Local High School Football Previews For Week 3
September 7, 2022 at 9:15 p.m.
By Anthony Anderson & Steve Krah-
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Jake Field, Dunlap.
Series (last 35 years): Concord, 20-15.
John Harrell’s prediction: Warsaw, 35-10.
Last meeting: Oct. 15, 2021, Concord, 26-22.
About Warsaw: Coach Bart Curtis’ Associated Press/Indiana Football Coaches Association Indiana Football Coaches Association 6A No. 12/No. 12-ranked Tigers routed visiting Plymouth 70-0 in Week 3 … Warsaw is ranked No. 10 in the overall Sagarin Ratings (No. 9 in 6A) … The Tigers’ defense scored a touchdown for the third straight 2022 game against Plymouth … This time it happened twice — on a fumble return by junior lineman Isaac Beam and interception return by senior back Theo Katris … Warsaw has outscored foes 129-14. First-string defenders have allowed just seven points on the season (in the second quarter against Chesterton in Week 2) … Friday will mark the Tigers’ first road games of the varsity season.
About Concord: Coach Craig Koehler’s AP No. 16-ranked Minutemen lost 41-13 at NorthWood in Week 3 … Concord has been outscored 74-27 … Sophomore quarterback Hudson Glantz threw two touchdown passes of 45 and 87 yards to senior Juan Ross against NorthWood. Of Glantz’s 259 air yards, 150 went to Ross … Concord is 5-2 against Warsaw on Koehler’s watch … The last time the Tigers varsity won on the Minutmen’s field was in 2009. Concord has prevailed in the last six meetings in Dunlap and leads the all-time series 30-28.
Per Warsaw coach Bart Curtis:
On Concord — (The Minutemen) present a lot of issues. They’re athletic. They have playmakers out on the perimeter … They’re committed to this quarterback who can run and throw and he’s only going to get better every week … They can run the ball with (senior running back Titus Hackworth) … (Senior Armen Koltookian) is a good two-way player (tight end and linebacker). Last year, he had so many initial first hits against us. He was very difficult to block … (senior lineman Lance) Armey is a very good football player … Don’t be fooled by their record. They are too well-coached and too disciplined to not grow each and every week as a football team … (Craig Koehler) has taken that thing over from Coach (Tim) Dawson and kept it rolling … They’re already really good defensively, but they are waiting to unleash it offensively … Hopefully we’ve prepared our kids enough to be competitive Friday night because (Concord) can take the wind out of your sails. The last two times we were up there they jumped on us early and often. They really smothered us in some respects with their defense. They are not the kind of team you can start slow against.
Positives — We need to continue to with a high intensity level and play smarter football. We put the ball on the ground once (against Plymouth) versus two or three the week before. That’s improvement, but we need to have the ball not hit the ground … I think our kids are having fun playing the game of football.
On Plymouth game — I was pleased with how our kids responded in a very businesslike fashion.
Tippecanoe Valley (3-0 overall, 2-0 TRC) at Manchester (0-3, 0-2)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Burk Field.
Series: Valley leads 41-7.
Last meeting: Valley won 36-0, Sept. 10, 2021.
Last Manchester win: 27-20, Sept. 6, 2014.
John Harrell’s prediction: Valley, 49-3.
About Valley: The Vikings allowed Peru to return the opening kickoff for a touchdown last week, but responded with the next 41 points. That included 28 in the first quarter on the way to taking a 34-point lead into the final period of their 41-22 win over the Tigers. … Freshman Grady Moriarty, the head coach’s son, canceled out the quick Peru special-teams score with one of his own when he returned a Tiger fumble for a touchdown in the opening quarter to put Valley ahead for good. … Junior Nate Parker continues to lead the Vikings in several facets, including 247 rushing yards, 152 receiving yards, seven touchdowns and 13 solo tackles. … As a team, Valley is averaging 254 yards per game on the ground, while Cody Eastgate, sharing time at quarterback, has efficiently thrown for another 94 per contest. He’s 12-of-17 passing for three TDs and no interceptions.
About Manchester: The Squires were nipped 28-27 at Wabash last week — marking the first time in school history they’ve lost two games by two points or fewer in the same season. They fell 14-12 to North Miami in Week 1. … Against the Apaches, Manchester twice erased first-half deficits on the way to a 14-14 count at the break, then took a 21-14 lead in the third quarter before Wabash forged the game’s third tie at 21-all. The Squires went up 27-21 later in the third period, but missed the extra point. Wabash tallied early in the fourth quarter and added the decisive extra point. … Manchester fell despite a potent show from running back Garrett Sites, who finished with 199 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. For the season, the junior is at 337 ground yards on 56 tries. … QB Brock Casper is 32-of-74 throwing for 396 yards, three TDs and four picks. Receiver Memphis Wood has 11 catches for 207 yards and two touchdowns. … Defensively, Jordan Ayres owns a team-leading seven solo tackles. He’s had a hand in 31 tackles overall, with Mason Rooney at 24, Mavern Smith 23 and Caden Miller 23. … Special-teams regular Colten Nelson suffered a collarbone injury Tuesday in practice and is out indefinitely.
Valley coach Steve Moriarty:
On last week — “We’re improving. Peru’s a good team. We started to get off the ball better offensive line-wise than the first couple weeks. We gave up a special teams score, and their other two touchdowns were set up by special teams as well, but we also had a takeaway for a touchdown (on special teams). We have to work on special teams this week.”
On Manchester — “They have a good team and have lost a couple close games. They’re definitely big up front and have a couple backs who will be hard to stop. We’ll have to play good football to beat them. If we can stop them, I think our offense will be in position to do some good things.”
On a focal point — “Besides special teams, I’d like to see our pass defense improve. Secondary-wise, we need to get better, shut down the passing game. We held Peru to negative 6 yards rushing and Northfield to negative 4 rushing in the first half (a week earlier), but we need to defend the pass better.”
Manchester coach Alyx Brandewie:
On last week — “It was tough, definitely a frustrating way to lose a football game. In spite of that frustration, going back and watching the film, there were a lot of things to be happy with. As disappointed as we are to get beat, there were a lot of positives. We ran the ball as effectively as we have all year., We ran it for 300-plus yards. Short of the satisfaction that comes from winning, we like knowing that we’re getting better.”
On Valley — It’s a lot of the same things as the last couple years. They're big, physical and good at a lot of positions across the board. They've been able to execute their plan from what we’ve seen on film. They will present quite a challenge.”
On Sites in Week 3 — “He was fantastic. He’s a kid that came out for the first time last year. Never played in middle school and junior high. It’s been quite a learning curve, but he works hard every day to get better. We tell him football’s a game you’re not going to be perfect. It comes down to physicality and being strong. And (sophomore) Mason Rooney was over 100 yards, too (108 on 14 carries). They both finished runs through contact, did a nice job.”
Wawasee (0-3, 0-1 Northern Lakes Conference) at Plymouth (0-3, 0-1 NLC)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., The Rock Pile, Plymouth.
Series (last 35 years): Plymouth, 24-16.
John Harrell’s prediction: Wawasee, 31-28.
Last meeting: Sept. 24, 2021, Wawasee, 21-19.
About Wawasee: Coach Jon Reutebuch’s 4A Warriors lost 28-18 to visiting Goshen in Week 3 … Wawasee trailed 14-0 at halftime and got within 21-18 in the second half … Two of the Warriors’ touchdowns were runs by senior Cameron Zimmerman (81 and 28 yards) … Senior Jaxon Brown passed for 78 yards … Wawasee did turn the ball over three times (two fumbles and an interception) and was penalized on six occasions … The Warriors have been outscored 89-42 in three games … Wawasee’s last road victory was in Week 1 of 2020 at Lakeland.
About Plymouth: Coach Andy Handley’s 4A Rockies lost 70-0 at Warsaw in Week 3 … This is Handley’s first season … Plymouth has lost 14 straight dating back to 2020. The last win was in the seventh game of 2020 … Through three games, the Rockies are led by sophomore Exander Ramirez (29-of-61 for 187 yards) in passing, Ramirez (30 carries for 97 yards) in rushing, sophomore Kaden Miliser (four catches for 41 yards) in receiving and senior Alan Barerra (25), sophomore Carter Bush (24) and senior Michael Sheely (14) in total tackles … Plymouth averages 145.7 yards per game … The Rockies have been outpointed 170-7.
Per Wawasee coach Jon Reutebuch:
On Plymouth – You look at their three opponents and two of them (Kokomo and Warsaw) are 3-0 and the third one — East Noble — is a solid 4A school who lost to a team that’s 3-0 (NorthWood) so you can’t put any merit on (Plymouth’s record). I told the kids it’s going to be just like the Goshen game. Both teams want their first win of the season so they’re going to be in a dogfight.
Improvement — Overall the execution of plays (is improving). Our mistakes are just happening at the wrong time. We’ve put together some really good drives. The execution was excellent. Then we’d turn it over or make a penalty that put us behind the sticks … When we were able to execute all the way through, we were putting the ball in the end zone … Defensively, we have to make sure we are focused the whole time.
On Goshen game – Just too many mistakes at key times in the game prevented us from winning. Our energy level was really good in the second half. We just made too many mistakes in the first half and dug a hole for ourselves. We made a valiant comeback. It seems that every time we made a good play we would shoot ourselves in the foot with a penalty. Kind of the same song as the first three games. We’re making too many mistakes to enable us to win ball games. If we can eliminate those mistakes, we’re going to win some games.
Maconaquah (2-1 overall, 2-0 TRC) at Whitko (0-3, 0-2)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Huff Stadium.
Series: Maconaquah leads 6-2.
Last meeting: Maconaquah won 46-0, Sept. 10, 2021.
Last Whitko win: 36-7, Sept. 2, 2016.
John Harrell’s prediction: Maconaquah, 45-10.
About Maconaquah: The pass-happy Braves nipped Northfield 27-26 last week. They’re seeking their first road win, their only other try a 20-14 loss in Week 2 at 2A No. 11 Cass (3-0). … Against the Norsemen, Braxton Birner completed 24-of-36 throws for 357 yards with touchdowns to four different receivers, three of those receivers finishing with at least 100 yards each. Though just a junior, Birner’s already second in school history in career passing yardage (2,874) and TD passes (28). Through three games this season, he’s 73-of-112 for 919 yards and nine TDs against two interceptions. … Linebackers Ethan Farnell and Gavin Nethercutt each had monster games last week. Farnell, a sophomore, intercepted a pass in the closing minutes to kill Northfield’s final drive, recovered two fumbles earlier in the contest and forced a fumble to go with a hand in 11 tackles. Nethercutt, a junior, was in on 19 tackles.
About Whitko: The Wildcats will be under a new head coach after Chip Coldiron was dismissed Monday. … Whitko’s coming off a 70-0 loss at Rochester and continuing to seek its first points of the season. The Cats are joined by Crawford County as the state’s lone scoreless teams through three games, and they’ve been blanked seven times in their last 10 outings dating back to last fall’s loss at Maconaquah. … Last week’s game was the second-most lopsided defeat in Whitko history (exceeded only by 93-7 against Fort Wayne Luers in the Cats’ 1973 maiden season), and was the most lopsided win by the Zebras since at least 1933. The Cats trailed 56-0 at halftime and finished with one first down.
Triton (2-1) at Bremen (2-1)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Don J. Bunge Field, Bremen.
Series (last 35 years): Bremen, 34-2.
John Harrell’s prediction: Bremen, 35-24.
Last meeting: Sept. 10, 2021, Bremen, 35-7.
About Triton: Coach Rodney Younis’ Indiana Football Coaches Association Indiana Football Coaches Association 1A No. 11-ranked Trojans won 46-6 at Caston in Week 3 … Three-game Triton leaders are junior Cole Shively (10-of-20 for 141 yards) in passing, junior Anthony Schuh (37 carries for 594 yards and nine touchdowns), Shively (25 carries for 135 yards and five TDs) and freshman Vincent Prater (12 carries for 104 yards) in rushing, senior Amari Snyder (two catches for 53 yards) and Schuh (four catches for 49 yards) in receiving and senior Reilley Wood (21), Shively (17), sophomore Esai Lemler (15) and Shively (13) in total tackles … As a team, the Trojans average 9.3 yards per rush and 365 total yards per game … Triton has outscored foes 109-62.
About Bremen: Coach Jordan Leeper’s 2A Lions won 35-31 at Mishawaka Marian in Week 3 … Bremen has beaten Triton 12 straight times. The Trojans last prevailed in 2009 … The Lions are paced by sophomore Silas Laidig (20-of-34 for 375 yards and four touchdowns) in passing, junior Lance Moser (62 carries for 386 yards and four TDs) in rushing, sophomore Tyrus Graverson (13 catches for 236 yards and two TDs) in receiving and junior Reece Greene (14), senior Austin McKenzie (14) and junior Cody Czarnecki (10) in total tackles …As a team, Bremen averages 16.7 yards per pass completion and 168.3 total yards per game. The Lions have been outscored 79-77.
Per Triton coach Rodney Younis:
On Bremen — They’re a very aggressive team and they don’t do a lot of things to hurt themselves. They’re very disciplined. It’s important that we take care of the football and don’t turn the ball over. We need to defend the pass much better than we (against Caston). We also need to stay in our lanes to help secure their running game. (Bremen) is a pretty balanced team.
Running attack — The whole team has bought in. They work together. We’ve got really good receivers that are unselfish and they’re willing to block. That’s what springs things for us. Our offensive line deservedly gets credit, but it’s also our skill kids downfield that really seals the edge or breaking it open for a bigger gain.
On Caston game — I was pleased with our offense and our defense once we settled down. But we had way too many penalties. That’s definitely something we need to clean up. For some reason we came out sloppy and it cost us.
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Jake Field, Dunlap.
Series (last 35 years): Concord, 20-15.
John Harrell’s prediction: Warsaw, 35-10.
Last meeting: Oct. 15, 2021, Concord, 26-22.
About Warsaw: Coach Bart Curtis’ Associated Press/Indiana Football Coaches Association Indiana Football Coaches Association 6A No. 12/No. 12-ranked Tigers routed visiting Plymouth 70-0 in Week 3 … Warsaw is ranked No. 10 in the overall Sagarin Ratings (No. 9 in 6A) … The Tigers’ defense scored a touchdown for the third straight 2022 game against Plymouth … This time it happened twice — on a fumble return by junior lineman Isaac Beam and interception return by senior back Theo Katris … Warsaw has outscored foes 129-14. First-string defenders have allowed just seven points on the season (in the second quarter against Chesterton in Week 2) … Friday will mark the Tigers’ first road games of the varsity season.
About Concord: Coach Craig Koehler’s AP No. 16-ranked Minutemen lost 41-13 at NorthWood in Week 3 … Concord has been outscored 74-27 … Sophomore quarterback Hudson Glantz threw two touchdown passes of 45 and 87 yards to senior Juan Ross against NorthWood. Of Glantz’s 259 air yards, 150 went to Ross … Concord is 5-2 against Warsaw on Koehler’s watch … The last time the Tigers varsity won on the Minutmen’s field was in 2009. Concord has prevailed in the last six meetings in Dunlap and leads the all-time series 30-28.
Per Warsaw coach Bart Curtis:
On Concord — (The Minutemen) present a lot of issues. They’re athletic. They have playmakers out on the perimeter … They’re committed to this quarterback who can run and throw and he’s only going to get better every week … They can run the ball with (senior running back Titus Hackworth) … (Senior Armen Koltookian) is a good two-way player (tight end and linebacker). Last year, he had so many initial first hits against us. He was very difficult to block … (senior lineman Lance) Armey is a very good football player … Don’t be fooled by their record. They are too well-coached and too disciplined to not grow each and every week as a football team … (Craig Koehler) has taken that thing over from Coach (Tim) Dawson and kept it rolling … They’re already really good defensively, but they are waiting to unleash it offensively … Hopefully we’ve prepared our kids enough to be competitive Friday night because (Concord) can take the wind out of your sails. The last two times we were up there they jumped on us early and often. They really smothered us in some respects with their defense. They are not the kind of team you can start slow against.
Positives — We need to continue to with a high intensity level and play smarter football. We put the ball on the ground once (against Plymouth) versus two or three the week before. That’s improvement, but we need to have the ball not hit the ground … I think our kids are having fun playing the game of football.
On Plymouth game — I was pleased with how our kids responded in a very businesslike fashion.
Tippecanoe Valley (3-0 overall, 2-0 TRC) at Manchester (0-3, 0-2)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Burk Field.
Series: Valley leads 41-7.
Last meeting: Valley won 36-0, Sept. 10, 2021.
Last Manchester win: 27-20, Sept. 6, 2014.
John Harrell’s prediction: Valley, 49-3.
About Valley: The Vikings allowed Peru to return the opening kickoff for a touchdown last week, but responded with the next 41 points. That included 28 in the first quarter on the way to taking a 34-point lead into the final period of their 41-22 win over the Tigers. … Freshman Grady Moriarty, the head coach’s son, canceled out the quick Peru special-teams score with one of his own when he returned a Tiger fumble for a touchdown in the opening quarter to put Valley ahead for good. … Junior Nate Parker continues to lead the Vikings in several facets, including 247 rushing yards, 152 receiving yards, seven touchdowns and 13 solo tackles. … As a team, Valley is averaging 254 yards per game on the ground, while Cody Eastgate, sharing time at quarterback, has efficiently thrown for another 94 per contest. He’s 12-of-17 passing for three TDs and no interceptions.
About Manchester: The Squires were nipped 28-27 at Wabash last week — marking the first time in school history they’ve lost two games by two points or fewer in the same season. They fell 14-12 to North Miami in Week 1. … Against the Apaches, Manchester twice erased first-half deficits on the way to a 14-14 count at the break, then took a 21-14 lead in the third quarter before Wabash forged the game’s third tie at 21-all. The Squires went up 27-21 later in the third period, but missed the extra point. Wabash tallied early in the fourth quarter and added the decisive extra point. … Manchester fell despite a potent show from running back Garrett Sites, who finished with 199 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. For the season, the junior is at 337 ground yards on 56 tries. … QB Brock Casper is 32-of-74 throwing for 396 yards, three TDs and four picks. Receiver Memphis Wood has 11 catches for 207 yards and two touchdowns. … Defensively, Jordan Ayres owns a team-leading seven solo tackles. He’s had a hand in 31 tackles overall, with Mason Rooney at 24, Mavern Smith 23 and Caden Miller 23. … Special-teams regular Colten Nelson suffered a collarbone injury Tuesday in practice and is out indefinitely.
Valley coach Steve Moriarty:
On last week — “We’re improving. Peru’s a good team. We started to get off the ball better offensive line-wise than the first couple weeks. We gave up a special teams score, and their other two touchdowns were set up by special teams as well, but we also had a takeaway for a touchdown (on special teams). We have to work on special teams this week.”
On Manchester — “They have a good team and have lost a couple close games. They’re definitely big up front and have a couple backs who will be hard to stop. We’ll have to play good football to beat them. If we can stop them, I think our offense will be in position to do some good things.”
On a focal point — “Besides special teams, I’d like to see our pass defense improve. Secondary-wise, we need to get better, shut down the passing game. We held Peru to negative 6 yards rushing and Northfield to negative 4 rushing in the first half (a week earlier), but we need to defend the pass better.”
Manchester coach Alyx Brandewie:
On last week — “It was tough, definitely a frustrating way to lose a football game. In spite of that frustration, going back and watching the film, there were a lot of things to be happy with. As disappointed as we are to get beat, there were a lot of positives. We ran the ball as effectively as we have all year., We ran it for 300-plus yards. Short of the satisfaction that comes from winning, we like knowing that we’re getting better.”
On Valley — It’s a lot of the same things as the last couple years. They're big, physical and good at a lot of positions across the board. They've been able to execute their plan from what we’ve seen on film. They will present quite a challenge.”
On Sites in Week 3 — “He was fantastic. He’s a kid that came out for the first time last year. Never played in middle school and junior high. It’s been quite a learning curve, but he works hard every day to get better. We tell him football’s a game you’re not going to be perfect. It comes down to physicality and being strong. And (sophomore) Mason Rooney was over 100 yards, too (108 on 14 carries). They both finished runs through contact, did a nice job.”
Wawasee (0-3, 0-1 Northern Lakes Conference) at Plymouth (0-3, 0-1 NLC)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., The Rock Pile, Plymouth.
Series (last 35 years): Plymouth, 24-16.
John Harrell’s prediction: Wawasee, 31-28.
Last meeting: Sept. 24, 2021, Wawasee, 21-19.
About Wawasee: Coach Jon Reutebuch’s 4A Warriors lost 28-18 to visiting Goshen in Week 3 … Wawasee trailed 14-0 at halftime and got within 21-18 in the second half … Two of the Warriors’ touchdowns were runs by senior Cameron Zimmerman (81 and 28 yards) … Senior Jaxon Brown passed for 78 yards … Wawasee did turn the ball over three times (two fumbles and an interception) and was penalized on six occasions … The Warriors have been outscored 89-42 in three games … Wawasee’s last road victory was in Week 1 of 2020 at Lakeland.
About Plymouth: Coach Andy Handley’s 4A Rockies lost 70-0 at Warsaw in Week 3 … This is Handley’s first season … Plymouth has lost 14 straight dating back to 2020. The last win was in the seventh game of 2020 … Through three games, the Rockies are led by sophomore Exander Ramirez (29-of-61 for 187 yards) in passing, Ramirez (30 carries for 97 yards) in rushing, sophomore Kaden Miliser (four catches for 41 yards) in receiving and senior Alan Barerra (25), sophomore Carter Bush (24) and senior Michael Sheely (14) in total tackles … Plymouth averages 145.7 yards per game … The Rockies have been outpointed 170-7.
Per Wawasee coach Jon Reutebuch:
On Plymouth – You look at their three opponents and two of them (Kokomo and Warsaw) are 3-0 and the third one — East Noble — is a solid 4A school who lost to a team that’s 3-0 (NorthWood) so you can’t put any merit on (Plymouth’s record). I told the kids it’s going to be just like the Goshen game. Both teams want their first win of the season so they’re going to be in a dogfight.
Improvement — Overall the execution of plays (is improving). Our mistakes are just happening at the wrong time. We’ve put together some really good drives. The execution was excellent. Then we’d turn it over or make a penalty that put us behind the sticks … When we were able to execute all the way through, we were putting the ball in the end zone … Defensively, we have to make sure we are focused the whole time.
On Goshen game – Just too many mistakes at key times in the game prevented us from winning. Our energy level was really good in the second half. We just made too many mistakes in the first half and dug a hole for ourselves. We made a valiant comeback. It seems that every time we made a good play we would shoot ourselves in the foot with a penalty. Kind of the same song as the first three games. We’re making too many mistakes to enable us to win ball games. If we can eliminate those mistakes, we’re going to win some games.
Maconaquah (2-1 overall, 2-0 TRC) at Whitko (0-3, 0-2)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Huff Stadium.
Series: Maconaquah leads 6-2.
Last meeting: Maconaquah won 46-0, Sept. 10, 2021.
Last Whitko win: 36-7, Sept. 2, 2016.
John Harrell’s prediction: Maconaquah, 45-10.
About Maconaquah: The pass-happy Braves nipped Northfield 27-26 last week. They’re seeking their first road win, their only other try a 20-14 loss in Week 2 at 2A No. 11 Cass (3-0). … Against the Norsemen, Braxton Birner completed 24-of-36 throws for 357 yards with touchdowns to four different receivers, three of those receivers finishing with at least 100 yards each. Though just a junior, Birner’s already second in school history in career passing yardage (2,874) and TD passes (28). Through three games this season, he’s 73-of-112 for 919 yards and nine TDs against two interceptions. … Linebackers Ethan Farnell and Gavin Nethercutt each had monster games last week. Farnell, a sophomore, intercepted a pass in the closing minutes to kill Northfield’s final drive, recovered two fumbles earlier in the contest and forced a fumble to go with a hand in 11 tackles. Nethercutt, a junior, was in on 19 tackles.
About Whitko: The Wildcats will be under a new head coach after Chip Coldiron was dismissed Monday. … Whitko’s coming off a 70-0 loss at Rochester and continuing to seek its first points of the season. The Cats are joined by Crawford County as the state’s lone scoreless teams through three games, and they’ve been blanked seven times in their last 10 outings dating back to last fall’s loss at Maconaquah. … Last week’s game was the second-most lopsided defeat in Whitko history (exceeded only by 93-7 against Fort Wayne Luers in the Cats’ 1973 maiden season), and was the most lopsided win by the Zebras since at least 1933. The Cats trailed 56-0 at halftime and finished with one first down.
Triton (2-1) at Bremen (2-1)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Don J. Bunge Field, Bremen.
Series (last 35 years): Bremen, 34-2.
John Harrell’s prediction: Bremen, 35-24.
Last meeting: Sept. 10, 2021, Bremen, 35-7.
About Triton: Coach Rodney Younis’ Indiana Football Coaches Association Indiana Football Coaches Association 1A No. 11-ranked Trojans won 46-6 at Caston in Week 3 … Three-game Triton leaders are junior Cole Shively (10-of-20 for 141 yards) in passing, junior Anthony Schuh (37 carries for 594 yards and nine touchdowns), Shively (25 carries for 135 yards and five TDs) and freshman Vincent Prater (12 carries for 104 yards) in rushing, senior Amari Snyder (two catches for 53 yards) and Schuh (four catches for 49 yards) in receiving and senior Reilley Wood (21), Shively (17), sophomore Esai Lemler (15) and Shively (13) in total tackles … As a team, the Trojans average 9.3 yards per rush and 365 total yards per game … Triton has outscored foes 109-62.
About Bremen: Coach Jordan Leeper’s 2A Lions won 35-31 at Mishawaka Marian in Week 3 … Bremen has beaten Triton 12 straight times. The Trojans last prevailed in 2009 … The Lions are paced by sophomore Silas Laidig (20-of-34 for 375 yards and four touchdowns) in passing, junior Lance Moser (62 carries for 386 yards and four TDs) in rushing, sophomore Tyrus Graverson (13 catches for 236 yards and two TDs) in receiving and junior Reece Greene (14), senior Austin McKenzie (14) and junior Cody Czarnecki (10) in total tackles …As a team, Bremen averages 16.7 yards per pass completion and 168.3 total yards per game. The Lions have been outscored 79-77.
Per Triton coach Rodney Younis:
On Bremen — They’re a very aggressive team and they don’t do a lot of things to hurt themselves. They’re very disciplined. It’s important that we take care of the football and don’t turn the ball over. We need to defend the pass much better than we (against Caston). We also need to stay in our lanes to help secure their running game. (Bremen) is a pretty balanced team.
Running attack — The whole team has bought in. They work together. We’ve got really good receivers that are unselfish and they’re willing to block. That’s what springs things for us. Our offensive line deservedly gets credit, but it’s also our skill kids downfield that really seals the edge or breaking it open for a bigger gain.
On Caston game — I was pleased with our offense and our defense once we settled down. But we had way too many penalties. That’s definitely something we need to clean up. For some reason we came out sloppy and it cost us.
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092