On The Gridiron
October 20, 2016 at 4:06 p.m.
By Staff Report-
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Middlebury
Coaches: Josh Ekovich (Wawasee); Tom Wogomon (Northridge)
Records: Wawasee 4-5; Northridge 2-7
Last Week: Goshen 41, Wawasee 34; Northridge 22, Elkhart Memorial 8
Last Meeting: Wawasee 21, Northridge 20 (Sept. 2)
Matchup: Friday night will be Wawasee's first appearance on the WHME TV 46 Game of the Week since Sept. 20, 2013, when they beat NorthWood 21-13. Northridge and Wawasee were to appear together on Sept. 5, 2014 but the game was postponed due to severe storms. While every team adds wrinkles to plays for each game, there are few secrets between these two Northern Lakes Conference teams. Raider head coach Tom Wogomon, previously the coach at Wawasee, and Ekovich talk on the phone often and remain close. Northridge has struggled with the health of its young squad, with junior quarterback Nick Hooley missing time this season. Wawasee's offense has been strong the last couple of weeks, averaging 36 points over the last two games. Senior quarterback Tyler Smith has a hot hand, but he's getting a lot of help from Cole Vanlue, Paul Mendoza, Noah Wadkins and others. Smith is completing about half his passes, which helps keep defenses off-balance. After allowing just seven points in its two non-conference games, none by the starters, the Warrior defense and special teams gave up better than 35 points per contest in NLC play.
Ekovich: "We've been telling the boys since Friday night that what's happened in the last nine weeks is to prepare us for the sectional. What have we learned, what are we good at, what are we bad at, what do we need to change to be better at? It's not an advantage playing a team twice, and I'm not a fan of it. You never know what'll happen. They've had their highs and lows this year, just like us. The difference in their season and ours is we won our non-conference games and they didn't. I talked to Coach Wogomon a couple of weeks ago, and he said sometimes they're hitting on all cylinders and sometimes they can't get anything going. But their tape and their stats don't lie; they're a good team. They play hard, they're physical. Their offense is still trying to find its identity a little bit, but we're in the same boat with our defense a little bit. We've been good at times, and not so good at times, and I think the team that puts all three parts of the game together should be able to come out on top."
WEST NOBLE AT T. VALLEY (3A SECT. 26)
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. Friday in Akron
Coaches: Monte Mawhorter (West Noble), Jeff Shriver, Aaron Norris (Valley)
Records: West Noble 3-6, Valley 3-6
Last Game: West Noble 42, Prairie Heights 8; Southwood 49, Valley 29
Last Meeting: Valley 44, West Noble 0 (Oct. 19, 2012, sectional opener)
Matchup: With the regular season in the rear view, teams around the state enter the postseason with a clean slate and hopes of a sectional championship. Tippecanoe Valley hasn't won a sectional title since 1992, while West Noble's trophy cupboard is bare. Both the Vikings and Chargers are 3-6 this year, and they will square off Friday in Akron. Valley has lost 15 of its last 20 tournament games and is looking for its first postseason win at home since 2002. The Vikings' most recent tournament victory was in 2012 … a 44-0 win at West Noble. After losing their first five games of the season, the Vikings have won three of their last four. West Noble beat winless Prairie Heights 42-8 in the regular season finale, but hasn't won consecutive games this season. Following each of their other wins this year, the Chargers went on three-game losing streaks. For Valley, Alec Craig has completed 53 of 111 pass attempts for 656 yards and 10 touchdowns with eight interceptions. His favorite target has been Bryce Webster, who has 20 receptions for 247 yards and one touchdown. No other Valley player has more than 10 receptions. DJ Heckman leads the Vikings' ground game with 124 carries for 687 yards and five scores. West Noble is looking for its first tournament win since 2001, when the Chargers won 17-15 at Lakeland. West Noble's Chase Wroblewski has completed 43 of 113 pass attempts for 664 yards and six TDs, while throwing 11 interceptions. Spencer Shrock has rushed 57 times for 387 yards and three scores, and also caught 14 passes for 200 yards and one TD. Draven Rasler has scored three TDs while rushing 72 times for 337 yards.
Shriver: "They're very physical up front, both offensively and defensively. Defensively, they're gonna stunt and bring pressure. Offensively, they're going to stretch the perimeter. We're at the point where we feel like fundamentally and scheme-wise we've been playing catchup but we feel like we're trying to find things now instead of adding things. Over the last 16 quarters we've played pretty good football in most of those quarters. Last Friday, we were up 14-7 in the first quarter, and we played pretty even in the second quarter. We've just got some things we need to clean up. We need to take care of the ball and play more physical. I told the kids we have a chance to do something special … we haven't won a home playoff game since 2002. Playing at home is a big deal. Our crowd has been tremendous the last several weeks. Coaches talk a lot about having to ride an hour on a bus to a game … the good thing is we'll be playing at home and won't have to do that. As athletes we're all creatures of habit, so playing at home and being able to keep things routine is a big deal."
DELPHI AT MANCHESTER (2A Sectional 34)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Manchester
Coaches: Josh Strasser (Delphi); Greg Miller (Manchester)
Records: Delphi 5-4, Manchester 1-8
Last Week: Winamac 34, Delphi 20; Wabash 40, Manchester 22
Last Meeting: First meeting
Matchup: The Delphi Oracles come into the sectional featuring a pass-first offense led by senior quarterback Weston Windell. In the first eight games of the season he passed for 1,114 yards and 10 touchdowns against four interceptions. Windell is also the team's leading rusher with 414 yards through the Oracles first eight games, and as a team the Oracles rush for 111 yards per contest. Delphi has a shutout to its credit, and still gives up better than 27 points a game. In their four losses, the Oracles have lost by an average of 27 points, and in their five victories their margin is 18 points. Manchester coach Greg Miller said for his team to win it will need to be stronger on the lines, both offensively and defensively, something that didn't go the Squires' way in the loss to Wabash Friday.
Miller: "I don't think our defense played as well as we have in the past. Wabash had a great game plan. They controlled the ball, they controlled the line of scrimmage, and when you do that in high school football, that's usually good for you. (Delphi) is very similar to what we do. They run a spread offense, they run a little bit of option out of the shotgun, and they probably throw the ball more they run it. They have some good size up front, and their quarterback is pretty solid. Defensively, they run a 3-4 and they have some linemen that really get after it. Whoever controls the line of scrimmage will win the game, and we're working hard to make sure that's us."
WHITKO AT CENTRAL NOBLE (2A SECT. 35)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Albion
Coaches: Jeff Sprunger (Whitko), Greg Moe (Central Noble)
Records: Whitko 6-3, Central Noble 2-7
Last Game: Peru 35, Whitko 32; Garrett 54, Central 32
Last Meeting: Central Noble 29, Whitko 26 (Oct. 23, 2009, sectional opener)
Matchup: In the 30th anniversary season of coach Bryan Sprunger and Whitko's 1986 state championship season, the Wildcats open postseason play under first-year coach Jeff Sprunger Friday at Central Noble. The Wildcats, who advanced to the sectional finals last year but haven't won a sectional title since the state championship season, are 6-3 while Central Noble is 2-7. The teams are meeting on the gridiron for the first time since 2009, when Central Noble opened sectional play with a 29-26 win over the Wildcats. Central Noble opened the current campaign with three straight losses before winning consecutive games over Prairie Heights and Fremont, a pair of teams that finished the regular season with a combined record of 2-15. The Cougars enter Friday's game on a four-game losing streak and have been outscored 191-71 in those games. As a team, Central Noble has completed 14 of 57 pass attempts for 235 yards and two TDs while throwing seven interceptions. The Chargers have rushed for 1,519 yards and 20 scores on 310 carries. Central Noble's running game is led by Zach Brasel (373 yds, 4 TDs), Breeon Burgess (314 yds, 5 TDs) and Nick Rawles (210 yds, 3 TDs). Whitko is also a run-heavy team, having rushed for 2,923 yards and 40 TDs on 387 carries. Garrett Elder has rushed 124 times for 1,526 yards and 23 TDs, while Hunter Reed has 1,008 yards and 13 TDs on 172 carries. Collin Craig has completed 20 of 44 pass attempts for 351 yards. Zach Hewitt leads all Whitko receivers with 11 catches for 154 yards and two scores.
Sprunger: "Every game from here on out is only going to get tougher and more challenging. We have to continue to play solid football for an entire game. It is going to be important that we show up from the beginning and finish the game strong. If we continue to allow opponents to jump out to a big lead against us we will be packing our bags early this year. We have to come out firing on all cylinders early and often in the playoffs. When we look at Central Noble, we see a team that plays tough, downhill football. They don't really try to trick you and disguise what they're doing. However, they are going to throw a lot of bodies into a small area and try to out-power you. We need to play disciplined, assignment football. The key to us making a run to the sectional finals like last year is to simply focus on the task at hand. We have to play each game as if it's the state championship and give every ounce of effort that we have. We have to play each down of football disciplined and not try to do too much. We have to come out with hustle and heart for 48 minutes each week."
TRITON AT CASTON (1A Sect. 43)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Fulton
Coaches: Ron Brown (Triton); Brady Jones (Caston)
Records: Triton 1-8; Caston 2-7
Last Week: Triton 41, West Central 14; Knox 37, Caston 6
Last Meeting: Caston 6, Triton 0 (Aug. 19)
Matchup: Caston won the season opener between the two teams, and Triton head coach Ron Brown said he expects his team to carry a vengeful attitude in to the rematch. The Comets controlled the clock in the opener, something that hasn't sat well with Brown and the Trojans all season. Caston has been shut out four times and has only scored in double digits once, a 20-0 win at West Central on Sept. 2. The Comets have 261 yards passing on the season, seven interceptions and no touchdown passes, and 1,024 yards rushing split among 13 ball carriers. Junior Kasey Ault leads the Comets with four TDs this season. After scoring 70 points in their first seven games, much of that against the opposition's second-teamers, Triton has put 74 points on the scoreboard in the last two weeks. Two weeks ago, senior running back Rigo Butler became eligible after his transfer from Tippecanoe Valley, and has given the Trojan offense a late-season boost.
Brown: "We were able to do some things we wanted to do (in the West Central game). It was very nice having a solid tackle in there that we were able to run behind, and Rigo Butler was able to lower his head and get some yards. Plain and simple, we want revenge for that first game. A simple win will not suffice. We're going to execute our blocking a lot better. We've settled down in the line some, and that'll make a difference in the game. In our offense, we're of the mindset that we don't care if Bo gets off to a slow start, we're going to make sure we do our part until our offense gets rolling. One thing Caston did great the last time we saw them was they maintained (possession of) the ball, and they took the air out of it. I would look for us to be extra aggressive and try to send a message early that 'we're going to come after you all night.'"
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Middlebury
Coaches: Josh Ekovich (Wawasee); Tom Wogomon (Northridge)
Records: Wawasee 4-5; Northridge 2-7
Last Week: Goshen 41, Wawasee 34; Northridge 22, Elkhart Memorial 8
Last Meeting: Wawasee 21, Northridge 20 (Sept. 2)
Matchup: Friday night will be Wawasee's first appearance on the WHME TV 46 Game of the Week since Sept. 20, 2013, when they beat NorthWood 21-13. Northridge and Wawasee were to appear together on Sept. 5, 2014 but the game was postponed due to severe storms. While every team adds wrinkles to plays for each game, there are few secrets between these two Northern Lakes Conference teams. Raider head coach Tom Wogomon, previously the coach at Wawasee, and Ekovich talk on the phone often and remain close. Northridge has struggled with the health of its young squad, with junior quarterback Nick Hooley missing time this season. Wawasee's offense has been strong the last couple of weeks, averaging 36 points over the last two games. Senior quarterback Tyler Smith has a hot hand, but he's getting a lot of help from Cole Vanlue, Paul Mendoza, Noah Wadkins and others. Smith is completing about half his passes, which helps keep defenses off-balance. After allowing just seven points in its two non-conference games, none by the starters, the Warrior defense and special teams gave up better than 35 points per contest in NLC play.
Ekovich: "We've been telling the boys since Friday night that what's happened in the last nine weeks is to prepare us for the sectional. What have we learned, what are we good at, what are we bad at, what do we need to change to be better at? It's not an advantage playing a team twice, and I'm not a fan of it. You never know what'll happen. They've had their highs and lows this year, just like us. The difference in their season and ours is we won our non-conference games and they didn't. I talked to Coach Wogomon a couple of weeks ago, and he said sometimes they're hitting on all cylinders and sometimes they can't get anything going. But their tape and their stats don't lie; they're a good team. They play hard, they're physical. Their offense is still trying to find its identity a little bit, but we're in the same boat with our defense a little bit. We've been good at times, and not so good at times, and I think the team that puts all three parts of the game together should be able to come out on top."
WEST NOBLE AT T. VALLEY (3A SECT. 26)
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. Friday in Akron
Coaches: Monte Mawhorter (West Noble), Jeff Shriver, Aaron Norris (Valley)
Records: West Noble 3-6, Valley 3-6
Last Game: West Noble 42, Prairie Heights 8; Southwood 49, Valley 29
Last Meeting: Valley 44, West Noble 0 (Oct. 19, 2012, sectional opener)
Matchup: With the regular season in the rear view, teams around the state enter the postseason with a clean slate and hopes of a sectional championship. Tippecanoe Valley hasn't won a sectional title since 1992, while West Noble's trophy cupboard is bare. Both the Vikings and Chargers are 3-6 this year, and they will square off Friday in Akron. Valley has lost 15 of its last 20 tournament games and is looking for its first postseason win at home since 2002. The Vikings' most recent tournament victory was in 2012 … a 44-0 win at West Noble. After losing their first five games of the season, the Vikings have won three of their last four. West Noble beat winless Prairie Heights 42-8 in the regular season finale, but hasn't won consecutive games this season. Following each of their other wins this year, the Chargers went on three-game losing streaks. For Valley, Alec Craig has completed 53 of 111 pass attempts for 656 yards and 10 touchdowns with eight interceptions. His favorite target has been Bryce Webster, who has 20 receptions for 247 yards and one touchdown. No other Valley player has more than 10 receptions. DJ Heckman leads the Vikings' ground game with 124 carries for 687 yards and five scores. West Noble is looking for its first tournament win since 2001, when the Chargers won 17-15 at Lakeland. West Noble's Chase Wroblewski has completed 43 of 113 pass attempts for 664 yards and six TDs, while throwing 11 interceptions. Spencer Shrock has rushed 57 times for 387 yards and three scores, and also caught 14 passes for 200 yards and one TD. Draven Rasler has scored three TDs while rushing 72 times for 337 yards.
Shriver: "They're very physical up front, both offensively and defensively. Defensively, they're gonna stunt and bring pressure. Offensively, they're going to stretch the perimeter. We're at the point where we feel like fundamentally and scheme-wise we've been playing catchup but we feel like we're trying to find things now instead of adding things. Over the last 16 quarters we've played pretty good football in most of those quarters. Last Friday, we were up 14-7 in the first quarter, and we played pretty even in the second quarter. We've just got some things we need to clean up. We need to take care of the ball and play more physical. I told the kids we have a chance to do something special … we haven't won a home playoff game since 2002. Playing at home is a big deal. Our crowd has been tremendous the last several weeks. Coaches talk a lot about having to ride an hour on a bus to a game … the good thing is we'll be playing at home and won't have to do that. As athletes we're all creatures of habit, so playing at home and being able to keep things routine is a big deal."
DELPHI AT MANCHESTER (2A Sectional 34)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Manchester
Coaches: Josh Strasser (Delphi); Greg Miller (Manchester)
Records: Delphi 5-4, Manchester 1-8
Last Week: Winamac 34, Delphi 20; Wabash 40, Manchester 22
Last Meeting: First meeting
Matchup: The Delphi Oracles come into the sectional featuring a pass-first offense led by senior quarterback Weston Windell. In the first eight games of the season he passed for 1,114 yards and 10 touchdowns against four interceptions. Windell is also the team's leading rusher with 414 yards through the Oracles first eight games, and as a team the Oracles rush for 111 yards per contest. Delphi has a shutout to its credit, and still gives up better than 27 points a game. In their four losses, the Oracles have lost by an average of 27 points, and in their five victories their margin is 18 points. Manchester coach Greg Miller said for his team to win it will need to be stronger on the lines, both offensively and defensively, something that didn't go the Squires' way in the loss to Wabash Friday.
Miller: "I don't think our defense played as well as we have in the past. Wabash had a great game plan. They controlled the ball, they controlled the line of scrimmage, and when you do that in high school football, that's usually good for you. (Delphi) is very similar to what we do. They run a spread offense, they run a little bit of option out of the shotgun, and they probably throw the ball more they run it. They have some good size up front, and their quarterback is pretty solid. Defensively, they run a 3-4 and they have some linemen that really get after it. Whoever controls the line of scrimmage will win the game, and we're working hard to make sure that's us."
WHITKO AT CENTRAL NOBLE (2A SECT. 35)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Albion
Coaches: Jeff Sprunger (Whitko), Greg Moe (Central Noble)
Records: Whitko 6-3, Central Noble 2-7
Last Game: Peru 35, Whitko 32; Garrett 54, Central 32
Last Meeting: Central Noble 29, Whitko 26 (Oct. 23, 2009, sectional opener)
Matchup: In the 30th anniversary season of coach Bryan Sprunger and Whitko's 1986 state championship season, the Wildcats open postseason play under first-year coach Jeff Sprunger Friday at Central Noble. The Wildcats, who advanced to the sectional finals last year but haven't won a sectional title since the state championship season, are 6-3 while Central Noble is 2-7. The teams are meeting on the gridiron for the first time since 2009, when Central Noble opened sectional play with a 29-26 win over the Wildcats. Central Noble opened the current campaign with three straight losses before winning consecutive games over Prairie Heights and Fremont, a pair of teams that finished the regular season with a combined record of 2-15. The Cougars enter Friday's game on a four-game losing streak and have been outscored 191-71 in those games. As a team, Central Noble has completed 14 of 57 pass attempts for 235 yards and two TDs while throwing seven interceptions. The Chargers have rushed for 1,519 yards and 20 scores on 310 carries. Central Noble's running game is led by Zach Brasel (373 yds, 4 TDs), Breeon Burgess (314 yds, 5 TDs) and Nick Rawles (210 yds, 3 TDs). Whitko is also a run-heavy team, having rushed for 2,923 yards and 40 TDs on 387 carries. Garrett Elder has rushed 124 times for 1,526 yards and 23 TDs, while Hunter Reed has 1,008 yards and 13 TDs on 172 carries. Collin Craig has completed 20 of 44 pass attempts for 351 yards. Zach Hewitt leads all Whitko receivers with 11 catches for 154 yards and two scores.
Sprunger: "Every game from here on out is only going to get tougher and more challenging. We have to continue to play solid football for an entire game. It is going to be important that we show up from the beginning and finish the game strong. If we continue to allow opponents to jump out to a big lead against us we will be packing our bags early this year. We have to come out firing on all cylinders early and often in the playoffs. When we look at Central Noble, we see a team that plays tough, downhill football. They don't really try to trick you and disguise what they're doing. However, they are going to throw a lot of bodies into a small area and try to out-power you. We need to play disciplined, assignment football. The key to us making a run to the sectional finals like last year is to simply focus on the task at hand. We have to play each game as if it's the state championship and give every ounce of effort that we have. We have to play each down of football disciplined and not try to do too much. We have to come out with hustle and heart for 48 minutes each week."
TRITON AT CASTON (1A Sect. 43)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Fulton
Coaches: Ron Brown (Triton); Brady Jones (Caston)
Records: Triton 1-8; Caston 2-7
Last Week: Triton 41, West Central 14; Knox 37, Caston 6
Last Meeting: Caston 6, Triton 0 (Aug. 19)
Matchup: Caston won the season opener between the two teams, and Triton head coach Ron Brown said he expects his team to carry a vengeful attitude in to the rematch. The Comets controlled the clock in the opener, something that hasn't sat well with Brown and the Trojans all season. Caston has been shut out four times and has only scored in double digits once, a 20-0 win at West Central on Sept. 2. The Comets have 261 yards passing on the season, seven interceptions and no touchdown passes, and 1,024 yards rushing split among 13 ball carriers. Junior Kasey Ault leads the Comets with four TDs this season. After scoring 70 points in their first seven games, much of that against the opposition's second-teamers, Triton has put 74 points on the scoreboard in the last two weeks. Two weeks ago, senior running back Rigo Butler became eligible after his transfer from Tippecanoe Valley, and has given the Trojan offense a late-season boost.
Brown: "We were able to do some things we wanted to do (in the West Central game). It was very nice having a solid tackle in there that we were able to run behind, and Rigo Butler was able to lower his head and get some yards. Plain and simple, we want revenge for that first game. A simple win will not suffice. We're going to execute our blocking a lot better. We've settled down in the line some, and that'll make a difference in the game. In our offense, we're of the mindset that we don't care if Bo gets off to a slow start, we're going to make sure we do our part until our offense gets rolling. One thing Caston did great the last time we saw them was they maintained (possession of) the ball, and they took the air out of it. I would look for us to be extra aggressive and try to send a message early that 'we're going to come after you all night.'"
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