Welcome from a wet night of high school football. The wet conditions meant some interesting scores from throughout the state -- and in HHC sectional play.
Three of the five surviving HHC teams remained after tonight's play, with two surviving scares and one not as fortunte.
One that wasn't a surprise was New Palestine, which rolled over Arlington 33-0 to improve to 9-2 and move to the Sectional 13 final.
However, the other Hancock County team in Sectional 13 wasn't as fortunate. Despite a big day by Trey Ross, the Marauders had difficulty handling two snaps in OT, and they fell 21-20 to Anderson Highland in 2OT. The Marauders stopped Highland in the first OT, but couldn't punch it in from the 1 on two plays, and a high snap on the field-goal attempt thwarted the possession. Both teams scored in the second OT -- Corey White doing so for MV on the first play -- but the Marauders' PAT attempt was blocked, while the Scots' was good.
Highland is 8-3 on the field (7-4 actually, as the Scots had to forfeit a blowout win over Anderson), while NP is 9-2.
They will play next Friday night at NP for the sectional championship.
Two other conference teams survived scares tonight. Delta beat Muncie South 7-6. The Eagles won big over South a few weeks back, but this one ended up being much closer. Delta (11-0) will meet Fort Wayne Wayne (7-4) at home next week for the Sectional 12 title. Meanwhile, Shelbyville edged South Dearborn 13-12, and will travel to East Central for a sectional championship battle of 9-2 teams.
Another HHC team was knocked out tonight, as Rushville fell to unbeaten Batesville 28-6 in the 3A Sectional 22 semifinals. Rushville finishes the year 4-6.
So, next week's sectional finals
4A Sectional 12
FW Wayne (7-4) at Delta (11-0)
4A Sectional 13
And. Highland (7-4) at New Palestine (9-2)
Eliminated: Mt. Vernon (semis), Greenfield-Central, Pendleton Hts. (quarters)
4A Sectional 15
Shelbyville (9-2) at East Central (9-2)
3A Sectional 22
Eliminated: Yorktown (quarters), Rushville (semis)
Follow the blog for a look at the championship games. Unfortunately, due to IHSAA rights, we cannot broadcast the game, but we will have an account for you here, as we plan to be in attendance next Friday night.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Tim Adams profiled on VYPE
CCSN's Tim Adams is profiled by VYPE's Mark Morrow, with some nice mentions of the network ... read it here.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Sectional Week 1
So far, a good night for the HHC. Five teams are through, and a sixth gave a really good showing.
No full game reports tonight ... we were unable to broadcast a game tonight due to IHSAA regulations regarding webcasts. We're working with some other online organizations to hopefully be in a position to bring tournament broadcasts to you in the future. Instead, yours truly was at Eastern Hancock covering the game for the local newspaper, and watching a great game between the Royals and Lapel, one won by Lapel 20-14 in a wild fourth quarter. Lapel won with a 23-yard pass by QB Sam Foust setting up a 1-yard touchdown run on third down, and won on a night when EH largely dominated play. The Royals had first-and-10 on the Lapel 11 in the final two minutes, and QB Steven Stunda had an enormous hole to run through, if he was able to beat the one Lapel defender who was rushing. He couldn't, and Lapel was able to hold on the rest of the way.
In 4A Sectional 13 play, 2/3 of the Hancock County schools are through. Mt. Vernon thumped New Castle 48-0, improving to 6-4 on the year. New Palestine is now 8-2 after backing up its regular-season victory over Pendleton Heights 41-21. The Dragons visit Arlington (6-4) next week.
In the other semifinal, MV will face Anderson Highland (6-4), which beat Greenfield-Central 36-6 tonight. The Cougars finish the year with a 1-9 mark. That game will be played on the FieldTurf at Anderson University's Macholtz Stadium.
Elsewhere in sectional play ... Delta (10-0) upended Fort Wayne South 21-7 in a battle of titans in Sectional 12. The Eagles will face a Muncie South team they beat handily earlier this season in the second round. FWS and Delta were the two prohibitive favorites in that sectional.
In 4A's Sectional 15, Shelbyville (8-2) beat Franklin County 34-14, and will move on to face South Dearborn next week. Should the Golden Bears survive, the big matchup looms in two weeks against East Central.
In 3A's Sectional 22, Rushville (4-6) avenged a regular-season loss to Greensburg by beating the Pirates 15-11. Yorktown fell to Hamilton Heights 20-14, but had a good showing for the 5-5 Tigers against a team that has 8 wins and has been getting poll votes all season. Rushville will host unbeaten Batesville next week. The Bulldogs had a bye.
HHC teams -- which had the best combined nonconference record in the state this season -- went 4-2 against non-conference competition tonight.
HHC next week (Friday, Oct. 30)
4A Sectional 12
Delta (10-0) at Muncie South (6-4)
4A Sectional 13
Mt. Vernon (6-4) at Anderson Highland (6-4) at Anderson University
New Palestine (8-2) at Arlington (6-4)
Eliminated: Greenfield-Central (1-9), Pendleton Heights (3-7)
4A Sectional 15
South Dearborn (5-5) at Shelbyville (8-2)
3A sectional 22
Batesville (9-0) at Rushville (4-6)
Eliminated: Yorktown (5-5)
No full game reports tonight ... we were unable to broadcast a game tonight due to IHSAA regulations regarding webcasts. We're working with some other online organizations to hopefully be in a position to bring tournament broadcasts to you in the future. Instead, yours truly was at Eastern Hancock covering the game for the local newspaper, and watching a great game between the Royals and Lapel, one won by Lapel 20-14 in a wild fourth quarter. Lapel won with a 23-yard pass by QB Sam Foust setting up a 1-yard touchdown run on third down, and won on a night when EH largely dominated play. The Royals had first-and-10 on the Lapel 11 in the final two minutes, and QB Steven Stunda had an enormous hole to run through, if he was able to beat the one Lapel defender who was rushing. He couldn't, and Lapel was able to hold on the rest of the way.
In 4A Sectional 13 play, 2/3 of the Hancock County schools are through. Mt. Vernon thumped New Castle 48-0, improving to 6-4 on the year. New Palestine is now 8-2 after backing up its regular-season victory over Pendleton Heights 41-21. The Dragons visit Arlington (6-4) next week.
In the other semifinal, MV will face Anderson Highland (6-4), which beat Greenfield-Central 36-6 tonight. The Cougars finish the year with a 1-9 mark. That game will be played on the FieldTurf at Anderson University's Macholtz Stadium.
Elsewhere in sectional play ... Delta (10-0) upended Fort Wayne South 21-7 in a battle of titans in Sectional 12. The Eagles will face a Muncie South team they beat handily earlier this season in the second round. FWS and Delta were the two prohibitive favorites in that sectional.
In 4A's Sectional 15, Shelbyville (8-2) beat Franklin County 34-14, and will move on to face South Dearborn next week. Should the Golden Bears survive, the big matchup looms in two weeks against East Central.
In 3A's Sectional 22, Rushville (4-6) avenged a regular-season loss to Greensburg by beating the Pirates 15-11. Yorktown fell to Hamilton Heights 20-14, but had a good showing for the 5-5 Tigers against a team that has 8 wins and has been getting poll votes all season. Rushville will host unbeaten Batesville next week. The Bulldogs had a bye.
HHC teams -- which had the best combined nonconference record in the state this season -- went 4-2 against non-conference competition tonight.
HHC next week (Friday, Oct. 30)
4A Sectional 12
Delta (10-0) at Muncie South (6-4)
4A Sectional 13
Mt. Vernon (6-4) at Anderson Highland (6-4) at Anderson University
New Palestine (8-2) at Arlington (6-4)
Eliminated: Greenfield-Central (1-9), Pendleton Heights (3-7)
4A Sectional 15
South Dearborn (5-5) at Shelbyville (8-2)
3A sectional 22
Batesville (9-0) at Rushville (4-6)
Eliminated: Yorktown (5-5)
Friday, October 16, 2009
Week 9: Dragons, Eagles win
Congratulations to the Delta Eagles, who clinched the HHC championship with tonight's win over Shelbyville. Also, congratulations to the New Palestine Dragons, who held onto the Boundary Rail for the fifth straight year with a 28-14 victory over Mt. Vernon in our Game of the Week.
This game started out all MV -- the Dragons' first four possessions were a fumble, a fumbled kickoff, a 3-and-out and another fumble -- and two of those turnovers turned into scores by Corey White and Zach McKinney. But things settled down after that, and the Dragons' defense -- one that had allowed just 5 touchdowns the previous 4 games, including just one in the previous two -- never allowed MV to mount a drive against them. Neither team allowed much -- the biggest offensive play of the game went for 21 yards, and included a fumble -- and both teams took away the No. 1 option for the opposition. Pat Feeney had 30 yards rushing and 37 receiving for NP. MV's Trey Ross was held to 47 rushing yards.
Meanwhile, the Dragons put together a 10-play, 64-yard drive in the second quarter that finished with Cary Albrecht's 8-yard run, and things then turned in the second half. NP held MV on three straight drives, and forced short punts each time (MV's regular punter went out with an injury) to start in MV territory. But the other big adjustment was to line up in the power-I and give the ball to Austin Cahoy. In a game where yards were hard to get -- NP had 75, MV 55 in the first half -- Cahoy carried 17 times in the second half for 98 yards. His first touch was a 16-yard run on NP's first possession that led to Albrecht's 8-yard TD strike to Pat Feeney that tied the game. Cahoy carried 4 times for 32 yards on the next trip, finishing with an 11-yard TD run. On the next possession, he fumbled the exchange forward, scooped it up and ran it 21 yards to set up his second score, a 7-yard run that made it 28-14.
NP outgained MV 208-105, with a 133-50 edge in the second half. It was a defensive game -- MV had an average of 1.9 yards per play, NP had an average of 4.0 yards. But the Dragons were able to take advantage of short fields, with second-half TD drives of 41, 33 and 38 yards -- just like the Marauders scored on drives of 27 and 5 yards.
The Dragons finish 7-2 and 6-1 in the HHC, good enough for second place. MV is 5-4 (4-3) and finishes fourth in the conference. You can listen to the archived game here.
Now, wipe the slates clean and look forward to postseason play -- NP hosts Pendleton Heights (3-6) in a rematch next week, while MV faces 1-8 New Castle at home.
Elsewhere in the HHC & Hancock County
Delta 24, Shelbyville 7: This game was 7-7 after a quarter, but Delta pulled away to run the table in the HHC and clinch an outright championship for the 2nd straight year. Delta has now won 14 straight HHC games, and now turns to sectional play and a solid 7-2 Fort Wayne South team. Shelbyville (6-3/5-2) finishes 3rd in the standings and faces Franklin County next week in 4A Sectional 15.
Yorktown 34, Rushville 6: The Tigers have been playing some good football at the end of the year, and had an impressive win tonight. Yorktown (5-4/3-4) won for the second time in three weeks, and took 5th place in the HHC. Rushville (3-6/2-5) will be 6th. Both teams play in 3A's Sectional 22.
Chatard 49, Greenfield-Central 7: Roger Dodson likes playing good teams, and Chatard is a pretty good team. Ranked No. 1 in 3A, the Trojans had another big night, while the Cougars (1-8/0-7) got a tune-up for next week's Sectional 14 game against Anderson Highland.
Pendleton Heights 49, Anderson Highland 23: The Arabians bounced back from last week's last-second loss to beat the Olympic Conference champs. PH's offense has been pretty good recently -- the Arabians (3-6/1-6) scored 42 against Jay County a couple of weeks ago -- and they have a rematch with New Palestine next week. Both teams are in Sectional 13, and in opposite brackets. Highland (6-3 on the field) faces Greenfield-Central. They helped clinch the HHC a 12-4 record in out-of-conference games, tying the Northern Lakes Conference for the best out-of-league record in the regular season in the state.
Eastern Hancock 48, Edinburgh 14: The Royals (2-7) built on last week's solid second half to score 48 points and win big for the second time in three weeks. They've got a matchup next week against a Lapel squad that beat Beech Grove tonight.
We're looking forward to the tournament, and hoping all of the HHC and area teams go far. Thanks to everyone for listening and reading during the regular season. Keep following the tournament on our blog.
This game started out all MV -- the Dragons' first four possessions were a fumble, a fumbled kickoff, a 3-and-out and another fumble -- and two of those turnovers turned into scores by Corey White and Zach McKinney. But things settled down after that, and the Dragons' defense -- one that had allowed just 5 touchdowns the previous 4 games, including just one in the previous two -- never allowed MV to mount a drive against them. Neither team allowed much -- the biggest offensive play of the game went for 21 yards, and included a fumble -- and both teams took away the No. 1 option for the opposition. Pat Feeney had 30 yards rushing and 37 receiving for NP. MV's Trey Ross was held to 47 rushing yards.
Meanwhile, the Dragons put together a 10-play, 64-yard drive in the second quarter that finished with Cary Albrecht's 8-yard run, and things then turned in the second half. NP held MV on three straight drives, and forced short punts each time (MV's regular punter went out with an injury) to start in MV territory. But the other big adjustment was to line up in the power-I and give the ball to Austin Cahoy. In a game where yards were hard to get -- NP had 75, MV 55 in the first half -- Cahoy carried 17 times in the second half for 98 yards. His first touch was a 16-yard run on NP's first possession that led to Albrecht's 8-yard TD strike to Pat Feeney that tied the game. Cahoy carried 4 times for 32 yards on the next trip, finishing with an 11-yard TD run. On the next possession, he fumbled the exchange forward, scooped it up and ran it 21 yards to set up his second score, a 7-yard run that made it 28-14.
NP outgained MV 208-105, with a 133-50 edge in the second half. It was a defensive game -- MV had an average of 1.9 yards per play, NP had an average of 4.0 yards. But the Dragons were able to take advantage of short fields, with second-half TD drives of 41, 33 and 38 yards -- just like the Marauders scored on drives of 27 and 5 yards.
The Dragons finish 7-2 and 6-1 in the HHC, good enough for second place. MV is 5-4 (4-3) and finishes fourth in the conference. You can listen to the archived game here.
Now, wipe the slates clean and look forward to postseason play -- NP hosts Pendleton Heights (3-6) in a rematch next week, while MV faces 1-8 New Castle at home.
Elsewhere in the HHC & Hancock County
Delta 24, Shelbyville 7: This game was 7-7 after a quarter, but Delta pulled away to run the table in the HHC and clinch an outright championship for the 2nd straight year. Delta has now won 14 straight HHC games, and now turns to sectional play and a solid 7-2 Fort Wayne South team. Shelbyville (6-3/5-2) finishes 3rd in the standings and faces Franklin County next week in 4A Sectional 15.
Yorktown 34, Rushville 6: The Tigers have been playing some good football at the end of the year, and had an impressive win tonight. Yorktown (5-4/3-4) won for the second time in three weeks, and took 5th place in the HHC. Rushville (3-6/2-5) will be 6th. Both teams play in 3A's Sectional 22.
Chatard 49, Greenfield-Central 7: Roger Dodson likes playing good teams, and Chatard is a pretty good team. Ranked No. 1 in 3A, the Trojans had another big night, while the Cougars (1-8/0-7) got a tune-up for next week's Sectional 14 game against Anderson Highland.
Pendleton Heights 49, Anderson Highland 23: The Arabians bounced back from last week's last-second loss to beat the Olympic Conference champs. PH's offense has been pretty good recently -- the Arabians (3-6/1-6) scored 42 against Jay County a couple of weeks ago -- and they have a rematch with New Palestine next week. Both teams are in Sectional 13, and in opposite brackets. Highland (6-3 on the field) faces Greenfield-Central. They helped clinch the HHC a 12-4 record in out-of-conference games, tying the Northern Lakes Conference for the best out-of-league record in the regular season in the state.
Eastern Hancock 48, Edinburgh 14: The Royals (2-7) built on last week's solid second half to score 48 points and win big for the second time in three weeks. They've got a matchup next week against a Lapel squad that beat Beech Grove tonight.
We're looking forward to the tournament, and hoping all of the HHC and area teams go far. Thanks to everyone for listening and reading during the regular season. Keep following the tournament on our blog.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
The Boundary Rail Game
One of my favorite weeks of the year is this week -- Mt. Vernon vs. New Palestine. Both schools began playing football in 1968, and they ended up on each other's schedule with a game for the ages. MV ended up winning 27-24, but the lead changed hands three times in the final 2:15, with the Marauders finally winning on a pass from MV's Gary Newman to Jim Howard with eight seconds left.
It was a memorable start to what has become a memorable rivalry. Games, like that one, have been talked about in their communities for years. A win over the other team can make one's season. A loss can sit for a year -- or more. More than bragging rights are at statkie. Upsets and close games and big comebacks were the norm, rather than the exception. In 1968, the two schools were tiny and just starting football. Now, they're solidly both 4A schools. They were in different conferences then, they've both been in the HHC now for 16 years. But they've always stayed pretty close to each other in enrollment and competitiveness, and that's shown on the field.
This Friday night's game will be the 46th meeting between Mt. Vernon and New Palestine, one Andrew Smith, Jim Ryan and Tim Adams will bring you LIVE. There have been 41 regular-season meetings and 4 in the postseason so far. NP has a 25-19-1 edge in those games, with a 22-18-1 advantage in the regular-season matchups.
Several years ago, the thought came into several peoples' minds -- "why doesn't this game have a traveling trophy?" Those thoughts coalesced on The Gridiron Digest, and the Boundary Rail was born. The rail is a small piece of the interurban track that once ran along U.S. 40 -- the rough boundary between the MV and NP school districts. It was donated by former Marauder Josh Short, who took the old piece of metal, sanded it down and painted it -- half black for MV, half red for NP. The rail is about 15 inches long, but it weighs a ton, and its meaning is great.
The Rail was presented to the Dragons after their 20-0 victory at Mt. Vernon Stadium in 2005. NP has retained the trophy in the three meetings since. A neat tradition has emerged, as the Rail has been placed at midfield during warmups, and then is kept on the sideline of the team in possession during the game.
In addition to the 1968 game, there have been many other great games during the years. Among them (in chronological order):
1969: New Palestine 24-22. The Dragons had their own late-game victory for their first win in the series.
1970: New Palestine 8, Mt. Vernon 8. The only tie in series history.
1982: Mt. Vernon 12-6, OT. One of two OT games. Keith Neylon scored the game-winning TD for the Marauders.
1983: New Palestine 27-24. Brad Ehle's 54-yard reception late in the game set up the game-winning field goal and the cluster championship (which carried with it tourney qualification).
1984: New Palestine 8-6. Gary Greene threw a late TD pass to tie the game, but the snap on the PAT went awry. Greene picked up the loose ball and ran it in for the winning conversion, clinching another cluster title and tournament spot.
1990: Mt. Vernon 21-20. Probably the most talked-about game in the history of this series. Played in the Hoosier Dome, MV's Reggie Johnson caps an 88-yard drive with a late TD pass to Mark Barnett, and then the Marauders run a halfback pass on the 2-point conversion to seal the win. It was the only regular-season defeat for the Dragons, who would go on to the State Finals. However, in the sectional, MV took an early 7-0 lead -- it was the first TD given up by the Dragons in more than a month. NP rallied and won 19-7 and went on to be the 3A runner-up.
2004 sectional: New Palestine 20-6: One of the more controversial games. Mt. Vernon led this one 6-0 going into the fourth quarter and had the Dragons stopped on fourth down. But a late hit call gave NP new life, Greg Davis scored shortly thereafter, and the Dragons added two more TDs to seal the win.
2006: NP 21-20, OT (regular season); MV 17-14 (sectional final): Two great games between two very evenly-matched teams. NP won the HHC title with the regular-season victory, going for 2 in overtime and barely getting in. The Dragons led 14-0 in the sectional, but the Marauders rallied with three second-half scores and some big special-teams play.
Series history
Total series: NP 25, MV 19, 1 tie
Regular season: NP 22, MV 18, 1 tie
Boundary Rail (introduced 2005): NP 4, MV 0
2008: @NP 21, MV 7
2007: NP 20, @MV 13
2006: @MV 17, NP 14 (sectional final)
2006: @NP 21, MV 20, OT
2005: NP 31, @MV 14 (sectional final)
2005: NP 20, @MV 0 (first Boundary Rail Game)
2004: @NP 20, MV 6 (sectional 1st round)
2004: @NP 21, MV 10
2003: @MV 38, NP 6
2002: @NP 12, MV 7
2001: MV 23, @NP 0
2000: MV 42, @NP 7
1999: @MV 36, NP 28
1998: MV 38, @NP 21
1997: @MV 48, NP 21
1996: NP 7, @MV 0
1995: @NP 36, MV 22
1994: @MV 10, NP 0
1993: @NP 61, MV 13
1992: NP 48, @MV 19
1991: MV 15, @NP 7
1990: @NP 19, MV 7 (sectional)
1990: MV 21, NP 20 (@Hoosier Dome)
1989: @NP 40, MV 6
1988: NP 34, @MV 13
1987: @NP 24, MV 8
1986: @MV 6, NP 0
1985: MV 12, @NP 6
1984: NP 8, @MV 6
1983: @NP 27, MV 24
1982: @MV 12, NP 6, OT
1981: MV 17, @NP 6
1980: @MV 19, NP 14
1979: @NP 20, MV 14
1978: NP 34, @MV 13
1977: @NP 28, MV 14
1976: NP 20, @MV 12
1975: MV 14, @NP 3
1974: NP 44, @MV 0
1973: @NP 12, MV 6
1972: @MV 12, NP 6
1971: MV 22, @NP 7
1970: @MV 8, NP 8
1969: @NP 24, MV 22
1968: @MV 28, NP 24
Games at Mt. Vernon: NP 11, MV 10, 1 tie (regular season NP 10-9-1)
Games at New Palestine: NP 14, MV 9 (regular season NP 12-9)
Longest NP streak: 5 games (2004-2006) (regular-season: 5 games, 2004-08)
Longest MV streak: 5 games (1997-2001)
Biggest wins: MV 38, NP 6 (2003); NP 61, MV 13 (1993).
Winningest coaches: Marvin Shepler, NP (17 wins); Doug Peacock, MV (8 wins).
It was a memorable start to what has become a memorable rivalry. Games, like that one, have been talked about in their communities for years. A win over the other team can make one's season. A loss can sit for a year -- or more. More than bragging rights are at statkie. Upsets and close games and big comebacks were the norm, rather than the exception. In 1968, the two schools were tiny and just starting football. Now, they're solidly both 4A schools. They were in different conferences then, they've both been in the HHC now for 16 years. But they've always stayed pretty close to each other in enrollment and competitiveness, and that's shown on the field.
This Friday night's game will be the 46th meeting between Mt. Vernon and New Palestine, one Andrew Smith, Jim Ryan and Tim Adams will bring you LIVE. There have been 41 regular-season meetings and 4 in the postseason so far. NP has a 25-19-1 edge in those games, with a 22-18-1 advantage in the regular-season matchups.
Several years ago, the thought came into several peoples' minds -- "why doesn't this game have a traveling trophy?" Those thoughts coalesced on The Gridiron Digest, and the Boundary Rail was born. The rail is a small piece of the interurban track that once ran along U.S. 40 -- the rough boundary between the MV and NP school districts. It was donated by former Marauder Josh Short, who took the old piece of metal, sanded it down and painted it -- half black for MV, half red for NP. The rail is about 15 inches long, but it weighs a ton, and its meaning is great.
The Rail was presented to the Dragons after their 20-0 victory at Mt. Vernon Stadium in 2005. NP has retained the trophy in the three meetings since. A neat tradition has emerged, as the Rail has been placed at midfield during warmups, and then is kept on the sideline of the team in possession during the game.
In addition to the 1968 game, there have been many other great games during the years. Among them (in chronological order):
1969: New Palestine 24-22. The Dragons had their own late-game victory for their first win in the series.
1970: New Palestine 8, Mt. Vernon 8. The only tie in series history.
1982: Mt. Vernon 12-6, OT. One of two OT games. Keith Neylon scored the game-winning TD for the Marauders.
1983: New Palestine 27-24. Brad Ehle's 54-yard reception late in the game set up the game-winning field goal and the cluster championship (which carried with it tourney qualification).
1984: New Palestine 8-6. Gary Greene threw a late TD pass to tie the game, but the snap on the PAT went awry. Greene picked up the loose ball and ran it in for the winning conversion, clinching another cluster title and tournament spot.
1990: Mt. Vernon 21-20. Probably the most talked-about game in the history of this series. Played in the Hoosier Dome, MV's Reggie Johnson caps an 88-yard drive with a late TD pass to Mark Barnett, and then the Marauders run a halfback pass on the 2-point conversion to seal the win. It was the only regular-season defeat for the Dragons, who would go on to the State Finals. However, in the sectional, MV took an early 7-0 lead -- it was the first TD given up by the Dragons in more than a month. NP rallied and won 19-7 and went on to be the 3A runner-up.
2004 sectional: New Palestine 20-6: One of the more controversial games. Mt. Vernon led this one 6-0 going into the fourth quarter and had the Dragons stopped on fourth down. But a late hit call gave NP new life, Greg Davis scored shortly thereafter, and the Dragons added two more TDs to seal the win.
2006: NP 21-20, OT (regular season); MV 17-14 (sectional final): Two great games between two very evenly-matched teams. NP won the HHC title with the regular-season victory, going for 2 in overtime and barely getting in. The Dragons led 14-0 in the sectional, but the Marauders rallied with three second-half scores and some big special-teams play.
Series history
Total series: NP 25, MV 19, 1 tie
Regular season: NP 22, MV 18, 1 tie
Boundary Rail (introduced 2005): NP 4, MV 0
2008: @NP 21, MV 7
2007: NP 20, @MV 13
2006: @MV 17, NP 14 (sectional final)
2006: @NP 21, MV 20, OT
2005: NP 31, @MV 14 (sectional final)
2005: NP 20, @MV 0 (first Boundary Rail Game)
2004: @NP 20, MV 6 (sectional 1st round)
2004: @NP 21, MV 10
2003: @MV 38, NP 6
2002: @NP 12, MV 7
2001: MV 23, @NP 0
2000: MV 42, @NP 7
1999: @MV 36, NP 28
1998: MV 38, @NP 21
1997: @MV 48, NP 21
1996: NP 7, @MV 0
1995: @NP 36, MV 22
1994: @MV 10, NP 0
1993: @NP 61, MV 13
1992: NP 48, @MV 19
1991: MV 15, @NP 7
1990: @NP 19, MV 7 (sectional)
1990: MV 21, NP 20 (@Hoosier Dome)
1989: @NP 40, MV 6
1988: NP 34, @MV 13
1987: @NP 24, MV 8
1986: @MV 6, NP 0
1985: MV 12, @NP 6
1984: NP 8, @MV 6
1983: @NP 27, MV 24
1982: @MV 12, NP 6, OT
1981: MV 17, @NP 6
1980: @MV 19, NP 14
1979: @NP 20, MV 14
1978: NP 34, @MV 13
1977: @NP 28, MV 14
1976: NP 20, @MV 12
1975: MV 14, @NP 3
1974: NP 44, @MV 0
1973: @NP 12, MV 6
1972: @MV 12, NP 6
1971: MV 22, @NP 7
1970: @MV 8, NP 8
1969: @NP 24, MV 22
1968: @MV 28, NP 24
Games at Mt. Vernon: NP 11, MV 10, 1 tie (regular season NP 10-9-1)
Games at New Palestine: NP 14, MV 9 (regular season NP 12-9)
Longest NP streak: 5 games (2004-2006) (regular-season: 5 games, 2004-08)
Longest MV streak: 5 games (1997-2001)
Biggest wins: MV 38, NP 6 (2003); NP 61, MV 13 (1993).
Winningest coaches: Marvin Shepler, NP (17 wins); Doug Peacock, MV (8 wins).
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Week 9 lookahead
What a big week in the HHC and in local high school football. We are excited about what will be a great finish to the regular season, with three games in the league that are essentially "playoff" games for position. Friday should be a great night, and we'll be happy to bring it to you.
Our game is the annual Boundary Rail Game between New Palestine and Mt. Vernon. Since the Boundary Rail has been put into play, the Dragons have won all four regular-season meetings. However, the two teams are (as usual) closely-matched and that should lead to some great football on Friday night. Also, Delta has clinched a share of its sixth HHC title and will win it outright with a victory over Shelbyville. However, if the Golden Bears pull the upset, the title will be split between those two teams. If New Palestine is to beat Mt. Vernon, it would make a 3-way tie for the championship. Needless to say, this is a big night.
Let's preview the games, starting with the TGD Game of the Week
New Palestine (6-2/5-1) at Mt. Vernon (5-3/4-2)
Broadcast: 7 p.m. with Andrew Smith, Jim Ryan, Tim Adams
Listen LIVE here
The coaches
NP: Tim Able (1st season at NP, 6-2; 18th overall, 101-94)
MV: Doug Peacock (16th season at MV, 101-72; 20th overall, 121-92)
The series: This is the 41st regular-season meeting between these taems and 47th overall. NP leads the all-time series 25-19, including a 4-0 record in Boundary Rail games. In the regular-season, NP has a 22-18 advantage. NP won 21-7 a year ago and 20-13 in 2007. In 2006, the teams split, with NP winning in OT in the regular-season and MV winning 17-14 in the sectional final. NP swept the regular-season and playoff meetings in 2004 and 2005. Since 2000, NP has an 8-4 edge. Since the HHC began, NP has won 10 of 18 meetings.
The Dragons (off. avg 27.5; def. avg 14.1): New Palestine is enjoying a renaissance season, and is coming off its best two games of the year. The Dragons scored on 8 of their 9 possessions last Saturday in a 56-0 win over Greenfield-Central. NP's offense clicked -- gaining 502 yards overall, with 243 coming through the air and 259 on the ground. WR/RB Pat Feeney had another big day, with 69 yards rushing and a TD, 140 receiving yards on five catches and a TD, and a 54-yard punt return to the 1-yard line that set up another score. On the year, Feeney has 624 yards rushing and 562 yards receiving, and is averaging 13.9 yards per offensive touch. He is closing in on the 1,200-yard mark from scrimmage -- he needs 14 yards to get there. However, NP spreads the ball around. WR Nathan Penley had four catches and 61 yards on offense and two big pass break-ups on defense last week. RB Michael Phelps and RB Bryce Pierson have both topped 100 yards on the year, and they will handle a little bit of the load. QB Cary Albrecht loves the big stage -- he was 12-of-14 last week and is 27-of-37 inside Lucas Oil Stadium in two games this year. He has a 53% completion percentage and throws for 102 yards per game on the year. NP's defense has been solid, too. In the last 18 quarters -- 4.5 games -- the Dragons have allowed five touchdowns. That's been key in their four-game winning streak. The only score they've given up in the last eight was an 88-yard TD run by Shelbyville QB Kevin Prosch in the third quarter of their Week 7 matchup. The Dragons need help from Shelbyville to clinch their first HHC title since 2006 and third overall. A victory and a Delta loss to Shelby would create a 3-way tie for the title between NP, Shelby and Delta.
The Marauders (off avg. 28.9, def. avg. 18.3): Mt. Vernon is coming off a loss, but one of its best performances of the year in a 24-16 defeat to Delta. MV's defense covered Delta's Logan Young admirably and also took away 1,000-yard rusher Teddy Dawson, holding him to 3.3 yards per carry. The Marauders took a 9-7 lead in the second quarter on halfback Corey White's 32-yard touchdown run, and after Delta took a 17-9 lead in the third, came right back with Austin Parker's 50-yard pass to Jake Davis setting up a TD run by FB Trey Ross. White led the running game, with 46 yards on 8 carries, while Ross had 37 yards on 9 carries. MV does running back by committee. Ross averages 8.9 yards per carry this season, and has 11 TDs. With 586 yards from scrimmage, HB Zach McKinney is MV's second-biggest yardage gainer, and is a rushing/receiving threat. White, a speedster who has been rapidly improving and gaining more of the load, averages 8.6 yards per carry and has three TDs the last two weeks. QB Parker completes 40% of his passes on the year for an average of 56 yards per game. MV's defense has also been strong. Led by LB Jason McCalley and DLs Corbin Bundy and David Reimlinger, the Marauders held Delta to 3.8 total yards per carry last week. CB Cameron Hope drew the assignment on Logan Young, and held Delta's IU-bound wideout below his average. MV cannot win the HHC title, but a victory would give the Marauders a shot at a 3-way tie for second place, which would happen if Delta beat Shelbyville.
As usual, the Boundary Rail classic will be a classic. We'll look at the history of the Rail game tomorrow! Listen live with Andrew, Jim & Tim starting at 7 p.m. Friday.
Elsewhere in the HHC
Shelbyville (7-1/5-1) at No. 6/5 Delta (8-0/6-0), 7:30 p.m.: Delta has already clinched a piece of the HHC title -- its seventh in school history. Shelbyville needs to win to share it with Delta and win its second in three years. The Eagles ground out a victory over Mt. Vernon last week, and did so with some big play from wingback Zach Overfield, who had 102 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. Delta's triplets also led the way -- Mt. Vernon was keying on 1,000-yard rusher Teddy Dawson and held him to 65 yards on 20 carries. Logan Young, despite being double-teamed, had 57 yards and two TD receptions. QB Ozzie Mann was 15-of-23 for 146 yards. Mann completes 58% of his passes on the year, while Young is closing in on the 1,000-yard receiving mark. Shelbyville will hope to use its speed on the turf, as QB Kevin Prosch had another big game running the football last week. The Bears got back to their scoring ways, as they totaled 30 points for the fifth time this year -- but first since Week 4 -- in last week's 30-13 victory over Yorktown. RBs Jake Knight and Derek Ellis both scored TDs last week, and Shelbyville's defense forced four fourth-quarter turnovers to score 17 straight points and pull away.
Yorktown (4-4/2-4) at Rushville (3-5/2-4), 7 p.m.: Yorktown was on the other end of that loss to Shelbyville, but the Tigers have found their passing game in recent weeks. QB Kyle Weiss was 20-of-34 against New Palestine in Week 6, and then threw a last-second TD pass to beat Anderson Highland two weeks ago. Weiss threw for 236 yards last week against Shelbyville's defense, including an 80-yard TD to Austin Anderson. Meanwhile, the Lions have been a second-half team in their wins. In Week 6, the Lions scored 19 straight points to beat Greenfield-Central 19-15. In Week 8, Rushville trailed Pendleton Heights by 13 points early in the 4th quarter, but scored two late TDs to win 21-20. A long kickoff return by Stephen Davis set up the comeback, which ended with QB Spencer Comer's TD. FB Dustin Gilbert scored the Lions' first TD and their last, and helped set up Comer's score by running the ball to the 1. He had a big day running the ball for the Lions' veer-option offense. This game is a playoff for fifth place in the HHC, as the winner will take that position.
In non-conference action
Chatard (7-1) at Greenfield-Central (1-7): The Cougars and Trojans were on opposite ends of shutouts last week. G-C fell 56-0 to New Palestine, while Chatard shut out Northwest 77-0. Chatard has pitched back-to-back shutouts, and has outscored its last there foes 181-6. Chatard also played first-round G-C sectional foe Anderson Highland and won 42-13. The Trojans are led by RB Ari Pappas, the school's all-time leading rusher, and a defense that has allowed only 9 ppg. Meanwhile, G-C is looking to pick up where they left off two weeks ago in a 21-17 loss to Mt. Vernon, in which QB Tyler Colclazier threw two late TD passes to Michael Dickerson and John White. Colclazier and Dickerson hooked up for a 50-yard pass last week that was the Cougars' biggest offensive play of the game.
Pendleton Heights (2-6) at Anderson Highland (6-2 on the field): Highland's record is actually 5-3, as a 47-7 victory over Anderson had to be forfeited. But the Scots have been solid, winning the Olympic Conference title and scoring 34 ppg. This figures to be a shootout -- both teams are averaging 23+ points per game and allowing 20+. PH's defense has two shutouts on the year -- against Greenfield-Central and Jay County. The Arabians built a 20-7 lead last week but fell to Rushville on two fourth-quarter TDs. Highland beat Connersville 33-7. Both teams have a common opponent -- Yorktown. And both fell to the Tigers the exact same way, getting beat on a last-second TD pass. Records aside, this matchup should be a close one, and be a good tune-up for Sectional 13 play. PH opens at New Palestine, while Highland faces Greenfield-Central that evening.
HHC standings
Delta 6-0/8-0
Shelbyville 5-1/7-1
New Palestine 5-1/6-2
Mt. Vernon 4-2/5-3
Yorktown 2-4/4-4
Rushville 2-4/3-5
Pendleton Heights 1-6/2-6
Greenfield-Central 0-7/1-7
One other game from our home base: Eastern Hancock (1-7) at Edinburgh (1-7): The Royals had a big second half last week, but couldn't find the end zone. QB Steven Stunda and RB Doug Spegal combined for 104 yards rushing, most of it after halftime, and the Royals held Shenandoah to 51 total yards after the break. Unfortunately for EH, most of the damage was done in the first half, when the Raiders scored four times in a 34-0 victory. Edinburgh is back on the Royals' schedule after a 10-year absence. The two teams will be foes in the Mid-Indiana Football Conference next season. The Lancers snapped a five-year losing streak by beating Indiana Deaf a couple of weeks back, but they fell 66-0 to Milan last week. Edinburgh is averaging 48 points per game allowed on defense, but 7 scored on offense.
Our game is the annual Boundary Rail Game between New Palestine and Mt. Vernon. Since the Boundary Rail has been put into play, the Dragons have won all four regular-season meetings. However, the two teams are (as usual) closely-matched and that should lead to some great football on Friday night. Also, Delta has clinched a share of its sixth HHC title and will win it outright with a victory over Shelbyville. However, if the Golden Bears pull the upset, the title will be split between those two teams. If New Palestine is to beat Mt. Vernon, it would make a 3-way tie for the championship. Needless to say, this is a big night.
Let's preview the games, starting with the TGD Game of the Week
New Palestine (6-2/5-1) at Mt. Vernon (5-3/4-2)
Broadcast: 7 p.m. with Andrew Smith, Jim Ryan, Tim Adams
Listen LIVE here
The coaches
NP: Tim Able (1st season at NP, 6-2; 18th overall, 101-94)
MV: Doug Peacock (16th season at MV, 101-72; 20th overall, 121-92)
The series: This is the 41st regular-season meeting between these taems and 47th overall. NP leads the all-time series 25-19, including a 4-0 record in Boundary Rail games. In the regular-season, NP has a 22-18 advantage. NP won 21-7 a year ago and 20-13 in 2007. In 2006, the teams split, with NP winning in OT in the regular-season and MV winning 17-14 in the sectional final. NP swept the regular-season and playoff meetings in 2004 and 2005. Since 2000, NP has an 8-4 edge. Since the HHC began, NP has won 10 of 18 meetings.
The Dragons (off. avg 27.5; def. avg 14.1): New Palestine is enjoying a renaissance season, and is coming off its best two games of the year. The Dragons scored on 8 of their 9 possessions last Saturday in a 56-0 win over Greenfield-Central. NP's offense clicked -- gaining 502 yards overall, with 243 coming through the air and 259 on the ground. WR/RB Pat Feeney had another big day, with 69 yards rushing and a TD, 140 receiving yards on five catches and a TD, and a 54-yard punt return to the 1-yard line that set up another score. On the year, Feeney has 624 yards rushing and 562 yards receiving, and is averaging 13.9 yards per offensive touch. He is closing in on the 1,200-yard mark from scrimmage -- he needs 14 yards to get there. However, NP spreads the ball around. WR Nathan Penley had four catches and 61 yards on offense and two big pass break-ups on defense last week. RB Michael Phelps and RB Bryce Pierson have both topped 100 yards on the year, and they will handle a little bit of the load. QB Cary Albrecht loves the big stage -- he was 12-of-14 last week and is 27-of-37 inside Lucas Oil Stadium in two games this year. He has a 53% completion percentage and throws for 102 yards per game on the year. NP's defense has been solid, too. In the last 18 quarters -- 4.5 games -- the Dragons have allowed five touchdowns. That's been key in their four-game winning streak. The only score they've given up in the last eight was an 88-yard TD run by Shelbyville QB Kevin Prosch in the third quarter of their Week 7 matchup. The Dragons need help from Shelbyville to clinch their first HHC title since 2006 and third overall. A victory and a Delta loss to Shelby would create a 3-way tie for the title between NP, Shelby and Delta.
The Marauders (off avg. 28.9, def. avg. 18.3): Mt. Vernon is coming off a loss, but one of its best performances of the year in a 24-16 defeat to Delta. MV's defense covered Delta's Logan Young admirably and also took away 1,000-yard rusher Teddy Dawson, holding him to 3.3 yards per carry. The Marauders took a 9-7 lead in the second quarter on halfback Corey White's 32-yard touchdown run, and after Delta took a 17-9 lead in the third, came right back with Austin Parker's 50-yard pass to Jake Davis setting up a TD run by FB Trey Ross. White led the running game, with 46 yards on 8 carries, while Ross had 37 yards on 9 carries. MV does running back by committee. Ross averages 8.9 yards per carry this season, and has 11 TDs. With 586 yards from scrimmage, HB Zach McKinney is MV's second-biggest yardage gainer, and is a rushing/receiving threat. White, a speedster who has been rapidly improving and gaining more of the load, averages 8.6 yards per carry and has three TDs the last two weeks. QB Parker completes 40% of his passes on the year for an average of 56 yards per game. MV's defense has also been strong. Led by LB Jason McCalley and DLs Corbin Bundy and David Reimlinger, the Marauders held Delta to 3.8 total yards per carry last week. CB Cameron Hope drew the assignment on Logan Young, and held Delta's IU-bound wideout below his average. MV cannot win the HHC title, but a victory would give the Marauders a shot at a 3-way tie for second place, which would happen if Delta beat Shelbyville.
As usual, the Boundary Rail classic will be a classic. We'll look at the history of the Rail game tomorrow! Listen live with Andrew, Jim & Tim starting at 7 p.m. Friday.
Elsewhere in the HHC
Shelbyville (7-1/5-1) at No. 6/5 Delta (8-0/6-0), 7:30 p.m.: Delta has already clinched a piece of the HHC title -- its seventh in school history. Shelbyville needs to win to share it with Delta and win its second in three years. The Eagles ground out a victory over Mt. Vernon last week, and did so with some big play from wingback Zach Overfield, who had 102 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. Delta's triplets also led the way -- Mt. Vernon was keying on 1,000-yard rusher Teddy Dawson and held him to 65 yards on 20 carries. Logan Young, despite being double-teamed, had 57 yards and two TD receptions. QB Ozzie Mann was 15-of-23 for 146 yards. Mann completes 58% of his passes on the year, while Young is closing in on the 1,000-yard receiving mark. Shelbyville will hope to use its speed on the turf, as QB Kevin Prosch had another big game running the football last week. The Bears got back to their scoring ways, as they totaled 30 points for the fifth time this year -- but first since Week 4 -- in last week's 30-13 victory over Yorktown. RBs Jake Knight and Derek Ellis both scored TDs last week, and Shelbyville's defense forced four fourth-quarter turnovers to score 17 straight points and pull away.
Yorktown (4-4/2-4) at Rushville (3-5/2-4), 7 p.m.: Yorktown was on the other end of that loss to Shelbyville, but the Tigers have found their passing game in recent weeks. QB Kyle Weiss was 20-of-34 against New Palestine in Week 6, and then threw a last-second TD pass to beat Anderson Highland two weeks ago. Weiss threw for 236 yards last week against Shelbyville's defense, including an 80-yard TD to Austin Anderson. Meanwhile, the Lions have been a second-half team in their wins. In Week 6, the Lions scored 19 straight points to beat Greenfield-Central 19-15. In Week 8, Rushville trailed Pendleton Heights by 13 points early in the 4th quarter, but scored two late TDs to win 21-20. A long kickoff return by Stephen Davis set up the comeback, which ended with QB Spencer Comer's TD. FB Dustin Gilbert scored the Lions' first TD and their last, and helped set up Comer's score by running the ball to the 1. He had a big day running the ball for the Lions' veer-option offense. This game is a playoff for fifth place in the HHC, as the winner will take that position.
In non-conference action
Chatard (7-1) at Greenfield-Central (1-7): The Cougars and Trojans were on opposite ends of shutouts last week. G-C fell 56-0 to New Palestine, while Chatard shut out Northwest 77-0. Chatard has pitched back-to-back shutouts, and has outscored its last there foes 181-6. Chatard also played first-round G-C sectional foe Anderson Highland and won 42-13. The Trojans are led by RB Ari Pappas, the school's all-time leading rusher, and a defense that has allowed only 9 ppg. Meanwhile, G-C is looking to pick up where they left off two weeks ago in a 21-17 loss to Mt. Vernon, in which QB Tyler Colclazier threw two late TD passes to Michael Dickerson and John White. Colclazier and Dickerson hooked up for a 50-yard pass last week that was the Cougars' biggest offensive play of the game.
Pendleton Heights (2-6) at Anderson Highland (6-2 on the field): Highland's record is actually 5-3, as a 47-7 victory over Anderson had to be forfeited. But the Scots have been solid, winning the Olympic Conference title and scoring 34 ppg. This figures to be a shootout -- both teams are averaging 23+ points per game and allowing 20+. PH's defense has two shutouts on the year -- against Greenfield-Central and Jay County. The Arabians built a 20-7 lead last week but fell to Rushville on two fourth-quarter TDs. Highland beat Connersville 33-7. Both teams have a common opponent -- Yorktown. And both fell to the Tigers the exact same way, getting beat on a last-second TD pass. Records aside, this matchup should be a close one, and be a good tune-up for Sectional 13 play. PH opens at New Palestine, while Highland faces Greenfield-Central that evening.
HHC standings
Delta 6-0/8-0
Shelbyville 5-1/7-1
New Palestine 5-1/6-2
Mt. Vernon 4-2/5-3
Yorktown 2-4/4-4
Rushville 2-4/3-5
Pendleton Heights 1-6/2-6
Greenfield-Central 0-7/1-7
One other game from our home base: Eastern Hancock (1-7) at Edinburgh (1-7): The Royals had a big second half last week, but couldn't find the end zone. QB Steven Stunda and RB Doug Spegal combined for 104 yards rushing, most of it after halftime, and the Royals held Shenandoah to 51 total yards after the break. Unfortunately for EH, most of the damage was done in the first half, when the Raiders scored four times in a 34-0 victory. Edinburgh is back on the Royals' schedule after a 10-year absence. The two teams will be foes in the Mid-Indiana Football Conference next season. The Lancers snapped a five-year losing streak by beating Indiana Deaf a couple of weeks back, but they fell 66-0 to Milan last week. Edinburgh is averaging 48 points per game allowed on defense, but 7 scored on offense.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
The draw
It's draw night, and our partners at The Gridiron Digest are lighting up, as usual, with discussion about the pairings.
We're also getting ready for our final broadcast of the 2009 season -- the Boundary Rail game between New Palestine and Mt. Vernon on Friday. You can listen here. We'll preview the game -- and the rest of the HHC race -- this week. We'll also look back at previous battles between the Marauders and Dragons.
Those two teams could meet again in the 2009 sectional finals, but they'll have to get through two games to get there. And that's what we're looking at tonight ... the full draw is at the IHSAA site, and also at John Harrell's site and we'll look at the sectionals involving HHC schools and those located in our home base of Hancock County.
Class 4A
Sectional 13
New Castle (1-7) at Mt. Vernon (5-3)
Greenfield-Central (1-7) at Anderson Highland (6-2 on field)
Arlington (4-4) at Anderson (0-8 on field)
Pendleton Heights (2-6) at New Palestine (6-2)
The outlook: This is a really competitive sectional with, according to Sagarin, three clear favorites -- NP, MV and Olympic Conference champion Highland. The Dragons have won four straight games and they've been impressive on both sides of the ball, especially on defense. They've allowed five total touchdowns in the last 18 quarters, and they're coming off a strong offensive game -- scoring on eight of nine possessions, totaling 502 yards, and holding the opposition to minus-2 rushing yards in a win over Greenfield-Central. Meanwhile, MV is also playing its best football of the year -- despite the loss, the Marauders took 4A No. 5 Delta to the wire last Saturday before falling 24-16. MV moved the ball effectively, with Corey White scoring a 32-yard touchdown and Jake Davis reeling in a 50-yard reception to set up another score. MV's defense has also been solid throughout the last few weeks. Highland's signature win was a 49-41 victory over Heritage Christian in Week 3. The one HHC team the Scots have played is Yorktown, and they fell 24-20 at the gun. Pendleton Heights is a sleeper -- the Arabians have dropped two games in the final minutes, falling to Yorktown and Rushville. The Arabians and Scots meet in the regular-season finale on Friday. When NP and PH first met, the Dragons won 49-14, with Pat Feeney having a 300+ yard night. Another team that can be a sleeper is Arlington. First, one can never count out a Rob Patchett-coached team. Second, the Knights have a 4-4 record, but three of those losses have come to teams with 7-1 or 8-0 records -- Kokomo, Cathedral and Hammond Clark. Looking at the first-round matchups, this is as close to being seeded as one can probably get, as the top four teams record-wise drew opposite each other. There are enough rivalries in this tournament that a few spoilers could result, too. This could lead to a dynamite final game. This sectional feeds into a Sectional 14 field that includes Cathedral, Plainfield and Roncalli.
Sectional 12
Jay County (2-6) at New Haven (4-4)
FW Wayne (5-3) at Marion (4-4)
#10/8 FW South (7-1) at #5/6 Delta (8-0)
Muncie Central (3-5) at Muncie South (5-3)
The outlook: Two favorites, and they drew each other. Delta is 8-0 and has outscored teams by an average of 41-11. The Eagles have a couple of signature wins -- beating New Palestine 23-0 and beating Mt. Vernon 24-16 last week. With 1,000-yard rusher Teddy Dawson and IU recruit Logan Young on the path to a 1,000-yard receiving season, the Eagles have a difficult-to-stop offense. Meanwhile, South has wins over FW Snider and FW Luers -- the only blemish a loss to No. 2 FW Dwenger. From there, the winner will be the odds-on favorite -- Delta defeated Muncie South earlier this seaon, and the only other team with a winning record is FW Wayne. It could be a sleeper, having posted a 5-3 record in the tough Summit Athletic Conference. This sectional feeds into Sectional 11, which includes FW Dwenger.
Sectional 15
Madison (3-5) at South Dearborn (3-5)
Franklin County (0-8) at Shelbyville (7-1)
Connersville (2-6) at No. 9/9 East Central (7-1)
Greenwood (2-6) at Franklin (1-7)
Outlook: The Golden Bears have never won a sectional, but during their recent surge, they've always seemed to run into either a solid East Central or Columbus East team. With East now in 5A, the two favorites here are Shelbyville and East Central. Shelby's only blemish was a 10-7 defeat to New Palestine. EC's only loss was a narrow 14-10 defeat to unbeaten Batesville. Shelbyville has an explosive offense -- which has scored 30+ points in 5 of the 8 games so far. EC has a strong defense, allowing an average of 6 ppg. Only two teams -- Richmond and Batesville -- have scored more than 10 points against them. Some of the other programs have some tradition -- Franklin County nearly knocked off Batesville a few weeks back, while Greenwood and Franklin play in the tough Mid-State Conference. This sectional feeds into Sectional 16, which features unbeatens Jasper and Evansville Reitz.
Class 3A
No. 5/7 Batesville (8-0) bye, vs. Rush/Greensburg winner
Rushville (3-5) at Greensburg (4-4)
Yorktown (4-4) at Hamilton Heights (6-2)
Howe (2-6) at Beech Grove (5-3)
Outlook: Batesville was already the favorite in this sectional, and now the Bulldogs have one less game to play to get to the final. With QB Connor Kelley and RB Chris Miller running a tailored-for-them single-wing offense, Batesville can be a very difficult team to deal with come playoff time anyway. They have signature wins against East Central and New Palestine so far this year. The Bulldogs won six straight sectionals from 2001-06. A potential second-round foe is Rushville, which would have to avenge a Week 3 loss to Greensburg. The Lions have won two of three, beating Greenfield-Central and Pendleton Heights, sandwiched around a loss to Delta that was tied at halftime. However, this sectional is loaded. Yorktown is 4-4, but they have a big win over Anderson Highland in recent weeks, and they play a primarily 4A schedule. Hamilton Heights has returned to prominence under coach Jason Simmons this season, and the Huskies have a chance to tie for the Mid-Indiana Conference title. Beech Grove is a team not to overlook. Dave Coudret's team runs its option system well, and it has posted a big win over Heritage Christian. This sectional feeds into Sectional 21, which includes Chatard, Southmont, North Montgomery and Brebeuf, all of which have at least six wins.
Elsewhere, in Hancock County ...
Class A
Sectional 37
Guerin (2-6) at Sheridan (2-6)
Indiana Deaf (0-7) at Clinton Prairie (4-4)
Tri-Central (0-8) at Clinton Central (5-3)
Lapel (5-3) at Eastern Hancock (1-7)
Outlook: So, Lapel leaves the White River Athletic Conference, but the Bulldogs can't leave their old haunts behind. Lapel was the only ex-WRAC team that wasn't on EH's schedule this season. The Bulldogs have bounced back recently, with a big 33-14 win over Knightstown last week, and a win over Clinton Prairie the week before. EH had a big 53-20 win over Wes-Del in Week 7, and played well in the second half last week against Shenandoah. Unfortunately, the Royals were down 28-0 when they did. Steven Stunda is a run/pass threat as a QB, and a defense led by J.P. McDaniel leads a defense that slowed the Raiders in the second half. Clinton Central is another strong team, one that plays in a tough conference and usually runs the ball very well. The top half of the bracket looks a lot worse than it really is. Guerin and Sheridan play schedules predominately made up of larger schools -- Guerin beat an undefeated Winchester team two weeks ago, while three of Sheridan's losses have been by a touchdown or less.
We're also getting ready for our final broadcast of the 2009 season -- the Boundary Rail game between New Palestine and Mt. Vernon on Friday. You can listen here. We'll preview the game -- and the rest of the HHC race -- this week. We'll also look back at previous battles between the Marauders and Dragons.
Those two teams could meet again in the 2009 sectional finals, but they'll have to get through two games to get there. And that's what we're looking at tonight ... the full draw is at the IHSAA site, and also at John Harrell's site and we'll look at the sectionals involving HHC schools and those located in our home base of Hancock County.
Class 4A
Sectional 13
New Castle (1-7) at Mt. Vernon (5-3)
Greenfield-Central (1-7) at Anderson Highland (6-2 on field)
Arlington (4-4) at Anderson (0-8 on field)
Pendleton Heights (2-6) at New Palestine (6-2)
The outlook: This is a really competitive sectional with, according to Sagarin, three clear favorites -- NP, MV and Olympic Conference champion Highland. The Dragons have won four straight games and they've been impressive on both sides of the ball, especially on defense. They've allowed five total touchdowns in the last 18 quarters, and they're coming off a strong offensive game -- scoring on eight of nine possessions, totaling 502 yards, and holding the opposition to minus-2 rushing yards in a win over Greenfield-Central. Meanwhile, MV is also playing its best football of the year -- despite the loss, the Marauders took 4A No. 5 Delta to the wire last Saturday before falling 24-16. MV moved the ball effectively, with Corey White scoring a 32-yard touchdown and Jake Davis reeling in a 50-yard reception to set up another score. MV's defense has also been solid throughout the last few weeks. Highland's signature win was a 49-41 victory over Heritage Christian in Week 3. The one HHC team the Scots have played is Yorktown, and they fell 24-20 at the gun. Pendleton Heights is a sleeper -- the Arabians have dropped two games in the final minutes, falling to Yorktown and Rushville. The Arabians and Scots meet in the regular-season finale on Friday. When NP and PH first met, the Dragons won 49-14, with Pat Feeney having a 300+ yard night. Another team that can be a sleeper is Arlington. First, one can never count out a Rob Patchett-coached team. Second, the Knights have a 4-4 record, but three of those losses have come to teams with 7-1 or 8-0 records -- Kokomo, Cathedral and Hammond Clark. Looking at the first-round matchups, this is as close to being seeded as one can probably get, as the top four teams record-wise drew opposite each other. There are enough rivalries in this tournament that a few spoilers could result, too. This could lead to a dynamite final game. This sectional feeds into a Sectional 14 field that includes Cathedral, Plainfield and Roncalli.
Sectional 12
Jay County (2-6) at New Haven (4-4)
FW Wayne (5-3) at Marion (4-4)
#10/8 FW South (7-1) at #5/6 Delta (8-0)
Muncie Central (3-5) at Muncie South (5-3)
The outlook: Two favorites, and they drew each other. Delta is 8-0 and has outscored teams by an average of 41-11. The Eagles have a couple of signature wins -- beating New Palestine 23-0 and beating Mt. Vernon 24-16 last week. With 1,000-yard rusher Teddy Dawson and IU recruit Logan Young on the path to a 1,000-yard receiving season, the Eagles have a difficult-to-stop offense. Meanwhile, South has wins over FW Snider and FW Luers -- the only blemish a loss to No. 2 FW Dwenger. From there, the winner will be the odds-on favorite -- Delta defeated Muncie South earlier this seaon, and the only other team with a winning record is FW Wayne. It could be a sleeper, having posted a 5-3 record in the tough Summit Athletic Conference. This sectional feeds into Sectional 11, which includes FW Dwenger.
Sectional 15
Madison (3-5) at South Dearborn (3-5)
Franklin County (0-8) at Shelbyville (7-1)
Connersville (2-6) at No. 9/9 East Central (7-1)
Greenwood (2-6) at Franklin (1-7)
Outlook: The Golden Bears have never won a sectional, but during their recent surge, they've always seemed to run into either a solid East Central or Columbus East team. With East now in 5A, the two favorites here are Shelbyville and East Central. Shelby's only blemish was a 10-7 defeat to New Palestine. EC's only loss was a narrow 14-10 defeat to unbeaten Batesville. Shelbyville has an explosive offense -- which has scored 30+ points in 5 of the 8 games so far. EC has a strong defense, allowing an average of 6 ppg. Only two teams -- Richmond and Batesville -- have scored more than 10 points against them. Some of the other programs have some tradition -- Franklin County nearly knocked off Batesville a few weeks back, while Greenwood and Franklin play in the tough Mid-State Conference. This sectional feeds into Sectional 16, which features unbeatens Jasper and Evansville Reitz.
Class 3A
No. 5/7 Batesville (8-0) bye, vs. Rush/Greensburg winner
Rushville (3-5) at Greensburg (4-4)
Yorktown (4-4) at Hamilton Heights (6-2)
Howe (2-6) at Beech Grove (5-3)
Outlook: Batesville was already the favorite in this sectional, and now the Bulldogs have one less game to play to get to the final. With QB Connor Kelley and RB Chris Miller running a tailored-for-them single-wing offense, Batesville can be a very difficult team to deal with come playoff time anyway. They have signature wins against East Central and New Palestine so far this year. The Bulldogs won six straight sectionals from 2001-06. A potential second-round foe is Rushville, which would have to avenge a Week 3 loss to Greensburg. The Lions have won two of three, beating Greenfield-Central and Pendleton Heights, sandwiched around a loss to Delta that was tied at halftime. However, this sectional is loaded. Yorktown is 4-4, but they have a big win over Anderson Highland in recent weeks, and they play a primarily 4A schedule. Hamilton Heights has returned to prominence under coach Jason Simmons this season, and the Huskies have a chance to tie for the Mid-Indiana Conference title. Beech Grove is a team not to overlook. Dave Coudret's team runs its option system well, and it has posted a big win over Heritage Christian. This sectional feeds into Sectional 21, which includes Chatard, Southmont, North Montgomery and Brebeuf, all of which have at least six wins.
Elsewhere, in Hancock County ...
Class A
Sectional 37
Guerin (2-6) at Sheridan (2-6)
Indiana Deaf (0-7) at Clinton Prairie (4-4)
Tri-Central (0-8) at Clinton Central (5-3)
Lapel (5-3) at Eastern Hancock (1-7)
Outlook: So, Lapel leaves the White River Athletic Conference, but the Bulldogs can't leave their old haunts behind. Lapel was the only ex-WRAC team that wasn't on EH's schedule this season. The Bulldogs have bounced back recently, with a big 33-14 win over Knightstown last week, and a win over Clinton Prairie the week before. EH had a big 53-20 win over Wes-Del in Week 7, and played well in the second half last week against Shenandoah. Unfortunately, the Royals were down 28-0 when they did. Steven Stunda is a run/pass threat as a QB, and a defense led by J.P. McDaniel leads a defense that slowed the Raiders in the second half. Clinton Central is another strong team, one that plays in a tough conference and usually runs the ball very well. The top half of the bracket looks a lot worse than it really is. Guerin and Sheridan play schedules predominately made up of larger schools -- Guerin beat an undefeated Winchester team two weeks ago, while three of Sheridan's losses have been by a touchdown or less.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium
What a great day at Lucas Oil Stadium today of HHC football. We saw a lot of very good football, with some talented players and good teams showing their stuff. We also saw the Delta Eagles clinch at least a piece of their 7th HHC championship of the decade in the final game of the night. Now, the question that needs to be answered is, will the Eagles win it outright, or will it be a 2-way or 3-way tie?
That's the picture after today's games. Delta is 6-0 in the conference. New Palestine and Shelbyville are both 5-1 and in contention. Should Shelbyville beat Delta and NP beat Mt. Vernon next week, there would be a 3-way tie atop the conference.
Some really big games for us today. In the opener, New Palestine was very efficient in a 56-0 win over Greenfield-Central. The Dragons rolled up 502 yards of offense, scored on eight of their nine possessions and spread the ball around. Cary Albrecht was 12-of-14 for 243 yards through the air, with 140 of those going to Pat Feeney, who broke the 1,000-yard mark in yards from scrimmage today, as he added 69 rushing yards to that total. He also had a 54-yard punt return to the 1 that set up another score. Nathan Penley also had a big day catching the ball, and NP's running attack had 10 different people carry for 250+ yards. Seven different players scored TDs for the Dragons in the game.
In the nightcap, Delta held off Mt. Vernon 24-16 in a whale of a football game. The Eagles took the opening kickoff and took a 7-0 lead shortly thereafter on a 14-yard TD pass to Logan Young. But after that, the Marauders took away much of Delta's running game and forced Ozzie Mann to throw. That, he did -- throwing for 140+ yards, connecting six times with Young for 57 yards and four times with Zach Overfield for 69 yards. MV came back, with Corey White's 32-yard TD run and a 30-yard interception return by Steve Olson setting up a field goal and giving the Marauders a 9-7 lead late in the first half. A 25-yard pass from Mann to Overfield set up a field goal by the Eagles at the first-half gun, and Delta then went into grind-it-out mode in the second half. The Eagles put together two mammoth drives -- a 6+ minute drive that finished with Overfield's 5-yard TD run made it 17-9, and another 10-play drive ended with a fourth-down TD pass to Young to make it 24-16. In-between, MV's Austin Parker hit Jake Davis with a 50-yard pass, setting up Trey Ross' 13-yard TD run two plays later. However, when the Marauders got the ball back after the second Delta score, a 2nd-and-1 became 4th-and-punt after a penalty and a sack, and Delta essentially ran out last five minutes.
In the middle games, Shelbyville pulled away from Yorktown in the second half to win 30-13 -- with the Kevin Prosch-led offense getting back in gear after being held to 7 points last week. Rushville then rallied from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Pendleton Heights 21-20.
Thus, the HHC standings look like this headed into the final week:
Delta 6-0/8-0
Shelbyville 5-1/7-1
New Palestine 5-1/6-2
Mt. Vernon 4-2/5-3
Yorktown 2-4/4-4
Rushville 2-4/3-5
Pendleton Hts. 1-6/2-6
Greenfield-C. 0-7/1-7
Friday's schedule
New Palestine at Mt. Vernon (CCSN broadcast time 7 p.m.)
Shelbyville at Delta
Yorktown at Rushville
Pendleton Heights at Anderson Highland
Chatard at Greenfield-Central
We're looking forward to bringing you the Boundary Rail game on Friday night between the Dragons and Marauders. It's one of the great rivalries in Indiana high school football, and one that should be a great matchup between two very evenly-matched teams that played some really strong football today on the turf.
Also, with the sectional draw Tuesday night, read here for some reaction and more!
That's the picture after today's games. Delta is 6-0 in the conference. New Palestine and Shelbyville are both 5-1 and in contention. Should Shelbyville beat Delta and NP beat Mt. Vernon next week, there would be a 3-way tie atop the conference.
Some really big games for us today. In the opener, New Palestine was very efficient in a 56-0 win over Greenfield-Central. The Dragons rolled up 502 yards of offense, scored on eight of their nine possessions and spread the ball around. Cary Albrecht was 12-of-14 for 243 yards through the air, with 140 of those going to Pat Feeney, who broke the 1,000-yard mark in yards from scrimmage today, as he added 69 rushing yards to that total. He also had a 54-yard punt return to the 1 that set up another score. Nathan Penley also had a big day catching the ball, and NP's running attack had 10 different people carry for 250+ yards. Seven different players scored TDs for the Dragons in the game.
In the nightcap, Delta held off Mt. Vernon 24-16 in a whale of a football game. The Eagles took the opening kickoff and took a 7-0 lead shortly thereafter on a 14-yard TD pass to Logan Young. But after that, the Marauders took away much of Delta's running game and forced Ozzie Mann to throw. That, he did -- throwing for 140+ yards, connecting six times with Young for 57 yards and four times with Zach Overfield for 69 yards. MV came back, with Corey White's 32-yard TD run and a 30-yard interception return by Steve Olson setting up a field goal and giving the Marauders a 9-7 lead late in the first half. A 25-yard pass from Mann to Overfield set up a field goal by the Eagles at the first-half gun, and Delta then went into grind-it-out mode in the second half. The Eagles put together two mammoth drives -- a 6+ minute drive that finished with Overfield's 5-yard TD run made it 17-9, and another 10-play drive ended with a fourth-down TD pass to Young to make it 24-16. In-between, MV's Austin Parker hit Jake Davis with a 50-yard pass, setting up Trey Ross' 13-yard TD run two plays later. However, when the Marauders got the ball back after the second Delta score, a 2nd-and-1 became 4th-and-punt after a penalty and a sack, and Delta essentially ran out last five minutes.
In the middle games, Shelbyville pulled away from Yorktown in the second half to win 30-13 -- with the Kevin Prosch-led offense getting back in gear after being held to 7 points last week. Rushville then rallied from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Pendleton Heights 21-20.
Thus, the HHC standings look like this headed into the final week:
Delta 6-0/8-0
Shelbyville 5-1/7-1
New Palestine 5-1/6-2
Mt. Vernon 4-2/5-3
Yorktown 2-4/4-4
Rushville 2-4/3-5
Pendleton Hts. 1-6/2-6
Greenfield-C. 0-7/1-7
Friday's schedule
New Palestine at Mt. Vernon (CCSN broadcast time 7 p.m.)
Shelbyville at Delta
Yorktown at Rushville
Pendleton Heights at Anderson Highland
Chatard at Greenfield-Central
We're looking forward to bringing you the Boundary Rail game on Friday night between the Dragons and Marauders. It's one of the great rivalries in Indiana high school football, and one that should be a great matchup between two very evenly-matched teams that played some really strong football today on the turf.
Also, with the sectional draw Tuesday night, read here for some reaction and more!
Friday, October 9, 2009
HHC Classic: Part 2
We apologize for the delay in getting this posted -- the second half of the HHC Classic games. It will be our third broadcast of the weekend.
Our broadcast schedule. Listen to all games here
Friday, 6:30 p.m.: Eastern Hancock (1-6) at Shenandoah (6-1)
Saturday, 10:30 a.m.: New Palestine (5-2/4-1) vs. Greenfield-Central (1-6/0-6)
Saturday, 6:45 p.m.: Mt. Vernon (5-2/4-1) vs. No. 6 Delta (7-0/5-0)
The first games are previewed in previous posts. Today, we preview the second half of tomorrow's HHC Classic.
Also: In the 4:30 p.m. game, Pendleton Heights meets Rushville. The Arabians were impressive last week in a 42-0 shutout of Olympic Conference foe Jay County. It is one of two non-conference games PH will play to end the season. This game is effectively a playoff for 6th place in the conference, as both teams have one HHC win. Rushville has a game coming up against Yorktown next week (and could take fifth place with two wins), while this is PH's final league game. PH has one of the league's top passing attacks, led by Grant Hendershot and Mitch Patishall. The Arabians' defense has also pitched two shutouts this season. Rushville is coming off a strong two-game stretch in which it rallied from a 15-0 deficit to beat Greenfield-Central in Week 6, and then tied Delta at halftime last week before falling. Its veer-option offense is led by athletic quarterback Spencer Comer.
The HHC schedule on Saturday
11 a.m.: New Palestine vs. Greenfield-Central (LISTEN HERE)
1:45 p.m.: Shelbyville vs. Yorktown
4:30 p.m.: Pendleton Heights vs. Rushville
7:15 p.m.: Mt. Vernon vs. Delta (LISTEN HERE)
Our broadcast schedule. Listen to all games here
Friday, 6:30 p.m.: Eastern Hancock (1-6) at Shenandoah (6-1)
Saturday, 10:30 a.m.: New Palestine (5-2/4-1) vs. Greenfield-Central (1-6/0-6)
Saturday, 6:45 p.m.: Mt. Vernon (5-2/4-1) vs. No. 6 Delta (7-0/5-0)
The first games are previewed in previous posts. Today, we preview the second half of tomorrow's HHC Classic.
CCSN HHC CLASSIC GAME NOTES
Mt. Vernon Marauders (5-2/4-1) vs. No. 6/6 Delta Eagles (7-0/5-0)
The series: Delta won last year’s meeting 51-21, and then won again 49-13 in the sectional semifinals. Delta has won six straight going back to 2004. Last MV win was a 56-34 game at the RCA Dome in 2003 when Delta was unbeaten and ranked #1 in 4A. Delta is 11-5 against MV since the HHC was formed in 1994, although Delta is 8-4 in conference games (and 1-0 in sectional games) since joining the league in 1997. MV’s wins came in 1997, 1999, 2001 (against a DHS team that was a state runner-up) and 2003.
The Marauders
Coach: Doug Peacock (16th year at MV, 101-71; 20th year overall, 121-91).
Scouting report (Off. Average 23.4, Def. Average 16.1)
MV is coming off three strong defensive games in a row, two of which were victories. MV has won 5 of 6 since falling to Kokomo in Week 1.MV is a second-half team: 143 of the Marauders’ 213 points have come after halftime. Last week, the Marauders trailed 3-0 at half and then scored 3 TDs in the second half, building leads of 13-3 and 20-10 late in the fourth quarter. MV has outscored teams 143-61 after half. The leading rusher is FB Trey Ross, who sat out last week’s game with a hamstring injury. In 6 games, he’s rushed for 567 yards and 10 TDs, carrying 9.6 yards per carry. HB Zach McKinney (10-62), FB Brandon Lockart (10-72, nearly all in 2nd half) and speedy sophomore HB Corey White (8-68, 2 TDs) all ran for 60+ yards last week, as MV ran for 238 yards. White also had an 18-yard catch. McKinney averages 7.1 ypc and is MV's second-leading rusher. White is a kickoff return guru, as he has two returns for TDs this season. MV’s defense is a strength of its team, allowing 13.6 ppg in HHC games. Held PH without a first down for 2.5 quarters in Week 5 game (PH scored two late TDs after it was 38-0), held G-C to 48 rushing yards and 162 total yards last week. David Reimlinger had a huge game last week, with 10+ tackles.
The Eagles
Coach: Grant Zgunda (12th year at DHS, 117-23; 17th year overall, 154-35).
Scouting report (Off. Average 43.4, Def. Average 10.4)
Delta has been loaded, and is averaging 491 yards per game – 283 on the ground and 208 passing. Delta's all-time HHC record: 74-14 (MV is 58-45), making this a matchup of the 2 winningest programs in HHC. Delta has won 16 straight regular-season games, and has won 28 of its last 29 regular-season games dating back to 2006. The offense is by its “triplets”: QB Ozzie Mann (59% completion, 1,405 yards, 14 TDs); WR Logan Young (IU recruit, 36-874, 9 TDs) and RB Teddy Dawson (116-1,074, 8 TDs; 11-182 receiving). Change-of-pace back Zach Overfield is averaging 11 yards per carry and has 104 receiving yards. Delta has won at least 8 games each season since 1997, and this will be its 14th consecutive winning season. On defense: Jake Bryan & Logan Young have 3 INTs each. Jordan Anderson 4 sacks, 52 tackles. Bruce Benbow 38 tackles, 6 TFL.
Notable
- Peacock & Zgunda are two of the three longest-tenured coaches in the conference (PH’s John Broughton has a longer tenure than both). They also rank Nos. 2 & 3 behind Broughton (184 wins, 34 years) in total wins among conference coaches. NP’s Tim Able (100 wins) is 4th.
- Delta possesses the HHC Helmet trophy, and has since beating Shelbyville in 2008 finale.
- Delta has won six HHC titles (00, 01, 02, 04, 05, 08). MV has won 3 (99, 01, 03)
- These teams have a history at neutral sites. MV and Delta were both unbeaten in the HHC (Delta was #1 in 4A) when they met in the RCA Dome in 2003. MV won 56-34 and went on to win the HHC title. In 2001, MV beat Delta’s eventual state runner-up team 21-14 in a game played at Greenfield-Central HS.
Also: In the 4:30 p.m. game, Pendleton Heights meets Rushville. The Arabians were impressive last week in a 42-0 shutout of Olympic Conference foe Jay County. It is one of two non-conference games PH will play to end the season. This game is effectively a playoff for 6th place in the conference, as both teams have one HHC win. Rushville has a game coming up against Yorktown next week (and could take fifth place with two wins), while this is PH's final league game. PH has one of the league's top passing attacks, led by Grant Hendershot and Mitch Patishall. The Arabians' defense has also pitched two shutouts this season. Rushville is coming off a strong two-game stretch in which it rallied from a 15-0 deficit to beat Greenfield-Central in Week 6, and then tied Delta at halftime last week before falling. Its veer-option offense is led by athletic quarterback Spencer Comer.
The HHC schedule on Saturday
11 a.m.: New Palestine vs. Greenfield-Central (LISTEN HERE)
1:45 p.m.: Shelbyville vs. Yorktown
4:30 p.m.: Pendleton Heights vs. Rushville
7:15 p.m.: Mt. Vernon vs. Delta (LISTEN HERE)
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
HHC Classic: Part 1
Today, we look at the Hoosier Heritage Conference Classic, part of our tripleheader of Hancock County football games this weekend (and area football games).
You can listen to them all at Audio Sports Online.
The schedule
Friday, 6:30 p.m.: Eastern Hancock (1-6) at Shenandoah (6-1)
Saturday, 10:30 a.m.: New Palestine (5-2/4-1) vs. Greenfield-Central (1-6/0-6)
Saturday, 6:45 p.m.: Mt. Vernon (5-2/4-1) vs. No. 6 Delta (7-0/5-0)
Yesterday, we previewed our Friday broadcast.
Today, we'll look at our first Saturday game (and the second game of the day). Keep reading tomorrow for a preview of the second game.
Saturday Game 1
New Palestine (5-2/4-1) vs. Greenfield-Central (1-6/0-6)
Broadcast time: 10:30 a.m. Listen here
The skinny: New Palestine is coming off a HUGE win over Shelbyville, which puts the Dragons in a 3-way tie for second place in the HHC. The Dragons are in the thick of the title race, although they'll need to win out and have somebody beat Delta for it to happen. The Dragons have one of the area's most dynamic players and a defense that held potent Shelbyville to 7 points last week. Meanwhile, Greenfield-Central is coming off its best game of the season. The Cougars have a very solid defense and an improving young offense led by a couple of strong sophomores. These rivalry games are toss-out-the-records matchups -- as evidenced last week when G-C and Mt. Vernon went down to the wire.
The Dragons
Coach: Tim Able (1st year at NP, 5-2; 18th year overall, 100-94)
Scouting report: New Palestine's win wasn't just a big one. It also gave coach Able his 100th career victory in 18 seasons. Five of those wins have come at NP, but he also amassed them at North Decatur, East Noble and Decatur Central. Able has been a proven winner everywhere, and he joins John Broughton, Grant Zgunda and Doug Peacock as 100-game winners among the HHC coaching fraternity. The Dragons' win last week was the first against Shelbyville for a team not named Delta since 2006. The Dragons' offense averages 23.4 ppg, and is led by one of the area's most dynamic players in Pat Feeney. The senior RB/WR/FS/KR/PR scored the Dragons' only touchdown last week on a 37-yard run. He had 57 yards rushing and 15 receiving last week against a stout Shelbyville defense. On the year, he has 977 yards from scrimmage (555 on the ground, 422 through the air), and that's in limited work. He barely played after halftime of the Pendleton Heights and Rushville games, and only saw one offensive touch against Yorktown. QB Cary Albrecht is 32-of-68 passing on the year, but he was 15-of-23 when NP visited Lucas Oil Stadium in Week 4. NP has a deep running attack -- Brett Jackson is a threat, while Michael Phelps and Bryce Pierson are workhorses. Two weeks ago against Yorktown, Phelps topped the 100-yard mark and had two long TDs, while Pierson had three TDs in a 35-12 victory. However, the Dragons' defense has also been stout recently. They allow 16.1 ppg, but they've given up just five touchdowns in the last 3 1/2 games. NP has a three-game winning streak, and it was sealed last Friday when Aaron Pfeifer hit a 30-yard FG in the closing seconds. Pfeifer could be doing double-duty on Saturday, as he also plays for a Dragon soccer team that will try to defend its sectional title that night. This is NP's third game at Lucas Oil Stadium -- the Dragons fell to Whiteland in the 2008 season opener, and fell to Batesville 28-14 in Week 4.
The Cougars
Coach: Roger Dodson (4th year at G-C, 10-28; 16th year overall, 74-87)
Scouting report: Greenfield-Central has been flying under the radar a little bit -- but the Cougars have been putting scares into teams. Last week, they put a huge one into Mt. Vernon, as G-C's defense held the Marauders scoreless in the first half and ended up falling 20-17, with an offense that had been struggling putting up two late touchdowns. G-C's defense is allowing 22.4 ppg, but it has been impressive recently, holding Shelbyville, Rushville and Mt. Vernon to 19, 19 and 20 points the last three weeks. The Cougars are a strong first-half team, as they are outscoring teams 25-10 in the first halves of games the last four weeks. However, they've been outscored 77-21 in the second halves -- although last week's second half was 20-14. G-C's offense is a multifaceted attack that put things together last week. Sophomore QB Tyler Colclazier has made two straight starts. He was 10-of-24 for 114 yards against MV last week, and he threw fourth-quarter TD passes to John White and Matt Dickerson. White is a senior playmaker, while Dickerson has been a top receiving and rushing threat for the Cougars. He had 3 catches for 32 yards against MV last week. RB Brady Conger has been getting more of the load. He had 135 yards against Rushville in Week 6.
The day's second game will begin at approximately 1:45 p.m., and feature the Shelbyville Golden Bears (6-1/4-1) and the Yorktown Tigers (4-3/2-3). The Golden Bears were booted from the lead in the HHC -- almost literally, as New Palestine hit a 30-yard FG in the closing seconds. It was a defensive struggle, with Shelby's lone offensive highlight an 88-yard run by QB Kevin Prosch. He topped 100 yards -- the Bears had 213 yards of offense in the game, but the rest of the Golden Bear attack was slowed by New Palestine's defense. Shelby scores 30+ points per game, but has been held to 19, 23 and 7 points the last three weeks in its tour of Hancock County. However, the fast turf at Lucas Oil might play in the favor of a team with a lot of speed. Meanwhile, Yorktown has a lot of strength -- especially up front, and with RB Derek Kundenreich. He has run for 100 yards six times this season and is one of the HHC's top rushers. The Tigers had an impressive 24-20 victory over Anderson Highland last week. QB Kyle Weiss led the team 86 yards for the winning TD in the final minutes, hooking up with Brett Allison for a 40-yard TD in the closing seconds. It was the Tigers' second last-ditch win of the year on a Weiss-to-Allison hookup -- they also beat PH in Week 1 the same way. Two weeks ago, Weiss was 20-of-34 passing and threw for two TDs against New Palestine.
HHC standings (w/games the last two weeks)
Delta (#6 4A) 5-0/7-0 (vs. Mt. Vernon; vs. Shelbyville)
Shelbyville 4-1/6-1 (vs. Yorktown; at Delta)
Mt. Vernon 4-1/5-2 (vs. Delta; vs. New Palestine)
New Palestine 4-1/5-2 (vs. Greenfield-C.; at Mt. Vernon)
Yorktown 2-3/4-3 (vs. Shelbyville; at Rushville)
Rushville 1-4/2-5 (vs. Pendleton Hts.; vs. Yorktown)
Pendleton Hts. 1-5/2-5 (vs. Rushville; at Anderson Highland)
Greenfield-C. 0-6/1-6 (vs. New Palestine; vs. Chatard)
Saturday's games (at Lucas Oil Stadium)
New Palestine vs. Greenfield-Central, 11 a.m. LISTEN HERE
Yorktown vs. Shelbyville, 1:45 p.m. Listen at wsvx.com
Rushville vs. Pendleton Heights, 4:30 p.m. Listen at 917weem.org
Mt. Vernon vs. Delta, 11 a.m. LISTEN HERE
Also, fans can head to the HHC Tailgate at the NCAA Hall of Champions, four blocks west of the stadium. There will be passes available to the Hall of Champions in the lobby of Lucas Oil Stadium.
You can listen to them all at Audio Sports Online.
The schedule
Friday, 6:30 p.m.: Eastern Hancock (1-6) at Shenandoah (6-1)
Saturday, 10:30 a.m.: New Palestine (5-2/4-1) vs. Greenfield-Central (1-6/0-6)
Saturday, 6:45 p.m.: Mt. Vernon (5-2/4-1) vs. No. 6 Delta (7-0/5-0)
Yesterday, we previewed our Friday broadcast.
Today, we'll look at our first Saturday game (and the second game of the day). Keep reading tomorrow for a preview of the second game.
Saturday Game 1
New Palestine (5-2/4-1) vs. Greenfield-Central (1-6/0-6)
Broadcast time: 10:30 a.m. Listen here
The skinny: New Palestine is coming off a HUGE win over Shelbyville, which puts the Dragons in a 3-way tie for second place in the HHC. The Dragons are in the thick of the title race, although they'll need to win out and have somebody beat Delta for it to happen. The Dragons have one of the area's most dynamic players and a defense that held potent Shelbyville to 7 points last week. Meanwhile, Greenfield-Central is coming off its best game of the season. The Cougars have a very solid defense and an improving young offense led by a couple of strong sophomores. These rivalry games are toss-out-the-records matchups -- as evidenced last week when G-C and Mt. Vernon went down to the wire.
The Dragons
Coach: Tim Able (1st year at NP, 5-2; 18th year overall, 100-94)
Scouting report: New Palestine's win wasn't just a big one. It also gave coach Able his 100th career victory in 18 seasons. Five of those wins have come at NP, but he also amassed them at North Decatur, East Noble and Decatur Central. Able has been a proven winner everywhere, and he joins John Broughton, Grant Zgunda and Doug Peacock as 100-game winners among the HHC coaching fraternity. The Dragons' win last week was the first against Shelbyville for a team not named Delta since 2006. The Dragons' offense averages 23.4 ppg, and is led by one of the area's most dynamic players in Pat Feeney. The senior RB/WR/FS/KR/PR scored the Dragons' only touchdown last week on a 37-yard run. He had 57 yards rushing and 15 receiving last week against a stout Shelbyville defense. On the year, he has 977 yards from scrimmage (555 on the ground, 422 through the air), and that's in limited work. He barely played after halftime of the Pendleton Heights and Rushville games, and only saw one offensive touch against Yorktown. QB Cary Albrecht is 32-of-68 passing on the year, but he was 15-of-23 when NP visited Lucas Oil Stadium in Week 4. NP has a deep running attack -- Brett Jackson is a threat, while Michael Phelps and Bryce Pierson are workhorses. Two weeks ago against Yorktown, Phelps topped the 100-yard mark and had two long TDs, while Pierson had three TDs in a 35-12 victory. However, the Dragons' defense has also been stout recently. They allow 16.1 ppg, but they've given up just five touchdowns in the last 3 1/2 games. NP has a three-game winning streak, and it was sealed last Friday when Aaron Pfeifer hit a 30-yard FG in the closing seconds. Pfeifer could be doing double-duty on Saturday, as he also plays for a Dragon soccer team that will try to defend its sectional title that night. This is NP's third game at Lucas Oil Stadium -- the Dragons fell to Whiteland in the 2008 season opener, and fell to Batesville 28-14 in Week 4.
The Cougars
Coach: Roger Dodson (4th year at G-C, 10-28; 16th year overall, 74-87)
Scouting report: Greenfield-Central has been flying under the radar a little bit -- but the Cougars have been putting scares into teams. Last week, they put a huge one into Mt. Vernon, as G-C's defense held the Marauders scoreless in the first half and ended up falling 20-17, with an offense that had been struggling putting up two late touchdowns. G-C's defense is allowing 22.4 ppg, but it has been impressive recently, holding Shelbyville, Rushville and Mt. Vernon to 19, 19 and 20 points the last three weeks. The Cougars are a strong first-half team, as they are outscoring teams 25-10 in the first halves of games the last four weeks. However, they've been outscored 77-21 in the second halves -- although last week's second half was 20-14. G-C's offense is a multifaceted attack that put things together last week. Sophomore QB Tyler Colclazier has made two straight starts. He was 10-of-24 for 114 yards against MV last week, and he threw fourth-quarter TD passes to John White and Matt Dickerson. White is a senior playmaker, while Dickerson has been a top receiving and rushing threat for the Cougars. He had 3 catches for 32 yards against MV last week. RB Brady Conger has been getting more of the load. He had 135 yards against Rushville in Week 6.
The day's second game will begin at approximately 1:45 p.m., and feature the Shelbyville Golden Bears (6-1/4-1) and the Yorktown Tigers (4-3/2-3). The Golden Bears were booted from the lead in the HHC -- almost literally, as New Palestine hit a 30-yard FG in the closing seconds. It was a defensive struggle, with Shelby's lone offensive highlight an 88-yard run by QB Kevin Prosch. He topped 100 yards -- the Bears had 213 yards of offense in the game, but the rest of the Golden Bear attack was slowed by New Palestine's defense. Shelby scores 30+ points per game, but has been held to 19, 23 and 7 points the last three weeks in its tour of Hancock County. However, the fast turf at Lucas Oil might play in the favor of a team with a lot of speed. Meanwhile, Yorktown has a lot of strength -- especially up front, and with RB Derek Kundenreich. He has run for 100 yards six times this season and is one of the HHC's top rushers. The Tigers had an impressive 24-20 victory over Anderson Highland last week. QB Kyle Weiss led the team 86 yards for the winning TD in the final minutes, hooking up with Brett Allison for a 40-yard TD in the closing seconds. It was the Tigers' second last-ditch win of the year on a Weiss-to-Allison hookup -- they also beat PH in Week 1 the same way. Two weeks ago, Weiss was 20-of-34 passing and threw for two TDs against New Palestine.
HHC standings (w/games the last two weeks)
Delta (#6 4A) 5-0/7-0 (vs. Mt. Vernon; vs. Shelbyville)
Shelbyville 4-1/6-1 (vs. Yorktown; at Delta)
Mt. Vernon 4-1/5-2 (vs. Delta; vs. New Palestine)
New Palestine 4-1/5-2 (vs. Greenfield-C.; at Mt. Vernon)
Yorktown 2-3/4-3 (vs. Shelbyville; at Rushville)
Rushville 1-4/2-5 (vs. Pendleton Hts.; vs. Yorktown)
Pendleton Hts. 1-5/2-5 (vs. Rushville; at Anderson Highland)
Greenfield-C. 0-6/1-6 (vs. New Palestine; vs. Chatard)
Saturday's games (at Lucas Oil Stadium)
New Palestine vs. Greenfield-Central, 11 a.m. LISTEN HERE
Yorktown vs. Shelbyville, 1:45 p.m. Listen at wsvx.com
Rushville vs. Pendleton Heights, 4:30 p.m. Listen at 917weem.org
Mt. Vernon vs. Delta, 11 a.m. LISTEN HERE
Also, fans can head to the HHC Tailgate at the NCAA Hall of Champions, four blocks west of the stadium. There will be passes available to the Hall of Champions in the lobby of Lucas Oil Stadium.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Week 8 -- Hancock County Football Fest
This week, the CCSN Game of the Week has the Hancock County Football Fest. As the voice of Hancock County football, we'll be broadcasting all three games involving Hancock County teams, including half of the HHC Day at Lucas Oil Stadium.
All of the games, of course, can be heard at Audio Sports Online.
The schedule
Friday: Eastern Hancock (1-6) at Shenandoah (6-1), 6:30 p.m. broadcast
Saturday: Greenfield-Central (1-6/0-6) vs. New Palestine (5-2/4-1), 10:30 a.m. broadcast
Saturday: Mt. Vernon (5-2/4-1) vs. Delta (7-0/5-0), 6:45 p.m. broadcast
Andrew Smith, Jim Ryan and Tim Adams will be on the call of the games.
This week, we will preview all of the games at Lucas Oil Stadium, as well as our Friday-night broadcast.
Today, we'll preview the Friday broadcast of Eastern Hancock @ Shenandoah. On Wednesday, we'll run previews of Saturday's first two games -- Greenfield-Central vs. New Palestine and Shelbyville vs. Yorktown. On Thursday, we'll preview Saturday's final two games -- Pendleton Heights vs. Rushville and Mt. Vernon vs. Delta.
Friday's broadcast
Eastern Hancock (1-6) at Shenandoah (6-1)
Broadcast time: 6:30 p.m. Listen here
The skinny: Much of Eastern Hancock's schedule has been looking ahead -- looking toward its affiliation in the Mid-Indiana Football Conference, which will commence next season. But the Royals' old rivals are the remnants of the now-defunct White River Athletic Conference. EH and Shenandoah have a rivalry that goes back to the days when both schools started football, and they've had more than their share of wars over the years. This is always one of the more-anticipated games of the year, and often the score isn't what was anticipated. Upsets tend to happen, lots of hard hitting takes place, and even though a conference championship is no longer on the line between these two teams, it's always a fun game.
The series: Last year, Shenandoah won 39-13 to spoil EH's Senior Night. The Raiders have won two straight in the series, knocking off the Royals 26-20 in 2007. In 2005 and 2006, they split their meetings -- with EH winning the sectional after losing the regular-season matchup in 2006. Shenandoah won the tournament meeting but EH the regular-season matchup in 2005. Since 1999, Shenandoah is 10-7 in the series. The teams met every year from 2001-06 in the sectional, splitting the six meetings. In each of EH's three victories (2002, 2003, 2006), the Royals went on to win the sectional. Shenandoah used wins over EH to launch it to sectional titles in 2001 and 2004. They cannot meet in the tournament this season, as the Royals are 1A and the Raiders have moved up to 2A.
The Royals
Coach: Mark Reddy (2nd year at EH, 3-14).
Outlook: The Royals broke out in a big way last week, hanging 53 points on Wes-Del in a 53-20 victory. They had scored 59 points in the six games prior, so last week nearly doubled the season output. EH had balance in its one-back spread attack last week. Junior QB Steven Stunda completed 12-of-17 for 232 yards and a season-high 4 TDs, and also ran for 62 yards. Meanwhile, RB Doug Spegal carried 12 times for 191 yards and three touchdowns. Stunda's favorite target was WR Hunter Overleese, who had five catches for 164 yards. TE Cameron Neisler (3 catches) and WR Casey Flood (2 catches) also reeled in multiple passes from Stunda. On the year, Stunda is completing 46% of his passes for 1,154 yards. Spegal is averaging 6.1 yards per carry on the ground, bolstered heavily by last week's gains. Overleese (391 yards, 5 TDs) and Jacob Grass (232 yards, 2 TDs) are Stunda's favorite receiving targets. The Royals have been one of the area's premier small-school programs over the last decade, but have been in a bit of a reloading mode this season, as 25 of the 34 players on the roster are underclassmen. They've also been battling the injury bug a bit this year. However, the Royals also have one of the strongest lineman in the area in OT/DT Devin Tharpe, who stands 6-8 and tips the scales at 300 pounds. This game is one of the two big rivalry games on the Royals' schedule -- Knightstown is the other -- and the Royals came out inspired against Knightstown. Coming off of a victory, and with another winnable game next week, this is a big late-season test for Mark Reddy's team. After this week, the Royals head to Edinburgh to face a Lancer squad that won its first game on the field since 2004 last week. Then, it's a Sectional 37 field that includes always-powerful Clinton Central and Sheridan.
The Raiders
Coach: Scott Widner (2nd season at SHS, 15-3; 3rd season overall, 15-13).
Outlook: Scott Widner's club does what Shenandoah teams are known for doing -- win. The only regular-season games they've lost in Widner's brief tenure are to a strong Centerville program that is 7-0 this year and went 9-2 last season. A 4-6 year in 2007 is the Raiders' lone losing season since 1997. They've kept rolling this year despite heavy graduation losses, but the Raiders have managed to roll up 39 points per game. They'll do it by running, running and running some more. RB Jared Bromagem averages 8.8 yards per touch, and has 11 TDs and a shade under 100 yards per game average this year. He's broken the 100-yard mark three times, including 164 yards and 4 TDs in last week's 54-6 win over Tri-Central. Zach Cole totals 9.7 yards per carry and 77 per game, and he had a 100+-yard game in a victory over Knightstown. Dylan Hamm and QB Zach York also average more than 40 yards per game on the ground, as the Raiders roll up 282 rushing yards per game. York doesn't throw it much -- he's attempted 60 passes in seven games -- but his favorite receiver is Cole, who has 11 of Shenandoah's 25 pass receptions on the season. Bristan Jones is a player to watch on the line, as he has 7 sacks this season. This will be the Raiders' Senior Night, as Shenandoah finishes the year with a visit to Park Tudor. The Raiders are in one of 2A's strongest sectionals, as unbeaten Centerville, defending 2A champ Heritage Christian, 6-1 Ritter and an always-strong Speedway squad lurk.
Looking ahead
One thing about covering football in a suburban area is the plethora of 3A, 4A and 5A teams we've been able to cover. But I have always enjoyed covering small-school football. Nearly everybody goes both ways, there's a lot of having to move people around and maybe play people outside of what their natural position would be. You often see some interesting offenses and some really good football at the small-school level, but the other thing you see is passion -- from the fans in the stands as much as the players on the field -- especially in rivalry games like this one. We love it, and Jim Ryan and I are looking forward to bringing you this game.
On Wednesday: Read about the first two matchups in the HHC Classic at Lucas Oil Stadium.
All of the games, of course, can be heard at Audio Sports Online.
The schedule
Friday: Eastern Hancock (1-6) at Shenandoah (6-1), 6:30 p.m. broadcast
Saturday: Greenfield-Central (1-6/0-6) vs. New Palestine (5-2/4-1), 10:30 a.m. broadcast
Saturday: Mt. Vernon (5-2/4-1) vs. Delta (7-0/5-0), 6:45 p.m. broadcast
Andrew Smith, Jim Ryan and Tim Adams will be on the call of the games.
This week, we will preview all of the games at Lucas Oil Stadium, as well as our Friday-night broadcast.
Today, we'll preview the Friday broadcast of Eastern Hancock @ Shenandoah. On Wednesday, we'll run previews of Saturday's first two games -- Greenfield-Central vs. New Palestine and Shelbyville vs. Yorktown. On Thursday, we'll preview Saturday's final two games -- Pendleton Heights vs. Rushville and Mt. Vernon vs. Delta.
Friday's broadcast
Eastern Hancock (1-6) at Shenandoah (6-1)
Broadcast time: 6:30 p.m. Listen here
The skinny: Much of Eastern Hancock's schedule has been looking ahead -- looking toward its affiliation in the Mid-Indiana Football Conference, which will commence next season. But the Royals' old rivals are the remnants of the now-defunct White River Athletic Conference. EH and Shenandoah have a rivalry that goes back to the days when both schools started football, and they've had more than their share of wars over the years. This is always one of the more-anticipated games of the year, and often the score isn't what was anticipated. Upsets tend to happen, lots of hard hitting takes place, and even though a conference championship is no longer on the line between these two teams, it's always a fun game.
The series: Last year, Shenandoah won 39-13 to spoil EH's Senior Night. The Raiders have won two straight in the series, knocking off the Royals 26-20 in 2007. In 2005 and 2006, they split their meetings -- with EH winning the sectional after losing the regular-season matchup in 2006. Shenandoah won the tournament meeting but EH the regular-season matchup in 2005. Since 1999, Shenandoah is 10-7 in the series. The teams met every year from 2001-06 in the sectional, splitting the six meetings. In each of EH's three victories (2002, 2003, 2006), the Royals went on to win the sectional. Shenandoah used wins over EH to launch it to sectional titles in 2001 and 2004. They cannot meet in the tournament this season, as the Royals are 1A and the Raiders have moved up to 2A.
The Royals
Coach: Mark Reddy (2nd year at EH, 3-14).
Outlook: The Royals broke out in a big way last week, hanging 53 points on Wes-Del in a 53-20 victory. They had scored 59 points in the six games prior, so last week nearly doubled the season output. EH had balance in its one-back spread attack last week. Junior QB Steven Stunda completed 12-of-17 for 232 yards and a season-high 4 TDs, and also ran for 62 yards. Meanwhile, RB Doug Spegal carried 12 times for 191 yards and three touchdowns. Stunda's favorite target was WR Hunter Overleese, who had five catches for 164 yards. TE Cameron Neisler (3 catches) and WR Casey Flood (2 catches) also reeled in multiple passes from Stunda. On the year, Stunda is completing 46% of his passes for 1,154 yards. Spegal is averaging 6.1 yards per carry on the ground, bolstered heavily by last week's gains. Overleese (391 yards, 5 TDs) and Jacob Grass (232 yards, 2 TDs) are Stunda's favorite receiving targets. The Royals have been one of the area's premier small-school programs over the last decade, but have been in a bit of a reloading mode this season, as 25 of the 34 players on the roster are underclassmen. They've also been battling the injury bug a bit this year. However, the Royals also have one of the strongest lineman in the area in OT/DT Devin Tharpe, who stands 6-8 and tips the scales at 300 pounds. This game is one of the two big rivalry games on the Royals' schedule -- Knightstown is the other -- and the Royals came out inspired against Knightstown. Coming off of a victory, and with another winnable game next week, this is a big late-season test for Mark Reddy's team. After this week, the Royals head to Edinburgh to face a Lancer squad that won its first game on the field since 2004 last week. Then, it's a Sectional 37 field that includes always-powerful Clinton Central and Sheridan.
The Raiders
Coach: Scott Widner (2nd season at SHS, 15-3; 3rd season overall, 15-13).
Outlook: Scott Widner's club does what Shenandoah teams are known for doing -- win. The only regular-season games they've lost in Widner's brief tenure are to a strong Centerville program that is 7-0 this year and went 9-2 last season. A 4-6 year in 2007 is the Raiders' lone losing season since 1997. They've kept rolling this year despite heavy graduation losses, but the Raiders have managed to roll up 39 points per game. They'll do it by running, running and running some more. RB Jared Bromagem averages 8.8 yards per touch, and has 11 TDs and a shade under 100 yards per game average this year. He's broken the 100-yard mark three times, including 164 yards and 4 TDs in last week's 54-6 win over Tri-Central. Zach Cole totals 9.7 yards per carry and 77 per game, and he had a 100+-yard game in a victory over Knightstown. Dylan Hamm and QB Zach York also average more than 40 yards per game on the ground, as the Raiders roll up 282 rushing yards per game. York doesn't throw it much -- he's attempted 60 passes in seven games -- but his favorite receiver is Cole, who has 11 of Shenandoah's 25 pass receptions on the season. Bristan Jones is a player to watch on the line, as he has 7 sacks this season. This will be the Raiders' Senior Night, as Shenandoah finishes the year with a visit to Park Tudor. The Raiders are in one of 2A's strongest sectionals, as unbeaten Centerville, defending 2A champ Heritage Christian, 6-1 Ritter and an always-strong Speedway squad lurk.
Looking ahead
One thing about covering football in a suburban area is the plethora of 3A, 4A and 5A teams we've been able to cover. But I have always enjoyed covering small-school football. Nearly everybody goes both ways, there's a lot of having to move people around and maybe play people outside of what their natural position would be. You often see some interesting offenses and some really good football at the small-school level, but the other thing you see is passion -- from the fans in the stands as much as the players on the field -- especially in rivalry games like this one. We love it, and Jim Ryan and I are looking forward to bringing you this game.
On Wednesday: Read about the first two matchups in the HHC Classic at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Week 7: The plot thickens
There are still four contenders for the HHC title, but the plot thickened tonight with three results. New Palestine knocked Shelbyville from the ranks of the unbeaten. Delta was in a dogfight with Rushville before eventually pulling away. Mt. Vernon survived a scare from Greenfield-Central. All in all, an interesting night on a chilly, windy evening throughout the conference.
The standings now heading to Lucas Oil next week
Delta 5-0/7-0
Shelbyville 4-1/6-1
Mt. Vernon 4-1/5-2
New Palestine 4-1/5-2
Yorktown 2-3/4-3
Rushville 1-4/2-5
Pendleton Heights 1-5/2-5
Greenfield-Central 0-6/1-6
Delta has the toughest road, as the Eagles have two contenders left -- Mt. Vernon and Shelbyville. However, all the Eagles have to do is win one to clinch a piece of the title. All of the title contenders control their own destiny except NP, which needs to win out and have either Delta or Shelby lose.
But it didn't get there easily. We'll recap our game tonight first. It was a typical toss-out-the-records rivalry game. Defenses ruled early -- G-C outgained MV 43-42 in the first half. There were some big special-teams plays -- a fake field goal, a fake punt (neither of which worked), a blocked punt, a roughing-the-punter penalty ... and not surprisingly, a special-teams play was the only score -- John White's 31-yard field goal for the Cougars that made it 3-0 at halftime.
MV made quite a few tweaks to the offense, as it was playing without Trey Ross & Evan Whalen, two of its top three rushers. Corey White and Brandon Lockart ended up carrying a lot of the load. On the first three drives of the second half, MV moved the ball downfield methodically, taking the lead on White's 5-yard run on the half's opening possession, but not extending it, as a fumble kept it 7-3. White scored from 19 yards out to make it a 13-3 game early in the fourth, but G-C answered. Tyler Colclazier was very impressive, completing 9-of-15 passes in the second half. He engineered a 67-yard drive that ended with a 12-yard TD pass to Matt Dickerson, cutting the lead to 13-10. G-C then stopped MV 3-and-out and had a shot, but MV got a 52-yard punt from McKinney, and then a defense that forced a 4-and-out (one that needed a big defensive play by Lockart to break up a long pass to Dickerson on 3rd down). However, the fireworks weren't done. MV scored on the first play, but G-C's Derek Conley ran the next kickoff back to the Marauder 25, setting up Colclazier's second TD pass of the night. However, the on-side kick went out of bounds, and the Marauders ran out the clock.
Whew. What a finish. First, G-C's Colclazier was impressive, and the Cougars have a cadre of receivers with talent. But MV, using an array of formations to try to thwart the blitzing Cougars, was able to get its sweep game going in the second half and manage to pull away. Typical rivalry game, and this time, the Marauders managed to hang on and win for the first time in three years and stay in the HHC title chase. MV gets a shot at leader Delta next week.
Other games in the league and area ...
New Palestine 10, Shelbyville 7: Big win for the Dragons, knocking Shelby from the ranks of the unbeaten. NP is the first team not named Delta to knock off the Golden Bears in three years, and the Dragons held Shelby to a season-low point tital. Most importantly, this keeps NP in the title chase. The Dragons need to win out -- they face Greenfield-Central and Mt. Vernon the next two weeks -- and hope either MV or Shelby knock off Delta.
Delta 48, Rushville 21: The Eagles and Lions were tied 14-14 at halftime, but Delta was its typical explosive self in the second half, taking sole possession of first place in the conference.
Pendleton Heights 42, Jay County 0: PH snaps a skid with its second shutout of the year. We've always known the Arabian offense to be explosive, but the defense pitches a shutout.
Yorktown 24, Anderson Highland 20: This, combined with the PH win, really helps cement the HHC in non-conference games. The league is now 11-3 against other foes, but this is one of the more impressive victories, as Highland was 5-1 on the field coming into this game.
Eastern Hancock 53, Wes-Del 20: The Royals had struggled to score this season, but they get their first victory of the year tonight, and they do it with a big offensive night. Now, it's rivalry week again, as they head to Shenandoah for a Game of the Week broadcast next week.
Next week: It's HHC Day at Lucas Oil Stadium. We'll have that game, but we'll also have our usual Friday night coverage. Three games -- all involving Hancock County teams -- next week. Our broadcast schedule:
Friday, Oct. 9: Eastern Hancock at Shenandoah, 6:30 p.m. broadcast start
Saturday, Oct. 10: Greenfield-Central vs. New Palestine, 10:30 a.m. broadcast start
Saturday, Oct. 10: Mt. Vernon vs. Delta, 6:45 p.m. broadcast start
In-between our two broadcast games, Shelbyville faces Yorktown and PH meets Rushville in the other two parts of the HHC quadrupleheader.
The standings now heading to Lucas Oil next week
Delta 5-0/7-0
Shelbyville 4-1/6-1
Mt. Vernon 4-1/5-2
New Palestine 4-1/5-2
Yorktown 2-3/4-3
Rushville 1-4/2-5
Pendleton Heights 1-5/2-5
Greenfield-Central 0-6/1-6
Delta has the toughest road, as the Eagles have two contenders left -- Mt. Vernon and Shelbyville. However, all the Eagles have to do is win one to clinch a piece of the title. All of the title contenders control their own destiny except NP, which needs to win out and have either Delta or Shelby lose.
But it didn't get there easily. We'll recap our game tonight first. It was a typical toss-out-the-records rivalry game. Defenses ruled early -- G-C outgained MV 43-42 in the first half. There were some big special-teams plays -- a fake field goal, a fake punt (neither of which worked), a blocked punt, a roughing-the-punter penalty ... and not surprisingly, a special-teams play was the only score -- John White's 31-yard field goal for the Cougars that made it 3-0 at halftime.
MV made quite a few tweaks to the offense, as it was playing without Trey Ross & Evan Whalen, two of its top three rushers. Corey White and Brandon Lockart ended up carrying a lot of the load. On the first three drives of the second half, MV moved the ball downfield methodically, taking the lead on White's 5-yard run on the half's opening possession, but not extending it, as a fumble kept it 7-3. White scored from 19 yards out to make it a 13-3 game early in the fourth, but G-C answered. Tyler Colclazier was very impressive, completing 9-of-15 passes in the second half. He engineered a 67-yard drive that ended with a 12-yard TD pass to Matt Dickerson, cutting the lead to 13-10. G-C then stopped MV 3-and-out and had a shot, but MV got a 52-yard punt from McKinney, and then a defense that forced a 4-and-out (one that needed a big defensive play by Lockart to break up a long pass to Dickerson on 3rd down). However, the fireworks weren't done. MV scored on the first play, but G-C's Derek Conley ran the next kickoff back to the Marauder 25, setting up Colclazier's second TD pass of the night. However, the on-side kick went out of bounds, and the Marauders ran out the clock.
Whew. What a finish. First, G-C's Colclazier was impressive, and the Cougars have a cadre of receivers with talent. But MV, using an array of formations to try to thwart the blitzing Cougars, was able to get its sweep game going in the second half and manage to pull away. Typical rivalry game, and this time, the Marauders managed to hang on and win for the first time in three years and stay in the HHC title chase. MV gets a shot at leader Delta next week.
Other games in the league and area ...
New Palestine 10, Shelbyville 7: Big win for the Dragons, knocking Shelby from the ranks of the unbeaten. NP is the first team not named Delta to knock off the Golden Bears in three years, and the Dragons held Shelby to a season-low point tital. Most importantly, this keeps NP in the title chase. The Dragons need to win out -- they face Greenfield-Central and Mt. Vernon the next two weeks -- and hope either MV or Shelby knock off Delta.
Delta 48, Rushville 21: The Eagles and Lions were tied 14-14 at halftime, but Delta was its typical explosive self in the second half, taking sole possession of first place in the conference.
Pendleton Heights 42, Jay County 0: PH snaps a skid with its second shutout of the year. We've always known the Arabian offense to be explosive, but the defense pitches a shutout.
Yorktown 24, Anderson Highland 20: This, combined with the PH win, really helps cement the HHC in non-conference games. The league is now 11-3 against other foes, but this is one of the more impressive victories, as Highland was 5-1 on the field coming into this game.
Eastern Hancock 53, Wes-Del 20: The Royals had struggled to score this season, but they get their first victory of the year tonight, and they do it with a big offensive night. Now, it's rivalry week again, as they head to Shenandoah for a Game of the Week broadcast next week.
Next week: It's HHC Day at Lucas Oil Stadium. We'll have that game, but we'll also have our usual Friday night coverage. Three games -- all involving Hancock County teams -- next week. Our broadcast schedule:
Friday, Oct. 9: Eastern Hancock at Shenandoah, 6:30 p.m. broadcast start
Saturday, Oct. 10: Greenfield-Central vs. New Palestine, 10:30 a.m. broadcast start
Saturday, Oct. 10: Mt. Vernon vs. Delta, 6:45 p.m. broadcast start
In-between our two broadcast games, Shelbyville faces Yorktown and PH meets Rushville in the other two parts of the HHC quadrupleheader.
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