Concord (2-1, 0-1 NLC) at Warsaw (3-0, 1-0 NLC)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Fisher Field, Warsaw.
Series (last 35 years): Concord, 19-15.
John Harrell’s prediction: Warsaw, 21-17.
Last meeting: Sept. 9, 2022, Warsaw, 19-0.
About Concord: Coach Craig Koehler’s 5A Associated Press vote-getter/Indiana Football Coaches Association No. 11 Minutemen lost 45-14 to visiting NorthWood in Week 3 … Concord was up 14-13 in the first half before giving up 32 unanswered points … Jaron Thomas ran 20 times for 156 yards and two touchdowns … Hudson Glantz completed 3-of-10 passes for 31 yards with one interception … Total tackle leaders were Char’rese Breveard (8), Thomas (4), Bo Brunner (4), Camari Jackson (4) and E.J. Jennings (4) … Breveard averaged 47 yards on two kickoff returns with a 62-yarder.
About Warsaw: Bart Curtis’ 6A AP vote-getter/IFCA No. 12 Tigers won 41-7 at Plymouth in Week 3 … After going down 7-0, Warsaw scored 41 unanswered points …. Luke Ransbottom carried 12 times for 133 yards and one touchdown. Reed Zollinger rushed nine times for 58 yards and two TDs. Robbie Hoffert had eight carries for 25 yards and one TD.
Brody Duncan gained 19 yards on six totes with one TD … Quinton Brock completed 2-of-3 passes for 55 yards … Mason Smythe kicked a school-record long 52 yard field goal to go with a 46-yarder and five extra points … The Tigers lost two of three fumbles.
Per Coach Bart Curtis:
On Concord — They’re darn good. They were ahead (14-13) against NorthWood … They’e a handful. Their offensive line is probably as good as it’s been in a long time. They’re really good offensively. They can inside- and outside-zone you. They can throw the ball a little bit with their Run-Pass Option game … Defensively, we know how well-coached they are, how hard they play and how well they play against our particular mode of operation … We’ve got to play at a high level regardless of what the situation is and who are opponent is and we’ve got to play with a great deal of passion. If we don’t, bad things are going to happen.
Most improvement so far — Special teams-wise, we’re more confident. Our PAT and field protection seems to be better … Our perimeter running and passing games have improved. We may have regressed in our tackling a little bit … Our kids play hard most of the time. You’ve got to play hard when it doesn’t feel good to play hard. That’s difficult to do … Luke Ransbottom has moved over and secured one of the halfback spots which is a pleasant surprise … Competition (for positions) is good. We want that to be a big part of the deal. We don’t want anyone to be comfortable, including me. Growth is painful.
On Plymouth game — We did not start out really well and a lot of that we due to Plymouth. They had some really nice offensive schemes. We looked a little bit like we have concrete in our feet … It was 10-7 with not much time left in the first half. The score was not indicative of the competitive level of that game. (Plymouth) is much, much-improved. They gave us every we wanted and more for a little bit … Offensively, we had a pretty good night … It was a better night of ball security (with one fumble lost by a reserve player). Not great by any means, but better.

Tipton (1-2) at Tippecanoe Valley (3-0)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Smith-Bibler Memorial Field.
Series: First meeting.
John Harrell’s prediction: Valley, 38-3.
About Tipton: The Class 2A Blue Devils join the Vikings as the only two schools in the state whose names begin with the letters T-I-P. … Tipton endured a 77-point swing last week, falling 39-0 to 3A No. 4-ranked West Lafayette (a Valley opponent later this season), one contest after downing winless Elwood 38-0. … Five juniors lead the Braves across several categories. Calvin Condict is the top ground gainer through three games with 334 yards on 69 carries (4.8 average) and four touchdowns. Quarterback Dallas Capshaw has completed 17-of-33 passes, albeit for just 106 yards and no TDs. Receiver Landon Spidel has 7 catches for 74 yards. Cole Hussey is the top tackler with 25, while Oliver Conaway has made a pair of interceptions… Tipton coach Aaron Tolle is in his 19th year at the school with a 135-74 record. Last year’s 5-6 finish marked just his second losing season. Tolle’s captured five sectional titles and one semistate crown (2013).
About Valley: The Vikings notched their 13th straight regular-season home win last week, leading 35-0 at halftime on the way to downing first-time foe Twin Lakes 35-7. …Large-chunk plays were plentiful, beginning with Landon Durkes’ 34-yard pick six that started the game’s scoring. There was also, among others, a 53-yard Cody Eastgate to Wade Jones touchdown pass and a 53-yard punt return by Nate Parker. … Parker rushed for 123 yards on 15 carries with two TDs. Tony Marshall added 41 yards on six chances. … The Valley defense limited the Indians to 2-of-12 on third down while registering a trio of takeaways. … For the season, Eastgate is 17-of-33 throwing for 386 yards and six touchdowns against one interception. Parker’s rushed for 385 yards on 46 carries (8.4 average). He and Jones have combined for 283 receiving yards and five TDs off 12 catches. Gage Overbey is 11-of-11 on extra points and 4-of-7 on field goals. … Senior cornerback Cody Black will be out at least this week due to injury. … The Vikings are 22-3 since the start of the 2021 season, the program’s best record for any 25-game stretch since 22-3 from the start of 1986 into 1988.
Valley coach Steve Moriarty:
On last week — “I felt like we were well-prepared against a good 2-and-0 team, but I also think our guys were nervous about playing somebody we haven’t seen before. I thought we did a decent job handling their running and passing games.”
On new opponents in general — “You have that little bit of unknown, but they don’t fully know our style, either. Sometimes you get used to playing the same teams over and over every year. This year, there is that novelty of not knowing. You get to know them on film, but it’s definitely not the same as in person.”
On Tipton in particular — “They’re about a 70/30 run-to-pass rate. They’ve got some big linemen, all but one of them about 240 to 260 pounds. Their running back moves well and their linebackers are so aggressive. They’re an aggressive team, kind of like us.”

Plymouth (1-2, 0-1 NLC) at Wawasee (1-2, 1-0 NLC)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Warrior Stadium, Syracuse.
Series (last 35 years): Plymouth, 24-15.
John Harrell’s prediction: Wawasee, 28-21.
Last meeting: Sept. 9, 2022, Wawasee, 45-28.
About Plymouth: Adam Handley’s 4A Rockies lost 41-7 to Warsaw in Week 3 … Exzander Ramirez’s 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter helped spot Plymouth to a 7-0 lead … Ramirez completed 18-of-25 passes for 187 yards and one interception and carried 18 times for a team-high 52 rushing yards …. Aden VanDusen caught six passes for 78 yards and Aiden Blalock five for 45 … Total tackle leaders were Brady Coffin (13), Blake Mackey (8), David Sills (8) and Benjamin Lloyd (7).
About Wawasee: Jon Reutebuch’s 4A Warriors won 34-21 at Goshen in Week 3 …Mason Shoemaker completed 13-of-16 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns with one interception … Derek Bontrager caught six passes for 103 yards and two scores … Brandon Kelly rushed 14 times for 138 yards and one TD. Hunter Tinkey had 12 carries for 105 yards and one TD. Barrett Kelly gained 48 yards on 12 totes with one TD … Total tackle leaders were Payton Sewell (6), Brandon Kelly (6) and Barrett Kelly (5) … Reed Reidenbach intercepted two passes and Bontrager picked off one … In three games, Bontrager has 554 yards passing with six TDs … Brandon Kelly (174) and Tinkey (173) pace the team in rushing yards and Tinkey (11 catches for 205) and Bontrager (14 for 164) receiving yards … Brandon Kelly (22), Sewell (19), Barrett Kelly (18), Donovan Blair (16) and Bontrager (15) lead in total tackles … Wawasee has won in the last two meetings with Plymouth.
Per Coach Jon Reutebuch:
On Plymouth — It’s going to take pretty much the same kind of execution against Plymouth that we had against Goshen. Their quarterback is just as dangerous with his legs and he is with his arm so we’re going to have to keep him under control. They do a lot of Run-Pass Option and designed runs for the quarterback as well … On offense, we’re going to have to execute well and get the ball in the hands of our playmakers.
Most improvement so far — By far on offensive execution. That’s what was holding us back in the first two games. We were not moving the ball consistently. We were making a lot of errors. We were turning the ball over. (Against Goshen), the script flipped. They turned the ball over and we turned it over once and that was on a third-and-long and it ended up being like a punt.
On Goshen game — A lot of good things did happen. Starting with the opening drive we were able to march down the field in three plays and score. That was a good start … We had some ups and downs, but the kids were very resilient and showed some mental toughness. After we had a punt blocked and they ran it in for a touchdown, we answered that with a drive of our own to score … Our defense continues to play really well. You take away two big runs and they held Goshen’s offense down.

Manchester (2-1, 2-0 TRC) at Rochester (2-1, 2-0 TRC)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Barnhart Field, Rochester
Series: Rochester 25-9
John Harrell’s Prediction: Rochester 45-17
Last Meeting: Sep. 11, 2020, Manchester 41-14
About Manchester: The Squires enter week four undefeated in Three Rivers Conference play with wins over North Miami and Wabash. Last week, the Squires needed two overtimes to take down the Apaches in a 27-21 thriller. Manchester ran for nearly 300 yards in the contest, with 118 of those yards coming from quarterback Logan Eastgate, who also threw for 89. Preston Duffy ran for two scores while Reiss Gaerte continued to show dominance on both sides of the ball, totalling 129 yards of offense, the most on the team last week. On defense, Dre Bledsoe and Jose Cortez made life incredibly difficult for Wabash QB Izaak Wright, combining for four sacks.
About Rochester: Like their opponent, the Zebras come into this one undefeated in conference. Rochester throttled Whitko 42-0 last week, running for over 200 yards. Three different Zebras, Alex Deming, Brant Beck and Colton Ferverda, all ran for at least 70 yards apiece. Deming and Ferverda each ran in two scores, while Beck totalled 12 tackles on defense. Rochester quarterback Carson Paulik completed three of his four passes for 82 yards. The Zebra defense held the Wildcats to less than 100 yards of offense. The preseason TRC favorites have lost just once this season, 39-8 to rival Tippecanoe Valley.
Manchester head coach Eddie Fields:
On last week: It was an exciting one. I thought we played really well. We knew coming in that we had to limit their big plays, which we didn’t do a great job of at first. [Trevor] Daughtry burned us for two long touchdowns. Riess made two unbelievable plays for us just before half to give us some momentum and excitement. I thought we made some good adjustments at halftime and even though it went to double overtime, I felt like we were in control the whole game, even when we were behind.
On matching last year’s win total: It’s huge for us. Anybody who saw us play in the preseason scrimmage probably thought we had a lot to work on. It was a little scary at first but we just kept pushing the message that everything we do, we do to win. We know the schedule is going to get tough real quick here but we aren’t going to back down. If we work the way we work we’re not going to be shy about wanting to win. This is a team that can do big things and we think we still have a few surprises in store.
On Rochester: We’re going to continue to run the football, and I know they will want to as well. They’re a well-coached team that is going to be bigger and faster than a lot of the units we’ve seen so far. We know it’s going to be a tough game but we have a plan for when adversity strikes. We need to be able to take some shots down the field, which we did real well against North Miami but haven’t been able to replicate the last couple of weeks.

Whitko (1-2, 0-2 TRC) at Maconaquah (2-1, 2-0)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Mac Stadium, Bunker Hill.
Series: Maconaquah leads 7-2.
Last meeting: Maconaquah won 53-8, Sept. 9, 2022.
Last Whitko win: 36-7, Sept. 2, 2016.
John Harrell’s prediction: Maconaquah, 42-14.
About Whitko: The Wildcats hung with Rochester for nearly a half before eventually falling 42-0 last week. With the Zebras up 13-0 in the second quarter, Whitko advanced to a first-and-goal at the Rochester 10 before being stopped on downs. Then with just over a minute to go in the half, a 48-yard Zebra pass play to the Cat 2 set up a touchdown that helped stretch the spread to 21-0. That was followed by Rochester’s Zakk Parks returning the second-half kickoff 83 yards for a TD as the gap swelled to 28-0. … Sophomores Landon Smith and Preston Furfar each recovered Zebra fumbles for Whitko… Cat leaders on the season include senior Kaden Long at 109 yards on just eight carries and junior Trevor Freel at 107 on 26. Junior Riley Harman’s caught three passes for 67 yards. Defensively, junior Breyden Kirkdorffer has 4.5 tackles for loss. Junior Isaac Irwin has 11 tackles overall, including 3.5 TFLs. … The Maconaquah game last year was the one in which nobody was officially designated head coach for Whitko, though now-head coach Brad Sprunger had come aboard following the dismissal of Chip Coldiron after Week 3. Sprunger was formally installed the following week.
About Maconaquah: The pass-happy Braves have played three relatively tight games, sandwiching a pair of Three Rivers Conference road wins (40-27 over Southwood and 20-13 over Northfield) around a 46-36 shootout loss to 3A No. 15 Knox (3-0). Last week against Northfield, Mac twice erased deficits, then clinched with a goal-line stand inside its own 2 in the final seconds after the Norsemen ate 11 minutes off the clock with a 20-play drive. … The Braves feature the prolific trio of senior QB Braxton Birner and junior wideouts Fuddy Kile and AJ Kelly. Birner’s 58-of-95 throwing for 878 yards with eight touchdowns against two picks. Kile’s caught 23 passes for 420 yards and four TDs, while Kelly’s at 15 for 188 with three. It’s nothing new. A year ago for a 6-4 Mac club, Birner closed 238-of-366 for 2,779 yards with 31 TDs against seven picks, while Kile and Kelly paired for 165 catches, 2,117 yards and 24 TDs. … Friday will be Maconaquah’s homecoming.
Whitko coach Brad Sprunger:
On last week — “I thought the kids played defense really well in the first half. The second half we came out a little tired and things kind of spiraled after that touchdown on the kickoff. Offensively, we’re still trying to find our niche a little bit. One of the big things is our backs finding the holes. We have nice holes in practice against JV players, but it’s hard to simulate how fast those close in a game, and we’ve got to get our quarterbacks more comfortable in the pocket.”
On 50th anniversary recognition — “We had a good celebration with a bunch of old players. Four past coaches were back, including the very first (Ted Mahnesmith), and he spoke to the team, so that was nice.”
On Maconaquah — “Their offensive line is big and their (skill players) are fast. They’ve got some track stars down there. So we’ll try to keep up with them, hopefully stalemate them a little bit and make ’em run the ball a little more.”
On artificial turf at Mac Stadium — “I’m guessing it might be the first game on turf for between a quarter and half of our guys. Everybody gets faster, and when you hit the ground, it hurts a little more.”

Bremen (2-1) at Triton (2-1)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Trojan Field, Bourbon.
Series (last 35 years): Bremen, 33-3.
John Harrell’s prediction: Triton, 21-20.
Last meeting: Sept. 9, 2022, Triton, 51-10.
About Bremen: Jordan Leeper’s 2A Lions beat visiting South Central (Union Mills) 35-0 in Week 3 … Silas Laidig completed 12-of-18 passes for 164 yards with one touchdown and one interception … Tyrus Graverson caught seven passes for 88 yards and Reece Greene four for 78 yards and one TD … Greene also gained 44 yards on kick returns and 43 on punt returns … Total tackle leaders were Graverson (9), Cody Czarnecki (9), Will Stiles (7) and Austin Young (6).
About Triton: Zach Whittaker’s 1A AP vote-getter/IFCA No. 14 Trojans beat visiting Caston 30-14 in Week 3 … Cole Shively completed 8-of-14 passes for 186 yards, rushed 18 times for 52 yards and one touchdown and booted a 38-yard field goal … Vinnie Prater ran nine times for 66 yards and two TDs … Dante’ Workman caught five passes for 118 yards and returned a fumble for a TD … Total tackle leaders were Colton Reynolds (11), Shively (9) and Esai Lemler (9).
Per Coach Zach Whittaker:
On Bremen — Bremen is always fundamental. They’re always physical … It’s going to be a challenge, but I’m looking forward to that challenge.
Most improvement so far — Our physicality is still getting there. We’re understanding the execution we need on the offensive line. Our defense has played really well. We’ve done a good job of keeping our responsibilities and a great job of tackling.
On Caston game — We got off to a really fast start in the first quarter, going up 24-0. Caston is always going to fight you no matter what the score is and give you 100 percent … They shut us down in the second half so I give them credit … We had an intentional game plan to get the passing game going. These first two games we were averaging 5 or 6 yard per carry. We’re not going to get away from that when it’s working. But we wanted to get Cole some opportunities to throw the ball.