On The Gridiron Capsules
August 30, 2018 at 5:06 p.m.
By Staff Report-
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Plymouth
Coaches: Bart Curtis (Warsaw), John Barron (Plymouth)
Records: Warsaw 2-0 (0-0 NLC), Plymouth 1-1 (0-0 NLC)
Last Game: Warsaw 17, East Noble 10; Plymouth 35, Kokomo 19
Last Year: Plymouth 42, Warsaw 7
Matchup: With a 17-10 win over East Noble last week, the Warsaw Tigers improved to 2-0 for the first time since 2008. A victory in the Northern Lakes Conference opener at Plymouth Friday would put the Tigers at 3-0 for the first time since 2001 when they won their first 10 games before falling at Fort Wayne Snider in sectional action. The last four times the Tigers have been 2-0 (2008, 2005, 2004, 2003) they've lost to the Rockies. Warsaw and Plymouth first played in 1924, and they've played continuously since 1931. Plymouth leads the series with a 52-44-2 record. Warsaw won 17 out of 21 games against the Rockies from 1982-2002 but has only won three of the 15 meetings since. The Tigers' last win over Plymouth was in 2013, a 20-19 triumph at Fisher Field. The Rockpile hasn't exactly been friendly to the Tigers, who have just one win in their last seven trips to Plymouth.
Curtis: "Plymouth understands how to compete, regardless of how things are going. They also seem to immediate answers in all phases of the game to the circumstances. To beat a John Barron-coached team you must match their physicality with playing to their level in all phases of the game. Plymouth has more threats than our first two opponents in regards to speed, ways to get their speed to the football, and physicality. We need to take each play as it comes, perform as hard and as well as our ability allows and let the chips fall."
NORTH MIAMI AT TIPPECANOE VALLEY (TRC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Akron
Coaches: Joe Grant (North Miami), Steve Moriarty (T. Valley)
Records: North Miami 0-2, Tippecanoe Valley 0-2
Last Game: Central Noble 28, N. Miami 0; Culver Academies 51, T. Valley 0
Last Year: North Miami 40, T. Valley 14
Matchup: While both Tippecanoe Valley and North Miami are in the 10-team Three Rivers Conference, this game does not count toward the league standings, as Valley is in the TRC North Division and North Miami in the TRC South Division. What does count, however, is that one of the teams is going to notch its first victory of the season. The Valley Vikings have been outscored a total of 85-7 in losses to Bremen and Culver Academies, while the North Miami Warriors have scored 27 points and given up 50 in two games. Going back to last season, North Miami has lost three straight, while Valley is looking to stop a six-game skid. The Warriors have won the last two meetings with Valley, including a 40-14 victory last season.
Moriarty: "It's always fun to play against a good rival. North Miami and Valley always have good games. A rivalry game always brings out the best in both teams. We both have something to prove Friday. I think we match up well with North Miami. They have a very talented QB and receiver. To win the game were are going to have to contain those two. But if we come out and control the line of scrimmage and play good defense in the secondary, we should be OK. I think that our team is moving forward, and this is the beginning of a new season. We've had to play some good teams in the first part of the season and it's made us look in the mirror to find out what we need to on. I'm very proud of this team and they are a good football team, we just need to play with confidence."
WHITKO AT MACONAQUAH (TRC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Bunker Hill
Coaches: Jeff Sprunger (Whitko), Austin Colby (Maconaquah)
Records: Whitko 0-2, North Miami 1-1
Last Game: Columbia City 14, Whitko 0; Cass 22, Maconaquah 20
Last Year: Maconaquah 48, Whitko 7
Matchup: The Whitko Wildcats will hit the road for the first time this season Friday when they travel to Bunker Hill to face the Maconaquah Braves. Friday's game also marks Whitko's first game this season against a team not from Whitley County. Whitko, still looking for its first score of the season, fell 28-0 to Churubusco in the season opener and 14-0 to Columbia City in Week 2. The Wildcats are looking to stop a 13-game losing streak, which started with a 20-6 loss to Churubusco in the sectional semifinals on Oct. 28, 2016. Maconaquah won its season opener 22-7 over North Miami, and then fell 22-20 last week at Lewis Cass. Though both Whitko and Maconaquah are in the 10-team Three Rivers Conference, Friday's game does not count toward the league standings, as Whitko is in the TRC North Division and Maconaquah in the TRC South Division.
Sprunger: "There's a big difference between home games and away games because of the trip to the game. When you're on the bus it gives you a lot of time to think and build your nerves. I encourage the boys to put on headsets and just kind of zone out and relax. When we arrive at an opponent's field we always walk it and allow the boys to see the field and feel comfortable with it. Maconaquah has some big linemen that get off the ball well, and their running backs are very skilled at finding holes and running to the daylight. We have to be prepared up front to take on their linemen and look for them pulling. We have to stay disciplined in our secondary because they will pound the rock on you and then when they have you sleeping in the secondary they will sneak receivers behind you and hurt you deep."
TRITON AT CASTON (HNAC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Fulton
Coaches: Ron Brown (Triton); Tony Slocum (Caston)
Records: Triton 1-1, 0-1 HNAC; Caston 0-2, 0-1 HNAC
Last Game: LaVille 19, Triton 0; North Judson 56, Caston 6
Last Meeting: Triton 50, Caston 13
Matchup: Triton is coming off a tough loss to a stellar LaVille team, a loss that Triton coach Ron Brown attributed to a lack of enthusiasm and poor fundamentals. This week, the Trojans are focused on the basics and what they can control in Friday's matchup. Although Triton is facing a struggling Caston team with a small roster, competitive fire is not an issue as players are vying for starting spots. Brown is looking for starters that will run routes hard and run back into the huddle after a play. It's possible that some fresh legs will be on the field Friday.
Brown: "We're just working on hustling everywhere we go and trying to get a little more excitement at practice, so that we understand how blessed and fortunate we are to be out playing a game that we enjoy."
NORTHRIDGE AT WAWASEE (NLC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Syracuse
Coaches: Mike Eshbach (Wawasee); Tom Wogomon (Northridge)
Records: Wawasee 0-2 (0-0 NLC); Northridge 1-1 (0-0 NLC)
Last Game: South Bend St. Joe 10, Northridge 0; West Noble 22, Wawasee 7
Last Meeting: Northridge 37, Wawasee 12
Matchup: The Warriors will look to fix mistakes that kept them out of the end zone last week. Wawasee's coaching staff spent this week instilling into the players a sense of attention to detail, as head coach Mike Eshbach noted that football games come down to three or four plays. The Warriors will continue their balanced offensive attack against what Eshbach called a "fundamentally-sound" Northridge team. The Raiders are the defending Northern Lakes Conference champions, though Eshbach said they graduated several players and have some youth on their roster. Wawasee's keys will be to limit mistakes and assert physicality on both sides of the ball.
Eshbach: "The first two games are warm-up games. Now you're playing conference teams in a conference schedule, and every one of those games is gonna mean something. We're sitting here 0-2, but every goal that we've established as a team is still in place. We're not where we want to be, but we fixed a few things here and there. If we continue to make mistakes, we're gonna eliminate ourselves real quick."
MANCHESTER AT WABASH (TRC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Wabash
Coaches: Greg Miller (Manchester); Adam Handley (Wabash)
Records: Manchester 0-2; Wabash 0-2
Last Game: Bluffton 36, Manchester 21; Alexandria 28, Wabash 21
Last Meeting: Manchester 38, Wabash 16
Matchup: The Manchester Squires improved last week against Bluffton in a game that Miller said they played well enough to win. He said that Manchester's focus this week is "to make big plays at crucial points in the game." The Squires also will work on playing more aggressively and moving their feet while tackling. Offensively, running back Delton Moore is coming off a 176-yard performance and will factor into Manchester's game plan for Friday. Miller called Wabash a "physical team" and noted the Apaches are aggressive defensively and run a balanced offensive scheme. Manchester and Wabash play in different divisions within the 10-team Three Rivers Conference and Friday night's game does not count toward the league standings.
Miller: "Delton brings his best to every game. Our offensive line played pretty well in order for Del to get those hard yards. I've said all year that our offensive line should be a big asset for us. We look to take advantage of what Wabash gives us. We have numerous kids that are playmakers. We need to find a way to get them touches."
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Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Plymouth
Coaches: Bart Curtis (Warsaw), John Barron (Plymouth)
Records: Warsaw 2-0 (0-0 NLC), Plymouth 1-1 (0-0 NLC)
Last Game: Warsaw 17, East Noble 10; Plymouth 35, Kokomo 19
Last Year: Plymouth 42, Warsaw 7
Matchup: With a 17-10 win over East Noble last week, the Warsaw Tigers improved to 2-0 for the first time since 2008. A victory in the Northern Lakes Conference opener at Plymouth Friday would put the Tigers at 3-0 for the first time since 2001 when they won their first 10 games before falling at Fort Wayne Snider in sectional action. The last four times the Tigers have been 2-0 (2008, 2005, 2004, 2003) they've lost to the Rockies. Warsaw and Plymouth first played in 1924, and they've played continuously since 1931. Plymouth leads the series with a 52-44-2 record. Warsaw won 17 out of 21 games against the Rockies from 1982-2002 but has only won three of the 15 meetings since. The Tigers' last win over Plymouth was in 2013, a 20-19 triumph at Fisher Field. The Rockpile hasn't exactly been friendly to the Tigers, who have just one win in their last seven trips to Plymouth.
Curtis: "Plymouth understands how to compete, regardless of how things are going. They also seem to immediate answers in all phases of the game to the circumstances. To beat a John Barron-coached team you must match their physicality with playing to their level in all phases of the game. Plymouth has more threats than our first two opponents in regards to speed, ways to get their speed to the football, and physicality. We need to take each play as it comes, perform as hard and as well as our ability allows and let the chips fall."
NORTH MIAMI AT TIPPECANOE VALLEY (TRC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Akron
Coaches: Joe Grant (North Miami), Steve Moriarty (T. Valley)
Records: North Miami 0-2, Tippecanoe Valley 0-2
Last Game: Central Noble 28, N. Miami 0; Culver Academies 51, T. Valley 0
Last Year: North Miami 40, T. Valley 14
Matchup: While both Tippecanoe Valley and North Miami are in the 10-team Three Rivers Conference, this game does not count toward the league standings, as Valley is in the TRC North Division and North Miami in the TRC South Division. What does count, however, is that one of the teams is going to notch its first victory of the season. The Valley Vikings have been outscored a total of 85-7 in losses to Bremen and Culver Academies, while the North Miami Warriors have scored 27 points and given up 50 in two games. Going back to last season, North Miami has lost three straight, while Valley is looking to stop a six-game skid. The Warriors have won the last two meetings with Valley, including a 40-14 victory last season.
Moriarty: "It's always fun to play against a good rival. North Miami and Valley always have good games. A rivalry game always brings out the best in both teams. We both have something to prove Friday. I think we match up well with North Miami. They have a very talented QB and receiver. To win the game were are going to have to contain those two. But if we come out and control the line of scrimmage and play good defense in the secondary, we should be OK. I think that our team is moving forward, and this is the beginning of a new season. We've had to play some good teams in the first part of the season and it's made us look in the mirror to find out what we need to on. I'm very proud of this team and they are a good football team, we just need to play with confidence."
WHITKO AT MACONAQUAH (TRC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Bunker Hill
Coaches: Jeff Sprunger (Whitko), Austin Colby (Maconaquah)
Records: Whitko 0-2, North Miami 1-1
Last Game: Columbia City 14, Whitko 0; Cass 22, Maconaquah 20
Last Year: Maconaquah 48, Whitko 7
Matchup: The Whitko Wildcats will hit the road for the first time this season Friday when they travel to Bunker Hill to face the Maconaquah Braves. Friday's game also marks Whitko's first game this season against a team not from Whitley County. Whitko, still looking for its first score of the season, fell 28-0 to Churubusco in the season opener and 14-0 to Columbia City in Week 2. The Wildcats are looking to stop a 13-game losing streak, which started with a 20-6 loss to Churubusco in the sectional semifinals on Oct. 28, 2016. Maconaquah won its season opener 22-7 over North Miami, and then fell 22-20 last week at Lewis Cass. Though both Whitko and Maconaquah are in the 10-team Three Rivers Conference, Friday's game does not count toward the league standings, as Whitko is in the TRC North Division and Maconaquah in the TRC South Division.
Sprunger: "There's a big difference between home games and away games because of the trip to the game. When you're on the bus it gives you a lot of time to think and build your nerves. I encourage the boys to put on headsets and just kind of zone out and relax. When we arrive at an opponent's field we always walk it and allow the boys to see the field and feel comfortable with it. Maconaquah has some big linemen that get off the ball well, and their running backs are very skilled at finding holes and running to the daylight. We have to be prepared up front to take on their linemen and look for them pulling. We have to stay disciplined in our secondary because they will pound the rock on you and then when they have you sleeping in the secondary they will sneak receivers behind you and hurt you deep."
TRITON AT CASTON (HNAC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Fulton
Coaches: Ron Brown (Triton); Tony Slocum (Caston)
Records: Triton 1-1, 0-1 HNAC; Caston 0-2, 0-1 HNAC
Last Game: LaVille 19, Triton 0; North Judson 56, Caston 6
Last Meeting: Triton 50, Caston 13
Matchup: Triton is coming off a tough loss to a stellar LaVille team, a loss that Triton coach Ron Brown attributed to a lack of enthusiasm and poor fundamentals. This week, the Trojans are focused on the basics and what they can control in Friday's matchup. Although Triton is facing a struggling Caston team with a small roster, competitive fire is not an issue as players are vying for starting spots. Brown is looking for starters that will run routes hard and run back into the huddle after a play. It's possible that some fresh legs will be on the field Friday.
Brown: "We're just working on hustling everywhere we go and trying to get a little more excitement at practice, so that we understand how blessed and fortunate we are to be out playing a game that we enjoy."
NORTHRIDGE AT WAWASEE (NLC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Syracuse
Coaches: Mike Eshbach (Wawasee); Tom Wogomon (Northridge)
Records: Wawasee 0-2 (0-0 NLC); Northridge 1-1 (0-0 NLC)
Last Game: South Bend St. Joe 10, Northridge 0; West Noble 22, Wawasee 7
Last Meeting: Northridge 37, Wawasee 12
Matchup: The Warriors will look to fix mistakes that kept them out of the end zone last week. Wawasee's coaching staff spent this week instilling into the players a sense of attention to detail, as head coach Mike Eshbach noted that football games come down to three or four plays. The Warriors will continue their balanced offensive attack against what Eshbach called a "fundamentally-sound" Northridge team. The Raiders are the defending Northern Lakes Conference champions, though Eshbach said they graduated several players and have some youth on their roster. Wawasee's keys will be to limit mistakes and assert physicality on both sides of the ball.
Eshbach: "The first two games are warm-up games. Now you're playing conference teams in a conference schedule, and every one of those games is gonna mean something. We're sitting here 0-2, but every goal that we've established as a team is still in place. We're not where we want to be, but we fixed a few things here and there. If we continue to make mistakes, we're gonna eliminate ourselves real quick."
MANCHESTER AT WABASH (TRC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Wabash
Coaches: Greg Miller (Manchester); Adam Handley (Wabash)
Records: Manchester 0-2; Wabash 0-2
Last Game: Bluffton 36, Manchester 21; Alexandria 28, Wabash 21
Last Meeting: Manchester 38, Wabash 16
Matchup: The Manchester Squires improved last week against Bluffton in a game that Miller said they played well enough to win. He said that Manchester's focus this week is "to make big plays at crucial points in the game." The Squires also will work on playing more aggressively and moving their feet while tackling. Offensively, running back Delton Moore is coming off a 176-yard performance and will factor into Manchester's game plan for Friday. Miller called Wabash a "physical team" and noted the Apaches are aggressive defensively and run a balanced offensive scheme. Manchester and Wabash play in different divisions within the 10-team Three Rivers Conference and Friday night's game does not count toward the league standings.
Miller: "Delton brings his best to every game. Our offensive line played pretty well in order for Del to get those hard yards. I've said all year that our offensive line should be a big asset for us. We look to take advantage of what Wabash gives us. We have numerous kids that are playmakers. We need to find a way to get them touches."
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