Outside the Huddle is breaking down every area semistate matchup scheduled for this Friday as teams vie for a spot in the state championship games over Thanksgiving weekend.
We continue by dropping in to Class 2A as Adams Central (13-0) will hit the road to take on Andrean (11-1).
TWO STORYLINES
1. ROUND 2
A season ago in Merrillville, Adams Central built a 17-point lead in the third quarter and held off Andrean’s comeback to win 20-13 and advance to its first-ever Class 2A state title game. A week later, the Flying Jets won a championship.
The Fighting 59ers are looking to return the favor this year as once again they will host Adams Central in a semistate showdown. Andrean’s lone defeat of the season came in Week 1 on the road at Class 5A Merrillville. Since then, Coach Chris Skinner’s team has won 11 in a row without a single game being decided by single digits.
The last time Andrean reached the state finals was in 2022 when it beat Bishop Luers 48-29 in semistate. The Fighting 59ers would like nothing more than to take down another squad from northeast Indiana to clinch a trip to Lucas Oil next weekend.
2. PICK YOUR POISON
Who does Adams Central need to prepare for under center for Andrean? Well, turns out there are two of them.
Senior Brady Elish and sophomore Dylan Gore split reps for the Fighting 59ers.
Elish has thrown for over 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns, but has also run for close to 500 yards and six scores. He is the more agile out of the pocket of the two.
Meanwhile, Gore is more the pure quarterback type. He finished 11-of-15 for 111 yards in the 52-32 win over Southmont last week, his second-most receptions in a game this season.
Both signal callers bring unique challenges that Adams Central’s defense will need to be ready for.
FOUR PLAYERS TO WATCH
OL BENJAMIN NOVAK, SENIOR, ANDREAN
An area in which Adams Central has been purely dominant this season is up front. But Andrean has the dudes to go toe-to-toe in the trenches with the the Flying Jets.
The biggest and best of the linemen for the Fighting 59ers is Novak, who on Wednesday switched his college commitment from Wisconsin to Indiana. The 6-foot-6, 310-pound interior lineman is a massive presence – literally and figuratively – on the front line. He is a perfect example of the task the Flying Jets will have at the point of attack.
WR BRAYLEND REBER, SENIOR, ADAMS CENTRAL
We talk a lot about the Adams Central rushing attack, and for good reason because it dictates everything that it does on offense. But the passing game is there when needed, and Reber is a matchup nightmare down the field.
At 6-4 and 210 pounds, he can out-muscle defensive backs for the ball with his size and is quick enough to distance himself from linebackers who try and match up with him.
He is a deadly weapon that often goes unnoticed until he makes a big play.
DE/OLB CHRISTIAN GAVIN, SENIOR, ANDREAN
Adams Central wants to dictate this game with its run game. That’s pretty obvious. At the tip of that spear will be Gavin, who leads the Fighting 59ers in tackles (87) and tackles for loss (15) and is second on the team in sacks with three.
Gavin is a big and strong dude and is agile enough to be a guy who can track down plays on the back side. While the Flying Jets are going to try to dominate between the tackles, Gavin will be waiting to seal the edge to prevent Adams Central ball carriers from turning the corner and getting upfield.
OL/DL CAM FRAVEL, SENIOR, ADAMS CENTRAL
We know just how good Fravel is along the offensive line, all 6-2, 220 pounds of him. He isn’t overly imposing, but his technique is exceptional and his quickness allows him to get leverage quicker on bigger foes.
He is also a disruptive force on the edge defensively. Last week against Eastbrook, Fravel had 12 tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss. A similar performance this week will be a big boost to the Flying Jets.
KEY TO VICTORY – ADAMS CENTRAL
UTILIZE ITS ENTIRE ARSENAL
It is well known that Adams Central loves to control the ball with its run game, but like Eastbrook did to it last week, Andrean is going to force the Flying Jets to convert some plays through the air.
Jamison Roach delivered last week, with touchdown strikes to Reber and Joey Everett. And Vance Miller was the running back that took center stage with 191 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns as Eastbrook keyed on Roach and Thomas Laughlin in the run game.
Andrean is going to have a plan to limit Adams Central’s top offensive threats. It will be very much a chess match on who the Flying Jets turn to for a key gain or score when other options are taken away.
KEY TO VICTORY – ANDREAN
DON’T FALL BEHIND
A season ago, Andrean dug itself a 20-3 hole before trying to fight back against the Flying Jets. The problem with doing that is if Adams Central can control the ball with its run game, it is difficult to find a way back down double digits.
The Fighting 59ers cannot fall substantially behind again, as it falls right into Coach Michael Mosser’s hands. They don’t necessarily need to jump ahead like Eastbrook did against Adams Central last week, it just cannot find itself multiple scores down in the second half. Even with the talent Andrean has, it does not want to be in that spot to where the Flying Jets can control the clock and play keep away.
PREDICTION
Coming Friday when Blitz makes his regional picks.
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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