Area High School Football Previews
October 16, 2019 at 10:25 p.m.
Area High School Football Previews
By Anthony Anderson & Steve Krah-
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Jake Field, Dunlap.
Series (last 35 years): Concord, 20-15.
JohnHarrell.net prediction: Concord, 24-23.
Last meeting: Oct. 12, 2018, Warsaw, 45-3.
Last time Concord won: Oct. 13, 2017, 26-20.
About Warsaw: The Class 6A Associated Press No. 8/Indiana Football Coaches Association No. 11-ranked Tigers are coming off a 35-14 home win against NorthWood … Warsaw was led by senior Blake Marsh (eight carries for 164 yards and three touchdowns), senior Wyatt Amiss (18 carries for 142 yards and one TD) and junior Juan Jaramillo (21 carries for 83 yards and one TD) in rushing … Jaramillio has 1,322 career rushing yards (1,093 to go with 12 TDs in 2019) … Senior Harrison Mevis kicked five extra points and is now 36-of-36 this season and 90-of-93 for his career. He is also 6-of-9 on field goals with 40-of-46 kickoffs going for touchbacks … Junior Mason Martz (13), senior Parker Davenport (8) and senior Gage Lyon (7.5) led in total tackles vs. NorthWood.
About Concord: Coach Craig Koehler’s Class 5A AP No. 8/IFCA No. 6 Minutemen blanked visiting Northridge 10-0 in Week 8 … On a sloppy field, Senior Carter Neveraski rushed for 100 yards. Senior Ethan Cain is the team’s top passer. Leading receiving targets include sophomore Amarion Moore and sophomore Jack D’Arcy.
Warsaw coach Bart Curtis:
On Concord — “They are explosive and very multiple and diverse offensively. Quarterback Ethan Cain is really good … Running back Carter Neveraski is a big strong kid … They’ve got a bevy of receivers that can hurt you, but I think Amarion Moore stands out. But make no mistake about it, D’Arcy, (junior Dante) Reed, (senior Logan) Wittmer and (senior Spencer) Arnold are very able targets … They’re just a real physical team … Defensively, they are causing people trouble. They’ve given up 85 points in eight games … The kid that stands out for them defensively is their middle linebacker Spencer Arnold … This is probably the first game since Game 1 (vs. Huntington North) where a team’s kicker (senior Ariel DeLaPaz) is nearly as good as ours. He’s a weapon.”
Defense — “It’s been an embattled group that has taken a lot of wrath from the coaches … When they play like they’re interested and play with a sense of urgency and if we don’t get silly in the secondary and get the ball thrown over their head, I think they’ve improved a great deal. We played as good a game defensively since we have in awhile (against NorthWood), probably since the Michigan City game (in Week 2) … So for us to be in this thing Friday, we’re going to match or exceed … It’s a group that just keeps hanging in there. If they just keep hanging in there and tackle a little better — particularly on space against great athletes — I think they’re a good group. I really do.”
On NorthWood — “We came away with a win, which is nice. I learned the four games that we didn’t have Blake Marsh, we had to be really creative … When this group plays with interest and intensity, I think we’re pretty good. When we don’t have that attention to detail and that sense of urgency, anybody in the state can beat us … Mason Martz played really well last Friday.”
Southwood (8-0 overall, 7-0 TRC) at Tippecanoe Valley (6-2, 6-1)
When: Friday, 7 p.m, Death Valley.
Series: Valley leads 26-16.
Last meeting: Southwood won 21-20, OT, Oct. 12, 2018.
Last Valley win: 45-0, Sept. 7, 2012.
Harrell’s prediction: Southwood, 24-17.
About Southwood: The Class 1A No. 3-ranked Knights are looking to wrap up a second straight unbeaten regular season and an outright Three Rivers Conference title. … They’re averaging 33.4 points on the season to 5.4 allowed, that latter figure being third-best in the state. … The Knights are 25-1 spanning the last three regular seasons, and they’ve won 15 consecutive regular-season road games dating back to 2016. … Southwood’s defeated Valley four straight times dating to 2013. The teams did not meet in 2015 or 2017. … Running back Gabe Lloyd has rushed for 584 yards, a 5.7 average and 12 touchdowns. Quarterback Alex Farr has added 400 yards and a 6.9 average on the ground. As a passer, he’s 43-of-81 for 620 yards and nine TDs since taking over regular duties in Week 4, but has been picked off six times. … Big-play receivers Carson Rich, Dawson Filip and Jackson Simons have combined to turn 32 catches into 665 yards, a 20.8 average and 12 scores. … The Knights’ defense has recorded 16 interceptions, including six by Filip at safety and five by Rich at outside linebacker. Middle linebacker Riley Whitesel has racked up 86 tackles.
About Valley: The Vikings can earn a share of the TRC title by knocking off Southwood, and can win a seventh game in a season for just the second time in the last 12 years, joining the 8-3 squad of 2012. .... Dakota Gaff struck for 157 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries in last week’s 25-0 blanking of Manchester. For the season, he, Jaydin Conley and quarterback Tanner Trippiedi have combined for 1,308 ground yards, a 6.1 average and 14 TDs. Trippiedi has thrown for another 682. … Jalen Potter owns six of Valley’s 10 interceptions, and has added team bests of 27 receptions for 376 yards. ... The Vikings have won seven straight regular-season home games. … Valley’s lone loss in its last seven outings is 24-3 at Maconaquah (6-2, 6-1). Those same Braves fell 20-17 in Week 1 to Southwood and will be rooting for a Viking victory Friday. If that happens and Maconaquah wins at Rochester (3-5, 3-4), there will be a three-way tie for the TRC crown.
Valley coach Steve Moriarty:
On last week — “Our defense played pretty well, but the weather conditions definitely played a factor. Manchester couldn’t throw like they wanted. Our offense had the ball a lot longer than theirs and did a good job of grinding it out on the ground.”
On Southwood — “This is kind of what we’ve been preaching all year, getting ourselves into position to win the conference. Last year, they got us in overtime at their place, so I’m glad this year is at our place. We’ll have to shut down a very good offense, and I think their defense gets overlooked. I mean, five points a game (allowed), that’s pretty good.”
On readiness level — “Well, we’re still not done with this week’s practices (Moriarty spoke on Tuesday), but I think effort-wise we’ll be ready, and it seems the focus is there. It will need to be.”
Wawasee (1-7, 0-6 NLC) at Goshen (1-7, 0-6)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Foreman Field, Goshen.
Series (last 35 years): Goshen, 25-11.
Harrell’s prediction: Wawasee, 24-21.
Last meeting: Oct. 12, 2018, Wawasee, 13-10.
Last time Goshen won: Oct. 14, 2016, 41-34.
About Wawasee: The Warriors lost 21-14 at Elkhart Memorial last week … Wawasee is led by junior Parker Young (75 carries for 161 yards and four TDs) and senior Levi Brown (38 carries for 157 yards) in rushing, Young (59-of-149 for 705 yards and three TDs) in passing and senior Ethan Garza (25 catches for 303 yards and one TD) and junior Kameron Salazar (16 catches for 137 yards) in receiving … Junior Robert Schmucker (59) and sophomore Nathan Larson (53) are the leaders in total tackles.
About Goshen: Coach Kyle Park’s RedHawks lost 36-6 at Plymouth in Week 8 … Goshen is led in rushing by senior Bryant Grewe (70 carries for 252 yards and two TDs), passing by senior Colin Turner (90-of-200 for 866 yards) and receiving by junior Andrew Pletcher (24 catches for 245 yards) … Junior Isaac Sawatzky (75) leads in total tackles.
Wawasee coach Jon Reutebuch:
On Goshen — “It’s another opportunity to get a win for us. Goshen’s probably thinking the same thing … There’s probably a lot of similarities between us and them. We’ve had our struggles offensively and defensively. It looks like a pretty even match to me.”
Defense — “(Inside linebacker in a 4-2-5 formation) Robert Schmucker won the job and has been a great surprise this year … (Outside linebacker aka Fox) Nate Larson stepped into the position vacated by (senior) Jesse Landeros when he went down in the Northridge game. (Larson) has really stepped it up and played well for us … Jesse Landeros is actually coming back this week and we’re probably going to use him both inside and outside … When we played NorthWood, which is out sectional opponent (Oct. 25), the last time, we did not have Nate Larson, Jesse Landeros, (senior) Ethan Hardy and (junior) Gage Morris. That’s four starters on defense. That’s a boost for us that we have those guys back.”
On Elkhart Memorial — “The weather conditions were a major factor. It seemed like every big play we had in the first half, we had laundry on the field. Missing those opportunities really cost us (inside the 20 twice and did not score in the first half) … We really stepped it up and played well in the second half. Once tied the ball game, they were able to mount a drive down the field score on us. That was disappointing. We’ve been having troubles all year long getting off the field on third down. That last drive exemplified that.”
Triton (2-6, 1-5 Hoosier North Athletic) at Winamac (3-5, 1-5)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Winamac High School, Winamac.
Series: Triton, 5-3.
Harrell’s prediction: Winamac, 31-24.
Last meeting: Oct. 26, 2018, Triton, 48-18 (sectional semfiinals).
Last time Winamac won: Sept. 23, 2016, 34-7.
About Triton: The Trojans lost 28-6 at Knox in Week 8 … Triton is led by junior Hunter McIntyre in rushing, senior Connor Pitney in passing and senior D’Angelo Shumpert in receiving … Senior Trenton Kreft leads in total tackles.
About Winamac: Coach Craig Barr’s Warriors are coming off a 48-6 home win against Caston … The Warriors are led in rushing by junior Trent Fox (118 carries for 583 yards and six TDs), passing from sophomore Russell Compton (75-of-137 for 844 yards and five TDs) and receiving by junior Brayden Lynch (32 catches for 341 yards and three TDs) … Logan Schultz (46) is the total tackles leader.
Triton coach Rodney Younis:
On Winamac — “They’re a very balanced team offensively. They’ve got a talented young quarterback (Compton) that started as a freshman. He’s made some improvement from last year to this year. They’ve got some good skill kids … Defensively, they get after it (with three- and four-linebacker sets).”
Defense — “We’ve steadily made some improvement. The last two weeks, our defense has made some strides … (Senior) Quentin Amsden at safety has really progressed during the year. Trenton Kreft at middle linebacker (in a four-linebacker set) has been our leader all season. He just does such a good job of reading his keys. Last week, (sophomore outside linebacker) Gavyn Ness stepped up, played half the game for us and has done a good job and has earned himself extra playing time.”
On Knox — “Knox was a very good team and our kids did a good job of bending and not breaking. We lost the game, but we still made improvement. We’re making improvement. The step is in the right direction.”
Peru (4-4 overall, 3-4 TRC) at Manchester (2-6, 2-5)
When: Friday, 7 p.m, Burk Field.
Series: Peru leads 3-2.
Last meeting: Manchester won 66-7, Oct. 12, 2018.
Last Peru win: 41-40, Sept. 8, 2017.
Harrell’s prediction: Peru, 35-24.
About Peru: The Bengal Tigers have roared back from their 0-10 season a year ago to a .500 mark heading into this fall’s regular-season finale. … Last year’s 66-7 loss against Manchester to close the regular season was Peru’s most lopsided since falling 63-0 to Cass in 2012 and it’s most points allowed since losing 75-13 to Hamilton Heights later that same year. … The Tigers won 34-23 last week at North Miami to improve to 2-1 on the road. … Explosive back Daunte Majors has 1,306 yards from scrimmage on just 84 touches (71 rushing, 13 receiving) with 19 touchdowns and a 15.5 average per touch. Quarterback Michael Chandler is 40-of-74 passing for 893 yards with 10 TDs against three picks. Junior kicker Zachary Johnson stands 4-of-5 on field goals with a long of 37 yards and 22-of-25 on extra points.
About Manchester: The Squires beat the Tigers twice last year, both times on the road. The Week 4 first meeting went to the wire, with Manchester pulling out a 34-31 win by virtue of a goal-line stand. The second, a Week 9 TRC crossover game under the divisional format of a year ago, proved wildly different, with the Squires rolling by that 66-7 count. It was the most points Manchester has scored since beating Northfield 66-0 in 1999, and the program’s largest margin of victory since a 64-0 win over Mississinewa in 2001. … Squire running back Sam Martindale, besides rushing for 373 yards and five touchdowns on 99 carries this season, has not been charged with a fumble. Braxton Ream’s added 225 yards, a 6.1 average and four TDs. … Quarterback Devin Marcum has passed for 1,187 yards with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions. … Defensively, Ream and fellow sophomore safety Dylan Stroud have notched 68 and 66 tackles, respectively.
Manchester coach Greg Miller:
On last week — “We knew we’d be facing a physical team, and that’s what we saw. The weather was cold and rainy for both teams, but we didn’t respond as well. Defensively, we were OK, but we couldn’t get anything going against their very tough defense.”
On Peru — “They’re a much better team than last year. That was their first year with Coach (Romison) Saint-Louis. Anytime you’ve had more time together, it helps. The kids know the scheme better and he knows the kids better. They run option a lot of different ways. For us, it’s going to come down to our level of preparation and practice throughout the week.”
On goals for a finale — “You don’t want to lose anybody (to injury) and you want to play well, go into (postseason) with a good taste and build on that fire.”
Wabash (3-5 overall, 2-5 TRC) at Whitko (0-8, 0-7)
When: Friday, 7 p.m, Huff Stadium.
Series: Whitko leads 12-2.
Last meeting: Wabash won 28-14, Oct. 12, 2018.
Last Whitko win: 30-24, Sept. 19, 2014.
Harrell’s prediction: Wabash, 28-21.
About Wabash: In the last two meetings, the Apaches have recorded their first two wins ever over Whitko, also taking the 2017 game 28-22. … Wabash, coming off a 56-19 loss to Maconaquah, is keyed on both sides of the ball by senior Kallen Kelsheimer. As a running back, he’s rushed for 772 yards, a 5.1 average and nine touchdowns. As an outside linebacker, he’s picked up 15 tackles for loss and three interceptions. All those figures are team-leading. … QB Payton Sodervick is 56-of-136 for 888 yards passing with eight TDs and six picks. Receiver Bryant Boggs has turned seven of his 24 receptions into scores and has a 25.7 average per catch. … Joining Kelsheimer on a productive linebacking crew are Keegan O’Neill in the middle with 93 tackles and Isaiah Eis on the outside with 14 TFLs.
About Whitko: The Wildcats have been shut out three straight weeks for just the third time in their 47-year history. The others instances came in the first three weeks of last season and midway through 1974. Whitko’s never been blanked in four straight games. … During last week’s 24-0 loss at Northfield, Ashton Schuh rushed for 40 yards, Cade Berg 38 and Riley Young 38. Schuh and Berg, though, are both out for at least this week, according to coach Phil Jensen. … The Wildcats will be playing their fourth home game of the season. Their two closest defeats, each by 14 points, and their highest offensive output, that being 22 in another contest, have all come at home.
Whitko coach Phil Jensen:
On last week — “We moved the ball all right at times, but we just can’t find any consistency. We had (multiple) turnovers again. When you’re not very good and you make those kinds of mistakes, it’s magnified. Really good teams can sometimes compensate for those mistakes, but we don’t have that going for us right now.”
On Wabash — “It’s more about us than our opponent. (In Berg and Schuh) we’ve lost probably our two best players on both sides of the ball, and they’re not the only ones. Between injuries and grades, we’re down to 26 kids that can play, and two of them are playing with casts on their hands, so we’re just trying to find the best combinations.”
On pending postseason — “We’ve talked about how on Saturday morning, everybody will wake up with the same record and we’ll all have the same opportunity in the second season. That’s one of the great things about Indiana football, so we’d like to go into that with some positive footing off of Friday and make it a positive Senior Night.
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Jake Field, Dunlap.
Series (last 35 years): Concord, 20-15.
JohnHarrell.net prediction: Concord, 24-23.
Last meeting: Oct. 12, 2018, Warsaw, 45-3.
Last time Concord won: Oct. 13, 2017, 26-20.
About Warsaw: The Class 6A Associated Press No. 8/Indiana Football Coaches Association No. 11-ranked Tigers are coming off a 35-14 home win against NorthWood … Warsaw was led by senior Blake Marsh (eight carries for 164 yards and three touchdowns), senior Wyatt Amiss (18 carries for 142 yards and one TD) and junior Juan Jaramillo (21 carries for 83 yards and one TD) in rushing … Jaramillio has 1,322 career rushing yards (1,093 to go with 12 TDs in 2019) … Senior Harrison Mevis kicked five extra points and is now 36-of-36 this season and 90-of-93 for his career. He is also 6-of-9 on field goals with 40-of-46 kickoffs going for touchbacks … Junior Mason Martz (13), senior Parker Davenport (8) and senior Gage Lyon (7.5) led in total tackles vs. NorthWood.
About Concord: Coach Craig Koehler’s Class 5A AP No. 8/IFCA No. 6 Minutemen blanked visiting Northridge 10-0 in Week 8 … On a sloppy field, Senior Carter Neveraski rushed for 100 yards. Senior Ethan Cain is the team’s top passer. Leading receiving targets include sophomore Amarion Moore and sophomore Jack D’Arcy.
Warsaw coach Bart Curtis:
On Concord — “They are explosive and very multiple and diverse offensively. Quarterback Ethan Cain is really good … Running back Carter Neveraski is a big strong kid … They’ve got a bevy of receivers that can hurt you, but I think Amarion Moore stands out. But make no mistake about it, D’Arcy, (junior Dante) Reed, (senior Logan) Wittmer and (senior Spencer) Arnold are very able targets … They’re just a real physical team … Defensively, they are causing people trouble. They’ve given up 85 points in eight games … The kid that stands out for them defensively is their middle linebacker Spencer Arnold … This is probably the first game since Game 1 (vs. Huntington North) where a team’s kicker (senior Ariel DeLaPaz) is nearly as good as ours. He’s a weapon.”
Defense — “It’s been an embattled group that has taken a lot of wrath from the coaches … When they play like they’re interested and play with a sense of urgency and if we don’t get silly in the secondary and get the ball thrown over their head, I think they’ve improved a great deal. We played as good a game defensively since we have in awhile (against NorthWood), probably since the Michigan City game (in Week 2) … So for us to be in this thing Friday, we’re going to match or exceed … It’s a group that just keeps hanging in there. If they just keep hanging in there and tackle a little better — particularly on space against great athletes — I think they’re a good group. I really do.”
On NorthWood — “We came away with a win, which is nice. I learned the four games that we didn’t have Blake Marsh, we had to be really creative … When this group plays with interest and intensity, I think we’re pretty good. When we don’t have that attention to detail and that sense of urgency, anybody in the state can beat us … Mason Martz played really well last Friday.”
Southwood (8-0 overall, 7-0 TRC) at Tippecanoe Valley (6-2, 6-1)
When: Friday, 7 p.m, Death Valley.
Series: Valley leads 26-16.
Last meeting: Southwood won 21-20, OT, Oct. 12, 2018.
Last Valley win: 45-0, Sept. 7, 2012.
Harrell’s prediction: Southwood, 24-17.
About Southwood: The Class 1A No. 3-ranked Knights are looking to wrap up a second straight unbeaten regular season and an outright Three Rivers Conference title. … They’re averaging 33.4 points on the season to 5.4 allowed, that latter figure being third-best in the state. … The Knights are 25-1 spanning the last three regular seasons, and they’ve won 15 consecutive regular-season road games dating back to 2016. … Southwood’s defeated Valley four straight times dating to 2013. The teams did not meet in 2015 or 2017. … Running back Gabe Lloyd has rushed for 584 yards, a 5.7 average and 12 touchdowns. Quarterback Alex Farr has added 400 yards and a 6.9 average on the ground. As a passer, he’s 43-of-81 for 620 yards and nine TDs since taking over regular duties in Week 4, but has been picked off six times. … Big-play receivers Carson Rich, Dawson Filip and Jackson Simons have combined to turn 32 catches into 665 yards, a 20.8 average and 12 scores. … The Knights’ defense has recorded 16 interceptions, including six by Filip at safety and five by Rich at outside linebacker. Middle linebacker Riley Whitesel has racked up 86 tackles.
About Valley: The Vikings can earn a share of the TRC title by knocking off Southwood, and can win a seventh game in a season for just the second time in the last 12 years, joining the 8-3 squad of 2012. .... Dakota Gaff struck for 157 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries in last week’s 25-0 blanking of Manchester. For the season, he, Jaydin Conley and quarterback Tanner Trippiedi have combined for 1,308 ground yards, a 6.1 average and 14 TDs. Trippiedi has thrown for another 682. … Jalen Potter owns six of Valley’s 10 interceptions, and has added team bests of 27 receptions for 376 yards. ... The Vikings have won seven straight regular-season home games. … Valley’s lone loss in its last seven outings is 24-3 at Maconaquah (6-2, 6-1). Those same Braves fell 20-17 in Week 1 to Southwood and will be rooting for a Viking victory Friday. If that happens and Maconaquah wins at Rochester (3-5, 3-4), there will be a three-way tie for the TRC crown.
Valley coach Steve Moriarty:
On last week — “Our defense played pretty well, but the weather conditions definitely played a factor. Manchester couldn’t throw like they wanted. Our offense had the ball a lot longer than theirs and did a good job of grinding it out on the ground.”
On Southwood — “This is kind of what we’ve been preaching all year, getting ourselves into position to win the conference. Last year, they got us in overtime at their place, so I’m glad this year is at our place. We’ll have to shut down a very good offense, and I think their defense gets overlooked. I mean, five points a game (allowed), that’s pretty good.”
On readiness level — “Well, we’re still not done with this week’s practices (Moriarty spoke on Tuesday), but I think effort-wise we’ll be ready, and it seems the focus is there. It will need to be.”
Wawasee (1-7, 0-6 NLC) at Goshen (1-7, 0-6)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Foreman Field, Goshen.
Series (last 35 years): Goshen, 25-11.
Harrell’s prediction: Wawasee, 24-21.
Last meeting: Oct. 12, 2018, Wawasee, 13-10.
Last time Goshen won: Oct. 14, 2016, 41-34.
About Wawasee: The Warriors lost 21-14 at Elkhart Memorial last week … Wawasee is led by junior Parker Young (75 carries for 161 yards and four TDs) and senior Levi Brown (38 carries for 157 yards) in rushing, Young (59-of-149 for 705 yards and three TDs) in passing and senior Ethan Garza (25 catches for 303 yards and one TD) and junior Kameron Salazar (16 catches for 137 yards) in receiving … Junior Robert Schmucker (59) and sophomore Nathan Larson (53) are the leaders in total tackles.
About Goshen: Coach Kyle Park’s RedHawks lost 36-6 at Plymouth in Week 8 … Goshen is led in rushing by senior Bryant Grewe (70 carries for 252 yards and two TDs), passing by senior Colin Turner (90-of-200 for 866 yards) and receiving by junior Andrew Pletcher (24 catches for 245 yards) … Junior Isaac Sawatzky (75) leads in total tackles.
Wawasee coach Jon Reutebuch:
On Goshen — “It’s another opportunity to get a win for us. Goshen’s probably thinking the same thing … There’s probably a lot of similarities between us and them. We’ve had our struggles offensively and defensively. It looks like a pretty even match to me.”
Defense — “(Inside linebacker in a 4-2-5 formation) Robert Schmucker won the job and has been a great surprise this year … (Outside linebacker aka Fox) Nate Larson stepped into the position vacated by (senior) Jesse Landeros when he went down in the Northridge game. (Larson) has really stepped it up and played well for us … Jesse Landeros is actually coming back this week and we’re probably going to use him both inside and outside … When we played NorthWood, which is out sectional opponent (Oct. 25), the last time, we did not have Nate Larson, Jesse Landeros, (senior) Ethan Hardy and (junior) Gage Morris. That’s four starters on defense. That’s a boost for us that we have those guys back.”
On Elkhart Memorial — “The weather conditions were a major factor. It seemed like every big play we had in the first half, we had laundry on the field. Missing those opportunities really cost us (inside the 20 twice and did not score in the first half) … We really stepped it up and played well in the second half. Once tied the ball game, they were able to mount a drive down the field score on us. That was disappointing. We’ve been having troubles all year long getting off the field on third down. That last drive exemplified that.”
Triton (2-6, 1-5 Hoosier North Athletic) at Winamac (3-5, 1-5)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Winamac High School, Winamac.
Series: Triton, 5-3.
Harrell’s prediction: Winamac, 31-24.
Last meeting: Oct. 26, 2018, Triton, 48-18 (sectional semfiinals).
Last time Winamac won: Sept. 23, 2016, 34-7.
About Triton: The Trojans lost 28-6 at Knox in Week 8 … Triton is led by junior Hunter McIntyre in rushing, senior Connor Pitney in passing and senior D’Angelo Shumpert in receiving … Senior Trenton Kreft leads in total tackles.
About Winamac: Coach Craig Barr’s Warriors are coming off a 48-6 home win against Caston … The Warriors are led in rushing by junior Trent Fox (118 carries for 583 yards and six TDs), passing from sophomore Russell Compton (75-of-137 for 844 yards and five TDs) and receiving by junior Brayden Lynch (32 catches for 341 yards and three TDs) … Logan Schultz (46) is the total tackles leader.
Triton coach Rodney Younis:
On Winamac — “They’re a very balanced team offensively. They’ve got a talented young quarterback (Compton) that started as a freshman. He’s made some improvement from last year to this year. They’ve got some good skill kids … Defensively, they get after it (with three- and four-linebacker sets).”
Defense — “We’ve steadily made some improvement. The last two weeks, our defense has made some strides … (Senior) Quentin Amsden at safety has really progressed during the year. Trenton Kreft at middle linebacker (in a four-linebacker set) has been our leader all season. He just does such a good job of reading his keys. Last week, (sophomore outside linebacker) Gavyn Ness stepped up, played half the game for us and has done a good job and has earned himself extra playing time.”
On Knox — “Knox was a very good team and our kids did a good job of bending and not breaking. We lost the game, but we still made improvement. We’re making improvement. The step is in the right direction.”
Peru (4-4 overall, 3-4 TRC) at Manchester (2-6, 2-5)
When: Friday, 7 p.m, Burk Field.
Series: Peru leads 3-2.
Last meeting: Manchester won 66-7, Oct. 12, 2018.
Last Peru win: 41-40, Sept. 8, 2017.
Harrell’s prediction: Peru, 35-24.
About Peru: The Bengal Tigers have roared back from their 0-10 season a year ago to a .500 mark heading into this fall’s regular-season finale. … Last year’s 66-7 loss against Manchester to close the regular season was Peru’s most lopsided since falling 63-0 to Cass in 2012 and it’s most points allowed since losing 75-13 to Hamilton Heights later that same year. … The Tigers won 34-23 last week at North Miami to improve to 2-1 on the road. … Explosive back Daunte Majors has 1,306 yards from scrimmage on just 84 touches (71 rushing, 13 receiving) with 19 touchdowns and a 15.5 average per touch. Quarterback Michael Chandler is 40-of-74 passing for 893 yards with 10 TDs against three picks. Junior kicker Zachary Johnson stands 4-of-5 on field goals with a long of 37 yards and 22-of-25 on extra points.
About Manchester: The Squires beat the Tigers twice last year, both times on the road. The Week 4 first meeting went to the wire, with Manchester pulling out a 34-31 win by virtue of a goal-line stand. The second, a Week 9 TRC crossover game under the divisional format of a year ago, proved wildly different, with the Squires rolling by that 66-7 count. It was the most points Manchester has scored since beating Northfield 66-0 in 1999, and the program’s largest margin of victory since a 64-0 win over Mississinewa in 2001. … Squire running back Sam Martindale, besides rushing for 373 yards and five touchdowns on 99 carries this season, has not been charged with a fumble. Braxton Ream’s added 225 yards, a 6.1 average and four TDs. … Quarterback Devin Marcum has passed for 1,187 yards with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions. … Defensively, Ream and fellow sophomore safety Dylan Stroud have notched 68 and 66 tackles, respectively.
Manchester coach Greg Miller:
On last week — “We knew we’d be facing a physical team, and that’s what we saw. The weather was cold and rainy for both teams, but we didn’t respond as well. Defensively, we were OK, but we couldn’t get anything going against their very tough defense.”
On Peru — “They’re a much better team than last year. That was their first year with Coach (Romison) Saint-Louis. Anytime you’ve had more time together, it helps. The kids know the scheme better and he knows the kids better. They run option a lot of different ways. For us, it’s going to come down to our level of preparation and practice throughout the week.”
On goals for a finale — “You don’t want to lose anybody (to injury) and you want to play well, go into (postseason) with a good taste and build on that fire.”
Wabash (3-5 overall, 2-5 TRC) at Whitko (0-8, 0-7)
When: Friday, 7 p.m, Huff Stadium.
Series: Whitko leads 12-2.
Last meeting: Wabash won 28-14, Oct. 12, 2018.
Last Whitko win: 30-24, Sept. 19, 2014.
Harrell’s prediction: Wabash, 28-21.
About Wabash: In the last two meetings, the Apaches have recorded their first two wins ever over Whitko, also taking the 2017 game 28-22. … Wabash, coming off a 56-19 loss to Maconaquah, is keyed on both sides of the ball by senior Kallen Kelsheimer. As a running back, he’s rushed for 772 yards, a 5.1 average and nine touchdowns. As an outside linebacker, he’s picked up 15 tackles for loss and three interceptions. All those figures are team-leading. … QB Payton Sodervick is 56-of-136 for 888 yards passing with eight TDs and six picks. Receiver Bryant Boggs has turned seven of his 24 receptions into scores and has a 25.7 average per catch. … Joining Kelsheimer on a productive linebacking crew are Keegan O’Neill in the middle with 93 tackles and Isaiah Eis on the outside with 14 TFLs.
About Whitko: The Wildcats have been shut out three straight weeks for just the third time in their 47-year history. The others instances came in the first three weeks of last season and midway through 1974. Whitko’s never been blanked in four straight games. … During last week’s 24-0 loss at Northfield, Ashton Schuh rushed for 40 yards, Cade Berg 38 and Riley Young 38. Schuh and Berg, though, are both out for at least this week, according to coach Phil Jensen. … The Wildcats will be playing their fourth home game of the season. Their two closest defeats, each by 14 points, and their highest offensive output, that being 22 in another contest, have all come at home.
Whitko coach Phil Jensen:
On last week — “We moved the ball all right at times, but we just can’t find any consistency. We had (multiple) turnovers again. When you’re not very good and you make those kinds of mistakes, it’s magnified. Really good teams can sometimes compensate for those mistakes, but we don’t have that going for us right now.”
On Wabash — “It’s more about us than our opponent. (In Berg and Schuh) we’ve lost probably our two best players on both sides of the ball, and they’re not the only ones. Between injuries and grades, we’re down to 26 kids that can play, and two of them are playing with casts on their hands, so we’re just trying to find the best combinations.”
On pending postseason — “We’ve talked about how on Saturday morning, everybody will wake up with the same record and we’ll all have the same opportunity in the second season. That’s one of the great things about Indiana football, so we’d like to go into that with some positive footing off of Friday and make it a positive Senior Night.
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