AVON (1-0) AT BEN DAVIS (1-0)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Giants Stadium.
COACHES: Mark Bless, 57-26 in eighth season at Avon, 206-93 in 28th season overall. Mike Kirschner, 82-36 in 11th season at Ben Davis, 96-62 in 15th season overall.
LAST CONTEST: Avon beat Plainfield, 58-32. Ben Davis beat Indianapolis Tech, 49-7.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Ben Davis, 47-40, on November 4, 2016 in Class 6A sectional final.
DID YOU KNOW: Avon has not had a losing season since 2009, while Ben Davis has won six of the last seven meetings between the two clubs.
COACH TALK: "We will need to limit Ben Davis' big play capability on offense and not turn the ball over if we expect to beat them." – Avon's Mark Bless.
"We are facing a very experienced and explosive offense that looks impossible to stop. We are going to have to tackle very well and execute our offense to stay with them." - Ben Davis' Mike Kirschner.
BROWNSBURG (1-0) AT LAWRENCE NORTH (1-0)
KICKOFF: 7:30 p.m. EDT, Bell Field.
COACHES: John Hart, 9-2 in second season at Brownsburg, 277-84 in 33rd season overall. Patrick Mallory, 9-32 in fifth season at Lawrence North, 23-40 in seventh season overall.
LAST CONTEST: Brownsburg beat Bloomington South, 51-14. Lawrence North beat Noblesville, 42-16.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Brownsburg, 13-8, on August 26, 2016.
DID YOU KNOW: Brownsburg's last sectional crown came in 2009, while Lawrence North has not started 2-0 since 2006.
COACH TALK: "Lawrence North is physical and athletic and they look like the old great Center Grove teams. They are well-coached and don't make mistakes. We will have to match their physicality and stay with our keys. The Wing T creates problems when players lose focus and discipline." – Brownsburg's John Hart.
"We are going to have to come out fast and physical. We need to control the tempo, and the attitude of the game. If we can continue to play physical on defense, run with the receivers, move the line of scrimmage, and get our offensive play makers making plays, then we have a good shot to be in position to be successful. Players make plays, and our players in all three phases of the game, need to make plays." – Lawrence North's Pat Mallory.
COLUMBUS NORTH (1-0) AT COLUMBUS EAST (1-0)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Stafford Field.
COACHES: Tim Bless, 114-79 in 18th season at Columbus North, 126-88 in 20th season overall. Bob Gaddis, 173-33 in 17th season at Columbus East, 291-133 in 39th season overall.
LAST CONTEST: Columbus North beat Franklin, 41-0. Columbus East beat Bloomington North, 42-17.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Columbus North, 30-13, on August 26, 2016.
DID YOU KNOW: Columbus North recorded more than 400 all-purpose yards against Franklin, while Columbus East ran for more than 340 yards against Bloomington North.
COACH TALK: "To win Friday's game against East, we must play really good football against a very talented program. Specifically, we must harness their explosive offensive athletes, play sound offensive football, and win the battle of special teams." – Columbus North's Tim Bless.
"As a team. we will need a consistent four-quarter effort. Defensively, we need to limit their big plays and make them earn every yard. Offensively, we need to consistently move the ball and take advantage of field position. Special teams hidden yardage will be huge. As always, it starts up front, and it will be a tough physical battle." – Columbus East's Bob Gaddis.
FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA (1-0) AT HOMESTEAD (1-0)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Walters Stadium.
COACHES: Tim Mannigel, 35-45 in eighth season at Fort Wayne Concordia. Chad Zolman, 111-35 in 14th season at Homestead.
LAST CONTEST: Fort Wayne Concordia beat Fort Wayne South, 29-0. Homestead beat Fort Wayne Northrop, 43-23.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Homestead, 27-26, on August 26, 2016.
DID YOU KNOW: Concordia has not opened the season with two straight wins since 1978, while Homestead has not lost a contest in week two since 2008.
COACH TALK: "We need to play a much better game offensively. We feel we left a lot of points on the field last Friday night and just didn't execute the way we think we can. Homestead is a very good football team. To have any chance of success, we need to be cleaner on offense. Our defense needs to continue to play well and with confidence against a very dangerous offense led by a dynamic quarterback (Jiya Wright)." – Concordia's Tim Mannigel.
"We need to address some sloppy play on both sides of the ball from last week if we are to be successful against Concordia. Concordia is a well-coached group of very good athletes, so we will need to play very well to succeed." – Homestead's Chad Zolman.
FRANKLIN CENTRAL (1-0) AT INDIANAPOLIS RONCALLI (1-0)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Roncalli Field.
COACHES: Grant Lewis, 8-13 in third season at Franklin Central. Scott Marsh, 1-0 in first season at Indianapolis Roncalli, 28-55 in ninth season overall.
LAST CONTEST: Franklin Central beat Decatur Central, 31-20. Indianapolis Roncalli beat Southport, 21-3.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Indianapolis Roncalli, 22-14, on August 26, 2016.
DID YOU KNOW: Franklin Central has not experienced a winning campaign since 2007, while Roncalli's last losing season came in 2010.
COACH TALK: "In order to beat Roncalli. we have to continue to play as a team and take care of all the details. This game will be won by the team that makes the least mistakes and is the most physical in the trenches. I fully anticipate this game to be very close and come down to the wire. We are looking forward to the strong competition and hope to continue playing at a high level." - Franklin Central's Grant Lewis.
"To win this Friday, we have to be able to limit their big plays in the running game and force them to put the ball in the air. We also have to be able to have some balance in our offense to keep them guessing a little bit and to do that we have to protect our quarterback and get the ball out on time." – Roncalli's Scott Marsh.
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN (1-0) AT NORTH CENTRAL (INDIANAPOLIS) (1-0)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Panthers Stadium.
COACHES: Scott May, 84-28 in 11th season at Hamilton Southeastern, 87-47 in 13th season overall. Kevin O'Shea, 1-0 in first season at North Central (Indianapolis), 215-73 in 25th season overall.
LAST CONTEST: Hamilton Southeastern beat Kokomo, 24-2. North Central (Indianapolis) beat Fishers, 19-17.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Hamilton Southeastern, 31-7, on August 27, 2016.
DID YOU KNOW: Hamilton Southeastern came up with five fumble recoveries against Kokomo, while North Central's victory at Fishers was its first regular season road win since 2012.
COACH TALK: "They are big and athletic and now have a taste of how to win close games. For us to win, we must first take care of us and get better this week in practice. We will need to find away on offense to slow them down and put drives together. On defense, we must make them go 80 yards on us. We can't give up big plays and they have players that can make those plays. I am impressed with their quarterback, so we must make him uncomfortable in the pocket because Fishers had a hard time doing that in week one." Hamilton Southeastern's Scott May.
"To have a shot at beating HSE, we first must take care of the ball better than we did last week at Fishers, and we must have another great performance from our defense." North Central's Kevin O'Shea.
INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN (1-0) AT INDIANAPOLIS CARDINAL RITTER (1-0)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Marian University.
COACHES: Dave Pasch, 66-43 in 10th season at Indianapolis Lutheran, 131-100 in 21st season overall. Ty Hunt, 118-30 in 12th season at Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter.
LAST CONTEST: Indianapolis Lutheran beat Beech Grove, 28-14. Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter beat Monrovia, 34-20.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Indianapolis Lutheran, 21-14, on August 26, 2016.
DID YOU KNOW: Indianapolis Lutheran tallied 22 points in the third quarter against Beech Grove, while Cardinal Ritter came up with four interceptions against Monrovia.
COACH TALK: "Ritter is a very well coached and athletic team. They play like a team with great confidence that expects to make big plays and win. It will be important for Lutheran to endure segments of the game of high emotion and momentum shifts, limit big plays, and play a game of high discipline. If we keep our composure and play fast, we can be competitive." - Lutheran's Dave Pasch.
"We must execute and get after the small things that will help us decide each play. We then can build upon the foundation and BELIEVE in each other. The effort given and conditioning in practice will help determine how well we are prepared." – Cardinal Ritter's Ty Hunt.
LOUISVILLE TRINITY (KY.) (1-0) AT WARREN CENTRAL (1-0)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Warrior Stadium.
COACHES: Jayson West, 39-12 in 5th season at Warren Central, 91-24 in 10th season overall, Bob Beaty, 210-35 in 17th season at Louisville Trinity.
LAST CONTEST: Warren Central beat Center Grove, 27-24. Louisville Trinity beat Carmel, 31-3.
PREVIOUS MEETING: First meeting.
DID YOU KNOW: Trinity has won 24 state championships, which is the most in the history of high school football in Kentucky, while Warren Central has claimed eight titles overall.
COACH TALK: "We have to be much cleaner with details, such as alignment, assignment, and effort. They are a very good football team and if we play sloppy, we will be in for a long night." – Warren Central's Jayson West.
MISHAWAKA (1-0) AT VALPARAISO (1-0)
KICKOFF: 7:30 p.m. EDT, Viking Field.
COACHES: Bart Curtis, 85-30 in 10th season at Mishawaka, 196-97 in 27th season overall. Dave Coyle, 21-30 in sixth season at Valparaiso.
LAST CONTEST: Mishawaka beat Portage, 47-45. Valparaiso beat Penn, 12-7.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Valparaiso, 21-14, on November 12, 2010 in Class 5A regional.
DID YOU KNOW: Mishawaka has not won a contest at Valparaiso since 1991, while Valparaiso limited Penn to just two first downs.
COACH TALK: "Valparaiso is very physical and fast. They appear to be steady and sturdy in all phases of the game. Their quarterback No. 11 (Jake Leffew) makes them go and they have enough talent to spread the football around. Defensively, they are rock solid. They put the pressure on Penn last week and made life miserable for their quarterbacks. We will have to make sure we do not give them extra chances with the football. For us to win, we will have to match their physicality and intensity." - Mishawaka's Bart Curtis.
"We will have to have a very disciplined defense to be able to compete with Mishawaka. They are well-coached and very successful each year. We will need to minimize our mistakes on offense and not give up points in the red zone." – Valparaiso's Dave Coyle.
NEW HAVEN (1-0) AT MISSISSINEWA (1-0)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Fisher Field.
COACHES: Jim Rowland, 106-78 in 17th season at New Haven. Curt Funk, 47-29 in eighth season at Mississinewa.
LAST CONTEST: New Haven beat Heritage, 49-7. Mississinewa beat Lapel, 42-27.
PREVIOUS MEETING: New Haven, 40-0, on October 23, 2015 in Class 4A sectional opener.
DID YOU KNOW: New Haven is attempting to start 2-0 for the seventh consecutive season, while Mississinewa averaged 6.2 yards per play against Lapel.
COACH TALK: "Coach Funk has a fine football team at Ole 'Miss. The (Heisman) Skeens kid is a game breaker, and they have multiple offensive weapons. We will have to present a balanced attack against their aggressive defense, and we will have to find a way to contain a potent offensive attack. This will be a good road test for our young guys, and I'm looking forward to seeing how they respond on the road to a good opponent." - New Haven's Jim Rowland.
"We will have to be fundamentally sound tacklers on Friday to win the game against New Haven. On offense, we must play hard to the whistle and execute our assignments with great effort. Finally, we will need excitement and passion from our special teams' units." – Mississinewa's Curt Funk.
