Area High School Football Previews
October 3, 2019 at 2:48 a.m.
Area High School Football Previews
By Anthony Anderson & Steve Krah-
(1-5, 0-4 Northern Lakes Conference)
at Warsaw (5-1, 3-1 NLC)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m., Fisher Field, Warsaw.
Series (last 35 years): Warsaw, 22-13.
JohnHarrell.net’s prediction: Warsaw, 35-14.
Last meeting: Sept. 28, 2018, Warsaw, 49-16.
Last time Wawasee won: Oct. 3, 2014, 21-10.
About Wawasee: The Warriors lost 35-0 Saturday against NLC foe Plymouth … The traveling “W” trophy will be on the line and Wawasee will try to put a damper on homecoming festivities at Warsaw … Offensive leaders for the Warriors have been Parker Young in rushing and passing and Ethan Garza in receiving … Robert Schmucker and Nathan Larson have been among the total tackles leaders.
About Warsaw: The Class 6A Associated Press No. 10/Indiana Football Coaches Association No. 11-ranked Tigers earned a 48-10 conference road triumph Saturday against Goshen … Juan Jaramillo (154 carries for 816 yards and eighth touchdowns), Wyatt Amiss (44 carries for 232 yards and three TDs), Blake Marsh (24 carries for 199 yards and one TD), Julius Jones (14 carries for 194 yards and two TDs) and Keagan Larsh (19 carries for 145 yards and three TDs) are leaders in a deep rushing game. Amiss (13-of-28 for 285 yards and four TDs) leads in passing and Luke Adamiec (eight catches for 162 yards and one TD) and Larsh (four catches for 132 yards and two TDs) pace the team in receiving … Total tackle leaders are Parker Davenport (39.5), Zach DeFord (34), Gage Lyon (32.5) and Mason Martz (24).
Per Wawasee coach
Jon Reutebuch:
On Warsaw — “They run the Flexbone. You’ve got to be assignment-oriented (on defense). They have a really good kicker (Harrison Mevis). They fly to the football (as defenders). We’re going to have to play well to compete.”
Rivalry — “Kids grew up knowing Warsaw is our rival. They compete against them in many sports. They know kids on that other team. We’re looking for our kids to come out, give great effort and compete.”
On Plymouth game — “We did a nice job against the run. But we couldn’t stop their passing game. We continue to struggle on offense. We had a few bright spots here and there, but nothing consistent … It’s a combination of everything. It’s not just one area. We’re just having a hard time putting it all together.”
Per Warsaw coach
Bart Curtis:
On Wawasee — “They are better than they’re record. I like the fact that they play hard every snap on both sides of the ball … They are sound in what they’re trying to do … We’re trying to defend the pass a little better. They can give anybody on their schedule a hard time winging the ball around … They do an admirable job of trying to get between you and the quarterback (with the offensive line).”
Homecoming — “I do not get all worked up and recognize that homecoming week is any other different than any other week.”
On Goshen game — “ learned that I need to go into meteorology rather than coaching. Playing on Saturday mornings is like being at camp. The atmosphere was dead quiet … Goshen was very hospitable Friday night and Saturday morning. They treated us like gold. We were good enough to win Saturday morning.”
Manchester
(1-5, 1-4 Three Rivers Conference)
at Whitko (0-6, 0-5)
When: Friday, 7 p.m, Huff Stadium.
Series: Whitko leads 33-14.
Last meeting: Whitko won 46-28, Sept. 28, 2018. Last Manchester win: 34-14, Sept. 29, 2017. John Harrell’s prediction: Manchester, 31-28.
About Manchester: The Squires fell 41-6 last week at Class 1A No. 3-ranked Southwood, easily their most decisive loss during a season in which three of their other defeats have come by an average of 8.7 points. … Trey Clark, Manchester’s two-time all-league wide receiver, is out for the season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament in week five.
About Whitko: The Wildcats suffered their most lopsided loss of the season last week, 42-0 at Tippecanoe Valley. … Whitko’s lone win while going 1-25 over the last two-plus seasons came last fall at Manchester, 46-28. In fact, the Wildcats have won five of their last six meetings against the Squires.
Manchester coach
Greg Miller:
On last week — “Southwood scored early, but we responded with a (defensive) scoop and score by Kreeden Krull. Just an alert play on his part on a screen and lateral that was dropped. We tell the kids all the time, don’t just let a ball lay there. Pick it up and go, make the officials make a call. So we got to 6-6 there, but then that’s when the break came (due to lightning early in the second quarter), and we just didn’t respond after that. Sometimes it’s tough for adults to deal with unknown variables or breaks in the norm, but Southwood did (with 28 second-quarter points), so kudos to them. For us, it just wasn’t a good night offensively, defensively or special teams. We had a lot of fundamental breakdowns.”
On Whitko — “They’re a dangerous team, and absolutely they (have Manchester’s attention after last season’s outcome). Last year, they were in the same (winless) boat they are going into this one, but they run the ball well, they throw it well and they’re physical up front. We’ve seen them in a lot of looks defensively, probably according to who they play, so we’re not quite sure what we’ll see. They’ve given us a lot to work on in practice.”
On Trey Clark’s injury — “You hate that happening for any kid, let alone a senior and a kid like Trey. We talk about how you never know what might happen, but it’s still really tough.”
Whitko coach
Phil Jensen:
On last week — “It’s a broken record. Late in the first half, we’re down 7-nothing and have the ball, and we’ve already had two plays where our receivers are way out front and they should be scores, but then we turn it over, give up two scores the last two minutes of the first half and instead of 7-7 or 7-nothing, it’s 20-nothing. We’re simply not good enough to make mistakes and not score when we have the chance. At this point, I think it’s more of a mental battle than a physical battle.”
On moving forward — “We’re in a situation where we’ve got some injuries, and we’re going to have some suspensions for the first quarter Friday, so we’ll start the game without (three) starters there. It’s just part of changing the culture. To change the culture, you have to have demands and expectations, and sometimes somebody gets the brunt of that. They’ll play after the first quarter.”
On Manchester and beyond — “It’s a point in the season we’d like to think we can be competitive. The first six (opponents faced) are a combined 23-13, the next three are 5-13. But that’s all on paper, so who knows, but it’s definitely time for us to get one, and homecoming would be a great start.”
Tippecanoe Valley (5-1, 5-0 TRC) at Maconaquah (4-2, 4-1)
When: Friday, 7 p.m, Maconaquah High School.
Series: Tied 1-1.
Last meeting: Maconaquah won 24-6, Oct. 26, 2018, in sectional semifinal.
Last Valley win: 29-13, Sept. 10, 1976.
Harrell’s prediction: Maconaquah, 28-24.
About Valley: The Vikings have won five straight games and are coming off a 42-0 victory over Whitko that was the program’s first shutout since registering three blankings in 2012. The five-game winning streak is also the longest since 2012, when Valley won six in a row. … The Vikings’ 24-6 loss to Maconaquah in last season’s Class 3A sectional semifinal was just the second meeting ever between the schools, and the first since 1976. … Valley’s Dakota Gaff, Jaydin Conley and Tanner Trippiedi have combined for 1,182 rushing yards, a 6.5 average and 14 touchdowns. … Trippiedi’s added 356 yards through the air with four TDs against three interceptions. … The Viking defense has notched 14 sacks this season, including four by Ross O’Connor and three by Harry Johnston.
About Maconaquah: The surging Braves have won four straight, won them all by at least 16 points and scored at least 43 in each. Further, their two losses to begin the season, 20-17 at Southwood and 49-6 to Cass, came against clubs that are now 6-0. Cass is No. 1-ranked in 2A and Southwood No. 3 in 1A. … Maconaquah is led by junior standout Carter Little. He’s rushed for 980 yards, a 7.4 average and nine touchdowns, including at least 121 yards in each of his last five games. He struck for 320 and four TDs against Peru on 35 carries. Little’s also returned both a punt and an interception for scores and is the Braves’ top receiver with 17 catches for 251 yards and two TDs. … Running backs Jared Blake and Bryce Smith have combined for another 542 grounds yards and 10 touchdowns. … Quarterback Nolan Kelly has thrown for 433 yards, but has been picked off six times in 58 pass attempts. … Junior kicker Richie Leary is 19-of-20 on conversions and 2-of-2 on field goals with a long of 36. … The Maconaquah defense has racked up 39 tackles for loss, paced by Aaron McKinley’s seven. … This will be the first-ever Three Rivers Conference meeting between the Braves and Valley. Maconaquah joined the TRC in 2015, but did not face the Vikings in the regular season during the four years of the league’s divisional format.
Valley coach
Steve Moriarty:
On last week — “Eventually, we played pretty darn well. (Whitko) threw some different things at us, but we adjusted well. I think it was important to the kids to get that shutout. It’s been a long time. Jalen Potter, Alex Craft and Jasten Snapp all had interceptions, and Jace Potter up front had another big tackle point day.”
On Maconaquah — “They’re very big up front. It’s one of the first teams we play that can match our size. To slow their running game down will take a lot of deep penetration by our line and a lot of discipline. Their offense has been great and their defense is very stellar as well. We really have got to cut down the turnovers we’ve had the last couple weeks (four against Rochester and three against Whitko).”
On Carter Little — “He’s one of the better backs we’ll face, very hard-nosed runner and a north-south guy. With their offense in a phone booth, he’s hard to find sometimes. They use some smoke and mirrors to hide him, and then he does a good job finding the crease and exploding through it. It’s one of those offenses you have to play kind of a new defense and be sharp. Everybody’s within 7 yards of each other.”
North Judson
(3-2, 3-1 Hoosier North)
at Triton (2-4, 1-3)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m., Triton High School, Bourbon.
Series: Tied, 3-3.
John Harrell’s prediction: North Judson, 31-24.
Last meeting: Sept. 28, 2018, Triton, 37-29.
Last time North Judson won: Sept. 30, 2016, 38-12.
About North Judson: Coach Brett Lambert’s Bluejays are coming off a 28-8 Saturday win against West Central … Offensive leaders for North Judson have been Cheyenne Allen and Trey Hampton in rushing, Hampton in passing and Manuel Barnes in receiving … Nolan Shidler and Dylan Marin have been among the total tackles leaders.
About Triton: The Trojans lost 60-0 in conference play Friday at Pioneer … Triton has been led by D’Angelo Shumpert in rushing, Connor Pitney in passing and Shumpert and Chance Baxter in receiving … Total tackles leaders have been Trenton Kreft and Koby Mast.
Per Triton coach Rodney Younis:
On North Judson — “They run option football. So we’re going to have to be disciplined defensively, do our assignments and make sure we’re not trying to do other people’s jobs.”
On the 7:30 p.m. kickoff — “We split the difference. The start time was moved by 30 minutes to accommodate North Judson coming from Central time.” It will also be Senior Night at Triton.
On Pioneer game — “There’s nothing good … It was a rough game … It was a shortened game (called at halftime because of thunderstorms) … We got out of rhythm and started a little slow. We turned the ball over and you can’t give them short fields because they take advantage of that.”
(1-5, 0-4 Northern Lakes Conference)
at Warsaw (5-1, 3-1 NLC)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m., Fisher Field, Warsaw.
Series (last 35 years): Warsaw, 22-13.
JohnHarrell.net’s prediction: Warsaw, 35-14.
Last meeting: Sept. 28, 2018, Warsaw, 49-16.
Last time Wawasee won: Oct. 3, 2014, 21-10.
About Wawasee: The Warriors lost 35-0 Saturday against NLC foe Plymouth … The traveling “W” trophy will be on the line and Wawasee will try to put a damper on homecoming festivities at Warsaw … Offensive leaders for the Warriors have been Parker Young in rushing and passing and Ethan Garza in receiving … Robert Schmucker and Nathan Larson have been among the total tackles leaders.
About Warsaw: The Class 6A Associated Press No. 10/Indiana Football Coaches Association No. 11-ranked Tigers earned a 48-10 conference road triumph Saturday against Goshen … Juan Jaramillo (154 carries for 816 yards and eighth touchdowns), Wyatt Amiss (44 carries for 232 yards and three TDs), Blake Marsh (24 carries for 199 yards and one TD), Julius Jones (14 carries for 194 yards and two TDs) and Keagan Larsh (19 carries for 145 yards and three TDs) are leaders in a deep rushing game. Amiss (13-of-28 for 285 yards and four TDs) leads in passing and Luke Adamiec (eight catches for 162 yards and one TD) and Larsh (four catches for 132 yards and two TDs) pace the team in receiving … Total tackle leaders are Parker Davenport (39.5), Zach DeFord (34), Gage Lyon (32.5) and Mason Martz (24).
Per Wawasee coach
Jon Reutebuch:
On Warsaw — “They run the Flexbone. You’ve got to be assignment-oriented (on defense). They have a really good kicker (Harrison Mevis). They fly to the football (as defenders). We’re going to have to play well to compete.”
Rivalry — “Kids grew up knowing Warsaw is our rival. They compete against them in many sports. They know kids on that other team. We’re looking for our kids to come out, give great effort and compete.”
On Plymouth game — “We did a nice job against the run. But we couldn’t stop their passing game. We continue to struggle on offense. We had a few bright spots here and there, but nothing consistent … It’s a combination of everything. It’s not just one area. We’re just having a hard time putting it all together.”
Per Warsaw coach
Bart Curtis:
On Wawasee — “They are better than they’re record. I like the fact that they play hard every snap on both sides of the ball … They are sound in what they’re trying to do … We’re trying to defend the pass a little better. They can give anybody on their schedule a hard time winging the ball around … They do an admirable job of trying to get between you and the quarterback (with the offensive line).”
Homecoming — “I do not get all worked up and recognize that homecoming week is any other different than any other week.”
On Goshen game — “ learned that I need to go into meteorology rather than coaching. Playing on Saturday mornings is like being at camp. The atmosphere was dead quiet … Goshen was very hospitable Friday night and Saturday morning. They treated us like gold. We were good enough to win Saturday morning.”
Manchester
(1-5, 1-4 Three Rivers Conference)
at Whitko (0-6, 0-5)
When: Friday, 7 p.m, Huff Stadium.
Series: Whitko leads 33-14.
Last meeting: Whitko won 46-28, Sept. 28, 2018. Last Manchester win: 34-14, Sept. 29, 2017. John Harrell’s prediction: Manchester, 31-28.
About Manchester: The Squires fell 41-6 last week at Class 1A No. 3-ranked Southwood, easily their most decisive loss during a season in which three of their other defeats have come by an average of 8.7 points. … Trey Clark, Manchester’s two-time all-league wide receiver, is out for the season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament in week five.
About Whitko: The Wildcats suffered their most lopsided loss of the season last week, 42-0 at Tippecanoe Valley. … Whitko’s lone win while going 1-25 over the last two-plus seasons came last fall at Manchester, 46-28. In fact, the Wildcats have won five of their last six meetings against the Squires.
Manchester coach
Greg Miller:
On last week — “Southwood scored early, but we responded with a (defensive) scoop and score by Kreeden Krull. Just an alert play on his part on a screen and lateral that was dropped. We tell the kids all the time, don’t just let a ball lay there. Pick it up and go, make the officials make a call. So we got to 6-6 there, but then that’s when the break came (due to lightning early in the second quarter), and we just didn’t respond after that. Sometimes it’s tough for adults to deal with unknown variables or breaks in the norm, but Southwood did (with 28 second-quarter points), so kudos to them. For us, it just wasn’t a good night offensively, defensively or special teams. We had a lot of fundamental breakdowns.”
On Whitko — “They’re a dangerous team, and absolutely they (have Manchester’s attention after last season’s outcome). Last year, they were in the same (winless) boat they are going into this one, but they run the ball well, they throw it well and they’re physical up front. We’ve seen them in a lot of looks defensively, probably according to who they play, so we’re not quite sure what we’ll see. They’ve given us a lot to work on in practice.”
On Trey Clark’s injury — “You hate that happening for any kid, let alone a senior and a kid like Trey. We talk about how you never know what might happen, but it’s still really tough.”
Whitko coach
Phil Jensen:
On last week — “It’s a broken record. Late in the first half, we’re down 7-nothing and have the ball, and we’ve already had two plays where our receivers are way out front and they should be scores, but then we turn it over, give up two scores the last two minutes of the first half and instead of 7-7 or 7-nothing, it’s 20-nothing. We’re simply not good enough to make mistakes and not score when we have the chance. At this point, I think it’s more of a mental battle than a physical battle.”
On moving forward — “We’re in a situation where we’ve got some injuries, and we’re going to have some suspensions for the first quarter Friday, so we’ll start the game without (three) starters there. It’s just part of changing the culture. To change the culture, you have to have demands and expectations, and sometimes somebody gets the brunt of that. They’ll play after the first quarter.”
On Manchester and beyond — “It’s a point in the season we’d like to think we can be competitive. The first six (opponents faced) are a combined 23-13, the next three are 5-13. But that’s all on paper, so who knows, but it’s definitely time for us to get one, and homecoming would be a great start.”
Tippecanoe Valley (5-1, 5-0 TRC) at Maconaquah (4-2, 4-1)
When: Friday, 7 p.m, Maconaquah High School.
Series: Tied 1-1.
Last meeting: Maconaquah won 24-6, Oct. 26, 2018, in sectional semifinal.
Last Valley win: 29-13, Sept. 10, 1976.
Harrell’s prediction: Maconaquah, 28-24.
About Valley: The Vikings have won five straight games and are coming off a 42-0 victory over Whitko that was the program’s first shutout since registering three blankings in 2012. The five-game winning streak is also the longest since 2012, when Valley won six in a row. … The Vikings’ 24-6 loss to Maconaquah in last season’s Class 3A sectional semifinal was just the second meeting ever between the schools, and the first since 1976. … Valley’s Dakota Gaff, Jaydin Conley and Tanner Trippiedi have combined for 1,182 rushing yards, a 6.5 average and 14 touchdowns. … Trippiedi’s added 356 yards through the air with four TDs against three interceptions. … The Viking defense has notched 14 sacks this season, including four by Ross O’Connor and three by Harry Johnston.
About Maconaquah: The surging Braves have won four straight, won them all by at least 16 points and scored at least 43 in each. Further, their two losses to begin the season, 20-17 at Southwood and 49-6 to Cass, came against clubs that are now 6-0. Cass is No. 1-ranked in 2A and Southwood No. 3 in 1A. … Maconaquah is led by junior standout Carter Little. He’s rushed for 980 yards, a 7.4 average and nine touchdowns, including at least 121 yards in each of his last five games. He struck for 320 and four TDs against Peru on 35 carries. Little’s also returned both a punt and an interception for scores and is the Braves’ top receiver with 17 catches for 251 yards and two TDs. … Running backs Jared Blake and Bryce Smith have combined for another 542 grounds yards and 10 touchdowns. … Quarterback Nolan Kelly has thrown for 433 yards, but has been picked off six times in 58 pass attempts. … Junior kicker Richie Leary is 19-of-20 on conversions and 2-of-2 on field goals with a long of 36. … The Maconaquah defense has racked up 39 tackles for loss, paced by Aaron McKinley’s seven. … This will be the first-ever Three Rivers Conference meeting between the Braves and Valley. Maconaquah joined the TRC in 2015, but did not face the Vikings in the regular season during the four years of the league’s divisional format.
Valley coach
Steve Moriarty:
On last week — “Eventually, we played pretty darn well. (Whitko) threw some different things at us, but we adjusted well. I think it was important to the kids to get that shutout. It’s been a long time. Jalen Potter, Alex Craft and Jasten Snapp all had interceptions, and Jace Potter up front had another big tackle point day.”
On Maconaquah — “They’re very big up front. It’s one of the first teams we play that can match our size. To slow their running game down will take a lot of deep penetration by our line and a lot of discipline. Their offense has been great and their defense is very stellar as well. We really have got to cut down the turnovers we’ve had the last couple weeks (four against Rochester and three against Whitko).”
On Carter Little — “He’s one of the better backs we’ll face, very hard-nosed runner and a north-south guy. With their offense in a phone booth, he’s hard to find sometimes. They use some smoke and mirrors to hide him, and then he does a good job finding the crease and exploding through it. It’s one of those offenses you have to play kind of a new defense and be sharp. Everybody’s within 7 yards of each other.”
North Judson
(3-2, 3-1 Hoosier North)
at Triton (2-4, 1-3)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m., Triton High School, Bourbon.
Series: Tied, 3-3.
John Harrell’s prediction: North Judson, 31-24.
Last meeting: Sept. 28, 2018, Triton, 37-29.
Last time North Judson won: Sept. 30, 2016, 38-12.
About North Judson: Coach Brett Lambert’s Bluejays are coming off a 28-8 Saturday win against West Central … Offensive leaders for North Judson have been Cheyenne Allen and Trey Hampton in rushing, Hampton in passing and Manuel Barnes in receiving … Nolan Shidler and Dylan Marin have been among the total tackles leaders.
About Triton: The Trojans lost 60-0 in conference play Friday at Pioneer … Triton has been led by D’Angelo Shumpert in rushing, Connor Pitney in passing and Shumpert and Chance Baxter in receiving … Total tackles leaders have been Trenton Kreft and Koby Mast.
Per Triton coach Rodney Younis:
On North Judson — “They run option football. So we’re going to have to be disciplined defensively, do our assignments and make sure we’re not trying to do other people’s jobs.”
On the 7:30 p.m. kickoff — “We split the difference. The start time was moved by 30 minutes to accommodate North Judson coming from Central time.” It will also be Senior Night at Triton.
On Pioneer game — “There’s nothing good … It was a rough game … It was a shortened game (called at halftime because of thunderstorms) … We got out of rhythm and started a little slow. We turned the ball over and you can’t give them short fields because they take advantage of that.”
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