Now that we crowned some sectional champions, it is on to regionals, where things really start to get real.
We still have at least one northeast Indiana team playing in all six classes. This is always the moment in the season where it starts getting more difficult as the field dwindles and the best teams rise to the top.
We’ve got some high-quality matchups this week that will decide who advances to semistate. This week was a busy one, as I was able to catch up with players from each of our seven games this Friday and look ahead with them to some fun battles we’ve got on tap this week.
Let’s Flip The Script into regionals.
6A: Carmel at Carroll
The game with the highest anticipation for our area this week is in 6A between Carmel and Carroll. These two teams haven’t faced off since the 2014 season. This year’s matchup is a battle between two dynamic offenses led by their quarterback respective quarterbacks.
Carmel’s Jackson Treadway has thrown for 1,500 yards, 15 touchdowns and three interceptions. He will go head-to-head with Mr. Football hopeful Gabe Frisinger, who threw for 200 yards and three touchdowns against Homestead last week.
When speaking to Treadway, he seemed to know what to expect from the Chargers.
“We’re expecting a great game from a great team,” Treadway said. “We respect them and we have to play our best to win.”
Carmel can put up points and did a better job at keeping up with Center Grove way back in Week 3 than the Chargers did the week before. Carroll’s defensive stars are aware of their challenge ahead of slowing down Treadway and athlete Mychael Lewis.
“Defensively, we expect them to want to own the line of scrimmage and run the ball,” Carroll’s Asher Wagoner said. “Offensively, they are an aggressive defense and fly around well. We need to be able to stop the run and force turnovers.
“When we play violent, we are the aggressor. Offensively, we need to do what we have been doing all year, overwhelm their defense with our weapons and put the ball in the end zone.”
“This week against Carmel, we expect it to try and create big plays all around the field with their athletes (Chris Harris and Lewis),” said Carroll’s Henry Sholl. “We know they are a powerhouse and have lots of talent, but all we can do through the week is get on top of film and perfect everything in practice at a high level.
Most of all, we can’t let the offers, stats and rankings get into our heads, because we have faced competition like this and know what to expect.”
Carroll’s offense will have to continue being balanced and will need much of the same from running back Jackson Rhodes this week. Last week, he ran for 143 yards and two touchdowns.
“We have to be efficient on all sides of the ball,” Rhodes said. “They are our biggest and best opponent since our test with Center Grove. They are going to try and get their run game going to stay ahead of the chains (and) we can’t let that happen.
“We have to stop the run and force them to throw the ball on long third downs. On the offensive side, we need to win the line of scrimmage. That’s where everything starts. We also need to establish the run because they will be preoccupied with stopping our dangerous pass game. If they let us work both phases of our offense, it will be a great night for us.”
Should be a fun one in Huntertown this Friday.
5A: Warsaw at Lafayette Jeff
Last week, Warsaw took down the Snider Panthers in a Week 1 rematch with a clutch showing, scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to advance . Tigers running back Mark Haynes led the way with 91 rushing yards against a stingy Snider defense and is ready for battle this week against Lafayette Jeff.
“I think we will see a lot of good athletes and good all-around football players,” Haynes said. “I’m expecting their offense to be fast paced, and we can’t let them do that.
“We have to hold onto the ball as long as possible and drain the clock. Don’t let their offense get the ball. What we have to do to win: No turnovers, control the tempo of the game, be physical and stay disciplined.”
Lafayette Jeff is coming off a dominant 44-6 victory over Huntington North.
After dropping its first two games to Bishop Chatard and Merrillville, Lafayette Jeff has run the table. Quarterback Trysten Barrett has thrown for 2,100 yards and 31 touchdowns with eight interceptions. He leads the way for a dynamic and knows Warsaw will try to slow down the passing attack.
“We gotta be ourselves and play our football,” Barrett said. “We need to take what they give us. Every team knows they don’t want us taking shots. We will take small stuff and get bigger and bigger. If our defense limits them to lower than three yards per carry, we should win the game. Coaches will do their thing and the players got to execute.”
Ball State commit Ka’vion Campbell-Walker has accumulated over 120 tackles this season from his spot in the secondary and has shown why he will be playing in the MAC next year. He is up to the challenge to try and slow down Warsaw’s lethal running game.
“We are expecting exactly what you see when you watch a film on Warsaw, which is run, run and run,” Campbell-Walker said. “We also know they are a very disciplined and physical football team coached by a Hall of Fame coach that if you don’t do your job on defense they will take advantage.
“My group of guys knows that we got to bring our A game, which is playing as a unit, but also know that every person has to do their job and assignment at a high level.” We are also going to have to out-discipline them. Taking the ball away and working the ball is huge this week as well.”
The Bronchos also have a dangerous offense in another way, and Warsaw knows it will need to be ready.
“We expect Jeff to come out swinging with big plays,” said Warsaw’s Brody Allen. “We are going to have to have discipline and consistency, down after down.
“Offensively, we are going to have to take care of the ball and play with a whole other intensity. They are a great team and they are hungry.”
Another good one in 5A!
4A: Muncie Central at Bishop Dwenger
Moving to Class 4A, we’ve got a fantastic game taking place at Shields Field on Friday night. Emotions are riding high for the Saints as they come off an impressive 35-14 victory over East Noble to win the ultra-competitive Sectional 19. Bishop Dwenger’s Drew O’Neill and Kolyn Campbell proved to be too much, with O’Neill finishing with 104 yards and a touchdown and Campbell adding 91 yards and two touchdowns.
Quarterback Tommy Coffman showed that he is in fact human and threw his first interception of the season against East Noble, but is excited to bounce back and has a solid scouting report of Muncie Central.
“We’re really excited to square up with a squad that our program hasn’t played in 20 years,” Coffman said. “They have a ton of speed in the secondary and their front seven has some good size. A couple guys we have to look out for on Friday are safety Doiron Montgomery and defensive end De’Marshuwn Clemens.
“We are going to have to play our disciplined, hard-nosed, cerebral style of ball and set the tone early. Muncie Central has shown that it can close out tight games as they are 5-0 in one-score games.”
“They’ve got a balanced, explosive offense that loves to push the ball downfield, so we expect them to test our coverage early and try to hit big plays,” said Bishop Dwenger’s Jordan Fabini. “We just have to do what we’ve done all year, stay disciplined with our eyes, get pressure on the quarterback up front and get 11 gold helmets to the ball on every snap.”
“We are expecting them to be a very talented team and try to get their playmakers the ball however they can,” Bishop Dwenger’s Nick O’Keefe said. “We’ve got to take care of the ball and dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.”
Muncie Central’s offense is led by dual-threat quarterback Mason Lee Ferguson. His top target is generally Kye Hiatt, who is the team’s leading receiver and one of their best ball hawks on defense as well.
“I believe (Dwenger) will come out and try to throw the ball, but then go to their bread and butter and run,” Hiatt said. “We need to stop the run, limit our mistakes and make big plays and we’ll come out on top.”
An explosive offense against a stingy, physical defense. Should be a good one at Shields this Friday.
3A: Angola at Andrean
Angola has put together a solid season during a year that could have been a rebuilding one. A sectional title and a 9-3 record has exceeded a lot of expectations for the Hornets, and here they are playing for a regional title at Andrean.
The 59ers are led by quarterback Dylan Gore, who has thrown for nearly 2,400 yards and 24 touchdowns against just a single interception in 275 passes. It will be no easy task slowing him down this week. I was able to catch up with Gore to see what he is expecting from the Hornets.
“We are expecting (Angola) to come out fast and try and bring a lot of pressure,” Gore said. We played them last year (in the regular season) and we know some stuff about them.
“We have watched lots of film and we are well prepared. The weather is going to be a big factor, so we are going to have to be fast and physical every play. To come out with a win from an offensive standpoint, we are going to have to play disciplined, hard, physical football and see what they give us and adjust. As the quarterback, I have to make sure everyone is on the right page so we can succeed.
Angola prevailed with a 14-10 victory over West Noble last week. The defense wasn’t able to slow down the Chargers’ running game much, but the Hornets made clutch plays to secure the victory, including an interception by Gus Heavin.
This is going to be a tough one for the Hornets.
3A: Bluffton at Hamilton Heights
Bluffton remains unbeaten at 12-0 heading into a tough test on the road against Hamilton Heights. It’s going to be a very physical game that will be decided by the battle up front.
Running back Cooper Craig has been ridiculous for the Tigers all season. In the 25-7 victory over Heritage last week, Craig ran for 124 yards and three touchdowns. The line has been a huge reason for the team’s success this season and this week’s opponent will try to match them on the front line.
“We are expecting a four-quarter physical game,” Bluffton offensive lineman Zane Betz said. “It’s going to come down to who can control the line of scrimmage, as well as who stays comfortable in coverage.”
With Axton Beste and Craig, Bluffton will try to continue doing what it does, run the ball. Hamilton Heights has had a pretty stingy defense all season and after losing its first three games of the season, it has run the table. Offensively, the Huskies are led by sophomore quarterback Lucas Whitaker, who has thrown for 2,500 yards for 29 touchdowns.”
Two different offenses going to battle this week and should be a good one in 3A.
2A: Wheeler at Eastside
If you enjoy watching teams run the ball, head to Butler this Friday as Wheeler travels to undefeated Eastside.
Wheeler is led by running back Levi Murray, who has put together video game numbers – nearly 2,300 rushing yards and 47 rushing touchdowns. Yes, not a typo.
How can Eastside slow that down?
“Wheeler is a run-first team that has a pretty good backfield,” Eastside’s Noah Dove said. “Everyone is aware of (Murray). He can be dangerous if we don’t wrap up and get him to the ground.
“Being physical is huge and I know if we are we will be successful. Offensively, we are going to go straight at them. No different than any other week. Our front five and tight ends will once again need to have good night for the playmakers to put points on the board. When we play Eastside football, it’s tough to stop us.”
Eastside was without Dove last week. He returns this week to complete the dynamic duo of Dove and quarterback Job Richman. Could they be the counter to Murray’s abilities for Wheeler?
“Wheeler is going to run the ball,” Eastside’s Ryder West said. “(Murray) is a good back and is really solid when he gets the ball outside. We are going to try and make him cut it back and we need to rally and tackle him.”
It could be a high-scoring affair in Butler. It will also be cold.
I was able to check-in with Murray to see what he was expecting in this game against Eastside.
“Eastside offensively runs a strict run game with some dudes that can make plays, and we’re expecting them to hit us with that,” Murray said. “To stop that offense, we must keep gap control and do the jobs we are assigned. Most of their big plays are off broken tackles, so tackling low and efficient will be important.
Defensively, their film shows pretty much the same defense every down, with blitzes out of that. To beat that, we just have to play our game fundamentally and make some plays to be able to beat that defense.”
It is safe to say that the Blazers are aware of Murray’s abilities.
“We’re definitely expecting a lot of run game, especially from (Murray),” Ty Sebert said. “We also need to be ready for the pass, because they have shown the ability to do so. We just need to stay disciplined on both sides of the ball all night and play how we know we can play.”
I am looking forward to my first trip to Butler to see this one.
1A: Pioneer at South Adams
It was an emotional sectional final last week for South Adams in the sectional win over Fremont. The team played motivated to play for teammate Gabe Steiner, who passed away a week ago. The Starfires have made it known every play and every snap is for him.
Can they continue that momentum this week against a successful program like Pioneer?
Starfires quarterback Zaden Baumer had a good performance last week along with Purdue commit Wes Summersett. Summersett scored on a run and another on a pass where he racked up 20 yards after the catch into the end zone. He also had an interception and a plethora of tackles.
South Adams will need every bit of that duo if the momentum is to continue.
“On the defensive side of the ball, (Pioneer) is going to try and establish a run game early,” Baumer said. “We need to take that away from them and make them uncomfortable. Our defense has been great this postseason and I believe they will keep doing the same thing.
“On the other side of the ball, we are going to continue to mix up plays and try and confuse the defense. That’s what we do and we are going to have to score a lot to win this game. It’s gonna take all four quarters to win this one. I believe we are ready and prepared for this game.”
If the Starfires are going to beat Pioneer, they will need a performance like running back Will Patterson put together last week, as he returned the opening kickoff to the house and also found the end zone in the rushing game.
“We’re expecting (Pioneer) to run the ball, but our defensive backs will be ready when they do throw it,” Pattersons said. “To come out on top, I think if we play with the mentality our brother Gabe Steiner did, and do our job on defense, we’ll have a pretty good game.”
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