This week’s slate of football games includes the final all-Hamilton County game of the regular season.
Fishers travels to Westfield on Friday night, which marks Week 8 of high school football in Indiana. The Tigers-Shamrocks showdown is one of seven games involving county teams. Five other teams will also be playing at home, while Sheridan travels to Eastern for a big Hoosier Heartland Conference game.
FISHERS-WESTFIELD
Fishers will enter Riverview Health Stadium with a 5-2 record, and a 3-2 mark in Hoosier Crossroads Conference play, putting the Tigers in a tie for third place in the league standings. Fishers beat Franklin Central 23-0 last week, getting back on the winning track after dropping back-to-back games to the top two teams in the HCC, second-place Brownsburg and first-place, undefeated Avon.
Senior Marcus Roux has been putting up solid numbers as the Tigers’ quarterback, with 939 yards passing (at an 85-of-155 rate), and 12 touchdowns. Sophomore Jeffrey Simmons leads the Fishers receiving with 21 catches, including five scores.
Senior Dylan Scally is the top rusher with 545 yards, with four touchdowns to his credit. Roux has also carried for four TDs. Senior Geoffrey Brown has been dominant on defense, with 70 tackles, seven of them for a loss.
Westfield is looking to get back in the win column after three straight losses to Hamilton Southeastern, Brownsburg and Avon, this after a 4-0 start. The Shamrocks are now 4-3, and are in fifth place in the HCC standings with a 2-3 record.
Senior Camden Simons has had a tremendous season as the Westfield quarterback, passing for 1,197 yards (84-of-132) and 10 scores. Junior Mason Piening and senior Dane Wheeler both have 24 receptions, with each making three touchdown catches. Senior Eli Patchett has rushed for 514 yards and 10 touchdowns, with sophomore Micah Hauser leading the defense with 60 tackles.
NOBLESVILLE-BROWNSBURG
Noblesville will host a top-five ranked team when it hosts Brownsburg Friday night at Beaver Materials Field.
The Bulldogs are rated No. 5 in Class 6A. Brownsburg is 4-1 in HCC play, with its only loss to Avon, a tight 7-3 game back in Week 4. Overall, the Bulldogs are 5-2, but they have won their last three games.
Junior Ben Easters is Brownsburg’s quarterback, and he has put together quite a resumé for the season: A total of 1,271 passing yards (76-of-137) with 17 touchdowns. Junior Preston Terrell is his top receiver, with 33 catches, including eight scores.
On the ground, senior Donny Marcus leads the rushing with 966 yards and eight scores. Senior Cade Shupperd is on top of the defensive list with 40 tackles.
Noblesville is 1-4 in conference play and 1-6 overall, dropping its game to Hamilton Southeastern last week 35-7. Senior Jayden Barrett has thrown for 138 yards as the Millers’ quarterback, with one touchdown, with senior Carson Sanders making 11 receptions, including one TD.
Barrett is the top rusher, gaining 284 yards and also scoring one touchdown on the ground. The Millers’ defense has four players with over 50 tackles, led by junior Skyler Tolliver’s 59 stops. Sophomore Sam Steinhofer is next with 55 tackles, followed by junior Zach Blevins with 53 and senior Lucas Williams with 51.
HAMILTON HEIGHTS-LEWIS CASS
Hamilton Heights welcomes Lewis Cass, the No. 3-ranked team in Class 2A, to its field on Friday in a big game in the Hoosier Conference East Division.
The Kings lead the East with a 3-0 record, while the Huskies are in fourth place at 1-2. This is the last division game of the season for both teams, and it will also determine where they play next week for the Hoosier Conference placement games.
Overall, Cass is 6-1 for the season. The Kings began their 2019 campaign with a tough 28-22 win at Pioneer, then rolled past Maconquah 49-6, Benton Central 68-0, Tipton 28-7, Northwestern 52-6 and Western 49-20, before running into West Lafayette, the No. 2 team in 3A, and losing 58-21.
Heights is 2-5 for the year, and dropped a close game at Tipton last week 35-28. The Huskies are using two quarterbacks, and both have had decent seasons: Sophomore Guy Griffey has 751 yards and seven touchdowns to his credit, with junior Isaac Wilson totaling 677 yards and six scores.
Senior Camron Knott leads the receiving with 27 catches and six touchdowns. Senior Deshawn King is on top of the rushing list with 277 yards and three TDs; King has been outstanding on defense as well with 113 tackles.
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN- FRANKLIN CENTRAL
Hamilton Southeastern, which has been on a hot streak as of late, will welcome Franklin Central to TCU Field on Friday.
The Flashes are 1-4 in conference play and 3-4 for the season, having dropped their last three games. Junior Peyton Viewegh is Franklin Central’s quarterback, and he has compiled 577 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Jacob Whitney is FC’s top receiver with 17 catches, including one score.
Junior Josh Ruley has ruled the Flashes’ running game, with 680 yards and seven touchdowns to his credit. Senior Nate Talhelm leads on defense with 82 tackles, with junior Luke Shomaker getting 65 stops.
The Royals are 3-2 in the HCC standings and 4-3 overall. Southeastern has won last three games, with victories over Westfield, Zionsville and Noblesville; that has moved the Royals up to a tie for third place in the conference list.
Senior Andrew Hobson is having a spectacular year as quarterback, with 1,485 yards and 11 touchdowns. Two senior receivers have made more than 30 catches: DeAndre Rhodes has 38 receptions, including six scores, and Ben Boysen has 31 catches, one for a TD.
Sophomore Blaine Wertz leads the rushing with 437 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Seth Smarelli is on top of the tackles list with 65, followed by junior Nate Haas with 60 stops.
GUERIN CATHOLIC-BROTHER RICE
Guerin Catholic wraps up its three-game homestand with its second consecutive week of playing a Michigan team: The Class 3A No. 7 Golden Eagles host Brother Rice from Bloomfield Hills on Saturday.
The Warriors are 4-2 and ranked No. 17 on MaxPreps’ Michigan high school football rankings. Brother Rice started its season 4-0 with wins over Utica Eisenhower 7-0, Holy Name (Windsor, Ontario) 53-3, University of Detroit Jesuit 27-7 and De La Salle Collegiate (Warren) 16-14. The Warriors have since lost to Novi Catholic Central 7-3 and St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake) 44-21.
Guerin Catholic is 5-2 for the year, with a win over Pontiac Notre Dame last week. Senior Christian Gelov has been strong as quarterback, with 981 yards (79-of-119) and 10 touchdowns this season. Senior Bernie McGuinness has caught half of those TD passes, making five scoring catches as part of his 32 receptions.
Senior Gus Baumgartner has rushed for 941 yards and scored 11 touchdowns. On defense, senior Tom Hokanson leads with 61 tackles, while junior Jagger Albert has 52 stops.
WARREN CENTRAL-CARMEL
Carmel will host Warren Central Friday in what is one of the marquee games in the Metropolitan Conference every season.
Both teams are ranked in the 6A top 10: The Warriors are No. 3 and the Greyhounds are No. 9. Warren Central is 5-1 in MIC play, and this will be its conference finale.
The Warriors are 5-2 overall, with wins over Center Grove 21-14, North Central 28-7, Lawrence Central 40-21, Pike 28-14 and Lawrence North 24-23. Warren has lost to Louisville Trinity 17-14 and Ben Davis 27-24 in double overtime.
Senior Cobe Moore is the Warriors’ quarterback, and he has thrown for 1,148 yards and 14 touchdowns, and has rushed for another five TDs. Senior Derek Allen leads WC’s receptions with 16, including two scores. Another senior, Randy Wells Jr., is on top of the rushing list with 517 yards and two TDs. Senior Willie Eaton has 53 tackles, with senior Marquise Cross making nine tackles for a loss.
Carmel is 3-2 in the MIC and 4-3 overall, having dropped its last two games to North Central and Ben Davis. Sophomore Zach Osborne has stepped into the quarterback role and passed for 387 yards. Senior Zach Gish has 11 receptions, including one for a touchdown. Senior Dylan Downing leads the rushing with 535 yards and six TDs. On defense, junior Dominic Padjen has been a force with 77 tackles, followed by senior Ty Wise with 67 stops (10 for a loss) and Garrett Sharp with 63 tackles (eight for a loss).
SHERIDAN-EASTERN
The only local team to play outside of the county on Friday, Sheridan travels to Eastern for a huge Hoosier Heartland Conference game.
The reason it’s huge? Both teams are undefeated in HHC play with 5-0 records. The Comets are also unbeaten for the season at 7-0. Eastern has run through its schedule relatively unchallenged, beating Oak Hill 23-7, Madison-Grant 42-24, Delphi 28-14, Taylor 49-0, Carroll 35-0, Clinton Central 35-7 and Tri-Central 40-7.
The Blackhawks are 5-2, and had a five-game winning streak snapped last week at Seeger, 49-7. Sophomore Silas DeVaney has been solid as Sheridan’s quarterback, with 472 yards and three touchdowns; DeVaney has also rushed for five scores.
While the ‘Hawks are still awaiting the return of injured star junior runner Cameron Hovey, other players have been stepping up. Sophomore Evan Bourdon has 425 yards and six touchdowns for the season. Junior Keenan Warren has seven receptions, two for TDs. Senior Chris Starks has been tough on defense, with 55 tackles, including 14 for a loss. Senior Charlie Cronin has nine tackles for a loss.
Hamilton Southeastern’s Andrew Hobson (left) has thrown for 1,485 yards and 11 touchdowns as the Royals quarterback this season. Pictured at right is Noblesville’s Seth Stone. (Kent Graham/File photo)