Area High School Football Previews
September 5, 2019 at 2:31 a.m.
Plymouth (1-1, 0-0 Northern Lakes Conference) at Warsaw (2-0, 0-0)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Fisher Field, Warsaw.
Series (last 35 years): Warsaw, 18-17.
John Harrell’s prediction: Warsaw, 35-28.
Last meeting: Aug. 31, 2018, Plymouth 32-29 (overtime).
Last time Warsaw won: Sept. 6, 2013, 20-19.
About Plymouth: Coach John Barron’s Rockies are coming off a 41-20 home win against Kokomo … This week marks Plymouth’s first road game of the season … Joe Barron (45-of-79 for 606 yards and seven touchdowns) paces the Rockies in passing, Garrett Schrameyer (17 catches for 251 yards and one TD) and Jake Reichard (14 receptions for 180 yards and three TDs) in receiving and Kameron Vanlue (210 yards and two TDs) and Blake Davis (106 yards). Vanlue may be out the rest of the season with a broken leg. Ivan Winkle has 355 all-purpose yards, including a 91-yard kickoff return for a TD against Kokomo.
About Warsaw: The visiting Tigers edged Class 5A No. 5-ranked Michigan City, 20-19, in Week 2 with a 51-yard field goal from Harrison Mevis with 4:20 to play … Warsaw’s Bart Curtis is the Indianapolis Colts Coach of the Week … The Tigers are led in rushing by Juan Jaramillo (270 yards and two TDs) and Wyatt Amiss (102 yards and two TDs), passing by Amiss (2-of-8 for 66 yards and one TD) and receiving by Luke Adamiec (two receptions for 93 yards and one TD). Parker Davenport (25), Blake Marsh (13.5) and Mason Martz (13.5) lead in total tackles.
Per Warsaw coach Bart Curtis
On Plymouth — “They are a high-octane offense. They can throw it, but they are very capable of running it. They’re probably one of the better offensive teams that we’re going to face. They’ve got so many weapons … The less times (Winkle) has his hands on the football the better … They’re huge on both sides of the ball … Their record is a little deceiving. They had a 14-point lead on East Noble in Week 1. They’re a fumble away from being 2-0 … We’re going to have our hands absolutely full.”
On two-week progress — “We’re a really opportunistic group. We’re playing awfully hard most of the time. There are still some lulls here and there when we’re not playing to full capacity. If we’re not playing well at times, we’re certainly overcoming that by playing hard.”
On Michigan City game — “It’s a game that could’ve gone either way. We were in-control early. They got back into it with their defensive play. We were fortunate enough to make some plays at the end.”
Wawasee (1-1, 0-0 NLC) at Northridge (2-0, 0-0)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Raider Field, Middlebury.
Series (last 35 years): Wawasee, 20-16.
Harrell’s prediction: Wawasee, 28-24.
Last meeting: Oct. 18, 2018, Northridge 33-12 (sectional).
Last time Wawasee won: Sept. 2, 2016, 21-20 (overtime).
About Wawasee: The Warriors lost at West Noble, 21-6, in Week 2 … Austin Parker’s 62-yard reception from Parker Young in the first quarter accounted for the Warriors’ score.
About Northridge: Coach Tom Wogomon’s Raiders are coming off a 31-16 home win against South Bend St. Joseph … Wogomon was Wawasee’s head coach 2007-13 … Caid Lacey (133 yards and two TDs) is Northridge’s leader in rushing while Oliver Eveler (7-of-14 for 144 yards and two TDs) is tops in passing and Breckin Judd (three catches for 96 yards and two TDs) the pace-setter in receiving.
Per Wawasee coach Jon Reutebuch:
On Northridge — "We’re going to have to be prepared to play a very sound football team that gets after you on every play. They swarm on defense and run to the whistle on offense. Tom Wogomon’s got them playing really hard."
On the first two games — "The first week against Lakeland we had great effort. We weren’t perfect. We made a lot of mistakes, but our intensity was there and we had great effort. Against West Noble that wasn’t there and that was the difference in the ball game. It was 14-6 going into the fourth quarter. We had our chances to turn that game around and the effort just wasn’t there. All week long, we’re hammering that effort that we need to have on every play."
Caston (0-2, 0-1 HNAC) at Triton (1-1, 0-1)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Triton High School, Bourbon.
Series (last 35 years): Triton, 14-10.
Last meeting: Aug. 31, 2018, Triton 57-6.
Last time Caston won: Aug. 19, 2016, 6-0.
Harrell’s prediction: Triton, 49-17.
About Caston: Coach Tony Slocum’s Comets are coming off a 46-0 road loss to North Judson … Samuel Smith (76 yards) is Caston’s leading rusher, Landon Shafer (20-of-43 for 198 yards) the top passer and Hunter Schanlaub (two receptions for 74 yards and two touchdowns) the No. 1 receiver … The Comets are on a 21-game losing streak. Caston’s last win was in Week 1 in 2017.
About Triton: The Trojans lost to LaVille, 59-14, in Week 2 … It will be homecoming at Triton … The Trojans are led in rushing by Hunter McIntyre (63 yards), passing by Connor Pitney (24-of-39 for 393 yards and three TDs) and receiving by D’Angelo Shumpert (nine receptions for 186 yards and one TD). Trenton Kreft (16), McIntyre (14) and Caleb Lemler (13) lead the way in total tackles.
Per Triton coach Rodney Younis:
On Caston — Caston is a team that is vastly improved from last year. They run a different offense this year. They used to be a really tight, closet-type of offense. Now they’re spreading it out and spreading the run and spreading the throw. They’re trying to get the ball into their skilled players’ hands. Defensively, they’re going to bring a lot of pressure.
On injuries — (wideout/free safety) Chance Baxter will be return Friday. (Offensive lineman) Zach Ernie is still has to go through concussion protocol.
On LaVille game — Film doesn’t lie. The kids know what we need to work on. Our focus this week is fundamentals. We need to get better at blocking. We need to get better at tackling and better pursuit angles.
Rochester (1-1 overall, 1-0 TRC) at Whitko (0-2, 0-1)
When: Friday, 7 p.m, Huff Stadium.
Series: Rochester leads 23-11.
Last meeting: Rochester won 42-16, Sept. 7, 2018.
Last Whitko win: 57-14, Sept. 9, 2016.
Harrell’s prediction: Rochester, 35-14.
About Rochester: The Zebras have played two tight games under first-year coach Sean Kelly, following up a 20-14 win at Wabash in their opener with a 34-27 loss to Knox. … Quarterback Nick Allen is 17-of-25 through the air over the two outings for 269 yards and three touchdowns against one interception. … Landon Kelly and Bryce Abbott have combined to rush for 281 yards. Abbott’s also been in on 20 tackles from his linebacker spot. … Rochester has lost five fumbles.
About Whitko: The Wildcats play their home opener after back-to-back road games to start the season. … In last week’s 35-13 loss at Peru, sophomore QB Ethan Schuh was 10-of-19 passing for 133 yards and a touchdown. Mason Lehman and sophomore Cade Berg each rushed for 36 yards, with Berg adding a TD. Ashton Schuh hauled in four passes for 61 yards and a score from his younger brother. Sophomore Isaiah Kyles caught two balls for 41 yards and added a 37-yard kickoff return. … Dominick Moseley led the defense with eight tackles, including five solos.
Whitko coach Phil Jensen:
On Week 1 to Week 2 improvement — “We’re getting better; we just don’t know how to win yet. There were very few times where we felt like Peru just stopped us, but we stopped ourselves a number of times with fumbles or a (running) back going the wrong way. We make mental mistakes because we’re not used to playing at a high level all the time. They’re not used to having that expectation on them. The opening drive, we went right down the field, went up 7-nothing, and I also thought we did a good job containing (Daunte) Majors the first half, but then we give up two big plays to him to start the second half. What we talked to the kids about afterwards is that we know it matters to them, but it has to matter different. It has to hurt more when we don’t do well.”
On Rochester — “They’re solid, a sound football team. They want to run the ball, but the quarterback’s a good athlete and will throw it if you’re not paying attention. Like us, they’ve got a lot of guys going both ways, so stamina and (minimizing) mental mistakes will be big.”
Tippecanoe Valley (1-1 overall, 1-0 TRC) at Peru (2-0, 1-0)
When: Friday, 7 p.m, Bengal Field.
Series: Peru leads 2-1.
Last meeting: Valley won 34-7 in sectional first round, Oct. 19, 2018.
Last Peru win: 33-14 in sectional first round, Oct. 20, 2017.
Harrell’s prediction: Valley, 45-10.
About Valley: This marks the first-ever regular-season meeting between the Vikings and Peru. All of the previous three matchups have come in sectional play. The Tigers didn’t join the Three Rivers Conference until 2015, and then had been in the division opposite Valley until this season, when the divisional format was dropped. … Jacob Eherenman’s 7-yard TD run with just 1:33 remaining lifted the Vikings to a 28-21 win over Northfield last week. Quarterback Tanner Trippiedi rushed for 105 yards and two long touchdowns in the victory to go with 12-of-20 passing for 123 yards and another score. Jalen Potter caught nine passes for 82 yards and a TD.
About Peru: The Tigers, 0-10 last season, stand 2-0 for just the second time in the last 25 years (the other being in 2013 when they started 4-0, but closed at 4-6). … QB Michael Chandler has thrown seven TD passes over Peru’s first two games — wins of 48-21 over Logansport and 35-13 over Whitko — while Daunte Majors has scored six touchdowns, four via reception to go with 79- and 60-yarders on the ground.
Valley coach Steve Moriarty:
On Peru — “Daunte Majors is one of the fastest kids I’ve seen on film in my 15 or 16 years in coaching. We have a shot at winning if we can stop him, but he looks very explosive and hard to contain. Them being 2-and-0 like they are, now they’ve got some momentum they haven’t had before.”
On areas of concern — “We need to continue to work on our blocking recognition and communication up front. We had another special teams mistake (blocked punt) that we need to clean up, but we battled through it and cleaned up a lot of things in the second half (against Northfield). I was really proud of the kids for never giving up, and when (Northfield) tied it up, we made a nice drive all the way down the field and scored. Our kids kept their composure about them.”
Wabash (1-1 overall, 0-1 TRC) at Manchester (0-2, 0-1)
When: Friday, 7 p.m, Burk Field.
Series: Wabash leads 24-17-1.
Last meeting: Manchester won 36-29, Aug. 31, 2018.
Last Wabash win: 30-27 in sectional first round, Oct. 20, 2017.
Harrell’s prediction: Wabash, 38-28.
About Wabash: The Apaches, who will be playing their first road game, are coming off a 36-34 shootout win over Alexandria. … On the season, QB Payton Sodervick is 12-of-27 throwing for 318 yards and three touchdowns against one pick. He’s also rushed for 74 yards and three scores. Junior wideout Bryan Boggs has caught eight passes for 245 yards and two TDs. … Defensively, Kallen Kelsheimer leads the team with 16 solo tackles, five of his team’s 15 tackles for loss and an interception. Fellow linebacker Keegan O’Neill has made 22 tackles, including 12 solos.
About Manchester: The Squires play their home opener, and will be seeking their first home win since 2017. They were 0-5 at home last season, but 3-2 on the road. … In Manchester’s 43-20 loss last week at Bluffton, a pair of interceptions proved costly as the Tigers returned both for touchdowns. … Sam Martindale registered a second straight strong ground game for the Squires and is at 177 yards and four TDs on 31 carries for the season. Braxton Ream recorded his second straight 10-tackle game defensively, this time with seven solos, while fellow sophomore safety Dylan Stroud was in on 13 tackles, four of them solo.
Manchester coach Greg Miller:
On Wabash — “They’re an athletic team, and offensively kind of a mirror image of what we do. They run a little more tight end this year, but they run spread, run option and spread the ball around to their athletes. They had a big win against Alexandria and that always helps propel you into the next week. I do think we have a game plan for them this week that both the coaches and kids are comfortable with.”
On points allowed — “Points can be deceiving. We threw a pick six twice and that goes on the offense, but they are all points against. We do have to play more consistent (defensively) and control the line of scrimmage. We have to come downhill and make plays. At times, we’re there, but we stop our feet and don’t make tackles. It comes down to execution.”
Plymouth (1-1, 0-0 Northern Lakes Conference) at Warsaw (2-0, 0-0)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Fisher Field, Warsaw.
Series (last 35 years): Warsaw, 18-17.
John Harrell’s prediction: Warsaw, 35-28.
Last meeting: Aug. 31, 2018, Plymouth 32-29 (overtime).
Last time Warsaw won: Sept. 6, 2013, 20-19.
About Plymouth: Coach John Barron’s Rockies are coming off a 41-20 home win against Kokomo … This week marks Plymouth’s first road game of the season … Joe Barron (45-of-79 for 606 yards and seven touchdowns) paces the Rockies in passing, Garrett Schrameyer (17 catches for 251 yards and one TD) and Jake Reichard (14 receptions for 180 yards and three TDs) in receiving and Kameron Vanlue (210 yards and two TDs) and Blake Davis (106 yards). Vanlue may be out the rest of the season with a broken leg. Ivan Winkle has 355 all-purpose yards, including a 91-yard kickoff return for a TD against Kokomo.
About Warsaw: The visiting Tigers edged Class 5A No. 5-ranked Michigan City, 20-19, in Week 2 with a 51-yard field goal from Harrison Mevis with 4:20 to play … Warsaw’s Bart Curtis is the Indianapolis Colts Coach of the Week … The Tigers are led in rushing by Juan Jaramillo (270 yards and two TDs) and Wyatt Amiss (102 yards and two TDs), passing by Amiss (2-of-8 for 66 yards and one TD) and receiving by Luke Adamiec (two receptions for 93 yards and one TD). Parker Davenport (25), Blake Marsh (13.5) and Mason Martz (13.5) lead in total tackles.
Per Warsaw coach Bart Curtis
On Plymouth — “They are a high-octane offense. They can throw it, but they are very capable of running it. They’re probably one of the better offensive teams that we’re going to face. They’ve got so many weapons … The less times (Winkle) has his hands on the football the better … They’re huge on both sides of the ball … Their record is a little deceiving. They had a 14-point lead on East Noble in Week 1. They’re a fumble away from being 2-0 … We’re going to have our hands absolutely full.”
On two-week progress — “We’re a really opportunistic group. We’re playing awfully hard most of the time. There are still some lulls here and there when we’re not playing to full capacity. If we’re not playing well at times, we’re certainly overcoming that by playing hard.”
On Michigan City game — “It’s a game that could’ve gone either way. We were in-control early. They got back into it with their defensive play. We were fortunate enough to make some plays at the end.”
Wawasee (1-1, 0-0 NLC) at Northridge (2-0, 0-0)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Raider Field, Middlebury.
Series (last 35 years): Wawasee, 20-16.
Harrell’s prediction: Wawasee, 28-24.
Last meeting: Oct. 18, 2018, Northridge 33-12 (sectional).
Last time Wawasee won: Sept. 2, 2016, 21-20 (overtime).
About Wawasee: The Warriors lost at West Noble, 21-6, in Week 2 … Austin Parker’s 62-yard reception from Parker Young in the first quarter accounted for the Warriors’ score.
About Northridge: Coach Tom Wogomon’s Raiders are coming off a 31-16 home win against South Bend St. Joseph … Wogomon was Wawasee’s head coach 2007-13 … Caid Lacey (133 yards and two TDs) is Northridge’s leader in rushing while Oliver Eveler (7-of-14 for 144 yards and two TDs) is tops in passing and Breckin Judd (three catches for 96 yards and two TDs) the pace-setter in receiving.
Per Wawasee coach Jon Reutebuch:
On Northridge — "We’re going to have to be prepared to play a very sound football team that gets after you on every play. They swarm on defense and run to the whistle on offense. Tom Wogomon’s got them playing really hard."
On the first two games — "The first week against Lakeland we had great effort. We weren’t perfect. We made a lot of mistakes, but our intensity was there and we had great effort. Against West Noble that wasn’t there and that was the difference in the ball game. It was 14-6 going into the fourth quarter. We had our chances to turn that game around and the effort just wasn’t there. All week long, we’re hammering that effort that we need to have on every play."
Caston (0-2, 0-1 HNAC) at Triton (1-1, 0-1)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Triton High School, Bourbon.
Series (last 35 years): Triton, 14-10.
Last meeting: Aug. 31, 2018, Triton 57-6.
Last time Caston won: Aug. 19, 2016, 6-0.
Harrell’s prediction: Triton, 49-17.
About Caston: Coach Tony Slocum’s Comets are coming off a 46-0 road loss to North Judson … Samuel Smith (76 yards) is Caston’s leading rusher, Landon Shafer (20-of-43 for 198 yards) the top passer and Hunter Schanlaub (two receptions for 74 yards and two touchdowns) the No. 1 receiver … The Comets are on a 21-game losing streak. Caston’s last win was in Week 1 in 2017.
About Triton: The Trojans lost to LaVille, 59-14, in Week 2 … It will be homecoming at Triton … The Trojans are led in rushing by Hunter McIntyre (63 yards), passing by Connor Pitney (24-of-39 for 393 yards and three TDs) and receiving by D’Angelo Shumpert (nine receptions for 186 yards and one TD). Trenton Kreft (16), McIntyre (14) and Caleb Lemler (13) lead the way in total tackles.
Per Triton coach Rodney Younis:
On Caston — Caston is a team that is vastly improved from last year. They run a different offense this year. They used to be a really tight, closet-type of offense. Now they’re spreading it out and spreading the run and spreading the throw. They’re trying to get the ball into their skilled players’ hands. Defensively, they’re going to bring a lot of pressure.
On injuries — (wideout/free safety) Chance Baxter will be return Friday. (Offensive lineman) Zach Ernie is still has to go through concussion protocol.
On LaVille game — Film doesn’t lie. The kids know what we need to work on. Our focus this week is fundamentals. We need to get better at blocking. We need to get better at tackling and better pursuit angles.
Rochester (1-1 overall, 1-0 TRC) at Whitko (0-2, 0-1)
When: Friday, 7 p.m, Huff Stadium.
Series: Rochester leads 23-11.
Last meeting: Rochester won 42-16, Sept. 7, 2018.
Last Whitko win: 57-14, Sept. 9, 2016.
Harrell’s prediction: Rochester, 35-14.
About Rochester: The Zebras have played two tight games under first-year coach Sean Kelly, following up a 20-14 win at Wabash in their opener with a 34-27 loss to Knox. … Quarterback Nick Allen is 17-of-25 through the air over the two outings for 269 yards and three touchdowns against one interception. … Landon Kelly and Bryce Abbott have combined to rush for 281 yards. Abbott’s also been in on 20 tackles from his linebacker spot. … Rochester has lost five fumbles.
About Whitko: The Wildcats play their home opener after back-to-back road games to start the season. … In last week’s 35-13 loss at Peru, sophomore QB Ethan Schuh was 10-of-19 passing for 133 yards and a touchdown. Mason Lehman and sophomore Cade Berg each rushed for 36 yards, with Berg adding a TD. Ashton Schuh hauled in four passes for 61 yards and a score from his younger brother. Sophomore Isaiah Kyles caught two balls for 41 yards and added a 37-yard kickoff return. … Dominick Moseley led the defense with eight tackles, including five solos.
Whitko coach Phil Jensen:
On Week 1 to Week 2 improvement — “We’re getting better; we just don’t know how to win yet. There were very few times where we felt like Peru just stopped us, but we stopped ourselves a number of times with fumbles or a (running) back going the wrong way. We make mental mistakes because we’re not used to playing at a high level all the time. They’re not used to having that expectation on them. The opening drive, we went right down the field, went up 7-nothing, and I also thought we did a good job containing (Daunte) Majors the first half, but then we give up two big plays to him to start the second half. What we talked to the kids about afterwards is that we know it matters to them, but it has to matter different. It has to hurt more when we don’t do well.”
On Rochester — “They’re solid, a sound football team. They want to run the ball, but the quarterback’s a good athlete and will throw it if you’re not paying attention. Like us, they’ve got a lot of guys going both ways, so stamina and (minimizing) mental mistakes will be big.”
Tippecanoe Valley (1-1 overall, 1-0 TRC) at Peru (2-0, 1-0)
When: Friday, 7 p.m, Bengal Field.
Series: Peru leads 2-1.
Last meeting: Valley won 34-7 in sectional first round, Oct. 19, 2018.
Last Peru win: 33-14 in sectional first round, Oct. 20, 2017.
Harrell’s prediction: Valley, 45-10.
About Valley: This marks the first-ever regular-season meeting between the Vikings and Peru. All of the previous three matchups have come in sectional play. The Tigers didn’t join the Three Rivers Conference until 2015, and then had been in the division opposite Valley until this season, when the divisional format was dropped. … Jacob Eherenman’s 7-yard TD run with just 1:33 remaining lifted the Vikings to a 28-21 win over Northfield last week. Quarterback Tanner Trippiedi rushed for 105 yards and two long touchdowns in the victory to go with 12-of-20 passing for 123 yards and another score. Jalen Potter caught nine passes for 82 yards and a TD.
About Peru: The Tigers, 0-10 last season, stand 2-0 for just the second time in the last 25 years (the other being in 2013 when they started 4-0, but closed at 4-6). … QB Michael Chandler has thrown seven TD passes over Peru’s first two games — wins of 48-21 over Logansport and 35-13 over Whitko — while Daunte Majors has scored six touchdowns, four via reception to go with 79- and 60-yarders on the ground.
Valley coach Steve Moriarty:
On Peru — “Daunte Majors is one of the fastest kids I’ve seen on film in my 15 or 16 years in coaching. We have a shot at winning if we can stop him, but he looks very explosive and hard to contain. Them being 2-and-0 like they are, now they’ve got some momentum they haven’t had before.”
On areas of concern — “We need to continue to work on our blocking recognition and communication up front. We had another special teams mistake (blocked punt) that we need to clean up, but we battled through it and cleaned up a lot of things in the second half (against Northfield). I was really proud of the kids for never giving up, and when (Northfield) tied it up, we made a nice drive all the way down the field and scored. Our kids kept their composure about them.”
Wabash (1-1 overall, 0-1 TRC) at Manchester (0-2, 0-1)
When: Friday, 7 p.m, Burk Field.
Series: Wabash leads 24-17-1.
Last meeting: Manchester won 36-29, Aug. 31, 2018.
Last Wabash win: 30-27 in sectional first round, Oct. 20, 2017.
Harrell’s prediction: Wabash, 38-28.
About Wabash: The Apaches, who will be playing their first road game, are coming off a 36-34 shootout win over Alexandria. … On the season, QB Payton Sodervick is 12-of-27 throwing for 318 yards and three touchdowns against one pick. He’s also rushed for 74 yards and three scores. Junior wideout Bryan Boggs has caught eight passes for 245 yards and two TDs. … Defensively, Kallen Kelsheimer leads the team with 16 solo tackles, five of his team’s 15 tackles for loss and an interception. Fellow linebacker Keegan O’Neill has made 22 tackles, including 12 solos.
About Manchester: The Squires play their home opener, and will be seeking their first home win since 2017. They were 0-5 at home last season, but 3-2 on the road. … In Manchester’s 43-20 loss last week at Bluffton, a pair of interceptions proved costly as the Tigers returned both for touchdowns. … Sam Martindale registered a second straight strong ground game for the Squires and is at 177 yards and four TDs on 31 carries for the season. Braxton Ream recorded his second straight 10-tackle game defensively, this time with seven solos, while fellow sophomore safety Dylan Stroud was in on 13 tackles, four of them solo.
Manchester coach Greg Miller:
On Wabash — “They’re an athletic team, and offensively kind of a mirror image of what we do. They run a little more tight end this year, but they run spread, run option and spread the ball around to their athletes. They had a big win against Alexandria and that always helps propel you into the next week. I do think we have a game plan for them this week that both the coaches and kids are comfortable with.”
On points allowed — “Points can be deceiving. We threw a pick six twice and that goes on the offense, but they are all points against. We do have to play more consistent (defensively) and control the line of scrimmage. We have to come downhill and make plays. At times, we’re there, but we stop our feet and don’t make tackles. It comes down to execution.”