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THE INDIANA FOOTBALL DIGEST'S TOP GAMES – WEEK SEVEN
BY PAUL CONDRY AND MATT KOPSEA
BEN DAVIS (4-2) AT CENTER GROVE (6-0)
GAME TIME: 7 pm ET, Center Grove Field.
COACHES: Mike Kirschner, 50-24 in 7th year at Ben Davis, 64-50 in 11th year overall. Eric Moore, 134-49 in 15th year at Center Grove, 182-54 in 19th year overall.
LAST OUTING: Ben Davis beat Lawrence Central, 42-12. Center Grove beat Lawrence North, 42-10.
VS. COMMON FOES: Ben Davis 2-1, Center Grove 3-0.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Ben Davis 13-17, Center Grove 18-18.
SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Ben Davis, 10-8.
LAST MEETING: Center Grove, 17-14, Sep. 28, 2012.
COACHES COMMENTS: "This is a big challenge this week as we are down a few key players with injuries, so some new faces will have to step up. We need to be able to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. We must contain their quarterback (Luke Calvert) who is a dual threat which puts our defense in a bind. We must not turn the ball over and give the Trojans a short field." – Ben Davis coach Mike Kirschner.
"This week's matchup for the Trojans is by all means the biggest test of the season. Even though our record does not indicate a struggle, we have been hit hard all season with injuries, and in trying to win the war, we might have to lose a battle or two. Ben Davis presents the Trojans with various problems. Ben Davis has great speed at all positions, Ben Davis has great size and strength, Ben Davis has impressive depth. All the things you need to be champions. The Trojans would have to almost play the perfect game then get some help to beat these mighty Giants. We have played our hearts out this season and we are deserving of our works. But Ben Davis matches up with us everywhere so solid, that it's hard to find weaknesses. Ben Davis is a very sound football team playing maybe their best football of the season so far. It will take a lot of Trojan Mojo and some magic tricks to win this battle. Our Center Grove Trojans will not give up, but if we continue to lose players with injuries, we will be in big trouble. The Center Grove offense might be the best defense for the game to keep the mighty Giants who have scored 90 points the last two weeks on the sideline. Our Trojan defense will have to eliminate any big Ben Davis plays because we cannot keep up with them in a track meet style football game." – Center Grove coach Eric Moore.
CARROLL (FORT WAYNE) (4-2) AT HOMESTEAD (5-1)
GAME TIME: 7 pm ET, Dave Walters Stadium.
COACHES: Doug Dinan, 27-15 in 4th year at Carroll (Fort Wayne). Chad Zolman, 85-21 in 10th year at Homestead.
LAST OUTING: Carroll (Fort Wayne) beat Bellmont, 55-7. Homestead beat DeKalb, 68-13.
VS. COMMON FOES: Carroll (Fort Wayne) 2-1, Homestead 2-1.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Carroll (Fort Wayne) 17-19, Homestead 16-20.
SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Homestead, 16-1.
LAST MEETING: Homestead, 49-27, Sep. 28, 2012.
COACHES COMMENTS: "Homestead is a very good football team that is well coached and very fundamental in scheme and play. For us to be successful against Homestead, we must be sound defensively versus the run and the pass and defend the option very well. We must be physical up front and control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. We must create turnovers on defense and take care of the ball on offense. We must make an impact with special teams by positively changing field position." – Carroll coach Doug Dinan.
"We have to find a way to slow down the Tranquill brothers (Drue and Justin). They are the best football players we have seen this year. We need to consistently move the ball without any negative plays on offense. We will need to play our best to win." – Homestead coach Chad Zolman.
CONCORD (5-1) AT PLYMOUTH (4-2)
GAME TIME: 7:30 pm ET, The Rockpile (WTRC, 1340 AM).
COACHES: Tim Dawson, 171-105 in 25th year at Concord. John Barron, 73-32 in 10th year at Plymouth.
LAST OUTING: Concord lost to Jimtown, 35-14. Plymouth lost to Wawasee, 52-35.
VS. COMMON FOES: Concord 2-0, Plymouth 1-1.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Concord 12-24, Plymouth 23-13.
SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Plymouth, 11-8.
LAST MEETING: Plymouth, 31-28, Sep. 28, 2012.
COACHES COMMENTS: "The bottom line is how will the Minutemen going to respond. We still control our own destiny! Our play makers in all three phases must make plays in big games. We need to beat a team with a winning record!!!! One of the two keys against Plymouth is not giving up the big play on offense. We have to contain (quarterback Jack) Barron and (running back Michael) Hartman. The second is we must win the field position battle from special teams." – Concord coach Tim Dawson.
CORYDON CENTRAL (5-1) AT CHARLESTOWN (4-2)
GAME TIME: 7 pm ET, Dutch Reis Field.
COACHES: Darin Ward, 59-24 in 8th year at Corydon Central. Jason Hawkins, 56-18 in 7th year at Charlestown, 58-26 in 8th year overall.
LAST OUTING: Corydon Central lost to Paoli, 28-6. Charlestown beat Salem, 35-0.
VS. COMMON FOES: Corydon Central 3-0, Charlestown 3-0.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Corydon Central 14-22, Charlestown 16-20.
SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Charlestown, 10-7.
LAST MEETING: Charlestown, 49-6, sectional, Oct. 26, 2012.
COACHES COMMENTS: "Corydon is a very good defensive team. We will have to move the football and have no turnovers to be successful. Our defense has played great the last four-and one-half weeks and looks to improve against a very good running team. Corydon is one of the elite teams in our conference and sectional, and we are always excited to play them." – Charlestown coach Jason Hawkins.
CULVER MILITARY ACADEMY (4-2) AT CHURUBUSCO (6-0)
GAME TIME: 7:30 pm ET, Churubusco Field.
COACHES: Andy Dorrel, 90-78 in 16th year at Culver Military Academy. Paul Sade, 6-0 in 1st year at Churubusco.
LAST OUTING: Culver Military Academy beat John Glenn, 23-19. Churubusco beat West Noble, 49-0.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Culver Military Academy 18-12, Churubusco 10-26.
SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Churubusco, 2-1.
LAST MEETING: Culver Military Academy, 35-16, Sep. 28, 2012.
COACHES COMMENTS: "Churubusco has lost one regular season game the past two-and-ne-half years (2012 to CMA), and not sure when the last time they suffered a home loss. Regardless, they are certainly formidable as Coach Sade has continued the Churubusco tradition of fielding a tough, physical football team. Churubusco uses numerous formations and motions to outflank defenses as their fullback and tight end are outstanding high school football players. Defensively, they are well coached and make it challenging for offenses to execute as they appear to make opponents pay for mistakes. In order for the CMA Eagles to defeat the Churubusco Eagles, CMA must win the battle of field position by forcing Churubusco to drive the field (eliminate any big plays) and take full advantage of scoring opportunities. Churubusco has the potential to grind the ball on the ground and to eat up both yardage and time of possession. CMA needs offensive touches and must capitalize on scoring opportunities in order to be successful." – CMA coach Andy Dorrel.
EVANSVILLE BOSSE (4-2) AT EVANSVILLE MATER DEI (6-0)
GAME TIME: 7 pm CT, Reitz Bowl.
COACHES: Andre Thomas, 7-19 in 3rd year at Evansville Bosse. Mike Goebel, 165-49 in 17th year at Evansville Mater Dei.
LAST OUTING: Evansville Bosse beat Evansville North, 47-45. Evansville Mater Dei beat Castle, 31-24.
VS. COMMON FOES: Evansville Bosse 3-0, Evansville Mater Dei 3-0.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Evansville Bosse 14-22, Evansville Mater Dei 9-20.
SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Evansville Mater Dei, 15-0.
LAST MEETING: Evansville Mater Dei, 57-14, Sep. 21, 2012.
COACHES COMMENTS: "To win on Friday, the Bulldogs have to be disciplined on offense, sound on defense, play mistake free football, and execute at a high-level." – Evansville Bosse coach Andre Thomas.
INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL (2-4) AT FORT WAYNE BISHOP DWENGER (5-1)
GAME TIME: 7 pm ET, Zollner Stadium.
COACHES: Rick Streiff, 182-56 in 19th year at Indianapolis Cathedral, 203-88 in 24th year overall. Chris Svarczkopf, 121-32 in 12th year at Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger.
LAST OUTING: Indianapolis Cathedral lost to Louisville Trinity (Ky.), 35-30. Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger lost to Fort Wayne Wayne, 45-6.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Indianapolis Cathedral 15-9, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger 14-16.
SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Indianapolis Cathedral, 4-0.
LAST MEETING: Indianapolis Cathedral, 42-7, Sep. 14, 2012.
COACHES COMMENTS: "To beat Dwenger, we must control the line of scrimmage. We need to find a running game and stop or slow their run game."- Cathedral coach Rick Streiff.
"We have a lot to prove after last week poor effort against a solid Wayne team. Cathedral is a great team. We have a tremendous amount of respect for whom and what they are as a program. They are the winningest program in Indiana high school football history. On defense, we must contain their quarterback Connor Barthel and their great group of wide receivers. We must also keep their special teams in check. They are fundamentally solid in every aspects of their special teams play. (Wide receiver) Terry McLaurin, the Ohio State University recruit, is a big play threat every time he touches the ball on special teams and on the perimeter. The Irish 3-3 defense has been giving people fits all year, and we must figure out away to move the ball against it." – Bishop Dwenger coach Chris Svarczkopf.
INDIANAPOLIS SCECINA (5-1) AT TRITON CENTRAL (5-1)
GAME TIME: 7 pm ET, Triton Central Field.
COACHES: Ott Hurrle, 146-109 in 22nd year at Indianapolis Scecina, 147-118 in 24th year overall. Tim Able, 5-1 in 1st year at Triton Central, 130-99 in 21st year overall.
LAST OUTING: Indianapolis Scecina beat Lapel, 41-8. Triton Central lost to Indianapolis Ritter, 49-28.
VS. COMMON FOES: Indianapolis Scecina 2-0, Triton Central 2-0.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Indianapolis Scecina 16-20, Triton Central 16-20.
SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Tied, 1-1.
LAST MEETING: Triton Central, 17-16, Sep. 29, 2012.
COACHES COMMENTS: "We will need to contain their quarterback (Dillon Nelson) and their running game. They are a very explosive team. Our offensive and defensive lines will be tested and will need to play very well." – Scecina coach Ott Hurrle.
"Scecina prevents many problems for us to solve. We must have a balanced attack to allow us to put together drives to help control time possession. Special teams must continue to a difference maker for us. We must win the turnover battle and limit our penalties." – Triton Central coach Tim Able.
JASPER (6-0) AT MOUNT CARMEL (ILL.) (5-0)
GAME TIME: 6:30 pm CT, Legends Field.
COACHES: Tony Ahrens, 100-25 in 11th year at Jasper. Darren Peach, 112-35 in 13th year at Mount Carmel (Ill.).
LAST OUTING: Jasper beat Princeton, 51-13. Mount Carmel (Ill.) beat Washington, 48-13.
VS. COMMON FOES: Jasper 1-0, Mount Carmel (Ill.) 1-0.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Jasper 13-23, Mount Carmel (Ill.) 6-12.
SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Jasper, 8-2.
LAST MEETING: Jasper, 56-22, Sep. 28, 2012.
COACHES COMMENTS: "Mt. Carmel is a 30-plus passing attack per game. Their quarterback, Reece Metcalf, is a senior and gets the ball out quick. They are undefeated, and we must beat them to win a conference championship. We must win the battle up front. We play there and it is called the Snakepit. It has always been a tough place to play." – Jasper coach Tony Ahrens.
LAKELAND (6-0) AT FAIRFIELD (5-1)
GAME TIME: 7 pm ET, Falcon Field.
COACHES: Keith Thompson, 56-31 in 9th year at Lakeland. Bob Miller, 77-49 in 12th year at Fairfield.
LAST OUTING: Lakeland beat Eastside, 28-14. Fairfield beat Angola, 53-14.
VS. COMMON FOES: Lakeland 6-0, Fairfield 5-1.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Lakeland 10-26, Fairfield 10-26.
SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Fairfield, 8-7.
LAST MEETING: Lakeland, 48-29, Sep. 28, 2012.
COACHES COMMENTS: "This game will be decided by which offense dominates the line of scrimmage. Fairfield is a track team in pads. Their tailback is averaging ten yards a carry and their fullback had 135 yards rushing against Angola last week. Defensively, we will need to force them to drive the ball and contain their speed. Last week, we had three backs over 100 yards rushing each and a fourth with 89 yards. We will need that kind of effort to control the clock and keep their offense on the sideline." – Lakeland coach Keith Thompson.
"The key for us will be our offensive line play. Lakeland has a big physical defensive line, so we have to be aggressive and play fast up front. Defensively, we have to recognize and react. Lakeland throws a ton of formations at you and tries to outnumber you, so we have to fly to the ball. And I think our special teams have to come up with big plays. This could be a great game with two offenses that are putting up a lot of points, so it could turn into a track meet." – Fairfield coach Bob Miller.
MUNSTER (4-2) AT HOBART (4-2)
GAME TIME: 7 pm CT, The Brickyard.
COACHES: Leroy Marsh, 203-144 in 35th year at Munster. Ryan Turley, 15-13 in 3rd year at Hobart.
LAST OUTING: Munster beat Griffith, 38-19. Hobart lost to Lowell, 21-20.
VS. COMMON FOES: Munster 1-1, Hobart 1-1.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Munster 23-13, Hobart 17-19.
SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Hobart, 8-4.
LAST MEETING: Hobart, 23-21, Sep. 28, 2012.
COACHES COMMENTS: "To beat Hobart Friday, we will have try and control the Hobart offense. They are very balanced and have big, strong running backs that run very hard. Their passing game can be very dangerous with their big play receivers and outstanding quarterback. They are a very well-coached football team that plays with that Brickie toughness." – Munster coach Leroy Marsh.
"In order for the Bricks to be successful this Friday night against the Mustangs, the Bricks must play a full 48 minutes of football. We do not feel we have done that to date. This is something we must be able to do to be successful down the stretch." – Hobart coach Ryan Turley.
PENN (6-0) AT SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH (4-2)
GAME TIME: 7 pm ET, Father Bly Field (WGCS, 91.1 FM; WTRC. 95.3 FM).
COACHES: Cory Yeoman, 112-25 in 11th year at Penn. Ben Downey, 33-15 in 4th year at South Bend St. Joseph.
LAST OUTING: Penn beat South Bend Washington, 58-0. South Bend St. Joseph beat Mishawaka Marian, 42-21.
VS. COMMON FOES: Penn 1-0, South Bend St. Joseph 1-0.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Penn 12-24, South Bend St. Joseph 17-19.
SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Penn, 8-0.
LAST MEETING: Penn, 38-10, Sep. 28, 2012.
COACHES COMMENTS: "We must find a way to contain St. Joe's explosive offense." – Penn coach Cory Yeoman.
'In order to win, we need to win the field position battle, prevent yards after contact on defense, and sustain and finish drives on offense." – St. Joe coach Ben Downey.
ROCKVILLE (5-1) AT NORTH VERMILLION (6-0)
GAME TIME: 7 pm ET, Gibson Field.
COACHES: Herb King, 90-44 in 12th year at Rockville, 148-100 in 23rd year overall. Brian Crabtree, 18-1 in 2nd year at North Vermillion, 53-40 in 9th year overall.
LAST OUTING: Rockville beat South Vermillion, 43-7. North Vermillion beat Attica, 52-16.
VS. COMMON FOES: Rockville 4-0, North Vermillion 4-0.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Rockville 12-24, North Vermillion 11-25.
SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Rockville, 16-3.
LAST MEETING: North Vermillion, 54-20, Sep. 28, 2012.
TRI-WEST (4-2) AT WESTERN BOONE (5-1)
GAME TIME: 7 pm ET, Western Boone Field.
COACHES: Chris Coll, 43-35 in 8th year at Tri-West. Justin Pelley, 5-1 in 1st year at Western Boone.
LAST OUTING: Tri-West beat Frankfort, 48-20. Western Boone beat Southmont, 35-14.
VS. COMMON FOES: Tri-West 2-0, Western Boone 1-1.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Tri-West 23-13, Western Boone 9-27.
SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Tri-West, 9-5.
LAST MEETING: Tri-West, 32-30, Sep. 28, 2012.
COACHES COMMENTS: "In order for us to be successful, we have to make plays and get off the field on defense. Getting their offense stopped and off the field is critical. They can grind on you and we can't allow that to happen. Our defensive unit has to make some plays for us. And then when we have the ball, we have to be consistent in our execution. We have some abilities on offense. We just can't make mistakes and put ourselves in bad situations and not get points. We are getting better offensively with a young group, so consistency has been our focus. If we do what we are supposed to do and don't make mistakes, we can be difficult to defend. We just need to execute what we do. "Western Boone is a very good team and they are always tough to play at their place. We are just focused on going up there and competing hard and seeing where we stand at this point in the season." – Tri-West coach Chris Coll.
"In order to win on Friday night, we must contain the quarterback (Jake Hendershot) on defense and control the football on offense. We expect it to be an intense game with a lot of highs and lows. The team that handles adversity and doesn't turn the football over will win the game." – Western Boone coach Justin Pelley.
WARREN CENTRAL (4-2) AT CARMEL (4-2)
GAME TIME: 7 pm ET, Greyhound Stadium.
COACHES: Jayson West, 4-2 in 1st year at Warren Central, 56-14 in 6th year overall. Kevin Wright, 35-7 in 4th year at Carmel, 169-61 in 20th year overall.
LAST OUTING: Warren Central lost to Pike, 38-28. Carmel beat North Central (Indianapolis), 42-7.
VS. COMMON FOES: Warren Central 2-1, Carmel 2-1.
OPPONENTS' RECORDS: Warren Central 16-20, Carmel 14-16.
SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Warren Central, 11-8.
LAST MEETING: Warren Central, 31-24, 3 overtimes, sectional, Oct. 19, 2012.
COACHES COMMENTS: "This is a pretty good rivalry, and the games have been close the past couple of years, so I anticipate the same for this game. We must quit making mistakes at crucial times and win the big play battle to have a chance to beat Carmel at their place!" - Warren Central coach Jayson West.
"In order to beat Warren defensively, we must do a great job tackling and playing assignment football versus their play-action passing game. On offense, we must be able to run the football effectively and take advantage of any big play opportunities we may be given. This game has gone down to the last play the last four times we have played, so chances are the team that handles adversity the best will come out on top." – Carmel coach Kevin Wright.
