On The Gridiron
September 13, 2018 at 6:10 p.m.
By Staff Report-
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Middlebury
Coaches: Bart Curtis (Warsaw), Tom Wogomon (Northridge)
Records: Warsaw 3-1 (1-1 NLC), Northridge 3-1 (2-0 NLC)
Last Game: Warsaw 14, Elk. Memorial 7; Northridge 37, Plymouth 34
Last Year: Northridge 24, Warsaw 6
Matchup: In three of their four games, the Warsaw Tigers have held the opposing offense to 10 points or less. Warsaw's "orange crush" defense faces a Northridge offense this week that averages 21 points per game and has scored 27 and 37 points, respectively, in the last two games. Among defenses in the Northern Lakes Conference the Tigers are second in fewest points allowed, having given up just 57 points in four games. Offensively, Warsaw averages 18 points per game, something head coach Bart Curtis hopes increases. The Tigers have had a number of ground-chewing, time-consuming drives this season, but have come up scoreless in some of those drives. The Tigers, trying to get to 4-1 for the first time since 2012, have won five of the last seven meetings with Northridge and lead the overall series 22-9. The Raiders enter Friday's contest on the heels of a 37-34 win over Plymouth. Northridge is on a 10-game NLC win streak.
Curtis: "Northridge plays hard on every snap. This is a rarity and something we are striving to attain. they are sound defensively and don't give up much on the ground … defense wins championships. They do not beat themselves on offense. They're not flash, but (Conrad) Graber is the spoke in their offensive wheel. Graber is a fun player to watch on film. He can throw it, but has really hurt teams with his ability to run the football. Their kicking game is unique. They make you play defense on fourth down and their kicker appears to be accurate from 45 yards and in for field goals. Most importantly, their kids have bought in to what Coach Wogomon and his staff have fostered for their football program. Northridge is now considered a football school."
WHITKO AT TIPPECANOE VALLEY (TRC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Akron
Coaches: Jeff Sprunger (Whitko), Steve Moriarty (T. Valley)
Records: Whitko 0-4 (0-1 TRC North), T. Valley 1-3 (0-1 TRC North)
Last Game: Rochester 42, Whitko 16; Northfield 27, T. Valley 7
Last Year: T. Valley 43, Whitko 7
Matchup: Over the last 30 years, the Tippecanoe Valley Vikings and Whitko Wildcats have met on the gridiron 32 times. The series has been nearly even during that time, with Valley holding a 17-15 lead. The Vikings won 43-7 a year ago, but Whitko has won seven of the last 10 meetings. The Wildcats are trying to halt a 15-game losing streak. Whitko scored its first points of the season a week ago in a 42-16 loss to Rochester. Through four games, the Wildcats have been outscored 117-16, while Valley has been outscored 119-50 in four games. Among the 10 Three Rivers Conference teams, only Manchester at 129 has given up more points this season.
Sprunger: "It was a huge relief to finally get into the end zone during meaningful downs. Those touchdowns gave our athletes the confidence to believe that they can play with other teams on the offensive side of the ball as well. Unfortunately, our defense did not show up on Friday to help our offense out, but we are hoping this Friday to bring everything together. Valley has a lot of size up front. They have multiple boys that are going to hold their ground and be very difficult to move out of the way and make holes. We have to be smart about how we block them and have some patience by being willing to grind out the football game. They also have some stellar running backs and skilled players that when they get in the open can be very dangerous."
Moriarty: "I think Whitko has a good defense and is very disciplined. They scored twice against a very good Rochester team, so they are starting to have some confidence in their offense, too. They run the wing-T offense, which is hard to defend. Running the ball is their strong suit, but they do throw the ball well on play action passes."
CULVER AT TRITON (HNAC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Bourbon
Coaches: Ron Brown (Triton); Mike Zehner (Culver)
Records: Triton 2-2 (1-1 HNAC); Culver 1-3 (0-2 HNAC)
Last Game: Bremen 49, Triton 7; Culver 51, West Central 46
Last Meeting: Triton 27, Culver 21, OT
Matchup: Culver's got size. That's something Triton coach Ron Brown is stressing to his squad as they gear up for the Cavaliers during homecoming week. Expect Culver's Zac Ditmire to run the ball on the strength of a solid offensive line. Meanwhile, the Trojans will switch around their lineup to create competition. Brown said Triton needs to take several steps forward Friday.
Brown: "We're just gonna still do what we do offensively. We're gonna go over the top of you, we're gonna read what you give us and take that. Defensively, we're gonna stick to what we do and read our keys better. That's what we got to get done."
NORTHWOOD AT WAWASEE (NLC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Syracuse
Coaches: Mike Eshbach (Wawasee); Nate Andrews (NorthWood)
Records: Wawasee 0-4 (0-1 NLC); NorthWood 4-0 (2-0 NLC)
Last Game: Northridge 27, Wawasee 6; NorthWood 29, Concord 20
Last Meeting: NorthWood 32, Wawasee 0
Matchup: Wawasee is hoping to catch Class 4A No. 2 NorthWood this week. The Warriors have struggled to get much offense going on first and second downs, and have struggled in the first half of each game so far. However, coach Mike Eshbach said his team is far from giving up. The Warriors are focused on NorthWood's physical line, and is aware that the Panthers will play with a lot of confidence.
Eshbach: "They're sitting at 4-0, and we're 0-4. I've been on the other side of that (where) I've really had to coach our kids about overlooking people. I'm sure that's a discussion they're gonna have, and we're on the other side of that saying, 'Hey, we can make a big splash with a win on our home field.'"
MANCHESTER AT NORTHFIELD (TRC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Speicherville
Coaches: Greg Miller (Manchester); Brandon Baker (Northfield)
Records: Manchester 2-2 (0-0 TRC North) Northfield 2-2 (1-0 TRC North)
Last Game: Manchester 34, Peru 31; Northfield 27, Tippecanoe Valley 7
Last Meeting: Northfield 70, Manchester 22
Matchup: The Squires are coming off back-to-back, thrilling comeback victories. Coach Greg Miller said he's impressed with his team's resiliency and determination to win. This week, they'll face Northfield's triple option offense and 4-4 defensive scheme. Miller called the Norsemen "quick" at all positions, and credited their offensive and defensive lines as "strong" and "aggressive." Manchester's weapon is Delton Moore, who ran for 213 yards and three touchdowns last week. Expect Moore to eat up more ground behind the Squires' solid offensive line. A win this week would put Manchester above .500 since 2014.
Miller: "We have to control both lines of scrimmage, cut down on turnovers – which we did last week – and execute our game plan. We have to be efficient on offense and control the tempo of the game. Defensively, we have to play assignment football against the option and be efficient tacklers."
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Middlebury
Coaches: Bart Curtis (Warsaw), Tom Wogomon (Northridge)
Records: Warsaw 3-1 (1-1 NLC), Northridge 3-1 (2-0 NLC)
Last Game: Warsaw 14, Elk. Memorial 7; Northridge 37, Plymouth 34
Last Year: Northridge 24, Warsaw 6
Matchup: In three of their four games, the Warsaw Tigers have held the opposing offense to 10 points or less. Warsaw's "orange crush" defense faces a Northridge offense this week that averages 21 points per game and has scored 27 and 37 points, respectively, in the last two games. Among defenses in the Northern Lakes Conference the Tigers are second in fewest points allowed, having given up just 57 points in four games. Offensively, Warsaw averages 18 points per game, something head coach Bart Curtis hopes increases. The Tigers have had a number of ground-chewing, time-consuming drives this season, but have come up scoreless in some of those drives. The Tigers, trying to get to 4-1 for the first time since 2012, have won five of the last seven meetings with Northridge and lead the overall series 22-9. The Raiders enter Friday's contest on the heels of a 37-34 win over Plymouth. Northridge is on a 10-game NLC win streak.
Curtis: "Northridge plays hard on every snap. This is a rarity and something we are striving to attain. they are sound defensively and don't give up much on the ground … defense wins championships. They do not beat themselves on offense. They're not flash, but (Conrad) Graber is the spoke in their offensive wheel. Graber is a fun player to watch on film. He can throw it, but has really hurt teams with his ability to run the football. Their kicking game is unique. They make you play defense on fourth down and their kicker appears to be accurate from 45 yards and in for field goals. Most importantly, their kids have bought in to what Coach Wogomon and his staff have fostered for their football program. Northridge is now considered a football school."
WHITKO AT TIPPECANOE VALLEY (TRC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Akron
Coaches: Jeff Sprunger (Whitko), Steve Moriarty (T. Valley)
Records: Whitko 0-4 (0-1 TRC North), T. Valley 1-3 (0-1 TRC North)
Last Game: Rochester 42, Whitko 16; Northfield 27, T. Valley 7
Last Year: T. Valley 43, Whitko 7
Matchup: Over the last 30 years, the Tippecanoe Valley Vikings and Whitko Wildcats have met on the gridiron 32 times. The series has been nearly even during that time, with Valley holding a 17-15 lead. The Vikings won 43-7 a year ago, but Whitko has won seven of the last 10 meetings. The Wildcats are trying to halt a 15-game losing streak. Whitko scored its first points of the season a week ago in a 42-16 loss to Rochester. Through four games, the Wildcats have been outscored 117-16, while Valley has been outscored 119-50 in four games. Among the 10 Three Rivers Conference teams, only Manchester at 129 has given up more points this season.
Sprunger: "It was a huge relief to finally get into the end zone during meaningful downs. Those touchdowns gave our athletes the confidence to believe that they can play with other teams on the offensive side of the ball as well. Unfortunately, our defense did not show up on Friday to help our offense out, but we are hoping this Friday to bring everything together. Valley has a lot of size up front. They have multiple boys that are going to hold their ground and be very difficult to move out of the way and make holes. We have to be smart about how we block them and have some patience by being willing to grind out the football game. They also have some stellar running backs and skilled players that when they get in the open can be very dangerous."
Moriarty: "I think Whitko has a good defense and is very disciplined. They scored twice against a very good Rochester team, so they are starting to have some confidence in their offense, too. They run the wing-T offense, which is hard to defend. Running the ball is their strong suit, but they do throw the ball well on play action passes."
CULVER AT TRITON (HNAC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Bourbon
Coaches: Ron Brown (Triton); Mike Zehner (Culver)
Records: Triton 2-2 (1-1 HNAC); Culver 1-3 (0-2 HNAC)
Last Game: Bremen 49, Triton 7; Culver 51, West Central 46
Last Meeting: Triton 27, Culver 21, OT
Matchup: Culver's got size. That's something Triton coach Ron Brown is stressing to his squad as they gear up for the Cavaliers during homecoming week. Expect Culver's Zac Ditmire to run the ball on the strength of a solid offensive line. Meanwhile, the Trojans will switch around their lineup to create competition. Brown said Triton needs to take several steps forward Friday.
Brown: "We're just gonna still do what we do offensively. We're gonna go over the top of you, we're gonna read what you give us and take that. Defensively, we're gonna stick to what we do and read our keys better. That's what we got to get done."
NORTHWOOD AT WAWASEE (NLC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Syracuse
Coaches: Mike Eshbach (Wawasee); Nate Andrews (NorthWood)
Records: Wawasee 0-4 (0-1 NLC); NorthWood 4-0 (2-0 NLC)
Last Game: Northridge 27, Wawasee 6; NorthWood 29, Concord 20
Last Meeting: NorthWood 32, Wawasee 0
Matchup: Wawasee is hoping to catch Class 4A No. 2 NorthWood this week. The Warriors have struggled to get much offense going on first and second downs, and have struggled in the first half of each game so far. However, coach Mike Eshbach said his team is far from giving up. The Warriors are focused on NorthWood's physical line, and is aware that the Panthers will play with a lot of confidence.
Eshbach: "They're sitting at 4-0, and we're 0-4. I've been on the other side of that (where) I've really had to coach our kids about overlooking people. I'm sure that's a discussion they're gonna have, and we're on the other side of that saying, 'Hey, we can make a big splash with a win on our home field.'"
MANCHESTER AT NORTHFIELD (TRC)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Speicherville
Coaches: Greg Miller (Manchester); Brandon Baker (Northfield)
Records: Manchester 2-2 (0-0 TRC North) Northfield 2-2 (1-0 TRC North)
Last Game: Manchester 34, Peru 31; Northfield 27, Tippecanoe Valley 7
Last Meeting: Northfield 70, Manchester 22
Matchup: The Squires are coming off back-to-back, thrilling comeback victories. Coach Greg Miller said he's impressed with his team's resiliency and determination to win. This week, they'll face Northfield's triple option offense and 4-4 defensive scheme. Miller called the Norsemen "quick" at all positions, and credited their offensive and defensive lines as "strong" and "aggressive." Manchester's weapon is Delton Moore, who ran for 213 yards and three touchdowns last week. Expect Moore to eat up more ground behind the Squires' solid offensive line. A win this week would put Manchester above .500 since 2014.
Miller: "We have to control both lines of scrimmage, cut down on turnovers – which we did last week – and execute our game plan. We have to be efficient on offense and control the tempo of the game. Defensively, we have to play assignment football against the option and be efficient tacklers."
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