We'll have the full HHC preview tomorrow, but Friday night, join Andrew Smith, Mike Jackson and Chris Lambert for high school football. The New Palestine Dragons meet the Whiteland Warriors in the season opener. We'll be live online at 7 p.m. Friday from Shepler Field at Kelso Stadium. Join us!
Click here to Listen LIVE
Upcoming games
Friday, Aug. 26: South Decatur at Eastern Hancock, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 27: New Palestine vs. Richmond, 9:30 a.m. (from Warren Central)
Saturday, Aug. 27: Mt. Vernon vs. Marion, 12:30 p.m. (from Warren Central)
Tuesday, Aug. 30: BOYS SOCCER: New Palestine at Mt. Vernon, 6:15 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 1: VOLLEYBALL: Greenfield-Central at New Palestine, 6:15 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 2: Pendleton Heights at New Palestine, 7 p.m.
Showing posts with label high school football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label high school football. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
New Indiana Football Show for regional week
Something to load onto your MP3 player and listen on the way to the game Friday night or Saturday afternoon/evening (now that I've discovered the magic of the MP3 player, I do it every week :) ).
This week's Indiana Football Show previews all 20 of this week's regional matchups, highlights some of the key players in each game, and also takes an in-depth look at small-college football in Indiana with small-college football guru Barry Lewis (our own bearmo17). We will discuss the upcoming Monon Bell Classic in-depth, and also look at some of the other strong teams in the state.
Click here to listen (right-click to download and save to your MP3 player).
This week's Indiana Football Show previews all 20 of this week's regional matchups, highlights some of the key players in each game, and also takes an in-depth look at small-college football in Indiana with small-college football guru Barry Lewis (our own bearmo17). We will discuss the upcoming Monon Bell Classic in-depth, and also look at some of the other strong teams in the state.
Click here to listen (right-click to download and save to your MP3 player).
Monday, October 18, 2010
Reminder: Football sectionals Friday night
Just a reminder, we have football Friday night. Here are the sectional pairings involving Hancock County teams. We will be broadcasting Pendleton Heights at Mt. Vernon. CLICK TO LISTEN LIVE.
Class 4A, Sectional 13
New Castle (1-8) - BYE
Pendleton Heights (6-3) @ Mt. Vernon (5-4)
Anderson (4-5) @ New Palestine (8-1)
Greenfield-Central (5-4) @ Indianapolis Arlington (3-6)
Class A, Sectional 37
Lapel (2-7) @ Sheridan (7-2)
Guerin Catholic (4-5) @ Indiana Deaf (0-8)
Clinton Central (2-7) @ Eastern Hancock (1-8)
Tri-Central (3-6) @ Clinton Prairie (8-1)
Class 4A, Sectional 13
New Castle (1-8) - BYE
Pendleton Heights (6-3) @ Mt. Vernon (5-4)
Anderson (4-5) @ New Palestine (8-1)
Greenfield-Central (5-4) @ Indianapolis Arlington (3-6)
Class A, Sectional 37
Lapel (2-7) @ Sheridan (7-2)
Guerin Catholic (4-5) @ Indiana Deaf (0-8)
Clinton Central (2-7) @ Eastern Hancock (1-8)
Tri-Central (3-6) @ Clinton Prairie (8-1)
Friday, October 15, 2010
Week 9 roundup
New Palestine 7, Mt. Vernon 0
First-quarter score, end-of-game score. You kept expecting something offensive to happen, but the defenses just wouldn't give an inch. NP's defense has been solid all year, MV's had a real bounce-back night after struggling last week against Delta. But the Dragons -- normally a team that runs the ball and runs it and runs it some more -- scored the only points of the night by throwing it. Brandon Collins caught a 27-yard pass from Connor Simmons, and then Collins threw one himself -- a "double-pass" play that begins looking like a wide receiver screen, but Collins -- a converted QB -- caught the lateral and lobbed one to a wide-open Josh Penley in the end zone for a score.
Both teams threatened and got inside the 30 more than once, but couldn't finish. Not a single snap was made inside the red zone, as both defensive fronts were dominant. NP had 107 yards of total offense -- 61 by Austin Cahoy on the ground on 31 carries, and the rest through the air. MV had a few more -- 177 yards, including 116 on the ground from fullback Anthony Burnett, who grew up quickly in a new position as the game went on -- but had a couple of drives stall in NP territory. The defenses were incredible -- NP had four takeaways, MV two. But every yard was next-to-impossible to get due to the strong defensive play. NP's varsity defense hasn't allowed a touchdown in 4 1/2 games, and has only allowed two since Week 3.
NP wins the Boundary Rail for the sixth consecutive year, but again, this game is amazingly close. There's a chance for a rematch in three weeks -- but MV has to get through two tough games, including one against 6-3 Pendleton Heights, while NP has to do the same, facing 5A-sized Anderson in the first round (a team that came within 7 points of unbeaten Kokomo tonight).
Congrats to NP, the HHC champs, HHC Helmet owners and Boundary Rail owners for the off-season. NP (8-1/7-0) claims the title, while MV (5-4/4-3) finishes in a three-way tie for third.
Chatard 40, Greenfield-Central 0
Tough loss for the Cougars, but good in that they play a solid team for the second week in a row that will help prepare them for next week's game against Arlington. A win, and the Cougars will possess their first winning record since 1993. G-C finishes the regular season 5-4 and in a three-way tie for third in the HHC with a 4-3 mark.
Delta 35, Shelbyville 10
The Eagles keep rolling and finish 8-1/6-1 on the year, while the Golden Bears fall to 3-6/2-5. Delta has been playing very solid on both sides of the ball and should be a favorite to repeat in Sectional 12 next week. Delta is second in the HHC, Shelby finishes sixth.
Yorktown 42, Rushville 28
And seventh in the conference goes to ... Yorktown. The Tigers had such struggles early in the year, it's good to see Mike Wilhelm's team get a win over an opponent in the league (rather than a Class A charter school). Both teams finish 2-7 overall, Yorktown is 1-6 in the HHC and finishes seventh, Rushville 0-7 and finishes eighth.
Pendleton Heights 42, FW Concordia 19
Even though Concordia was winless, the Summit Conference is one of the state's best. Very impressive win for John Broughton's club, which is 6-3 on the year (and tied with G-C and MV for third in the HHC). The Arabians' win tonight cemented the second-best record in the state against non-conference foes for the HHC as a conference. PH gears up for a sectional rematch at Mt. Vernon next week.
In Hancock County: Eastern Hancock 28, Edinburgh 13: The Royals finally break into the win column with a win over Edinburgh. Congrats to Mark Reddy and his team, which plays Clinton Central next week.
Next week's broadcast:
Mt. Vernon vs. Pendleton Heights. Listen live on www.hancockcountysports.com.
First-quarter score, end-of-game score. You kept expecting something offensive to happen, but the defenses just wouldn't give an inch. NP's defense has been solid all year, MV's had a real bounce-back night after struggling last week against Delta. But the Dragons -- normally a team that runs the ball and runs it and runs it some more -- scored the only points of the night by throwing it. Brandon Collins caught a 27-yard pass from Connor Simmons, and then Collins threw one himself -- a "double-pass" play that begins looking like a wide receiver screen, but Collins -- a converted QB -- caught the lateral and lobbed one to a wide-open Josh Penley in the end zone for a score.
Both teams threatened and got inside the 30 more than once, but couldn't finish. Not a single snap was made inside the red zone, as both defensive fronts were dominant. NP had 107 yards of total offense -- 61 by Austin Cahoy on the ground on 31 carries, and the rest through the air. MV had a few more -- 177 yards, including 116 on the ground from fullback Anthony Burnett, who grew up quickly in a new position as the game went on -- but had a couple of drives stall in NP territory. The defenses were incredible -- NP had four takeaways, MV two. But every yard was next-to-impossible to get due to the strong defensive play. NP's varsity defense hasn't allowed a touchdown in 4 1/2 games, and has only allowed two since Week 3.
NP wins the Boundary Rail for the sixth consecutive year, but again, this game is amazingly close. There's a chance for a rematch in three weeks -- but MV has to get through two tough games, including one against 6-3 Pendleton Heights, while NP has to do the same, facing 5A-sized Anderson in the first round (a team that came within 7 points of unbeaten Kokomo tonight).
Congrats to NP, the HHC champs, HHC Helmet owners and Boundary Rail owners for the off-season. NP (8-1/7-0) claims the title, while MV (5-4/4-3) finishes in a three-way tie for third.
Chatard 40, Greenfield-Central 0
Tough loss for the Cougars, but good in that they play a solid team for the second week in a row that will help prepare them for next week's game against Arlington. A win, and the Cougars will possess their first winning record since 1993. G-C finishes the regular season 5-4 and in a three-way tie for third in the HHC with a 4-3 mark.
Delta 35, Shelbyville 10
The Eagles keep rolling and finish 8-1/6-1 on the year, while the Golden Bears fall to 3-6/2-5. Delta has been playing very solid on both sides of the ball and should be a favorite to repeat in Sectional 12 next week. Delta is second in the HHC, Shelby finishes sixth.
Yorktown 42, Rushville 28
And seventh in the conference goes to ... Yorktown. The Tigers had such struggles early in the year, it's good to see Mike Wilhelm's team get a win over an opponent in the league (rather than a Class A charter school). Both teams finish 2-7 overall, Yorktown is 1-6 in the HHC and finishes seventh, Rushville 0-7 and finishes eighth.
Pendleton Heights 42, FW Concordia 19
Even though Concordia was winless, the Summit Conference is one of the state's best. Very impressive win for John Broughton's club, which is 6-3 on the year (and tied with G-C and MV for third in the HHC). The Arabians' win tonight cemented the second-best record in the state against non-conference foes for the HHC as a conference. PH gears up for a sectional rematch at Mt. Vernon next week.
In Hancock County: Eastern Hancock 28, Edinburgh 13: The Royals finally break into the win column with a win over Edinburgh. Congrats to Mark Reddy and his team, which plays Clinton Central next week.
Next week's broadcast:
Mt. Vernon vs. Pendleton Heights. Listen live on www.hancockcountysports.com.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Week 7 Saturday morning QB
As we've capped already, last night was an interesting night in the HHC, with the New Palestine Dragons taking sole possession of first place, the Greenfield-Central Cougars knocking Mt. Vernon from the league lead with an impressive defensive performance, and a big shakeup for the final two weeks of the season.
The Dragons only need to win one of their remaining two games to clinch a piece of their first HHC title since 2006. The Marauders can clinch a share by winning out, while Delta needs some help -- needing to beat MV next week and then have the Marauders beat New Palestine in Week 9, which could forge a 3-way tie. There is a four-way tie possibility that would also hand a piece of the title to Greenfield-Central, but it would involve the above scenario and then Delta losing to Shelbyville in Week 9.
Anyway, we had commentary on the implications of the games last night. Let's link you to the games themselves:
Greenfield-Central 14, Mt. Vernon 6: The Cougars clinch their first winning regular season since 2002, their first four-game winning streak since then, and knock off MV for the third time in four years. As is a trend, this game was a one-possession contest -- it has been for each of the last four seasons. G-C didn't have anyone stand out statistically because it was so balanced -- 120 yards rushing as a team, but Jake Hoskins and QB Carl Ellison led the team with 27 each. Matt Dickerson made several big plays -- 41 yards receiving, and had a rushing TD, a receiving TD and a big interception to seal the game in the fourth quarter. G-C's defense was stout, holding MV to 151 total yards and just 46 on the ground.
Daily Reporter
New Palestine 31, Shelbyville 6: The Dragons rolled up more than 400 yards of offense en route to their sixth straight victory. Once again, the No. 1 defense fails to give up a point -- Shelby's lone score came on the game's final play. NP's top defensive unit has allowed just two touchdowns in the last five games. NP used its special teams in this one, recovering a couple of on-side kicks to allow it to control the ball for much of the first half. Dragon RB Austin Cahoy scored three touchdowns and topped the century mark again, and NP's defense was stout, holding Shelby to 121 yards.
Daily Reporter, Shelbyville News
Delta 33, Rushville 7: The Eagles have quietly won five straight since their Week 2 loss at New Palestine. Delta's Austin Fuiatavai -- normally a lineman -- scored twice and the Eagles showed their balance, as Zach Overfield and Brice Benbow added rushing touchdowns and QB Ozzie Mann hit Garrett Zgunda for a TD. Delta gained 446 yards of offense, with Mann throwing for 193.
Muncie Star-Press
Pendleton Heights 49, Jay County 0: After two tough losses in conference play to Mt. Vernon and Delta -- both games where they had shots to win in the fourth quarter -- PH stepped out of league play and rolled. Dezmon Nunn ran for 140 yards and three TDs, and added a TD reception. QB Mitch Patishall threw for two touchdowns and 145 yards.
Anderson Herald-Bulletin
Yorktown 34, Gary Bowman 0: The Tigers got a chance to flex their muscles a bit by stepping out of HHC play, and they get their first victory of the year. The RB tandem of Derek Kundenreich and Brendon Barnes combined for more than 250 yards in a shutout victory. Kundenreich also had a fumble return for a TD, and QB Joe Todd threw a 50-yard TD pass early in the game.
Muncie Star-Press
In Hancock County
Wes-Del 20, Eastern Hancock 0: The Royals fell to a Wes-Del squad that is improving, dropping EH to 0-7. A 107-yard interception return in the second quarter turned the game for Wes-Del and led to the victory.
Daily Reporter, Muncie Star-Press
Looking ahead to Week 8
Our game will be a clash at the top of the HHC, as New Palestine plays for the conference title against Greenfield-Central, which has already knocked one team from the HHC perch. NP has won six straight, G-C has won four straight. Airtime is at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 8. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVE.
The other big game is at Delta, where the Mt. Vernon Marauders will travel to face the Eagles in a matchup of teams tied for second in the conference and in title contention.
Pendleton Heights matches up with Rushville, while Shelbyville meets Yorktown in games matching the four teams that are currently fifth through eighth in the conference.
In Hancock County play, Eastern Hancock has a tough matchup, facing an unbeaten Shenandoah team that is averaging 53 points per game and just waxed Tri-Central 67-12.
Peeking ahead
The Dragons only need to win one of their remaining two games to clinch a piece of their first HHC title since 2006. The Marauders can clinch a share by winning out, while Delta needs some help -- needing to beat MV next week and then have the Marauders beat New Palestine in Week 9, which could forge a 3-way tie. There is a four-way tie possibility that would also hand a piece of the title to Greenfield-Central, but it would involve the above scenario and then Delta losing to Shelbyville in Week 9.
Anyway, we had commentary on the implications of the games last night. Let's link you to the games themselves:
Greenfield-Central 14, Mt. Vernon 6: The Cougars clinch their first winning regular season since 2002, their first four-game winning streak since then, and knock off MV for the third time in four years. As is a trend, this game was a one-possession contest -- it has been for each of the last four seasons. G-C didn't have anyone stand out statistically because it was so balanced -- 120 yards rushing as a team, but Jake Hoskins and QB Carl Ellison led the team with 27 each. Matt Dickerson made several big plays -- 41 yards receiving, and had a rushing TD, a receiving TD and a big interception to seal the game in the fourth quarter. G-C's defense was stout, holding MV to 151 total yards and just 46 on the ground.
Daily Reporter
New Palestine 31, Shelbyville 6: The Dragons rolled up more than 400 yards of offense en route to their sixth straight victory. Once again, the No. 1 defense fails to give up a point -- Shelby's lone score came on the game's final play. NP's top defensive unit has allowed just two touchdowns in the last five games. NP used its special teams in this one, recovering a couple of on-side kicks to allow it to control the ball for much of the first half. Dragon RB Austin Cahoy scored three touchdowns and topped the century mark again, and NP's defense was stout, holding Shelby to 121 yards.
Daily Reporter, Shelbyville News
Delta 33, Rushville 7: The Eagles have quietly won five straight since their Week 2 loss at New Palestine. Delta's Austin Fuiatavai -- normally a lineman -- scored twice and the Eagles showed their balance, as Zach Overfield and Brice Benbow added rushing touchdowns and QB Ozzie Mann hit Garrett Zgunda for a TD. Delta gained 446 yards of offense, with Mann throwing for 193.
Muncie Star-Press
Pendleton Heights 49, Jay County 0: After two tough losses in conference play to Mt. Vernon and Delta -- both games where they had shots to win in the fourth quarter -- PH stepped out of league play and rolled. Dezmon Nunn ran for 140 yards and three TDs, and added a TD reception. QB Mitch Patishall threw for two touchdowns and 145 yards.
Anderson Herald-Bulletin
Yorktown 34, Gary Bowman 0: The Tigers got a chance to flex their muscles a bit by stepping out of HHC play, and they get their first victory of the year. The RB tandem of Derek Kundenreich and Brendon Barnes combined for more than 250 yards in a shutout victory. Kundenreich also had a fumble return for a TD, and QB Joe Todd threw a 50-yard TD pass early in the game.
Muncie Star-Press
In Hancock County
Wes-Del 20, Eastern Hancock 0: The Royals fell to a Wes-Del squad that is improving, dropping EH to 0-7. A 107-yard interception return in the second quarter turned the game for Wes-Del and led to the victory.
Daily Reporter, Muncie Star-Press
Looking ahead to Week 8
Our game will be a clash at the top of the HHC, as New Palestine plays for the conference title against Greenfield-Central, which has already knocked one team from the HHC perch. NP has won six straight, G-C has won four straight. Airtime is at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 8. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVE.
The other big game is at Delta, where the Mt. Vernon Marauders will travel to face the Eagles in a matchup of teams tied for second in the conference and in title contention.
Pendleton Heights matches up with Rushville, while Shelbyville meets Yorktown in games matching the four teams that are currently fifth through eighth in the conference.
In Hancock County play, Eastern Hancock has a tough matchup, facing an unbeaten Shenandoah team that is averaging 53 points per game and just waxed Tri-Central 67-12.
Peeking ahead
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Week 7 games
First off, it's county rivalry time as we hit the final third of the season. The cool part of it is, all three Hancock County HHC teams are winning and playing well right now. Mt. Vernon and New Palestine are both on five-game streaks, with 4-0 HHC records. Greenfield-Central has won three in a row, using a solid defense and some fourth-quarter heroics to improve to 4-2 and 3-2 in the HHC.
Our broadcast will be the county clash: Greenfield-Central at Mt. Vernon (LISTEN LIVE), starting at 7 p.m. Yours truly and Jim Ryan will be on hand to describe the action of this always-good rivalry. The last three games between these two teams have been decided by one score.
Roger Dodson's Cougars are running the option well and spreading the ball around. So are Doug Peacock's Marauders, with seemingly everybody contributing both in the running and passing games. Both teams have had really solid defenses so far. I *really* like the way the Marauders are playing. Austin Parker is throwing the ball very well, Jake Davis is catching everything, Zach McKinney has been piling up yards, the two halfbacks are averaging 11 ypc. And the Cougars ... they're just winning -- pulling one out against Rushville in the closing seconds last week, holding off Shelbyville two weeks ago. They're running the option very well, and Matt Dickerson & Derek Conley are two pretty solid football players on offense, while Jordan Conley and Joey Adams help lead a strong defense that is averaging two takeaways per game.
New Palestine @ Shelbyville -- The Dragons are just solid right now -- Austin Cahoy and Matt Siergiej are a really, really good 1-2 combination at running back -- Cahoy had 202 yards and four TDs in a half last week -- and their varsity defense has allowed two touchdowns in four weeks. Shelby has one of the HHC's top athletes in Patrick Ellis and is always dangerous, but it has given up a lot of yards on the ground (and a lot of points) to Mt. Vernon and Pendleton Heights in two of the last three games.
Delta @ Rushville -- Matchup of pretty good QBs in Delta's Ozzie Mann (the thrower) & Rushville's Spencer Comer (the runner). Delta's defense has come on quite a bit since its 24-14 loss to New Palestine, and has pulled out some close games in recent weeks -- stopping Greenfield-Central on the 25 yard line to preserve one win, and pulling one out late against Pendleton Heights last week. The Eagles winning and are 5-1 right now. Rushville has dropped some heartbreakers -- none moreso than last week at Greenfield-Central, where a would-be game-tying two-point conversion went awry -- but is a solid team despite the 2-4 record.
Gary Bowman @ Yorktown -- Bowman can score, but they also gave up 77 to Heritage Christian a few weeks ago. Yorktown backs Brendon Barnes & Derek Kundenreich may get a chance to pile up some yards and the Tigers have a decent shot to crack the win column.
Pendleton Heights @ Jay County -- Two-game skid aside, PH is a really solid offensive team and their record is more a function of how solid the HHC is than anything else. They're 3-3, but could easily be 5-1. RB Dezmon Nunn got hurt last week, but with him healthy, the Arabian offense is difficult to slow down. I *really* like the Mitch Patishall-to-Brad McNeil combination, and the Arabians' line is giving them lots of time. Offensively, this PH team reminds me quite a bit of their teams from earlier in the decade.
Our broadcast will be the county clash: Greenfield-Central at Mt. Vernon (LISTEN LIVE), starting at 7 p.m. Yours truly and Jim Ryan will be on hand to describe the action of this always-good rivalry. The last three games between these two teams have been decided by one score.
Roger Dodson's Cougars are running the option well and spreading the ball around. So are Doug Peacock's Marauders, with seemingly everybody contributing both in the running and passing games. Both teams have had really solid defenses so far. I *really* like the way the Marauders are playing. Austin Parker is throwing the ball very well, Jake Davis is catching everything, Zach McKinney has been piling up yards, the two halfbacks are averaging 11 ypc. And the Cougars ... they're just winning -- pulling one out against Rushville in the closing seconds last week, holding off Shelbyville two weeks ago. They're running the option very well, and Matt Dickerson & Derek Conley are two pretty solid football players on offense, while Jordan Conley and Joey Adams help lead a strong defense that is averaging two takeaways per game.
New Palestine @ Shelbyville -- The Dragons are just solid right now -- Austin Cahoy and Matt Siergiej are a really, really good 1-2 combination at running back -- Cahoy had 202 yards and four TDs in a half last week -- and their varsity defense has allowed two touchdowns in four weeks. Shelby has one of the HHC's top athletes in Patrick Ellis and is always dangerous, but it has given up a lot of yards on the ground (and a lot of points) to Mt. Vernon and Pendleton Heights in two of the last three games.
Delta @ Rushville -- Matchup of pretty good QBs in Delta's Ozzie Mann (the thrower) & Rushville's Spencer Comer (the runner). Delta's defense has come on quite a bit since its 24-14 loss to New Palestine, and has pulled out some close games in recent weeks -- stopping Greenfield-Central on the 25 yard line to preserve one win, and pulling one out late against Pendleton Heights last week. The Eagles winning and are 5-1 right now. Rushville has dropped some heartbreakers -- none moreso than last week at Greenfield-Central, where a would-be game-tying two-point conversion went awry -- but is a solid team despite the 2-4 record.
Gary Bowman @ Yorktown -- Bowman can score, but they also gave up 77 to Heritage Christian a few weeks ago. Yorktown backs Brendon Barnes & Derek Kundenreich may get a chance to pile up some yards and the Tigers have a decent shot to crack the win column.
Pendleton Heights @ Jay County -- Two-game skid aside, PH is a really solid offensive team and their record is more a function of how solid the HHC is than anything else. They're 3-3, but could easily be 5-1. RB Dezmon Nunn got hurt last week, but with him healthy, the Arabian offense is difficult to slow down. I *really* like the Mitch Patishall-to-Brad McNeil combination, and the Arabians' line is giving them lots of time. Offensively, this PH team reminds me quite a bit of their teams from earlier in the decade.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Week 6
At the top of the HHC ... well, no changes. Mt. Vernon and New Palestine roll, and Delta stays one game back. But there were some interesting games and performances.
At New Palestine, Austin Cahoy ran for 202 yards and four TDs, while Matt Siergiej ran for 120+ and two TDs ... all in one half. The Dragons rolled up a 49-0 lead at halftime and gave the younger players a lot of second-half minutes ... the Dragons, ranked 8th in both polls, are now 5-1 and have won five straight. While the running game has been strong, the Red Rage defense has allowed five touchdowns in five games. The Dragons visit Shelbyville next Friday at 7 p.m. We hope you enjoyed the broadcast, and thanks to Chris Lambert & Allen Cooper for pinch-hitting tonight.
At Mt. Vernon, Austin Parker threw the ball all over the place -- hooking up often with Jake Davis -- while Tyler Dicks and Zach McKinney both had some *strong* TD runs. MV scored 52 straight points -- and rolled up 35 in the second half -- to beat Shelbyville 52-13. The Marauders have won five straight and are now 5-1. It was MV's first victory over Shelbyville since 2003. They host Greenfield-Central next Friday at 7:30 p.m., a game that we will broadcast on HancockCountySports.com.
At 4-0 in the HHC, MV and NP are both tied for the league lead.
Greenfield-Central has won three straight and is now 4-2 on the year after beating Rushville 22-17. The Cougars have knocked off Yorktown, Shelbyville and Rushville the last three weeks, and need one win in the last three games to clinch their first .500 season since the 2002 team went 7-3 and won the HHC title. Those last three games are against strong competition -- 5-1 teams Mt. Vernon and New Palestine, and then concluding with perennial 3A power Chatard.
Another interesting game was at Delta, where the Eagles knocked off Pendleton Heights 20-14. Delta stays on the outside of the title chase with a 5-1/3-1 record, but the Eagles essentially need to win out and they also need someone to knock off New Palestine to have a shot.
HHC Standings
Mt. Vernon 4-0/5-1
New Palestine 4-0/5-1
Delta 3-1/5-1
Greenfield-Central 3-2/4-2
Pendleton Heights 3-3/3-3
Shelbyville 1-3/2-4
Rushville 0-4/2-4
Yorktown 0-5/0-6
Next week
Greenfield-Central at Mt. Vernon, 7:30 p.m. (LISTEN LIVE)
New Palestine at Shelbyville, 7 p.m.
Delta at Rushville, 7 p.m.
Pendleton Heights at Jay County, 7:30 p.m.
Gary Bowman at Yorktown, 7:30 p.m.
Elsewhere in Hancock County, Eastern Hancock fell to North Decatur 33-18. The Royals meet Wes-Del next week in a battle of two teams seeking their first victories.
At New Palestine, Austin Cahoy ran for 202 yards and four TDs, while Matt Siergiej ran for 120+ and two TDs ... all in one half. The Dragons rolled up a 49-0 lead at halftime and gave the younger players a lot of second-half minutes ... the Dragons, ranked 8th in both polls, are now 5-1 and have won five straight. While the running game has been strong, the Red Rage defense has allowed five touchdowns in five games. The Dragons visit Shelbyville next Friday at 7 p.m. We hope you enjoyed the broadcast, and thanks to Chris Lambert & Allen Cooper for pinch-hitting tonight.
At Mt. Vernon, Austin Parker threw the ball all over the place -- hooking up often with Jake Davis -- while Tyler Dicks and Zach McKinney both had some *strong* TD runs. MV scored 52 straight points -- and rolled up 35 in the second half -- to beat Shelbyville 52-13. The Marauders have won five straight and are now 5-1. It was MV's first victory over Shelbyville since 2003. They host Greenfield-Central next Friday at 7:30 p.m., a game that we will broadcast on HancockCountySports.com.
At 4-0 in the HHC, MV and NP are both tied for the league lead.
Greenfield-Central has won three straight and is now 4-2 on the year after beating Rushville 22-17. The Cougars have knocked off Yorktown, Shelbyville and Rushville the last three weeks, and need one win in the last three games to clinch their first .500 season since the 2002 team went 7-3 and won the HHC title. Those last three games are against strong competition -- 5-1 teams Mt. Vernon and New Palestine, and then concluding with perennial 3A power Chatard.
Another interesting game was at Delta, where the Eagles knocked off Pendleton Heights 20-14. Delta stays on the outside of the title chase with a 5-1/3-1 record, but the Eagles essentially need to win out and they also need someone to knock off New Palestine to have a shot.
HHC Standings
Mt. Vernon 4-0/5-1
New Palestine 4-0/5-1
Delta 3-1/5-1
Greenfield-Central 3-2/4-2
Pendleton Heights 3-3/3-3
Shelbyville 1-3/2-4
Rushville 0-4/2-4
Yorktown 0-5/0-6
Next week
Greenfield-Central at Mt. Vernon, 7:30 p.m. (LISTEN LIVE)
New Palestine at Shelbyville, 7 p.m.
Delta at Rushville, 7 p.m.
Pendleton Heights at Jay County, 7:30 p.m.
Gary Bowman at Yorktown, 7:30 p.m.
Elsewhere in Hancock County, Eastern Hancock fell to North Decatur 33-18. The Royals meet Wes-Del next week in a battle of two teams seeking their first victories.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Friday night football Week 4
Wow.
A great night for the three Hancock County HHC schools and we get an early look at what the conference race might look like.
The results set up a BIG matchup next week between Mt. Vernon and Pendleton Heights that will be our Game of the Week broadcast. The Marauders won 35-13 over Rushville tonight, while PH had a huge 57-25 victory over Shelbyville. Both teams are 3-1 -- MV is 2-0 in the HHC, PH is 3-1.
MV and New Palestine -- both at 2-0 in the league -- are the only two teams with unblemished conference records left. NP was out-of-conference tonight, but looked incredibly strong in a 41-7 victory over Batesville. The Dragons used their offensive line strength and the running of backs Austin Cahoy (114 yards, 3 TDs) and Matt Siergiej (151 yards, 2 TDs) to score 27 second-quarter points and build a 34-7 halftime lead. The Dragons gained 396 yards of total offense, and added a new dimension, as QB Connor Simmons hit 6-of-9 passes for 101 yards and a TD, running a really efficient two-minute drill to put up the final points of the first half. After gaining three first downs on the first drive and scoring, Batesville only gained one more first down until the fourth quarter.
A few other eye-openers tonight -- Greenfield-Central didn't just win its first HHC game since 2008, it did so resoundingly. The Cougars beat Yorktown 69-7, posting their biggest victory in decades. The Cougars are 2-2 and made quite a statement. If they can keep it going against Shelbyville and Rushville the next two weeks, they'll put themselves in position to make a push for the top half of the HHC the last two weeks of the conference season.
PH's win -- bouncing back from last week's 20-3 loss to NP with 57 points -- their most since scoring 62 against South Dearborn in 2000 -- and a big statement win over Shelbyville. PH has one of the league's most accurate passers in Mitch Patishall, and Dezmon Nunn is a dangerous KR and RB.
In non-conference play, Delta knocked off Muncie South 23-14 to improve to 3-1 on the year and keep the league's strong reputation going. The HHC was the state's top team in nonconference play last year.
Elsewhere in Hancock County, Eastern Hancock's stretch of strong foes to start the season continued, as Milan improved to 3-1 with a 37-12 victory over the Royals. EH is now 0-4 headed into next week's Plowshare and Anvil Trophy game against archrival Knightstown.
HHC standings
New Palestine 2-0 conf, 3-1 overall (next week: @Rushville)
Mt. Vernon 2-0 conf, 3-1 overall (next week: @PH)
Pendleton Hts. 3-1 conf., 3-1 overall (next week: vs. MV)
Delta 1-1 conf., 3-1 overall (next week: @Yorktown)
Shelbyville 1-1 conf., 2-2 overall (next week: vs. G-C)
Greenfield-Central 1-2 conf., 2-2 overall (next week: @Shelbyville)
Rushville 0-2 conf., 2-2 overall (next week: vs. NP)
Yorktown 0-3 conf., 0-4 overall (next week: vs. Delta)
A great night for the three Hancock County HHC schools and we get an early look at what the conference race might look like.
The results set up a BIG matchup next week between Mt. Vernon and Pendleton Heights that will be our Game of the Week broadcast. The Marauders won 35-13 over Rushville tonight, while PH had a huge 57-25 victory over Shelbyville. Both teams are 3-1 -- MV is 2-0 in the HHC, PH is 3-1.
MV and New Palestine -- both at 2-0 in the league -- are the only two teams with unblemished conference records left. NP was out-of-conference tonight, but looked incredibly strong in a 41-7 victory over Batesville. The Dragons used their offensive line strength and the running of backs Austin Cahoy (114 yards, 3 TDs) and Matt Siergiej (151 yards, 2 TDs) to score 27 second-quarter points and build a 34-7 halftime lead. The Dragons gained 396 yards of total offense, and added a new dimension, as QB Connor Simmons hit 6-of-9 passes for 101 yards and a TD, running a really efficient two-minute drill to put up the final points of the first half. After gaining three first downs on the first drive and scoring, Batesville only gained one more first down until the fourth quarter.
A few other eye-openers tonight -- Greenfield-Central didn't just win its first HHC game since 2008, it did so resoundingly. The Cougars beat Yorktown 69-7, posting their biggest victory in decades. The Cougars are 2-2 and made quite a statement. If they can keep it going against Shelbyville and Rushville the next two weeks, they'll put themselves in position to make a push for the top half of the HHC the last two weeks of the conference season.
PH's win -- bouncing back from last week's 20-3 loss to NP with 57 points -- their most since scoring 62 against South Dearborn in 2000 -- and a big statement win over Shelbyville. PH has one of the league's most accurate passers in Mitch Patishall, and Dezmon Nunn is a dangerous KR and RB.
In non-conference play, Delta knocked off Muncie South 23-14 to improve to 3-1 on the year and keep the league's strong reputation going. The HHC was the state's top team in nonconference play last year.
Elsewhere in Hancock County, Eastern Hancock's stretch of strong foes to start the season continued, as Milan improved to 3-1 with a 37-12 victory over the Royals. EH is now 0-4 headed into next week's Plowshare and Anvil Trophy game against archrival Knightstown.
HHC standings
New Palestine 2-0 conf, 3-1 overall (next week: @Rushville)
Mt. Vernon 2-0 conf, 3-1 overall (next week: @PH)
Pendleton Hts. 3-1 conf., 3-1 overall (next week: vs. MV)
Delta 1-1 conf., 3-1 overall (next week: @Yorktown)
Shelbyville 1-1 conf., 2-2 overall (next week: vs. G-C)
Greenfield-Central 1-2 conf., 2-2 overall (next week: @Shelbyville)
Rushville 0-2 conf., 2-2 overall (next week: vs. NP)
Yorktown 0-3 conf., 0-4 overall (next week: vs. Delta)
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Week 4 football
Some good games this weekend ... OK, some great games. Unfortunately, we can only do one on HancockCountySports.com.
Our game of the week (LISTEN LIVE HERE) is Batesville (2-1) at New Palestine (2-1)
Airtime: 7 p.m.
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
(also available in-stadium at AM 1630).
This is one of my favorite matchups of the year, and it's unfortunate that it's the last of a pretty good eight-year series. Batesville has won seven sectionals since 2001, NP has won three, and both are defending sectional champs. NP has put together back-to-back impressive games -- beating Pendleton Heights 20-3 after knocking off Delta two weeks ago -- and the Dragons have done it with a bruising ground game. Senior Austin Cahoy and QB Brett Jackson led the way running the ball last week, while sophomore Matt Siergiej did so two weeks ago with 150+-yard game. Batesville graduated QB Connor Kelley last year, but RB Connor Jeffers -- who had 112 yards last week in a 29-0 win over South Dearborn, is back, as are several other players with some serious varsity experience. QB Brady Cavinee was perfect throwing the ball in the season opener against Jennings County two weeks ago, but don't expect him to put it up much. Batesville loves to run the ball with the Wing-T and single-wing offenses. I'd put the over-under on passes thrown Friday at, well, about 5. Both teams love to run the ball, and we'll see some pretty good football from both of those teams.
Elsewhere in Hancock County
Rushville (2-1, 0-1) at Mt. Vernon (2-1, 1-1): The Marauders were very impressive in rolling up 44 first-half points against Connersville last week. MV can spread the ball around on offense -- QB Austin Parker was a perfect 7-for-7 last week, while RB Zach McKinney ran for 85 yards in one half of play, and WB Corey White ran a kickoff back for a TD for the third time in two weeks. MV's defense has been pretty stingy for the last five halves it's played, and this team is coming together pretty quickly. Rushville QB Spencer Comer is one of the conference's best athletes running the veer-option attack, and the Lions have their best team in quite some time. Rushville fell 34-27 to Shelbyville last week, but the Lions mounted a significant comeback after being down by 20 points.
Yorktown (0-3, 0-2) at Greenfield-Central (1-2, 0-2): G-C raised a lot of eyebrows last week when it fell to Delta 6-0, but had the ball inside the 20 yard line with a chance to win late. The Cougars have one of the HHC's most dangerous athletes in Matt Dickerson, and they're coming together fairly quickly, with an impressive defensive performance last week. Delta scored on the first drive, and G-C held the Eagles scoreless the rest of the game, forcing seven fumbles. Yorktown has one of the HHC's top backs in Derek Kundenreich, who combines with speedster Brendon Barnes to provide a Mr. Inside-Mr. Outside running game.
Milan (2-1, 0-0 MIFC) at Eastern Hancock (0-3, 0-3 MIFC)
Milan had an impressive win in Week 2, beating Batesville 19-14. The Royals' brutal start to the schedule continues -- they've played three teams widely believed to be the contenders in the MIFC, with Milan being the fourth. Mark Reddy's squad should be battle-tested after these first four weeks.
Elsewhere in the HHC
Pendleton Heights (2-1, 2-1) at Shelbyville (2-1, 1-0): PH has had an impressive start, although it was stopped last week against New Palestine. The Arabians' Mitch Patishall can toss it around the field, while RB Dezmon Nunn can score at anytime. Nunn and Shelbyville's Patrick Ellis are two of the most dangerous players in the league, and seeing them carry the mail will be fun.
Muncie South (2-1) at Delta (2-1): Muncie South knocked off Yorktown 28-7 last week and showed its stripes. After a Week 2 loss and a near-defeat in Week 3, the Eagles will be looking to have a good showing this week, led by QB Ozzie Mann and RB Zach Overfield.
Our game of the week (LISTEN LIVE HERE) is Batesville (2-1) at New Palestine (2-1)
Airtime: 7 p.m.
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
(also available in-stadium at AM 1630).
This is one of my favorite matchups of the year, and it's unfortunate that it's the last of a pretty good eight-year series. Batesville has won seven sectionals since 2001, NP has won three, and both are defending sectional champs. NP has put together back-to-back impressive games -- beating Pendleton Heights 20-3 after knocking off Delta two weeks ago -- and the Dragons have done it with a bruising ground game. Senior Austin Cahoy and QB Brett Jackson led the way running the ball last week, while sophomore Matt Siergiej did so two weeks ago with 150+-yard game. Batesville graduated QB Connor Kelley last year, but RB Connor Jeffers -- who had 112 yards last week in a 29-0 win over South Dearborn, is back, as are several other players with some serious varsity experience. QB Brady Cavinee was perfect throwing the ball in the season opener against Jennings County two weeks ago, but don't expect him to put it up much. Batesville loves to run the ball with the Wing-T and single-wing offenses. I'd put the over-under on passes thrown Friday at, well, about 5. Both teams love to run the ball, and we'll see some pretty good football from both of those teams.
Elsewhere in Hancock County
Rushville (2-1, 0-1) at Mt. Vernon (2-1, 1-1): The Marauders were very impressive in rolling up 44 first-half points against Connersville last week. MV can spread the ball around on offense -- QB Austin Parker was a perfect 7-for-7 last week, while RB Zach McKinney ran for 85 yards in one half of play, and WB Corey White ran a kickoff back for a TD for the third time in two weeks. MV's defense has been pretty stingy for the last five halves it's played, and this team is coming together pretty quickly. Rushville QB Spencer Comer is one of the conference's best athletes running the veer-option attack, and the Lions have their best team in quite some time. Rushville fell 34-27 to Shelbyville last week, but the Lions mounted a significant comeback after being down by 20 points.
Yorktown (0-3, 0-2) at Greenfield-Central (1-2, 0-2): G-C raised a lot of eyebrows last week when it fell to Delta 6-0, but had the ball inside the 20 yard line with a chance to win late. The Cougars have one of the HHC's most dangerous athletes in Matt Dickerson, and they're coming together fairly quickly, with an impressive defensive performance last week. Delta scored on the first drive, and G-C held the Eagles scoreless the rest of the game, forcing seven fumbles. Yorktown has one of the HHC's top backs in Derek Kundenreich, who combines with speedster Brendon Barnes to provide a Mr. Inside-Mr. Outside running game.
Milan (2-1, 0-0 MIFC) at Eastern Hancock (0-3, 0-3 MIFC)
Milan had an impressive win in Week 2, beating Batesville 19-14. The Royals' brutal start to the schedule continues -- they've played three teams widely believed to be the contenders in the MIFC, with Milan being the fourth. Mark Reddy's squad should be battle-tested after these first four weeks.
Elsewhere in the HHC
Pendleton Heights (2-1, 2-1) at Shelbyville (2-1, 1-0): PH has had an impressive start, although it was stopped last week against New Palestine. The Arabians' Mitch Patishall can toss it around the field, while RB Dezmon Nunn can score at anytime. Nunn and Shelbyville's Patrick Ellis are two of the most dangerous players in the league, and seeing them carry the mail will be fun.
Muncie South (2-1) at Delta (2-1): Muncie South knocked off Yorktown 28-7 last week and showed its stripes. After a Week 2 loss and a near-defeat in Week 3, the Eagles will be looking to have a good showing this week, led by QB Ozzie Mann and RB Zach Overfield.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Week 2 football preview
It's almost kickoff time for Week 2 in the high school football season, and it's really the week the Hoosier Heritage Conference ramps up -- for the final time. Next year, all HHC games will be played in weeks 3-9, with the first two games reserved for non-conference play.
For the last 5-6 years, the three most successful teams in the league have been Delta, Shelbyville and New Palestine. Two of those meet Friday, as Delta travels to NP to face the Dragons in what will be our HancockCountySports.com Game of the Week broadcast. Let's look at the HHC & Hancock County games this week:
Delta (1-0) at New Palestine (0-1)
Listen live on HancockCountySports.com.
Broadcast time: 7 p.m. (live in-stadium beginning at 6:30 p.m. on AM1630).
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
Coaches: Delta-Grant Zgunda (13th year at Delta, 123-24; 18th overall, 160-36); NP-Tim Able (2nd year at NP, 10-4; 19th overall, 105-96).
Last year: Delta won 23-0 en route to the HHC championship. NP went on to go 6-1 in league play and finish second. Both teams would win sectional championships.
The series: Delta has won three straight games since NP's last win in 2006. The overall series is 13-2 Delta, with NP's wins coming in 1998 and 2006.
The Eagles: Delta has won 19 consecutive regular-season games, and had 58 first-half points against Jay County last year. The Eagles always seem to have solid skill players, led by an accurate quarterback. This one is junior Ozzie Mann, who was 7-of-10 last week for 107 yards and two TDs. He threw for more than 2,400 yards last season. His top target -- Logan Young -- is now playing for IU, and top rusher Teddy Dawson also graduated, meaning Zach Overfield will handle the running duties. Overfield is a strong back who ran for 716 yards last year and had four touchdowns against Jay County. Aaron Fry and Garrett Zgunda will be the top two wideouts in the Eagles' run-and-shoot system. Delta also has a strong line led by C/DL Shane Conley. On defense, he has helped the Eagles hold teams to 7 points or less in eight of their last 14 games.
Elsewhere in Hancock County
Pendleton Heights (1-0) at Greenfield-Central (1-0), 7 p.m.: The Cougars had a convincing victory last week, with QB Carl Ellison having a nice night. He ran and threw for touchdowns, while fellow QB Tyler Colclazier also threw for one. PH's Dezmon Nunn had a huge game in a 37-14 win over Yorktown, starting with the opening kickoff, which he returned for a TD. The Arabians have a lot of skill players back, starting with QB Mitch Patishall. Look for the ball to be put in the air often.
Mt. Vernon (0-1) at Yorktown (0-1), 7:30 p.m.: The Marauders had a lot of highlights in their 27-14 loss to Kokomo last week, particularly a defense that held the Kats to 94 second-half yards and forced four turnovers. LB Brandon Lockart was everywhere -- with an interception, a blocked punt and a ton of tackles -- leading the Marauders' defense. Meanwhile, Yorktown has a veteran crew, but struggled against PH. This game was MV's breakout contest last season that provided the springboard to a 5-2 start in the regular season.
Eastern Hancock (0-1) at South Decatur (1-0), 7 p.m.: The Royals continue their maiden voyage through the Mid-Indiana Football Conference with a new opponent. South Decatur shut out Cambridge City Lincoln 28-0 last week. EH's offense looked to be improved this year, with veteran QB Steven Stunda calling the shots and an experienced corps of receivers. However, the Royals gave up 60 points last week to Triton Central, and they'll be looking to shore that up this week.
Elsewhere in the HHC
Rushville (1-0) at Howe (0-1), 7 p.m.: The Lions were very impressive in thumping Connersville 52-0 last week, and they have a roadtrip into Indy. The closure of several IPS football programs should bolster the existing ones -- such as Howe's. The Hornets suffered a 17-12 loss to a solid Scecina outfit last week. Rushville looks to have a shot to break into the upper half of the league this year -- this is the final tune-up.
Shelbyville (1-0) at Franklin (0-1), 7 p.m.: Shelby has been one of the HHC's elite programs for some time, but it suffered a slow offensive start last week before kicking it into high gear in the second half to beat Greensburg 21-6. FB Patrick Ellis is a versatile running/receiving threat in Shelby's Wing-T offense and will be a focal point again. Franklin has been rebuilding under the eye of a very strong coach in Brian Harbin, but has won one game the last two years -- against Indianapolis Washington in Week 2 last season.
After our live play-by-play coverage, enjoy high school football coverage each week on HancockCountySports.com.
For the last 5-6 years, the three most successful teams in the league have been Delta, Shelbyville and New Palestine. Two of those meet Friday, as Delta travels to NP to face the Dragons in what will be our HancockCountySports.com Game of the Week broadcast. Let's look at the HHC & Hancock County games this week:
Delta (1-0) at New Palestine (0-1)
Listen live on HancockCountySports.com.
Broadcast time: 7 p.m. (live in-stadium beginning at 6:30 p.m. on AM1630).
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
Coaches: Delta-Grant Zgunda (13th year at Delta, 123-24; 18th overall, 160-36); NP-Tim Able (2nd year at NP, 10-4; 19th overall, 105-96).
Last year: Delta won 23-0 en route to the HHC championship. NP went on to go 6-1 in league play and finish second. Both teams would win sectional championships.
The series: Delta has won three straight games since NP's last win in 2006. The overall series is 13-2 Delta, with NP's wins coming in 1998 and 2006.
The Eagles: Delta has won 19 consecutive regular-season games, and had 58 first-half points against Jay County last year. The Eagles always seem to have solid skill players, led by an accurate quarterback. This one is junior Ozzie Mann, who was 7-of-10 last week for 107 yards and two TDs. He threw for more than 2,400 yards last season. His top target -- Logan Young -- is now playing for IU, and top rusher Teddy Dawson also graduated, meaning Zach Overfield will handle the running duties. Overfield is a strong back who ran for 716 yards last year and had four touchdowns against Jay County. Aaron Fry and Garrett Zgunda will be the top two wideouts in the Eagles' run-and-shoot system. Delta also has a strong line led by C/DL Shane Conley. On defense, he has helped the Eagles hold teams to 7 points or less in eight of their last 14 games.
Elsewhere in Hancock County
Pendleton Heights (1-0) at Greenfield-Central (1-0), 7 p.m.: The Cougars had a convincing victory last week, with QB Carl Ellison having a nice night. He ran and threw for touchdowns, while fellow QB Tyler Colclazier also threw for one. PH's Dezmon Nunn had a huge game in a 37-14 win over Yorktown, starting with the opening kickoff, which he returned for a TD. The Arabians have a lot of skill players back, starting with QB Mitch Patishall. Look for the ball to be put in the air often.
Mt. Vernon (0-1) at Yorktown (0-1), 7:30 p.m.: The Marauders had a lot of highlights in their 27-14 loss to Kokomo last week, particularly a defense that held the Kats to 94 second-half yards and forced four turnovers. LB Brandon Lockart was everywhere -- with an interception, a blocked punt and a ton of tackles -- leading the Marauders' defense. Meanwhile, Yorktown has a veteran crew, but struggled against PH. This game was MV's breakout contest last season that provided the springboard to a 5-2 start in the regular season.
Eastern Hancock (0-1) at South Decatur (1-0), 7 p.m.: The Royals continue their maiden voyage through the Mid-Indiana Football Conference with a new opponent. South Decatur shut out Cambridge City Lincoln 28-0 last week. EH's offense looked to be improved this year, with veteran QB Steven Stunda calling the shots and an experienced corps of receivers. However, the Royals gave up 60 points last week to Triton Central, and they'll be looking to shore that up this week.
Elsewhere in the HHC
Rushville (1-0) at Howe (0-1), 7 p.m.: The Lions were very impressive in thumping Connersville 52-0 last week, and they have a roadtrip into Indy. The closure of several IPS football programs should bolster the existing ones -- such as Howe's. The Hornets suffered a 17-12 loss to a solid Scecina outfit last week. Rushville looks to have a shot to break into the upper half of the league this year -- this is the final tune-up.
Shelbyville (1-0) at Franklin (0-1), 7 p.m.: Shelby has been one of the HHC's elite programs for some time, but it suffered a slow offensive start last week before kicking it into high gear in the second half to beat Greensburg 21-6. FB Patrick Ellis is a versatile running/receiving threat in Shelby's Wing-T offense and will be a focal point again. Franklin has been rebuilding under the eye of a very strong coach in Brian Harbin, but has won one game the last two years -- against Indianapolis Washington in Week 2 last season.
After our live play-by-play coverage, enjoy high school football coverage each week on HancockCountySports.com.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Indiana Football Podcast - week 2
The Week 2 Indiana Football Podcast has been produced and posted. Guests are Brian Woodard of Plainfield and Jason Simmons of Hamilton Heights.
Click here to listen.
Click here to listen.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Week 1 thoughts
It was an interesting Week 1 for the Hancock County and HHC schools ... in the county, we saw Mt. Vernon play toe-to-toe with a strong 5A program and enjoy a great opportunity at Lucas Oil Stadium.
You can always listen to all of our games and archives HERE.
Kokomo 27, Mt. Vernon 14: The Marauders had a good opener in a lot of ways, and discovered a few things to work on. The difference was Kokomo junior Armon Bridgeforth, who ran for a 67-yard TD on the Wildkats' second snap of the game and finished with 234 yards and TD runs of 67, 8 and 75 yards. He also did some work on the other side, grabbing an interception in the second half. MV showed a lot of new looks, but the Marauders' defense looked strong -- especially as it adjusted to Bridgeforth and made Kokomo beat them with others. After giving up 230 yards in the first half, MV's defense held Kokomo to 94 second-half yards (all rushing) and forced five turnovers. MV's Brandon Lockart was seemingly everywhere -- grabbing an interception, blocking a punt, making things happen. MV put together a really nice drive early, mixing the run with Zach McKinney and Corey White and Austin Parker's passing -- finishing with Parker's 25-yard TD pass to White. Lockart's blocked punt set up another MV score to tie the game late in the half, but Bridgeforth answered with a 75-yard run that put Kokomo up for good. The good for MV -- the offense looked in rhythm early against a stout, speedy defense, but the Marauders' defense was *flying* to the ball. It essentially lost containment on one really fast, shifty, elusive player on two big plays, and that turned out to be the difference. Lockart, Sam Balbach, David Reimlinger and a bunch of others were names we were calling all night. The other good was being part of the PeyBack Classic. Peyton Manning was on hand, did the coin toss, watched the game from the sidelines, and saw a great night of football benefit his foundation. MV opens HHC play next week at Yorktown.
News stories: Daily Reporter, Kokomo Tribune
Greenfield-Central 42, New Castle 6: The Cougars show a nice start to the season with their third straight season-opening victory. Carl Ellison scored twice, including a 95-yard run, and threw for another TD, giving G-C had a nice start to the year. The offense, defense and special teams all scored for G-C, which opens HHC play next week against Pendleton Heights.
News coverage: Daily Reporter, stats from HighSchoolSports.net
Whiteland 23, New Palestine 0: The Dragons played a tough opening game against one of the area's stronger 5A teams. Unfortunately for NP, the Warriors avenged last year's overtime game and held the Dragons off the scoreboard. NP has one of the toughest two-game opening sequences in the state -- opening with Whiteland and Delta next week, which will be our HancockCountySports.com Game of the Week broadcast.
News coverage: Daily Reporter
Triton Central 60, Eastern Hancock 13: The Royals opened play in a new conference -- the Mid-Indiana Football Conference -- although many of its teams have been on EH's schedule for years (including TC, EH's longtime opening opponent). Six turnovers doomed the Royals in the defeat. Steven Stunda threw two TD passes to Jacob Grass in the game. EH meets South Decatur next week.
News coverage: Daily Reporter, Shelbyville News
Elsewhere in the HHC
Pendleton Heights 37, Yorktown 14: Dezmon Nunn had a big game for the Arabians, scoring three first-quarter TDs -- including the opening kickoff -- and netting more than 300 total yards. PH had an impressive Week 1 showing heading into next week's game against Greenfield-Central. Yorktown will host Mt. Vernon next week. Anderson Herald-Bulletin
Shelbyville 21, Greensburg 6: Greensburg broke a scoreless tie in the third quarter with a fumble recovery in the end zone, but Shelby quickly answered with three scores -- including Patrick Ellis' athletic touchdown reception in the nightcap of the PeyBack Classic at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Delta 58, Jay County 7: Delta picks up where it left off last year, winning its 19th consecutive regular-season game. Delta QB Ozzie Mann threw for 101 yards and top RB Zach Overfield ran for 97. Delta scored all of its points before halftime -- an impressive performance heading into the Eagles' game next week at New Palestine -- which we will broadcast next Friday night. Muncie Star-Press
Rushville 52, Connersville 0: The State Road 44 trophy resides in Rushville again this week, as the Lions showed impressively in the opening. They play Greensburg next week before opening HHC play. Connersville travels to Mt. Vernon in two weeks in a game we will broadcast.
You can always listen to all of our games and archives HERE.
Kokomo 27, Mt. Vernon 14: The Marauders had a good opener in a lot of ways, and discovered a few things to work on. The difference was Kokomo junior Armon Bridgeforth, who ran for a 67-yard TD on the Wildkats' second snap of the game and finished with 234 yards and TD runs of 67, 8 and 75 yards. He also did some work on the other side, grabbing an interception in the second half. MV showed a lot of new looks, but the Marauders' defense looked strong -- especially as it adjusted to Bridgeforth and made Kokomo beat them with others. After giving up 230 yards in the first half, MV's defense held Kokomo to 94 second-half yards (all rushing) and forced five turnovers. MV's Brandon Lockart was seemingly everywhere -- grabbing an interception, blocking a punt, making things happen. MV put together a really nice drive early, mixing the run with Zach McKinney and Corey White and Austin Parker's passing -- finishing with Parker's 25-yard TD pass to White. Lockart's blocked punt set up another MV score to tie the game late in the half, but Bridgeforth answered with a 75-yard run that put Kokomo up for good. The good for MV -- the offense looked in rhythm early against a stout, speedy defense, but the Marauders' defense was *flying* to the ball. It essentially lost containment on one really fast, shifty, elusive player on two big plays, and that turned out to be the difference. Lockart, Sam Balbach, David Reimlinger and a bunch of others were names we were calling all night. The other good was being part of the PeyBack Classic. Peyton Manning was on hand, did the coin toss, watched the game from the sidelines, and saw a great night of football benefit his foundation. MV opens HHC play next week at Yorktown.
News stories: Daily Reporter, Kokomo Tribune
Greenfield-Central 42, New Castle 6: The Cougars show a nice start to the season with their third straight season-opening victory. Carl Ellison scored twice, including a 95-yard run, and threw for another TD, giving G-C had a nice start to the year. The offense, defense and special teams all scored for G-C, which opens HHC play next week against Pendleton Heights.
News coverage: Daily Reporter, stats from HighSchoolSports.net
Whiteland 23, New Palestine 0: The Dragons played a tough opening game against one of the area's stronger 5A teams. Unfortunately for NP, the Warriors avenged last year's overtime game and held the Dragons off the scoreboard. NP has one of the toughest two-game opening sequences in the state -- opening with Whiteland and Delta next week, which will be our HancockCountySports.com Game of the Week broadcast.
News coverage: Daily Reporter
Triton Central 60, Eastern Hancock 13: The Royals opened play in a new conference -- the Mid-Indiana Football Conference -- although many of its teams have been on EH's schedule for years (including TC, EH's longtime opening opponent). Six turnovers doomed the Royals in the defeat. Steven Stunda threw two TD passes to Jacob Grass in the game. EH meets South Decatur next week.
News coverage: Daily Reporter, Shelbyville News
Elsewhere in the HHC
Pendleton Heights 37, Yorktown 14: Dezmon Nunn had a big game for the Arabians, scoring three first-quarter TDs -- including the opening kickoff -- and netting more than 300 total yards. PH had an impressive Week 1 showing heading into next week's game against Greenfield-Central. Yorktown will host Mt. Vernon next week. Anderson Herald-Bulletin
Shelbyville 21, Greensburg 6: Greensburg broke a scoreless tie in the third quarter with a fumble recovery in the end zone, but Shelby quickly answered with three scores -- including Patrick Ellis' athletic touchdown reception in the nightcap of the PeyBack Classic at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Delta 58, Jay County 7: Delta picks up where it left off last year, winning its 19th consecutive regular-season game. Delta QB Ozzie Mann threw for 101 yards and top RB Zach Overfield ran for 97. Delta scored all of its points before halftime -- an impressive performance heading into the Eagles' game next week at New Palestine -- which we will broadcast next Friday night. Muncie Star-Press
Rushville 52, Connersville 0: The State Road 44 trophy resides in Rushville again this week, as the Lions showed impressively in the opening. They play Greensburg next week before opening HHC play. Connersville travels to Mt. Vernon in two weeks in a game we will broadcast.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Regional week
New Palestine's first season under Tim Able was a successful one, led by an outstanding senior class.
It began with a thrilling OT win over Whiteland. It continued with a second-place HHC finish, and a 7-2 record in the regular season whose only blemishes were to undefeated sectional champions.
That record became 10-2 after the Dragons rolled to a sectional title, winning games by an aggregate score of 122-43, winning the school's first title as a 4A school.
However, the Dragons ran into Class 4A's best team Friday night. Heck, they probably ran into Indiana's best team. Led by one of the state's most dynamic players in IU recruit Kofi Hughes and an offensive line & defense that would be the envy of most small colleges, the Dragons saw their season come to a conclusion with a 45-6 loss to No. 1 Cathedral at North Central HS.
Still, it was a successful year for NP -- with Pat Feeney having a huge season offensively & defensively, and a team that saw players step up from everywhere, from Nathan Penley's big receiving games to the 100-yard games of Bryce Pierson and Michael Phelps against Yorktown, to the huge second half by Austin Cahoy in the Boundary Rail Game. It saw Coach Able's 100th career victory. It saw two games at Lucas Oil Stadium, a game where the defense scored almost as many points as the offense (the 33-0 win over Arlington that saw two defensive TDs and a safety), and of course, a sectional championship.
A year that started late ended maybe two weeks sooner than the Dragons had hoped, but it was an outstanding year, both for NP and for football in Hancock County. It's one we were thrilled to bring to you throughout the regular season.
It also ended two weeks to early for the HHC's other surviving team, the Delta Eagles, who fell to Fort Wayne Dwenger 49-12 tonight, ending their perfect season at 12-1.
For us at CCSN, we now turn our sights to basketball, which looks to be strong again. We have a defending sectional champion in NP, a Top 10 team in Mt. Vernon, a team that has been a sectional threat in Eastern Hancock and a team with a new outlook & a new coach in Greenfield-Central. Andrew Smith & Chris Lambert will have the call of the Hancock County Game of the Week broadcasts, starting on Nov. 25, when the Lapel Bulldogs visit the Mt. Vernon Marauders. Stay tuned for CCSN basketball!
It began with a thrilling OT win over Whiteland. It continued with a second-place HHC finish, and a 7-2 record in the regular season whose only blemishes were to undefeated sectional champions.
That record became 10-2 after the Dragons rolled to a sectional title, winning games by an aggregate score of 122-43, winning the school's first title as a 4A school.
However, the Dragons ran into Class 4A's best team Friday night. Heck, they probably ran into Indiana's best team. Led by one of the state's most dynamic players in IU recruit Kofi Hughes and an offensive line & defense that would be the envy of most small colleges, the Dragons saw their season come to a conclusion with a 45-6 loss to No. 1 Cathedral at North Central HS.
Still, it was a successful year for NP -- with Pat Feeney having a huge season offensively & defensively, and a team that saw players step up from everywhere, from Nathan Penley's big receiving games to the 100-yard games of Bryce Pierson and Michael Phelps against Yorktown, to the huge second half by Austin Cahoy in the Boundary Rail Game. It saw Coach Able's 100th career victory. It saw two games at Lucas Oil Stadium, a game where the defense scored almost as many points as the offense (the 33-0 win over Arlington that saw two defensive TDs and a safety), and of course, a sectional championship.
A year that started late ended maybe two weeks sooner than the Dragons had hoped, but it was an outstanding year, both for NP and for football in Hancock County. It's one we were thrilled to bring to you throughout the regular season.
It also ended two weeks to early for the HHC's other surviving team, the Delta Eagles, who fell to Fort Wayne Dwenger 49-12 tonight, ending their perfect season at 12-1.
For us at CCSN, we now turn our sights to basketball, which looks to be strong again. We have a defending sectional champion in NP, a Top 10 team in Mt. Vernon, a team that has been a sectional threat in Eastern Hancock and a team with a new outlook & a new coach in Greenfield-Central. Andrew Smith & Chris Lambert will have the call of the Hancock County Game of the Week broadcasts, starting on Nov. 25, when the Lapel Bulldogs visit the Mt. Vernon Marauders. Stay tuned for CCSN basketball!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Sectional finals: Dragons, Eagles win
When Tim Able took over New Palestine's football program in May, there wasn't a lot of time to get everything put in before the season began.
Learn new personnel. Put in a new defense. Move new players to new positions to maximize talent. And kickoff was only a couple of months away.
The Dragons rapidly became one of the top teams in the area -- and became a sectional champion in the process.
NP had a first quarter for the ages in a 48-22 victory over Anderson Highland, starting from the opening kickoff, to win the Sectional 13 title. It was the Dragons' first sectional title as a 4A school after winning a handful in Class 3A (most recently in 2004-05). NP was barely challenged -- winning by margins of 41-21, 33-0 and 48-22 -- in the sectional.
The Dragons are 10-2 heading into a regional matchup with No. 1 Cathedral.
The first quarter was sparked on the opening kickoff, when Brett Jackson broke free and ran 73 yards to the 3-yard line of Anderson Highland. Pat Feeney ran one in from there, and after 18 seconds, NP led 7-0. The Dragons kept rolling. Feeney's 59-yard run set up a 6-yard pass from Jackson to Feeney on a halfback option.
Next play, a Highland fumble, and a short run by Austin Cahoy to make it 21-0. After a Highland punt, Feeney went 61 yards for his third TD of the night -- on his fourth touch. On NP's next offensive snap, Feeney broke a TD 46 yards.
NP led 35-0. Pat Feeney had five touches -- the four TDs and a 59-yard run to set up another. All told, he had 175 yards in those five touches, an average of 35 yards.
And the first quarter wasn't over.
Feeney finished the night with 190 rushing yards on eight carries, and the six-yard TD reception. Brett Jackson added 3-yard TD runs in the second and third quarter, and Highland rallied a bit after the second TD made it 48-7, as the Scots scored two TDs in the final five minutes to make the score respectable.
The Dragons had 317 rushing yards and had over 330 yards of total offense -- more than half coming in the first quarter. NP went more conservatively later, but still managed to grind out yards and points.
It's been an incredible run for the Dragons, who have now won eight consecutive games to go 10-2. They finished second in the HHC, and their two losses are both to undefeated sectional champions -- Delta and Batesville. They've done their damage with an offense that has been very efficient, and a defense that has allowed very little in the second half of the year.
Next week, it's a trip to No. 1 Cathedral (12-0), a team against which NP will be an underdog.
It wasn't the only sectional title for the HHC, as Delta (12-0) knocked off Fort Wayne Wayne 18-6 on Friday night in Sectional 12. The Eagles have continued to roll, and they'll have a tough contest against unbeaten Fort Wayne Dwenger on the road next Friday night.
Shelbyville nearly made it 3-for-3 tonight, but the Golden Bears (9-3) fell on a late touchdown to East Central 21-17. Shelby led until the closing minutes.
Next Friday is regional night. It should be enjoyable!
Learn new personnel. Put in a new defense. Move new players to new positions to maximize talent. And kickoff was only a couple of months away.
The Dragons rapidly became one of the top teams in the area -- and became a sectional champion in the process.
NP had a first quarter for the ages in a 48-22 victory over Anderson Highland, starting from the opening kickoff, to win the Sectional 13 title. It was the Dragons' first sectional title as a 4A school after winning a handful in Class 3A (most recently in 2004-05). NP was barely challenged -- winning by margins of 41-21, 33-0 and 48-22 -- in the sectional.
The Dragons are 10-2 heading into a regional matchup with No. 1 Cathedral.
The first quarter was sparked on the opening kickoff, when Brett Jackson broke free and ran 73 yards to the 3-yard line of Anderson Highland. Pat Feeney ran one in from there, and after 18 seconds, NP led 7-0. The Dragons kept rolling. Feeney's 59-yard run set up a 6-yard pass from Jackson to Feeney on a halfback option.
Next play, a Highland fumble, and a short run by Austin Cahoy to make it 21-0. After a Highland punt, Feeney went 61 yards for his third TD of the night -- on his fourth touch. On NP's next offensive snap, Feeney broke a TD 46 yards.
NP led 35-0. Pat Feeney had five touches -- the four TDs and a 59-yard run to set up another. All told, he had 175 yards in those five touches, an average of 35 yards.
And the first quarter wasn't over.
Feeney finished the night with 190 rushing yards on eight carries, and the six-yard TD reception. Brett Jackson added 3-yard TD runs in the second and third quarter, and Highland rallied a bit after the second TD made it 48-7, as the Scots scored two TDs in the final five minutes to make the score respectable.
The Dragons had 317 rushing yards and had over 330 yards of total offense -- more than half coming in the first quarter. NP went more conservatively later, but still managed to grind out yards and points.
It's been an incredible run for the Dragons, who have now won eight consecutive games to go 10-2. They finished second in the HHC, and their two losses are both to undefeated sectional champions -- Delta and Batesville. They've done their damage with an offense that has been very efficient, and a defense that has allowed very little in the second half of the year.
Next week, it's a trip to No. 1 Cathedral (12-0), a team against which NP will be an underdog.
It wasn't the only sectional title for the HHC, as Delta (12-0) knocked off Fort Wayne Wayne 18-6 on Friday night in Sectional 12. The Eagles have continued to roll, and they'll have a tough contest against unbeaten Fort Wayne Dwenger on the road next Friday night.
Shelbyville nearly made it 3-for-3 tonight, but the Golden Bears (9-3) fell on a late touchdown to East Central 21-17. Shelby led until the closing minutes.
Next Friday is regional night. It should be enjoyable!
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!
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