Local High School Football Previews For Week 6
September 21, 2022 at 10:27 p.m.
By Anthony Anderson & Steve Krah-
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Fisher Field, Warsaw.
Series (last 35 years): Warsaw, 2-0.
John Harrell’s prediction: Warsaw, 35-17.
Last meeting: Sept. 10, 2021, Warsaw, 17-15.
About Mishawaka: Coach Keith Kinder’s Associated Press No. 2-ranked/Indiana Football Coaches Association No. 2 5A Cavemen beat Plymouth 36-7 in Week 5 … Of Mishawaka’s 392 total yards, 327 came via the rush … The Cavemen have outscored foes 186-60. The offense is triggered by junior quarterback Brady Fisher … Mishawaka is No. 67 in the overall Sagarin Ratings (No. 13 in 5A).
About Warsaw: Coach Bart Curtis’ 6A Tigers lost 42-21 to NorthWood in Week 5 … Season leaders are junior Grady Nolin (6-of-18 for 109 yards and two touchdowns) in passing, senior German Flores-Ortega (92 carries for 515 yards and six TDs), senior Bryson Brown (39 carries for 349 yards and two TDs) and Nolin (40 carries for 166 yards and three TDs) in rushing and senior Jack Murrell (one catch for 34 yards), senior Bryce Duncan (one catch for 32 yards) and Flores-Ortega two catches for 18 yards and one TD) in receiving … Total tackle leaders are senior Nick Katris (31.5 with two sacks), senior Theo Katris (25.5), senior Dimitri Chandler (24), senior Jonn Burritt (22 with two sacks) and junior Eric Pohl (21) … The team has 12 takeways (seven fumbles, five interceptions) and seven giveaways (six fumbles and one interception) … Warsaw is No. 33 in the overall Sagarin Ratings (No. 17 in 6A). Has outscored opponents 169-56
Per Warsaw coach Bart Curtis:
On Mishawaka — Large, fast and physical. They take the offensive spectrum to a new level when it comes to the manner in which they attack the game. They do a nice job. We know what we’re up against … Defensively, they’re very aggressive. It was a slugfest (in the last two meetings) … I don’t think there will be a whole lot of surprises.
Next man up — When (senior lineman) Kyle Schnackenberg went down, (junior) Aiden Williamson stepped in there and did an admirable job. You’ve got to be ready for any and all circumstances. If you’re not then shame on us.
On NorthWood game — It wasn’t pleasant for us. I’m sure it was for them. We had an idea of what we were going to be up against … It was disappointing to see how we responded. When things didn’t go well for them they dug in, went into another gear and found a way to turn the tide. When things didn’t go well for us we rolled over and imploded a little bit …. (NorthWood) plays really fast and really hard. It’s an outstanding team and so-well coached … Sometimes we have to learn to live by our words. When I tell the kids we’re going to celebrate for 24 hours if we win and we mourn for 24 hours if we don’t win then come Monday you have to re-group, lift your dauber up and start playing.
Tippecanoe Valley (5-0 overall, 4-0 TRC) at Whitko (0-5, 0-4)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Huff Stadium.
Series: Valley leads 30-19.
Last meeting: Valley won 60-0, Sept. 24, 2021.
Last Whitko win: 44-20, Sept. 16, 2016.
John Harrell prediction: Valley, 77-0.
About Valley: The Vikings are coming off a 26-17 win over previously unbeaten Rochester in last week’s emotion-filled Battle of the Bell, played before a standing-room-only home crowd. … Nate Parker unleashed a monster show for Valley. The junior rushed for a career-high 172 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries, caught a 47-yard TD pass from Wade Jones on a fake jet sweep for the game’s first score, set up the game’s final TD with a 64-yard kickoff return after the Zebras closed to 20-17, intercepted a pass on the defensive side and was in on 10 tackles, including eight solos. He finished at 311 all-purpose yards. … For the season, Parker has 505 yards rushing and nine TDs on 86 carries, to go with 199 receiving yards and three TDs on just four catches. … QB Cody Eastgate is 24-of-34 passing for 435 yards and five TDs against one pick. … Jones has 403 yards and five TDs across 29 combined carries and receptions. … Defensively, senior linebacker Noah Prater has 28 tackles, followed by Parker at 26. Prater’s notched seven tackles for loss and junior Landon Durkes six. Durkes has also intercepted a pair of passes. … This will be the 50th meeting between the Vikings and Wildcats, a pair of programs that have each won state titles, Valley’s crown coming in 1979 and Whitko’s in 1986.
About Whitko: Brad Sprunger, named interim coach two days before last week’s 49-0 loss at North Miami, and helping since the week before, becomes the third individual from his family to head the Wildcats. He joins his father, Bryan (143-122 from 1983 to 2007 with the 1986 state title), and brother, Jeff (8-20 from 2016 through part of 2018). … Bryan Sprunger has returned to help his son, and a couple other new assistants are on board as well. … Chip Coldiron coached in Weeks 1-3 before being fired after one-plus seasons. A quartet of assistants were officially in charge during Week 4. … Brad Sprunger, a 1999 Whitko grad, assisted at his alma mater for over a decade beginning in 2002 before joining Phil Jensen’s staff at Warsaw in 2013, then returning to the Cats for a few more years through 2017. He’s been Whitko’s head boys track coach since 2020. .. In last week’s loss, Skyler Zellers returned after being out the previous two games due to injury to rush for 42 yards on seven carries. Fellow junior Dean Boggs added 22 on seven in what was his third game as well. Senior Ethan Wunder finished with 17 on three. … Defensively, senior Cody Adkins played for the first time in four weeks and matched Boggs at a team-high 10 tackles. … While some players returned, sophomore Isaac Irwin — a leader on both defense (team-pacing five tackles for loss) and along the offensive line — was sidelined at North Miami due to injury. … This week marks homecoming.
Valley coach Steve Moriarty:
On last week: “Both teams fought very hard. I thought our defense did some good things (including holding Zebra star fullback Alex Deming to 39 yards on 13 carries). I was not super excited about all our penalties (10 for 112 yards), but I was super excited with how hard we played and the heart we showed.”
On this week: “We’re going back to basics, working on fundamentals, spending a lot of our time on foundation, making sure we’re doing good assignment football and doing our angles. Whitko plays a lot of different defensive fronts, which will be good for us, so we can go over the rules. The most important thing to our success is making improvement each week, so this week is no different than the rest.”
On Parker last week: “Nate’s one of those players you gotta make sure he gets touches, whether it’s quarterback, running back, kick return. He’s just a special player. Not very big, but hard to bring down, and he goes 90 miles per hour all the time. As for the game, it kind of reminded me of 2018, when Rochester was undefeated (6-0) and we were (3-3), and we were able to beat them (13-7) with his brother, Cam, running that same way, legs driving and high.”
Whitko coach Brad Sprunger:
On transition and last week — “The kids have done very well. The four (assistants) that were already here said that first practice (after Sprunger was appointed) was the best the kids have had in a year and a half. We’ve put in the old wing-T offense because we do feel there’s some speed. The linemen are young and still developing, but I think we’ll get better over the rest of the year. We averaged 3.8 yards a carry after two days with a new offense. I think that’s pretty good.”
On this week and beyond — “We’re taking everything one day at a time. I think the kids are having fun and are excited. A lot of them are sophomores and looking to figure it out, but the kids are striving to get better and we’re striving to be the Whitko football of the 80s, 90s and 2000s. We understand we have a long way to go with everything that’s happened, but I can see a big change. Kids are excited, parents are excited, I have kids telling me they want to come out and play, so we’re heading in the right direction.”
On the interim tag — “I’ve expressed my interest in the job, but that’s certainly something where it’s better to sit down at the end of the season and see where things are.”
Wawasee (1-4, 1-2 Northern Lakes Conference) at Northridge (2-3, 1-2 NLC)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Interra Field, Middlebury.
Series (last 35 years): Northridge, 19-18.
John Harrell’s prediction: Northridge, 38-14.
Last meeting: Sept. 3, 2021, Northridge, 42-0.
About Wawasee: Coach Jon Reutebuch’s 4A Warriors lost 16-0 to Concord in Week 5 … Senior Jaxon Brown completed 6-of-13 passes for 62 yards, junior Hunter Tinkey rushed 10 times for 45 yards and junior Brandon Kelly had eight totes for 22 yards and Kelly caught two passes for 33 yards for Wawasee … Warrior total tackle leaders were senior David Anderson (8.5), Tinkey (5.5) and senior Brady Russell (4) … Wawasee has been outscored by foes 193-87.
About Northridge: Chad Eppley’s 4A Raiders beat Goshen 32-10 in Week 5 … Senior Qade Carrington passed for four touchdowns for the Raiders — two to senior Kade Sainz one each to seniors Alex Eby and Tyrese Thomas and winners gained 276 yards through the air and 44 on the ground … Northridge has been outscored by opponents 137-135 … The Raiders have won the last six meetings with Wawasee.
Per Wawasee coach Jon Reutebuch:
On Northridge — Northridge is a pretty daunting team. They almost beat Mishawaka (losing 45-39 in double overtime). They’ve beaten Goshen, who beat us. They have a pretty solid front seven (on defense). They’ve got a pretty solid offensive line. They’ve got good running backs and put the ball in the air lot. We’re going to have to have pressure (on quarterback Qade Carrington) … IWe’re going to have a play well to beat them.
Defense — After we gave up an easy touchdown and a field goal, we settled down (against Concord) and did a nice job the rest of the evening. For whatever reason we are having slow starts on defense.
On Concord game — Missed opportunities. We were in the red zone three times in the third quarter and didn’t score on any of them. We fumbled once, turned it over on downs (twice).
Southwood (3-2 overall, 3-1 TRC) at Manchester (0-5, 0-4)
When: Friday, 7 p.m. Burk Field
Series: Southwood leads 33-17.
Last meeting: Manchester won, 33-22, Sept. 24, 2021.
Last Southwood win: 54-13, Sept. 25, 2020.
John Harrell prediction: Southwood, 45-17.
About Southwood: The Knights, coming off a 52-14 whipping of Wabash, are 3-0 since shifting to Cole Winer as primary quarterback. He’s completed 30-of-44 passes over those three games for 425 yards with four touchdowns and one pick. He’s also rushed 42 times on the season for 237 yards and eight TDs. … Fellow senior and previous lead QB Morgan Lloyd, now at running back, has netted 297 ground yards on 65 attempts with four TDs, and has turned his five catches into 121 yards with another four scores. … Senior running back Isaiah Sutton’s coming off a 132-yard rushing effort on 16 carries against the Apaches. … Defensively for Southwood, Jason Oprisek leads the way with 34 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and three sacks, while fellow senior Nathan Lehner has four of the team’s five fumble recoveries. … The Knights and Squires have faced three common opponents. Southwood’s 3-0 in those games, the closest win by 14 points, while Manchester is 0-3, albeit with one-point and two-point losses.
About Manchester: The Squires snapped a six-game head-to-head losing streak against the favored Knights with last year’s 33-22 road win. Southwood had taken each of the three prior matchups by at least 33 points. Manchester went into the game 1-3 and finished 4-5. The Knights went in 3-2 and closed 5-6. … The Squires fell 48-27 last week at Northfield after trailing 27-0 at halftime. Sophomore Tallon Selleck returned a Norse fumble 45 yards for a Manchester touchdown. … On the season, senior Brock Casper is 63-of-128 passing for 733 yards, seven TDs and five interceptions. Senior Memphis Wood (19 catches, 291 yards, three TDs), freshman Reiss Gaerte (12, 170, two) and sophomore Logan Eastgate (14, 138, two) have formed a trio of productive targets. … Junior running back Garrett Sites (69 carries, 354 yards) is expected to miss at least three weeks after suffering a second-quarter knee injury at Northfield. Sophomore Mason Rooney (42, 309, three TDs) becomes the Squires’ likely lead back. … Team tackle leaders include Jordan Ayres (in on 44 stops), Rooney (35), Gaerte (35) and senior Mavern Smith (34).
Manchester coach Alyx Brandewie:
On last week — “We shot ourselves in the foot several times in the first half. Twice we had the ball where we were getting something going, but fumbled. Turnovers in any situation can kill you, but when you’re really trying to get something going, they’re particularly tough. That said, the kids kept fighting and battling. We told them that if we’re able to convert those two drives into points, then you’re looking at a one-possession game. Ball security’s been an emphasis this week, and it will continue to be.”
On Southwood — “They’ve moved some pieces around to put kids in places where their particular skill sets are really making a difference. Winer and Lloyd, they’re both fantastic athletes. They’re as competitive as heck and great football players, so we will have to know where 81 and 7 are when they have the ball, and when we have the ball. They’ve moved people around on defense, too, to where they’re really causing some headaches.”
On whether last year helps — “You hope there’s some carryover, but it’s a new year for us and a new year for them. Whether our game plan is exactly the same or not, we do know we have something in the playbook that’s beaten them, and it helps with getting kids to buy in.”
Pioneer (2-3, 2-1 Hoosier North Athletic Conference) at Triton (4-1, 2-1 HNAC)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Trojan Field, Bourbon.
Series (last 35 years): Pioneer, 8-0.
John Harrell’s prediction: Triton, 38-21.
Last meeting: Sept. 24, 2-21, Pioneer, 26-6.
About Pioneer: Coach Adam Berry’s 1A Panthers lost 46-22 to Hammond Central in Week 5 … Pioneers is paced by senior Caleb Sweet (19-of-47 for 203 yards and one TD) in passing, juniors Rylahn Toloza (95 carries for 688 yards and 10 TD), Tyler Zellers (29 carries for 164 yards and one TD) and Cayden Hill (40 carries for 149 yards) in rushing, senior Brian Gluth (six catches for 87 yards) and Hill (eight catches for 75 yards and one TD) in receiving … The Panthers outscored for foes 123-118 … Total tackle leaders are Sweet (32 with three sacks), Zellers (27), Toloza (21), senior Peyton Schnurpel (21 with two interceptions) and Hill (20).
About Triton: Coach Rodney Younis’ Associated Press No. 9-ranked/Indiana Football Coaches Association No. 9 1A Trojans beat Culver 42-0 in Week 5 while celebrating homecoming … For the season, junior Anthony Schuh (68 carries for 938 yards and 18 touchdowns), junior Cole Shivley (42 carries for 339 yards and seven TDs) and freshman Vincent Prater (20 carries for 173 yards and one TD) lead Triton in rushing, Shively (19-of-35 for 220 yards and one TD) in passing and senior Amari Snyder (two catches for 53 yards), sophomore Dante’ Workman (seven catches for 50 yards and one TD) and Anthony Schuh (four catches for 49 yards) in receiving … The Trojans have outscored opponents 202-72 with two shutouts. Leading is total tackles are senior Reilley Wood (34 with two sacks), sophomore Esai Lemler (32), senior Brayden Cunningham (30), Shivley (26) and senior Evan Briles (20 with three sacks). Snyder has gathered a team-best two interceptions … Triton is No. 95 in the overall Sagarin Ratings (No. 5 in 1A).
Per Coach Triton coach Rodney Younis:
On Pioneer — Pioneer is a very good team. They have a program. They in and year out they just re-load. They’ve done it again this year. They’ve got speed. They play well as a unit. They fly around on defense. Offensively, they’ve got multiple weapons (in a wing-T attack). You’re definitely going to need to be disciplined (on defense) because they do a lot of misdirection. It’s important that our linebackers don’t get caught looking the backfield. They’ve got to focus on their keys.
Offense line — Our front line (junior Brady Snyder at center, seniors Trenton Conley and Landon Lemler at guards and seniors Ethan Howell and Cameron Shively at tackles) has really done a good job this year. They work together really well. They can make adjustments on the field and that’s been very beneficial.
On Culver game — I felt like our defense really played well. We really did a good job on third down of getting off the field. Our players are doing ‘assignment football’ right now and taking care of business … (Sophomore) Dante’ Workman did a good job on punt returns and gave us a short field most of the night.
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Fisher Field, Warsaw.
Series (last 35 years): Warsaw, 2-0.
John Harrell’s prediction: Warsaw, 35-17.
Last meeting: Sept. 10, 2021, Warsaw, 17-15.
About Mishawaka: Coach Keith Kinder’s Associated Press No. 2-ranked/Indiana Football Coaches Association No. 2 5A Cavemen beat Plymouth 36-7 in Week 5 … Of Mishawaka’s 392 total yards, 327 came via the rush … The Cavemen have outscored foes 186-60. The offense is triggered by junior quarterback Brady Fisher … Mishawaka is No. 67 in the overall Sagarin Ratings (No. 13 in 5A).
About Warsaw: Coach Bart Curtis’ 6A Tigers lost 42-21 to NorthWood in Week 5 … Season leaders are junior Grady Nolin (6-of-18 for 109 yards and two touchdowns) in passing, senior German Flores-Ortega (92 carries for 515 yards and six TDs), senior Bryson Brown (39 carries for 349 yards and two TDs) and Nolin (40 carries for 166 yards and three TDs) in rushing and senior Jack Murrell (one catch for 34 yards), senior Bryce Duncan (one catch for 32 yards) and Flores-Ortega two catches for 18 yards and one TD) in receiving … Total tackle leaders are senior Nick Katris (31.5 with two sacks), senior Theo Katris (25.5), senior Dimitri Chandler (24), senior Jonn Burritt (22 with two sacks) and junior Eric Pohl (21) … The team has 12 takeways (seven fumbles, five interceptions) and seven giveaways (six fumbles and one interception) … Warsaw is No. 33 in the overall Sagarin Ratings (No. 17 in 6A). Has outscored opponents 169-56
Per Warsaw coach Bart Curtis:
On Mishawaka — Large, fast and physical. They take the offensive spectrum to a new level when it comes to the manner in which they attack the game. They do a nice job. We know what we’re up against … Defensively, they’re very aggressive. It was a slugfest (in the last two meetings) … I don’t think there will be a whole lot of surprises.
Next man up — When (senior lineman) Kyle Schnackenberg went down, (junior) Aiden Williamson stepped in there and did an admirable job. You’ve got to be ready for any and all circumstances. If you’re not then shame on us.
On NorthWood game — It wasn’t pleasant for us. I’m sure it was for them. We had an idea of what we were going to be up against … It was disappointing to see how we responded. When things didn’t go well for them they dug in, went into another gear and found a way to turn the tide. When things didn’t go well for us we rolled over and imploded a little bit …. (NorthWood) plays really fast and really hard. It’s an outstanding team and so-well coached … Sometimes we have to learn to live by our words. When I tell the kids we’re going to celebrate for 24 hours if we win and we mourn for 24 hours if we don’t win then come Monday you have to re-group, lift your dauber up and start playing.
Tippecanoe Valley (5-0 overall, 4-0 TRC) at Whitko (0-5, 0-4)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Huff Stadium.
Series: Valley leads 30-19.
Last meeting: Valley won 60-0, Sept. 24, 2021.
Last Whitko win: 44-20, Sept. 16, 2016.
John Harrell prediction: Valley, 77-0.
About Valley: The Vikings are coming off a 26-17 win over previously unbeaten Rochester in last week’s emotion-filled Battle of the Bell, played before a standing-room-only home crowd. … Nate Parker unleashed a monster show for Valley. The junior rushed for a career-high 172 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries, caught a 47-yard TD pass from Wade Jones on a fake jet sweep for the game’s first score, set up the game’s final TD with a 64-yard kickoff return after the Zebras closed to 20-17, intercepted a pass on the defensive side and was in on 10 tackles, including eight solos. He finished at 311 all-purpose yards. … For the season, Parker has 505 yards rushing and nine TDs on 86 carries, to go with 199 receiving yards and three TDs on just four catches. … QB Cody Eastgate is 24-of-34 passing for 435 yards and five TDs against one pick. … Jones has 403 yards and five TDs across 29 combined carries and receptions. … Defensively, senior linebacker Noah Prater has 28 tackles, followed by Parker at 26. Prater’s notched seven tackles for loss and junior Landon Durkes six. Durkes has also intercepted a pair of passes. … This will be the 50th meeting between the Vikings and Wildcats, a pair of programs that have each won state titles, Valley’s crown coming in 1979 and Whitko’s in 1986.
About Whitko: Brad Sprunger, named interim coach two days before last week’s 49-0 loss at North Miami, and helping since the week before, becomes the third individual from his family to head the Wildcats. He joins his father, Bryan (143-122 from 1983 to 2007 with the 1986 state title), and brother, Jeff (8-20 from 2016 through part of 2018). … Bryan Sprunger has returned to help his son, and a couple other new assistants are on board as well. … Chip Coldiron coached in Weeks 1-3 before being fired after one-plus seasons. A quartet of assistants were officially in charge during Week 4. … Brad Sprunger, a 1999 Whitko grad, assisted at his alma mater for over a decade beginning in 2002 before joining Phil Jensen’s staff at Warsaw in 2013, then returning to the Cats for a few more years through 2017. He’s been Whitko’s head boys track coach since 2020. .. In last week’s loss, Skyler Zellers returned after being out the previous two games due to injury to rush for 42 yards on seven carries. Fellow junior Dean Boggs added 22 on seven in what was his third game as well. Senior Ethan Wunder finished with 17 on three. … Defensively, senior Cody Adkins played for the first time in four weeks and matched Boggs at a team-high 10 tackles. … While some players returned, sophomore Isaac Irwin — a leader on both defense (team-pacing five tackles for loss) and along the offensive line — was sidelined at North Miami due to injury. … This week marks homecoming.
Valley coach Steve Moriarty:
On last week: “Both teams fought very hard. I thought our defense did some good things (including holding Zebra star fullback Alex Deming to 39 yards on 13 carries). I was not super excited about all our penalties (10 for 112 yards), but I was super excited with how hard we played and the heart we showed.”
On this week: “We’re going back to basics, working on fundamentals, spending a lot of our time on foundation, making sure we’re doing good assignment football and doing our angles. Whitko plays a lot of different defensive fronts, which will be good for us, so we can go over the rules. The most important thing to our success is making improvement each week, so this week is no different than the rest.”
On Parker last week: “Nate’s one of those players you gotta make sure he gets touches, whether it’s quarterback, running back, kick return. He’s just a special player. Not very big, but hard to bring down, and he goes 90 miles per hour all the time. As for the game, it kind of reminded me of 2018, when Rochester was undefeated (6-0) and we were (3-3), and we were able to beat them (13-7) with his brother, Cam, running that same way, legs driving and high.”
Whitko coach Brad Sprunger:
On transition and last week — “The kids have done very well. The four (assistants) that were already here said that first practice (after Sprunger was appointed) was the best the kids have had in a year and a half. We’ve put in the old wing-T offense because we do feel there’s some speed. The linemen are young and still developing, but I think we’ll get better over the rest of the year. We averaged 3.8 yards a carry after two days with a new offense. I think that’s pretty good.”
On this week and beyond — “We’re taking everything one day at a time. I think the kids are having fun and are excited. A lot of them are sophomores and looking to figure it out, but the kids are striving to get better and we’re striving to be the Whitko football of the 80s, 90s and 2000s. We understand we have a long way to go with everything that’s happened, but I can see a big change. Kids are excited, parents are excited, I have kids telling me they want to come out and play, so we’re heading in the right direction.”
On the interim tag — “I’ve expressed my interest in the job, but that’s certainly something where it’s better to sit down at the end of the season and see where things are.”
Wawasee (1-4, 1-2 Northern Lakes Conference) at Northridge (2-3, 1-2 NLC)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Interra Field, Middlebury.
Series (last 35 years): Northridge, 19-18.
John Harrell’s prediction: Northridge, 38-14.
Last meeting: Sept. 3, 2021, Northridge, 42-0.
About Wawasee: Coach Jon Reutebuch’s 4A Warriors lost 16-0 to Concord in Week 5 … Senior Jaxon Brown completed 6-of-13 passes for 62 yards, junior Hunter Tinkey rushed 10 times for 45 yards and junior Brandon Kelly had eight totes for 22 yards and Kelly caught two passes for 33 yards for Wawasee … Warrior total tackle leaders were senior David Anderson (8.5), Tinkey (5.5) and senior Brady Russell (4) … Wawasee has been outscored by foes 193-87.
About Northridge: Chad Eppley’s 4A Raiders beat Goshen 32-10 in Week 5 … Senior Qade Carrington passed for four touchdowns for the Raiders — two to senior Kade Sainz one each to seniors Alex Eby and Tyrese Thomas and winners gained 276 yards through the air and 44 on the ground … Northridge has been outscored by opponents 137-135 … The Raiders have won the last six meetings with Wawasee.
Per Wawasee coach Jon Reutebuch:
On Northridge — Northridge is a pretty daunting team. They almost beat Mishawaka (losing 45-39 in double overtime). They’ve beaten Goshen, who beat us. They have a pretty solid front seven (on defense). They’ve got a pretty solid offensive line. They’ve got good running backs and put the ball in the air lot. We’re going to have to have pressure (on quarterback Qade Carrington) … IWe’re going to have a play well to beat them.
Defense — After we gave up an easy touchdown and a field goal, we settled down (against Concord) and did a nice job the rest of the evening. For whatever reason we are having slow starts on defense.
On Concord game — Missed opportunities. We were in the red zone three times in the third quarter and didn’t score on any of them. We fumbled once, turned it over on downs (twice).
Southwood (3-2 overall, 3-1 TRC) at Manchester (0-5, 0-4)
When: Friday, 7 p.m. Burk Field
Series: Southwood leads 33-17.
Last meeting: Manchester won, 33-22, Sept. 24, 2021.
Last Southwood win: 54-13, Sept. 25, 2020.
John Harrell prediction: Southwood, 45-17.
About Southwood: The Knights, coming off a 52-14 whipping of Wabash, are 3-0 since shifting to Cole Winer as primary quarterback. He’s completed 30-of-44 passes over those three games for 425 yards with four touchdowns and one pick. He’s also rushed 42 times on the season for 237 yards and eight TDs. … Fellow senior and previous lead QB Morgan Lloyd, now at running back, has netted 297 ground yards on 65 attempts with four TDs, and has turned his five catches into 121 yards with another four scores. … Senior running back Isaiah Sutton’s coming off a 132-yard rushing effort on 16 carries against the Apaches. … Defensively for Southwood, Jason Oprisek leads the way with 34 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and three sacks, while fellow senior Nathan Lehner has four of the team’s five fumble recoveries. … The Knights and Squires have faced three common opponents. Southwood’s 3-0 in those games, the closest win by 14 points, while Manchester is 0-3, albeit with one-point and two-point losses.
About Manchester: The Squires snapped a six-game head-to-head losing streak against the favored Knights with last year’s 33-22 road win. Southwood had taken each of the three prior matchups by at least 33 points. Manchester went into the game 1-3 and finished 4-5. The Knights went in 3-2 and closed 5-6. … The Squires fell 48-27 last week at Northfield after trailing 27-0 at halftime. Sophomore Tallon Selleck returned a Norse fumble 45 yards for a Manchester touchdown. … On the season, senior Brock Casper is 63-of-128 passing for 733 yards, seven TDs and five interceptions. Senior Memphis Wood (19 catches, 291 yards, three TDs), freshman Reiss Gaerte (12, 170, two) and sophomore Logan Eastgate (14, 138, two) have formed a trio of productive targets. … Junior running back Garrett Sites (69 carries, 354 yards) is expected to miss at least three weeks after suffering a second-quarter knee injury at Northfield. Sophomore Mason Rooney (42, 309, three TDs) becomes the Squires’ likely lead back. … Team tackle leaders include Jordan Ayres (in on 44 stops), Rooney (35), Gaerte (35) and senior Mavern Smith (34).
Manchester coach Alyx Brandewie:
On last week — “We shot ourselves in the foot several times in the first half. Twice we had the ball where we were getting something going, but fumbled. Turnovers in any situation can kill you, but when you’re really trying to get something going, they’re particularly tough. That said, the kids kept fighting and battling. We told them that if we’re able to convert those two drives into points, then you’re looking at a one-possession game. Ball security’s been an emphasis this week, and it will continue to be.”
On Southwood — “They’ve moved some pieces around to put kids in places where their particular skill sets are really making a difference. Winer and Lloyd, they’re both fantastic athletes. They’re as competitive as heck and great football players, so we will have to know where 81 and 7 are when they have the ball, and when we have the ball. They’ve moved people around on defense, too, to where they’re really causing some headaches.”
On whether last year helps — “You hope there’s some carryover, but it’s a new year for us and a new year for them. Whether our game plan is exactly the same or not, we do know we have something in the playbook that’s beaten them, and it helps with getting kids to buy in.”
Pioneer (2-3, 2-1 Hoosier North Athletic Conference) at Triton (4-1, 2-1 HNAC)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Trojan Field, Bourbon.
Series (last 35 years): Pioneer, 8-0.
John Harrell’s prediction: Triton, 38-21.
Last meeting: Sept. 24, 2-21, Pioneer, 26-6.
About Pioneer: Coach Adam Berry’s 1A Panthers lost 46-22 to Hammond Central in Week 5 … Pioneers is paced by senior Caleb Sweet (19-of-47 for 203 yards and one TD) in passing, juniors Rylahn Toloza (95 carries for 688 yards and 10 TD), Tyler Zellers (29 carries for 164 yards and one TD) and Cayden Hill (40 carries for 149 yards) in rushing, senior Brian Gluth (six catches for 87 yards) and Hill (eight catches for 75 yards and one TD) in receiving … The Panthers outscored for foes 123-118 … Total tackle leaders are Sweet (32 with three sacks), Zellers (27), Toloza (21), senior Peyton Schnurpel (21 with two interceptions) and Hill (20).
About Triton: Coach Rodney Younis’ Associated Press No. 9-ranked/Indiana Football Coaches Association No. 9 1A Trojans beat Culver 42-0 in Week 5 while celebrating homecoming … For the season, junior Anthony Schuh (68 carries for 938 yards and 18 touchdowns), junior Cole Shivley (42 carries for 339 yards and seven TDs) and freshman Vincent Prater (20 carries for 173 yards and one TD) lead Triton in rushing, Shively (19-of-35 for 220 yards and one TD) in passing and senior Amari Snyder (two catches for 53 yards), sophomore Dante’ Workman (seven catches for 50 yards and one TD) and Anthony Schuh (four catches for 49 yards) in receiving … The Trojans have outscored opponents 202-72 with two shutouts. Leading is total tackles are senior Reilley Wood (34 with two sacks), sophomore Esai Lemler (32), senior Brayden Cunningham (30), Shivley (26) and senior Evan Briles (20 with three sacks). Snyder has gathered a team-best two interceptions … Triton is No. 95 in the overall Sagarin Ratings (No. 5 in 1A).
Per Coach Triton coach Rodney Younis:
On Pioneer — Pioneer is a very good team. They have a program. They in and year out they just re-load. They’ve done it again this year. They’ve got speed. They play well as a unit. They fly around on defense. Offensively, they’ve got multiple weapons (in a wing-T attack). You’re definitely going to need to be disciplined (on defense) because they do a lot of misdirection. It’s important that our linebackers don’t get caught looking the backfield. They’ve got to focus on their keys.
Offense line — Our front line (junior Brady Snyder at center, seniors Trenton Conley and Landon Lemler at guards and seniors Ethan Howell and Cameron Shively at tackles) has really done a good job this year. They work together really well. They can make adjustments on the field and that’s been very beneficial.
On Culver game — I felt like our defense really played well. We really did a good job on third down of getting off the field. Our players are doing ‘assignment football’ right now and taking care of business … (Sophomore) Dante’ Workman did a good job on punt returns and gave us a short field most of the night.
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