(ALL GAMES ON FRIDAY)
CENTER GROVE (3-2) AT LAWRENCE CENTRAL (4-1)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Smysor Field.
COACHES: Eric Moore, 176-58 in 19th season at Center Grove, 224-63 in 23rd season overall. Bill Peebles, 10-6 in second season at Lawrence Central, 72-62 in 13th season overall.
LAST CONTEST: Center Grove beat North Central (Indianapolis), 24-7. Lawrence Central lost to Pike, 46-28.
LAST MEETING: Center Grove, 35-21, on September 23, 2016.
DID YOU KNOW: Center Grove is looking for its fifth win in a row over Lawrence Central. The last time Lawrence Central had back-to-back winning seasons were in 2011 and 2012.
COACH TALK: "We will have to play a mistake-free ball game. Defensively, we will have to read our keys well and tackle well. Offensively, we will have to limit mistakes and finish drives in the red zone." – Lawrence Central's Bill Peebles.
COLUMBIA CITY (4-1) AT NEW HAVEN (5-0)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Young Field.
COACHES: Brett Fox, 14-23 in fourth season at Columbia City. Jim Rowland, 110-78 in 17th season at New Haven.
LAST CONTEST: Columbia City beat DeKalb, 14-6. New Haven beat Norwell, 39-6.
LAST MEETING: New Haven, 46-0, on September 23, 2016.
DID YOU KNOW: Columbia City has not had a five-game winning streak since 2010. New Haven is going after its seventh straight win against Columbia City.
COACH TALK: "For us to win Friday against New Haven, we will have to play a complete game. Our defense will have to continue to play well. We have to tackle in the open-field well and create some turnovers. Offensively, we will need to become a more consistent team while converting third downs and red zone opportunities. We will need to play one of our best games of the year against New Haven." – Columbia City's Brett Fox.
COLUMBUS NORTH (4-1) AT TERRE HAUTE NORTH (4-1)
KICKOFF: 7:30 p.m. EDT, Patriot Field.
COACHES: Tim Bless, 117-80 in 18th season at Columbus North, 129-89 in 20th season overall. Chris Barrett, 71-99 in 16th season at Terre Haute North, 99-131 in 23rd season overall.
LAST CONTEST: Columbus North beat Terre Haute South, 37-13. Terre Haute North beat Bloomington North, 42-11.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Columbus North, 59-13, on September 23, 2016.
DID YOU KNOW: Columbus North has tallied 34 or more points in its four victories. Terre Haute North is trying to end a three-game losing skid to Columbus North.
COACH TALK: "To be successful Friday night at Terre Haute North, we must first handle the two-hour plus road trip with maturity and discipline. Once they put the ball down at 7:30 pm, we must be ready for a physical game against a physical football team." – Columbus North's Tim Bless.
"Columbus North is extremely well-coached and talented. They are solid in every position group and have big play capability. In order for us to win, we will need to be more consistent offensively and limit Columbus North's X-plays (20 or more yards)." - Terre Haute North's Chris Barrett.
EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL (5-0) AT EVANSVILLE REITZ (5-0)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. CDT, Reitz Bowl.
COACHES: John Hurley, 64-52 in 10th season at Evansville Memorial. Andy Hape, 44-10 in fifth season at Evansville Reitz.
LAST CONTEST: Evansville Memorial beat Evansville Bosse, 43-0. Evansville Reitz beat Evansville Harrison, 34-7.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Evansville Reitz, 43-12, on September 23, 2016.
DID YOU KNOW: Evansville Memorial has not started 6-0 since 1989. Evansville Reitz is going for its 13th straight victory over Evansville Memorial.
COACH TALK: "Memorial is going to be a tremendous challenge for us this week. They have one of the best offenses in the state which is led by arguably one of the best quarterbacks (Michael Lindauer) in the state. We are going to have to have a great week of preparation and focus. We are excited to be at home after four straight road games. If we play the way we are capable of playing, we should have a chance to be successful." – Reitz's Andy Hape.
FLOYD CENTRAL (4-1) AT COLUMBUS EAST (4-1)
KICKOFF: 7 pm ET, Stafford Field.
COACHES: Brian Glesing, 66-49 in 11th season at Floyd Central, 106-79 in 17th season overall. Bob Gaddis, 176-34 in 17th season at Columbus East, 294-134 in 39th season overall.
LAST CONTEST: Floyd Central beat Jeffersonville, 34-14. Columbus East beat New Albany, 77-34.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Columbus East, 49-14, on September 23, 2016.
DID YOU KNOW: Before coming to Floyd Central in 2007, Brian Glesing won back-to-back sectional titles at LaVille in 2002 and 2003. Columbus East has not lost a Hoosier Hills Conference game since 2006.
COACH TALK: "We have to sustain drives and get first downs. We must keep their offense off the field and win the time of possession battle as well as the turnover battle. When they have the ball, we must not allow the big play." – Floyd Central's Brian Glesing.
"We need to get some defensive stops vs. their ball control offense, and take advantage of our offensive opportunities. We will need to battle for field position vs. their strong kicking game." – Columbus East's Bob Gaddis.
FORT WAYNE BISHOP DWENGER (3-2) AT FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA (3-2)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Zollner Stadium.
COACHES: Chris Svarczkopf, 142-47 in 15th season at Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger. Tim Mannigel, 37-47 in eighth season at Fort Wayne Concordia.
LAST CONTEST: Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger lost to Carroll (Fort Wayne), 28-24. Fort Wayne Concordia beat Fort Wayne Northrop, 47-21.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Fort Wayne Concordia, 28-21, on September 23, 2016.
DID YOU KNOW: Going back to 2000, Bishop Dwenger has had only three losing seasons (2000, 2012, 2014). Concordia's win over Bishop Dwenger last year snapped a 12-game streak in the series.
COACH TALK: "Offensively, we have to continue to improve and limit our mistakes. We have yet to play a complete, clean game on offense. Defensively, we must play a physical brand of football. Bishop Dwenger will be ready to play a very physical game and we must match that intensity." – Concordia's Tim Mannigel.
GIBSON SOUTHERN (5-0) AT HERITAGE HILLS (3-2)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. CDT, Patriot Field.
COACHES: Nick Hart, 61-8 in sixth season at Gibson Southern. Todd Wilkerson, 37-22 in sixth season at Heritage Hills.
LAST CONTEST: Gibson Southern beat Princeton, 58-12. Heritage Hills lost to North Posey, 37-23.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Gibson Southern, 38-10, on September 23, 2016.
DID YOU KNOW: In their last two meetings, Gibson Southern has outscored Heritage Hills, 80-23. Going back to 2000, Heritage Hills' only losing campaign came in 2013 (2-8).
COACH TALK: "We are going to have to play well in all three phases to win the game. The Jungle is always a tough place to go get a win and Coach Wilkerson is an excellent coach who will have his team prepared to play very well. This is always an extremely physical game, so we must be ready to go in that aspect. They are going to want to slow the game down and we want to speed it up. Our defense has to get some stops early so we are the ones controlling the tempo." – Gibson Southern's Nick Hart.
"To win against Gibson Southern, we are going to have to play outstanding defense. Offensively. we need to be able to move the chains and possess the ball to keep their high powered offense off of the field." – Heritage Hills' Todd Wilkerson.
INDIANAPOLIS CARDINAL RITTER (5-0) AT TRITON CENTRAL (4-1)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Bud Mendenhall Field.
COACHES: Ty Hunt, 122-30 in 12th season at Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter. Tim Able, 38-16 in fifth season at Triton Central, 163-114 in 25th season overall.
LAST CONTEST: Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter beat Linton-Stockton, 42-22. Triton Central beat Indian Creek, 41-20.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter, 25-14, on September 23, 2016.
DID YOU KNOW: Cardinal Ritter is looking for its first 6-0 start since 2012. Triton Central has not endured a losing campaign since 2004.
COACH TALK: "Coach Able definitely has his group going. As with any week, we are going to have to find our inner strengths. The fundamentals of staying low, making our key reads, and stepping up to the challenge each week will continue to be a several of the tasks at hand. We have to build each week as one unit. Ultimately setting the tone at the line of scrimmage will be a big key!" – Cardinal Ritter's Ty Hunt.
INDIANAPOLIS SCECINA (4-1) AT INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN (4-1)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Lutheran Field.
COACHES: Ott Hurrle, 173-128 in 26th season at Indianapolis Scecina, 174-137 in 28th season overall. Dave Pasch, 69-44 in 10th season at Indianapolis Lutheran, 134-101 in 21st season overall.
LAST CONTEST: Indianapolis Scecina lost to Indianapolis Roncalli, 38-7. Indianapolis Lutheran beat Park Tudor, 59-16.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Indianapolis Scecina, 20-13, on September 23, 2016.
DID YOU KNOW: Scecina has captured five of the previous seven meetings against Lutheran. Dave Pasch won two straight sectional crowns at North Putnam in 2006 and 2007 before coming to Lutheran in 2008.
COACH TALK: "We will need to block much better than last week and keep their massive defensive linemen out of our backfield. Defensively, we will need to contain their quarterback (KeVen Bland)." -Scecina's Ott Hurrle.
JIMTOWN (3-2) AT CONCORD (5-0)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Jake Field.
COACHES: Mike. Campbell, 89-30 in 10th season at Jimtown. Craig Koehler, 19-7 in third season at Concord.
LAST CONTEST: Jimtown beat Mishawaka Marian, 7-0. Concord beat Goshen, 49-14.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Jimtown, 37-36, on September 23, 2016.
DID YOU KNOW: Jimtown has won the last three meetings with Concord at Jake Field. The last time Concord started the season with six straight wins was 2010.
COACH TALK: "Jimtown has the ability to control the game with their run game. We have to get their offense off schedule. They will be very comfortable with second and six and third and three situations, which would make for a very long and frustrating night for us." – Concord's Craig Koehler.
MARION (4-1) AT LAFAYETTE JEFF (5-0)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Sheumann Stadium.
COACHES: Craig Chambers, 9-6 in second season at Marion, 32-19 in fifth season overall. Pat Shanley, 11-4 in second season at Lafayette Jeff.
LAST CONTEST: Marion beat Richmond, 41-0. Lafayette Jeff beat Kokomo, 48-28.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Lafayette Jeff, 28-20, on September 23, 2016.
DID YOU KNOW: Marion has not celebrated a sectional crown since 1990. Lafayette Jeff has not opened with a 6-0 record since 2003.
COACH TALK: "To win, we have to stay discipline, minimize turnovers, and don't get down big early!" – Marion's Craig Chambers.
"Marion is a very well-coached football team. Their defense has only given up three scores (one other score on them was a blocked punt for a touchdown) and has recorded three shutouts. In order to have success offensively, we are going to have to establish the line of scrimmage and our playmakers are going to have to make plays. We have to be content with moving the chains and ball control against this defense. The Marion offense is led by their quarterback, Justin Johnson. He is ELECTRIC! We must keep him in the pocket and force him to beat us with his arm. If he breaks the contain of our defense, he is taking it to the house! As always, it is critical that we take care of the football and play with great passion and enthusiasm for four full quarters!" – Lafayette Jeff's Pat Shanley.
NORTH VERMILLION (4-1) AT ATTICA (4-1)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Bruce Field.
COACHES: Brian Crabtree, 62-8 in sixth season at North Vermillion, 97-47 in 13th season overall. Ryan Good, 69-36 in 10th season at Attica.
LAST CONTEST: North Vermillion beat Riverton Parke, 53-12. Attica lost to Fountain Central, 48-22.
PREVIOUS MEETING: North Vermillion, 23-21, on September 23, 2016.
DID YOU KNOW: Over his last six years, Brian Crabtree has won at least nine games each season. Since taking over in 2008, Ryan Good has not had a losing season.
COACH TALK: "To beat Attica, we will have to be effective throwing the ball on offense and on defense, we will need to limit the big play." – North Vermillion's Brian Crabtree.
"In order to win, our defense has to play mistake-free, not allow big plays, and force some turnovers." – Attica's Ryan Good.
NORTHWOOD (4-1) AT NORTHRIDGE (5-0)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Raider Field.
COACHES: Nate Andrews, 32-11 in fourth season at NorthWood, 72-50 in 11th season overall. Tom Wogomon, 33-18 in fifth season at Northridge, 58-55 in 11th season overall.
LAST CONTEST: NorthWood beat Wawasee, 32-0. Northridge beat Warsaw, 24-6.
PREVIOUS MEETING: NorthWood, 44-13, on October 28, 2016 in Class 4A sectional semifinal.
DID YOU KNOW: This is the first of three straight road games for NorthWood. You have go all the way back to 1975 for the last time Northridge opened with a 6-0 record.
COACH TALK: "We must score convert third and fourth down conversions at a very high rate. We must score touchdowns in the red zone. We must embrace the emotions and environment that will be surrounding Middlebury." – NorthWood's Nate Andrews.
"NorthWood is an outstanding, well-coached football team. They have so much speed all over the place. Their defense is not overly sized, but they attack the ball so well. Their front three on defense just create havoc in how well they attack the line of scrimmage and pursuit the football. I think the team that wins the turnover margin and plays the most physical game will put themselves in a great position to win this game." – Northridge's Tom Wogomon.
PAOLI (4-1) AT GREENWOOD (4-1)
KICKOFF: 7:30 p.m. EDT, Woodman Field.
COACHES: Jeremy Lowery, 4-1 in first season at Paoli. Mike Campbell, 62-65 in 12th season at Greenwood.
LAST CONTEST: Paoli beat West Washington, 48-0. Greenwood lost to Plainfield, 63-27.
PREVIOUS MEETING: First matchup.
DID YOU KNOW: Jeremy Lowery was a member of Penn's 1989 Class 5A state runner-up team. Greenwood has not claimed a sectional championship since 2005.
COACH TALK: "Greenwood has a great looking football team this year. They are very well-coached and bring back a lot of kids who have had success over the last couple years. Their offense starts with the running game. (Brandon) Rosado is a really nice looking runner who we will have to slow down. He is a really quick kid and he runs behind his pads with power. They also do a nice job including their quarterback (Seth) Gallman into the run game. He is a really good athlete and must be accounted for in the run game. With that said, they have a nice throw game as well. Wide receiver (Luke) Raker and the tight end (Connor) Battinau are nice targets and they do a great job keeping them involved in their scheme. Defensively, their squad is composed of all juniors and seniors who play very hard. No. 58 (Nick) Young and No. 34 (Tim) Johns are high energy players who are always around the ball. We must continue to get off the ball and play through the whistle like we have the last three weeks. Taking care of the football is always a priority for us and that will be a must this week. We are executing our offense very well right now. We have a lot of kids getting involved and we are playing with a great deal of confidence. Greenwood is a very good football team. We will have to bring our 'A' game to have success. Our focus will be on ourselves as usual. We will continue to focus on things which we can control. We are very proud of how our kids are playing and look forward to this challenge." – Paoli's Jeremy Lowery.
"To beat Paoli, we must limit their big play running capability and make them snap the ball again. Offensively, we must sustain drives to keep their offense off the field." – Greenwood's Mike Campbell.
SOUTHMONT (4-1) AT DANVILLE (5-0)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Warrior Field.
COACHES: Desson Hannum, 50-62 in 11th season at Southmont. K.C. Woods, 15-3 in second season at Danville, 23-7 in third season overall.
LAST CONTEST: Southmont beat Crawfordsville, 41-14. Danville beat Tri-West, 27-14.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Danville, 30-28, on September 23, 2016.
DID YOU KNOW: Southmont is in pursuit of its first winning season since 2011. Danville has not started the season with six consecutive wins since 2002.
COACH TALK: "Danville has a lot of weapons on the offensive side of the ball. Their defense has got a lot of team speed. In order to beat Danville this week, we need to win the turnover battle, run the football, tackle in space, and not give up big plays." – Southmont's Desson Hannum.
"Southmont is a very well-coached team on both sides of the ball. They have some really good backs that carry out their option attack very well. We are going to have to be very disciplined on defense, and trust one another to take care of their responsibility. Offensively, we need to maintain the run-pass balance that we've had this year and get off to a faster start than we have the past couple of weeks." - Danville's K.C. Woods.
SULLIVAN (4-1) AT GREENCASTLE (4-1)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Harbison Field.
COACHES: Blaine Powell, 4-1 in first season at Sullivan. Mike Meyer, 33-44 in eighth season at Greencastle, 37-70 in 11th season overall.
LAST CONTEST: Sullivan beat South Vermillion, 42-28. Greencastle beat Cascade, 37-0.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Sullivan, 56-7, on September 23, 2016.
DID YOU KNOW: Sullivan has outscored Greencastle, 115-13, in its last two matchups. Greencastle has not celebrated a sectional crown since 1991.
COACH TALK: "It is certainly a huge game in the WIC (Western Indiana Conference) West Division. I would say for us to win on Friday at Greencastle we will have to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, limit our turnovers, and create turnovers on defense. They have a very talented front eight on defense that will be a challenge for our offensive line. On defense, we will have to contain their run game." – Sullivan's Blaine Powell.
