It’s Week 8, which means we’ve only got two weeks left in the regular season.
The brackets for sectional play will be revealed on Sunday, but the only people thinking about that are us in the media. The players are still locked in to the week ahead and we’ve got some great games on tap for Friday.
So let’s Flip The Script, talk with some players and preview Week 8 top games.
SAC: Bishop Dwenger vs Snider
Bishop Dwenger comes into this week with a 6-1 record, with the one loss coming at the hands of the No. 7 team in Class 6A – the Carroll Chargers, back in Week 4. The Saints are on a three-game winning streak and a big reason why has been the defense. In fact, Dwenger is the only team to allow less than 90 total points scored against them in the SAC this season. They’re also the second-highest scoring team in the conference, behind only Carroll.
First-year starting quarterback Tommy Coffman has been very efficient. He’s also surrounded by playmakers like Kolyn Campbell (who has been out the past three games with injury), Carter Zent, Nick O’Keefe, and the emerging Zion Boungou. Boungou leads the skill position players with over 300 all-purpose yards and has stepped up considerably in Campbell’s absence. This week presents a new challenge for the Saints – a rejuvenated Snider team. I was eager to see what some of their players were thinking heading into this game.
“Snider is a well-coached and disciplined team, “Boungou said. “We are going to have to trust in our coaching this week while also having trust in each other to make the plays we know we can make.”
“Snider has some talented players and they are well coached,” Zent added. “They have a good running back (Braylon Burton) and are big up front on the defensive side.
“We can’t wait to get out to their new field for the first time.”
Switching to the defensive approach for Dwenger, it knows Snider is going to try and feed Burton out of the backfield. I was curious to see what one of the Saints top defensive players thought of this matchup.
“Snider wants to establish the run game and hit us with big-play shots,” linebacker Jordan Fabini said. “We need to control of the line of scrimmage and play that physical Saints defense for 48 minutes.”
Snider sits at 4-3 heading into this battle, already a win improved from last season. Burton is second in the SAC in rushing yards and has been one of the best backs in the area. He knows that Dwenger will be keying in on him defensively and expects it to be smashmouth football.
“Dwenger will be well-coached and will come out ready to play,” Burton said. “It is going to be a hard-hitting game.
“We have to play Snider football and we will be good.”
In addition to having a top running back in Burton, the Panthers also have a solid linebacker group led by Braylin Fertil. He spoke to me about what he’s expecting from Dwenger and what the Panthers need to do in order to secure a victory.
“We are expecting a lot of runs and they are definitely going to try to air the ball out and try to make plays on the perimeter as well,” Fertil said. “We have to stay disciplined and zone out all the distractions presented and focus on giving our best effort each play.”
Should be quality SAC football at “The Ike” this Friday.
NE8: Leo vs. Columbia City
The East Noble Knights will likely run away with another NE8 title, but the Leo Lions and Columbia City Eagles have put together very promising seasons that bodes well for the future of their respective programs. Most people (including me) were ready to write off the season for Leo. It graduated a lot of key players from a year ago, but some young guys have stepped up and successfully took on the challenge to maintain competitiveness this season.
One of the toughest positions for a program to replace is quarterback. New starting quarterback Luke Marquardt has stepped in admirably this year. He hasn’t attempted nearly as many passes as other QBs in the conference, yet is still amongst the top with his 1,000-plus passing yards and seven passing TDs. He knows this week against the Eagles is going to be a physical battle.
“I expect Columbia City to be a very physical team where we have to match their intensity,” Marquardt said. “We know they have great size and are well coached, so we will have to execute at a high level on Friday.
“Every every player must do their job and we must play together as a team on every down for us to walk out with a win.”
What’s impressed me the most about Leo season has actually been the defense. As a unit, it has only allowed 80 total points all year. This is the best in the NE8, with East Noble being the closest with 102 total points allowed. One of primary reasons for the defense’s play has been break-out junior Isaiah Detmers, who has been a playmaker on both sides of the ball. He’s been the team’s MVP this season, but makes the biggest impact on defense, He knows this game will be physical, but also believes he has Columbia City’s game plan figured out.
“I’m expecting Columbia City to come out trying to establish the run and play physical,” Detmers said. “For us, we got to stop the run game early and force them to throw the ball.
“If we can make stops on defense, and communicate on defense, limit the big plays, and execute our assignments, I think we’ll put ourselves in a good position to come out with the win.”
For Columbia City, offensively it’ll be the same approach as usual – establish the running game with Lukas Duncan and Noah Geiger. If that is shut down by Leo’s defense, it could be a huge night for quarterback Jordan Parrett and wide receiver Gabe McDevitt. It could be a close battle that comes down to which team can limit mistakes.
“We know Leo has been tested by their out-of-conference schedule and they’ve played hard all four quarters each game,” McDevitt said. “It’s important we come prepared to play a tough second half and minimize mental mistakes.”
The NE8 has another potential thriller on its hands this week in Columbia City.
ACAC: Bluffton vs. Adams Central
Our Outside The Huddle Game of the Week will be in Monroe between the Bluffton Tigers and the Adams Central Flying Jets. We already heard from the coaches in our preview, so let’s hear from some of the players about this huge matchup that will likely decide the fate of the ACAC.
Bluffton controls its own destiny here. It’s simple, if the Tigers win, they win the ACAC. If they lose, we enter tie territory. It’s no secret that the Tigers will focus on utilizing their two stars on offense in quarterback Axton Beste and running back Cooper Craig.
On the other side, Bluffton will have to find a way to slow down Adams Central quarterback Jamison Roach, who is also a dual-threat like Beste. One of the players that will be trying to slow down Roach and the Flying Jets’ balanced attack on offense will be Bluffton lineman John O’Leary-Freeman. He is hyped up for this matchup and knows a victory won’t come easy.
“We are expecting the same thing from Adams Central that we’ve seen almost every year,” O’Leary-Freeman said. “We know they’re going to play hard and play smart because they are coached very well.
“What I think we need to do to come out victorious is keep the ball away from them and play hard all 48 minutes. We also have some things to communicate between each other and get down before we play this team. Their offense is obviously dangerous, but even with the ball in their hands I’ll take my 11 on defense rather than their 11 on offense.”
“We are expecting Bluffton to have a strong run game,” Adams Central’s Xander Schwartz said. “We know that Beste and Craig are their guys.
“For us to win, our offensive line as well as our wing backs are going to need to block good the whole night and if we can contain Beste, I think we will have a good shot at winning.”
A game that decides who walks away with the ACAC? A lot on the line in Monroe on Friday.
NECC: West Noble vs. Angola
A matchup that I feel like is being slept on this week is a battle between the West Noble Chargers and the Angola Hornets. This is a game that will decide who walks away with the NECC Big Division. Both teams come into this game 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the division. West Noble is one of the highest-scoring teams in the NECC (behind only Eastside) and are led by junior running back Xy’mire Barnes-Bridges, who has quietly ran for 848 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns.
A player that has been producing on both sides of the ball at a high level is Brogan Parks, who has over 200 rushing yards and also leads the team in tackles for loss with 9.5, is second in tackles with 49 and is tied for the lead in sacks with 3.5. He is very excited for this matchup with Angola and believes he knows what the approach should be for Friday.
“They are going to try and limit our run game and we need to be more physical than them and limit mistakes on offense and defense,” Parks said. “Defensively, we need to limit their passing game and get pressure on the QB.”
Have a fun Week 8! Check back next week!
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