AVON (5-0) AT FISHERS (4-1)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Clarian Field.
COACHES: Mark Bless, 80-32 in 10th season at Avon, 229-99 in 30th season overall. Rick Wimmer, 96-59 in 14th season at Fishers, 260-142 in 37th season overall.
LAST CONTEST: Avon beat Franklin Central, 42-7. Fishers lost to Brownsburg, 42-17.
TOP PERFORMERS: Cohen Murrell had seven catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns for the top-ranked (Class 6A) Orioles against Franklin Central. Marcus Roux was 13-of-25 for 122 yards with a score for the No. 9 (Class 6A) Tigers against Brownsburg.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Avon, 33-0, on September 21, 2018.
CHALK TALK: "We will need to play fast and play smart football while taking care of the ball. Fishers is a team that capitalizes on your mistakes, so we will need to win the line of scrimmage and the field position battles as well." – Avon's Mark Bless.
"Avon is an outstanding team. We will have to play much better defensively that we did last week to be competitive in this game. We have been missing some key players on defense the past couple of weeks, so we are needing some inexperienced players to continue to develop and be ready to play well. Being able to stop the opponent's running game is always No. 1 for us so that is where our first emphasis lies. They also use the passing game well, so we will need to be able to tackle in space and keep receivers in front of us. We didn't play with much emotion last week on defense, so that has been a point of emphasis as well. Last week was the first game we played this year in which we didn't get at least two takeaways from our defense. We had zero, so we must get a couple of takeaways this week. In terms of our offense, I think we are improving each week in some phase. We will need to continue to be strong in our running game with Dylan Scally and Shaun Kim being physical and tough against a good Avon defense. Our quarterback Matt Roux will need to continue to make good decisions with the football, but we need to be more accurate than we have been in the last couple of games. It is going to be very important for us to maintain possession of the ball, run the clock, move the chains, and finish drives with scores. Our offensive line has done a good job with protection and Avon presents some challenges there, so protecting our quarterback will be important. We can't have many negative yardage plays if we want to keep the ball in our possession and move the ball down the field." – Fishers' Rick Wimmer.
BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL (5-0) AT SEYMOUR (4-1)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Bulleit Stadium.
COACHES: Reed May, 264-52 in 27th season at Brownstown. Michael Kelly, 14-11 in third season at Seymour.
LAST CONTEST: Brownstown beat North Harrison, 47-0. Seymour lost to Bedford North Lawrence, 24-21.
TOP PERFORMERS: Kierman Tiemeyer ran four times for 72 yards and caught two passes for 64 yards and a score for the No. 6 (Class 3A) Braves against North Harrison. Brendan Smith went 8-of-15 for 178 yards and two touchdowns for the Owls against Bedford North Lawrence.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Seymour, 44-34, on September 21, 2018.
CHALK TALK: "To be successful on Friday, we will need to play great special teams and win the turnover battle. We also must play defensive assignment football and eliminate the offensive penalties that have hurt us in prior games." – Brownstown Central's Reed May.
"Brownstown as a very fast physical football team. We must be assignment sound on defense because they use their motions and misdirection to get you out of position. Offensively, we must be physical at the point of attack. They rely heavily on their athleticism in the secondary and play man-to-man almost exclusively. As a team, we must start fast. We have struggled in the first half all year, so we must come out and set the tone early. Overall, we must be discipline across the board." – Seymour's Michael Kelly.
GIBSON SOUTHERN (4-1) AT HERITAGE HILLS (5-0)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. CDT, Patriot Field.
COACHES: Nick Hart, 80-13 in eighth season at Gibson Southern. Todd Wilkerson, 54-26 in eighth season at Heritage Hills.
LAST CONTEST: Gibson Southern beat Princeton, 60-9. Heritage Hills beat North Posey, 49-0.
TOP PERFORMERS: Ben Heidenreich scampered 16 times for 65 yards and a score for the No. 5 (Class 3A) Titans against Princeton. Gavin Vaal had six rushes for 40 yards and a touchdown for the No. 3 (Class 3A) Patriots against North Posey.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Gibson Southern, 24-14, on October 26, 2018 in Class 3A sectional semifinal.
CHALK TALK: "Heritage Hills is a great football team and it will be a great challenge for us on Friday night. A big key is going to be getting their offense off of the field. They want to control the clock and dictate the pace of the game. We have to play very disciplined against their option attack. They are only giving up five points a game on defense, so we are going to have to execute very well to move the football." – Gibson Southern's Nick Hart.
"I will give you the same boring answer that I gave last year. We must move the chains and sustain long scoring drives. The longer the high-powered Gibson offense is on the sidelines, the better chance we have at success. Defensively, we cannot give up big plays. As always, we look for our special teams to be solid, and hopefully provide a boost to our offense and defense. The Jungle will be rocking this Friday." – Heritage Hills' Todd Wilkerson.
INDIANAPOLIS BISHOP CHATARD (4-1) AT GUERIN CATHOLIC (4-1)
KICKOFF: 7:30 p.m. EDT, Guerin Field.
COACHES: Rob Doyle, 22-10 in third season at Bishop Chatard. Tom Dilley, 40-20 in sixth season at Guerin, 120-97 in 20th season overall.
LAST CONTEST: Bishop Chatard beat Southport, 35-9. Guerin beat Columbus North, 21-7.
TOP PERFORMERS: Derion Gilbert had 14 rushes for 100 yards for the No. 2 (Class 3A) Trojans against Southport. Gus Baumgartner ran 27 times for 98 yards and a score for the No. 9 (Class 3A) Golden Eagles against Columbus North.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Bishop Chatard, 21-13, on September 21, 2018.
CHALK TALK: "Guerin is a very disciplined football team that makes very little mistakes. We need to do the same. They have expanded their offense, so we will need to be prepared for a spread attack." – Bishop Chatard's Rob Doyle.
"Our offensive and defensive lines must play great this week. It is also critical that we take the ball away from their offense and protect the ball when we have it. They are a great team with a great tradition, so we must play our best game of the year Friday." – Guerin Catholic's Tom Dilley.
INDIANAPOLIS SCECINA (4-1) AT INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN (4-0)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Lutheran Field.
COACHES: Ott Hurrle, 196-132 in 28th season at Scecina, 197-141 in 30th season overall. Dave Pasch, 90-50 in 12th season at Lutheran, 155-107 in 23rd season overall.
LAST CONTEST: Scecina lost to Indianapolis Roncalli, 34-7. Lutheran beat Cascade, 46-28.
TOP PERFORMERS: Liam Wright hauled in three receptions for 22 yards for the No. 4 (Class 2A) Crusaders against Indianapolis Roncalli. Blake White completed 11-of-27 for 124 yards and a touchdown for the top-ranked (Class 1A) Saints against Cascade.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Scecina, 50-7, on September 21, 2018.
CHALK TALK: "Lutheran is very dangerous with a number of skilled players, led by No. 8 (Marcus) McFadden. We will need to control him and their passing game if we are going to have any chance at aa win." – Scecina's Ott Hurrle.
KNOX (5-0) AT LAVILLE (4-1)
KICKOFF: 7:30 p.m. EDT, Lancer Field.
COACHES: John Hendryx, 36-15 in fifth season at Knox, 211-91 in 27th season overall. Will Hostrawser, 50-24 in seventh season at LaVille.
LAST CONTEST: Knox beat John Glenn, 35-7. LaVille beat Caston, 63-0.
TOP PERFORMERS: Zac Rose accounted for two touchdowns passes and a rushing score for the No. 10 (Class 3A) Redskins against Glenn. Ayden Doyle went 5-of-7 for 84 yards with a touchdown and rushed four times for 84 yards and another tally for the No. 8 (Class 2A) Lancers against Caston.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Knox, 14-7, on September 21, 2018.
CHALK TALK: "For us to have success, we have to find a way to deal with their team speed. Offensively, all of their skill players are fast and defensively. They are fast as well and run to the ball very well. One of my big concerns is the kicking game as well. They have an excellent kicker and we do not, so if we get crushed on field position all night we will struggle." – Knox's John Hendryx.
"First and foremost, we must be disciplined on defense, read our keys, and tackle well. Knox is a big physical football team and they have the record to show it. We cannot afford to turn the ball over against them either. Last season we turned it over five times and that really shot us in the foot. Finally, we also must win the field position battle. I believe the special teams phase in this game will be large factor in determining who wins." – LaVille's Will Hostrawser.
MOORESVILLE (4-1) AT FRANKLIN (5-0)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Shireman Field.
COACHES: Mike Gillin, 18-12 in third season at Mooresville, 323-129 in 41st season overall. Chris Coll, 8-17 in third season at Franklin, 87-60 in 14th season overall.
LAST CONTEST: Mooresville lost to Decatur Central, 24-21. Franklin beat Martinsville, 62-39.
TOP PERFORMERS: Breken Greene romped 22 times for 130 yards and two scores fir the No. 7 (Class 4A) Pioneers against Decatur Central. Christian McClure had seven catches for 120 yards and two touchdowns for the No. 7 (Class 5A) Grizzly Cubs against Martinsville.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Mooresville, 55-21, on September 21, 2018.
CHALK TALK: "Defensively, we will have to effectively defend both the run and the pass. Mooresville is big and physical up front, so we will have to be able to compete against that offensive line. If they dominate us up front, we will struggle getting them stopped. This is a concern for us. against both their run game and their pass game Offensively, we will need to maintain a balance with our pass and run games. If we can keep from becoming one dimensional, we should be able to cause them some problems with our offense, but we must be able to block whatever they throw at us up front. They play fast and physical, so we must be able to recognize their scheme and handle it up front. We hope that our offense is able to take pressure off our defense by scoring points and being efficient with the ball. The more productive our offense is, the better it will be for our defense and what they have to deal with." – Franklin's Chris Coll.
NORTH CENTRAL (INDIANAPOLIS) (3-2) AT CARMEL (4-1)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Greyhound Stadium.
COACHES: Kevin O'Shea, 15-12 in third season at North Central, 229-85 in 27th season overall. John Hebert, 43-16 in fifth season at Carmel.
LAST CONTEST: North Central beat Center Grove, 24-20. Carmel beat Lawrence North, 23-20, OT.
TOP PERFORMERS: Richard Hamilton registered 10 catches for 166 yards with two scores for the Panthers against Center Grove. Zach White ran five times for 46 yards and a touchdown for the No. 2 (Class 6A0 Greyhounds against Lawrence North.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Carmel, 41-40 (3OT), on September 21, 2018.
CHALK TALK: "We have to slow down Carmel's run game and limit our turnovers. We also have to run the football enough to keep their defense honest." – North Central's Kevin O'Shea.
"No. 12 (wide receiver) Richard Hamilton is a major threat for explosive plays at a variety of spots, so we need to know where he is on every play and work to limit his production. We need to play better on special teams than we did in the 2018 game with North Central where we allowed two explosive kickoff returns that both led to short fields and easier scores. Controlling the ball by moving the chains and keeping North Central's excellent defense off balance is another major goal of ours." – Carmel's John Hebert.
SOUTH ADAMS (5-0) AT ADAMS CENTRAL (5-0)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Minnich Field.
COACHES: Grant Moser, 28-20 in fifth season at South Adams. Michael Mosser, 85-40 in 11th season at Adams Central.
LAST CONTEST: South Adams beat Monroe Central, 34-15. Adams Central beat Heritage, 35-6.
TOP PERFORMERS: James Arnold went 19-of-32 for 315 yards with five touchdowns for the No. 3 (Class 1A) Starfires against Monroe Central. Alex Currie raced 12 times for 69 yards with a score for the No. 2 (Class 1A) Flying Jets against Heritage.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Adams Central, 49-12, on September 21, 2018.
CHALK TALK: "They do what they do very well. The kids know and believe in their system. This is a game that has implications for the county championship, the conference championship, and will send a message to the rest of Class 1A. It's going to be an awesome small school atmosphere. "– South Adams' Grant Moser.
"It's going to be a very difficult game this week. They are very good, so we are going to have to play our best game of the season for sure. We must take their big plays away and be able to move the ball and drain the clock. If they score fast and score at will, we will be in trouble. Likewise, if they keep us punting we will lose." – Adams Central's Michael Mosser.
SOUTH DEARBORN (4-1) AT EAST CENTRAL (5-0)
KICKOFF: 7:30 p.m. EDT, Trojan Field.
COACHES: Rand Ballart, 18-29 in fifth season at South Dearborn. Jake Meiners, 5-0 in first season at East Central.
LAST CONTEST: South Dearborn beat Greensburg, 42-31. East Central beat Batesville, 43-0.
TOP PERFORMERS: Adam Dixon finished 12-of-20 for 240 yards with two touchdowns and rushed for three more scores for the Knights against Greensburg. Jake Fike rambled 13 times for 144 yards with three scores for the No. 2 (Class 4A) Trojans against Batesville.
PREVIOUS MEETING: East Central, 9-7, on October 26, 2018 in Class 4A sectional semifinal.
CHALK TALK: "We definitely have our work cut out for us this Friday. East Central's defense is ranked in the top five in Class 4A and they have been successful this season in shutting down the teams they have played, only allowing a very good Harrison (Ohio) team seven points which was pretty impressive. We have been working hard this week on some things that we hope will help us have success. Their defense likes to fly around and they have a lot of speed on that side of the ball. In order for us to be successful this week, we will have to control the ball and limit the number of times their offense is on the field. We will need to control the ball, limit our mistakes, and not give up free yards in penalties. This has been something we have struggled with the last few weeks and we hope to have it corrected this week. We must also win the turnover battle. By all things on paper this looks to have the making of a great game played by two quality teams and it should be a great atmosphere Friday night." – South Dearborn's Rand Ballart.
"South Dearborn has been on a bit of a roll of late and continuing their success from last season. They have another good team, and we will have to play well in order to walk away with a victory. South Dearborn's offense is led by their quarterback, Adam Dixon, and their running back, Dalton Guthrie. Both players have had great seasons so far. Dixon is very creative when plays break down, and Guthrie is a tough back to bring down. This will be another challenge for our defense. We will need to lock in, focus on our keys, and be aggressive. South Dearborn also has a very stout defense. They return a lot on defense that held us to nine points and zero touchdowns in our sectional game last year. We will need to play aggressive on offense and take opportunities when they present themselves. Obviously, we cannot turn the ball over and control the clock. We are looking forward to this game, and I really like our game plan." – East Central's Jake Meiners.
TELL CITY (4-1) AT SOUTHRIDGE (5-0)
KICKOFF: 7:30 p.m. EDT, Raider Field.
COACHES: Aaron Clements, 7-8 in second season at Tell City. Scott Buening, 63-19 in seventh season at Southridge, 75-47 in 11th season overall.
LAST CONTEST: Tell City beat Springs Valley, 41-6. Southridge beat South Spencer, 56-14.
TOP PERFORMERS: Bren Miller returned an interception 48 yards for a score for the Marksmen against Springs Valley. Cole Calvert tallied 12 carries for 101 yards and two touchdowns for the No. 8 (Class 3A) Raiders against South Spencer.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Southridge, 31-18, on September 21, 2018.
CHALK TALK: "For us to be successful this Friday night, we have to match their physicality on offense and defense. We are both run heavy teams who want to control the line of scrimmage and time of possession battle. On offense, we have to control the line of scrimmage during the game and also have to control the clock with long sustained drives throughout. We need to be able to run the ball to get our passing game going on Friday. We have to be able to get the option game going and making good reads while running it. Defensively, we have to be fundamentally sound with each player doing their job at all times in order to be able to compete with a great team like Southridge. We also have to tackle well in this matchup. They have great players who run the ball hard and don't go down on first contact." Tell City's Aaron Clements.
"Tell City has a talented football team that is growing in confidence week in and out and has improved tremendously over the past years. It is obvious watching on film that their work in the off-season has brought them together as a team and they have been rewarded with a great start to their season. Tell City is a tough, physical team that forces you to manage different formations offensively with an option scheme of which we will need to be disciplined. Defensively, they get off the ball well up front and have some good, aggressive players who get to the football. We are looking forward to a great game Friday." – Southridge's Scott Buening.
WESTERN (4-1) AT LEWIS CASS (5-0)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Owens Stadium.
COACHES: Alex Stewart, 18-9 in third season at Western, 28-19 in fifth season overall. Jeff Phillips, 20-19 in fourth season at Cass, 66-53 in 12th season overall.
LAST CONTEST: Western beat Hamilton Heights, 51-13. Cass beat Northwestern, 52-6.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jerry Padgett ran 21 times for 200 yards and three scores for the Panthers against Hamilton Heights. Isaac Chambers tossed four touchdown passes for the No. 1 (Class 2A) Kings against Northwestern.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Western, 48-21, on September 21, 2018.
CHALK TALK: "Lewis Cass is an outstanding football team. They are well-coached, play hard, and have outstanding playmakers. We will need to play sound in all three phases of the game, execute well, and play with great effort all night." – Western's Alex Stewart.
"To have success against the Western Panthers, we will have to have a solid performance in all three phases of the game. Our special teams have done an excellent job of getting the offense the ball in good field position. We have started several offensive possessions with the ball on the 50-yard line or less. We have also been able to force our opponents to start several of their possessions 80 yards out. Field position will be a key factor against the Panthers. On offense, we will need to be able to control the line of scrimmage. (Quarterback) Isaac Chambers threw for five touchdowns in last week's game, so in order to have continued success this week, our offensive line will have to maintain the line and scrimmage and pick up linebackers when they blitz. On defense, we will also need to control the line of scrimmage as well because Western has the size advantage up front and come off the ball well. We have emphasized staying low up front all week. We will have to stay low and control our gaps in order to slow down their running game. Another key for us will be preventing the big play. Western has had several long runs and long passes throughout their first five games, so we will have to have great pursuit and the secondary will have to be alert at all time." – Lewis Cass's Jeff Phillips.
