On The Gridiron

WARSAW AT No. 3 (3A) NORTHWOOD (NLC)

Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Nappanee

Coaches: Phil Jensen (Warsaw), Rich Dodson (NorthWood)

Records: Warsaw 6-1, 4-0 NLC; NorthWood 6-1, 4-0 NLC

Last Game: Warsaw 63, Wawasee 13; NorthWood 39, Dowagiac 20

Last Year: NorthWood 42, Warsaw 28

Matchup: In terms of the Northern Lakes Conference championship, this is the Super Bowl. Both teams enter this game with 4-0 conference records. Plymouth (3-1) is the only other team that figures into the NLC race. NorthWood will play at Plymouth next week. Warsaw junior tailback Brad Seiss, who ran all over Wawasee a week ago for 310 yards and five touchdowns on 29 carries in breaking the school's 27-year-old single game rushing record, has 661 yards on 91 carries on the year, an average of 7.3 yards per carry. Junior backfield mates Grady Randall and David Muta have combined for 517 yards and eight touchdowns. As a team, Warsaw averages 7.0 yards per carry. Senior quarterback Jared Scrafton leads Warsaw's air attack with 513 yards on 33-of-76 passing with six scores and three interceptions. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Scrafton has rushed for 219 yards and four touchdowns on 38 carries. Josh Buck, a 6-4 senior, leads the Tiger receiving corps with 11 catches for 258 yards and three touchdowns, two of which came last week. NorthWood, which owns a 25-6 record in games against the Tigers, is led on the ground by Jesse Fink's 490 yards and 11 touchdowns on 71 carries. Ben Lehman has rushed the ball 69 times for 485 yards and six scores. Senior signal caller Mike Blosser has passed for 1,049 yards and 10 touchdowns with one interception, completing 60 of 90 passes. He has also rushed the ball 67 times for 254 yards and four touchdowns. Senior Willy Will leads the Panther receiving corps with 26 catches for 615 yards and six touchdowns. Will, a defensive back, leads the team in tackles with 56.

Jensen: "NorthWood has the kind of program we hope we can be and are working towards. They get better every day in practice. We have the unfortunate pleasure of playing them towards the end of the season. They play football the way it was meant to be played. Their coaches and kids know how to win, they believe in themselves. We've been close the last couple years; we just haven't finished, and they have. Blosser is doing a great job at quarterback. Fink is doing a good job at running back, and Willy Will is a good wide receiver/defensive back. I think he leads the team in tackles from his free safety position. They're just a fundamentally sound program."

Dodson: "We expect Warsaw to be up and ready to go. They are a good team this year. We are just concentrating on getting better as a team. We are working the small things out, trying to to get sharper and better. (Last week) Dowagiac was a good opponent for us. That game helped us identify area where we need to improve. Our big thing is improving/eliminating mental mistakes."

TIPPECANOE VALLEY AT NORTH MIAMI (TRC)

Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Denver

Coaches: Scott Bibler (T. Valley), Bob Bridge (North Miami)

Records: T. Valley 5-2, 3-2 TRC; North Miami 1-6, 1-4 TRC

Last Game: Rochester 33, T. Valley 2; Whitko 52, North Miami 22

Last Year: T. Valley 54, North Miami 8

Matchup: Valley enters this game on a two-game losing streak. The two teams they have lost to, Oak Hill and Rochester, are tied for first in the TRC. On paper, this looks like a favorable matchup for Valley that will allow the Vikings to end their two-game losing streak. They beat North Miami by 46 points one year ago. Then again, the blitz has given Valley problems the last two weeks, and North Miami loves to blitz. North Miami quarterbacks have completed fewer than five passes this season. North Miami running back Derek Nolley is fourth in the TRC with 621 rushing yards on 101 carries, an average of 6.1 yards per carry. Valley has turned its offense over to talented freshman quarterback David Beyers, who has completed 9 of 20 passes for 143 yards. Valley's top rusher is B.J. Cunningham, who has 273 yards on 50 carries, an average of 5.5 yards per carry.

Bibler: "At North Miami, they have a true belief and passion for the wishbone offense. It's hard to prepare your offense for their defense. They move people around and blitz people in different gaps. Field position is always big in this game. Even though their record is not what they'd like it to be, they're always dangerous. They played Southwood to a tough one-point game in the (RCA) Dom. ... The last two teams we have faced have been very good football teams. It's been a tough two weeks. We have to put things behind us."

Bridge: "(Valley) is very solid. They come after you defensively. They don't blitz a lot, but they come off the ball quickly. They get containment in the backfield, and their linebackers clean the plays up. Nobody has moved the ball consistently against them all year. Their kicking game can be explosive. They cover well, and they have an excellent kicker. ... I don't feel sorry for Valley because they've lost two games, because we haven't won games in (what seems like) 1,000 years. Our best defense is having the football and getting four yards a crack, but we haven't been able to do that very often this season. We played really well against Southwood in the (RCA) Dome, but then we laid an egg at Whitko."

WHITKO AT No. 6 (3A) ROCHESTER (TRC)

Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Rochester

Coaches: Bryan Sprunger (Whitko); Mark Miller (Rochester)

Records: Whitko 2-5, 2-3 TRC; Rochester 6-1, 4-1 TRC

Last Game: Whitko 52, North Miami 22; Rochester 33, Tippecanoe Valley 2

Last Year: Rochester 41, Whitko 6

Matchup: After defeating Tippecanoe Valley last week, Rochester and Oak Hill are tied for first place in the Three Rivers Conference race. Adam Frounfelter leads Rochester's ground attack with 633 yards and six touchdowns in seven games. Quarterback Kyle Surface is 62-of-106 passing for 842 yards and nine touchdowns. Receiver B.J. Swank is Surface's favorite target with 33 catches for 490 yards and five touchdowns. The Wildcats have won their last two games and are looking for an upset against a strong Rochester team. Brent Goble and Alan Robbins lead Whitko's ground game. Goble has rushed 49 times for 409 yards and averages 8.3 yards per carry, while Robbins has carried the ball 41 times for 265 yards (6.5 yards per carry). Signal caller Adam Wendel has completed 31 of 64 passes for 617 yards and six touchdowns. Goble, Adam Hall and Alex Frantz share the receiving dutites. Hall is Whitko's leading receiver with 13 catches for 205 yards and one touchdown, while Goble has six catches for 214 yards and three touchdowns. Frantz has nine receptions for 148 yards and one touchdown.

Sprunger: "We are expecting a traditional Rochester team. They try to mix up the run and the throw. Their quarterback, Surface, throws the ball well, and they mix it up offensively. Defensively, they are aggressive and they get the job done. We are still working on improving ourselves. It has worked well so far, and we want to continue to execute. We are working on not turning over the ball and focusing."

Miller: "I know Whitko is 2-5 on the year and they have won their last two games. In both of those wins, Whitko scored over 40 points against North Miami and Northfield. They play a lot of sophomores, and they are getting better every week. As far as we're concerned, we're not doing anything special. We're just out to play well. Our motto this week is 'Any team, any game is capable of getting an upset.'"

MANCHESTER AT No. 9 (2A) OAK HILL (TRC)

Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Converse

Coaches: Al Bailey (Manchester), Bud Ozmun (Oak Hill)

Records: Manchester 4-3, 3-2 TRC; Oak Hill 6-1, 4-1 TRC

Last Game: Southwood 33, Manchester 6; Oak Hill 27, Northfield 0

Last Year: Manchester 34, Oak Hill 13

Matchup: Manchester may have experienced its highest peak and lowest valley in a span of six days. The Squires raced out to a 26-6 lead and held on to beat a top 10 Rochester team 26-20 on a neutral field on Sept. 24. On Sept. 29, they hosted and lost to Southwood by 27 points. In facing Oak Hill, the Squires face a team that has one player - Ty Henderson - who can beat teams single-handedly. The quarterback leads the TRC with 714 rushing yards on 161 attempts, a 4.1 average. He also leads the conference with 889 passing yards and 10 touchdown passes. He has completed 54 of 96 passes (56 percent). He is an option quarterback who is considering Butler, the University of Indianapolis and several Division III schools in Indiana. His favorite target is Ben Mann, who is second in the TRC with 18 catches for 351 yards, an average of 19.5 yards per catch. Manchester running back Josh Peden is fifth in the TRC with 553 rushing yards on 158 carries, an average of 3.5 yards per carry. Manchester quarterback Michael Sorg is fourth in the TRC with 42 completions in 102 attempts (41 percent). He has thrown for 652 yards and six touchdown passes. His favorite receiver is Klay Bechtold, who is third in the TRC with 16 receptions for 277 yards, an average of 17.3 yards per reception.

Bailey: "(Henderson) is leading the conference in rushing and is second in passing. He can do anything on the football field. If their team makes a big play, he will have made it. He may be at his best during the broken play. He runs the option some ... We realize we have to be focused every game. You can't get up for just one game. I don't want to say we played with (RCA) Dome hangover, but I don't know. You can't live on what you did last week."

Ozmun: "I expect we'll see the Manchester team that played Rochester. They looked a little flat on film against Southwood, but now they know they have to win games to have a shot at the conference title. They're big and physical. They don't try to fool you with anything. We are concerned with stopping Manchester fullbacks on dives and their tailbacks on isolation plays."

WAWASEE AT MISHAWAKA MARIAN

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. Friday in Mishawaka

Coaches: Joe Rietveld (Wawasee), Reggie Glon (Marian)

Records: Wawasee 2-5, Marian 4-3

Last Game: Warsaw 63, Wawasee 13; Marian 21, SB Washington 16

Last Year: Marian 34, Wawasee 0

Matchup: This game will feature two different styles of offense - Wawasee, whose quarterback has thrown for more than 1,000 yards, and Marian, whose offense has thrown the ball 18 times all season. Marian's ground game is spearheaded by senior fullback Rocco DiCicco and his 110 carries for 846 yards. Quarterback Ryan Gursh has rushed the ball 81 times for 544 yards, while tailback Zach Quiett has racked up 262 yards on 53 carries. In last week's 63-13 loss to Warsaw, Wawasee quarterback Brent Doty completed 22 of 34 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns. The Warriors only gained 40 yards on the ground last week - 21 from Doty on eight carries and 19 from Logan Lees on seven carries.

Rietveld: "(Marian) has a great fullback in Rocco DeCicco. He's been known statewide since the beginning of the season. They're gonna run him until you stop him. Their quarterback (Gursh) is pretty fast. He doesn't like to pitch the ball, but he runs the option well. They won't beat us throwing the ball. We have to continue to do the things we've been doing. We've seen a lot of wrinkles in people's defense."

Glon: "Number one, (Wawasee) gives you a lot to prepare for. They have a pro style offense that can give you fits. The big thing is we have to stop the intermediate routes and get a good pass rush. Warsaw was successful with a rush against them. You can't give their quarterback time to throw the ball. We want to play ball control. We run the triple option, so we want to keep their offense off the field. That'll give us a better chance to win."

KNOX AT TRITON (NSC)

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. Friday in Bourbon

Coaches: Rod Wildman (Triton), Brian Burkart (Knox)

Records: Triton 2-5, 0-5 NSC; Knox 1-6, 1-4 NSC

Last Game: LaVille 34, Triton 0; Bremen 42, Knox 14

Last Year: Knox 55, Triton 13

Matchup: One of these teams will break its losing streak. Triton comes in is on a five-game slide, while the Redskins have lost their last two. In a 42-14 loss last week to Bremen, Knox senior quarterback Jason Dulin passed for 247 yards and two touchdowns. For the year he has thrown for 987 yards and rushed for 413 more on 87 attempts. Sophomore Josh Lowrance spearheads the Knox running attack with his 123 carries for 604 yards and one touchdown. Scott Ritchie, who had never played football before this year, leads the receiving corps with 570 yards on 28 catches. Last week he had five receptions for 120 yards. Senior Joe Potter continues to lead the Triton ground game. For the year he has 340 yards and two scores on 102 carries. Signal caller Steven Boyer has 124 yards rushing on 45 carries. Through the air Boyer is 21 of 56 for 338 yards with two touchdowns and eight interceptions. But Boyer is out for the season with a dislocated shoulder. Landon Grubbs leads Trojan receiving corps with 252 yards and one touchdown on 15 catches.

Wildman: "(Dulin) is a great athlete. He runs well, throws well, and he has a couple good receivers. They have a good, solid offense. Lowrance is 5-9, 195 (pounds). He's a strong back. He runs very hard. Turnovers will be a big key for us. Last week we had a million turnovers. You can't play with anybody when you have turnovers. We have to execute our offense. We didn't play well execution-wise last week; we played lackadaisical. I hope our seniors can get fired up and are ready to play."

Burkart: "Triton is much bigger than they have been. They've got real good size. They look like they're vastly improved (from a year ago). Their team quickness has improved as well. This should be a doggone great game. Their quarterback throws the ball well; he's got a sling-shot arm. They're very big up front, with a couple guys going 250 (pounds) or 260. They have a nice combination of throwing and running. In the past we've had a stronger club, but I think this year it's dead even. We have to play ball control. My concern is whether we can run the ball enough to keep it away from them."