Unlike last year that saw the conclusion of many games in Week 2 moved to Saturday due to weather, Friday was another beautiful night for football in the area.
We have been blessed with some amazing conditions to start the season. We will see if it continues in Week 3.
Spreaking of things continuing, will Northrop ever lose? Will Carroll and Snider ever win?
Plenty to tackle in this week’s Bear Necessities.
Let’s get to it.
SAC
• For the first time in history, Carroll and Snider are both 0-2 in the same season.
But there are different levels of 0-2. The Chargers started the season with Hamilton Southeastern and Center Grove, were competitive in both and really showed off a defense that is going to be competitive in the SAC and a quarterback in Gabe Frisinger that has a wealth of weapons AND looked much more comfortable in Week 2 after feeling every bit of nerves in his first-ever start one week ago.
Meanwhile, Snider has struggled to contain the run against both Warsaw and East Noble, surrendering over 750 yards rushing in the first two games. Conversely, it rushed for only 80 yards at East Noble on Friday night.
The Panthers are predicated on being able to run the football and stop the run. They have struggled with both.
Snider can get right next Friday against Bishop Luers.
• Speaking of Bishop Luers, it too is 0-2 after falling at Andrean 13-0 on Saturday night.
Look, all is not lost here. Two years ago, the Knights dropped their first two games of the season to East Noble and New Haven by a combined score of 81-14, then went 12-1 the rest of the way en route to a state championship.
Much like 2023, this Bishop Luers offense has looked out of sorts through two weeks. It has a dominant line, but a new quarterback in Tommy Reichert, a sophomore to boot. He also lacks significant game-breaking weaponry, uncommon for the Knights. There is a lot of talent in the sophomore class and it has been effectively thrown into the wolves. How fast they grow up and adapt will be the key to the rest of the season.
It doesn’t get any easier, though. Snider is on tap in Week 3, followed by a visit to South Side, who beat Bishop Luers last year, then a showdown with North Side in mid-September.
• Blitz had questions after Bishop Dwenger’s puzzling shutout at the hands of Roncalli in Week 1. Could the Saints find some offense against an unfamiliar foe in St. Francis de Sales out of Toledo?
No worries anymore as Coach Jason Garrett’s squad earned the program’s first victory over an out-of-state opponent since knocking off Cincinnati LaSalle in overtime in 2013.
Quarterback Henry Jordan was much more effective on Friday compared to his three-interception night against Roncalli. Beckham Russell, who has developed quite the rapport with Jordan during the off-season, hauled in seven receptions for 98 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
A Week 4 showdown at Carroll will obviously be the key litmus test, but with a defense that has played incredibly well, the return of Houston Ellinger after being out against Roncalli and an offense that broke out in a big way Friday, you have to feel much better about the Saints than we all did after Week 1.
• Just like not every 0-2 team is built the same, not every undefeated squad is in the same position, either.
In terms of impressive 2-0 records, Northrop fits the bill. The Bruins shut out New Haven in Week 1, the same New Haven squad that put up 23 points at North Side in Week 2.
On Friday, Northrop fell behind 20-6 against Huntington North, a score that caught everyone’s attention.
In years past, the Bruins would have folded. Down 14 points to a decent team? Forget about it, the rout was on. But Northrop showed moxie in scoring 25 unanswered points in the 31-23 victory.
David Callison had another big night at quarterback, throwing for over 250 yards and a pair of touchdowns, both to Ohio State commit Jerquaden Guilford. Sophomore Robert Rembert had a pair of touchdown runs, proof that Northrop’s talent isn’t all stockpiled in the senior class.
Look, every week is going to be a “prove it” game for the Bruins because of the doubts around town that they are truly going to be a factor in the SAC. But so far so good, and North Side comes calling to Spuller Stadium next week in a battle of unbeatens.
• Michael White injured? A trip to Noblesville after being shut out by Westfield? The same team that has beaten Homestead the last two years by a combined score of 91-6?
There was plenty of reasons to question the Spartans on Friday, but all Coach Chad Zolman’s team was return home with a 13-10 victory and newfound respect from Indy and Fort Wayne alike.
Logan Frieden, in particular, was exceptional. He was thrust onto the field when White went down at Westfield and did not complete a single pass on nine attempts. After an entire week of practice, the junior settled in and finished 13-of-21 for 230 yards and two touchdowns against Noblesville.
Meanwhile, the defense limited an offense that ran roughshod over Homestead the last two years.
Kudos to Sparty.
NE8
• Junior quarterback Gabe McDevitt is going to be a key contributor for Columbia City this season, he just didn’t have to do too much in Week 1. He did not complete a pass on just two attempts, but he bounced back against Plymouth on Friday.
McDevitt completed five passes, three of which for touchdowns, two to Bradyn Elkins and one to Lukas Duncan in the 35-13 victory. He also rushed for 37 yards on seven carries. However, he did have a fumble on one of those carries.
The running game isn’t always going to carry the Eagles. The latter portion of the season will see the traditional showdowns with East Noble and Leo, so McDevitt will need to be on his game. Good thing he is getting much-needed on-field experience now and is settling in.
• In Blitz’s mind, one of the biggest issues with DeKalb in recent years has been the lack of strength. Routinely, this was a squad that couldn’t win the battles up front and wear down as the game went on.
So when Garrett got up 7-0 on Friday on the Barons, coupled with a meager six-point output against Angola in Week 1 and an 0-3 start against Garrett on fourth down, all of those coming in short yardage situations in their opponents’ territory, it felt like the end.
Kudos to DeKalb though, for shutting out Garrett the rest of the way in a 28-7 win. While the Railroaders lost a lot to graduation, it was still favored in this one. Xavier Bell is a star in the making for the Barons, but the real strides have been made with the physicality that has been a point of emphasis for first-year coach Ryan Robertson. That physicality led to forcing several turnovers by the Railroaders that helped to decide the game.
One of those coming in the fourth quarter as Garrett was in the most vital need for a score to have a shot to come back in the game. That is when senior Caden Rice picked off a pass, DeKalb’s second INT of the night, to essentially lock in the win, though DeKalb did add another score after that thanks to their intense defense.
Many have always looked at DeKalb as a program that could and should be a consistent NE8 contender. It took its first step towards that on Friday.
• Last week, Kellan Hulburt was the hero for Leo with his punting ability, routinely pinning Bishop Luers back deep in its own territory.
Friday against Angola, Hulburt impacted the game in different ways, hauling in 61 yards receiving and a touchdown and also picking off a pass.
Hulburt may be the most athletic player on the Leo roster this season, which is saying something with the likes of Nathan Foster around. The senior is a gamer and has proven it in the first two weeks of 2025.
• It was an encouraging result for Norwell in a 30-25 loss to Oak Hill on the road, but when you look deeper, it was more disappointing than encouraging.
The Knights led by nine after the first quarter, held a nine-point lead with nine minutes left in the game and still had the advantage by three points until Oak Hill scoring the winning points with 12 seconds left.
Cayden Cassel threw for 158 yards for the Knights, while Cooper Bunn had 49 of those receiving yards and an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown.
“We had opportunities to make plays and get off the field and we just didn’t take advantage,” Norwell coach Josh Gerber told the Bluffton News-Banner.
It would have been a boost to the Knights to get the dub prior to NE8 play starting with Leo next week.
East Noble‘s win over Snider on Friday night was a big one for the host Knights, who are now 2-0 for the first time since 2021.
This comes after getting outscored 80-38 by the Panthers in the last two seasons combined. But the win also highlighted just how diverse this East Noble offense is and how dangerous that could make them as they continue forward in an attempt to return to the state finals.
Rylee Biddle has been as advertised when both throwing (299 yards) and running (94 yards) through the first two weeks, but he has two backs each with over 100 rushing yards themselves with Ian Ramey and Lucas Niman and three quality receivers, led by Alex Scott who is averaging 96.5 yards receiving per game right now.
The options seem limitless for the Knights with four rushers and three receivers each averaging double digit yardage per game.
ACAC
• Adams Central and Eastside was one of the more entertaining games of Week 2. A back-and-forth game saw the Flying Jets take control by scoring twice in the third quarter to pull away in a 32-21 win.
The final scoring drive was an absolute statement. Jamison Roach intercepted Job Richman at the 7-yard-line to stop a potential Blazers score. Roach and the AC offense then went to work.
The drive took 18 plays and 6 minutes, 24 seconds off the clock. Joey Everett culminated the drive with a 6-yard touchdown run to put the Flying Jets up by double digits. All told, the drive featured 17 runs and just a single pass. It also overcame a pair of holding penalties that nixed big gains an also saw a fourth-and-seven conversion.
The drive was equal parts encouraging to AC and demoralizing for the Blazers.
• It has been an eventful and impressive first two weeks of a prep career for freshman Ethan Ribich.
The Bluffton kicker nailed the winning 29-yard field goal in a 29-27 victory over Shenandoah in Week 1. He followed that up with a 27-yard boot in Friday’s 45-6 win over Manchester.
All told, Ribich has hit both field goal attempts and 8-of-9 PAT tries so far.
Not too bad for a rookie.
• Last October, Heritage got smacked around by Delta to open postseason play, losing 54-14 that concluded the Patriots’ season. It was the most lopsided loss for the program since 2022.
So imagine the excitement when Heritage was presented the opportunity to have a better showing against Delta this year in Week 2.
It turned out well as Heritage earned the 13-7 overtime win. It was Jax Litchfield who scored both touchdowns, including the go-ahead score to start overtime. The Patriots failed the two-point attempt, putting the onus on the defense to get a stop.
While they couldn’t contain Delta’s offense last year, it was able to in this matchup, halting the Eagles’ try at tying the game in overtime. Earlier in regulation, Heritage had blocked a go-ahead field goal attempt to prevent Delta from taking a late lead.
What a rebound for the Pats after the sectional debacle.
NECC
• Eastside’s Job Richman is torching defenses through two weeks, with 600 total yards of offense, including 342 yards and three touchdowns on Friday against Adams Central.
Richman is truly going to be a problem in the NECC. His abilities at quarterback remind Blitz a lot of Laban Davis, who was incredible at the position for the Blazers.
And Richman is just a junior. Yikes.
• When talking about elite QB-WR combos in the area, many don’t give Lakeland’s Brayden Holbrook and Keyan Arroyo their due. They’ve been combining for scores for several years, with the latest example the big difference in Friday’s 14-12 win over Churubusco.
The two seniors connected on a pair of long scores – a 59-yard strike in the second quarter and an 86-yard pitch and catch in the third quarter that proved to be the winning score.
Teams in the NECC will be happy to see the duo finally graduate after this season.
Quick hits
Concordia junior Eli Trent has accounted for 421 of the team’s 605 total yards through two weeks…North Side is 2-0 for the first time since 2012…South Adams led 40-0 after the first quarter against Bellmont…Fremont’s 63 points in Friday’s win are the most by the program since dropping 68 on Lake Station on Oct. 16, 2021…West Noble has won nine straight games in the month of August.
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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