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THE INDIANA FOOTBALL DIGEST'S TOP GAMES – 2014 WEEK TWO
BY PAUL CONDRY AND MATT KOPSEA
ANDREAN (1-0) AT MERRILLVILLE (1-0)
GAME TIME: 7 pm CT, Demaree Stadium.
COACHES: Phil Mason, 60-19 in 7th year at Andrean, 93-56 in 14th year overall. Zac Wells, 77-25 in 9th year at Merrillville.
LAST OUTING: Andrean beat Hammond Noll, 65-0. Merrillville beat South Bend Clay, 35-28.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Andrean 0-1, Merrillville 0-1.
SERIES LAST 20 YEARS: Merrillville, 6-2.
LAST MEETING: Andrean, 34-32, Aug. 31, 2013.
COACHES COMMENTS: "This is always a great test for us. Merrillville is a great football team. We love to play them and we are excited about the opportunity. As always, we need to play fast and physical with no mistakes. If we play mistake free, are solid on defense, and keep it close, we have a great chance." – Andrean coach Phil Mason.
"For us to win on Friday night, we need to play considerably more consistent than we did the first two weeks of the seasons. This needs to take place in all three phases of the game as we are entering the portion of our schedule where consistent good play gives you a chance to win, but poor and inconsistent play is exploited by our opponents." – Merrillville coach Zac Wells.
BEN DAVIS (1-0) AT AVON (1-0)
GAME TIME: 7 pm ET, Oriole Stadium.
COACHES: Mike Kirschner, 55-25 in 8th year at Ben Davis, 69-51 in 12th year overall. Mark Bless, 33-15 in 5th year at Avon, 182-82 in 25th year overall.
LAST OUTING: Ben Davis beat Indianapolis Cathedral, 44-19. Avon beat Lawrence Central, 38-31.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Ben Davis 0-1, Avon 0-1.
SERIES LAST 20 YEARS: Ben Davis, 3-1.
LAST MEETING: Ben Davis, 35-14, sectional, Oct. 25, 2013.
COACHES COMMENTS: "For us to be successful, we will have to put a lot of pressure on their excellent D-1 quarterback Brandon Peters and their tailback (Derrick) Tennant. They have big play potential, so we will also have to cut back on the number of penalties from last week." – Ben Davis coach Mike Kirschner.
"We have to keep the game close by being ready to weather the storm early in all phases of the game (offense, defense, and special teams). We must stay focused at the task at hand and not get caught up in the hype of playing in a big game. Basically, just get out and play football the way we've been coached to do." – Avon coach Mark Bless.
CENTER GROVE (0-1) AT WHITELAND (1-0)
GAME TIME: 7 pm ET, James Sleighter Field.
COACHES: Eric Moore, 138-51 in 16th year at Center Grove, 187-57 in 20th year overall. Darrin Fisher, 67-38 in 10th year at Whiteland, 128-110 in 24th year overall.
LAST OUTING: Center Grove lost to Warren Central, 12-9, overtime. Whiteland beat Lafayette Jeff, 43-14.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Center Grove 1-0, Whiteland 0-1.
SERIES LAST 20 YEARS: Center Grove, 3-0.
LAST MEETING: Center Grove, 56-0, Aug. 30, 2013.
COACHES COMMENTS: "The Whiteland game will be a tough battle for my young Trojans. Whiteland has excellent speed with their skilled players and their defensive line plays as intense as anyone you will see. Combine that with the fact that this is the only grass field we play on, and it is the first time in my 16 years as Center Grove head coach that we have played at Whiteland. Coach (Darrin) Fisher is one of the best coaches in our state and his teams play so hard for him and their staff!! You have two really good football communities only five miles apart playing in a non-conference matchup. This is what high school football is all about. It's really fun to play a team that you have such a good friendship with and so much respect for the job the coaches and players do." – Center Grove coach Eric Moore.
"We must have success running the ball as well as stopping the run. We have to limit their big plays and create some big plays for ourselves. Consistency in the kicking game will also be a huge factor." – Whiteland coach Darrin Fisher.
FORT WAYNE BISHOP DWENGER (1-0) AT FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA (1-0)
GAME TIME: 7 pm ET, Zollner Stadium.
COACHES: Chris Svarczkopf, 128-35 in 13th year at Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger. Tim Mannigel, 13-31 in 5th year at Fort Wayne Concordia.
LAST OUTING: Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger beat Fort Wayne South, 52-6. Fort Wayne Concordia beat Fort Wayne North, 31-21.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger 0-1, Fort Wayne Concordia 0-1.
SERIES LAST 20 YEARS: Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, 19-1.
LAST MEETING: Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, 34-10, Aug. 30, 2013.
COACHES COMMENTS: "To be successful this weekend, we will have to limit their (Concordia) offense to two scores. That will be a chore because they are very talented at the skill positions. We played them in a 7-on-7 tournament this summer, and they won and it was not close. We will have to put great pressure on the passer and keep the ball in front of us. On offense, we will need to score in each quarter and maintain possession. The kicking game must give us opportunities rather than take them away. If all that is accomplished, we could be in a position to win." Bishop Dwenger coach Chris Svarczkopf.
"We don't ever talk to our players about winning. The thing we strive for is to play our best each week, and if we do so, then the scoreboard will take care of itself. Bishop Dwenger is a huge challenge for us. Their line play is outstanding and they seem to be playing very efficiently even this early in the season. Their coaching staff always does a good job of coming up with new wrinkles each week and keeping the opposition on their toes. We will certainly have our hands full, but it's a good challenge for us also. We get to see where we stand against one of the premier programs in the state of Indiana." – Concordia coach Tim Mannigel.
HOBART (1-0) AT LAPORTE (1-0)
GAME TIME: 7 pm CT, Kiwanis Field.
COACHES: Ryan Turley, 17-16 in 4th year at Hobart. Bob Schellinger, 103-116 in 22nd year at LaPorte, 172-161 in 34th year overall.
LAST OUTING: Hobart beat Gary West, 54-30. LaPorte beat New Prairie, 56-42.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Hobart 0-1, LaPorte 0-1.
SERIES LAST 20 YEARS: Hobart, 6-4.
LAST MEETING: Hobart, 27-21, overtime, Aug. 31, 2013.
COACHES COMMENTS: "We need to focus on being better blockers and tacklers. If we control the line of scrimmage it will put us in position to be successful on Friday night." – Hobart coach Ryan Turley.
"We need to continue to execute the offense as we did at New Prairie. We need to be very consistent both offensively and defensively in order to succeed against a very disciplined Hobart offense and defense. It's hard to out "tough" a Hobart team, we can only hope to outlast them in the long run." – LaPorte coach Bob Schellinger.
INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL (0-1) AT WARREN CENTRAL (1-0)
GAME TIME: 7 pm ET, Warren Central Field.
COACHES: Rick Streiff, 190-58 in 20th year at Indianapolis Cathedral, 211-90 in 25th year overall. Jayson West, 12-3 in 2nd year at Warren Central, 64-15 in 7th year overall.
LAST OUTING: Indianapolis Cathedral lost to Ben Davis, 44-19. Warren Central beat Center Grove, 12-9, overtime.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Indianapolis Cathedral 1-0, Warren Central 0-1.
SERIES LAST 20 YEARS: Indianapolis Cathedral, 5-4.
LAST MEETING: Warren Central, 42-28, Aug. 30, 2013.
COACHES COMMENTS: "We must play consistent football. We played well at times, but Ben Davis was able to exploit when we did not. Warren may be faster than Ben Davis, so we must play error free." - Cathedral coach Rick Streiff.
"To beat Cathedral, it will take a better offensive and special team's effort as well as being more consistent!" – Warren Central coach Jayson West.
INDIANAPOLIS CARDINAL RITTER (1-0) AT INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN (1-0)
GAME TIME: 7 pm ET, Indianapolis Lutheran Field.
COACHES: Ty Hunt, 94-16 in 9th year at Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter. Dave Pasch, 38-30 in 7th year at Indianapolis Lutheran, 103-87 in 18th year overall.
LAST OUTING: Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter beat Monrovia, 41-40, overtime. Indianapolis Lutheran beat Beech Grove, 36-28.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter 0-1, Indianapolis Lutheran 0-1.
SERIES LAST 20 YEARS: Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter, 4-0.
LAST MEETING: Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter, 38-6, Aug. 30, 2013.
COACHES COMMENTS: "After a come from behind win against Monrovia, we cannot have any let downs. Lutheran is similar to Monrovia in that they return a lot of starters. We have a lot of young blood and will have to play our positions a lot better than last week. We must focus in on our reads and play our position. As with any football contest, we must get to the ball and tackle using good technique. We must continue to execute on offense in order to win Indiana Crossroads Conference game number TWO!" – Cardinal Ritter coach Ty Hunt.
"For Lutheran to beat Cardinal Ritter, we have to continue to grow, and do so this week by believing that we can compete each play with a program as established as Ritter. Finding a way to overcome their deep rooted expectation of success will also be important." – Luteran coach Dave Pasch.
JASPER (1-0) AT SOUTHRIDGE (1-0)
GAME TIME: 8 pm ET, Raider Field.
COACHES: Tony Ahrens, 106-27 in 12th year at Jasper. Scott Buening, 11-3 in 2nd year at Southridge, 23-31 in 6th year overall.
LAST OUTING: Jasper beat Evansville Memorial, 45-14. Southridge beat Corydon Central, 49-26.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Jasper 0-1, Southridge 0-1.
SERIES LAST 20 YEARS: Jasper, 16-4.
LAST MEETING: Jasper, 28-21, Aug. 30, 2013.
COACHES COMMENTS: "Southridge has an offense that is very challenging. We will have to be very assignment driven. Conner Craig is a back that is tough to account for. That being said, we have to play well up front." - Jasper coach Tony Ahrens.
"It is certainly a big game for us, and we will find out where we are! To beat Jasper defensively, we will need to make them earn their points. They have a very balanced offensive attack that can hurt you on the ground and in the passing game. Offensively, we need to protect the football and find ways to create some scoring opportunities. Jasper is, as always, very sound and well coached and will not beat themselves." – Southridge coach Scott Buening.
NEW PRAIRIE (0-1) AT MISHAWAKA MARIAN (1-0)
GAME TIME: 8 pm ET, Otolski Field.
COACHES: Russ Radtke, 21-4 in 3rd year at New Prairie, 311-124 in 38th year overall. Reggie Glon, 128-89 in 21st year at Mishawaka Marian.
LAST OUTING: New Prairie lost to LaPorte, 56-42. Mishawaka Marian beat Fairfield, 33-7.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: New Prairie 1-0, Mishawaka Marian 0-1.
SERIES LAST 20 YEARS: New Prairie, 3-1.
LAST MEETING: New Prairie, 28-21, Aug. 30, 2013.
COACHES COMMENTS:
"Defensively, we need to be able to get our guys off the field, execute the game plan and make plays. Offensively, our boys will need to continue to make adjustments as the game goes on." – New Prairie coach Russ Radtke.
"We will need to play error free football this week to win. We had far too many penalties last week and we need to not have any turnovers. Last year the kicking game played a huge part in the outcome of the game. They (New Prairie) blocked a kick and returned one for a touchdown and that was the difference between winning and losing." – Marian coach Reggie Glon.
PIKE (1-0) AT FISHERS (1-0)
GAME TIME: 7 pm ET, Clarian Field.
COACHES: Derek Moyers, 61-24 in 8th year at Pike, 95-54 in 14th year overall. Rick Wimmer, 64-31 in 9th year at Fishers, 228-114 in 32nd year overall.
LAST OUTING: Pike beat Brownsburg, 59-19. Fishers beat North Central (Indianapolis), 32-20.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Pike 0-1, Fishers 0-1.
SERIES LAST 20 YEARS: No meetings.
COACHES COMMENTS: "In order to beat a very good Fishers team, we must be disciplined in all phases of the game, execute our schemes, and play a physical style of football for four quarters!" – Pike coach Derek Moyers.
"Pike is a fast physical football team who is very deserving of their top 10 ranking in both the Indiana Football Coaches Association Poll and the Associated Press Poll. Their quarterback Beau Trudeau passed for six touchdowns and over 300 yards in last week's 59-19 win over Brownsburg. He will be throwing to wide receivers Johnny Williams, Rashad Medaris, and Quinton Taliaferro. On defense, they have plenty of playmakers in linebackers Quintin Moon, Aaron Jones, and Chris Smith, linemen Kemuel Denny and Anthony Jackson, and cornerback Alon Harrison. In order to get a win, we will need some stops and turnovers from our defense. Last week, linebacker Luke Harbison picked off two passes, turning one of them into a pick six (touchdown). We will need great pressure from our defensive front, particularly Shawn Taylor and Joel Wilcox. We will need great play from our secondary as they will be challenged this week by a dynamic passing game and some talented receivers. Defensive backs Jeremy Chinn, Josh Lloyd, R.J. Potts, and Michael Kinder have the ability to make this a very interesting match-up during the game. We are going to need another big game from tailback Maurice Campbell, who rushed for 124 yards on 25 carries last week against North Central (Indianapolis). If we are to win, we must run the ball successfully and our offensive linemen Luka Skudrzik, Titus Martin, Matt Hafley, Gavin Laffoon, Josh Inman, Chase Bowser, and Charlie Bernhardt will be key in that role. We will need a solid game from quarterback Zach Eaton, who played well in spurts last week. The entire offense must play more consistently, being more physical in the run game, more efficient in the passing game, and taking better care of the football. Despite losing just one fumble last week, the ball was on the ground far too many times. The kicking game will undoubtedly play a big role. Last week, we got big returns from Mike Folta and R.J. Potts. Josh Lloyd also had a 55 yard punt to flip the field and help protect our defense. We are looking forward to playing a quality opponent like Pike. It will be a big challenge for our football team, but challenges like this help us improve and allow us to find out how we will compete against quality opponents." – Fishers coach Rick Wimmer.
SOUTHPORT (1-0) AT WESTFIELD (1-0)
GAME TIME: 7 pm ET, Stanley Stadium.
COACHES: Bill Peebles, 46-50 in 10th year at Southport. Jake Gilbert, 21-15 in 4th year at Westfield, 51-51 in 10th year overall.
LAST OUTING: Southport beat Indianapolis Roncalli, 27-13. Westfield beat Harrison (West Lafayette), 35-14.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Southport 0-1, Westfield 0-1.
SERIES LAST 20 YEARS: No meetings.
COACHES COMMENTS: "We are excited to see where we rank among the best programs in the state. Southport is outstanding and very well coached. We have a lot of new faces this year and this will be a major test for us. We can't wait!" – Westfield coach Jake Gilbert.
SPEEDWAY (1-0) AT INDIANAPOLIS SCECINA (1-0)
GAME TIME: 7 pm ET, Manual HS.
COACHES: Steve Wray, 1-0 in 1st year at Speedway. Ott Hurrle, 152-111 in 23rd year at Indianapolis Scecina, 153-120 in 25th year overall.
LAST OUTING: Speedway beat Greencastle, 28-7. Indianapolis Scecina beat Elwood, 37-12.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Speedway 0-1, Indianapolis Scecina 0-1.
SERIES LAST 20 YEARS: Speedway, 7-4.
LAST MEETING: Indianapolis Scecina, 35-0, Aug. 30, 2013.
COACHES COMMENTS: "For us to beat Speedway, we will have to contain their running backs who are big, strong, and fast, and we will have to block their very good and aggressive linebackers." – Scecina coach Ott Hurrle.
TERRE HAUTE NORTH (1-0) AT TERRE HAUTE SOUTH (1-0)
GAME TIME: 7 pm ET, Bob Clements Field.
COACHES: Chris Barrett, 55-78 in 13th year at Terre Haute North, 83-110 in 20th year overall. Tim Herrin, 3-8 in 2nd year at Terre Haute South.
LAST OUTING: Terre Haute North beat Castle, 24-14. Terre Haute South beat Evansville North, 47-15.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Terre Haute North 0-1, Terre Haute South 0-1.
SERIES LAST 20 YEARS: Terre Haute North, 16-9.
LAST MEETING: Terre Haute South, 28-24, Aug. 30, 2013.
COACHES COMMENTS: "Our main focus is to execute our offense, defense, and special teams to the best of our ability. This is a game that you need to keep your emotions under control and put yourself in a position to win in the fourth quarter." – T.H. South coach Tim Herin.
WINAMAC (1-0) VS PIONEER (1-0)
GAME TIME: Noon ET Saturday, Lucas Oil Stadium.
COACHES: Tim Roth, 216-133 in 34th year at Winamac. Mike Johnson, 190-75 in 24th year at Pioneer.
LAST OUTING: Winamac beat Knox, 40-0. Pioneer beat Lewis Cass, 34-18.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Winamac 0-1, Pioneer 0-1.
SERIES LAST 20 YEARS: Pioneer, 12-9.
LAST MEETING: Winamac, 28-14, regional, Nov. 15, 2013.
COACHES COMMENTS: "Like any other game we have to control the line of scrimmage and contain their running game. It should be a GREAT game." – Winamac coach Tim Roth.
INDIAN CREEK (1-0) VS GREENWOOD (1-0)
GAME TIME: 8 pm ET Saturday, Lucas Oil Stadium.
COACHES: Mike Gillin, 118-35 in 14th year at Indian Creek, 284-107 in 36th year overall. Mike Campbell, 40-49 in 9th year at Greenwood.
LAST OUTING: Indian Creek beat Knightstown, 56-7. Greenwood beat Perry Meridian, 56-28.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Indian Creek 0-1, Greenwood 0-1.
SERIES LAST 20 YEARS: Greenwood, 5-1.
LAST MEETING: Greenwood, 33-28, Aug. 30, 2013.
COACHES COMMENTS: "To beat Indian Creek, we must be sound in our execution on offense and be great tacklers. They are a physical, well-coached team. We must play with speed to neutralize their size advantage." - Greenwood coach Mike Campbell.
