In high school football, Week 3 is arguably one of the biggest weeks of the season, right behind Week 1.
That’s because the third week of football in Indiana is the first conference game of the year for many teams. All four Hamilton County members of the Hoosier Crossroads Conference play their opener on Friday, with Carmel starting Metropolitan Conference action as well.
One of the bigger games on the card locally is an all-county matchup between Noblesville and Fishers. Kickoff for that contest will be at 7 p.m. Friday at the Millers’ Beaver Materials Field. Noblesville won last year’s game 21-9.
The visiting Tigers come into the game with a 2-0 record, and are ranked No. 7 in this week’s Class 6A coaches poll. Fishers has beaten two MIC teams, North Central 26-0 and Pike 26-13.
Senior Marcus Roux has had an outstanding start to the season, passing for 295 yards and five touchdowns. Roux has completed 27 of 49 passes. Senior Reece Boland leads the receptions with eight, while sophomore Jeffrey Simmons has caught two touchdown throws. Senior Dylan Scally is the top rusher for the Tigers with 116 yards. Senior Geoffrey Brown leads the defense with 18 tackles; both he and senior Josh Ibey already have four tackles for a loss. Ibey also has made three sacks.
The Millers are 0-2, but have played an extraordinarily tough early schedule, falling to 5A No. 2 Cathedral 42-14 and 6A No. 3 Carmel 37-0. In fact, Noblesville’s schedule is ranked the third toughest in the Sagarin ratings.
Senior Elijah Butler has emerged as a solid runner for the Millers. Despite playing against some strong defenses, Butler has a rushing touchdown to his credit and 28 yards for the season. Junior Zach Blevins leads the receivers with three catches, with senior Carson Sanders making a touchdown reception. Senior Alex Zavac is 5-for-17 with 63 yards so far this season. Junior Skyler Tolliver leads the defense with 17 tackles, both he and sophomore Brayan Gomez Sanchez each have one sack.
CARMEL-CENTER GROVE
Carmel opens MIC play by hosting Center Grove Friday night at Greyhound Stadium.
This has become one of the better rivalry games in the conference, as it is known as the Copper Kettle game. The Trojans have beaten the ‘Hounds the last two times they’ve played, including a 17-7 victory last year at the Center Grove field.
The Trojans had a tough start to the season at 0-2, but consider who they played. Center Grove lost to 6A No. 1 Warren Central 21-14 and 5A No. 1 New Palestine 28-9; the Trojans have the strongest schedule according to Sagarin. For that reason, they are ranked No. 9 in this week’s 6A poll.
Center Grove has a sophomore quarterback, Tayven Jackson, who has thrown for 171 yards on 16-of-33 passing. Junior Trenton Veith is the top receiver with seven catches. The Trojans already have two 100-yard rushers, junior Connor Delp (164 yards) and sophomore Mitchell Evans (129 yards, one touchdown). Sophomore Caden Curry has 16 tackles, four for a loss, and 1.5 sacks.
The ‘Hounds are 1-1, opening with a 41-14 loss to Louisville Trinity before beating Noblesville last week. Senior Gabe Quigley is Carmel’s quarterback; his current totals are 140 yards and a touchdown on 7-of-17 passing. Junior Christian Williams leads the receptions with four. Junior John David Rogers has been a rushing force with 209 yards and three scores, with senior Dylan Downing at 198 yards and two TDs. Junior Dominic Padjen has 17 tackles – three for a loss – and two sacks to his credit.
SOUTHEASTERN-AVON
Hamilton Southeastern will take on Avon Friday night at the Royals’ TCU Field to start HCC play. The Orioles won last year’s game 29-6.
Avon is off to a 2-0 start, with wins over Columbus North 48-14 and Ben Davis 41-17. The Orioles are ranked No. 2 in the 6A coaches poll, and in fact received more No. 1 votes (five) then top-ranked Warren Central (four), The Warriors totaled 94 ranking point to Avon’s 92.
Junior quarterback Henry Hesson is off to an incredible start, with 336 yards and seven touchdowns in just two games. Hesson has completed 26 of 38 passes. Junior Carmelo Mitchell and sophomore Cohen Murrell each have six receptions. Sophomore Chrishon McCray is the top rusher with 96 yards. Senior Ross England leads the defense with 19 tackles (three for a loss) and a sack.
Southeastern is 1-1, opening with a win over Lawrence Central 24-20 then falling to North Central 17-16 on a last-second field goal. Senior quarterback Andrew Hobson is also off to an outstanding start, with 347 yards on 23-of-41 passing, including a touchdown. Senior Dominic Rhodes has been excellent the first two games, with 11 catches (totaling 243 yards) and a score. Another senior, Ben Boysen, has eight receptions.
Junior Tylin Taylor has compiled 159 yards rushing in the early part of the season. Senior Seth Smarelli is first in tackles with 28, while three more players, seniors Chris Stein, Joel Tsetse and Savon Smith, each have made two sacks.
WESTFIELD-ZIONSVILLE
Westfield is back on the road Friday, heading to Zionsville for its HCC opener. The Shamrocks were winners in last year’s contest, 41-28.
Zionsville, under new coach Scott Turnquist, is 2-0 for the season. The Eagles have beaten MIC opponent Pike 17-7 and county rival Lebanon 47-33. Zionsville has a breakout rusher in sophomore Colin Price, who has already run for 447 yards and five touchdowns.
Westfield is also 2-0, with big wins over Harrison 55-28 and Decatur Central 36-14. Senior quarterback Cam Simons is playing strong, with 403 yards and five touchdowns on 18-of-24 passing – a 75 percent completion rate. Junior Mason Piening has six catches for 205 yards, including two scores.
Senior Eli Patchett leads the ground game with 169 yards rushing, including four TDs. Patchett is also first on the tackles list with 19. Three players – senior Trevor Lickfeldt and juniors Alexzander Nguyen and Seth Poriah – all have one sack.
GUERIN CATHOLIC-
HERITAGE CHRISTIAN
Guerin Catholic, the No. 4 team in 3A, travels to Heritage Christian on Friday. The two teams are members of the Circle City Conference, but this will not be a conference game, with Heritage an independent school in football.
The Golden Eagles won last year’s game 48-7. This year, Heritage is 2-0, with wins over Indianapolis Manual 56-0 and Shenandoah 48-7. Junior Maxwell Milton is the HC quarterback, and he is off to a tremendous start, with 381 yards and eight touchdowns on 24-of-41 passing.
Senior Harrison Eckel has 10 receptions, including two TDs. Sophomore Colton Brown has been a force on the ground, with 230 yards and six scores. On defense, senior Peyton Brown leads with 16 tackles, including four for a loss. Senior Ethan Lowry had eight tackles, all for a loss. Both Peyton Brown and Lowry have two sacks.
Guerin Catholic is 2-0, with victories over McCutcheon 24-14 and Lafayette Central Catholic 50-28. The Golden Eagles got a sensational performance last week from Gus Baumgartner, as he scored five touchdowns.
SHERIDAN-TRI-CENTRAL
Sheridan travels to Tri-Central on Friday for a Hoosier Heartland Conference game. The Blackhawks began HHC play last week with a win over Clinton Central.
Sheridan won last year’s game 52-0. The Trojans are off to a 2-0 start, defeating Frankton 23-18 and Noblesville HomeSchool 42-12. Senior Ethan Mason has been the offensive leader, rushing for 283 yards and scoring five touchdowns. Another senior, Braxton Young, has 158 rushing yards to his credit.
Both Mason and Young are solid on defense, with two tackles for a loss. Mason has 15 total tackles. Both have one sack, as does junior Holden Rayl.
The Blackhawks are 1-1, opening with a 41-6 loss to defending 2A state championship Western Boone before beating Clinton Central 49-29. Junior Cameron Hovey is off to a strong start, with 270 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Sophomore Silas DeVaney is 5-for-13 passing with 151 yards.
On defense, Hovey leads with 21 tackles, with senior Chris Starks making three tackles for a loss. Sophomore Gavin Reners has 20 tackles and one sack, with junior Keenan Warren and sophomore Evan Bourdon also getting one sack.
HAMILTON HEIGHTS-
WEST LAFAYETTE
Hamilton Heights travels up to West Lafayette this Friday for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. Both teams are in the Hoosier Conference, but this is not a conference game as they are in different divisions.
The Red Devils won 76-0 in last year’s contest. West Lafayette is ranked No. 2 in 3A with a 1-1 record; the Red Devils dropped their opener to Lafayette Jefferson 74-66, then beat McCutcheon 46-16.
Considering how much offense West Lafayette has put on the board, it’s not surprising the Red Devils have some outrageous numbers. Senior Kyle Adams has already thrown for 781 yards on 61-of-83 passing and nine touchdowns. Sophomore Cannon Melchi has 20 receptions, junior Yanni Karlaftis has 15 and senior Harrison Truitt has 14 catches; all have scored multiple touchdowns.
Senior Spencer Blankman leads the rushing with 218 yards and two scores. Senior Lamont Johnson is on top of the defense with 28 tackles, with sophomore Connor Barket getting four tackles for a loss. Four different West Lafayette players have one sack.
The Huskies are 0-2, having dropped games to Mount Vernon 44-23 and North Montgomery 28-14. Sophomore Guy Griffey is 16-of-36 passing with 246 yards, including a touchdown. Senior Cam Knott leads the receptions with nine, including two TDs.
Senior Deshawn King leads the rushing with 21 yards, and also first in tackles with 33. Sophomore Harrison Hochstedler has 31 tackles, including two for a loss.
