5A #8 Bloomington South at Columbus East: Even with only five starters back, the Panthers shouldn’t lack the talent to win easily. If the Olympians are as rough in the trenches as I’ve heard, it could get ugly. Bloomington South leads the series 4-1 and has won the last two games.
Franklin at New Albany: I’m not sure what the Bulldogs have back this year but the Grizzly Cubs aren’t the pushovers they used to be. Franklin leads the series 1-0.
Jeffersonville at 5A #4 Whiteland: This might be the ugliest game of the night. The Red Devils have a new coach and had a bad showing in their scrimmage with Madison. Their reward? A game on the road against a top 5 Warriors team. Good luck. The all-time series is tied 1-1 as Whiteland evened it up last year after their first match-up since 1972.
Jennings County at South Dearborn: The Panthers have a new coach and a lot of young players. The Knights run a wishbone formation and it’ll be interesting to see how an inexperienced JC defends it. Not an easy task, especially for a season-opener. South Dearborn leads the series 5-3.
6A #3 Louisville St. Xavier at Floyd Central: The Highlanders have lost 14 straight against teams from Kentucky and 15 straight against teams from out of state. I expect that to continue against the Tigers. St. Xavier leads the series 1-0.
5A #9 Martinsville at BNL: The Stars have suffered nine straight losses in this series. You have to go back to 1992 to find their last win against the Artesians. With Martinsville on the upswing this year and BNL on the downswing, it’s looking like another blowout. Martinsville leads the series 22-3.
Seymour at Greenwood: I really want to pick the Owls here but they suffered some big losses in the offseason. The Woodmen suffered some big losses too but it’s hard to take a Hoosier Hills Conference team over a Mid-State Conference team. Greenwood leads the series 3-1 and has won the last two games.