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New Palestine at New Castle: NewPalRadio.com, WLTI-1550: The Dragons look to clinch their 10th conference title in 13 years, which they can claim a piece of with a victory in this one. NP's passing game has been on-point the last few weeks - Danny Tippit has thrown for 16 TDs and nearly 1,000 yards in the last four games. New Castle gave up 41 points last week at Mt. Vernon but its defense has been playing well. Shelbyville at Mt. Vernon: WSVX-96.5/GiantFM, IndianaSRN: The lights went out at halftime when these two teams met last year. Imagine telling someone 15 years ago there would be a team wearing black-and-gold running the Wing-T at Mt. Vernon and it wouldn't be the Marauders. MV looks to be hitting its stride, scoring 40+ points in three consecutive weeks. Shelbyville is much-improved over last season but still catching up to the top half of the league. Yorktown at Pendleton Heights: WEEM-91.7: This looks to be the most intriguing matchup of the night. Mason Moulton threw for 305 yards last week at Greenfield-Central and the Tigers have a lot of weapons with Jalen Thomas and Kolton Nanko on offense. At 6-1, Yorktown is in the midst of its best season since going 11-2 in 2014 with Riley Neal. PH suffered back-to-back-to-back losses in the middle of the season but bounced back nicely with a 27-10 win over Delta last week. Greenfield-Central at Delta: WRGF-89.7: The Cougars are looking to get back in the win column after a tough loss to Yorktown last week. They're starting to get healthier, too. G-C is looking for back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2010 and 2011. Delta is looking to bounce back and snap a four-game losing streak at home on Senior Night.

Elwood was still a 3A contender when Kevin Frye was there and Marty Wells had some competitive teams. But the town has been hemorrhaging population as the economies of nearby Anderson & Marion struggle and that's likely made it difficult to keep that tradition going.

Because the ball is dead when the defense possesses it ... Are the only ways a defense could score in OT *-A safety (which would be incredible, given it would require the loss of 90 yards) *-The offensive team fumbling in its own end zone and the D recovering it (and if that happens, is that a score or a dead ball? I presume it's a touchdown for the defense since they don't ever truly "possess" the ball). Obviously, both would be ridiculously extraordinary situations.

What confuses it even more - and @Bobref has pointed this out a time or 16 - is that the college rule (which most people know) is different than the HS rule (which a lot of fans don't know). In NCAA, the defense can possess the ball in OT in college and run an INT back for a TD (just like the defense can tally a two-point conversion with an interception or fumble recovery in college), but as soon as the defense possesses the ball in OT in high school, it's a dead ball. I'm wondering if that also played into the 1st-and-10 from the 25 in OT confusion. I'm frequently having to point those out to our listeners on radio - especially when you have DPI on a play where the team has more than 15 yards to gain :). And honestly, although I'm not an official, the insights on this forum are really helpful as a broadcaster.

LaVille hosting the Battle of the 3s this week. By Andrew Smith GridironDigest.com You could also call it the Battle of the 7-0s, or just the battle for the Hoosier North Conference title as 1A No. 3 North Judson visits 2A No. 3 LaVille. Both teams are unbeaten. Both are reigning sectional champions. Both have offenses scoring more than 40 points per game and defenses allowing an average of one touchdown every Friday night, with five shutouts between them. Their coaches - North Judson’s Brett Lambert and LaVille’s Will Hostrawser - coached together in the IFCA North/South All-Star Game last summer. Something will have to give - and given history, it may be the offenses. The last two years, North Judson won 10-9 in OT last season and 9-7 the previous year. The winning team has allowed seven or fewer points in regulation in each meeting dating to 2016. “The North Judson game is the next game on our schedule - all of the hype about records, rankings, etc really doesn't mean anything - it can become a big distraction if we focus on those things,” LaVille coach Will Hostrawser said. “Both teams have been successful to this point - so that means it should be a good game. We will be focusing on the same details that have allowed us to find success to this point - just like we have every other week. Come Friday night, the electricity in the air will be a little different I suppose - but it is different each week with each opponent we face.” North Judson enters having shut out three consecutive teams - Calumet Christian, Knox and Winamac - midway through the year. The Bluejays defeated Triton 62-22 last week behind 197 rushing yards from 220-pound sophomore fullback Brock Benson and 101 yards - on eight carries - from senior All-State rusher Cheyenne Allen. On the season, Benson has rushed for 742 yards and Allen 604. Quarterback Aldric Harper has thrown for 581 and run for 407 in leading the option attack. Lambert described Benson as “a tank who is the first option in our triple-option attack,” while Allen has 19 touchdowns “despite being the focal point of most defensive plans.” Defensively, senior Quenton Frasure - whom Lambert described as a coach on the field - leads the Bluejays with 81 tackles, including 18 for loss. Logan Radtke, another all-state player, has 48 tackles and three sacks from the defensive end position. Depth is a key for North Judson, which has a lot fewer two-way players than most 1A schools. “We only have 2 guys that play about every snap on offense and defense. This depth has helped us wear some teams out over the course of the season,” Lambert said. “It's really nice because our offensive and defensive lines play one way, which means we can get after each other in practice in preparation for Friday's game.” The Lancers’ offense is led by senior running back Paul DeWitt, who has 928 yards and averages 8.4 yards per carry. Quarterback Lucas Plummer, a junior, has thrown for 679 yards and 13 touchdowns. Wideout Owen Smith has been on the receiving end of nine passes for 279 yards - an average of 31 yards per catch. Six have gone for touchdowns. Fullback Noah Richart - who averages 13 yards per carry - slot Cody Allen and tight end Ross Wagoner are also key contributors. “Paul DeWitt and Lucas Plummer are special players,” Hostrawser said. “Our offensive line is experienced as a unit which leads to good on field communication and trust. The guys up font have played pretty much the past three seasons together. When our line is locked in, Lucas and Paul reap the benefits.” Richart, a linebacker, leads the Lancers defensively with 55 tackles, Sophomore Collin Czarnecki has four interceptions and Jon Neece three, while Allen has two for a defense that has 22 takeaways through seven games. “Each week has been a process refining the details to put the big picture together come tournament time,” Hostrawser said. “Our team has remained focused on that goal from the start. What we find success in week to week greatly depends on our opponents. Offensively, we feel we must run the ball effectively to find success. Defensively, we keep things simple and focus on alignment, angles and pursuit.” While North Judson’s offense, tallying 47 ppg, is fifth in Class A in scoring offense, LaVille is second in Class 2A at 44.6 ppg. Both are in the top two in their classes in scoring defense and victory margin. This week is important, but it also can provide each team a preview of the postseason. LaVille won its 2A sectional last year before falling to eventual state champion Andrean in the regional. North Judson advanced to the semistate before falling to Adams Central. “No matter the outcome on Friday, this game will help prepare us and LaVille for the upcoming playoffs,” Lambert said. “ We want to win a conference championship, but our ultimate goal is to bring home hardware in the playoffs.” Cougars making another run Also in northern Indiana, New Prairie has started the season 7-0 and appears poised to make a run in the Class 4A tournament. The No. 6 Cougars travel to 6A No. 10 Penn this week for the first of two games against 6A schools to close the season, as they’ll host Elkhart in Week 9. A year ago, the Cougars came within a touchdown of their first State Finals appearance since 2014. They’ve won two sectional titles in the last three seasons. Third-year coach Casey McKim said that experience of getting to the semistate made his team “extremely hungry in the offseason,” but also provided several weeks of additional practice and the opportunity to gain experience in high-pressure situations, which has suited them well. The winner this week will clinch at least a share of the Northern Indiana Conference’s East-West Division title. “It is an enormous challenge to play two programs that are so talented, deep, and well-coached let alone back-to-back weeks to finish up the season,” McKim said. “It is a wonderful opportunity for us to see where we are heading into the playoffs. We will see weaknesses tested and strengths challenged, in the end the question is how well we can execute play in play out throughout an entire game. Against Penn this week, we are going to need to win up front in the trenches, win the turnover battle, and execute at a high level if we are going to win the game.” The Cougars are averaging 36 points per game - their closest win was a 24-7 victory at Lowell in Week 3. Last week, they defeated South Bend Riley 42-21 in the first game in which the defense had allowed more than two scores. Senior Tayvion Ortman has 63 tackles, while junior Dylan Wilson has 36 stops and four sacks. Senior Brice VanBruaene has three of the Cougars’ 12 interceptions through seven games. Wilson, Adam Ziegler and nose tackle Jacob Mrozinski have moved into the defensive line and shone through seven games, allowing an experienced linebacking corps to roam. “Coming into the year we knew we were going to have another very strong defensive group,” McKim said. “We returned four of our five linebackers from the previous season including Tayvion Ortman. All of those guys are physical at the point of attack and athletic enough to make tackles in the open field. Just watching Tayvion you can see how athletic and long he is, but it is the tenacity that he plays with to pursue the ball that makes him special. Up front we had to replace a lot on our defensive line, but we had numerous guys who rotated in last year along that line.” Offensively, junior quarterback Marshall Kmiecik has thrown for 618 yards and run for 601. Senior Noah Mungia has 907 rushing yards. “Teams are unable to key on just one guy because we have multiple guys who can touch the ball and make big plays with it,” McKim said. “Their running styles are also different as Noah has the ability to finish off runs in a physically punishing way. Marshall's ability as a dual threat is massive as it allows him to extend pass plays or scramble for first downs to move the chains.” Trojans, Golden Eagles meet In southeastern Indiana and exurban Cincinnati, the East Central Trojans have long been one of Class 4A’s premier programs. The Trojans most recently won a state title in 2017, but are coming off the program’s 20th sectional title and appear poised to make another run. At 6-1, the lone blemish on their record is a Week 3 loss to Cincinnati Moeller. In their other games, they’ve scored at least 35 points a contest and have allowed four total touchdowns - two of which came last week in a 42-14 win over Connersville that wrapped up the Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference large school division title. It marks the 13th consecutive EIAC title and 29th overall for East Central. A year ago, the Trojans defeated Martinsville to win the sectional, but then dropped a 17-14 heartbreaker to Evansville Memorial in the regional. “That left a bad taste in our mouths all offseason and heading into this season,” coach Jake Meiners said. “We returned a lot of guys this year who played in that game last season. We have worked on fixing our issues from last season to give ourselves another opportunity to win football games this season.” East Central has been led by a dynamic offense that features junior running back Josh Ringer, who has 1,141 yards and 17 touchdowns. He is averaging 9.6 yards per carry. Junior quarterback Cole Burton has thrown for 1,008 yards and 11 touchdowns. Wideouts Ryan Brotherton and Eli Aston have combined for 956 receiving yards. “Cole Burton has done a really nice job this year executing the offense. We put a lot on his plate every week and he has responded by taking what the defense gives him,” Meiners said. “Josh Ringer is one of the most explosive players to have come through our program. He has done an incredible job running the football for us, but he also blocks really well and can catch the ball as well. He is one of the most selfless players I have coached. Eli Aston and Ryan Brotherton are explosive threats out on the edge. Our offensive line has also done a nice job opening things up this year. Our offense is really built around taking what the defense gives us. Our players have done a nice job adjusting so far this year.” The Trojans have been balanced defensively, with junior Brayden Rouse leading them with 43 tackles and junior Dylan Maxwell adding 35. They started the year with a 38-3 win over Lawrenceburg and have continued to roll, pitching shutouts of Franklin County and Batesville in Weeks 4 and 5. “Our defensive group has been great so far this season. Our one hiccup was against Cincinnati Moeller, who is Top 10 in the nation and has one of the nation's best running backs,” Meiners said. “Our defense still played well in that game, but they were put in some tough spots. We have just played really effective team defense so far. There is not one guy getting all of the stats. It is a different guy every week. We hang our hat on playing aggressive defense with all 11 guys rallying to the football. This group seems to keep getting better every week.” The Trojans finish the season against Guerin Catholic and Roncalli - the latter a Week 9 staple since 2008. “Guerin Catholic is a good football team and has put up a lot of points. It will be a test for our defense. Everyone knows the caliber of team that Roncalli has,” Meiners said. “We have had some great battles with them over the years, and I would expect that it will be another great game this season. We schedule these matchups heading into the playoffs so that our team is prepared. In order to win, we will have to play fundamentally sound football and execute.” Guerin Catholic’s record may be 4-3, but the Golden Eagles’ mark is a bit deceiving. The three losses came midseason against highly-ranked Brebeuf Jesuit, Roncalli and Indianapolis Chatard - the latter a 31-30 thriller in Week 6. A 59-35 victory over Northview last week got the Eagles back in the win column. They’ve had a strong passing offense averaging 33.3 points per game. Ryan Zimmerman was one of the state’s top passers to start the season, but went down after four games. Malcolm Houze has taken over and thrown for 648 yards in four games, including 281 in the loss to Chatard. “Ryan Zimmerman was off to a fantastic start to the season as our returning starter,” Guerin Catholic coach Tom Dilley said. “Losing him to injury was potentially devastating. It is a credit to all of our players that each one has picked up a portion of the slack created by his absence. Malcolm Houze has stepped into the starting quarterback role as a sophomore and performed well and shown great improvement each week. Malcolm demonstrated mental toughness and maturity in making his first few starts against such formidable opponents.” Guerin’s offense is averaging 33 points per game, but set a season-high in the 59-35 victory last week over Northview, one of the top teams in the Western indiana Conference. “Our team has been committed to getting better each week and our coordinators have done a good job of allowing players to grow throughout the season,” Dilley said. “In our game against Northview, a number of things that we have been working on all season started to click. I also felt that we were opportunistic against Northview and were able to force some mistakes and capitalize on good field position. Playing complimentary football was also key to our outcome against a good Northview team last week.” Wideout Will Fremion ranks fifth in the state with 833 receiving yards. He tallied his fifth 100-yard game of the season against Northview. He tallied a season-high 197 yards and three TDs on eight catches in a 47-10 Week 2 win over Lafayette Central Catholic. Jack Cherry adds 418 receiving yards. “We feel that the experience, skill, athleticism, and depth of our receiving corps is a strength of our team,” Dilley said. “Having quality athletes like Will Fremion and Jack Cherry on the field at the same time can force defenses to defend the depth and width of the field. Additionally, receivers Alex Gibbs and Hayden Cler compliment Fremion and Cherry. Running backs Justin Zdobylak and Cooper Navarro behind an experienced offensive line also present defenses with an effective running game. Our tight ends have also contributed to the run game and pass game. We hope that all of these elements give us the ability to capitalize on opportunities presented by defensive units making choices.” Sectional draw Sunday The 2022 IHSAA football sectional draw will be held at 5 p.m. EDT (and 4 p.m. CDT) Sunday. It will be broadcast at IHSAAtv.org and on the IHSAA Champions Radio Network, with Bob Lovell and Paul Condry the hosts. The 48 sectional fields will be unveiled during the two-hour broadcast, starting with Class A. Indianapolis Lutheran (Class A), Andrean (2A), Gibson Southern (3A), Mt. Vernon (Fortville) (4A), Indianapolis Cathedral (5A) and Center Grove (6A) are the defending state champions. Cathedral is now in Class 6A due to the Tournament Success Factor, so there will be a new champion in 5A, but the other five classes' reigning champs will be looking to defend. The tournament begins Friday, Oct. 21. Potpourri There are 23 remaining unbeaten teams in the state - but none in Class 5A. Three are in Class 6A - Brownsburg, Hamilton Southeastern and Carroll (Fort Wayne). Indianapolis Lutheran has the state’s longest winning streak at 22 games. … Brad Schultz of Triton Central leads the state with 989 receiving yards. He had 238 last week in a 58-15 victory over Indianapolis Ritter. … Roncalli’s Luke Hansen leads the state with 1,896 rushing yards, with Clarksville’s Robert Lamar second with 1,700 yards. Hansen tallied his third 300-yard game of the season last week with 316 on 37 carries in a 28-7 victory against Louisville (Ky.) Male. Lamar has topped the 200-yard mark each game and had 250 last week in a 46-8 victory over Greenwood Christian. … The state has had two 2,000-yard passers so far - Indianapolis Lutheran’s Jackson Willis (2,030) and Traders Point Christian’s Cooper Simmons-Little (2,021). … Merrillville returned to No. 1 in Class 5A in the AP poll after previous No. 1 Mishawaka dropped a 14-6 decision to NorthWood last week. Fort Wayne Snider became the fourth different school to occupy the top spot in the IFCA poll. … In Class 2A, Andrean and Linton are co-No. 1s in the IFCA poll. Andrean began the season in the top spot. Other key games this week Noblesville (2-5) at 6A No. 1 Brownsburg 6A No. 6 Center Grove (6-1) at Lawrence North (3-4) 4A No. 10 Brebeuf Jesuit (4-2) at 6A No. 3 Indianapolis Cathedral (5-1) 6A No. 4 Hamilton Southeastern (7-0) at Franklin Central (3-4) 6A No. 5 Carmel (5-2) at Warren Central (3-4) Lawrence Central (4-3) at 6A No. 7 Ben Davis (4-3) 5A No. 1 Fort Wayne Snider (6-1) at 5A No. 8 Fort Wayne Dwenger (5-2) Lake Central (4-3) at 5A No. 2 Merrillville (6-1) 5A No. 5 Harrison (6-1) at Logansport (6-1) Cincinnati (Ohio) Elder at 4A No. 2 Indianapolis Roncalli (7-0) 4A No. 8 Martinsville (6-1) at 4A No. 9 Mooresville (5-2) 3A No. 1 West Lafayette (7-0) at Twin Lakes (1-6) Terre Haute North (2-5) at 3A No. 3 Indianapolis Chatard (4-3) Danville (3-4) at 3A No. 6 Western Boone (6-1) 2A No. 1 Andrean (5-2) at Kankakee Valley (4-3) 1A No. 6 South Putnam (6-1) at 2A No. 9 Heritage Christian (5-2) 2A No. 10 Eastbrook (5-2) at Madison-Grant (6-1) 1A No. 1 Indianapolis Lutheran (7-0) at Speedway (5-2) Bluffton (4-3) at 1A No. 2 Adams Central (7-0) Clinton Prairie (5-2) at 1A No. 5 Carroll (Flora) (7-0) Hagerstown (5-2) at 1A No. 7 Tri (5-2) Eastern (Greentown) (5-2) at 1A No. 10 Sheridan (6-1)

Knowing where CYO Field was (and it looks like the east stands still exist as part of Kuntz Stadium), I'm assuming this is when Cathedral was downtown?

New Palestine at Shelbyville (NewPalRadio.com): The Dragons are playing like a state championship contender. Shelbyville is a developing program that's still trying to instill a culture and build. New Palestine is obviously a heavy favorite here, so look for the game within the game. NP has shut out Shelbyville three consecutive years - can they make it a fourth? Yorktown at Greenfield-Central (WRGF-89.7): Probably the most intriguing game of the week. G-C was banged-up last week against New Palestine and played without several key players. Yorktown is 5-1 and played New Palestine to a one-score game at halftime in its lone loss. Mason Moulton has the Tigers' offense rolling. New Castle at Mt. Vernon (WLTI-1550, IndianaSRN): The Trojans' air raid is still coming into form but their defense has been solid this season, holding Delta to 12 points in their first HHC win of the year last week. MV appears to have gotten back on track after the New Palestine loss in Week 4, beating Pendleton Heights 46-14 last week. Pendleton Heights at Delta (WEEM-91.7): This will be a bounce-back game for one team. The Arabians are coming off back-to-back losses to New Palestine and Mt. Vernon. The Eagles have dropped three straight to Mt. Vernon, Yorktown and New Castle.

One reason is JV quarters, although the expansion of quarters to 6 in a weekend helps. The other thing is, teams that get to a running clock scenario often *frequently* get to that scenario. A lot of times, they'll give the varsity starters one drive in the third quarter just to get into the rhythm of coming out of the locker room and being ready to play (even if the game is a blowout). With running clock, you usually only get one possession a quarter, so that will take up the entire third.

We have our own grass soccer field at New Palestine, but when we replaced our grass football field - which had major drainage problems on one end and was basically a mess by October every year - with turf, the field went from being in use about 15 times a year (5 varsity, 5 JV and 5 freshman games) to one that's used about 250 days a year. Football practices on it, soccer teams both practice on it when football isn't using it, baseball holds offseason workouts there (softball did, too, until a new turf softball diamond was built a couple years ago, as a building expansion encroached on the old softball field), marching band practices on it every Thursday night and Saturday mornings when there's no JV football, PE classes use it, junior high plays one game a year there, local soccer clubs rent it for practices and games. And also, if we've had any rain that might cause the soccer field to get chewed up, they can easily move a game to the turf football field. It's not ideal - soccer doesn't play well on turf because the ball runs like crazy and the sidelines are very narrow - but it's a really solid solution that allows the field to get a LOT of use. Being in TX helps - you don't quite have the harsh late-fall weather we have. By the time October rolls around, the field is largely concrete here in Indiana because the ground hardens and the grass begins to die.

Cavemen new No. 1 in 5A Andrew Smith GridironDigest.com There’s a new No. 1 in Class 5A, as the Mishawaka Cavemen have won six straight to begin the season to move to the top spot in one of the state’s deepest, most-balanced classes. So far, Merrillville, Whiteland and now Mishawaka have spent time at No. 1 in the polls. The Cavemen did so with a 43-19 road win at Warsaw last week, knocking off one of the top area teams in 6A. But another challenge awaits, as undefeated 4A No. 5 NorthWood visits Mishawaka this Friday with first place in the Northern Lakes Conference on the line. “We continually remind our team that the majority of people voting in the polls have not seen us play,” Mishawaka coach Keith Kinder said, noting the No. 1 ranking is “neat” for the players and community. “Trophies are not awarded because of rankings and it is our goal to win trophies. To do that, we have to be focused on the process of trying to get better every day. “We have a great group of hard-working, tough-nosed kids. The success that they have had up to this point is attributed to that. We had a great off-season and have done a good job of being efficient on offense and coming up with critical stops on defense.” That continues with this weekend’s matchup against NorthWood in a matchup of NLC titans. Mishawaka has won nine sectional titles in the last 13 years. NorthWood is seeking its first sectional since 2016, a year in which the Panthers were state runners-up and made the program’s seventh appearance in a title game. “NorthWood is one of the premier programs in our conference in terms of post-season success and consistency,” Kinder said. “They are loaded with weapons all over the field on offense and play so hard on defense. They present so many problems when they have the ball. A key for us will be to try and limit their big plays, which nobody has been able to do up to this point. We also must take good care of the football. They have scored a number of touchdowns on defense and have generated great field position by creating turnovers.” With both teams being 6-0 and the conference stakes on the line, it’s one of the premier games in Indiana this week. “It should be a great HS football game,” NorthWood coach Nate Andrews said. “Two proud communities. We must be mentally and physically tough for four quarters.” A big boost for Mishawaka was the return of running back Chase Gooden to the lineup after missing three games due to injury. He ran for 108 yards and two scores against Warsaw. Quarterback Brady Fisher added 90 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore fullback Novell Miller provides another weapon in the ground game. “It was great getting Chase back in the lineup,” Kinder said. “He has very good vision and runs with a forward lean. We like the 1-2 punch we have with Chase and Novell Miller at fullback. Brady has done a very good job of leading our offense and making sure we are in the right play.” NorthWood has started 6-0 with an offense that has scored at least 31 points in each game and has tallied 40-plus points in four straight - 41-13 over Concord, 42-7 at last year’s 4A runner-up Northridge, 42-21 over Warsaw and 48-0 over Plymouth. The Panthers are led by quarterback Owen Roeder, who is completing 61 percent of his passes for 1,075 yards and 16 touchdowns. Nitareon Tuggle has 488 receiving yards and eight touchdowns, while Wes Yoder leads the team on the ground with 407 yards and also has 327 receiving yards. All three are juniors. “Overall we have been consistent,” Andrews said. “We’ve battled through small adversities during games that have allowed us to finish strong.” Artesians into Top 10 The reason there’s a new No. 1 in Class 5A is because Martinsville downed previous No. 1 Whiteland 35-21 last week. The Artesians have experienced a renaissance year, starting 5-1, with the lone blemish a three-point loss to Decatur Central. The win last week forged a four-way tie atop the Mid-State Conference between Martinsville, Whiteland, Mooresville and Plainfield. Martinsville took a 21-14 lead at halftime, then scored two fourth-quarter TDs to build a three-score lead. Artesians QB Tyler Adkins was 19-of-24 for 215 yards and three TDs, spreading the ball around to five different receivers. Running back Brayden Shrake ran for 175 yards and two scores. “They do such a good job of mixing up fronts and coverages, that you have to really be dialed in mentally,” Martinsville coach Brian Dugger said. “I thought Tyler Adkins was on all night, in identifying coverages and fronts and getting us in the right play. We gave him a lot of freedom at the line and he was a huge part of Brayden Shrake having a successful night. It seemed in the second half that they were trying to slow our pass game down and Tyler made the run check every time. He only threw the ball five times in the second half. That honestly has been the key the past two weeks. If he is able to get us in the right play, we feel really good about our chances.” The week before, Martinsville rallied to beat Franklin 27-26, scoring in the final minute after the Grizzly Cubs had taken a lead with 50 seconds left. Adkins is in his third year as the Artesians’ starter. He’s completing 64 percent of his passes for 1,348 yards and 15 touchdowns this season, and is closing in on 5,000 career passing yards. He has thrown 52 touchdown passes. His top receiver is Garrett Skaggs, who has 587 yards and four TDs. “Tyler is a coach on the field. We have spent the past three years talking and watching football together almost daily,” Dugger said. “My job has been to put as much into his brain as I can and stay out of his way. “There is not a play in our offense that he doesn't have to make a decision or check at the line. It's been a lot of fun to watch. Letting Tyler have that kind of freedom has really expanded to kids like Garrett. He is another one who has put in the time and trained harder than anyone we have. He is having a great senior year, but more importantly he is one of those right there with Tyler during the game telling us what concepts are going to work.” Defensively, Nic Crone and Devon Brenner have led the Artesians, a unit allowing 17 ppg. Crone has 37 tackles, six sacks and nine tackles for loss. Brenner leads Martinsville with 58 stops. “Our defense has been great this year and more importantly extremely coachable. When they make a mistake, they own it and fix it,” Dugger said. “We know we are a little undersized upfront, but our kids fight! Nic has been the heart of our defense. We know that if we get into a passing situation, that Nic is going to impact the game. Whether it's QB pressure, or that they have to change their blocking scheme for him and open it up for someone else, or that they just decide to throw quick, it all has changed their approach, because of Nic. He is another one who has put in the work and it's showing up.” Martinsville hosts Perry Meridian this week and then travels to county rival Mooresville in a matchup of ranked teams in Class 4A, before finishing at home against Plainfield. Six of the eight teams in the conference have received poll votes this season and five have been ranked. Three - Whiteland, Decatur Central and Mooresville - have been in the top three of their respective classes’ polls. “The Mid-State is ridiculous,” Dugger said. Great teams and even better coaches. Each week is a challenge. Honestly, you have to keep blinders on and just try and go 1-0 each week.” Southmont, WeBo meet for Sagamore supremacy The Southmont Mounties are 6-0 for the first time in 41 years and are up to No. 9 in the AP Class 2A poll, while receiving votes in the IFCA rankings. The Mounties are currently leading the Sagamore Conference with a 4-0 mark - one game ahead of 3-1 Western Boone, Lebanon and Tri-West, their next three opponents. “The community support has been great this season,” 16th-year Southmont coach Desson Hannum said. “The excitement generated by our team can be felt in the school and the community as a whole.” This week’s matchup takes place at 3A No. 5 Western Boone. A big reason for Southmont’s success so far is its defense, which is allowing 13 points a game. Only one team - North Putnam in a 42-21 Southmont victory in Week 2 - has scored more than twice against it. Junior Wyatt Woodall has 51 tackles, while senior Seth Tolliver has 15 tackles for loss and six sacks. Sophomore Dylan Howell 14 TFLs and seven sacks. Kion Cornelius has two interceptions. “We have been led by our defense this year,” Southmont coach Desson Hannum said. “We have had several guys that have stood out at each level of our defense. Some keys for us this year have been the number of negative plays that have been able to create and the amount of pressure that we have been able to put on the opposing team's quarterback. We have also been led by great individual performances by Dylan Howell and Seth Tolliver along our defensive front. At linebacker, Wyatt Woodall has put together another solid year, along with Kion Cornelius and EJ Brewer leading our secondary.” Offensively, Woodall leads a strong running attack with 590 yards and 10 touchdowns. Senior Carson Chadd has 410 yards and five scores and is averaging 9.1 yards per carry. Southmont faces Western Boone this week. The Stars are always a measuring-stick game as one of the top teams in West Central Indiana. The program won three straight state titles from 2018-20. But this matchup is not only a big one for Sagamore supremacy, but also in preparing both teams for the state tournament. Southmont will be seeking its first-ever sectional title when tournament play begins in October. “Western Boone has been one of the top teams in the Sagamore Conference for the last several years,” Hannum said. “They are well coached. They are led by their defense and strong rushing attack. It will probably be our most challenging game to date. The Sagamore Conference is up for grabs at this point during the season with several teams still vying to win the championship. Games like this are games that will prepare us for the tournament. We expect a close game that will be physical and hard hitting.” Western Boone is expecting a similarly strong game. “Southmont is a very similar program to ours,” Western Boone coach Justin Pelley said. “Coach Hannum does a great job of preparing his teams each and every year and we look forward to the challenge that awaits us. It is good we are playing at home and we are very familiar with them and them with us. This game will come down to kids making plays and who makes the least amount of mistakes, which is how it should be. It should be a fun night, but we will have to be ready if we expect to compete.” WeBo has started the season 5-1, with the lone blemish a 41-34 loss to Tri-West in Week 4. The Stars have followed that up with a 35-8 victory over North Montgomery and a 56-6 win at Frankfort. Their offense has scored at least 34 points in every game this season and is averaging 42 points per game. “Our offense is based on facets of the triple option so the QB and RB will naturally end up with the stats,” Stars coach Justin Pelley said. “However, we have been able to spread the ball around a fair amount which I hope makes us difficult to prepare for. Senior wings Ryan Taylor and Ethan Bayles have been instrumental to our success as they are involved with the run and the pass. However, you don't average 42 points a game running the triple option without the efforts of the lineman up front: Korbin Smith, Clayton Unroe, Maddox Gadbury, Andrew Foster, Wyatt Dickey, Jaxson Gott, Emmy Roys and Josh Dickey.” Rowen Durbin has thrown for 774 yards and run for 325, while senior Trevor Weakley has 804 rushing yards and six touchdowns. Bayles has 366 receiving yards and five touchdowns this season. “We have had a good year so far. We take pride in taking it one game at a time and letting things play out from there,” Pelley said. “Expectations are high at Western Boone, but we embrace the challenge and simply take one game at a time. Our recent success has elevated some of these expectations around the state, but we cannot control that. We are doing the best we can with what we have and what we have is a group of players who have experienced winning and know what it takes.” Heritage walks off with wild win The wildest finish of Week 6 came at Heritage Christian, which beat Covenant Christian 34-28 on a strip-sack on the final snap. With the game tied 28-28 and Covenant Christian setting up for one last play near midfield, Heritage’s Collin Thompson forced the ball free with a strip-sack. Carter Taylor scooped up the loose ball and took it downfield for a touchdown. It was Heritage’s only lead of the night. “It was definitely the craziest finish I have ever been a part of,” Heritage Christian coach Kyle Ray said. “To win our homecoming game on a walk-off fumble recovery for a TD is something I will never forget. The sheer excitement and enthusiasm was incredible in the moment. I made a promise to myself to stay composed and positive the whole game, which was very challenging at times because we didn't play great. But, when Carter crossed the goal line, I just let all the emotion out and celebrated with our players and coaches. It was an amazing moment.” The victory gave the Eagles a 4-2 record, with the two losses coming to 2A No. 5 Scecina and 3A No. 8 Guerin Catholic. Senior QB Kyle Antoine has thrown for 1,291 yards and run for 521 to lead the Eagles. The vast majority of those yards have gone to seniors Luke Valerio (541 yards) and Christian Dora (407 yards). Antoine has had a handful of big games this year, running for 248 yards and throwing for 176 in a season-opening 55-20 victory over Traders Point Christian. In Week 4, he threw for 304 yards and ran for 78 in a 49-22 victory over Eastern Hancock. Antoine had 222 passing yards in the win over Covenant Christian. Antoine is a two year starter. “It has been awesome having Kyle back at QB. A tremendous leader, competitor, and person. We have developed a close relationship over his career, and there is no one else I would rather have at QB for our team this season,” said Ray, who was an All-American quarterback himself at Franklin College. “His ability to run and throw makes us a very dangerous team. He's got to take better care of the football down the stretch, but he has played some really great plays this year.” Thompson, who had the strip-sack to start the game-winning play Friday, leads Heritage’s defense with 60 tackles. Ray said “he has been all over the field this year,” This week, the Eagles travel to 3-3 Lapel before facing South Putnam and Indianapolis Manual to finish out the year. “We've had a great schedule this year,” Ray said. “Each and every week, we have to compete at a high level. It has been fun! To advance in the state tournament, you have to beat good football teams. Lapel is a very good team, and it's always a battle when we play them.” Other games to watch this week 6A No. 1 Brownsburg (6-0) at Zionsville (4-2) Cincinnati LaSalle at 6A No. 3 Indianapolis Cathedral (4-1) 6A No. 5 Ben Davis (4-2) at 6A No. 6 Carmel (4-2) 6A No. 7 Carroll (Fort Wayne) (6-0) at Homestead (3-3) 5A No. 7 Valparaiso (4-2) at 5A No. 2 Merrillville (5-1) Jasper (3-3) at 5A No. 9 Castle (4-2) 4A No. 7 Mooresville (5-1) at 5A No. 4 Whiteland (5-1) Louisville Male at 4A No. 2 Roncalli (6-0) 4A No. 6 New Prairie (6-0) at South Bend Riley (4-2) 4A No. 9 Evansville Reitz (6-0) at Evansville Memorial (4-2) Yorktown at 4A No. 10 Greenfield-Central (4-2) 2A No. 9 Cass (5-1) at 3A No. 1 West Lafayette (6-0) Christian Brothers (Mo.) at 3A No. 2 Indianapolis Chatard (4-2) Mt. Vernon (Posey) (4-2) at 3A No. 3 Gibson Southern (6-0) Northview (4-2) at 3A No. 8 Guerin Catholic (3-3) North Knox (3-3) at 2A No. 1 Linton (6-0) 2A No. 6 Triton Central (5-1) at 2A No. 5 Indianapolis Scecina (5-1) Fort Wayne Dwenger (4-2) at 2A No. 8 Fort Wayne Luers (3-3) Monrovia (2-4) at 1A No. 1 Indianapolis Lutheran (6-0) 1A No. 8 Triton (5-1) at 1A No. 3 North Judson (6-0) 1A No. 4 North Decatur (6-0) at North Daviess (4-2)

Because of my years in newspapers, I still keep my own stats while doing PXP.

This is fantastic. I can say, as a broadcaster, I'm *always* watching the wing officials to determine the spot and whether a touchdown has been scored (I usually don't announce a "touchdown" until I see it signaled, so a slow wing official tends to lead to a little bit of a dramatic buildup on the call). The guys who banana it or make a habit of squaring off a half-yard (or a yard) short of where the ball is spotted can be frustrating. Sometimes, it's hard to tell in a pile if the ball has been fumbled - a beanbag being tossed *definitely* helps indicate that for me.

The one time I saw Brebeuf last year (before the title game), Buckman was hurt, Annee came in at QB and they were excellent. It seemed even then Geske was their guy for the future. They were really high on him last year (and not just because he's the coach's son). If there's a 1A and a 1B and there's not much (if any) dropoff from one to the other and that allows you to get a better WR1 on the field, do it.

Correct - Whitestown is in Lebanon's school district. Most people *think* it's in Zionsville because of its proximity, but Lebanon's district lies west of Zionsville's (basically, the middle third of Boone County) and stretches all the way south to Fayette and the Hendricks County line. Because of where Lebanon HS is located - basically in the middle of a neighborhood north of town that's a good distance off I-65 - Whitestown's growth is going to be a bit of a traffic nightmare for students getting to/from the school.

I'll give him some credit - this is about as long as he's been on vacation without begging to be allowed back.

This seems to have hit a lot of inner-city public schools - Gary West, the IPS schools, Muncie Central, Anderson, et al, have really struggled as families have moved to the suburbs. Fort Wayne & Evansville schools haven't been hit as hard, but Evansville's school corporation is countywide, so a lot of the Evansville schools' population includes the closer-in suburbs. Not sure if that's as much the case for FWCS, but Northrop/Snider seem to hit the north suburbs. Meanwhile, Mishawaka & Penn (as well as Marian & St. Joe) are top-notch programs. The people living and going to school there were in South Bend two generations ago.

Again, this is free-to-use for any newspaper, website or radio station (whether on-air or online). The audio version is downloadable. DM me if you want to be added to the weekly mailing list - specify written or audio.

IPS district = the old pre-Unigov Indianapolis city limits. The township schools' districts consist of any land outside of those limits (obviously, except the enclave towns of Speedway and Beech Grove, whose districts correspond with their town boundaries). Why Indy stretched so far along 38th Street was likely because that area was developed and the city annexed it for tax base. It stretches pretty far in a narrow finger (although not quite as far) along 38th Street on the west side into Pike & Wayne Townships, too. There have been multiple proposals to merge the township schools and IPS over the years, since schools, police and fire were excluded from the Unigov city-county unification (police has since consolidated into one department, *some* fire departments have and some, like Pike, have remained independent of IFD), but the schools have steadfastly been able to remain independent. Given the size of all eight of the township districts, I don't think there's any momentum to merge them into IPS.

Lawrence North was a basketball powerhouse almost from the beginning - and won a state title (the first for a Marion County township school) in its 13th year of existence. But if you looked and saw Lawrence North largely upstaging Lawrence Central athletically, and Perry Meridian was probably equal to or better than Southport for a long time (although Southport *did* make a basketball State Finals in 1990), you're thinking "if we split the school, the new school with no history and tradition will be the good one, and the old one with 100 years of alumni will struggle," maybe you step back and say "yeah, let's keep it one school." If any township made sense to split, it was Lawrence, just because of how rapidly the Castleton/Geist areas were growing in the 1970s/80s. North Central would seem like a decent candidate (but a large portion of Washington Township resides in the IPS district), but it's fascinating to note that school didn't even exist until 1955. Before then, Washington Township kids who didn't live in the old city limits, I think, had the option to go to IPS or go to Pike/Lawrence Central (and I assume most went to Broad Ripple).

John Marshall is at 38th and Mitthoeffer - about six miles north and in the IPS district (IPS basically stretches along 38th Street like a finger all the way east almost to German Church Road). Its presence likely didn't affect Warren Central's student population at all - until open enrollment when families in that area could choose to go to Warren or Lawrence Township schools. The students who would have went to John Marshall are now districted to other IPS high schools (likely Tech, as it's the closest IPS building).

Highly doubt it. There is room for growth - a few new neighborhoods going in around Mitthoeffer/German Church near Creston (but it seems a not-insignificant number of those families send their kids to New Pal or to Scecina/Roncalli/Cathedral). I can't see WC splitting the high school. The time to do that would've been 20-25 years ago when the school's enrollment was really growing fast. It's growing still, but not quite at that level. Warren Township also doesn't have the tax base Washington & Lawrence Townships have - the infrastructure for a new high school would be pretty astronomical. It's easier and cheaper to add on (and in doing so, you ensure you're still competitive with the Ben Davises and Carmels).

2025 - those guys are all sophomores, so they're just now seeing the field. They've lost three games - by nine to Center Grove, by two touchdowns to a very good Ben Davis squad and by 12 to a very improved Lawrence Central team. I think more just shows the MIC is a meat-grinder. WC may be (and probably is) one of the top 7-8 teams in 6A but you can be a top team in 6A and still be in the lower half of the MIC because of the difficulty of the conference.