Folks, all of a sudden we have just a month left in the regular season.
Four weeks from now, Blitz will be releasing his sectional predictions.
But we have a lot of football between now and then.
Before we tackle Week 6, let’s put a bow on Week 5.
SAC
• It was a dubious night for Snider in its 47-14 loss to Carroll on Friday.
Consider the following
• It was the most points allowed in a game by the Panthers since a 47-17 loss to North Side in Week 1 of 2020
• It was the worst margin of defeat since Penn’s 38-0 blanking of Snider in 2013.
• It was the worst SAC loss since a 35-0 defeat at the hands of Bishop Dwenger way back in 1973.
The Chargers (2-3) threw for 363 yards against just 23 for the Panthers. First downs was 31-8 in favor of Carroll, which finished with 535 total yards for the game.
It would have been worse without a 32-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Jayvion Davis that tied the game up at seven.
After that, Carroll scored the next 33 points.
• Friday was the 11th meeting all-time between Bishop Dwenger and Homestead, and for the first time in the series, the Saints held the Spartans to double digits in points.
The 15-3 win was the latest stellar performance by the Bishop Dwenger defense. In four games against in-state teams so far this season, the Saints have allowed a total of 12 points – three to Roncalli, zero to Wayne, six to Carroll and three to Homestead.
In five games, Bishop Dwenger has allowed two total touchdowns, both to St. Francis De Sales out of Ohio.
The Saints held Homestead to just 14 total yards on Friday, including negative-14 yards rushing. The Spartans managed just a 26-yard field goal despite forcing two turnovers.
• If Bishop Luers goes on to win any postseason hardware this year, the coaching staff may very well point to Friday’s win over North Side as the night its young roster grew up.
The Knights started quick with a touchdown on the opening kickoff by sophomore Rory Kelly, then added to the lead later in the first quarter, but the Legends stormed back and took the game into overtime, with the Knights earning the 31-28 double OT dub.
Bishop Luers was able to hold North to just 44 rushing yards, which became paramount in overtime with the short fields. The offense also excelled with a season high in points after scoring seven points through the first three weeks.
Blitz doesn’t see the Knights as a contender in the SAC, but in Class 3A? Anything is possible.
• Bishop Luers did have trouble containing Maalik Moore, but that is nothing new for North Side opponents.
The junior Moore set a school record with 189 receiving yards on Friday with four touchdowns. Oh, and he picked off a pair of passes on defense.
For the season, Moore has 33 receptions, 610 yards and 12 touchdowns to go with 16 tackles and a trio of INTs.
Just insanity.
• Speaking of insanity, how about the night for South Side’s Chris Mhoon?
The senior broke a 36-year program record by rushing for 307 yards in the 46-0 blanking of Wayne. Mhoon had touchdown runs of 26, 90 and 98 yards as he surpassed Lamar Smith’s single-game record of 275 yards set during the 1989 season.
Mhoon also had a 62-yard punt return for a touchdown, giving him four scores in total.
What a memorable night for the senior as the Archers earned their first win of the season.
• Just putting this out there now.
Week 7 is rivalry week in the SAC.
Northrop v. Snider
Twenty-eight straight wins for Snider in the series.
Is this the year the Bruins put an end to “The Streak”?
NE8
• Is DeKalb the second-best team in the NE8?
You can definitely make a case for it after five weeks, with a close loss to East Noble and a rout of Columbia City the last two Fridays.
It was a career-best performance out of senior quarterback Eli McCormick in Friday’s 28-7 victory, throwing for 326 yards and four touchdowns – two to Xavier Bell and one apiece to Noah Spears and Bo Minehart.
The Barons defense also came to play, holding the Eagles to 2.6 yards per rush, which is the kiss of death for a Columbia City team whose success and failure is dictated by how well it can run the ball.
DeKalb still has to play the likes of Huntington North and Leo, but Coach Ryan Robertson has done a phenomenal job in Year 1 with the Barons.
• A lot of people had started overlooking New Haven after its 4-0 start, but consider its opponents – Northrop, North Side, DeKalb and Leo.
Blitz picked New Haven to win on Friday over Norwell, but HOW the ‘dogs did it surprised even the bear, a 45-14 destruction. Tre McCraney threw three touchdowns, DJ Simpson rushed for three scores and Calvin Dobson hauled in a pair of touchdown receptions.
This is a much-improved New Haven team from a year ago, it just hadn’t been able to show it yet due to the competition.
ACAC
• All hail the Southern Wells Raiders!
After a shocking 34-21 win over Woodlan on Friday, Southern Wells is 2-0 in the ACAC for the first time since 2010.
Senior Trey Slusher accounted for 399 total yards – 217 rushing and 182 passing – to go with three total touchdowns in the victory as the Raiders have multiple victories in a season for the first time since 2019.
Entering this season, Southern Wells had one victory in its last 42 games. Now, it has won two of its last three.
So cool to see.
• How dominant has Adams Central been in the ACAC?
Not only have the Flying Jets won 28-straight games against league opponents, it has done so while largely riding roughshod over them.
So when Adams Central struggles, as it did Friday in needing a 27-yard touchdown run by Vance Miller with just under three-and-a-half minutes left in regulation in a 14-7 victory over Heritage, it convinces some that the Jets may be beatable in the ACAC this year. After all, the seven-point margin of victory is the closest conference game for Coach Michael Mosser’s team since the 42-14 loss to South Adams on Sept. 27, 2019, the last league defeat.
With South Adams and Bluffton having powerful offenses, both could present big challenges for AC, with the Starfires getting first crack at it in the rivalry game coming up next Friday.
NECC
• How’s this for efficiency?
Churubusco senior quarterback Brody Lawrence attempted just two passes in the Eagles’ 39-12 win over Prairie Heights. Both were not only completed, but they went for touchdowns.
One reception went for 31 yards to senior Cameron Lattimore, while the other went for 38 yards to another senior, Bryce Lawrence.
Not a bad night at the office for Brody.
• After falling to Churubusco last week, you could say Eastside was very much fired up for the annual “Train Trophy” game against Garrett on Friday.
The 36-0 rout by the Blazers was a 66-point swing from last year’s 37-7 victory by Garrett and the biggest win for Eastside in the series since a 40-0 dub in 2020.
Job Richman continues to be a one-man wrecking crew for Eastside, going for 251 total yards – 102 rushing, 149 passing – and accounting for three total touchdowns in the victory.
The “Train Trophy,” which is pretty darn cool if you have never seen it, returned to Butler on Friday in impressive fashion.
Quick hits
The North Side duo of QB Jaydin Rivers and WR Maalik Moore have connected for nine touchdowns in the last two weeks, five against Concordia and four against Bishop Luers…South Side’s 46-0 win over Wayne was its largest win by margin since a 75-6 win over Gary Wallace in 2004…Through five weeks, Northrop’s Jerquaden Guilford has 11 touchdowns. Last season, he had a total of three scores…DeKalb is above .500 through five weeks for the first time since 2019…The 96 points scored Friday are the most ever in a game between East Noble and Leo…It’s the most points (40) Leo has scored in a regulation loss in program history dating back to 1966…Bluffton has scored 40-plus points in four-straight games for the first time ever…Brody Lawrence only threw two passes for Churubusco on Friday. Both went for touchdowns – one of 31 yards to Cameron Lattimore and the other for 38 yards to Bryce Lawrence.
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