We're in the homestretch of the HHC race, and four teams are still in the mix. Two are perfect in conference play (Delta & Shelbyville), while Mt. Vernon and New Palestine lurk at 3-1.
Those are the games we'll be watching next week -- one, the intra-county rivalry between Mt. Vernon and Greenfield-Central; another, the game between New Palestine and Shelbyville. We'll have the broadcast of MV and G-C, with NP-Shelby being carried by our friends at WSVX-Shelbyville.
Let's preview the HHC this week, starting with our Game of the Week broadcast.
CCSN GID Game of the Week
Mt. Vernon (4-2/3-1) at Greenfield-Central (1-5/0-5)
7 p.m. broadcast. Listen live here
The coaches
Mt. Vernon: Doug Peacock (16th year at MV, 100-71; 20th year overall, 120-91).
Greenfield-Central: Roger Dodson (4th year at G-C, 10-27; 16th year overall, 74-86).
The series: G-C has won two in a row, including last year's 7-3 win, but the Marauders lead the series since 1994 12-4.
Scouting the Marauders: The Marauders are coming off their first HHC loss, a 23-7 loss to a very good Shelbyville team. MV led 7-3 after Corey White opened the second half with a KOR for a TD, but Shelbyville managed to score three times after that. Being outscored in the second half is a rarity for the Marauders, as 120 of their 195 points this season came after halftime. That snapped a 4-game winning streak in which MV had averaged 45 points per game. MV's leading rusher is FB Trey Ross, who is running for an average of 93 yards per game and has scored 10 TDs. He had 78 yards last week -- MV was held to 73 of total offense last year. HBs Zach McKinney and Evan Whalen have combined for 105 yards per game. MV's defense held Shelbyville to its second-lowest point total of the year last week, and has been solid this season. The Marauders shut out Yorktown in Week 2, and held Pendleton Heights without a first down for much of the first three quarters two weeks ago.
Scouting the Cougars: The Cougars are trying to snap a 5-game losing streak -- all against conference foes -- but they're facing a team they've beaten in back-to-back years. Within that streak, G-C has been strong defensively. Last week, the Cougars held Rushville to 19 points, but fell 19-15 after scoring the first two TDs of the game. Two weeks ago, they held Shelbyville to 3 points in the first half and their lowest point total of the year in a 19-0 loss. In Week 4, Yorktown was held scoreless in the first half, but rallied to win 28-14. G-C forced four turnovers in the first half of that game. In those 3 games, G-C has outscored its foes 22-10 in the first half, but has been outscored 56-7 after halftime. The Cougars' leading offensive gainer is WR Matt Dickerson, who has 10 catches for 162 yards, and also has run for 196 yards. Brady Conger had 123 yards rushing last week and has 255 overall this season. QB Tyler Colclazier started last week and completed 4-of-14 passes, including a TD to Ethan Irbe. He has a lot of weapons -- Kevin Bordenkircher, Irbe, Dickerson and John White, who had a 56-yard TD reception in Week 4 against Yorktown.
These rivalry games are always fun, and always hard-hitting. We're looking forward to bringing this one to you. Join us at 7 p.m. Friday.
Other HHC/area games
Shelbyville (6-0/4-0) at New Palestine (4-2/3-1), 7 p.m.: Another great matchup. Shelbyville has been an offensive juggernaut this season, although the Bears have been held to 19 and 23 points the last two weeks. In those games, Shelby was held to a field goal in the first half, and then scored a total of 36 points in the second half. However, Shelbyville's defense hasn't allowed a touchdown since the late stages of a 52-29 win over Pendleton Heights in Week 4. The Bears are led by a multi-headed monster of QB Kevin Prosch and RB Patrick Ellis. The latter ran for 102 yarsd and a TD last week, while Prosch ran for 58 yards. NP is also coming off an impressive 35-12 win over Yorktown. The Dragons have one of the most dynamic performers in the HHC in Pat Feeney, but he only had one offensive touch last week -- a 7-yard run -- as he played almost exclusively on defense while nursing an injury to his leg. He also had a punt return for a TD that was called back by a roughing-the-punter penalty. On the year, Feeney has run for 491 yards and caught 19 passes for 415 yards. Combined, he has nine TDs. NP's running tandem of Michael Phelps and Bryce Pierson picked up the slack. Phelps had a TD catch of 44 yards and a TD run of 45. Pierson also had a 44-yard TD run, to go along with two 6-yard TDs. They combined for 227 yards rushing last week. Brett Jackson is also a threat on offense. NP has scored 34 and 35 points the last two weeks, but needs to win to stay in contention for the HHC title. The Dragons' next win will be the 100th for coach Tim Able.
Rushville (2-4/1-3) at Delta (6-0/4-0), 7 p.m.: The Eagles continue to impress, as they did in a 44-20 victory over Pendleton Heights last Saturday. Delta's "triplets" of QB Ozzie Mann, WR Logan Young and RB Teddy Dawson combined for more than 300 yards last week -- Young had 208 receiving yards and a TD, while Dawson had 130 rushing yards and three TDs. Delta's special teams also produced two touchdowns. Delta has won 27 of its last 28 regular-season games, and has never lost to Rushville. Meanwhile, the Lions are coming off their first HHC win of the year, rallying from a 15-0 deficit to beat Greenfield-Central 19-15. QB Spencer Comer ran for 3 TDs of 56, 1 and 3 yard, and totaled 169 rushing yards against the Cougars last week. In total, the Lions ran it for 305 yards.
Anderson Highland (5-1 on the field) at Yorktown (3-3), 7:30 p.m.: The Scots have been pretty impressive this season. The signature win was a 49-41 victory over Heritage Christian. The lone loss on the field was to defending 3A champ Chatard. Highland is actually 4-2, as it had to forfeit a season-opening win against Anderson due to use of an ineligible player. Meanwhile, Yorktown discovered a strong passing game last week, as QB Kyle Weiss was 20-of-34 and threw for TDs to Brendon Barnes and Austin Anderson. Barnes had 117 yard receiving last week, and also ran for 32. RB Derek Kundenreich ran for 98 yards last week, playing fullback for a large part of the night.
Jay County (2-4) at Pendleton Heights (1-5), 7:30 p.m.: The Arabians finally step out of conference play to meet Jay County. PH had a good first half against Delta last week, but the Eagles pulled away in the second half. Jay County looks like a good matchup, as both teams are hungry for a victory. JC beat Blackford and a winless Franklin County team for its two wins.
Also in the area: Wes-Del (2-4) at Eastern Hancock (0-6), 7 p.m.: These two longtime WRAC foes now play a non-conference game. Wes-Del is coming off a 2-game winning streak, having beaten the Deaf School and Edinburgh the last two weeks. Meanwhile, EH is coming off a tough 33-18 loss to North Decatur. The Royals have had two of their better offensive games back-to-back. This is the first of two games against ex-WRAC foes. Next week, the Royals travel to Shenandoah.
HHC standings
Delta 4-0/6-0 (W7 v. Rushville; W8 v. MV; W9 v. Shelbyville)
Shelbyville 4-0/6-0 (W7 @NP; W8 v. Yorktown; W9 @Delta)
Mt. Vernon 3-1/4-2 (W7 @GC; W8 v. Delta; W9 v. NP)
New Palestine 3-1/4-2 (W7 v. Shelbyville; W8 v. GC; W9 @MV)
Yorktown 2-3/3-3 (W8 v. Shelbyville; W9 @Rushville)
Rushville 1-3/2-4 (W7 @Delta; W8 v. PH; W9 v. Yorktown)
Pendleton Heights 1-5/1-5 (W8 v. Rushville)
Greenfield-Central 0-5/1-5 (W7 v. MV; W8 v. NP)
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Week 6 redux: It's a 4-team race
We had our eyes on a couple of big matchups heading into this week, and now, the picture in the HHC is getting clearer.
The conference really sorted itself out tonight. Two teams are 4-0 -- Delta and Shelbyville. Two teams are 3-1 and need some help to stay in the hunt for an HHC title -- Mt. Vernon and New Palestine. The rest of the conference teams have at least 3 losses.
What a night of football. It was misty, soggy, nasty, cold -- football weather. The fields were messy, the uniforms dirty. It was great.
Our game featured another impressive performance by New Palestine as the Dragons beat Yorktown 35-12. The big question this week was "Would Pat Feeney play?" The Dragons' star athlete -- he has 4 INTs on defense and averages nearly 200 yards per game on offense -- was dinged up last week, and he was essentially limited to defensive duty -- he did play a few offensive snaps, but only had one carry for six yards. He still impressed -- a flying pass break-up on a 2-point conversion, a long punt return for a TD (which was called back due to a roughing the punter foul), but with both he and Austin Cahoy largely limited to defensive duty, that meant other Dragons had the opportunity to step up.
One thing about this NP senior class -- it's got a lot of talented athletes, and that showed tonight. Michael Phelps had a 45-yard TD pass, a 45-yard TD run, 135 total yards rushing and 180 yards from scrimmage on 12 touches tonight. Bryce Pierson had 92 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries. Brett Jackson had 48 yards rushing. The Dragons' defense held Yorktown scoreless for three quarters, including holding the Tigers on downs three times in NP territory. It was a really impressive performance for the Dragons, who appeared to get stronger on the ground as the game went on. Going in, it looked like NP's advantage was on the perimeter and Yorktown's was in the trenches, but the Dragons began to control both lines in the second half. Yorktown's success came through the air -- QB Kyle Weiss was 20-of-34 with 2 TDs, completing 9 passes to speedy sophomore Brendon Barnes. He's a guy we'll be hearing from a lot. Coach Mike Wilhelm did a great job of using formations and play-calling to get the ball in the right people's hands, and the halftime adjustments netted 272 second-half yards. Derek Kundenreich had 87 yards rushing, while Barnes had 117 receiving and 134 from scrimmage.
But every time Yorktown scored, the Dragons answered right back. NP led 21-0 on TD plays of 45 (pass to Phelps), 44 (run by Pierson) and 45 (run by Phelps) in the opening three quarters. Each team scored twice in the fourth, but NP always maintained a 2-3 score advantage en route to a 35-12 win. The Dragons have been explosive this season: they're averaging 35 ppg in their wins (and 7 ppg in their losses).
Tonight's win was also No. 99 for NP head coach Tim Able. He begins the quest for 100 next week against Shelbyville.
In the other game we were keeping a big eye on tonight, Shelbyville knocked off Mt. Vernon 23-7. The Marauders led 7-3 after running the second half kickoff back for a TD, but that was MV's only score. Shelbyville came in with an impressive offense -- matter of fact, both teams were scoring north of 30 ppg this season -- but the Golden Bears' defense hasn't allowed a point in two weeks. That's impressive. It also means Shelby is 6-0 (4-0) heading into the final three games of the regular season. Next week: the Dragons and Golden Bears match up. NP needs to win to stay in the conference race.
Elsewhere in the HHC
Delta 44, Pendleton Heights 20: The Eagles, like Shelbyville, remained unbeaten with another impressive performance tonight. Delta is 6-0, with a game against Rushville next week before facing HHC contenders Mt. Vernon and Shelbyville in the final two weeks.
Rushville 19, Greenfield-Central 15: The Lions move into the win column in the HHC standings with a home victory tonight. G-C remains winless, but the next two weeks are against county rivals, which usually brings out the best in the Cougars. G-C's defense has held three straight opponents to 3 TDs or less.
Elsewhere in Hancock County
North Decatur 33, Eastern Hancock 18: The Royals fall to 0-6 with the defeat. Next up? Wes-Del.
HHC standings (remaining conference games)
Delta 4-0/6-0 (W7 vs. Rushville; W8 vs. MV; W9 vs. Shelby)
Shelbyville 4-0/6-0 (W7 at NP; W8 vs. Yorktown; W9 at Delta)
Mt. Vernon 3-1/4-2 (W7 at G-C; W8 vs. Delta; W9 vs. NP)
New Palestine 3-1/4-2 (W7 vs. Shelby; W8 vs. G-C; W9 at MV)
Yorktown 2-3/3-3 (W8 vs. Shelbyville; W9 at Rushville)
Rushville 1-3/2-4 (W7 at Delta; W8 vs. PH; W9 vs. Yorktown)
Pendleton Heights 1-5/1-5 (W8 vs. Rushville)
Greenfield-Central 0-5/1-5 (W7 vs. MV; W8 vs. NP)
*-Note: All Week 8 games at Lucas Oil Stadium on Oct. 10.
Next week in the HHC and in CCSN's home base, Hancock County
GID Game of the Week broadcast: Mt. Vernon at Greenfield-Central (broadcast 7 p.m., kickoff 7:30 p.m.
Shelbyville at New Palestine, 7:30 p.m.
Rushville at Delta, 7 p.m.
Anderson Highland at Yorktown, 7:30 p.m.
Jay County at Pendleton Heights, 7:30 p.m.
Wes-Del at Eastern Hancock, 7 p.m.
The conference really sorted itself out tonight. Two teams are 4-0 -- Delta and Shelbyville. Two teams are 3-1 and need some help to stay in the hunt for an HHC title -- Mt. Vernon and New Palestine. The rest of the conference teams have at least 3 losses.
What a night of football. It was misty, soggy, nasty, cold -- football weather. The fields were messy, the uniforms dirty. It was great.
Our game featured another impressive performance by New Palestine as the Dragons beat Yorktown 35-12. The big question this week was "Would Pat Feeney play?" The Dragons' star athlete -- he has 4 INTs on defense and averages nearly 200 yards per game on offense -- was dinged up last week, and he was essentially limited to defensive duty -- he did play a few offensive snaps, but only had one carry for six yards. He still impressed -- a flying pass break-up on a 2-point conversion, a long punt return for a TD (which was called back due to a roughing the punter foul), but with both he and Austin Cahoy largely limited to defensive duty, that meant other Dragons had the opportunity to step up.
One thing about this NP senior class -- it's got a lot of talented athletes, and that showed tonight. Michael Phelps had a 45-yard TD pass, a 45-yard TD run, 135 total yards rushing and 180 yards from scrimmage on 12 touches tonight. Bryce Pierson had 92 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries. Brett Jackson had 48 yards rushing. The Dragons' defense held Yorktown scoreless for three quarters, including holding the Tigers on downs three times in NP territory. It was a really impressive performance for the Dragons, who appeared to get stronger on the ground as the game went on. Going in, it looked like NP's advantage was on the perimeter and Yorktown's was in the trenches, but the Dragons began to control both lines in the second half. Yorktown's success came through the air -- QB Kyle Weiss was 20-of-34 with 2 TDs, completing 9 passes to speedy sophomore Brendon Barnes. He's a guy we'll be hearing from a lot. Coach Mike Wilhelm did a great job of using formations and play-calling to get the ball in the right people's hands, and the halftime adjustments netted 272 second-half yards. Derek Kundenreich had 87 yards rushing, while Barnes had 117 receiving and 134 from scrimmage.
But every time Yorktown scored, the Dragons answered right back. NP led 21-0 on TD plays of 45 (pass to Phelps), 44 (run by Pierson) and 45 (run by Phelps) in the opening three quarters. Each team scored twice in the fourth, but NP always maintained a 2-3 score advantage en route to a 35-12 win. The Dragons have been explosive this season: they're averaging 35 ppg in their wins (and 7 ppg in their losses).
Tonight's win was also No. 99 for NP head coach Tim Able. He begins the quest for 100 next week against Shelbyville.
In the other game we were keeping a big eye on tonight, Shelbyville knocked off Mt. Vernon 23-7. The Marauders led 7-3 after running the second half kickoff back for a TD, but that was MV's only score. Shelbyville came in with an impressive offense -- matter of fact, both teams were scoring north of 30 ppg this season -- but the Golden Bears' defense hasn't allowed a point in two weeks. That's impressive. It also means Shelby is 6-0 (4-0) heading into the final three games of the regular season. Next week: the Dragons and Golden Bears match up. NP needs to win to stay in the conference race.
Elsewhere in the HHC
Delta 44, Pendleton Heights 20: The Eagles, like Shelbyville, remained unbeaten with another impressive performance tonight. Delta is 6-0, with a game against Rushville next week before facing HHC contenders Mt. Vernon and Shelbyville in the final two weeks.
Rushville 19, Greenfield-Central 15: The Lions move into the win column in the HHC standings with a home victory tonight. G-C remains winless, but the next two weeks are against county rivals, which usually brings out the best in the Cougars. G-C's defense has held three straight opponents to 3 TDs or less.
Elsewhere in Hancock County
North Decatur 33, Eastern Hancock 18: The Royals fall to 0-6 with the defeat. Next up? Wes-Del.
HHC standings (remaining conference games)
Delta 4-0/6-0 (W7 vs. Rushville; W8 vs. MV; W9 vs. Shelby)
Shelbyville 4-0/6-0 (W7 at NP; W8 vs. Yorktown; W9 at Delta)
Mt. Vernon 3-1/4-2 (W7 at G-C; W8 vs. Delta; W9 vs. NP)
New Palestine 3-1/4-2 (W7 vs. Shelby; W8 vs. G-C; W9 at MV)
Yorktown 2-3/3-3 (W8 vs. Shelbyville; W9 at Rushville)
Rushville 1-3/2-4 (W7 at Delta; W8 vs. PH; W9 vs. Yorktown)
Pendleton Heights 1-5/1-5 (W8 vs. Rushville)
Greenfield-Central 0-5/1-5 (W7 vs. MV; W8 vs. NP)
*-Note: All Week 8 games at Lucas Oil Stadium on Oct. 10.
Next week in the HHC and in CCSN's home base, Hancock County
GID Game of the Week broadcast: Mt. Vernon at Greenfield-Central (broadcast 7 p.m., kickoff 7:30 p.m.
Shelbyville at New Palestine, 7:30 p.m.
Rushville at Delta, 7 p.m.
Anderson Highland at Yorktown, 7:30 p.m.
Jay County at Pendleton Heights, 7:30 p.m.
Wes-Del at Eastern Hancock, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Week 6 lookahead
We're on the home stretch of the 2009 football season -- the HHC race really heats up this week. Every team will have played at least half its conference schedule by the time the gun sounds on Friday night, and the conference race really begins to heat up this week.
Two of the three unbeatens in conference play -- Shelbyville and Mt. Vernon -- match up on Friday night. Two other teams in the upper part of the conference standings -- Yorktown and New Palestine -- also match up.
The matchups should be good and the games interesting this Friday. Obviously, things will really shake out with who plays whom.
There are really a couple of Games of the Week this week. The Shelby-MV game is obviously going to break part of the three-way tie atop the league standings. Our goal at CCSN is not just to bring you some of the best live sports coverage, but also to bring you as much access to football as possible. To that end, we're going to allow our friends at WSVX-1520 in Shelbyville to bring you the Shelby-MV game, and we'll have the other "Game of the Week" -- New Palestine at Yorktown -- on Friday night.
Of course, you can listen to the NP-Yorktown game here, with myself & Jim Ryan on the call. Read on for a preview of that game and all of the HHC games.
CCSN/TGD Game of the Week broadcast
New Palestine (3-2/2-1) at Yorktown (3-2/2-2)
Broadcast: 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 25 (Andrew Smith/Jim Ryan)
Listen LIVE here
The coaches
NP: Tim Able (1st year at NP, 3-2; 18th year overall, 98-94).
Yorktown: Mike Wilhelm (5th year, 27-21)
Scouting the Dragons: New Palestine has alternated wins and losses so far, but the Dragons' two losses are to a pair of unbeatens -- 4A No. 7 Delta and a Batesville team that's lurking just outside the 3A Top 10. NP's offense has shown signs of explosiveness, and a big reason for that is wingback/running back Pat Feeney, who is averaging close to 180 yards from scrimmage this season and has nine touchdowns on offense. He also has four interceptions on defense. He suffered a hamstring injury in last week's win over Rushville, but has been practicing this week. He had 146 yards on the ground, 55 through the air and a combined three TDs in that contest, a 34-13 victory for the Dragons. His big night was a 300+ yard performance against Pendleton Heights, which also included an interception. NP has shown quite a few other weapons this season, with Michael Phelps and Brett Jackson combining for 74 yards on 12 carries last week. QB Cary Albrecht is a run-pass threat -- he was 3-for-9 for 62 yards last week -- but Jackson, a QB who plays running back, also tossed a 55-yard TD pass on a halfback pass. The week before, Albrecht was 15-of-22 passing against a solid Batesville defense. The Dragons lost 37-0 to the Tigers last year, but had won eight straight in the series prior to then. A win for the Dragons would be the 99th in head coach Tim Able's decorated career.
Scouting the Tigers: The Tigers found out Delta is as good as advertised last week in a 56-13 defeat at the hands of the Eagles. Yorktown's two conference losses have come at the hands of two-thirds of the league leaders -- Delta & Mt. Vernon. NP's only conference loss has come to Delta. Yorktown is led by its defense, which had produced four takeaways and a touchdown in its last victory -- a 28-14 win over Greenfield-Central two weeks ago. Joe Journay has led the way with 42 tackles, including 7 sacks. He had a school-record five in a shutout win over Muncie South in Week 3. On offense, Yorktown features a powerful running game out of multiple formations, much like NP. The main difference is, while NP will spread the ball around to several backs, the Tigers will feature bruising junior Derek Kundenreich. He ran for 118 yards last week -- his fourth 100-yard game of the season -- and he ranks among the HHC leaders in rushing yardage with an average of 106 yards per game. His 530 yards account for 62% of the Tigers' rushing total. Speedy wingback Brendon Barnes is a dangerous threat. He's Yorktown's leading receiver (141 yards) and second-leading rusher. The Tigers are quarterbacked by Kyle Weiss, who has completed 41% of his passes for 267 yards.
Other HHC games
Mt. Vernon (4-1/3-0) at Shelbyville (5-0/3-0): Wow. What a matchup. Both of these teams have been lighting up the scoreboard with their Wing-T offenses -- averaging 37-38 ppg in conference play. The Marauders have posted some impressive victories -- a 32-0 win over Yorktown in Week 2 and last week's 38-14 win over Pendleton Heights in which the Marauders scored all of their points in the middle two quarters and didn't allow the Arabians a first down until late in the third quarter. Shelby's defense was impressive last week, too, in a 19-0 shutout of Greenfield-Central. The Marauders' attack is led by FB Trey Ross, who scored three first-half TDs last week and totaled 84 yards rushing. He has 10 TDs on the year and averages a shade under 500 yards per game. The Golden Bears also have a multi-headed monster. Halfback Patrick Ellis totaled 99 yards and two TDs last week, while QB Kevin Prosch ran for 96 and threw for 62. Shelby outgained G-C 329-70 last week. The winner gets at least a piece of the HHC lead, with both teams still having games looming with Delta. MV faces the Eagles in Week 8, Shelby in Week 9.
Rushville (1-4/0-3) at Greenfield-Central (1-4/0-4): The Cougars play their final conference game before heading into play against their county rivals. The one thing that impressed me about the Cougars two weeks ago when we saw them was their hitting on defense. Led by Eric Roberts and a lot of fleet players up front, G-C has a defense that hits hard and flies to the football. That showed two weeks ago when they forced four turnovers against Yorktown, and again last week, when they became the first team to hold Shelbyville to under 35 points this season. G-C also has a couple of offensive weapons in sophomore playmaker Matt Dickerson, senior wideout Kevin Bordenkircher and senior slot John White. All three made big plays against Yorktown -- the latter two with TD catches -- while White had two catches for 22 yards last week. Rushville counters with a very good veer-option running offense that can be very difficult to defend. Against NP last week, Joe Hunter ran for 77 yards and QB Spencer Comer ran for 48 and threw for 53, completing 8-of-16 passes. G-C's strength is its defense. Rushville's is its offense. It'll be interesting to see what happens when they're matched up.
Delta (5-0/3-0) at Pendleton Heights (1-4/1-4): The Eagles have been on fire so far, winning by an average of 42-6. They're the HHC's top offensive AND defensive team. They held up that end with a 56-13 win over Yorktown last week. Running back Teddy Dawson ran for 248 yards last week and is among the HHC's top rushers. He had a 90-yard run for a TD against the Tigers. Delta's Logan Young had a 76-yard touchdown catch, and QB Ozzie Mann threw for two TDs despite attempting only five passes. Needless to say, the Eagles are a pretty well-oiled machine, both on the ground and through the air. PH has struggled a bit to get started the last few weeks. The Arabians fell behind 38-0 and didn't get a first down until late in the third quarter last week against MV. When they did get going, QB Grant Hendershot came on in relief and threw two TD passes to Dezmon Nunn in the fourth quarter. Two weeks ago against Shelbyville, Mitch Patishall came off the bench and led the Arabians to 22 second-half points. The Arabians have some weapons on offense -- Patishall and Hendershot are both solid QBs, and Hendershot also has a 125-yard receiving game. RB Ravaughn White has a ton of speed -- he has a long KOR for a TD this year, and also had a 71-yard touchdown catch against New Palestine.
Other area games
Eastern Hancock (0-5) at North Decatur (1-4): Our base is Hancock County, and we always try to keep an eye on what the Royals are doing. They're 0-5, but had their best game last week in a 33-12 loss to a 4-1 Knightstown team. QB Steven Stunda has been spreading the ball around in the Royals' spread offense, and their early schedule should have them prepared. Four of the Royals' first five opponents have combined records of 17-3. The other foe was Scecina, which is 1-4 against a pretty tough Indianapolis schedule. EH's next two foes (ND & Wes-Del) are both 1-4, while Week 9 opponent Edinburgh is currently winless and hasn't won a game on the field since 2002. So, the Royals are hoping that early meat-grinder will lead them to be prepared to have some success in the latter half of the season. This game will be a league game for EH next year, as the school will join ND in the Mid-Indiana Football Conference.
HHC Standings
Delta 3-0/5-0 (#7 AP/#6 IFCA)
Shelbyville 3-0/5-0 (#10 IFCA)
Mt. Vernon 3-0/4-1
New Palestine 2-1/3-2
Yorktown 2-2/3-2
Pendleton Heights 1-4/1-4
Rushville 0-3/1-4
Greenfield-Central 0-4/1-4
Looking ahead
Upcoming CCSN broadcasts
Oct. 2: Mt. Vernon at Greenfield-Central, 7 p.m. broadcast start (other big HHC games that weekend: Shelbyville at New Palestine).
Oct. 9: Eastern Hancock at Shenandoah, 6:30 p.m. broadcast start
Oct. 10: HHC Classic at Lucas Oil Stadium. New Palestine vs. Greenfield-Central, 10:30 a.m. broadcast; Mt. Vernon vs. Delta, 6:45 p.m. broadcast.
Oct. 16: The Boundary Rail Game: New Palestine at Mt. Vernon, 7 p.m. broadcast start (other big HHC games that weekend: Shelbyville at Delta)
Two of the three unbeatens in conference play -- Shelbyville and Mt. Vernon -- match up on Friday night. Two other teams in the upper part of the conference standings -- Yorktown and New Palestine -- also match up.
The matchups should be good and the games interesting this Friday. Obviously, things will really shake out with who plays whom.
There are really a couple of Games of the Week this week. The Shelby-MV game is obviously going to break part of the three-way tie atop the league standings. Our goal at CCSN is not just to bring you some of the best live sports coverage, but also to bring you as much access to football as possible. To that end, we're going to allow our friends at WSVX-1520 in Shelbyville to bring you the Shelby-MV game, and we'll have the other "Game of the Week" -- New Palestine at Yorktown -- on Friday night.
Of course, you can listen to the NP-Yorktown game here, with myself & Jim Ryan on the call. Read on for a preview of that game and all of the HHC games.
CCSN/TGD Game of the Week broadcast
New Palestine (3-2/2-1) at Yorktown (3-2/2-2)
Broadcast: 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 25 (Andrew Smith/Jim Ryan)
Listen LIVE here
The coaches
NP: Tim Able (1st year at NP, 3-2; 18th year overall, 98-94).
Yorktown: Mike Wilhelm (5th year, 27-21)
Scouting the Dragons: New Palestine has alternated wins and losses so far, but the Dragons' two losses are to a pair of unbeatens -- 4A No. 7 Delta and a Batesville team that's lurking just outside the 3A Top 10. NP's offense has shown signs of explosiveness, and a big reason for that is wingback/running back Pat Feeney, who is averaging close to 180 yards from scrimmage this season and has nine touchdowns on offense. He also has four interceptions on defense. He suffered a hamstring injury in last week's win over Rushville, but has been practicing this week. He had 146 yards on the ground, 55 through the air and a combined three TDs in that contest, a 34-13 victory for the Dragons. His big night was a 300+ yard performance against Pendleton Heights, which also included an interception. NP has shown quite a few other weapons this season, with Michael Phelps and Brett Jackson combining for 74 yards on 12 carries last week. QB Cary Albrecht is a run-pass threat -- he was 3-for-9 for 62 yards last week -- but Jackson, a QB who plays running back, also tossed a 55-yard TD pass on a halfback pass. The week before, Albrecht was 15-of-22 passing against a solid Batesville defense. The Dragons lost 37-0 to the Tigers last year, but had won eight straight in the series prior to then. A win for the Dragons would be the 99th in head coach Tim Able's decorated career.
Scouting the Tigers: The Tigers found out Delta is as good as advertised last week in a 56-13 defeat at the hands of the Eagles. Yorktown's two conference losses have come at the hands of two-thirds of the league leaders -- Delta & Mt. Vernon. NP's only conference loss has come to Delta. Yorktown is led by its defense, which had produced four takeaways and a touchdown in its last victory -- a 28-14 win over Greenfield-Central two weeks ago. Joe Journay has led the way with 42 tackles, including 7 sacks. He had a school-record five in a shutout win over Muncie South in Week 3. On offense, Yorktown features a powerful running game out of multiple formations, much like NP. The main difference is, while NP will spread the ball around to several backs, the Tigers will feature bruising junior Derek Kundenreich. He ran for 118 yards last week -- his fourth 100-yard game of the season -- and he ranks among the HHC leaders in rushing yardage with an average of 106 yards per game. His 530 yards account for 62% of the Tigers' rushing total. Speedy wingback Brendon Barnes is a dangerous threat. He's Yorktown's leading receiver (141 yards) and second-leading rusher. The Tigers are quarterbacked by Kyle Weiss, who has completed 41% of his passes for 267 yards.
Other HHC games
Mt. Vernon (4-1/3-0) at Shelbyville (5-0/3-0): Wow. What a matchup. Both of these teams have been lighting up the scoreboard with their Wing-T offenses -- averaging 37-38 ppg in conference play. The Marauders have posted some impressive victories -- a 32-0 win over Yorktown in Week 2 and last week's 38-14 win over Pendleton Heights in which the Marauders scored all of their points in the middle two quarters and didn't allow the Arabians a first down until late in the third quarter. Shelby's defense was impressive last week, too, in a 19-0 shutout of Greenfield-Central. The Marauders' attack is led by FB Trey Ross, who scored three first-half TDs last week and totaled 84 yards rushing. He has 10 TDs on the year and averages a shade under 500 yards per game. The Golden Bears also have a multi-headed monster. Halfback Patrick Ellis totaled 99 yards and two TDs last week, while QB Kevin Prosch ran for 96 and threw for 62. Shelby outgained G-C 329-70 last week. The winner gets at least a piece of the HHC lead, with both teams still having games looming with Delta. MV faces the Eagles in Week 8, Shelby in Week 9.
Rushville (1-4/0-3) at Greenfield-Central (1-4/0-4): The Cougars play their final conference game before heading into play against their county rivals. The one thing that impressed me about the Cougars two weeks ago when we saw them was their hitting on defense. Led by Eric Roberts and a lot of fleet players up front, G-C has a defense that hits hard and flies to the football. That showed two weeks ago when they forced four turnovers against Yorktown, and again last week, when they became the first team to hold Shelbyville to under 35 points this season. G-C also has a couple of offensive weapons in sophomore playmaker Matt Dickerson, senior wideout Kevin Bordenkircher and senior slot John White. All three made big plays against Yorktown -- the latter two with TD catches -- while White had two catches for 22 yards last week. Rushville counters with a very good veer-option running offense that can be very difficult to defend. Against NP last week, Joe Hunter ran for 77 yards and QB Spencer Comer ran for 48 and threw for 53, completing 8-of-16 passes. G-C's strength is its defense. Rushville's is its offense. It'll be interesting to see what happens when they're matched up.
Delta (5-0/3-0) at Pendleton Heights (1-4/1-4): The Eagles have been on fire so far, winning by an average of 42-6. They're the HHC's top offensive AND defensive team. They held up that end with a 56-13 win over Yorktown last week. Running back Teddy Dawson ran for 248 yards last week and is among the HHC's top rushers. He had a 90-yard run for a TD against the Tigers. Delta's Logan Young had a 76-yard touchdown catch, and QB Ozzie Mann threw for two TDs despite attempting only five passes. Needless to say, the Eagles are a pretty well-oiled machine, both on the ground and through the air. PH has struggled a bit to get started the last few weeks. The Arabians fell behind 38-0 and didn't get a first down until late in the third quarter last week against MV. When they did get going, QB Grant Hendershot came on in relief and threw two TD passes to Dezmon Nunn in the fourth quarter. Two weeks ago against Shelbyville, Mitch Patishall came off the bench and led the Arabians to 22 second-half points. The Arabians have some weapons on offense -- Patishall and Hendershot are both solid QBs, and Hendershot also has a 125-yard receiving game. RB Ravaughn White has a ton of speed -- he has a long KOR for a TD this year, and also had a 71-yard touchdown catch against New Palestine.
Other area games
Eastern Hancock (0-5) at North Decatur (1-4): Our base is Hancock County, and we always try to keep an eye on what the Royals are doing. They're 0-5, but had their best game last week in a 33-12 loss to a 4-1 Knightstown team. QB Steven Stunda has been spreading the ball around in the Royals' spread offense, and their early schedule should have them prepared. Four of the Royals' first five opponents have combined records of 17-3. The other foe was Scecina, which is 1-4 against a pretty tough Indianapolis schedule. EH's next two foes (ND & Wes-Del) are both 1-4, while Week 9 opponent Edinburgh is currently winless and hasn't won a game on the field since 2002. So, the Royals are hoping that early meat-grinder will lead them to be prepared to have some success in the latter half of the season. This game will be a league game for EH next year, as the school will join ND in the Mid-Indiana Football Conference.
HHC Standings
Delta 3-0/5-0 (#7 AP/#6 IFCA)
Shelbyville 3-0/5-0 (#10 IFCA)
Mt. Vernon 3-0/4-1
New Palestine 2-1/3-2
Yorktown 2-2/3-2
Pendleton Heights 1-4/1-4
Rushville 0-3/1-4
Greenfield-Central 0-4/1-4
Looking ahead
Upcoming CCSN broadcasts
Oct. 2: Mt. Vernon at Greenfield-Central, 7 p.m. broadcast start (other big HHC games that weekend: Shelbyville at New Palestine).
Oct. 9: Eastern Hancock at Shenandoah, 6:30 p.m. broadcast start
Oct. 10: HHC Classic at Lucas Oil Stadium. New Palestine vs. Greenfield-Central, 10:30 a.m. broadcast; Mt. Vernon vs. Delta, 6:45 p.m. broadcast.
Oct. 16: The Boundary Rail Game: New Palestine at Mt. Vernon, 7 p.m. broadcast start (other big HHC games that weekend: Shelbyville at Delta)
Friday, September 18, 2009
Week 5 redux: At the halfway point
We're at the halfway point of the 2009 HHC season, and the race has pretty well sorted itself out after tonight. There are 4 contenders in the upper half, Yorktown is .500, and three teams have 3+ losses. The top 4 teams all won tonight, and all did so by 3-score (or more) margins.
In our Game of the Week, Mt. Vernon and Pendleton Heights spent a quarter and change feeling each other out and trading field position. Jim Ryan talked about the Marauders' offense taking off like a jet plane -- just needing to get off the runway and reach altitude. Of course, the Marauders took flight with a ground game and controlled passing, but they scored 38 straight points in the second and third quarters in a 38-14 victory over the Arabians.
The win was the 100th for MV coach Doug Peacock during his 16-year tenure at MV. He's 100-70 at MV, a number that includes three sectional titles and a handful of HHC crowns, and and 120-90 overall. Peacock got a water-cooler bath and held the game ball aloft after being presented it in a postgame ceremony. A lot of ex-players who were part of those 100 victories were back to witness the century win -- one of them being the guy sitting next to me on Friday nights.
MV had 200 rushing yards -- Trey Ross had 86 yards and 3 TDs to lead the way, while Zach McKinney and Evan Whalen also reached the end zone -- and Austin Parker threw for 86. But where the Marauders were impressive was in the defense and special teams. MV and PH traded punts for their first three possessions, but each time they switched, MV gained several yards. Finally, McKinney punted PH to its own 2, and Sam Balbach partially blocked a punt, giving the Marauders a short field. They took advantage with a 25-yard TD drive. In fact, all of MV's scoring drives began on the positive side of the 50. MV's kickoff and punt coverage teams all helped them get good field position, and the punt return team had two deflected punts. PH's average drive start was its own 22. MV's average drive start was the PH 49. The Marauders' second and third TDs started after punts were fielded on the PH half of the 50, and ended with Ross TD runs of 38 and 1 yards. QB Austin Parker completed 5 passes to McKinney, several in the second quarter, for 51 yards. All 5 passes carried for first downs -- including a 4th-and-3 completion that set up Ross' third TD.
MV added on in the second half, with a FG, an fumble recovery setting up McKinney's TD, and an interception by Jason McCalley setting up a scoring run by Evan Whalen in the third quarter.
MV's defense was solid -- 2 takeaways, holding PH without a first down until late in the 3rd quarter, and holding the Arabians off the scoreboard until 9:05 remained in the game. McCalley, Dominique Cazares, Sam Balbach, Jose Cortez, Jason York, all involved in making plays on the defensive end.
Grant Hendershot threw two TD passes for PH in the fourth quarter, both to Dezmon Nunn.
MV is now 4-1 and tied with Shelbyville & Delta with 3-0 conference records. PH is now 1-4, both in the HHC and overall. The Marauders meet Shelbyville next week.
Other HHC games
Delta 56, Yorktown 13: The Eagles have been the highest-scoring team in the league so far. Tonight, no exception. A big win for Delta, which gave up a late TD to Yorktown. Delta is now 5-0, with showdowns against MV (Week 8) and Shelbyville (Week 9) ahead.
Shelbyville 19, Greenfield-Central 0: The Golden Bears pitch a shutout, but have their lowest point total of the season. G-C's defense was a bright spot when we saw them last week, and it appears to have carried over. The Cougars are now 0-4 in league play, but they've managed to keep Delta close for three quarters and Shelbyville close.
New Palestine 34, Rushville 13: An impressive offensive performance by the Dragons, who remain in the thick of things at 2-1 in the HHC.
Elsewhere in Hancock County
Knightstown 33, Eastern Hancock 12: The Royals have one of their higher point totals of the year, but the Panthers retain the Plow Share & Anvil trophy. EH is now 0-5, although games against 1-4 North Decatur and 1-4 Wes-Del loom.
Standings
Delta 3-0/5-0
Shelbyville 3-0/5-0
Mt. Vernon 3-0/4-1
New Palestine 2-1/3-2
Yorktown 2-2/3-2
Pendleton Heights 1-4/1-4
Rushville 0-3/1-4
Greenfield-Central 0-4/1-4
Next week in the HHC
TGD Game of the Week: New Palestine (2-1/3-2) at Yorktown (2-2/3-2), 7:30 p.m.
Delta (3-0/5-0) at Pendleton Heights (1-4/1-4), 7:30 p.m.
Mt. Vernon (3-0/4-1) at Shelbyville (3-0/5-0), 7:30 p.m.
Rushville (0-3/1-4) at Greenfield-Central (0-4/1-4), 7:30 p.m.
Other Hancock County games next week: Eastern Hancock (0-5) at North Decatur (1-4), 7 p.m.
In our Game of the Week, Mt. Vernon and Pendleton Heights spent a quarter and change feeling each other out and trading field position. Jim Ryan talked about the Marauders' offense taking off like a jet plane -- just needing to get off the runway and reach altitude. Of course, the Marauders took flight with a ground game and controlled passing, but they scored 38 straight points in the second and third quarters in a 38-14 victory over the Arabians.
The win was the 100th for MV coach Doug Peacock during his 16-year tenure at MV. He's 100-70 at MV, a number that includes three sectional titles and a handful of HHC crowns, and and 120-90 overall. Peacock got a water-cooler bath and held the game ball aloft after being presented it in a postgame ceremony. A lot of ex-players who were part of those 100 victories were back to witness the century win -- one of them being the guy sitting next to me on Friday nights.
MV had 200 rushing yards -- Trey Ross had 86 yards and 3 TDs to lead the way, while Zach McKinney and Evan Whalen also reached the end zone -- and Austin Parker threw for 86. But where the Marauders were impressive was in the defense and special teams. MV and PH traded punts for their first three possessions, but each time they switched, MV gained several yards. Finally, McKinney punted PH to its own 2, and Sam Balbach partially blocked a punt, giving the Marauders a short field. They took advantage with a 25-yard TD drive. In fact, all of MV's scoring drives began on the positive side of the 50. MV's kickoff and punt coverage teams all helped them get good field position, and the punt return team had two deflected punts. PH's average drive start was its own 22. MV's average drive start was the PH 49. The Marauders' second and third TDs started after punts were fielded on the PH half of the 50, and ended with Ross TD runs of 38 and 1 yards. QB Austin Parker completed 5 passes to McKinney, several in the second quarter, for 51 yards. All 5 passes carried for first downs -- including a 4th-and-3 completion that set up Ross' third TD.
MV added on in the second half, with a FG, an fumble recovery setting up McKinney's TD, and an interception by Jason McCalley setting up a scoring run by Evan Whalen in the third quarter.
MV's defense was solid -- 2 takeaways, holding PH without a first down until late in the 3rd quarter, and holding the Arabians off the scoreboard until 9:05 remained in the game. McCalley, Dominique Cazares, Sam Balbach, Jose Cortez, Jason York, all involved in making plays on the defensive end.
Grant Hendershot threw two TD passes for PH in the fourth quarter, both to Dezmon Nunn.
MV is now 4-1 and tied with Shelbyville & Delta with 3-0 conference records. PH is now 1-4, both in the HHC and overall. The Marauders meet Shelbyville next week.
Other HHC games
Delta 56, Yorktown 13: The Eagles have been the highest-scoring team in the league so far. Tonight, no exception. A big win for Delta, which gave up a late TD to Yorktown. Delta is now 5-0, with showdowns against MV (Week 8) and Shelbyville (Week 9) ahead.
Shelbyville 19, Greenfield-Central 0: The Golden Bears pitch a shutout, but have their lowest point total of the season. G-C's defense was a bright spot when we saw them last week, and it appears to have carried over. The Cougars are now 0-4 in league play, but they've managed to keep Delta close for three quarters and Shelbyville close.
New Palestine 34, Rushville 13: An impressive offensive performance by the Dragons, who remain in the thick of things at 2-1 in the HHC.
Elsewhere in Hancock County
Knightstown 33, Eastern Hancock 12: The Royals have one of their higher point totals of the year, but the Panthers retain the Plow Share & Anvil trophy. EH is now 0-5, although games against 1-4 North Decatur and 1-4 Wes-Del loom.
Standings
Delta 3-0/5-0
Shelbyville 3-0/5-0
Mt. Vernon 3-0/4-1
New Palestine 2-1/3-2
Yorktown 2-2/3-2
Pendleton Heights 1-4/1-4
Rushville 0-3/1-4
Greenfield-Central 0-4/1-4
Next week in the HHC
TGD Game of the Week: New Palestine (2-1/3-2) at Yorktown (2-2/3-2), 7:30 p.m.
Delta (3-0/5-0) at Pendleton Heights (1-4/1-4), 7:30 p.m.
Mt. Vernon (3-0/4-1) at Shelbyville (3-0/5-0), 7:30 p.m.
Rushville (0-3/1-4) at Greenfield-Central (0-4/1-4), 7:30 p.m.
Other Hancock County games next week: Eastern Hancock (0-5) at North Decatur (1-4), 7 p.m.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Week 5 lookahead
It's hard to believe we're already at the midpoint of the regular season, but this Friday night marks it. After this week, we really turn an eye toward the conference races and begin blinking at the sectional. And, with most HHC teams having completed their out-of-conference competition, the conference race can really heat up. It does so this week, as all 8 teams are in conference play. A lot of Homecoming festivities are this week, and there are some good rivalries on tap, including the game we'll have for you.
Our game features one of the top rivalries in the area, an old one that alumni can tell you has plenty of stories of hijinks and hatred. Expect two things from this game -- lots of offense, and two well-run systems. PH employs the run-and-shoot, MV the Wing-T, but both teams are really dedicated to their offensive systems, which are vastly different, but have delivered plenty of success for those teams. You'll also see familiar faces -- the two coaches have a total of 50 years' experience at their respective schools. While a few games in this series have been defensive struggles, like last year's 14-7 PH win, many have been offensive shows. The 2003 game, a 63-49 MV win that gives defensive coordinators nightmares, saw state records set for total offense, receiving yardage by one player and passing attempts and yardage in a game -- the latter two set by players for the losing team.
CCSN Gridiron Digest Game of the Week
Pendleton Heights (1-3/1-3) at Mt. Vernon (3-1/2-0)
Broadcast: 7 p.m. Friday
Access broadcast here.
The coaches:
PH: John Broughton (34th year at PH, 183-153)
MV: Doug Peacock (16th year at MV, 99-70; 20th overall, 119-90)
Last season: PH scored two early touchdowns and held it for a 14-7 victory.
The series: It's been close to even since the HHC was formed in 1994. PH has won 8 meetings, MV 7. The home team has won the last four meetings. Only once has a school won three games in a row (PH from 2000-02).
Scouting the Arabians: PH is experienced and explosive -- scoring 23 points per game and featuring a passing attack led by QBs Grant Hendershot and Mitch Patishall. Hendershot, a junior three-year starter, has a lot of experience, and has accounted for 475 total yards in four games. He's moved to receiver in the second halves of the last couple of games to make way for Patishall, and Hendershot has as many TD catches (2) as he does passes. Hendershot had a 125-yard receiving game last week after starting the day at QB. He had a 1,500+-yard passing season. PH has been known for talented QB-WR players. Kyle Tweed set records on both ends of the passing spectrum a few years ago for the Arabians. Meanwhile, the younger Patishall is completing 63% of his passes and has thrown for 107 yards per game so far. He was 12-of-20 last week for 201 yards, accounting for 89% of PH's offense against Shelbyville. The Arabians also have a dangerous speedster in RB/KR Ravaughn White. He had his second KOR for a touchdown last week against Shelbyville, and also had a 71-yard TD catch against New Palestine two weeks ago. White is averaging 95 yards per game from scrimmage and has scored five total TDs. The Arabians' area of concernthe last two weeks has been its defense, as the Arabians have allowed 49 and 52 points to New Palestine and Shelbyville, the latter a team that runs a similar offense to Mt. Vernon.
Scouting the Marauders: Speaking of scoring points, the Marauders have done so almost at will the last few weeks, especially in the second halves of games. MV is averaging 37 points per game, especially after a 44-14 thrashing of Rushville last week. The Marauders have scored more points this season in four games (150) than they did in 11 games last year (130). The Wing-T is back at MV, and it's been back in a big way. As is typical in a Wing-T attack, the Marauders have been spreading the ball around. Fullback Trey Ross is a yard shy of averaging 100 per game for the year and has scored 7 TDs. Halfbacks Zach McKinney and Evan Whalen combine for 142 yards per game. Throw in QB Austin Parker, who has a strong, accurate arm, and you have the makings of a pretty solid offense. Ross has run for 112, 119 and 125 yards the last three games. McKinney has rushed between 83 and 98 yards in all of MV's games so far. Parker's best game was against Connersville, where he completed 8-of-16 for 119 yards and 3 TDs, although he completed 4-of-6 last week against Rushville. MV's defense has also been solid of late, averaging 17 ppg allowed this season, but 11.3 the last three weeks, a number that includes a shutout of Yorktown. The Marauders' next win will be the 100th for Doug Peacock on the MV sidelines. He is the winningest coach in MV history.
We're looking forward to this game. It can be an offensive shootout, but it'll also be a great game between two teams that respect each other. We can't wait! Join us Friday night at 7 p.m. for the pregame show, which includes some insight from us, words from the deans of HHC coaching and more.
Other HHC games
Shelbyville (4-0/2-0) at Greenfield-Central (1-3/0-3), 7:30 p.m.: The Golden Bears aren't hurting fpr points -- they scored 52 last week and are the HHC's highest-scoring team with a 43 ppg average. One reason why is a multifaceted offensive attack, which Pendleton Heights tried to stop last week by packing the box. Instead, QB Kevin Prosch threw for 5 TDs. He also nearly ran for 100 yards, too. Patrick Ellis did break the century mark, as he does virtually every week. Meanwhile, the Cougars had a bizarre game against Yorktown. G-C led 7-0 and nearly took a two-score lead on the Tigers in the opening minutes, but a fumble on the 1-yard line -- the first of four turnovers by G-C -- prevented a score. Yorktown ended up rallying to take a third-quarter lead, but G-C answered with a 56-yard TD pass from Carl Ellison to Jon White. Sophomore wingback Matt Dickerson looked like a star in the making for the Cougars, as he set up the first score with a long run and was G-C's top offensive performer on the night. The Cougar defense also produced four takeaways in the first half. G-C has dropped all three conference games by a combined score of 91-17, but the Cougars were close to Delta for a couple of quarters and were tied with Yorktown midway through the fourth quarter last week.
Rushville (1-3/0-2) at New Palestine (2-2/1-1), 7:30 p.m.: Both teams are coming off losses last week -- Rushville falling to a solid Mt. Vernon squad and NP to a first-half flurry from Batesville at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Dragons had another big day from senior WR/RB Pat Feeney -- he amassed 198 yards from scrimmage -- but another bright spot was the play of QB Cary Albrecht, who completed 15-of-22 passes, including 13-of-15 in the second half. Batesville's power offense kept the Dragons off-balance for the first half, allowing them to build a big lead. That's something Rushville's veer offense will attempt to do as well. QB Spencer Comer is a solid athlete for the Lions, but to be successful, they'll have to bring down a 33.5 defensive scoring average. This is always an interesting game, despite records going in. Rushville won 41-23 last season. The year before, NP needed an interception return for a TD on the last play of the game to win.
Yorktown (3-1/2-1) at Delta (4-0/2-0), 7 p.m.: Needless to say, this is a big early game. Yorktown has managed to get the job done with some fourth-quarter plays late, while Delta has steamrolled its opponents so far. Delta's average score margin is 39-5 right now, and the Eagles have allowed two touchdowns all season -- none to HHC foes. Delta's Ozzie Mann has stepped in at QB and had a big year already. It helps when you have IU recruit Logan Young to throw to. The two hooked up for two of Delta's six first-half scores in a 42-10 win over Muncie South. They hooked up for 166 yards last week, and Mann completed 8-of-11 passes. Meanwhile, Yorktown comes in after its second second-half rally of the year. The Tigers scored 28 second-half points to beat Greenfield-Central 28-14. Big special-teams play by Brett Allison helped set up the winning score. RB Derek Kundenreich had his third 100-yard game of the year, and the Tigers' defense was solid again, with four takeaways and four sacks. They've had 11 sacks the last two weeks.
Other Hancock County games
Knightstown (3-1) at Eastern Hancock (0-4), 7 p.m.: These two teams got left without a conference after the WRAC's demise last season, but that doesn't mean this won't be a good game between these two old rivals. The Plow Share & Anvil Trophy currently rests in Knightstown's hands, and the Panthers have posted three straight convincing victories going into this meeting. Meanwhile, EH has played a strong strength of schedule -- its opponents are 13-7 so far -- but the Royals are being outscored by an average of 44-7 a game. However, nearly all of the Royals' remaining games are against Class A foes, so it'll be interesting to see how the first half of the year has prepared Mark Reddy's bunch.
HHC standings
Delta 2-0/4-0
Shelbyville 2-0/4-0
Mt. Vernon 2-0/3-1
Yorktown 2-1/3-1
New Palestine 1-1/2-2
Pendleton Heights 1-3/1-3
Rushville 0-2/1-3
Greenfield-Central 0-3/1-4
We're looking forward to this Friday's Game of the Week broadcast, and we hope you join us at 7 p.m. for PH @ MV!
Our game features one of the top rivalries in the area, an old one that alumni can tell you has plenty of stories of hijinks and hatred. Expect two things from this game -- lots of offense, and two well-run systems. PH employs the run-and-shoot, MV the Wing-T, but both teams are really dedicated to their offensive systems, which are vastly different, but have delivered plenty of success for those teams. You'll also see familiar faces -- the two coaches have a total of 50 years' experience at their respective schools. While a few games in this series have been defensive struggles, like last year's 14-7 PH win, many have been offensive shows. The 2003 game, a 63-49 MV win that gives defensive coordinators nightmares, saw state records set for total offense, receiving yardage by one player and passing attempts and yardage in a game -- the latter two set by players for the losing team.
CCSN Gridiron Digest Game of the Week
Pendleton Heights (1-3/1-3) at Mt. Vernon (3-1/2-0)
Broadcast: 7 p.m. Friday
Access broadcast here.
The coaches:
PH: John Broughton (34th year at PH, 183-153)
MV: Doug Peacock (16th year at MV, 99-70; 20th overall, 119-90)
Last season: PH scored two early touchdowns and held it for a 14-7 victory.
The series: It's been close to even since the HHC was formed in 1994. PH has won 8 meetings, MV 7. The home team has won the last four meetings. Only once has a school won three games in a row (PH from 2000-02).
Scouting the Arabians: PH is experienced and explosive -- scoring 23 points per game and featuring a passing attack led by QBs Grant Hendershot and Mitch Patishall. Hendershot, a junior three-year starter, has a lot of experience, and has accounted for 475 total yards in four games. He's moved to receiver in the second halves of the last couple of games to make way for Patishall, and Hendershot has as many TD catches (2) as he does passes. Hendershot had a 125-yard receiving game last week after starting the day at QB. He had a 1,500+-yard passing season. PH has been known for talented QB-WR players. Kyle Tweed set records on both ends of the passing spectrum a few years ago for the Arabians. Meanwhile, the younger Patishall is completing 63% of his passes and has thrown for 107 yards per game so far. He was 12-of-20 last week for 201 yards, accounting for 89% of PH's offense against Shelbyville. The Arabians also have a dangerous speedster in RB/KR Ravaughn White. He had his second KOR for a touchdown last week against Shelbyville, and also had a 71-yard TD catch against New Palestine two weeks ago. White is averaging 95 yards per game from scrimmage and has scored five total TDs. The Arabians' area of concernthe last two weeks has been its defense, as the Arabians have allowed 49 and 52 points to New Palestine and Shelbyville, the latter a team that runs a similar offense to Mt. Vernon.
Scouting the Marauders: Speaking of scoring points, the Marauders have done so almost at will the last few weeks, especially in the second halves of games. MV is averaging 37 points per game, especially after a 44-14 thrashing of Rushville last week. The Marauders have scored more points this season in four games (150) than they did in 11 games last year (130). The Wing-T is back at MV, and it's been back in a big way. As is typical in a Wing-T attack, the Marauders have been spreading the ball around. Fullback Trey Ross is a yard shy of averaging 100 per game for the year and has scored 7 TDs. Halfbacks Zach McKinney and Evan Whalen combine for 142 yards per game. Throw in QB Austin Parker, who has a strong, accurate arm, and you have the makings of a pretty solid offense. Ross has run for 112, 119 and 125 yards the last three games. McKinney has rushed between 83 and 98 yards in all of MV's games so far. Parker's best game was against Connersville, where he completed 8-of-16 for 119 yards and 3 TDs, although he completed 4-of-6 last week against Rushville. MV's defense has also been solid of late, averaging 17 ppg allowed this season, but 11.3 the last three weeks, a number that includes a shutout of Yorktown. The Marauders' next win will be the 100th for Doug Peacock on the MV sidelines. He is the winningest coach in MV history.
We're looking forward to this game. It can be an offensive shootout, but it'll also be a great game between two teams that respect each other. We can't wait! Join us Friday night at 7 p.m. for the pregame show, which includes some insight from us, words from the deans of HHC coaching and more.
Other HHC games
Shelbyville (4-0/2-0) at Greenfield-Central (1-3/0-3), 7:30 p.m.: The Golden Bears aren't hurting fpr points -- they scored 52 last week and are the HHC's highest-scoring team with a 43 ppg average. One reason why is a multifaceted offensive attack, which Pendleton Heights tried to stop last week by packing the box. Instead, QB Kevin Prosch threw for 5 TDs. He also nearly ran for 100 yards, too. Patrick Ellis did break the century mark, as he does virtually every week. Meanwhile, the Cougars had a bizarre game against Yorktown. G-C led 7-0 and nearly took a two-score lead on the Tigers in the opening minutes, but a fumble on the 1-yard line -- the first of four turnovers by G-C -- prevented a score. Yorktown ended up rallying to take a third-quarter lead, but G-C answered with a 56-yard TD pass from Carl Ellison to Jon White. Sophomore wingback Matt Dickerson looked like a star in the making for the Cougars, as he set up the first score with a long run and was G-C's top offensive performer on the night. The Cougar defense also produced four takeaways in the first half. G-C has dropped all three conference games by a combined score of 91-17, but the Cougars were close to Delta for a couple of quarters and were tied with Yorktown midway through the fourth quarter last week.
Rushville (1-3/0-2) at New Palestine (2-2/1-1), 7:30 p.m.: Both teams are coming off losses last week -- Rushville falling to a solid Mt. Vernon squad and NP to a first-half flurry from Batesville at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Dragons had another big day from senior WR/RB Pat Feeney -- he amassed 198 yards from scrimmage -- but another bright spot was the play of QB Cary Albrecht, who completed 15-of-22 passes, including 13-of-15 in the second half. Batesville's power offense kept the Dragons off-balance for the first half, allowing them to build a big lead. That's something Rushville's veer offense will attempt to do as well. QB Spencer Comer is a solid athlete for the Lions, but to be successful, they'll have to bring down a 33.5 defensive scoring average. This is always an interesting game, despite records going in. Rushville won 41-23 last season. The year before, NP needed an interception return for a TD on the last play of the game to win.
Yorktown (3-1/2-1) at Delta (4-0/2-0), 7 p.m.: Needless to say, this is a big early game. Yorktown has managed to get the job done with some fourth-quarter plays late, while Delta has steamrolled its opponents so far. Delta's average score margin is 39-5 right now, and the Eagles have allowed two touchdowns all season -- none to HHC foes. Delta's Ozzie Mann has stepped in at QB and had a big year already. It helps when you have IU recruit Logan Young to throw to. The two hooked up for two of Delta's six first-half scores in a 42-10 win over Muncie South. They hooked up for 166 yards last week, and Mann completed 8-of-11 passes. Meanwhile, Yorktown comes in after its second second-half rally of the year. The Tigers scored 28 second-half points to beat Greenfield-Central 28-14. Big special-teams play by Brett Allison helped set up the winning score. RB Derek Kundenreich had his third 100-yard game of the year, and the Tigers' defense was solid again, with four takeaways and four sacks. They've had 11 sacks the last two weeks.
Other Hancock County games
Knightstown (3-1) at Eastern Hancock (0-4), 7 p.m.: These two teams got left without a conference after the WRAC's demise last season, but that doesn't mean this won't be a good game between these two old rivals. The Plow Share & Anvil Trophy currently rests in Knightstown's hands, and the Panthers have posted three straight convincing victories going into this meeting. Meanwhile, EH has played a strong strength of schedule -- its opponents are 13-7 so far -- but the Royals are being outscored by an average of 44-7 a game. However, nearly all of the Royals' remaining games are against Class A foes, so it'll be interesting to see how the first half of the year has prepared Mark Reddy's bunch.
HHC standings
Delta 2-0/4-0
Shelbyville 2-0/4-0
Mt. Vernon 2-0/3-1
Yorktown 2-1/3-1
New Palestine 1-1/2-2
Pendleton Heights 1-3/1-3
Rushville 0-2/1-3
Greenfield-Central 0-3/1-4
We're looking forward to this Friday's Game of the Week broadcast, and we hope you join us at 7 p.m. for PH @ MV!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Saturday redux
If you listened to today's New Palestine-Batesville broadcast, you could probably tell Jim Ryan, Tim Adams and I were really enjoying ourselves high atop Lucas Oil Stadium. First of all, it was a perfect day for football (and with the stadium roof open, it made it even better), and Lucas Oil is one of the best football venues around. Everyone should find a day to go there -- of course, for many of our readers, the HHC Classic on Oct. 10 will be a great opportunity.
Each team had one big star, and each star shone tonight. It just seemed that Batesville had just a few more weapons. The Bulldogs' Connor Kelley was very impressive, and coach Eric Heppner has reached way back in time to find the perfect scheme for Kelley. Batesville employed a single-wing set much of the day, allowing Kelley to take the snap deep in the backfield and run. The Bulldogs used a ton of misdirection to keep NP off-balance early, and by the time the Dragons could get untracked defensively, Batesville had scored four straight touchdowns and led 28-7 at halftime.
At 6-2, 215, Kelley is a big, strong QB. He's also a very good runner and throws a good ball -- which is why the Bulldogs are averaging more than 25 yards a pass completion this season. Kelley accounted for 235 yards of total offense today -- 145 through the air and 90 on the ground. Batesville's Tom Jeffers was also pretty impressive on the receiving end of four of those passes.
Meanwhile, the Dragons had their own star in wideout/running back/defensive back Pat Feeney, and he didn't disappoint, either. He just missed a 200-yard day from scrimmage -- totaling 122 yards receiving on six catches (a 20.3 average) and 72 yards on the ground for a total of 194. He had a TD, blocked a field goal and also a diving pass break-up on defense that prevented a Batesville touchdown. It was easy to tell NP was trying to get the ball in Feeney's hands as much as possible, but the Dragons were best when they were getting contributions from several players in the offense. NP got behind so far so fast, it had to go to the air in the second half. QB Cary Albrecht ended up 15-of-22 on the day, but he was 11-of-13 after halftime, spreading the ball out to six different receivers. The Dragons had their best aerial day of the year with 213 yards passing.
Batesville made a big statement today -- and has a chance to do so Friday night against East Central. The Bulldogs are big, senior-laden and have the perfect scheme for their personnel. They've been scoring points in bunches, and proved why today. They're going to be a force to be reckoned with in Class 3A -- they're in a sectional that includes the HHC's Rushville Lions & Yorktown Tigers.
NP is 2-2, but showed something today, especially in the passing game. The Dragons put together a great 14-play drive in the second half for a touchdown, and were able to hit on big plays.
We're looking forward to seeing the way things shake out in the HHC as the year goes on, now that conference play is the focus for most of the league. All 8 teams play league games next week, and we have a great rivalry in the GID Game of the Week: Pendleton Heights at Mt. Vernon. We'll join you at 7 p.m. for all of the action at www.crosscomsports.com.
Each team had one big star, and each star shone tonight. It just seemed that Batesville had just a few more weapons. The Bulldogs' Connor Kelley was very impressive, and coach Eric Heppner has reached way back in time to find the perfect scheme for Kelley. Batesville employed a single-wing set much of the day, allowing Kelley to take the snap deep in the backfield and run. The Bulldogs used a ton of misdirection to keep NP off-balance early, and by the time the Dragons could get untracked defensively, Batesville had scored four straight touchdowns and led 28-7 at halftime.
At 6-2, 215, Kelley is a big, strong QB. He's also a very good runner and throws a good ball -- which is why the Bulldogs are averaging more than 25 yards a pass completion this season. Kelley accounted for 235 yards of total offense today -- 145 through the air and 90 on the ground. Batesville's Tom Jeffers was also pretty impressive on the receiving end of four of those passes.
Meanwhile, the Dragons had their own star in wideout/running back/defensive back Pat Feeney, and he didn't disappoint, either. He just missed a 200-yard day from scrimmage -- totaling 122 yards receiving on six catches (a 20.3 average) and 72 yards on the ground for a total of 194. He had a TD, blocked a field goal and also a diving pass break-up on defense that prevented a Batesville touchdown. It was easy to tell NP was trying to get the ball in Feeney's hands as much as possible, but the Dragons were best when they were getting contributions from several players in the offense. NP got behind so far so fast, it had to go to the air in the second half. QB Cary Albrecht ended up 15-of-22 on the day, but he was 11-of-13 after halftime, spreading the ball out to six different receivers. The Dragons had their best aerial day of the year with 213 yards passing.
Batesville made a big statement today -- and has a chance to do so Friday night against East Central. The Bulldogs are big, senior-laden and have the perfect scheme for their personnel. They've been scoring points in bunches, and proved why today. They're going to be a force to be reckoned with in Class 3A -- they're in a sectional that includes the HHC's Rushville Lions & Yorktown Tigers.
NP is 2-2, but showed something today, especially in the passing game. The Dragons put together a great 14-play drive in the second half for a touchdown, and were able to hit on big plays.
We're looking forward to seeing the way things shake out in the HHC as the year goes on, now that conference play is the focus for most of the league. All 8 teams play league games next week, and we have a great rivalry in the GID Game of the Week: Pendleton Heights at Mt. Vernon. We'll join you at 7 p.m. for all of the action at www.crosscomsports.com.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Friday night redux
Tonight's Game of the Week broadcast saw a real defensive donnybrook between Yorktown and Greenfield-Central that had some big hits and some really big plays and a 28-14 Tiger victory that was much closer than the score indicated.
The teams were impressive defensively tonight. Yorktown used its size to limit G-C's running game, and once the Tigers got ahead, they pinned their ears back on defense and went after Cougar QB Carl Ellison, sacking him four times. The Cougars' defense contained Yorktown's offense in the first half, but the Tigers got stronger as the game went on.
There were really two turning points. G-C scored on its first possession -- largely thanks to a 42-yard run by sophomore Matt Dickerson -- and then recovered a fumble on the Yorktown 11 one play later. But instead of taking a two-score lead, the Cougars fumbled it back to Yorktown on the 1, and the rest of the half was a field-position war. G-C had four takeaways in the first half, but was unable to turn any into points.
The other turning point was in the third quarter, when Yorktown's Brendon Barnes had a long kick return, and then scored on a 16-yard run a few plays later. On G-C's first play, Tiger sophomore Sean Chavez intercepted a screen pass, setting up a TD pass to Cody Smith that suddenly put Yorktown up 14-7. G-C came back, tied the game on a 56-yard TD to Jon White midway through the fourth, but Yorktown's Brett Allison used another long kick return to set up his TD catch to break the tie. Yorktown then salted it away with a fumble return.
G-C's offense relied a lot on the big play, while Yorktown became more consistent as it was able to establish the running game. Tiger junior Derek Kundenreich had most of his 118 yards at halftime, while QB Kyle Weiss was 5-for-7 in the second half. Dickerson was impressive for G-C, totaling 88 yards on the ground.
Now, it's off to Lucas Oil Stadium for a great non-conference matchup between Batesville and New Palestine. 11:30 a.m. airtime on Saturday morning. Listen here.
Elsewhere in the area/HHC
Mt. Vernon 44, Rushville 14: If there was ever any need to wonder if the Marauders were back, tonight was your proof. MV has scored 32, 67 and 44 points in its last three games. Given the offensive prowess of next week's opponent, Pendleton Heights, MV AD Mark Caraway might want to install new light bulbs in the Mt. Vernon Stadium scoreboard.
Milan 36, Eastern Hancock 8: Milan will be a conference foe for the Royals next year. This year's edition of EH has been battling injuries the last couple of weeks and they're rebuilding. Any 0-4 team is looking for a building block. Look no further than a visit from arch-rival Knightstown next week.
Shelbyville 52, Pendleton Heights 29: The Golden Bears and the Arabians do it different ways, but they have developed the reputation as being two of the HHC's premier offenses. Needless to say, a lot of points were put up in Pendleton tonight. That's not a surprise to anyone.
Delta 42, Muncie South 10: The eighth-ranked Eagles keep rolling with an out-of-conference win. Rival Yorktown comes to town next week.
HHC standings
Delta 2-0/4-0
Shelbyville 2-0/4-0
Mt. Vernon 2-0/3-1
Yorktown 2-1/3-1
New Palestine 1-1/2-1 (playing today vs. Batesville)
Pendleton Heights 1-3/1-3
Rushville 0-2/1-3
Greenfield-Central 0-3/1-3
Looking ahead
After today's game between the Dragons and Batesville, it's back to conference play for the entire league next Friday night.
Pendleton Heights at Mt. Vernon, 7:30 p.m. (GID Game of the Week)
Rushville at New Palestine, 7:30 p.m.
Shelbyville at Greenfield-Central, 7:30 p.m.
Yorktown at Delta, 7:30 p.m.
The teams were impressive defensively tonight. Yorktown used its size to limit G-C's running game, and once the Tigers got ahead, they pinned their ears back on defense and went after Cougar QB Carl Ellison, sacking him four times. The Cougars' defense contained Yorktown's offense in the first half, but the Tigers got stronger as the game went on.
There were really two turning points. G-C scored on its first possession -- largely thanks to a 42-yard run by sophomore Matt Dickerson -- and then recovered a fumble on the Yorktown 11 one play later. But instead of taking a two-score lead, the Cougars fumbled it back to Yorktown on the 1, and the rest of the half was a field-position war. G-C had four takeaways in the first half, but was unable to turn any into points.
The other turning point was in the third quarter, when Yorktown's Brendon Barnes had a long kick return, and then scored on a 16-yard run a few plays later. On G-C's first play, Tiger sophomore Sean Chavez intercepted a screen pass, setting up a TD pass to Cody Smith that suddenly put Yorktown up 14-7. G-C came back, tied the game on a 56-yard TD to Jon White midway through the fourth, but Yorktown's Brett Allison used another long kick return to set up his TD catch to break the tie. Yorktown then salted it away with a fumble return.
G-C's offense relied a lot on the big play, while Yorktown became more consistent as it was able to establish the running game. Tiger junior Derek Kundenreich had most of his 118 yards at halftime, while QB Kyle Weiss was 5-for-7 in the second half. Dickerson was impressive for G-C, totaling 88 yards on the ground.
Now, it's off to Lucas Oil Stadium for a great non-conference matchup between Batesville and New Palestine. 11:30 a.m. airtime on Saturday morning. Listen here.
Elsewhere in the area/HHC
Mt. Vernon 44, Rushville 14: If there was ever any need to wonder if the Marauders were back, tonight was your proof. MV has scored 32, 67 and 44 points in its last three games. Given the offensive prowess of next week's opponent, Pendleton Heights, MV AD Mark Caraway might want to install new light bulbs in the Mt. Vernon Stadium scoreboard.
Milan 36, Eastern Hancock 8: Milan will be a conference foe for the Royals next year. This year's edition of EH has been battling injuries the last couple of weeks and they're rebuilding. Any 0-4 team is looking for a building block. Look no further than a visit from arch-rival Knightstown next week.
Shelbyville 52, Pendleton Heights 29: The Golden Bears and the Arabians do it different ways, but they have developed the reputation as being two of the HHC's premier offenses. Needless to say, a lot of points were put up in Pendleton tonight. That's not a surprise to anyone.
Delta 42, Muncie South 10: The eighth-ranked Eagles keep rolling with an out-of-conference win. Rival Yorktown comes to town next week.
HHC standings
Delta 2-0/4-0
Shelbyville 2-0/4-0
Mt. Vernon 2-0/3-1
Yorktown 2-1/3-1
New Palestine 1-1/2-1 (playing today vs. Batesville)
Pendleton Heights 1-3/1-3
Rushville 0-2/1-3
Greenfield-Central 0-3/1-3
Looking ahead
After today's game between the Dragons and Batesville, it's back to conference play for the entire league next Friday night.
Pendleton Heights at Mt. Vernon, 7:30 p.m. (GID Game of the Week)
Rushville at New Palestine, 7:30 p.m.
Shelbyville at Greenfield-Central, 7:30 p.m.
Yorktown at Delta, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Saturday game preview: New Palestine vs. Batesville
We have a doubleheader this weekend. Friday's Greenfield-Central at Yorktown game and the other HHC/area games are previewed below. On Saturday, we have some bonus coverage, as the Game of the Week travels to Lucas Oil Stadium to bring you New Palestine vs. Batesville. Click here to listen to our broadcast.
TGD Hancock County Game of the Week on Saturday
New Palestine (2-1) vs. Batesville (3-0) at Lucas Oil Stadium
Pregame 11:30 a.m., Kickoff Noon; Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009
Hear it here at Audio Sports Online.
The coaches:
NP: Tim Able (1st year at NP, 2-1; 18th year overall, 97-93)
Batesville: Eric Heppner (14th year at Batesville, 97-58)
The series: NP won 30-13 last season and has won two in a row in the series. Since these teams began, the Dragons have won four of six meetings. The 2007 game was a 7-6 NP victory. This is always a pretty good non-conference matchup between two pretty evenly-matched teams that have a lot of respect for each other.
Scouting the Dragons: The Dragons are coming off an impressive 49-14 victory over Pendleton Heights in which they ran for 440 yards, threw for 103 more and scored on seven of their first eight possessions. The FieldTurf at Lucas Oil Stadium should benefit a team that has a lot of speed -- most notably coming from senior WR/RB/FS Pat Feeney. He had 200+ yards rushing and 100+ receiving last week, including 3 touchdowns. He has five TDs total and is averaging 160 yards per game from scrimmage. On defense, he has four interceptions and has a pick in all of the Dragons' games so far. The Dragons have a lot of balance -- senior QB Cary Albrecht has thrown for 234 yards and run for 117 so far -- and RBs Austin Cahoy, Brett Jackson, Michael Phelps and Bryce Pierson will all touch the ball. Cahoy had a big game last week against PH. NP's defense clamped down against the run last week, holding PH to 87 rushing yards. They'll have to again against a Batesville team that likes to keep the ball on the ground. Pierson and LB Chris Poland lead the team in tackles. Last week, NP's defense produced four takeaways, all interceptions. While a lot of teams are getting a new look at Lucas Oil Stadium this week, this will be the Dragons' second trip to the home of the Indianapolis Colts. They helped inaugurate the stadium by playing on the facility's opening night last year -- a 33-12 loss to Whiteland in the 2008 season opener. NP will also play in Lucas Oil on Oct. 10 against Greenfield-Central.
Scouting the Bulldogs: Batesville has rolled through its first three games, scoring an average of 34 points per game. One of those was against 5A Jennings County. The Bulldogs have also beaten Milan and South Dearborn on the season. The Bulldogs are one of the premier 3A teams in southeastern Indiana, going 70-31 from 2001-08 (including a 5-5 mark last season) and winning six straight sectionals in that time. Batesville will employ two different offensive setups, but both will be run-oriented -- the Wing-T is the base offense, but the Bulldogs will throw in some single-wing. Last year, they had a lot of success running the latter against NP. Senior QB Connor Kelley is a run-pass threat. In the win over Milan, he therw for nearly 200 yards. Against Jennings County, he ran and threw for more than 100. His favorite receiver is tight end Tom Jeffers, who opened the year with a 117-yard receiving game against Jennings County. The guys who usually touch it in the backfield are halfback Chris Miller and fullback Brigham Patterson, both of whom were key players for the Bulldogs last season. In this game, don't expect a lot of passing -- both of these teams love to run the ball and have the horses to do so.
TGD Hancock County Game of the Week on Saturday
New Palestine (2-1) vs. Batesville (3-0) at Lucas Oil Stadium
Pregame 11:30 a.m., Kickoff Noon; Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009
Hear it here at Audio Sports Online.
The coaches:
NP: Tim Able (1st year at NP, 2-1; 18th year overall, 97-93)
Batesville: Eric Heppner (14th year at Batesville, 97-58)
The series: NP won 30-13 last season and has won two in a row in the series. Since these teams began, the Dragons have won four of six meetings. The 2007 game was a 7-6 NP victory. This is always a pretty good non-conference matchup between two pretty evenly-matched teams that have a lot of respect for each other.
Scouting the Dragons: The Dragons are coming off an impressive 49-14 victory over Pendleton Heights in which they ran for 440 yards, threw for 103 more and scored on seven of their first eight possessions. The FieldTurf at Lucas Oil Stadium should benefit a team that has a lot of speed -- most notably coming from senior WR/RB/FS Pat Feeney. He had 200+ yards rushing and 100+ receiving last week, including 3 touchdowns. He has five TDs total and is averaging 160 yards per game from scrimmage. On defense, he has four interceptions and has a pick in all of the Dragons' games so far. The Dragons have a lot of balance -- senior QB Cary Albrecht has thrown for 234 yards and run for 117 so far -- and RBs Austin Cahoy, Brett Jackson, Michael Phelps and Bryce Pierson will all touch the ball. Cahoy had a big game last week against PH. NP's defense clamped down against the run last week, holding PH to 87 rushing yards. They'll have to again against a Batesville team that likes to keep the ball on the ground. Pierson and LB Chris Poland lead the team in tackles. Last week, NP's defense produced four takeaways, all interceptions. While a lot of teams are getting a new look at Lucas Oil Stadium this week, this will be the Dragons' second trip to the home of the Indianapolis Colts. They helped inaugurate the stadium by playing on the facility's opening night last year -- a 33-12 loss to Whiteland in the 2008 season opener. NP will also play in Lucas Oil on Oct. 10 against Greenfield-Central.
Scouting the Bulldogs: Batesville has rolled through its first three games, scoring an average of 34 points per game. One of those was against 5A Jennings County. The Bulldogs have also beaten Milan and South Dearborn on the season. The Bulldogs are one of the premier 3A teams in southeastern Indiana, going 70-31 from 2001-08 (including a 5-5 mark last season) and winning six straight sectionals in that time. Batesville will employ two different offensive setups, but both will be run-oriented -- the Wing-T is the base offense, but the Bulldogs will throw in some single-wing. Last year, they had a lot of success running the latter against NP. Senior QB Connor Kelley is a run-pass threat. In the win over Milan, he therw for nearly 200 yards. Against Jennings County, he ran and threw for more than 100. His favorite receiver is tight end Tom Jeffers, who opened the year with a 117-yard receiving game against Jennings County. The guys who usually touch it in the backfield are halfback Chris Miller and fullback Brigham Patterson, both of whom were key players for the Bulldogs last season. In this game, don't expect a lot of passing -- both of these teams love to run the ball and have the horses to do so.
Myself, Jim Ryan and Tim Adams will have the call. Make sure to listen to what will be a great high school football game ... Saturday morning at 11:30 a.m.
While you're at it, make sure you check out Pak-Rite Rentals. If you own a business, they've got the container or trash compactor to suit you. Call them at 861-5537. Also, we want to welcome Batesville's State Farm Insurance and Paul Ehrman to our team this weekend. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Friday Game of the Week preview: G-C at Yorktown
On Friday night, Jim Ryan and myself will be making the trek to Yorktown for a visit from the Greenfield-Central Cougars. If you can't make the trip, we'd invite you to listen to our broadcast.
The game is the first of our weekend doubleheader. On Saturday, we'll bring you the New Palestine Dragons and Batesville Bulldogs from Lucas Oil Stadium. We'll preview that game tomorrow. Let's preview our first game tonight. (if you want the rest of the Hancock County & HHC games, read the post below).
TGD Hancock County Game of the Week
Greenfield-Central (1-2/0-2) at Yorktown (2-1/1-1)
Pregame 7 p.m., Kickoff 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, 2009
Hear it here at Audio Sports Online.
The coaches:
G-C: Roger Dodson (4th year at G-C, 10-24; 16th year overall, 74-83)
Yorktown: Mike Wilhelm (5th year at Yorktown, 26-20)
Last season: Yorktown won 28-7.
The series: Yorktown has won six straight games in the series and is 8-2 since the two teams began playing each other in 1999 (when YHS joined the HHC).
Scouting the Cougars: The Cougars started off very well against New Castle, but have struggled in their first two weeks of conference play, being outscored 63-3 by Pendleton Heights and Delta. Coach Dodson's team has a lot of numbers out and a very experienced receiving corps led by Michael Dickerson, who has 113 yards receiving in three games. John White, Ethan Irbe and Kevin Bordenkircher all have experience in the passing game. They've split between two quarterbacks -- Carl Ellison and Trent Colclazier. Both are 11-for-26 on the year. While Brady Conger (104 yards vs. New Castle) is the top running back, wingbacks/wideouts White and Dickerson are among a handful of players who will carry the ball. The Cougars will be looking to tighten their defense against the run, as they have allowed at least 200 yards on the ground each week so far. The Cougars are hoping they turn a corner this year, as they've come off back-to-back 4-win seasons -- close to reaching the .500 mark for the first time since their 2002 HHC championship team.
Scouting the Tigers: Yorktown has been involved in shutouts the last two weeks -- on opposite ends. After a 32-0 loss to Mt. Vernon in which little seemed to go right, the Tigers did all of the scoring in last week's 16-0 victory over county rival Muncie South. Against MV, the stats were closer than the score, as Yorktown drove into MV territory multiple times, but came away emptyhanded, and then gave up some big plays that led to Marauder points. Last week, it was the Tigers doing all of the big playmaking, as they sacked Muncie South's QB several times. DE Joe Journay tied a school record with five sacks in the game. Yorktown likes to run the ball, and the feature back is junior RB Derek Kundenreich. He was a 1,500-yard rusher last season, and he hit the 100-yard mark for the second time this season last week. Speedy wingback/slot Brendon Barnes is the big-play guy. He had a 16-yard TD catch and a 34-yard reception to set up another score last week against Muncie South. Yorktown's D held Muncie South to 18 yards rushing last week. The Tigers have several players going both ways, led by 6-7, 275-pound lineman Kevin Ellis.
We're looking forward to bringing you this game ... 7 p.m. Friday night, as Jim Ryan and I bring you the Gridiron Digest Game of the Week.
Also, we like to spotlight our sponsors, and we'll invite you to enjoy the many services offered by Hancock Telecom. Hancock Telecom offers digital TV, phone, high-speed Internet and super-fast fiber-to-your-home connections. They also offer a locally-based home security solution. To check for availability of services in your area, call 317-326-3131 or visit www.teamhancock.com.
The game is the first of our weekend doubleheader. On Saturday, we'll bring you the New Palestine Dragons and Batesville Bulldogs from Lucas Oil Stadium. We'll preview that game tomorrow. Let's preview our first game tonight. (if you want the rest of the Hancock County & HHC games, read the post below).
TGD Hancock County Game of the Week
Greenfield-Central (1-2/0-2) at Yorktown (2-1/1-1)
Pregame 7 p.m., Kickoff 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, 2009
Hear it here at Audio Sports Online.
The coaches:
G-C: Roger Dodson (4th year at G-C, 10-24; 16th year overall, 74-83)
Yorktown: Mike Wilhelm (5th year at Yorktown, 26-20)
Last season: Yorktown won 28-7.
The series: Yorktown has won six straight games in the series and is 8-2 since the two teams began playing each other in 1999 (when YHS joined the HHC).
Scouting the Cougars: The Cougars started off very well against New Castle, but have struggled in their first two weeks of conference play, being outscored 63-3 by Pendleton Heights and Delta. Coach Dodson's team has a lot of numbers out and a very experienced receiving corps led by Michael Dickerson, who has 113 yards receiving in three games. John White, Ethan Irbe and Kevin Bordenkircher all have experience in the passing game. They've split between two quarterbacks -- Carl Ellison and Trent Colclazier. Both are 11-for-26 on the year. While Brady Conger (104 yards vs. New Castle) is the top running back, wingbacks/wideouts White and Dickerson are among a handful of players who will carry the ball. The Cougars will be looking to tighten their defense against the run, as they have allowed at least 200 yards on the ground each week so far. The Cougars are hoping they turn a corner this year, as they've come off back-to-back 4-win seasons -- close to reaching the .500 mark for the first time since their 2002 HHC championship team.
Scouting the Tigers: Yorktown has been involved in shutouts the last two weeks -- on opposite ends. After a 32-0 loss to Mt. Vernon in which little seemed to go right, the Tigers did all of the scoring in last week's 16-0 victory over county rival Muncie South. Against MV, the stats were closer than the score, as Yorktown drove into MV territory multiple times, but came away emptyhanded, and then gave up some big plays that led to Marauder points. Last week, it was the Tigers doing all of the big playmaking, as they sacked Muncie South's QB several times. DE Joe Journay tied a school record with five sacks in the game. Yorktown likes to run the ball, and the feature back is junior RB Derek Kundenreich. He was a 1,500-yard rusher last season, and he hit the 100-yard mark for the second time this season last week. Speedy wingback/slot Brendon Barnes is the big-play guy. He had a 16-yard TD catch and a 34-yard reception to set up another score last week against Muncie South. Yorktown's D held Muncie South to 18 yards rushing last week. The Tigers have several players going both ways, led by 6-7, 275-pound lineman Kevin Ellis.
We're looking forward to bringing you this game ... 7 p.m. Friday night, as Jim Ryan and I bring you the Gridiron Digest Game of the Week.
Also, we like to spotlight our sponsors, and we'll invite you to enjoy the many services offered by Hancock Telecom. Hancock Telecom offers digital TV, phone, high-speed Internet and super-fast fiber-to-your-home connections. They also offer a locally-based home security solution. To check for availability of services in your area, call 317-326-3131 or visit www.teamhancock.com.
Big week for CCSN & the HHC
This week is a big one for us at CCSN, as we have a doubleheader weekend for you of LIVE HHC football.
Anyway, we usually use this space to preview the game we're going to be broadcasting and the rest of the HHC and Hancock County, but we're going to do that in separate posts this week, because we have two broadcast games.
So, for our first entry, we have the overall HHC preview:
Standings
Delta 2-0/3-0
Shelbyville 1-0/3-0
Mt. Vernon 1-0/2-1
New Palestine 1-1/2-1
Yorktown 1-1/2-1
Pendleton Heights 1-2/1-2
Rushville 0-1/1-2
Greenfield-Central 0-2/1-2
This week's games
Keep reading throughout the week for previews of our two Gridiron Digest Games of the Week!
- Friday night, we have Greenfield-Central @ Yorktown at 7 p.m.
- Saturday morning, we'll bring you New Palestine vs. Batesville at 11:30 a.m. from Lucas Oil Stadium.
Anyway, we usually use this space to preview the game we're going to be broadcasting and the rest of the HHC and Hancock County, but we're going to do that in separate posts this week, because we have two broadcast games.
So, for our first entry, we have the overall HHC preview:
Standings
Delta 2-0/3-0
Shelbyville 1-0/3-0
Mt. Vernon 1-0/2-1
New Palestine 1-1/2-1
Yorktown 1-1/2-1
Pendleton Heights 1-2/1-2
Rushville 0-1/1-2
Greenfield-Central 0-2/1-2
This week's games
- GID Game of the Week: Greenfield-Central at Yorktown
- Friday, Sept. 11: Broadcast: 7 p.m.
- GID Game of the Week from Lucas Oil Stadium: New Palestine vs. Batesville
- Saturday, Sept. 12: Broadcast 11:30 a.m.
- Listen to both games here. Andrew Smith, Jim Ryan and (on Saturday) Tim Adams on the call!
- Previews to be forthcoming.
- Mt. Vernon (1-0/2-1) at Rushville (0-1/1-2), 7 p.m.: These teams have a common nonconference foe in Connersville, a team MV rolled 67 points upon last week. The Marauders' Wing-T offense has amassed 99 points in two games and has been very effective. MV also got something in its special teams, as super-fast return man Corey White ran the opening kickoff back 92 yarsd for a TD. Austin Parker threw for 3 TDs and ran for one against Connersville, and MV amassed 619 yards of total offense -- 500 on the ground. For the third straight week, Zach McKinney just missed a 100-yard game. And for the second straight week, Trey Ross hit the mark. Evan Whalen also broke the century mark on the night. Rushville is coming off a 25-14 loss to Greensburg. The Lions are scoring (24.3 ppg), but they're allowing 30 ppg. The Lions led 14-0 last week at one point, with Stephen Davis running the opening kickoff back for a TD and Dustin Gilbert later scoring one on the ground, but Greensburg rallied to win. Rushville won 35-3 last year, but MV had won 11 straight in the series prior to that.
- Eastern Hancock (0-3) at Milan (2-1), 7 p.m.: The Royals an an ouch game last week in a few different ways. EH fell 66-0 to a solid 3A Indian Creek squad, but the Royals also were pretty banged-up, and became moreso during the game. EH managed 131 yards of total offense, most of which came through the air. Freshman Sam Novick had 60 yards on the ground, while QB Steven Stunda threw for 74, spreading it around to five different receivers. Milan poses another tough test this week, as the Indians are 2-1 after thumping Lawrenceburg 34-14 last week. The only loss came in a solidly-played game against Ripley County neighbor Batesville. This is the revival of a series that ended in 2000. This game is back on the schedule in advance of the Royals joining the Mid-Indiana Football Conference next year.
- Shelbyville (3-0/1-0) at Pendleton Heights (1-2/1-2), 7:30 p.m.: The Golden Bears have been impressive so far this season in their three wins, the most recent a 45-7 thumping of Franklin. The Bears have totaled 40.3 ppg in their three games so far. QB Kevin Prosch and RBs Patrick Ellis, Jake Knight and Dominique Cox all have big-play potential. Last week, both Knight and Cox hit the 100-yard mark. Shelby's defense held Franklin under 100 yards, too, and has held teams to 10 ppg on the year. This could be a running vs. passing show. PH came out throwing last week against New Palestine, and hit FB Ravaughn White for a 71-yard TD on a screen pass early in the game, but the Arabians' defense struggled against NP's speed in a 49-14 loss. White totaled 150 yards rushing and receiving for the Arabians, while quarterbacks Grant Hendershot and Mitch Patishall combined to throw for 188 yards. A year ago, Shelby won 42-7 and the Bears have won six straight in the series. On the field, Shelbyville is 37-14 in HHC games since 2002.
- Muncie South (2-1) at Delta (3-0), 7 p.m.: Delta has been impressive so far, and the Eagles play another neighbor in Muncie South. South was rolling until hitting a speed bump against Yorktown last week -- falling 16-0, in large part due to a number of sacks by the Tigers. The Rebels like to throw -- QB Nick Dyer attempted 40 passes and completed 16 last week. However, they'll be doing it against a defense that has been smothering of late. Delta hasn't allowed a touchdown in eight quarters, shutting out New Palestine two weeks ago and holding Greenfield-Central to a field goal last week. Meanwhile, the Eagles have scored 56, 23 and 35 points in their three games. RB Teddy Dawson has rolled up three 100-yard games in a row, with 193 and a TD last week. QB Ozzie Mann completed 13-of-25 for 156 yards against G-C, while he has one of the HHC's top targets in IU recruit Logan Young, who totaled 107 yards through the air last week. Delta coach Grant Zgunda earned his 150th career victory last week. His teams have posted a 150-35 record over 17 years.
Keep reading throughout the week for previews of our two Gridiron Digest Games of the Week!
Friday, September 4, 2009
Week 3 redux: Feeney puts on show for Dragons
The first quarter looked like we had an offensive show on our hands tonight.
Instead, we witnessed the Pat Feeney show. New Palestine's senior back/receiver/kick returner/interception machine put together one of the most dominant individual halves of football I've seen in some time. He had 312 yards from scrimmage, three touchdowns, an interception and even got his state runner-up ring from track and field on the same night. And he only played one offensive snap in the second half in the Dragons' 49-14 win over Pendleton Heights.
NP put on an offensive show throughout the night. On the opening drive, it was a methodical march down the field -- 12 plays, 61 yards. Feeney had carries of 5, 15 and 13 yards before Cary Albrecht snuck in from a foot out. Feeney nearly had an interception for a TD on PH's first drive, but after a punt, he turned on the jets and broke 80 yards for a score. After he picked off a pass, he caught a 39-yard pass from Albrecht for a TD, and finished the half with a 60-yard catch where he won a jump ball, bounced off the defensive back and ran the last few yards for a score.
He rushed eight times for 209 yards -- four of his touches were for more than 20. Also had 3 receptions for 103 yards. About the only thing he didn't do was sell popcorn.
And he wasn't the only Dragon to have a big night. Tim Able told us before the game he was hoping for FB/LB Austin Cahoy to have a big night, and he ended up with 85 yards on seven carries and a TD. Brett Jackson had a TD, an interception and a 76-yard kickoff return. Bryce Pierson and Nathan Penley also had picks. Albrecht had 2 TDs running and 2 more throwing. NP had 543 yards of offense, 4 takeaways on defense and was, needless to say, impressive.
We thought this might sort out the HHC race a little bit, and it instead turned into a big statement for the Dragons. PH had some bright spots -- RB Ravaughn White had 74 rushing and 76 receiving yards, including a 71-yard touchdown catch on a screen where he outran everybody. QBs Grant Hendershot and Mitch Patishall combined to throw for 188 yards, and they moved the ball on their four second-half possessions, largely through the air. LB James Main seemed to be in the mix on several tackles. PH will score points this season, but the Arabians had no answer for NP's speed on this night.
It was a very impressive performance by the Dragons, who are now 2-1. Their Week 1 win over Whiteland was made a bit more impressive tonight when the Warriors had 4A No. 7 Plainfield on the ropes. The Quakers won 7-3, but had to score in the final two minutes to win. NP has another tough game next week, facing unbeaten Batesville in Lucas Oil Stadium. PH is now 1-2, and has an unbeaten Shelbyville team coming in next week.
Elsewhere in Hancock County
Delta 35, Greenfield-Central 3: Delta coach Grant Zgunda gets his 150th career victory tonight, spoiling the christening of Clayton Myers Field. Delta has given up one touchdown in three games, outscoring its opponents 114-9. This was the only other conference game tonight.
Mt. Vernon 67, Connersville 20: The Marauders have their biggest offensive night since 1997 and improve to 2-1 on the year. I'll be interested to see the Marauders' offensive numbers from this one. MV continues to impress and will be in the mix for the upper division of the HHC. That's two big offensive nights in a row, with a trip to Rushville ahead next week.
Indian Creek 66, Eastern Hancock 0: There was a chance this could happen, as IC may have one of its best teams in a long time (they're 3-0 and they doubled up Greenwood last week), while EH has been struggling of late. The Royals travel to face an improved Milan team next week.
In the rest of the HHC
Shelbyville 45, Franklin 7: Another impressive win for the Golden Bears. They're now 3-0 and appear to be able to score points and roll up yards in bunches. They appear to be the top challenger to Delta for HHC supremacy right now, which isn't a huge surprise, given the two teams have been the top two in the conference the last two seasons.
Greensburg 25, Rushville 14: This score was a bit of a surprise, as Greensburg was winless. Rushville was licking its wounds a bit from the defeat to Shelbyville, but the Lions have struggled a bit the last two weeks. They have MV and NP the next two weeks.
Yorktown 16, Muncie South 0: The Tigers do a nice job of bouncing back from last week's shutout by posting one of their own. Yorktown off to a 2-1 start heading into next week's home game against Greenfield-Central.
HHC standings
Delta 2-0/3-0
Shelbyville 1-0/3-0
Mt. Vernon 1-0/2-1
New Palestine 1-1/2-1
Yorktown 1-1/2-1
Pendleton Heights 1-2/1-2
Rushville 0-1/1-2
Greenfield-Central 0-2/1-2
Next week's Hancock County games (all games Friday, Sept. 11 unless noted)
Greenfield-Central at Yorktown, 7:30 p.m. (GID Game of the Week: 7 p.m. pregame show)
New Palestine vs. Batesville, noon Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium (GID Game of the Week: 11:30 a.m. pregame show)
Mt. Vernon at Rushville, 7 p.m.
Eastern Hancock at Milan, 7 p.m.
Next week's other HHC games
Delta at Muncie South, 7 p.m.
Shelbyville at Pendleton Heights, 7:30 p.m.
Instead, we witnessed the Pat Feeney show. New Palestine's senior back/receiver/kick returner/interception machine put together one of the most dominant individual halves of football I've seen in some time. He had 312 yards from scrimmage, three touchdowns, an interception and even got his state runner-up ring from track and field on the same night. And he only played one offensive snap in the second half in the Dragons' 49-14 win over Pendleton Heights.
NP put on an offensive show throughout the night. On the opening drive, it was a methodical march down the field -- 12 plays, 61 yards. Feeney had carries of 5, 15 and 13 yards before Cary Albrecht snuck in from a foot out. Feeney nearly had an interception for a TD on PH's first drive, but after a punt, he turned on the jets and broke 80 yards for a score. After he picked off a pass, he caught a 39-yard pass from Albrecht for a TD, and finished the half with a 60-yard catch where he won a jump ball, bounced off the defensive back and ran the last few yards for a score.
He rushed eight times for 209 yards -- four of his touches were for more than 20. Also had 3 receptions for 103 yards. About the only thing he didn't do was sell popcorn.
And he wasn't the only Dragon to have a big night. Tim Able told us before the game he was hoping for FB/LB Austin Cahoy to have a big night, and he ended up with 85 yards on seven carries and a TD. Brett Jackson had a TD, an interception and a 76-yard kickoff return. Bryce Pierson and Nathan Penley also had picks. Albrecht had 2 TDs running and 2 more throwing. NP had 543 yards of offense, 4 takeaways on defense and was, needless to say, impressive.
We thought this might sort out the HHC race a little bit, and it instead turned into a big statement for the Dragons. PH had some bright spots -- RB Ravaughn White had 74 rushing and 76 receiving yards, including a 71-yard touchdown catch on a screen where he outran everybody. QBs Grant Hendershot and Mitch Patishall combined to throw for 188 yards, and they moved the ball on their four second-half possessions, largely through the air. LB James Main seemed to be in the mix on several tackles. PH will score points this season, but the Arabians had no answer for NP's speed on this night.
It was a very impressive performance by the Dragons, who are now 2-1. Their Week 1 win over Whiteland was made a bit more impressive tonight when the Warriors had 4A No. 7 Plainfield on the ropes. The Quakers won 7-3, but had to score in the final two minutes to win. NP has another tough game next week, facing unbeaten Batesville in Lucas Oil Stadium. PH is now 1-2, and has an unbeaten Shelbyville team coming in next week.
Elsewhere in Hancock County
Delta 35, Greenfield-Central 3: Delta coach Grant Zgunda gets his 150th career victory tonight, spoiling the christening of Clayton Myers Field. Delta has given up one touchdown in three games, outscoring its opponents 114-9. This was the only other conference game tonight.
Mt. Vernon 67, Connersville 20: The Marauders have their biggest offensive night since 1997 and improve to 2-1 on the year. I'll be interested to see the Marauders' offensive numbers from this one. MV continues to impress and will be in the mix for the upper division of the HHC. That's two big offensive nights in a row, with a trip to Rushville ahead next week.
Indian Creek 66, Eastern Hancock 0: There was a chance this could happen, as IC may have one of its best teams in a long time (they're 3-0 and they doubled up Greenwood last week), while EH has been struggling of late. The Royals travel to face an improved Milan team next week.
In the rest of the HHC
Shelbyville 45, Franklin 7: Another impressive win for the Golden Bears. They're now 3-0 and appear to be able to score points and roll up yards in bunches. They appear to be the top challenger to Delta for HHC supremacy right now, which isn't a huge surprise, given the two teams have been the top two in the conference the last two seasons.
Greensburg 25, Rushville 14: This score was a bit of a surprise, as Greensburg was winless. Rushville was licking its wounds a bit from the defeat to Shelbyville, but the Lions have struggled a bit the last two weeks. They have MV and NP the next two weeks.
Yorktown 16, Muncie South 0: The Tigers do a nice job of bouncing back from last week's shutout by posting one of their own. Yorktown off to a 2-1 start heading into next week's home game against Greenfield-Central.
HHC standings
Delta 2-0/3-0
Shelbyville 1-0/3-0
Mt. Vernon 1-0/2-1
New Palestine 1-1/2-1
Yorktown 1-1/2-1
Pendleton Heights 1-2/1-2
Rushville 0-1/1-2
Greenfield-Central 0-2/1-2
Next week's Hancock County games (all games Friday, Sept. 11 unless noted)
Greenfield-Central at Yorktown, 7:30 p.m. (GID Game of the Week: 7 p.m. pregame show)
New Palestine vs. Batesville, noon Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium (GID Game of the Week: 11:30 a.m. pregame show)
Mt. Vernon at Rushville, 7 p.m.
Eastern Hancock at Milan, 7 p.m.
Next week's other HHC games
Delta at Muncie South, 7 p.m.
Shelbyville at Pendleton Heights, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
It's almost kickoff
We're just a few hours from seeing the lights turned on across the state, but this week, there will be one big event at a local game that should garner a lot of attention -- Greenfield-Central is renaming the field at Cougar Stadium for longtime coach Clayton Myers.
Thirty-six years ago, on a cold November night, that field saw one of the highlights of G-C's athletic history -- Myers' Cougars defeating Blackford 21-12 to win the first-ever IHSAA Class 2A football title.
It was 1973. Nobody really knew what playoff football would be like -- after all, for all of its history, IHSAA teams played their 10 regular-season games and then let the pollsters determine a champion, much like the collegians do now. There were fake punts, teams going for it on fourth down, and all sorts of interesting things going on. Nobody wanted to flinch. The Cougars got a couple of big plays and managed to walk away with the big trophy.
Myers was the coach at Greenfield High School before the school merged with Hancock Central in 1969, and then had to shepherd the program through the always-difficult part of merging players what had been two rival programs and two rival communities into one. The 1973-74 senior class was the second to go all the way through the newly-consolidated school, and left quite a stamp. Two years later, G-C would return to the title game, but would fall to Mishawaka Marian.
Myers has left a large legacy. Many of his former players had sons play for the Cougars. A handful went into coaching -- including state champion coach Sherwood Haydock of Harding. Myers was very well-respected by his players and peers at G-C and is receiving an honor this weekend that is very, very due him.
The spoils are still there -- a framed team photo and a golden football on a base sitting in a small trophy case near G-C's gymnasium, a worn football with the 21-12 score etched into the side, remembering a night when the stadium was ringed with bleachers, the local TV stations descended on Greenfield, and the Cougars delivered the first IHSAA championship of any kind to Hancock County. We've seen success since elsewhere in the county -- Eastern Hancock won the Class A title in 1985, New Palestine was the 3A runner-up five years later -- and in other sports, where all four county schools have won at least one IHSAA title in their histories.
But the field where it all happened will help us remember those teams -- Clayton Myers Field.
The Cougars' game against HHC leader Delta begins at 7:30 p.m.
You can also enjoy the CCSN GID Game of the Week: Pendleton Heights at New Palestine, also at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Pregame coverage at 7 here.
Thirty-six years ago, on a cold November night, that field saw one of the highlights of G-C's athletic history -- Myers' Cougars defeating Blackford 21-12 to win the first-ever IHSAA Class 2A football title.
It was 1973. Nobody really knew what playoff football would be like -- after all, for all of its history, IHSAA teams played their 10 regular-season games and then let the pollsters determine a champion, much like the collegians do now. There were fake punts, teams going for it on fourth down, and all sorts of interesting things going on. Nobody wanted to flinch. The Cougars got a couple of big plays and managed to walk away with the big trophy.
Myers was the coach at Greenfield High School before the school merged with Hancock Central in 1969, and then had to shepherd the program through the always-difficult part of merging players what had been two rival programs and two rival communities into one. The 1973-74 senior class was the second to go all the way through the newly-consolidated school, and left quite a stamp. Two years later, G-C would return to the title game, but would fall to Mishawaka Marian.
Myers has left a large legacy. Many of his former players had sons play for the Cougars. A handful went into coaching -- including state champion coach Sherwood Haydock of Harding. Myers was very well-respected by his players and peers at G-C and is receiving an honor this weekend that is very, very due him.
The spoils are still there -- a framed team photo and a golden football on a base sitting in a small trophy case near G-C's gymnasium, a worn football with the 21-12 score etched into the side, remembering a night when the stadium was ringed with bleachers, the local TV stations descended on Greenfield, and the Cougars delivered the first IHSAA championship of any kind to Hancock County. We've seen success since elsewhere in the county -- Eastern Hancock won the Class A title in 1985, New Palestine was the 3A runner-up five years later -- and in other sports, where all four county schools have won at least one IHSAA title in their histories.
But the field where it all happened will help us remember those teams -- Clayton Myers Field.
The Cougars' game against HHC leader Delta begins at 7:30 p.m.
You can also enjoy the CCSN GID Game of the Week: Pendleton Heights at New Palestine, also at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Pregame coverage at 7 here.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Week 3 preview: Game of the Week & more
We've got an interesting week. After last week's sorting-out, half of the HHC is playing conference games -- the half includes two of the three Hancock County schools. The other half is stepping out of conference before diving back in next week.
We've already rehashed last week: Delta appears to be the creme de la creme of the HHC, while there's a mad dash for the rest of the league that will sort itself out over time. The most intriguing matchup of the week is the one we'll have as our Gridirion Digest Game of the Week. So, let's preview it.
TGD Hancock County Game of the Week
Pendleton Heights (1-1, 1-1) at New Palestine (1-1, 0-1)
Pregame 7 p.m., Kickoff 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4, 2009
Hear it here at Audio Sports Online.
The coaches:
PH: John Broughton (34th year at PH, 183-151)
NP: Tim Able (1st year at NP, 1-1; 18th year overall, 96-93)
Last season: NP won 27-24 in overtime.
The series: It's been one of streaks. Since the HHC's formation in 1994, PH holds an 8-7 edge. NP won the first, then PH won eight straight from 1995-2002. NP has won six consecutive games since 2003.
Scouting the Arabians: PH is coming off an impressive 28-0 victory over Greenfield-Central, which was the Arabians' first shutout since the 2004 sectional. The Arabians are one play away from being 2-0 on the young season. With nine offensive starters back, they're scoring some points. QB Grant Hendershot threw for 1,560 yards last year and has completed 57% of his passes this season. Fullback Ravaughn White is a strong double-threat, as he is PH's leading rusher and receiver. He had 124 yards from scrimmage and 2 TDs against G-C, and had a 91-yard KOR for a touchdown against Yorktown. Jacob Jewell, last year's leading receiver, is part of a fairly experienced corps on that side of the ball. HB Tyler Larkin has been strong so far as a running threat. On defense, PH is running its traditional 4-4, with LBs Pat Butler & James Main the leading tacklers.
Scouting the Dragons: NP was on the other end of a shutout last week -- falling 23-0 to a loaded Delta squad. The Dragons did get through their brutal 1-2 step to start the year with a victory in Week 1 over Whiteland. And, like PH, the Dragons have a lot of familiar faces on both sides of the ball, including a resurgent Pat Feeney. Last week, the senior RB/S nabbed his second and third interceptions of the year. He had 44 yards from scrimmage last week after totaling 137 and 2 TDs against Whiteland. Like their foes this week, the Dragons will seek balance, although they tend to feature the run. Five different backs ran for 139 yards against Delta. The leading rusher is Brett Jackson, who had 60 yards last week and has 83 for the season. QB Cary Albrecht has run for 79 yards, and also has thrown for 143, in the two games. The Dragons' 3-4 defense is very aggressive, and has faced two outstanding backs in Whiteland's Drew Smyth and Delta's Teddy Dawson, both of whom have totaled 100+ yards in the first two weeks.
This game will likely be very pivotal in determining HHC position. Listen to Jim Ryan and myself for the broadcast at 7 p.m. Friday.
Other Hancock County games
Delta (2-0, 1-0) at Greenfield-Central (1-1, 0-1), 7:30 p.m.: G-C is renaming its field for Hall of Fame coach Clayton Myers, who led the Cougars to the Class 2A title in 1973 and a 2A runner-up in 1975. That alone will make it an interesting night, but it's a tough game for G-C to bounce back from a difficult loss. Delta may have one of its best teams in a long time this season, as QB Ozzie Mann continues a long line of strong Eagle QBs, and he has Teddy Dawson behind him and IU recruit Logan Young on the outside. That, and a defense that's allowed 6 points in 2 games. Delta's next win will be the 150th for head coach Grant Zgunda.
Mt. Vernon (2-0) at Connersville (1-1), 7 p.m.: The Marauders have never lost to Connersville, although they had to sweat out the final play of the game last season. Connersville is coming off a big 20-19 win over Franklin County last week, but MV was very impressive in shutting out Yorktown, with the offense clicking and an aggressive, blitzing Jason McCalley/Sam Balbach-led defense that bent, but never allowed Yorktown to score.
Eastern Hancock (0-2) at Indian Creek (2-0), 7 p.m.: These two teams have played each other for several years, but this will be the final one as a non-conference game, as EH will enter the Mid-Indiana Football Conference next season. IC is growing -- it bumped into 3A this season -- and also talented. The Braves had an impressive 20-7 victory over Greenwood last week, and have allowed only two touchdowns this season. EH's Steven Stunda has had a good year throwing the ball, but the Royals are hoping to clamp down after allowing 34 and 42 points in their first two weeks.
Other HHC games
Greensburg (0-2) at Rushville (1-1), 7 p.m.: Greensburg saw Jennings County break a 14-game losing streak last week, while Rushville fell to their rivals on the other end of SR 44. These two backyard teams like to go toe-to-toe, and QB Spencer Comer and the Lions are looking to build some momentum in their final non-conference game. Rushville has allowed 24 and 41 points in the two games so far. They have a common opponent in Shelbyville, which beat Greensburg and Rushville by similar scores.
Muncie South (2-0) at Yorktown (1-1), 7 p.m.: We saw Yorktown last week, and we'll see them again next week. The Tigers are led by a big line blocking for a big running back in Derek Kundenreich. Last week, Yorktown fell 32-0, but the Tigers were able to move the ball. They just didn't finish drives, and the Marauders hit some big plays to stretch the score. Kundenreich is averaging right at 100 yards per game, and WB Brendon Barnes is a quick athlete that provides a little bit of speed for the Tigers. South is off to a 2-0 start for the third straight year, but Yorktown has made it a 2-1 start the last two, and has won four straight meetings.
Franklin (1-1) at Shelbyville (2-0), 7:30 p.m.: Shelby has won this game handily the last two seasons. Brian Harbin has the Grizzly Cubs improved, but the Golden Bears were impressive in a 41-13 victory over Rushville last week. RB Patrick Ellis and QB Kevin Prosch both ran for 100+ yards in last week's win over Rushville, and the Bears are rolling up yards on the ground in bunches.
We'll see you Friday night for the Game of the Week!
Also, make sure you check out our friends at St. Vincent Sports Performance. Follow Greg Oden, IRL champ Tony Kanaan and Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch as athletes who have trained at St. Vincent Sports Performance. They'll also provide cutting-edge injury assessments, and they're conveniently located on the east side of Indianapolis.
We've already rehashed last week: Delta appears to be the creme de la creme of the HHC, while there's a mad dash for the rest of the league that will sort itself out over time. The most intriguing matchup of the week is the one we'll have as our Gridirion Digest Game of the Week. So, let's preview it.
TGD Hancock County Game of the Week
Pendleton Heights (1-1, 1-1) at New Palestine (1-1, 0-1)
Pregame 7 p.m., Kickoff 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4, 2009
Hear it here at Audio Sports Online.
The coaches:
PH: John Broughton (34th year at PH, 183-151)
NP: Tim Able (1st year at NP, 1-1; 18th year overall, 96-93)
Last season: NP won 27-24 in overtime.
The series: It's been one of streaks. Since the HHC's formation in 1994, PH holds an 8-7 edge. NP won the first, then PH won eight straight from 1995-2002. NP has won six consecutive games since 2003.
Scouting the Arabians: PH is coming off an impressive 28-0 victory over Greenfield-Central, which was the Arabians' first shutout since the 2004 sectional. The Arabians are one play away from being 2-0 on the young season. With nine offensive starters back, they're scoring some points. QB Grant Hendershot threw for 1,560 yards last year and has completed 57% of his passes this season. Fullback Ravaughn White is a strong double-threat, as he is PH's leading rusher and receiver. He had 124 yards from scrimmage and 2 TDs against G-C, and had a 91-yard KOR for a touchdown against Yorktown. Jacob Jewell, last year's leading receiver, is part of a fairly experienced corps on that side of the ball. HB Tyler Larkin has been strong so far as a running threat. On defense, PH is running its traditional 4-4, with LBs Pat Butler & James Main the leading tacklers.
Scouting the Dragons: NP was on the other end of a shutout last week -- falling 23-0 to a loaded Delta squad. The Dragons did get through their brutal 1-2 step to start the year with a victory in Week 1 over Whiteland. And, like PH, the Dragons have a lot of familiar faces on both sides of the ball, including a resurgent Pat Feeney. Last week, the senior RB/S nabbed his second and third interceptions of the year. He had 44 yards from scrimmage last week after totaling 137 and 2 TDs against Whiteland. Like their foes this week, the Dragons will seek balance, although they tend to feature the run. Five different backs ran for 139 yards against Delta. The leading rusher is Brett Jackson, who had 60 yards last week and has 83 for the season. QB Cary Albrecht has run for 79 yards, and also has thrown for 143, in the two games. The Dragons' 3-4 defense is very aggressive, and has faced two outstanding backs in Whiteland's Drew Smyth and Delta's Teddy Dawson, both of whom have totaled 100+ yards in the first two weeks.
This game will likely be very pivotal in determining HHC position. Listen to Jim Ryan and myself for the broadcast at 7 p.m. Friday.
Other Hancock County games
Delta (2-0, 1-0) at Greenfield-Central (1-1, 0-1), 7:30 p.m.: G-C is renaming its field for Hall of Fame coach Clayton Myers, who led the Cougars to the Class 2A title in 1973 and a 2A runner-up in 1975. That alone will make it an interesting night, but it's a tough game for G-C to bounce back from a difficult loss. Delta may have one of its best teams in a long time this season, as QB Ozzie Mann continues a long line of strong Eagle QBs, and he has Teddy Dawson behind him and IU recruit Logan Young on the outside. That, and a defense that's allowed 6 points in 2 games. Delta's next win will be the 150th for head coach Grant Zgunda.
Mt. Vernon (2-0) at Connersville (1-1), 7 p.m.: The Marauders have never lost to Connersville, although they had to sweat out the final play of the game last season. Connersville is coming off a big 20-19 win over Franklin County last week, but MV was very impressive in shutting out Yorktown, with the offense clicking and an aggressive, blitzing Jason McCalley/Sam Balbach-led defense that bent, but never allowed Yorktown to score.
Eastern Hancock (0-2) at Indian Creek (2-0), 7 p.m.: These two teams have played each other for several years, but this will be the final one as a non-conference game, as EH will enter the Mid-Indiana Football Conference next season. IC is growing -- it bumped into 3A this season -- and also talented. The Braves had an impressive 20-7 victory over Greenwood last week, and have allowed only two touchdowns this season. EH's Steven Stunda has had a good year throwing the ball, but the Royals are hoping to clamp down after allowing 34 and 42 points in their first two weeks.
Other HHC games
Greensburg (0-2) at Rushville (1-1), 7 p.m.: Greensburg saw Jennings County break a 14-game losing streak last week, while Rushville fell to their rivals on the other end of SR 44. These two backyard teams like to go toe-to-toe, and QB Spencer Comer and the Lions are looking to build some momentum in their final non-conference game. Rushville has allowed 24 and 41 points in the two games so far. They have a common opponent in Shelbyville, which beat Greensburg and Rushville by similar scores.
Muncie South (2-0) at Yorktown (1-1), 7 p.m.: We saw Yorktown last week, and we'll see them again next week. The Tigers are led by a big line blocking for a big running back in Derek Kundenreich. Last week, Yorktown fell 32-0, but the Tigers were able to move the ball. They just didn't finish drives, and the Marauders hit some big plays to stretch the score. Kundenreich is averaging right at 100 yards per game, and WB Brendon Barnes is a quick athlete that provides a little bit of speed for the Tigers. South is off to a 2-0 start for the third straight year, but Yorktown has made it a 2-1 start the last two, and has won four straight meetings.
Franklin (1-1) at Shelbyville (2-0), 7:30 p.m.: Shelby has won this game handily the last two seasons. Brian Harbin has the Grizzly Cubs improved, but the Golden Bears were impressive in a 41-13 victory over Rushville last week. RB Patrick Ellis and QB Kevin Prosch both ran for 100+ yards in last week's win over Rushville, and the Bears are rolling up yards on the ground in bunches.
We'll see you Friday night for the Game of the Week!
Also, make sure you check out our friends at St. Vincent Sports Performance. Follow Greg Oden, IRL champ Tony Kanaan and Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch as athletes who have trained at St. Vincent Sports Performance. They'll also provide cutting-edge injury assessments, and they're conveniently located on the east side of Indianapolis.
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