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Defensive Player Of Week - Luke Matz, Wawasee
Matz had a big fumble recovery for the Warriors to help Wawasee hold Northern Lakes Conference opponent Northridge and its high-powered offense to only 120 yards of total offense. In the process, the Warriors gained their second win of the season, the same as all of last year on the field.
Offensive Player Of Week - Eric Prater, Valley
Prater ran for 175 yards and three touchdowns to lead Tippecanoe Valley to its first win of the 1997 season, 27-21, over Manchester. Prater scored on runs of 5, 50 and 78 yards. His 175 yards came on only 13 carries, and he is now averaging over eight yards a carry this year.
Notes
Manchester and Tippecanoe Valley both had suspended quarterbacks at Friday night's game. Senior Ben Vineyard started the first two games at quarterback for Manchester because junior Rex Reimer has been suspended. Sophomore Brandon Eaton made his first start for Valley and completed 6-of-11 passes with an interception in the Vikings' 27-21 win. After Friday's game, Valley coach Scott Bibler announced R.J. Hutchison, who started Valley's first two games, missed the Manchester game and will miss this week's game against Southwood because of a suspension.
Bibler had said earlier last week, however, he would start Eaton anyway.
Junior running back David Barrett scored all three of Manchester's touchdowns against Tippecanoe Valley.
Eaton had to leave Friday's game early in the fourth quarter after Manchester senior linebacker Todd Sites sacked him for an 8-yard loss. After the game, Bibler said he believed Eaton sprained his rotator cuff.
In the last two games, Warsaw has run up 25-plus points in both games (27 vs. Valley and 31 vs. Plymouth.) The last time that happened was in 1993 when Warsaw scored 28 against Concord to end the regular season and 32 points the next week in a sectional loss to Fort Wayne Northrop.
After a slow start, Warsaw's Jose Esquivel ran for 95 yards against Plymouth Friday. It marked his second-straight game of over 90 yards rushing as he tries to become the first Warsaw running back over 100 yards since P.J. Wiley last year.
Wawasee has allowed just a single touchdown in each of the two games against Northfield in the last two years.
In beating Plymouth on Friday, the Tigers ended a three-year losing streak to the Rockies. The last time Warsaw beat Plymouth was during the 1994 season (17-10) in Ted Huber's final season as coach. Plymouth's win the next year broke a six-year winning streak that Warsaw had held over the Rockies.
Warsaw's Andy Plank is averaging 155 yards through the air a game this season. Over 10 games, that is about 1,550 yards through the air. The school record is 1,673 by Paul Wiley in 1987.
Triton head coach Rod Wildman returned to Culver Community High School after coaching three years there. Rod Wildman only went 7-21 in three years at Culver, but is now 1-0 as a visiting coach.
Wildman felt strange heading back to Culver after being away so long. He said, "It didn't really hit me until I got off the bus in the parking lot. It was strange to be on the other side on the field."
Kyle Gould helped out Triton teammate Jack Hackworth on Friday. Hackworth has more carries than any other running back in the area, but got a bit of a break against Culver. Gould carried 10 times compared to none the previous week, allowing Hackworth to only carry it 14 times instead of the 20 he was averaging through the first two weeks.
