Friday-night lookahead

Two-a-days are over. The scrimmages are done. The tailgates will be fired up. It's kickoff night for Indiana's high schools starting Friday night.

It also means opening night for the CCSN Gridiron Digest Game of the Week. Check out this space each week for a preview of our Game of the Week, plus the other games in the area.

CCSN Gridiron Digest Game of the Week
Friday: 7 p.m. Airtime, 7:30 p.m. kickoff
Whiteland (0-0) at New Palestine (0-0)
Broadcast direct link

The series: Whiteland has won 5 of the 6 games. The Warriors have won 4 straight games, and are 3-1 in the regular season since the teams began playing each other in 2005.
Last year: The two teams played twice.
Week 1: Whiteland 33, New Palestine 12 in the opening night at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Sectional 1st round: Whiteland 4o, New Palestine 7 @NP

Scouting the Dragons
Coach: Tim Able (1st season at NP; 18th overall, record 95-92)
Last season: 4-6 (3-4 HHC)
Around New Palestine circles, these words aren't uttered very much, but a new era begins Friday night. Tim Able becomes the third head football coach in the New Palestine program's 40-year history, joining Hall of Famer Marvin Shepler and perennial winner Doug Armstrong. If his background is any indication, Able will likely continue the line of successful Dragon coaches, but Able has been successful everywhere he's gone, winning a 4A state title at East Noble before heading to Decatur Central and leading the Hawks to slay mighty Ben Davis for their first (and only) sectional championship in school history three years ago.

The first two games are baptism by fire -- Whiteland won 11 straight games last season and Week 2 foe Delta is ranked in 4A's top 10. However, the Dragons looked very good in their scrimmage against 1A No. 10 Scecina, using a lot of different players. Pat Feeney took a pass 65 yards for a touchdown on the Dragons' first play. Later, Cary Albrecht threw a touchdown pass on his first snap. NP's aggressive 3-4 defense produced a fumble recovery and a touchdown of its own.

Offensively, Albrecht is a dual-threat QB who can be successful throwing and running. At 6-2, he has good size, and he also has good wheels. He completed 46% of his passes for 500 yards last seaosn, and also ran for 6.7 yards per carry. Combined, he accounted for nearly 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns of total offense. There's a lot of depth on offense -- Feeney averaged 28.3 yards per catch last season and will likely be featured this year. He's a game-breaker -- he was second in the state in the 400 meters at the IHSAA Track and Field State Finals last spring. Michael Phelps had a big season at running back, while Bryce Pierson, Brett Jackson and more players have had some success. In all, nine offensie starters are back.

Defensively, the Dragons will have a new 3-4 look that, if the scrimmage is any indication, will be aggressive. Feeney, the reigning county Defensive Player of the Year, covers a lot of ground at free safety, while linemen Jacob Poynter, Justin Harvey and several other players bring back experience. NP will start eight seniors on the defensive side of the ball.

Scouting the Warriors
Coach: Darrin Fisher (5th year at WHS, 33-14; 19th year overall, 94-88)
Last season: 11-1 (7-0 Mid-State Conference)
Whiteland had one of those dream seasons last year -- great senior class, everything was building for it, and everything built to an undefeated regular season and the school's first Mid-State Conference title in 28 years. There was a ton of talent that graduated, including a senior class that numbered more than 30 players. Among the losses were ouststanding linebacker Mitch Meador, who took his talents to the University of Cincinnati.

Whiteland also has a new role, as the school's rapidly-growing enrollment put the Warriors in Class 5A this year. They're now sharing a sectional with Top 10 teams in Center Grove, Columbus East and other solid programs in Columbus North and Bloomington South. Of course, the Warriors are used to high-level tournament competition, having to lock horns with the likes of Cathedral, Roncalli and Plainfield in the past.

For the Warriors this season, the big question will be how quickly the new players can adjust to varsity football. Whiteland isn't young -- the Warriors will start four seniors and seven juniors on offense, and five seniors on defense -- and the new faces were the understudies for some pretty good players. Among the returnees, tailback Drew Smyth is a player to watch. A junior, he ran for 11 yards per carry last season and had 880 yards and 12 touchdowns from scrimmage. Only two other starters return -- wideout Brandon Gieseking (34.8 ypc, 6 TDs) and lineman Zac Van Deman, a senior who joins four juniors on the offensive line. The quarterback will likely be junior Danny Morgan, who stands 6-2.

On defense, the Warriors have another Meador to step in at linebacker -- 6-5, 240-pound Jake Meador. There are 11 new starters on this side of the ball from a squad that allowed 14 ppg a year ago, but there is some talent. Junior linebacker Jess Harris saw a lot of varsity time last season, as did senior taackle Jesse Moistner.

The matchup: This should be an interesting game to watch. Last year, Whiteland had the experience and New Palestine was very young in key spots. Now, the Dragons are experienced and Whiteland has the new faces. Opening games are always interesting to see how the new guys fare. It'll be interesting to see this one.

Other Hancock County games
Mt. Vernon at Kokomo, 7 p.m.: The Marauders will have a lot of the same faces from last year, but an old new look. QB Austin Parker, RB Zach McKinney, LB Jason McCalley, WRs Jesse Reed and Jake Davis and more players got some valuable experience last season, and got much better as the season went along. But the Wildkats are the North Central Conference's reigning kings and it's a tough opener for the Marauders. Kokomo has won 15 straight regular-season games against Indiana schools, and is 17-4 in two seasons under coach Brett Colby. Kokomo has won both meetings against MV.
Greenfield-Central at New Castle, 7:30 p.m.: The Cougars' traditional opening game against their neighbors to the east, and many signs are good ones for them building again this year. G-C is seeking its first winning season since 2002, but they've been improving steadily under the guidance of Dodson's staff. There are some big shoes to fill -- QB Travis White, leading rusher Troy Meyers and an outstanding receiver/linebacker Michael Dickerson have all graduated. Where the Cougars have some experience is at receiver, where seniors Kevin Bordenkircher, Ethan Irbe, John White, and Andy Sowder return. White had some big catches in G-C's win over Mt. Vernon last season, while Bordenkircher and Irbe combined for nearly 600 receiving yards. Junior Carl Ellison will likely be the one throwing to that group of people. Conley and Stephen Roberts are a couple of corerstones on defense. New Castle won two games last season, which is a step, as the Trojans are seeking their first winning season since 1984. New Castle has several defensive starters back.
Triton Central at Eastern Hancock, 7 p.m.: The Royals begin their sophomore season under coach Mark Reddy, and they're trying to return to the run of winning seasons they posted earlier in the decade. They're trying to build on a two-win mark, and TC is a tough opponent. There are some athletes -- including a big body in 6-8, 280-pound lineman Devin Tharpe. Steve Stunda threw for 1,686 yards last season and will direct an offense that can move the ball through the air. TC went 7-3 under Kevin Kling in his first season last yaer, and will have several returning starters on both sides of the ball.

Other HHC games
Pendleton Heights at Yorktown, 7:30 p.m.: This is the lone conference game on the docket. The Tigers graduated a ton of talent last season, especially at the offensive skill positions -- they graduated nearly all of their passing and receiving yardage and their top tackler. However, Mike Wilhelm has done a good job building a program -- and this one came within four points of knocking off eventual 3A champ Bellmont in the regional. A 1,000-yard rusher in junior RB Derek Kundenreich is back. On defense, 6-7 lineman Kevin Ellis is the leading returning tackler and a big presence in the middle of the line. PH struggled to a 2-win season, but the Arabians are usually not "down" very long. PH have a ton of starters returning on both offense and defense. It looks like a matchup of youth vs. experience.
Shelbyville at Greensburg, 7 p.m.: An old rivalry resumes. Pat Parks has slowly built Shelbyville into one of the most consistent winners in the HHC. The Bears have gone 20-3 the last two seasons -- the lone regular-season loss coming to Delta in last year's regular-season finale -- although Greensburg has always been a test. Much of Shelbyville's defense is back in the fold, and the Bears seem to always be able to produce offensive talent to fit the Wing-T scheme. Greensburg is in its first full season under coach Scott Moore, but the Pirates are a consistent winner in Southeast Indiana. This might be one of the most interesting games in the area.
Connersville at Rushville, 7 p.m.: Rushville is loaded for bear, after posting a 7-win season, advancing to a sectional championship game, and returning several offensive and defensive starters, including dual-threat QB Spencer Comer. Meanwhile, Connersville continues to improve, and these two neighbors always play good games.
Jay County at Delta, 7 p.m.: The Eagles are always one of the HHC's premier teams, and always seem to have one stud receiver. This year, it's Logan Young, who is headed to Indiana next fall. But for this year, he'll be the deep threat to strike fear in defensive backfields, while an always-strong power running game keeps them honest. Delta is 50-9 over the last five seasons, and posted an unbeaten regular season last year. The Eagles have defeated Jay County at least 17 consecutive times. JC has improved, though, and it'll be interesting to see how the Patriots stack up against Delta.

Looking beyond: Check out the IFCA poll. CCSN's Tim Adams will be at the Cathedral-Carmel game this week.

Looking ahead to next week (Friday, Aug. 28)
CCSN GID Game of the Week: Yorktown at Mt. Vernon, 6:30 airtime
Hancock County/HHC games
Eastern Hancock at Scecina, 7 p.m.
Greenfield-Central at Pendleton Heights, 7:30 p.m.
New Palestine at Delta, 7:30 p.m.
Rushville at Shelbyville, 7 p.m.