On The Gridiron Capsules
September 1, 2016 at 4:08 p.m.
By Staff Report-
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Plymouth
Coaches: Phil Jensen (Warsaw), John Barron (Plymouth)
Records: Warsaw 1-1 (0-0 NLC), Plymouth 1-1 (0-0 NLC)
Last Game: East Noble 47, Warsaw 42; Plymouth 59, Rochester 6
Last Year: Plymouth 35, Warsaw 21
Matchup: One of the state's oldest rivalries continues Friday night, as the Warsaw Tigers and Plymouth Rockies meet for the 97th time. The Rockies lead the overall series, which began in 1924, with a record of 50-44-2. Plymouth has won seven of the past 10 meetings, and coach John Barron is 9-3 against the Tigers. Barron is looking for his 100th career win Friday night. Warsaw enters the Northern Lakes Conference opener on the heels of a 47-42 loss to East Noble. In two games this season, the Tigers have scored a total of 72 points … 51 of which were scored in the second half. Warsaw's Michael Jensen has completed 25 of 49 pass attempts for 290 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. D'Andre Street is Warsaw's top receiver with 11 catches for 155 yards and a score, while Will McGarvey leads the Tigers' ground game with 38 carries for 231 yards and a TD. Lane McClone and Jeremy David lead Warsaw's defense with 10 solo tackle each through two games, while Mason Faas and Zach Riley have made nine and eight solo tackles, respectively. AJ Villarreal has sacks. Plymouth, which lost four-year quarterback Jack Barron to graduation, enters Friday's game after a 59-6 win over Rochester. On the field, the Rockies are 2-0, but they forfeited a 30-3 season-opening win over Marshall County rival Bremen for using an ineligible player. In last week's thrashing of Rochester, the Rockies rushed for 385 yards and scored all 59 of their points in the first half. Tristen McMillen ran for 115 yards on 12 carries and scored on runs of 16 and 26 yards. Benji Nixon carried the ball just three times for Plymouth, but scored on TDs on each of them, totaling 47 yards. Nixon also caught a 22-yard TD pass from Cole Filson, who later scored on a 54-yard run.
Jensen: "You can't replace a kid like Jack Barron … he's one of those very special kids, and the led them to a lot of wins. He was fierce competitor. But that's how it is in high school sports, even the good ones graduate. The young man they have at quarterback now has helped them score a lot of points. Their offense is dangerous, and he's doing a good job protecting the ball. They've only thrown 13 or 14 times, and they've only pitched it a handful of times. They haven't done anything to open their offense – they haven't needed to. (Coach) John (Barron) is good at holding his hand. If he doesn't have to show his hand, he won't. We've scored some points, but we have to have a sense of urgency right out of the gate. We were up 14-0 on Plymouth last year and lost 35-21. We have to be more consistent with that."
NORTH MIAMI AT TIPPECANOE VALLEY (TRC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Akron
Coaches: Mark Lefebvre (N. Miami), Darin Holsopple (T. Valley)
Records: N. Miami 2-0 (0-0 TRC), T. Valley 0-2 (0-0 TRC)
Last Game: North Miami 37, Central Noble 13; Western 65, T. Valley 14
Last Year: T. Valley 32, North Miami 23
Matchup: For the fourth straight year, the Tippecanoe Valley Vikings enter the third game of the season with an 0-2 record. The Vikings, who have just one non-conference win since 2010, beat North Miami in 2015 for coach Darin Holsopple's first win with the program. Valley is hoping for the same result Friday when the Warriors come to Akron for a Three Rivers Conference opener. Valley has been outscored 112-14 this season, while North Miami has outscored its two opponents 88-27. In last week's loss at Western, Valley quarterback Alec Craig passed for 110 yards and rushed for 63. He threw a 16-yard scoring strike to Jon Humes, and also scored on a 17-yard run. Bryce Webster led the Vikings with 66 receiving yards on four catches. North Miami is 2-0 for the first time since 2007, when it seven in a row to start the season. At 2-0, the Warriors have already matched their win total from all of last season. North Miami has lost seven of its last 10 trips to Akron.
Holsopple "The first two weeks have really highlighted things we need to do better as a team. Defensively, we must do a better job tackling. We have to be able to get ourselves into the proper position to make a tackle. We worked hard this week to improve our reads, which will in turn allow us to be in the right place to make a tackle. We also suffered some key injuries over the past four weeks. During this time, some younger kids have gained valuable experience. As we start to get some of these guys back, we should be much-improved. To be successful on Friday, our kids must play with passion. They need to defeat blocks and make tackles on defense. On offense, we must win the battle on the line of scrimmage."
WHITKO AT MACONAQUAH (TRC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Bunker Hill
Coaches: Jeff Sprunger (Whitko), Mark Hartman (Maconaquah)
Records: Whitko 2-0 (0-0 TRC), Maconaquah 0-2 (0-0 TRC)
Last Game: Whitko 20, Columbia City 14; Mississinewa 63, Maconaquah 6
Last Year: Maconaquah 20, Whitko 12
Matchup: With last week's 20-14 win over Whitley County rival Columbia City, the Whitko Wildcats are 2-0 for the first time since 2008. With a win at Maconaquah Friday night, they would improve to 3-0 for the first time since 1990. Through two games this season, Whitko has just 16 passing yards, but has outgained its opponents 567-163 on the ground. Garrett Elder has carried the ball 22 times for 262 yards and five scores, while Hunter Reed has tallied 190 yards and two TDs on 45 carries, and Robby Owsley has 125 yards and a score on 10 carries. Maconaquah has been outscored 112-20 this season, including last week's 63-6 loss to Mississinewa.
Sprunger: "The key to our success Friday night is to continue to get better. We can't focus on what we can't control, but we can control how we execute plays, if we hustle on the field, and the attitude and energy we play with. When we look at Maconaquah on film, and they go under center, they can move the ball really well. The ball carriers and linemen come downhill hard and fast, and they are rather impressive. They have some size about their front line and have some boys that are going to be difficult to handle if we don't play low."
NORTHRIDGE AT WAWASEE (NLC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Syracuse
Coaches: Tom Wogomon (Northridge), Josh Ekovich (Wawasee)
Records: Northridge 2-0, Wawasee 2-0
Last week: Michigan City 37, Northridge 0; Wawasee 48, West Noble 7
Last year: Northridge 21, Wawasee 0
Matchup: Northridge isn't off to a good start; its the first time since Tom Wogomon took over the Raiders that they have failed to win their first two games. While the Raider personnel has have significant turnover, the players coming up have had Wogomon as the coach for their entire high school careers. On the other side, the Warriors haven't beaten the Raiders since Wogomon led Wawasee to a 24-23 overtime win during in Syracuse during the 2012 season. In fact, Wawasee hasn't scored in the last two seasons. Northridge sophomore quarterback Julius Graber has completed 13 of 28 passes for 161 yards, and is averaging 4.3 yards a carry. Juniors Mason Troyer and Connor Graber, and sophomore Tug Modglin have split the bulk of the remaining Raider rushing attempts. The Warrior first-team defense has yet to be scored on this season (the second team gave up a touchdown to West Noble late in the game last week), and has given up fewer points than any other Class 3A team so far this year. When senior quarterback Tyler Smith isn't running the ball (38 rushes, 309 yds, 4 TDs), he's handing it off to Noah Wadkins (15-77 yds, 2 TD) or Paul Mendoza (10-77 yds. 1 TD). Flanker Cole VanLue has big-play capability, with 187 rushing yards on five carries and a touchdown.
Ekovich: "After looking at film, we need to make sure we're finishing plays, pay attention to details in our assignments and be more consistent. We have a tight-knit group on this team; they seems to care about each other. Team chemistry cam play a huge role in the success or failure of our team."
1A NO. 2 PIONEER AT TRITON (HNAC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Bourbon
Coaches: Adam Berry (Wabash); Ron Brown (Triton)
Records: Pioneer 2-0 (2-0 HNAC); Triton 0-2 (0-2 HNAC)
Last week: Pioneer 41, Winamac 12; LaVille 55, Triton 18
Last year: Pioneer 64, Triton 14
Matchup: The Pioneer Panthers come in having scored 88 points in their first two games this season, and this year's seniors have won a sectional title every year of their high school careers. The last Pioneer team to lose as many as four games was in 2001, and the Panthers haven't had a losing season since 1995. Pioneer sophomore quarterback Jack Kiser has completed just 10 passes so far this year, but each catch has been good for an average of 19 yards. Kiser and classmate Daniel Gergorich have rushed for 228 and 227 yards, respectively, in their first two games. Senior Keith Nies has added 154 yards on the ground. Triton sophomore quarterback James Snyder has enjoyed success through the air, passing for 302 yards and averaging better than 12 yards a completion. Senior Zac Pitney has six catches for 113 yards, and junior Drew Stichter five receptions for 61 yards for Triton.
Brown: "They have the best athletes in all of the HNAC in their QB, a deep tradition of football at their school, and a belief that they will win every friday night no matter their opponent. We will have to work to overcome these obstacles just like we do with all of our game preparations. We are determined to make a statement of our own, and show our community and fan base that we are improving every week. Our kids really do not care who they are playing against; they prepare to win."
MANCHESTER AT WABASH (TRC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Wabash
Coaches: Greg Miller (Manchester); Floyd McWhirt (Wabash)
Records: Manchester 0-2; Wabash 2-0
Last week: Bluffton 12, Manchester 6; Wabash 44, Alexandria 7
Last year: Wabash 42. Manchester 0
Matchup: Last year Wabash had its first winning season in 19 years. Wabash Apaches senior quarterback Sammy Hipskind is completing better than half his passes, and Wabash receivers average 15.9 yards per catch. Senior Luke Proctor will get the bulk of the carries, and if he somehow continues his pace he'll rush for close to 2,000 yards this year. Senior Justin Beauchamp has four receptions for 123 yards, and classmate Eryk Weber has five catches for 80 yards. Manchester is still waiting for its young offense to come alive; in two games they've managed just 123 yards of total offense to go with its 14 points. The defensive side of the ball will need to step up as well to handle a Wabash offense that has more seniors than the Squires roster.
Miller: "The TRC battles are here. We are playing for championships from here on out. Whether it is for the conference or in the playoffs. We are focused on making our mark. Our kids understand that this week we are working to get ourselves better, to eliminate mistakes and take advantage of what the opponent gives us. This is a TRC game but it is also a county team as well. Our kids know (Wabash players) very well, so the intensity, enthusiasm and bragging rights are on the line. Wabash, at least offensively, is very similar to us. This is going to allow us to double dip a little bit at practice this week offensively. Wabash is a very aggressive team on both sides of the ball. They have an abundance of athletes and they execute very well. We need to with the lines of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and contain their athleticism."
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Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Plymouth
Coaches: Phil Jensen (Warsaw), John Barron (Plymouth)
Records: Warsaw 1-1 (0-0 NLC), Plymouth 1-1 (0-0 NLC)
Last Game: East Noble 47, Warsaw 42; Plymouth 59, Rochester 6
Last Year: Plymouth 35, Warsaw 21
Matchup: One of the state's oldest rivalries continues Friday night, as the Warsaw Tigers and Plymouth Rockies meet for the 97th time. The Rockies lead the overall series, which began in 1924, with a record of 50-44-2. Plymouth has won seven of the past 10 meetings, and coach John Barron is 9-3 against the Tigers. Barron is looking for his 100th career win Friday night. Warsaw enters the Northern Lakes Conference opener on the heels of a 47-42 loss to East Noble. In two games this season, the Tigers have scored a total of 72 points … 51 of which were scored in the second half. Warsaw's Michael Jensen has completed 25 of 49 pass attempts for 290 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. D'Andre Street is Warsaw's top receiver with 11 catches for 155 yards and a score, while Will McGarvey leads the Tigers' ground game with 38 carries for 231 yards and a TD. Lane McClone and Jeremy David lead Warsaw's defense with 10 solo tackle each through two games, while Mason Faas and Zach Riley have made nine and eight solo tackles, respectively. AJ Villarreal has sacks. Plymouth, which lost four-year quarterback Jack Barron to graduation, enters Friday's game after a 59-6 win over Rochester. On the field, the Rockies are 2-0, but they forfeited a 30-3 season-opening win over Marshall County rival Bremen for using an ineligible player. In last week's thrashing of Rochester, the Rockies rushed for 385 yards and scored all 59 of their points in the first half. Tristen McMillen ran for 115 yards on 12 carries and scored on runs of 16 and 26 yards. Benji Nixon carried the ball just three times for Plymouth, but scored on TDs on each of them, totaling 47 yards. Nixon also caught a 22-yard TD pass from Cole Filson, who later scored on a 54-yard run.
Jensen: "You can't replace a kid like Jack Barron … he's one of those very special kids, and the led them to a lot of wins. He was fierce competitor. But that's how it is in high school sports, even the good ones graduate. The young man they have at quarterback now has helped them score a lot of points. Their offense is dangerous, and he's doing a good job protecting the ball. They've only thrown 13 or 14 times, and they've only pitched it a handful of times. They haven't done anything to open their offense – they haven't needed to. (Coach) John (Barron) is good at holding his hand. If he doesn't have to show his hand, he won't. We've scored some points, but we have to have a sense of urgency right out of the gate. We were up 14-0 on Plymouth last year and lost 35-21. We have to be more consistent with that."
NORTH MIAMI AT TIPPECANOE VALLEY (TRC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Akron
Coaches: Mark Lefebvre (N. Miami), Darin Holsopple (T. Valley)
Records: N. Miami 2-0 (0-0 TRC), T. Valley 0-2 (0-0 TRC)
Last Game: North Miami 37, Central Noble 13; Western 65, T. Valley 14
Last Year: T. Valley 32, North Miami 23
Matchup: For the fourth straight year, the Tippecanoe Valley Vikings enter the third game of the season with an 0-2 record. The Vikings, who have just one non-conference win since 2010, beat North Miami in 2015 for coach Darin Holsopple's first win with the program. Valley is hoping for the same result Friday when the Warriors come to Akron for a Three Rivers Conference opener. Valley has been outscored 112-14 this season, while North Miami has outscored its two opponents 88-27. In last week's loss at Western, Valley quarterback Alec Craig passed for 110 yards and rushed for 63. He threw a 16-yard scoring strike to Jon Humes, and also scored on a 17-yard run. Bryce Webster led the Vikings with 66 receiving yards on four catches. North Miami is 2-0 for the first time since 2007, when it seven in a row to start the season. At 2-0, the Warriors have already matched their win total from all of last season. North Miami has lost seven of its last 10 trips to Akron.
Holsopple "The first two weeks have really highlighted things we need to do better as a team. Defensively, we must do a better job tackling. We have to be able to get ourselves into the proper position to make a tackle. We worked hard this week to improve our reads, which will in turn allow us to be in the right place to make a tackle. We also suffered some key injuries over the past four weeks. During this time, some younger kids have gained valuable experience. As we start to get some of these guys back, we should be much-improved. To be successful on Friday, our kids must play with passion. They need to defeat blocks and make tackles on defense. On offense, we must win the battle on the line of scrimmage."
WHITKO AT MACONAQUAH (TRC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Bunker Hill
Coaches: Jeff Sprunger (Whitko), Mark Hartman (Maconaquah)
Records: Whitko 2-0 (0-0 TRC), Maconaquah 0-2 (0-0 TRC)
Last Game: Whitko 20, Columbia City 14; Mississinewa 63, Maconaquah 6
Last Year: Maconaquah 20, Whitko 12
Matchup: With last week's 20-14 win over Whitley County rival Columbia City, the Whitko Wildcats are 2-0 for the first time since 2008. With a win at Maconaquah Friday night, they would improve to 3-0 for the first time since 1990. Through two games this season, Whitko has just 16 passing yards, but has outgained its opponents 567-163 on the ground. Garrett Elder has carried the ball 22 times for 262 yards and five scores, while Hunter Reed has tallied 190 yards and two TDs on 45 carries, and Robby Owsley has 125 yards and a score on 10 carries. Maconaquah has been outscored 112-20 this season, including last week's 63-6 loss to Mississinewa.
Sprunger: "The key to our success Friday night is to continue to get better. We can't focus on what we can't control, but we can control how we execute plays, if we hustle on the field, and the attitude and energy we play with. When we look at Maconaquah on film, and they go under center, they can move the ball really well. The ball carriers and linemen come downhill hard and fast, and they are rather impressive. They have some size about their front line and have some boys that are going to be difficult to handle if we don't play low."
NORTHRIDGE AT WAWASEE (NLC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Syracuse
Coaches: Tom Wogomon (Northridge), Josh Ekovich (Wawasee)
Records: Northridge 2-0, Wawasee 2-0
Last week: Michigan City 37, Northridge 0; Wawasee 48, West Noble 7
Last year: Northridge 21, Wawasee 0
Matchup: Northridge isn't off to a good start; its the first time since Tom Wogomon took over the Raiders that they have failed to win their first two games. While the Raider personnel has have significant turnover, the players coming up have had Wogomon as the coach for their entire high school careers. On the other side, the Warriors haven't beaten the Raiders since Wogomon led Wawasee to a 24-23 overtime win during in Syracuse during the 2012 season. In fact, Wawasee hasn't scored in the last two seasons. Northridge sophomore quarterback Julius Graber has completed 13 of 28 passes for 161 yards, and is averaging 4.3 yards a carry. Juniors Mason Troyer and Connor Graber, and sophomore Tug Modglin have split the bulk of the remaining Raider rushing attempts. The Warrior first-team defense has yet to be scored on this season (the second team gave up a touchdown to West Noble late in the game last week), and has given up fewer points than any other Class 3A team so far this year. When senior quarterback Tyler Smith isn't running the ball (38 rushes, 309 yds, 4 TDs), he's handing it off to Noah Wadkins (15-77 yds, 2 TD) or Paul Mendoza (10-77 yds. 1 TD). Flanker Cole VanLue has big-play capability, with 187 rushing yards on five carries and a touchdown.
Ekovich: "After looking at film, we need to make sure we're finishing plays, pay attention to details in our assignments and be more consistent. We have a tight-knit group on this team; they seems to care about each other. Team chemistry cam play a huge role in the success or failure of our team."
1A NO. 2 PIONEER AT TRITON (HNAC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Bourbon
Coaches: Adam Berry (Wabash); Ron Brown (Triton)
Records: Pioneer 2-0 (2-0 HNAC); Triton 0-2 (0-2 HNAC)
Last week: Pioneer 41, Winamac 12; LaVille 55, Triton 18
Last year: Pioneer 64, Triton 14
Matchup: The Pioneer Panthers come in having scored 88 points in their first two games this season, and this year's seniors have won a sectional title every year of their high school careers. The last Pioneer team to lose as many as four games was in 2001, and the Panthers haven't had a losing season since 1995. Pioneer sophomore quarterback Jack Kiser has completed just 10 passes so far this year, but each catch has been good for an average of 19 yards. Kiser and classmate Daniel Gergorich have rushed for 228 and 227 yards, respectively, in their first two games. Senior Keith Nies has added 154 yards on the ground. Triton sophomore quarterback James Snyder has enjoyed success through the air, passing for 302 yards and averaging better than 12 yards a completion. Senior Zac Pitney has six catches for 113 yards, and junior Drew Stichter five receptions for 61 yards for Triton.
Brown: "They have the best athletes in all of the HNAC in their QB, a deep tradition of football at their school, and a belief that they will win every friday night no matter their opponent. We will have to work to overcome these obstacles just like we do with all of our game preparations. We are determined to make a statement of our own, and show our community and fan base that we are improving every week. Our kids really do not care who they are playing against; they prepare to win."
MANCHESTER AT WABASH (TRC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Wabash
Coaches: Greg Miller (Manchester); Floyd McWhirt (Wabash)
Records: Manchester 0-2; Wabash 2-0
Last week: Bluffton 12, Manchester 6; Wabash 44, Alexandria 7
Last year: Wabash 42. Manchester 0
Matchup: Last year Wabash had its first winning season in 19 years. Wabash Apaches senior quarterback Sammy Hipskind is completing better than half his passes, and Wabash receivers average 15.9 yards per catch. Senior Luke Proctor will get the bulk of the carries, and if he somehow continues his pace he'll rush for close to 2,000 yards this year. Senior Justin Beauchamp has four receptions for 123 yards, and classmate Eryk Weber has five catches for 80 yards. Manchester is still waiting for its young offense to come alive; in two games they've managed just 123 yards of total offense to go with its 14 points. The defensive side of the ball will need to step up as well to handle a Wabash offense that has more seniors than the Squires roster.
Miller: "The TRC battles are here. We are playing for championships from here on out. Whether it is for the conference or in the playoffs. We are focused on making our mark. Our kids understand that this week we are working to get ourselves better, to eliminate mistakes and take advantage of what the opponent gives us. This is a TRC game but it is also a county team as well. Our kids know (Wabash players) very well, so the intensity, enthusiasm and bragging rights are on the line. Wabash, at least offensively, is very similar to us. This is going to allow us to double dip a little bit at practice this week offensively. Wabash is a very aggressive team on both sides of the ball. They have an abundance of athletes and they execute very well. We need to with the lines of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and contain their athleticism."
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