THE TOP GAMES IN INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL FOR WEEK FOUR
AVON (3-0) VS. FISHERS (2-1)
GAME TIME: 8:30 pm ET, Lucas Oil Stadium.
COACHES: Mark Bless, 22-6 in 3rd year at Avon, 171-73 in 23rd year overall. Rick Wimmer, 47-26 in 7th year at Fishers, 211-109 in 30th year overall.
LAST OUTING: Avon beat Harrison (West Lafayette), 51-6, Aug. 31. Fishers beat Westfield, 40-30, Aug. 31.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Avon 2-7, Fishers 2-7.
SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Tied, 3-3.
LAST MEETING: Avon, 30-21, Sep. 9, 2011.
COACHES COMMENTS: "We will need to anticipate and match Fishers' physical style of play. We will need to attack the ball on defense and be physical on offense. We will need to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. We will need to have great special teams play to get the advantage of field position." – Avon coach Mark Bless.
BEN DAVIS (3-0) AT WARREN CENTRAL (2-1)
GAME TIME: 7 pm ET, Warren Central Field.
COACHES: Mike Kirschner, 41-20 in 6th year at Ben Davis, 55-46 in 10th year overall. Steve Tutsie, 25-5 in 3rd year at Warren Central.
LAST OUTING: Ben Davis beat North Central (Indianapolis), 19-6, Aug. 31. Warren Central beat Lawrence North, 66-7, Aug. 31.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Ben Davis 3-6, Warren Central 3-6.
SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Warren Central, 13-9.
LAST MEETING: Warren Central, 27-21, Sep. 9, 2011.
COACHES COMMENTS: "Warren has great speed on both sides of the ball, so we will have to find a way to contain their fast offense and control the ball when we are on offense. Special teams could be key as well." – Ben Davis coach Mike Kirschner.
ELKHART CENTRAL (3-0) AT SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH (2-1)
GAME TIME: 7 pm ET, Father Bly Field (WAOR 95.7 FM)
COACHES: Levon Johnson, 8-15 in 3rd year at Elkhart Central. Ben Downey, 24-9 in 3rd year at South Bend St. Joseph.
LAST OUTING: Elkhart Central beat South Bend Washington, 51-42, Aug. 31. South Bend St. Joseph beat Mishawaka, 34-20, Aug. 31.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Elkhart Central 2-7, South Bend St. Joseph 6-3.
SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: South Bend St. Joseph, 7-2.
LAST MEETING: South Bend St. Joseph, 28-17, Sep. 9, 2011.
COACHES COMMENTS: "St. Joe is a very disciplined, well coached team with the mindset of a champion after a two year run at the state finals. Our success this week will be based on our ability to execute our offense in an efficient manner. We will need to eliminate costly turnovers and penalties. Ideally this week, we will get back to a more balanced attack on the offensive side of the ball. Defensively, we must be fundamentally sound. We cannot have missed assignments or missed tackles. Each player must make sure they do their job and trust that their teammates will do theirs. As always, the boys in the trenches, on both sides of the ball, need to control the line of scrimmage." – Elkhart Central coach Levon Johnson.
"We must limit big returns, maintain our balanced offensive attack, and our defensive backups need to play like vets." – St. Joseph coach Ben Downey.
EVANSVILLE CENTRAL (2-1) AT EVANSVILLE REITZ (1-2)
GAME TIME: 7 pm CT, Reitz Bowl.
COACHES: Andy Owen, 37-23 in 6th year at Evansville Central. Tony Lewis, 45-9 in 5th year at Evansville Reitz, 92-30 in 11th year overall.
LAST OUTING: Evansville Central beat Evansville Bosse, 56-7, Aug. 31. Evansville Reitz lost to Castle, 33-13, Aug. 31.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Evansville Central 3-3, Evansville Reitz 3-0.
SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Evansville Reitz, 15-5.
LAST MEETING: Evansville Central, 37-35, sectional, Oct. 28, 2011.
COACHES COMMENTS: "We are coming of a nice performance last week. We need to continue to improve early this season. Our school and team are very excited to play this game. If we play great defense and are sound in the kicking game, it should be a good game." – Central coach Andy Owen.
"We will have to control the football on offense with consistent drives and eliminate the big play from Central's offense to win on Friday against the Bears." – Reitz coach Tony Lewis.
HERITAGE HILLS (2-1) AT JASPER (3-0)
GAME TIME: 8 pm ET, Alumni Stadium.
COACHES: Todd Wilkerson, 2-1 in 1st year at Heritage Hills. Tony Ahrens, 86-24 in 10th year at Jasper.
LAST OUTING: Heritage Hills beat Pike Central, 56-7, Aug. 31. Jasper beat Boonville, 49-0, Aug. 31.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Heritage Hills 5-4, Jasper 3-6.
SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Heritage Hills, 8-3.
LAST MEETING: Heritage Hills, 24-14, Sep. 9, 2011.
COACHES COMMENTS: "Jasper is an outstanding football team. This week to be successful, we have to be very physical and win on the line of scrimmage. This will be a great test for our team." – Heritage Hills coach Todd Wilkerson.
"This game is always a very exciting game to be involved in. Heritage Hills has a new coach with some new wrinkles, but has the same traits of being very physical and fundamentally sound. We must play well up front and take care of the football. We need to play in high gear and have a complete game." – Jasper coach Tony Ahrens.
HOBART (2-1) AT KANKAKEE VALLEY (3-0)
GAME TIME: 7 pm CT, Fred Jones Field.
COACHES: Ryan Turley, 5-9 in 2nd year at Hobart. Brad Stewart, 5-8 in 2nd year at Kankakee Valley.
LAST OUTING: Hobart beat Griffith, 38-13, Aug. 31. Kankakee Valley beat Lowell, 17-7, Aug. 31.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Hobart 4-5, Kankakee Valley 3-6.
SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Hobart, 4-2.
LAST MEETING: Kankakee Valley, 22-19, overtime, Sep. 9, 2011.
COACHES COMMENTS: "The key to our success will be if we can handle adversity. We have not had much adversity this year so far as we have not been behind at any point this year. We have only turned the ball over once and have had minimal injuries. If we can handle the adversity and raise our level of play after such events, we believe we can compete." – Kankakee Valley coach Brad Stewart.
INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL (1-2) AT INDIANAPOLIS BISHOP CHATARD (3-0)
GAME TIME: 7 pm ET, Lawrence Central.
COACHES: Rick Streiff, 169-39 in 18th year at Indianapolis Cathedral, 192-82 in 24th year overall. Vince Lorenzano, 113-21 in 10th year at Indianapolis Bishop Chatard, 173-90 in 22nd year overall.
LAST OUTING: Indianapolis Cathedral lost to Cincinnati St. Xavier (Ohio), 33-27, Aug. 31. Indianapolis Bishop Chatard beat Indianapolis Roncalli, 28-25, 2 overtimes, Aug. 31.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Indianapolis Cathedral 5-1, Indianapolis Bishop Chatard 5-4.
SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Indianapolis Cathedral, 11-4.
LAST MEETING: Indianapolis Cathedral, 21-14, Sep. 10, 2011.
COACHES COMMENTS: "The Trojans are a well-coached and very disciplined team. They run the ball very well, so we must control their run game. We must find consistency in our offense. When we get in stride we are pretty good, but we have not found this stride often enough." – Cathedral coach Rick Streiff.
"On offense, we need to take care of the football, win the offensive line of scrimmage, block the safety, and rush for over 200 yards. Defensively, we can't give up any big plays, tackle No.22 Gillum on every play, develop field position that is beneficial to the offense, and allow no big plays to #81 Wood. Our specialty teams have to win this part of the game completely, establish good field position, score specialty team points, and have great tackling." – Bishop Chatard coach Vince Lorenzano.
INDIANAPOLIS CARDINAL RITTER (3-0) AT SPEEDWAY (2-1)
GAME TIME: 7 pm ET, Johnson Field.
COACHES: Ty Hunt, 69-13 in 7th year at Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter. Denny Pelley, 183-75 in 23rd year at Speedway, 277-127 in 38th year overall.
LAST OUTING: Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter beat Lapel, 63-0, Aug. 31. Speedway beat Beech Grove, 54-21, Aug. 31.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter 2-7, Speedway 5-4.
SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Speedway, 10-7.
LAST MEETING: Speedway, 32-29, Sep. 10, 2011.
COACHES COMMENTS: "As you know, this is a 'Westside' rivalry game for us. We lost last year with a last second field goal, and I believe some of us still have a bad taste in our mouth from that loss. We had a chance to play them this summer in 7-on-7 and found out that the rivalry still exists. In order to win this Friday, we must not give up the big play. We have to keep everything in front of us and tackle better than we have tackled up to this point in the season. Our offense must continue to hit on all cylinders and make things happen. As with every rivalry game, it often comes down to who wants it and turnovers. We have to eliminate turnovers and prove that we want another win in our Indiana Crossroads conference match." – Cardinal Ritter coach Ty Hunt.
INDIANAPOLIS RONCALLI (2-1) AT PLAINFIELD (3-0)
GAME TIME: 7 pm ET, Red Pride Field.
COACHES: Bruce Scifres, 202-71 in 23rd year at Indianapolis Roncalli. Brian Woodard, 48-23 in 7th year at Plainfield.
LAST OUTING: Indianapolis Roncalli lost to Indianapolis Chatard, 28-25, 2 overtimes, Aug. 31. Plainfield beat Mooresville, 55-7, Aug. 31.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Indianapolis Roncalli 6-3, Plainfield 3-6.
SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Indianapolis Roncalli, 6-4.
LAST MEETING: Indianapolis Roncalli, 35-7, sectional, Oct. 21, 2011.
COACHES COMMENTS: "We will have to execute on offense to maintain possession of the ball and move the chains. Defensively, we must play fast and physical to stop their power running game." - Roncalli coach Bruce Scifres.
"I told our kids Monday that this game can be won in four steps. 1. We have to believe that you can win the game and compete with Roncalli. We got our tails whipped twice last year versus these guys, so I worry about our ability to overcome that. 2011 was the first time we've ever dropped two in a row vs. Roncalli and the first time we had ever lost at home to them. 2. We must have a great week of practice. This is about building confidence in our schemes in each of the three phases of the game. We can't hope to execute only on Friday, we have to execute with a Friday night mentality throughout the week. If we WIN Monday thru Thursday, then Friday will take care of itself, so-to-speak. 3. We have to be physical from the start. We can't afford to get pushed around early in this game and must stand in there and battle. Winning at the point of attack (line of scrimmage) is crucial for any game, especially versus Roncalli. We need to stay close early and can't fall behind two scores in the first quarter. 4. We have to make "the" Play. I don't know what "the" play will be or when it will happen, no coach ever does. It might happen in the first minute of the game? Every player wearing a RED helmet/jersey on Friday has to be ready to make "the" play that puts us in a position to compete. Whether it's a catch, throw, tackle, kick, etc., NOBODY can shy away from the moment." – Plainfield coach Brian Woodard.
LAWRENCE CENTRAL (3-0) AT PIKE (2-1)
GAME TIME: 7:30 pm ET, Pike Stadium.
COACHES: Jayson West, 40-12 in 5th year at Lawrence Central. Derek Moyers, 46-16 in 6th year at Pike, 80-46 in 12th year overall.
LAST OUTING: Lawrence Central beat Perry Meridian, 42-6, Aug. 31. Pike beat Southport, 55-12, Aug. 31.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Lawrence Central 1-8, Pike 4-5.
SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Lawrence Central, 9-6.
LAST MEETING: Lawrence Central, 35-32, Sep. 9, 2011.
COACHES COMMENTS: "It will be another great Conference Indiana matchup. If we can create some turnovers or get some stops and at the same time not turn it over ourselves, then we should be able to hang with their athleticism on both sides of the ball. It should be a fun night!" – Lawrence Central coach Jayson West.
Lawrence Central is a tremendous football team. We will have to neutralize their size and speed as best as we can and will have to absolutely take care of the ball. If we can limit their big play ability and control the line of scrimmage, we will have a chance to do some good things on Friday!" – Pike coach Derek Moyers.
LEWIS CASS (3-0) AT HAMILTON HEIGHTS (2-1)
GAME TIME: 7 pm ET, Huskie Stadium.
COACHES: Scott Mannering, 192-96 in 27th year at Lewis Cass. Mitch Street, 11-4 in 2nd year at Hamilton Heights.
LAST OUTING: Lewis Cass beat Northwestern, 35-14, Aug. 31. Hamilton Heights beat Maconaquah, 59-7, Aug. 31.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Lewis Cass 6-3, Hamilton Heights 4-5.
SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Hamilton Heights, 8-4.
LAST MEETING: Hamilton Heights, 27-15, Sep. 9, 2011.
NORTH MONTGOMERY (3-0) AT TRI-WEST (2-1)
GAME TIME: 7 pm ET, Tri-West Field.
COACHES: Charley German, 164-87 in 24th year at North Montgomery. Chris Coll, 33-31 in 7th year at Tri-West.
LAST OUTING: North Montgomery beat Southmont, 32-12, Aug. 31. Tri-West beat Lebanon, 40-16, Aug. 31.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: North Montgomery 3-6, Tri-West 6-3.
SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: North Montgomery, 8-6.
LAST MEETING: North Montgomery, 35-14, Sep. 9, 2011.
COACHES COMMENTS: "We must slow up their passing offense and contain the run with good open field tackling. Offensively, we must control the ball which means the line of scrimmage as well. We must have no special team's mistakes and minimize the turnovers." – North Montgomery coach Charley German.
"We will need to continue playing defense the way we have. We have given up some yards in all of our games, but we have been very 'stingy' when it comes to points. Hopefully, we can keep that up. We need to be able to control their run game, especially on first and second down. They have always caused us problems when they are successful on first and second down, allowing them to use their misdirection, counter game, and boot passing game for big plays. Offensively, we need to just keep getting better at what we do. We've been successful the last two weeks with our playmakers making big plays. It is certainly an asset to have kids that can make big plays, but we need to continue to get better at making offensive drives, the kind of drives where we can put together six, eight, and 10 plays and then finish in the red zone. We are still working on that and hopefully, this will be the week we can control the ball and finish multiple play drives. This is a really fun group to coach. They want to be coached and they want to get better each week. We've had another good week of practice. We are young and inexperienced and we are very thin, but they have great attitudes. So, I'm sure we will go out and give it our best shot against a North Montgomery team that is very well coached and playing with a very good rhythm right now. We'll just have to see how it goes come Friday night." – Tri-West coach Chris Coll.
NORTH PUTNAM (2-1) AT SOUTH PUTNAM (2-1)
GAME TIME: 7 pm ET, Mark Wildman Field.
COACHES: Greg Barrett, 2-1 in 1st year at North Putnam, 35-6 in 4th year overall. Troy Burgess, 34-32 in 7th year at South Putnam, 79-70 in 15th year overall.
LAST OUTING: North Putnam beat Cascade, 27-14, Aug. 31. South Putnam beat Rockville, 27-0, Aug. 31.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: North Putnam 1-8, South Putnam 5-4.
SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: North Putnam, 12-7.
LAST MEETING: South Putnam, 40-22, sectional, Nov. 4, 2011.
COACHES COMMENTS: "The Cougars need to have consistency on both sides of the ball for four quarters to win this game." – North Putnam coach Greg Barrett.
"It will be very important that we play mistake free football against North Putnam. They are very well coached and I know they will not beat themselves. We have to do our assignments, stay disciplined, and take care of the football to be competitive in this game." – South Putnam coach Troy Burgess.
SOUTHRIDGE (2-1) AT NORTH POSEY (3-0)
GAME TIME: 6:30 pm CT, Viking Field.
COACHES: Kelly Murphy, 62-28 in 8th year at Southridge, 92-71 in 15th year overall. Joe Gengelbach, 249-192 in 43rd year at North Posey.
LAST OUTING: Southridge beat Forest Park, 41-0, Aug. 31. North Posey beat Gibson Southern, 31-7, Aug. 31.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Southridge 4-5, North Posey 3-6.
SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Southridge, 15-8.
LAST MEETING: Southridge, 34-14, Sep. 9, 2011.
PENN (3-0) AT FORT WAYNE SNIDER (3-0)
GAME TIME: 7 pm ET, Saturday, Spuller Stadium (WGCS, 91.1 FM, WTRC, 95.3 FM).
COACHES: Cory Yeoman, 100-23 in 10th year at Penn. Kurt Tippmann, 31-11 in 4th year at Fort Wayne Snider.
LAST OUTING: Penn beat Mishawaka Marian, 55-28, Aug. 31. Fort Wayne Snider beat Fort Wayne Northrop, 48-14, Aug. 31.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Penn 3-6, Fort Wayne Snider 2-7.
SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Penn, 4-1.
LAST MEETING: Penn, 28-10, semistate, Nov. 18, 2011.
COACHES COMMENTS: "The keys to our success are we need to limit big plays when we are on defense and take care of the ball when we are on offense." – Penn coach Cory Yeoman.
"We look forward to this game because it is a great experience playing a program like Penn. We have the utmost respect for their program and especially their coaching staff. They do it the right way. We know going in that we will be playing a very well coached and disciplined team. One that will not beat itself and one that will play as hard as any opponent we see all year. They beat us twice last year and were a better team in both contests. We have used our experience in those two games to help our team better understand the meaning of execution of scheme and not just reliance on talent alone. To be a great team, our talent must execute fundamental skills at a proficient level. This will be measured and evaluated when we play Penn this weekend. Penn will expose every one of our weaknesses, With this being a non-conference game, it will allow us to identify where we need the most work as we prepare for the rest of our conference schedule and the playoffs. I think the game starts with the play upfront on both sides of the ball. If we play well on the offensive and defensive lines, we can be productive as an offense and a defense. We also have to play better in the kicking game. Their special teams are excellent. As always, we can't turn the ball over to them and give them good field position. We have to stop their quarterback Oakley since their offense runs through him." F.W. Snider coach Kurt Tippmann.
