The smaller classes already kicked off sectional play last week. This week we welcome Class 5A and 6A to the madness.
The pursuit to Lucas Oil Stadium is underway and we’ve got some really good games on tap for this week. Lots of us are already trying to look ahead to potential sectional championships.
But first, that’s right, folks. It’s time to Flip The Script for the sectional semifinals.
Two struggling programs in 6A that need a win
Beginning with Class 6A, the Carroll Chargers will be hosting the Noblesville Millers in a favorable matchup for the home team in Huntertown.
We’ve also got a rematch from Week 3 between the Northrop Bruins and the Homestead Spartans. Northrop was able to defeat Homestead in the regular season, but neither team has played consistently good football. Of course when it comes to the postseason, everyone is back to 0-0.
The Bruins come into this match-up with wins over North Side, Homestead, Concordia and Wayne on the season. Although none of their victories were a complete four quarters of solid play, they’ve already handled the Spartans and expect to do the same thing this time around. Northrop has the tendency to wear teams down with its pass rush with Michigan commit Ifeanyi Emedobi and Kent State commit Camden Day. Offensively, the Bruins like to use their running game with Kobe Reese, Levi Portee and Robert Rembert IV to open things up for the pass game. One of the players to watch will be All-SAC Second Team wide receiver, Jaxson Robinson.
“We just got to come out the same way we did in the regular season,” Robinson said. “We expect nothing but their best for all four quarters. We are both trying to send each other home early.”
“I expect Homestead to run a lot of QB powers and sneaks,” Northrop defensive back Dereyon Evans said. “If everyone on our side does their 1-11th (their job only and not anyone else’s), then we can definitely win. We have the talent to execute and make big-time plays, we just have to want to do it.”
Under Coach Chad Zolman, Homestead has generally been one of the best programs over the last two decades. The past few years haven’t been typical of the Spartans’ productivity, and this year they they come into sectionals with just three wins over North Side, South Side and Noblesville. One of the bright spots on this year’s team has been the offensive line play that has resulted in a huge season for quarterback Logan Frieden.
“We’re definitely expecting them to bring the pressure up front, last time we played them we were able to run the ball well, so we’re expecting them to try and take that away,” Homestead offensive lineman Henry Shaw said. “We’re expecting some exotic blitzes, some twists and stunts up front and a lot of stuff to keep us on our toes.
“In order for us to be successful we have to play as a unit, especially up front. Good communication and great physicality are gonna be crucial to securing the win. I’m extremely confident in my guys and we’ve had a great 2 weeks of prep leading into this game.”
“We are expecting them to bring pressure, but we just need to worry about ourselves and not hurt ourselves with penalties,” Frieden added.
It is no secret that Homestead will have to stop the run game of Northrop in order to be successful this time around. Reese ran for 180 yards and two touchdowns back in Week 3 and Bruins quarterback Braydon Peppler threw for 200 yards and two touchdowns of his own. Homestead knows it will need to tighten up on defense for things to be different.
“I expect Northrop to be quick with the football early in the game,” Homestead lineman Tobe Agunanne said. “My defense and I know we have to play assignment football to contain their speedy receivers and elusive running backs.”
First playoff game at “The Ike”
It’s been a long time coming for the Snider football program. This Friday, it welcomes the South Side Archers for the first-ever playoff game at its home stadium, “The Ike.” To put it lightly, the corner of Reed Rd. and Vance Ave. is going to be rocking this Friday with tailgates galore, which should set up a fun environment.
The Panthers and Archers did not meet in the regular season. South Side has had an up-and-down season and have been hit with the injury bug, with multiple players missing games, including sophomore quarterback Quinchaun Lamb Jr., who was lost for the season. Instead, former Snider quarterback, Jaywin Harris will be the starter for the Archers, which should add some more fuel for South Side. What do I mean by adding more fuel? Well, everyone has already pretty much accepted that there will be a rematch of Week 1 for the sectional title between Snider and Warsaw.
Other than its unprecedented loss to Wayne back in Week 5, South has lost to good teams. This is an Archers squad that has a lot of senior leadership and guys that have played the majority of their four years at the varsity level. They have been waiting for this moment. Two of those guys are First Team All-SAC players Jayvon Irby and Detrick Smith III.
“We truly just going to come out and rise to the event, we have no choice,” Irby said. “We have no choice, Truly, I’m expecting (Snider) to come out and think it’s easy and we come out and play hard all four quarters and give ourselves a chance to win.
“We have to play hard, fast and stay disciplined.”
“We’re expecting them to run the ball a lot and all we have to do is just stay disciplined and be more physical,” Smith III said.
Another player to watch for South Side is linebacker RG Gaston. He missed the last game of the regular season due to a minor back injury, but will return for this game and will show why he’s accumulated nearly 200 total tackles in the past two seasons. The senior linebacker is ready to leave it all on the field.
“We’re expecting them to come out and overlook us,” Gaston said. “They’re going to try and use their run game early and get (Braylon Burton) going, but our defense is looking to dominate and get the ball to our athletic offense, which will put points on the board.”
Snider’s offense has been much more successful this season with a huge boost from its offensive line. Burton, a First Team All-SAC selection, has been one of the best running backs in the state and knows that defenses will be focused on him. He also knows that the Panthers cannot take South Side lightly.
“South Side is very athletic,” Burton said. “They are fast and play hard. They will be looking to use their athleticism and make some big plays against us.
“We must play fast and limit our mistakes. If we play Snider football, we should be okay.”
Snider also has two other offensive playmakers that make it dangerous. Wide receiver Keaton Robinson was named First Team All-SAC and rightfully so. He has big-play ability that makes him dangerous at any point of the game. Also, playing football for the first time this year, tight end Ketron Paschall-Sims was named to the Second Team and is also a threat in the blocking and passing game with his size. Both are expecting an active South Side defense.
“Our keys to the game are making sure offensively and defensively we are focused,” Robinson said. “They have a good offense and defense, so we have to make them uncomfortable and limit their explosive plays. If we do those things, we will give ourselves a good chance.”
“I’m expecting them (Archers) to fly around defensively and have some electric plays on offense,” Paschall-Sims said. “We have to stick with what we do best and keep improving for the rest of our run.”
It should be a fun one at “The Ike.”
Will Bishop Dwenger be tested?
Everyone seems to be already penciling in that Bishop Dwenger will face East Noble for the Sectional 19 championship. Both have tests this week. The Knights have a rematch against NE8 foe Columbia City. Meanwhile, Dwenger prepares for a team it hasn’t faced since the 2023 season. The Saints prevailed with a 42-28 victory in that matchup against the Barons, but a lot has changed since.
The Saints are coming off a state championship last year, and bring in a 9-1 record into this matchup in a season in which they have looked unfazed other than the Week 4 game against Carroll. Although they’ve been extremely dominant, I was able to catch up with a few Dwenger seniors who know they cannot take this Barons team lightly and be caught looking ahead.
“DeKalb is going to try to set the tone early in the trenches,” Bishop Dwenger’s Jordan Fabini said. “We’re expecting them to have a heavy dose of the run game and hit us with some quick passes with the RPO.
“They like to establish the line of scrimmage, stay balanced and try to wear you down over four quarters. On defense, it’s all about flying to the football, like we always do. We have to control the line of scrimmage, eliminate explosive plays and win the turnover battle. These will be keys for our success.”
“As a team, we are expecting a very physical team that is going to try and establish the run early,” Saints defensive back George Hackman said. “We need to do what we do and execute our assignments to perfection.”
DeKalb has been one of the most surprising teams this season. It was supposed to be a rebuilding year. Instead, the Barons went 7-3, and the only losses were games that were decided by one possession. They rely on their physical defense led by Eli Schwab and Drake Hall, who have both surpassed 100 tackles. Their physical linemen on both offense and defense help create a heavy run offense led by Xavier Vice, who has 1,100 rushing yards and 16 total touchdowns.
To beat Dwenger, DeKalb is going to have to limit mistakes and try and match Bishop Dwenger’s physicality up front. I was able to talk with two players that will keys to executing this game plan.
“I’m expecting a fundamentally sound team that will line up and play hard-nosed football,” DeKalb lineman Miles Brockhouse said. “We need to match their physicality and just trust what our coaches have been telling us.”
“We are gonna have to execute on the offensive side of the ball,” Vice said. “No silly turnovers and no dumb penalties. I believe our defense is going to have a great game. We just need to win in the trenches.”
Shields Field has a fantastic game on its hands coming on Friday.
Can Bluffton handle the pressure?
Against all odds, the Bluffton Tigers ran the table this season and won the ACAC for the first time since 1989. Now, they’ve got all eyes on them to make a run in Class 3A. All season they’ve been led by dual-threat quarterback Axton Beste and elusive running back Cooper Craig. No one has really been able to find a defensive solution for the dynamic duo.
Although Bluffton comes in as the favorites to win, Norwell has been sneaky this season. It can be really good at times, and the Tigers expect the Knights to try and utilize every bit of that home field advantage in Ossian and spoil Bluffton’s undefeated season. More than likely, slowing down Craig will be the biggest focus for the Knights. I was curious to hear what Craig is looking forward to in this matchup.
“Defensively we are expecting they are going to load the box and try and stop our run,” Craig said. “That’s where we’ve had a lot of success this season and that’s our No. 1 threat.
“Offensively they are going to try to do whatever they can to try and beat our defense. What we have to do to win this game is continue to control the game and play our way.”
Norwell comes in with a .500 record, but has shown a tendency to pull up an upset here and there. Its defense has struggled to slow down the run, so this could be interesting to see how they game plan against a run-heavy team that has been nearly unstoppable thus far. Offensively, I am looking forward to seeing how sophomore quarterback Hunter Kurtz handles the bright lights and his first playoff game. Two players that I will be watching for Norwell will be Cooper Bunn and Trey Privett.
“We expect Bluffton to try to get out to an early lead with some big plays and go for the knockout punch quickly,” Bunn said. “They’re going to run the ball a lot, so to give ourselves a good chance to win, we just need to control the line of scrimmage and play our game.
“I would say we need to bring tons of energy. We know there’s going to be a good crowd, so that energy will help us get out to a good start.”
“We expect Bluffton to come out fast, try to hit us with a few big plays early, and set the tone,” Privett said. “They’re a run-heavy, physical football team, so if we want to come out on top, it all starts up front. We’ve got to win the battle in the trenches, stay disciplined and control the line of scrimmage.
“On top of that, we need to match their intensity right from the opening kickoff. We know our home crowd is going to bring huge energy on Friday night, and we plan to feed off that momentum to execute our game plan and take care of business.”
This matchup in Ossian could be one of the hottest games in the area this week!
Be the first to comment