AVON (3-2) AT FISHERS (3-2)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Clarian Field.
COACHES: Rob Gibson, 8-17 in third season at Avon, 30-20 in fifth season overall. Curt Funk, 33-27 in sixth season at Fishers, 110-63 in 16th season overall.
LAST CONTEST: Avon beat Franklin Central, 35-10. Fishers lost to Brownsburg, 42-14.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Fishers, 27-13, on September 28, 2024.
UP NEXT: Avon hosts Westfield (4-1). Fishers entertains Franklin Central (3-2).
TOP PERFORMERS: Makyi Hines recorded 17 tackles for the No. 10 (Class 6A) Orioles against Franklin Central. Vincent Rozzi hauled in a 47-yard touchdown pass for the No. 8 (Class 6A) Tigers against No. 1 and defending Class 6A state champion Brownsburg.
COACHES’ CORNER: “In order for us to be successful, we have to slow down their run game. Their running back (Ryan Thembulembu) and quarterback (Gage Sturgill) both have the ability to make a ton of plays. Limiting long drives will be key for our defense. On offense, establishing the run game and moving the chains on third down and medium. Fishers forces a lot of teams into third down and medium, so we have to be able to convert.” – Avon’s Rob Gibson.
“We will have our hands full with a very tough Avon team who is playing very well right now. We will need to control the line of scrimmage and move the chains on offense. We can’t turn the ball over and need to create takeaways on defense. We will need to play four complete quarters of football.” – Fishers’ Curt Funk.
BROWNSBURG (5-0) AT WESTFIELD (4-1)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Riverview Health Stadium.
COACHES: John Hart, 87-19 in 10th season at Brownsburg, 354-100 in 41st season overall. Josh Miracle, 16-3 in second season at Westfield.
LAST CONTEST: Brownsburg beat Fishers, 42-14. Westfield beat Hamilton Southeastern, 21-17.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Brownsburg, 22-17, on November 29, 2024 for Class 6A state championship.
UP NEXT: Brownsburg welcomes Zionsville (2-3). Westfield goes to Avon (3-2).
TOP PERFORMERS: Avin Robinson caught three passes for 63 yards with a touchdown and ran twice for 12 yards for the top-ranked and defending Class 6A state champion Bulldogs against No. 8 (Class 6A) Fishers. Cooper Melvin was 5-of-6 for 88 yards with a score for the No. 5 (Class 6A) Shamrocks against No. 11 (Class 6A) Hamilton Southeastern.
COACHES’ CORNER: “Their offensive line led by (Malachi) Mills and (Joseph) Mavrick are the biggest, most physical offensive line we have seen this year. (Running back) Deacon King is one of the top candidates for Mr. Football, so stopping the running game will be one of our primary goals. On defense, (Alex) Aramboles created huge issues for us last year in the state championship game. He has wrecked every offense they have played. King and (Cato) June have elite speed to match up with our receivers, so goal number one will be good pass protection.” – Brownsburg’s John Hart.
“We look forward to this week’s matchup against an extremely talented Brownsburg team. Coach Hart and his staff have our utmost respect as we know that they will be well-prepared in all three phases of the game. In order for us to be successful this week, we will need to continue to prioritize winning both the takeaway and explosive play battles along with finding success in the red zone.” – Westfield’s Josh Miracle.
EVANSVILLE REITZ (4-1) AT CASTLE (4-1)
KICKOFF: 7:30 p.m. EDT, Lidy Field.
COACHES: Cory Brunson, 43-20 in sixth season at Evansville Reitz, 77-60 in 13th season overall. Doug Hurt, 147-78 in 20th season at Castle.
LAST CONTEST: Evansville Reitz beat Evansville Central, 20-7. Castle beat Vincennes Lincoln, 17-7.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Castle, 35-7, on September 28, 2024.
UP NEXT: Evansville Reitz hosts Evansville Memorial (5-0). Castle travels to Jasper (4-1).
TOP PERFORMERS: Parker Baumeyer went 7-of-14 for 108 yards for the No. 5 (Class 4A) Panthers against Evansville Central. Nolan McKinney scampered 19 times for 81 yards for the No. 9 (Class 5A) Knights against Vincennes Lincoln.
COACHES’ CORNER: “Castle is playing well. Coach Hurt always has them prepared. We will need to do a better job of following through on our assignments. We need to eliminate our silly mistakes. If we can play physical and take care of the ball, it should be a good ball game. We just need to make the big plays when the opportunity arises.” – Evansville Reitz’s Cory Brunson.
“I think that we need to build on three outstanding defensive performances while playing complimentary football. Our offense has got to be more consistent. We have had some injuries, and that has affected our continuity, particularly on the offensive line. We have to be able to run the football and not turn the ball over. We had crucial penalties and turnovers last week which kept Vincennes in the game. We also need big performances from our special teams units which have been outstanding all year. Field position will be key, and we need a dominant performance on special teams. If we can continue to be fast and physical on defense, be more consistent on offense, and win the battle of field position, we will have a chance against a very good Reitz football team.” – Castle’s Doug Hurt.
FORT WAYNE BISHOP DWENGER (4-1) AT FORT WAYNE NORTHROP (4-1)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Spuller Stadium.
COACHES: Jason Garrett, 64-27 in eighth season at Bishop Dwenger. Quentin Bowen, 8-27 in fourth season at Fort Wayne Northrop.
LAST CONTEST: Bishop Dwenger beat Homestead, 15-3. Fort Wayne Northrop beat Fort Wayne Concordia, 47-6.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Bishop Dwenger, 36-19, on September 27, 2024.
UP NEXT: Bishop Dwenger goes to Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (2-3). Fort Wayne Northrop plays at Fort Wayne Snider (2-3).
TOP PERFORMERS: Douglas Henry registered 13 tackles with two for loss, a quarterback sack, and a fumble recovery for the No. 6 (Class 4A) Saints against Homestead. Maddox Weil managed six catches for 109 yards with two touchdowns for the Bruins against Fort Wayne Concordia.
COACHES’ CORNER: “Northrop is a very fast, athletic, explosive team, especially on offense and special teams. It will take a locked in, assignment-focused effort on Friday in all three facets to be successful. We must limit explosive plays, win the line of scrimmage, and the turnover battle. We must be efficient on offense with ball control and scoring points in the red zone.” – Bishop Dwenger’s Jason Garrett.
“Bishop Dwenger is a really good team. Their defense has not given up many points this season, and their kicker (Louis Nguyen) can hit from anywhere on the field. This should be a really good game that will test how well we execute offensively. We have to avoid penalties and finish drives with points.” Fort Wayne Northrop’s Quentin Bowen.
HERITAGE HILLS (5-0) AT GIBSON SOUTHERN (4-1)
KICKOFF: 8 p.m. EDT, Jewell Field.
COACHES: Todd Wilkerson, 115-44 in 14th season at Heritage Hills. Nick Hart, 137-28 in 14th season at Gibson Southern.
LAST CONTEST: Heritage Hills beat Washington, 49-7. Gibson Southern beat Southridge, 41-12.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Heritage Hills, 35-18, on October 25, 2024 in Class 3A sectional quarterfinal.
UP NEXT: Heritage Hills entertains Mount Vernon (Posey) (4-1). Gibson Southern plays at Washington (2-3).
TOP PERFORMERS: Tyce Winchell ended with seven carries for 102 yards with two touchdowns for the No. 1 (Class 4A) and defending Class 3A state champion Patriots against Washington. Tucker Deputy raced nine times for 59 yards with a score for the No. 3 (Class 3A) Titans against Southridge.
COACHES’ CORNER: “Our games against Gibson Southern have become a true rivalry. This will be our 14th matchup over the last eight years. During that time period, the Titans have won seven times and we have won six times. We have a ton of respect for Coach Hart, his staff, and the Gibson Southern players and community. When you play the Titans, your players and coaches have to quickly adapt to their fast-paced offensive style. They run a play every 10-15 seconds, and you have to prepare for communicating and executing on defense at that pace. In their game against Rochester, Illinois, they ran 91 plays on offense. (Quarterback) Zach Foster does an outstanding job running their offense and is a dual-threat quarterback. To play great defense this week, we will need to do a great job communicating and executing. Offensively, we need to improve the consistency and efficiency of our passing game. We have shown the ability to be explosive on offense, but we need to be more consistent in the short-intermediate passing game. Gibson Southern’s front seven are an aggressive, downhill-playing group, so our offensive line will need to play well for us to be successful offensively. We always look to our special teams to create positive momentum in the game. It is important for us to be disciplined and execute at a high level. It should be a great game! I know our community, coaches, and players are excited to play the Titans.” – Heritage Hills’ Todd Wilkerson.
“Heritage Hills is a very good football team. I think their two SEC recruits (quarterback Jett Goldsberry and wide receiver Tyler Ruxer) get a lot of attention and rightfully so, but they have a lot of really good football players. We must play at a really high level and play with very few mistakes. They are tremendously athletic and can hit a big play at any time on the ground and in the air, so we have to do our best to limit those big plays. Their defense, as usual, flies around and doesn’t make any mistakes. We are going to have to execute at a high level in order to put some drives together.” – Gibson Southern’s Nick Hart.
INDIAN CREEK (4-1) AT TRI-WEST (4-1)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Hendricks Field.
COACHES: Max Goodin, 9-7 in second season at Indian Creek. Jason Ward, 57-20 in seventh season at Tri-West.
LAST CONTEST: Indian Creek lost to Lapel, 29-26. Tri-West beat Danville, 35-27.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Tri-West, 26-14, on October 23, 2020 in Class 3A sectional quarterfinal.
UP NEXT: Indian Creek travels to Triton Central (5-0). Tri-West plays at Monrovia (2-3).
TOP PERFORMERS: Nate Nash rolled up 12 tackles and caused a fumble for the No. 10 (Class 3A) Braves against No. 3 (Class 2A) Lapel. Abe Haste accounted for 17 tackles for the No. 8 (Class 3A) Bruins against Danville.
COACHES’ CORNER: “For us to come away with a victory on Friday, we will need to continue to play outstanding defense. Our opponent is coming off a big win against their county rival and scored a lot of points. We will need to be prepared to defend them in all three phases. Offensively, we must continue to take care of the ball, take what the defense gives us, and capitalize on every opportunity to score. On special teams, we must be on point and not shoot ourselves in the foot. Field position is critical in games like these, and we must be more consistent in this phase.” – Indian Creek’s Max Goodin.
“It’s exciting again playing a team that we have not played in a while. They look very sound on offense and defense. Defensively, they look like a basic defense that lets their players react more than scheme a team. They are pretty stout on their front seven. We will have to run on the edges along with play action and booting to slow down their rush. Offensively, again nothing exotic. They’re just good at what they do. If we can stop or slow down the rushing attack from their running back (Drew Pingleton) or quarterback (Evan Clark) and make them pass more, it will be in our advantage. They seem to gain four yards here, five yards there, and wear on you and waiting to bust the long one when defenses are out of position. Offensively, we are going to have to use sideline to sideline and down the field and spread them out. We don’t match up physically with them and will have to use our speed and play action to get their defense out of position to move the ball.” – Tri-West’s Jason Ward.
NORTHEASTERN (5-0) AT CENTERVILLE (4-1)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Craig Field.
COACHES: Wes Oler, 44-21 in seventh season at Northeastern. Ryan Cole, 29-7 in fourth season at Centerville, 29-15 in fifth season overall.
LAST CONTEST: Northeastern beat Union City, 62-0. Centerville beat Tri, 31-30 (OT).
PREVIOUS MEETING: Northeastern, 16-12, on September 27, 2024.
UP NEXT: Northeastern hosts Shenandoah (3-2). Centerville travels to Union County (1-4).
TOP PERFORMERS: Corbin Isaacs recorded seven rushes for 76 yards with a touchdown for the No. 10 (Class 2A) Knights against Union City. Maddox Pritchett caught three passes for 105 yards with a score and ran 13 times for 58 yards with another tally for the No. 14 (Class 2A) Bulldogs against Tri.
COACHES’ CORNER: “This week against Centerville is a big rivalry game. It is always tough to win at Centerville. For us to come away with a win, we have to limit penalties, turnovers, and mental mistakes. They are solid on defense and very explosive on offense, so we have to be physical up front and contain their speed on the perimeter. It should be a great game in great weather in front of a great crowd.” – Northeastern’s Wes Oler.
“There will be plenty of motivation for both teams on Friday night. Not only are there conference championship implications on the line, but this is a huge rivalry game for us. Defensively, we are going to have to limit the big plays from Northeastern. They have great speed at the wide receiver position and have thrived on big plays all season. We want to force them to drive the length of the field and not give up any of the home runs that they are accustomed to. Offensively, we have to execute our game plan and be able to move the chains throughout the game. We need to establish the run game and take care of the football. Our offensive line will have to have great communication and play at a high level to take care of Northeastern’s strong defensive front. Both teams have big play ability and the game will likely come down to turnovers and who can stop the big plays from happening.” – Centerville’s Ryan Cole.
PLAINFIELD (5-0) AT DECATUR CENTRAL (3-2)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Devere Stadium.
COACHES: Tyler Bless, 20-6 in third season at Plainfield. Kyle Enright, 84-29 in 10th season at Decatur Central.
LAST CONTEST: Plainfield beat Greenwood, 49-14. Decatur Central beat Mooresville, 73-27.
LAST MEETING: Decatur Central, 35-7, on November 8, 2024, in Class 5A sectional final.
UP NEXT: Plainfield host Franklin (2-3). Decatur Central travels to Greenwood (1-4).
TOP PERFORMERS: Ty White came up with two receptions for 39 yards with a touchdown for the No. 3 (Class 5A) Quakers against Greenwood. Braylon Morris totaled four rushes for 49 yards with a score and six tackles for the defending Class 5A state champion Hawks against Mooresville.
COACHES’ CORNER: “We will have to play well in all three phases of the game on Friday to earn victory. On offense, we need to be able to have an effective run game to balance our passing and play action attack. Continue to get the ball in our playmakers hands and end each drive with a kick. Defensively, we need to be able to recognize Decatur Central’s formations and personnels to stop their running attack. We will need to keep everything in front of us and eliminate explosive plays. We must continue to make special teams important and win that phase of the game with each unit.” – Plainfield’s Tyler Bless.
“Plainfield is a very well-coached team led by Tyler Bless. They do not beat themselves and force opponents to make mistakes. They are a balanced team who runs the ball and throws the ball at an efficient level. A great recipe for success in high school football. No. 7 (running back Luke Starnes) and No. 8 (wide receiver Zander Nattam) provide them with 85 percent of their offense and their quarterback (Bryce Sebanc) is a two-year starter who has improved greatly and can beat you with his arm or his legs. On defense, they run a ‘3-4’ defense and are very sound and solid. They force teams to drive the field by keeping things in front of them in the secondary and by having all 11 (players) run to the ball. It will be a battle on Friday night and we are looking forward to the opportunity to compete against a good program. Our keys to success are to weather the storm. The emotions of a big game on Homecoming will be at a high level. We must play with extreme focus, play disciplined and smart football, and never allow our demeanor to be too high or too low. We need to win the turnover battle. The team that takes care of the ball usually wins. This is especially true in big games. We must not turn the ball over and we must get some turnovers to be successful. We have to play fast and physical. Our team speed and physicality must wear them down as the game progresses.” – Decatur Central’s Kyle Enright.
SCOTTSBURG (5-0) AT CHARLESTOWN (4-1)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Reis Field.
COACHES: Kyle Mullins, 44-58 in 11th season at Scottsburg. Aaron Daniel, 4-1 in first season at Charlestown.
LAST CONTEST: Scottsburg beat Silver Creek, 42-0. Charlestown beat Providence, 32-28.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Scottsburg, 34-0, on September 26, 2024.
UP NEXT: Scottsburg travels to Clarksville (2-3). Charlestown goes to Corydon Central (2-3).
TOP PERFORMERS: Garrett Boling caught five passes for 114 yards with two scores and recorded 10 tackles against for the No. 15 (Class 3A) Warriors against Silver Creek. AJ Todd accumulated 18 rushes for 93 yards with a touchdown and caught a 24-yard pass for another tally for the Pirates against No. 5 and defending Class 1A state champion Providence.
COACHES’ CORNER: “Coach Aaron Daniel has done a tremendous job with a quick turnaround of the Charlestown football program. They are coming into this game hot and it’s going to require our best effort for us to win. The keys to us being fortunate to come away with a win Friday night will be to limit their zone read rushing game by playing fast to the ball and great tackling. Additionally, we must affect (Charlestown quarterback) Christian Grayson’s passing game as he enters the game with 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns. Our offense must play mistake-free football and play physical across the board.” – Scottsburg’s Kyle Mullins.
“Defensively, we are going to have to stop them from getting the ‘explosive play.’ They can get the ball down the field at times and we can’t let that happen. We will also have to be on top of their running back (No. 5 Landon Shuck). He’s a good, hard-nosed runner, so we will have to get hats to the football to get him down. Offensively, we will have to be sound up front as they have some big boys that will take up some gaps and let No. 9 (Garrett Boling) and No. 5 (Shuck) fly to the ball. We will have to be efficient in our route running as they have some talented defensive backs who can run really well.” – Charlestown’s Aaron Daniel.
SOUTH BEND SAINT JOSEPH (5-0) AT ELKHART (4-1)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Rice Field.
COACHES: Ben Downey, 70-45 in 10th season at Saint Joseph. Travon Curry, 12-3 in second season at Elkhart.
LAST CONTEST: Saint Joseph beat South Bend Adams, 42-0. Elkhart beat New Prairie, 56-28.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Elkhart, 38-17, on September 27, 2024.
UP NEXT: Saint Joseph welcomes South Bend Riley (3-2). Elkhart hosts Penn (5-0).
TOP PERFORMERS: Conor Gallagher amassed a 50-yard touchdown reception for the No. 10 (Class 4A) Huskies against Adams. Tayshon Bardo managed three catches for 104 yards with a score for the No. 12 (Class 6A) Lions against New Prairie.
COACHES’ CORNER: “In order to come away with a victory, we need to play every play as a unit. We need to use our schemes to limit the big-play ability of Elkhart’s athletes, especially their wide receivers.” – Saint Joseph’s Ben Downey.
“South Bend St. Joe is playing some excellent football right now. Their defense has pitched a shutout in three of the last four weeks. To secure a victory on Friday night, we must win the line of scrimmage, win the special teams battle, and be the more physical team for four quarters.” – Elkhart’s Travon Curry.
