KNOX
We already mentioned Knox above, but he bears mentioning again because he is that good.
The junior is the complete package. Not only does he average 213 yards per game on the ground, he runs the offense as the Knox quarterback. As soon as he has defenses completely committed to limiting him and backfield cohort Jake Conroy, he slings the ball downfield.
McLaughlin is also a key cog in the Knox defense with 53 tackles, six tackles for loss, a couple sacks and a team-high four interceptions.
Just an amazing high school football player.
CALDER HEFTY, SENIOR, GARRETT
The motor that makes the Garrett offense go. Hefty is in control of the offense and runs it with precision and confidence.
The senior has thrown for 13 touchdowns and rushed for 18 more to go with his over 2,200 yards of total offense. He, like McLaughlin, is also one of Garrett’s top defenders, with 63 tackles, four tackles for loss and a pair of INTs this season from back in the secondary.
NOAH BOLEN, SENIOR, KNOX
Garrett has not had to handle too many exceptional interior linemen this year, but Bolen fits that description.
Bolen is a two-way lineman who is a very good wrestler, meaning his hand placement and leverage are at exceptional levels. He can penetrate with regularity to create havoc in the backfield. He has had eight tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks this season, which feel like modest numbers, but when you can be a a disruptor up front without any added assistance, it frees up other players – linebackers especially – to roam and make plays.
AIDEN HUNT, JUNIOR, GARRETT
Knox is going to run the football, that is obvious. Similar to Bolen, Hunt is a two-way lineman who is a disruptor in the trenches on defense. His ability to break through the offensive front and corral McLaughlin, Conroy or anyone else running the ball for Knox will be important.
There is nothing flashy here. Hunt just does his job and does it really well, so much so that he leads Garrett in both tackles for loss (13) and sacks (6.5).
KEY TO VICTORY – KNOX
RIDE KNOX TO A DUB
Garrett did a tremendous job on West Noble’s Seth Pruitt in containing him twice, but Knox is a different animal entirely.
The Redskins have two prolific runners, of course led by McLaughlin but complemented by Conroy. Consider this, Conroy has rushed for more yards than Pruitt this year, and he is 900 yards behind what McLaughlin has went for.
Knox averages 372 yards on the ground per game. Garrett has done a good job defending the run all year, but this will be its biggest test yet in that regard.
KEY TO VICTORY – GARRETT
WIN THE TURNOVER BATTLE
The Railroaders dodged a bullet last week. It lost three fumbles and needed an errant PAT to escape with a one-point victory over West Noble.
If anything, that imperfect performance was used this week by Coach DePew and his staff to get their team focused on the greater challenge of making a deep run in Class 3A. Knox is not a team you want to fumble the ball three times against. The Redskins will make you pay.
If Garrett can protect the football and convert on its opportunities on a team allowing 20 points per game this season, it has a good shot to capture a victory.
PREDICTION
Coming later today when Blitz makes his regional picks.
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