As always, we kick off our Friday mornings with five players to watch. Who is important in Week 7? Who’s a matchup problem? Did they shine in Week 6?
Here are the five guys you should keep an extra eye on tonight.
ADAM AULBACH, SOUTHERN WELLS (at Adams Central)
Aulbach has done a bit of everything for the Raiders this season, from throwing a few passes to running the ball a couple of times to leading the team in receiving, where he has scored on two of his five receptions with an average catch of around 20 yards. But he has been most impactful on defense. The senior has 29 tackles on the season, with a team-best 20 solo efforts, while also adding half a sack and an interception. Aulbach has been crucial for the Southern Wells defense as the program continues to rebuild. He will be an important piece if the Raiders plan on keeping any part of Adams Central’s offense at bay.
JARET LAUGHLIN, FREMONT (vs. Angola)
Due to late reporting, we didn’t get to talk much about Laughlin’s massive night last Friday as he threw for 248 yards, ran for another 179 and scored six total touchdowns in a win over Prairie Heights. But those numbers can’t be too shocking when Laughlin has been such a dangerous multi-level threat all season for the 4-2 Eagles. Barring a really bad night tonight against visiting Angola, Laughlin should surpass 1,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing against the Hornets; he sits 38 passing yards and five rushing yards from those goals. Just as important will be his play against Angola, which sits at a sneaky 5-1, who the Eagles have not beaten since 2012 and have not been within a single score of since 2014.
AARON PERLICH, EAST NOBLE (vs. Columbia City)
East Noble’s defense has been on point all season and while Alex Scott gets a lot of rightful praise in the secondary, Perlich has come up huge as well. Last Friday, he picked off his third pass of the season and his 33 tackles place him sixth among all Knights players. The week before last, he had a season-best eight tackles against Leo, where he also picked off a pass – his first since the season opener against North Side. Perlich has also been used as part of the multi-faceted running attack for East Noble, carrying the ball 63 times for 416 yards this season.
PAUL PERKINS, BISHOP DWENGER (vs. Bishop Luers)
Perkins has been in on a lot of the gritty defensive stops for the Saints this year as they head into SAC rivalry week in the annual Battle of the Bishops. In six weeks of play, Perkins has racked up 34 tackles, including 25 solo efforts, and a team second-best 11.5 tackles for loss. He is also second on the Saints with 4.5 sacks on the year and has two forced fumbles to his name. Other than the outlier of a season-best 12 tackles against Wayne, Perkins from his interior line spot has been the model of consistency for a Dwenger defense that strives for just that.
CALEB KIENGELE, NORTH SIDE (vs. South Side)
His name may not have been muttered as much this season as previously, but make no mistake that Kiengele has still been putting in big efforts for the Legends again as a senior. His all-purpose offensive yardage still sits second on this team as he has been North Side’s second-leading rusher with 260 yards, as well as the second-leading receiver with 284 yards. As the Legends head into the Totem Pole game without leading receiver Maalik Moore, look for Kiengele’s usage to rise down the stretch. He ran for a season-best 102 yards last Friday in the win over Wayne.
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