By CRAIG ADKINS
For The Reporter
Carmel: The Class 6A AP #11 ‘Hounds (1-1) host yet another power from outside of Indiana this week. Detroit Martin Luther King (0-1) comes into this matchup ranked 12th overall in the state of Michigan and No. 2 in Division 3.
Carmel lost to Christian Brothers (Mo.) 55-28 at home a week ago, while the Crusaders lost their season opener at home last week to St. Xavier (Cincinnati), 44-8.
Fishers: The 6A No. 6 Tigers have gotten off to the hottest offensive start in the state so far. Outscoring their opponents by a total of 84-0 in their first two games, the Tigers shut out North Central in the season opener at home 44-0 and blanked Pike on the road 40-0 last week.
Fishers gets a big road test to open Hoosier Crossroads Conference play when it heads to Noblesville to open league play.
Guerin Catholic: The 3A No. 2 Golden Eagles are off to a 2-0 start with wins over two teams from the Lafayette area. Following an 18-10 road win to open the season, Guerin Catholic dominated 2A No. 6 Lafayette Central Catholic at home, 27-3.
This week, the Golden Eagles will face another tough road challenge when they head just into Marion County to battle with 2A No. 9 Heritage Christian (2-0).
Hamilton Heights: The Huskies (2-0) find themselves ranked No. 16 in the 3A AP poll this week. Victories at home over Lapel (26-14) and North Montgomery (28-16) have Heights hungry for their first 3-0 start since 2016.
Class 2A No. 6 Lafayette Central Catholic comes to Arcadia as the two meet up in an east vs. west non-league Hoosier Conference game. The Knights lost a big game last week at Guerin Catholic, 27-3.
Hamilton Southeastern: The 6A No. 3 Royals (2-0) made a statement last week in their road victory at North Central. They worked quickly and got up 21-0 and didn’t look back.
HSE held off 6A No. 9 Carroll to open the season, 28-14. Friday night, the Royals will look to stay undefeated in their first HCC game, welcoming Avon (0-2) to town.
Noblesville: The Millers (2-0) come in at No. 10 in the 6A poll. After opening the season with a 48-30 win over Mt. Vernon (Fortville) at Lucas Oil Stadium, Noblesville recorded their first shutout since 2020, blanking visiting Homestead 42-0.
Noblesville will attempt to start the season with three consecutive wins, something it has not done since 1998. The Millers host Fishers this week to open the HCC portion of their schedule.
Sheridan: The 1A No. 9 Blackhawks evened their record at 1-1 with a 35-12 win at home over North Miami last Friday. The win over the Warriors hopefully has Sheridan geared up for another win.
Sheridan heads a little north to Sharpsville to face Tri-Central (1-1) in its Hoosier Heartland Conference opener. The Trojans got their first win last week at Wes-Del, 26-6.
Westfield: The Shamrocks (2-0) moved up in both the AP and IFCA poll and are now 6A No. 5. Westfield had a solid opening win two weeks ago at home over New Palestine (34-14). Last week became a game of who could stop the other, last. Westfield outlasted Lawrence Central in a high-scoring thriller, topping the Bears on their home field, 59-58 in OT.
Westfield is another team that is aiming for a 3-0 start, which it hasn’t done since 2019. The ‘Rocks start HCC play on the road at Zionsville (2-0). The Eagles have wins over Pike and at Lebanon.
