Next Friday, we will reach the halfway point of the season.
With every IHSAA-sanctioned team guaranteed 10 games, Week 5 will conclude the first half, which is pretty amazing considering it feels like we just began the season.
It goes quickly. Another reason to check out Bear Necessities each week to ensure you’re up to date on all the area happenings.
Let’s take a final look at Week 4.
SAC
• We often overlook the role of special teams, particularly at the high school level. But a good kicker is so invaluable. When a coach knows he can turn to a guy who has the leg to potentially put some points up on the board when the offense stalls, it’s huge.
Nowhere on Friday was that on display more than at Carroll in Bishop Dwenger’s 9-6 victory over the Chargers that put, for the time being, the Saints in the drivers’ seat in the SAC title chase.
Lucas Nguyen hit all three of his field goal attempts, including a 52-yard bomb at the start of the fourth quarter that proved to be the winning points. Nguyen hasn’t missed a kick yet this season, 5-of-5 on field goals and 9-of-9 on extra points.
In his career, the senior Nguyen is 18-of-22 on field goals over three years.
Across the field, Corbin Dempsey hit 2-of-3 of his field goal attempts, missing on a 48-yarder.
When defenses are locked in, kickers can make all the difference. It was the key to the Saints’ third-straight victory on Friday.
• We have been waiting to see the Bishop Luers offense, particularly the rushing attack, break out, and it did so in a big way against South Side.
Sophomore Terrance Epperson went for 150 yards and two touchdowns, while classmate Brandon Gaither added 104 yards rushing on the ground.
It is clear that this Knights team is going to be dictated by the defense and rushing attack all year long. This squad doesn’t have your typical Luers game breakers all over the field. Sophomore Knox Johnson got the start at QB this week, his first of the year.
Heading into a Week 5 showdown with North Side, the Knights are going to want to keep the game low scoring.
• Jayvon Irby made the catch of the year (so far) for South Side in Friday’s 21-12 loss to Bishop Luers.
Devin Patterson threw down the seam looking for a big play, and Irby delivered. The junior vaulted over a fallen teammate, hauled the ball in with one hand and streaked to the end zone for a 59-yard score in the second quarter.
While a shocking play, it didn’t come across as surprising that it was Irby, who has lit up the gym on the basketball court with his athleticism. It has shown at times on the football field as well, with Friday’s heroics the most awe-inspiring.
He also had a kickoff return for a touchdown for the Archers as well.
• We knew that the combination of Jaydin Rivers and Maalik Moore had the chance to be stupid good for North Side this fall, but what they have done through the first month has been borderline ridiculous.
The quarterback-wide receiver tandem connected five times for touchdowns in Friday’s 49-14 victory over Concordia, with the scores going for 1, 8, 19, 46 and 58 yards. Rivers threw for 398 yards and a total of six touchdowns, while Moore finished with nine receptions for 165 yards and the five TDs.
For the season, the duo has connected for 25 completions, 421 yards and eight scores. Rivers has thrown 14 touchdowns without a single INT and a completion percentage of 69 percent.
Complete insanity.
• Homestead had difficulty all night in containing the Northrop offense as the Bruins lit Sparty up for 452 total yards.
But when it mattered, the Homestead defense showed out.
After taking the lead in the first overtime, the Spartans needed a defensive stop to earn the victory on Friday. It came through, with Caleb Hollingsworth’s deflected ball on fourth down clinching the 42-36 win, one play after Kane Nancarrow broke up a pass intended for Jerquaden Guilford.
Northrop put up big numbers – 306 yards passing from David Callison, two touchdowns from Guilford – but the Spartans, who blew a 19-0 second-quarter lead – tightened up the defense when it absolutely had to.
Homestead scored the final nine points of the game after Henry Knipscheer’s 33-yard field goal tied the game at 36 in regulation.
NE8
• Trailing 14-13 in the waning minute of the game, East Noble was up against it at DeKalb on Friday.
When Xavier Vice hit Xavier Bell for a 5-yard score on fourth down with 59 seconds left, the Barons looked as if they were going to pull the upset. But an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty due to celebration forced DeKalb to kick off from the 25-yard line. East Noble then took the return to midfield.
With Rylee Biddle at the helm, the Knights worked down the field in 55 seconds, with the senior quarterback plunging in from the 1-yard line with four ticks left on the clock.
East Noble escaped with the 21-14 win, but it showed not only that the Knights are not immune from being challenged, but that DeKalb isn’t that far off in the NE8.
• Perhaps no team had played the schedule that Huntington North had to start the season – Eastbrook, Northrop and East Noble – with all three receiving votes in the state polls.
So perhaps we should not have been surprised when the Vikings knocked off Columbia City 21-14, holding off a furious Eagles comeback in the fourth quarter.
The question entering the fall was if Huntington North was a one-year wonder after 2024’s nine-win campaign or if the program had staying power. Simply looking at the record, you would think no, but Huntington North fell to Eastbrook by one and had Northrop down 14 points, with the only rout being at the hands of East Noble.
While it couldn’t run against Columbia City, Lathen Janes made up for it with 260 yards passing, 115 yards to James Linker and another 110 to Eric Frey Jr. The defense did its part, holding Columbia City to 1-of-12 on third down.
We definitely wrote the Vikings off too early, as they earned their first win over Columbia City in 16 years.
• Kudos to Bellmont, which put up 21 points in its loss to Norwell. It is the most points for the Braves
Senior Oliver Werling has been exceptional in leading the team in rushing and receiving, but there is a lot of underclassmen pulling their weight. Quarterback Charlie Faurote is a freshman and Werling is the only senior with a carry or a reception this year.
The defense is more of the same, outside of Baker and fellow senior Grady Baker.
It’s so easy to quit or transfer from a program with 36-consecutive losses, but if Bellmont can get enough kids to commit and stay, the Braves can get closer and closer to ending the losing streak.
ACAC
• Sometimes, we take success for granted.
With its 42-7 win over Woodlan, Bluffton improved to 4-0 on the season. It is the third-consecutive season that the Tigers have begun the year with four-straight victories.
In fact, Coach Brent Kunkel’s team has a chance to start 6-0 for three-straight years.
Prior to this run, the last time Bluffton began a campaign 4-0 was 2012.
The only time before the last two years in which the Tigers were 6-0 was way back in 1982 when the team won its first 10 games before falling to Woodlan in the playoffs.
We tend to focus so much on Adams Central in the ACAC – for good reason – without recognizing program success elsewhere.
• It’s a wonder that Wes Summersett is still a junior, because the South Adams two-way stud has been making noise for years.
His latest effort stood out against Heritage. He hauled in nine receptions for 156 yards and three touchdowns, while also finishing second on the team with seven tackles and a forced fumble.
Folks love to throw shade on ACAC players and the numbers they would put up playing in the SAC. The 6-foot-2 Summersett would be every bit of a nightmare in the city as he is in Berne.
For the year, the junior has 25 receptions for 415 yards and six total touchdowns.
NECC
• Despite Eastside falling 19-14 at Churubusco, Job Richman had another big night, rushing for 240 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries.
Obviously, he would rather have the win over likely the Blazers’ biggest challenger in the Small Division, but Richman now has rushed for 779 yards and seven scores through four games. He has also thrown for 287 yards and four more touchdowns. Simply astounding.
Quick hits
Wayne had just one third-down conversion in its loss to Snider, but was successful on all three of its fourth-down tries…Adams Central is a perfect 12-0 all-time against Jay County…The last 9-6 win for Bishop Dwenger was at South Bend Washington on Sept. 1, 1978…Central Noble ended a 14-game losing streak with its 36-25 win over Prairie Heights. Its last victory? A 14-0 shutout on Oct. 20, 2023 against – Prairie Heights…Fremont is 3-1 for the first time since 1998…Fairfield’s 28-27 win over Culver Academy was the second-straight game which the decision was by a single point. Prior to the last two weeks, Fairfield’s last one-point game was on Nov. 6 2009, a 28-27 win over Bremen.
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
Be the first to comment