Sectional Week

Staff Report

MARION AT WARSAW

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. Friday in Warsaw

Coaches: Mark Surface (Marion), Phil Jensen (Warsaw)

Records: Warsaw 4-5, Marion 5-4

Last game: Concord 31, Warsaw 17; Marion 30, Muncie Central 20

Stats and notes: Marion has won its last four games ... Marion has outscored their opponents by an average of more than 13 points this season ... Warsaw is coming off conference losses to NorthWood and Concord ... The Tigers will depend on rushing leader Jose Esquivel and quarterback Greg Seiss to lead their offensive squad.

Surface: "Warsaw has an outstanding tailback who has a big offensive line to protect him. He has the ability to read blocks well and break out for big plays. Their quarterback is also very athletic; he runs the ball effectively and throws the ball efficiently. They run the option, and that fits their quarterback and tailback well. The key to our success this week is eliminating mistakes. We need to execute offensively without allowing turnovers. We must contain their offense. We also need to play a good defensive game if we want to earn this win."

Jensen: "Marion is 5-4, and they play a tough regular season. They are a young team; 26 seniors graduated last year. Surface is one of the winningest coaches in Indiana; he's got close to 200 career wins. Marion has some big kids up front. Their offense is led by (quarterback Reggie) Nevels, who is a very talented starter. He has over 1,000 yards passing and 360 yards rushing this season. The key to this game is intensity. The team that plays with the most intensity for all four quarters and makes the fewest mistakes will move on this week."

MADISON-GRANT AT MANCHESTER

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. Friday in North Manchester

Coaches: Mark Hartman (Madison-Grant), Al Bailey (Manchester)

Records: Manchester 8-1, Madison-Grant 1-8

Last game: Manchester 69, Northfield 0; Blackford 38, Madison-Grant 20

Stats and notes: Madison-Grant has struggled this year with a 1-8 record ... Madison-Grant will depend on experienced offensive and defensive lines to control the ball ... Manchester has won its last eight games ... The Squires are coming off the first TRC football title in school history ... Manchester has the leading rusher in the state in David Barrett (282 carries for 2,021 yards) ... Madison-Grant knocked Manchester out of the sectional a year ago.

Hartman: "Manchester is a very strong team. They are a powerful football team. They have a strong running back in Barrett, who is leading the state in rushing. They also have a good line. Our team will need to shut down the run and play well against the run if we want to be successful. We will be taking chances we wouldn't normally take to pull out a victory."

Bailey: "We played this team last year. This year they have a similar offense, and their defense is basically the same. They have a strong quarterback and running back. Their lines are all seniors so they have a lot of experience. They are a good team, but they have struggled this year. They have played well in the first half of games, but not as well in the second half. They run a lot of misdirection plays and play action passes. If they get our guys out of place, they could strike for big plays."

NORTHRIDGE AT TIPPECANOE VALLEY

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. Friday in Mentone

Coaches: Frank Amato (Northridge), Scott Bibler (Tippecanoe Valley)

Records: Northridge 3-6, Tippecanoe Valley 4-5

Last game: Whitko 29, Valley 28; Northridge 34, Fairfield 8

Stats and notes: This is a sectional re-match. Northridge won at Valley 17-0 last year in the sectional ... Tippecanoe Valley is coming off a last minute loss to Whitko in TRC action last week ... Valley halfback Eric Prater is ranked in the state in scoring and receiving ... Valley has battled injury and illness this week ... Starting quarterback Brandon Eaton is out with mono, and several other players have not been cleared to play because of injuries ... Northridge is coming off a win against Fairfield ... Northridge is hoping to use the momentum of last week's win to help them earn a victory this week.

Amato: "Tippecanoe Valley is extremely explosive on offense. Prater and (Nathan) Patterson are tough, and Eaton is a good quarterback who does a good job directing the offense. They also have a good offensive line led by (Jeremy) Fox, (Rustin) Birge and (Micah) Lukens. Our defense has to protect the big plays and stop Prater, Patterson and Eaton. We can't become victimized by the big plays. We must keep our composure and poise in order to be successful."

Bibler: "Northridge beat us 17-0 in the second game of the playoffs last year. They play in a very strong conference - Goshen, Plymouth and NorthWood are all ranked in the state, and Warsaw and Concord are also tough schools. Their 3-6 record is deceiving, and we won't take them lightly. Northridge is well coached and fundamentally sound. They don't make a lot of mistakes. We have a lot of players out this week with injuries and sickness. Luke Gibson is doubtful, Brandon Eaton is out with mono, Jeremy Fox is not fully recovered from an ankle injury, and B.J. Hall has a knee injury. The key this week will be guys stepping up and producing results in their positions. Another key will be the turnover ratio. We must cause more than we give up. Hopefully we won't give up any this week."

WAWASEE AT SOUTH BEND ADAMS

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. Friday in South Bend

Coaches: Joe Rietveld (Wawasee), Mike McClure (South Bend Adams)

Records: Wawasee 1-8, 0-6 NLC; South Bend Adams 2-7

Last game: Goshen 42, Wawasee 0; SB Adams 41, SB LaSalle 19

Stats and notes: Wawasee won its first game against Whitko, but lost their last eight games ... The Warriors are led in rushing by Rustin Mikel (139 carries for 772 yards) and Jimmy Meyer (61 carries for 421 yards) ... Miguel Roa leads Wawasee's receivers with 14 catches for 136 yards ... South Bend Adams was winless until two weeks ago ... Adams rolls into the sectional with a two-game win streak.

Rietveld: "Adams was 1-6 like us, then they won their last two games. They are peaking at the right time, and they are a much better team than they were in August. They have a new head coach this year, and the kids are starting to get used to the new system. They are much improved. To win this game we must throw the ball effectively, control the line of scrimmage and rush effectively."

McClure: "Wawasee plays in a tough conference. They play some fine football teams in Plymouth, Goshen, NorthWood and Concord. They are a physical team, and they are big compared to us. We are also concerned about the offensive and defensive line matchups. They run a mix of run and pass. I think this will be a good, even matchup. If we don't play well, we will be in trouble. We struggled early in the season. We have established a good running game with Josh Cohen, but we plan to mix it up. With their eight-man defensive front, we need to mix in the pass. A balanced offense will be key in this game."

NORTHWOOD AT ANGOLA

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m Friday in Angola

Coaches: Rich Dodson (NorthWood), Don Harter (Angola)

Records: NorthWood 6-3, Angola 6-3

Last game: Plymouth 17, NorthWood 13; Heritage 48, Angola 6

Stats and notes: NorthWood is coming off a loss to conference foe Plymouth last week ... Quarterback Charlie Roeder is ranked in the state in passing ... Aaron Huber is the go-to guy for the Panthers ... Angola is coming off a loss to Heritage ... Angola leads its conference in total team offense and rushing.

Dodson: "Angola is 6-3 like us. We are concerned with improving our team and becoming more consistent. In order to win, we have to make the plays. We can't give them the football with good field position. We can't let them control the ball."

Harter: "NorthWood has a quality program. They have a lot of great players returning. They are always known for their good defense. We are a young team, we have nine new players on offense and eight on defense. We've made some adjustments and a pleased with where we are at. This game, we really need to contain the offense. Once you get into the playoffs defense equals the dominating factor in the game. As strong as their offense is, we must restrict it with our defense ."

CULVER COMMUNITY AT TRITON

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. Friday in Bourbon

Coaches: Neil Wagner (Culver Community), Rod Wildman (Triton)

Records: Culver Community 2-7, 2-5 NSC; Triton 1-8, 0-7 NSC

Last game: Jimtown 61, Triton 0; Culver 7, LaVille 0

Stats and notes: Triton's rushing attack is led by Andy Price and Nate Setser ... Matt Wanemacher leads the Trojans in receiving ... Culver is coming off a victory against LaVille ... Culver's other victory came against Triton earlier this year.

Wagner: "Triton is in our conference so we played them once this year and won. In that game, they struggled because they were coming off some injuries and had moved some players around. At this point, they are a better team than they were earlier in the season. It will take a good team to win this week. We will try to run the ball and control the clock. Two things will be key in this game. We need to play strong defense and not make mistakes. Mistake-free football will be the key."

Wildman: "They're a pretty good team. They've played a lot of close games, and their record could easily have been 5-4. They play hard and are excited about playing football. They've got a scrappy defense. Thay also have a good running back in Jeremy Stotler; he's not big, but he's quick. He's their number one weapon and we will concentrate on stopping him. The key to this game will be to have success early in the game. We need to make something big happen in the first quarter to build our confidence and get us going." [[In-content Ad]]