By RICHIE HALL
Reporter Sports Editor
If a Hamilton County football team isn’t playing a conference game on Friday night, then usually it’s playing a rivalry game (unless they’re one and the same).
Noblesville and Hamilton Heights are taking a week off from conference play this week to take on each other in a county rivalry contest. The Husky Dome will be the site of this year’s game, which kicks off at 7 p.m.
“The Noblesville-Heights game over the last four years has become a pretty fun game,” said Huskies coach Mitch Street. “There’s been great weather and great crowds. I wouldn’t expect anything different this Friday. I’m sure our emotions will be heightened a bit, but this time of the year I think every game has emotions that are heightened. At this point in the season, you really want to know who you are and want to be making strides towards playing your best football as you move closer to the tournament.”
Heights finally got its first win of the season last week, beating Northwestern 14-7. The Millers are still looking for their first victory of the season, but seem to be getting closer. Noblesville fell behind early before making a comeback that fell short against Zionsville, 41-27.
“We need to generate emotion and start games faster,” said Millers coach Jason Simmons. “We put ourselves in a tough spot on Friday not making plays and executing early. Zionsville deserves the credit for that based on how they started the game and executed. We have to be more disciplined in the details of the game to achieve success.”
Noblesville scored 21 points in the fourth quarter against the Eagles. Grant Gremel continued to make strides in the quarterback position, throwing for a touchdown and rushing for another score. Gremel, in fact, now leads the county in terms of pass completions (71) and is second overall in passing yards (669).
“I believe they have made some strides in the last couple of weeks,” Street said of the Millers. “They have good athletes throughout the field who are aggressive and physical. Their multiplicity in their packages can also be challenging. For us, it’s an opportunity to play a 6A opponent who across the board matches or exceeds our athletes, and forces us to play a perfect football game in order to have a chance.”
Heights, meanwhile, has developed a breakout star in Blake Webel. The sophomore was responsible for all the points in the Huskies’ victory last week, rushing for two touchdowns and taking a two-point conversion into the end zone. Webel has gained 459 yards on the ground this season, an average of 4.9 yards per carry.
“Their offensive line is a group that stands out on film,” Simmons said of the Huskies. “They have good size and they do a good job of getting off the ball and playing physical. Their running backs are showing a good feel for the point of attack. They do some good things breaking reads in the run game. They are very sound in their special teams play. Defensively, they get off the ball and play downhill really well. They mix coverages and pressures to create disruptions.”
‘HAWKS MOVING CLOSER TO HHC CROWN
Sheridan begins a three-week road trip on Friday, traveling to Taylor for a Hoosier Heartland Conference game.
The Blackhawks, ranked No. 7 in Class 1A, have been cruising their way through the conference, currently sitting at 4-0. Sheridan had to traverse a big speed bump in Carroll, beating the Comets 28-27, but rolled through its other three games by a combined margin of 147-20.
“We talked about that,” said Sheridan coach Bud Wright of the conference chase. “We’d like to win it outright, but if we win one of the next two games, we’ll at least win a share.”
First, the ‘Hawks must get through Taylor, which is 1-3 in the league and 2-3 overall. The Titans beat Clinton Central 28-20 last week to pick up its first HHC victory of the season.
Taylor beat North White 51-6 in its season opener, then dropped three in a row to Tri-Central, Carroll and Eastern. Wright noted that the Titans have “good size at the line” and have speed as well.
Sheridan will be without Cole Cummings, a two-way player who is injured this week. James Manis will replace Cummings on the defensive side, while Ange Gnamkey, who has been steadily improving every week, will fill in on the offensive side.
Expect the usual suspects to be part of the Blackhawks’ attack. Joe Callahan has jumped to the top of the rushing leader board with 787 yards and nine touchdowns this season, after scoring three TDs in Sheridan’s win over Clinton Prairie last week. Gunnar Williams has five touchdowns, and is leading the extra-point count with 23 kicks.
‘ROCKS WANT TO REBOUND
Westfield is finding itself in an odd position this week: Rebounding after a loss.
The Shamrocks’ 12-game win streak, which included a Class 5A state championship last November, came to an end after Hamilton Southeastern shut them out 13-0 last week. Westfield will try to rebound against Brownsburg, who the ‘Rocks will host Friday for their Homecoming game.
The Bulldogs are 3-2 and have literally been up and down this season. Brownsburg beat Bloomington South 51-14 in its first game, then lost to Lawrence North 34-13. The Bulldogs defeated Franklin Community 59-0, then were beaten by Avon 62-27, then beat Fishers 41-13 last week.
“Brownsburg is really good,” said Westfield coach Jake Gilbert. “They return a bunch of starters. On offense they average over 40 points per game. They have a D1 wide receiver, a winner at quarterback, a good young running back, and a big offensive line. They are scoring on everybody.
The Bulldogs’ quarterback is senior Kyle Strakis, who has thrown for 15 touchdowns and 788 yards. Sophomore Donny Marcus is Brownsburg’s leading rusher, with 522 yards in 70 carries this season. Junior Bryce Kirtz is its top receiver, with 22 catches, including seven touchdowns.
On defense, the Bulldogs have eight players with at least 20 tackles.
“Defensively, they are strong at corner and big on the defensive line. I think they give up a small yards per carry average.”
Westfield is ready to rebound, although it will be playing without their star running back Nate Froelich, who was injured during the HSE game last week.
“We’ve had a great week of practice so far,” said Gilbert. “Our guys just need to step up. Losing Nate Froelich on the third play last week was obviously something we weren’t ready for. We have had more time to prepare for that and will do a better job.”
ROYALS PLAY AT ZIONSVILLE
Southeastern will try to keep the momentum from last week’s win going as it travels to Zionsville.
“It was big but to keep winning we must take care of the detail things,” Royals coach Scott May said of his team’s win. “We got a shutout because guys did a better job of doing their job and trusting the system. Our offense moved the ball better but we must keep getting more productive on offense and guys must make plays.”
The Eagles are 3-2, but have won their last two games, victories over Brebeuf Jesuit and Noblesville. Zionsville is rated ninth in Class 5A; it is now the only HCC team in 5A. May said the Eagles look very solid, saying “they have good size, athletic skilled kids and do a lot of things on offense that we must prepare for.”
“We have to go to their place to beat them too,” said the coach.
Zionsville’s quarterback is senior Andrew Broecker, who has thrown for 10 touchdowns and 998 yards this season. Senior Nick Brier leads in rushing yards (323), while junior Tommy Fossett III has the most touchdowns on the ground (four). Junior Jordan Hull has caught four touchdown passes.
The return of Jackson Sweeney has helped the Royals; he got his first touchdown of the season last week in a one-yard run. Nick Mutchner scored HSE’s other touchdown, his third of the season.
HOMECOMING TIGERS PLAY AVON
Fishers will play its Homecoming game this week, and the Tigers will take on Avon at Reynolds Tigers Stadium.
The Orioles are the seventh-ranked team in Class 6A with a 4-1 record. Avon is averaging 48.2 points per game; its only loss is to 6A No. 1 Ben Davis, and even then the Orioles managed to get 20 points on the Giants.
“They are without question the most talented team in the conference and certainly one of the most talented in the state,” said Fishers coach Rick Wimmer. “They play very hard and are well coached.”
Senior Cameron Misner is Avon’s quarterback, and has already thrown for 1258 yards and 18 touchdowns. Senior Isaac Guerendo, a Wisconsin recruit, has caught 10 of those touchdowns passes. Junior Sampson James is the Orioles’ rushing leader, with 658 yards and nine touchdowns.
Jon Vore has established himself as a solid quarterback, with 541 yards and five touchdowns. Collin Statz has 21 receptions and two touchdowns, putting him second on the county receiving list.
GOLDEN EAGLES OPEN CONFERENCE PLAY
Undefeated Guerin Catholic will begin Circle City Conference play Friday, hosting Bishop Chatard at the Eagles Nest.
The Trojans are 2-3, but are never taken lightly by anybody. In fact, Chatard is ranked No. 5 in Class 3A in this week’s coaches poll. The Golden Eagles are ranked No. 7 in 3A.
The Torjans have wins over Brebeuf Jesuit 27-17 and St. Francis DeSales (out of Columbus, Ohio) 42-7, with losses in between to Lawrence Central 24-16, Roncalli 21-7 and Cathedral 34-13.
“It’s a lot fun to compete against Bishop Chatard,” said GC coach Tom Dilley on the Hamilton County Television Football Coaches Show. “They’re going to be a well-coached, very aggressive, physical, fundamentally sound, competitive and very talented football team.”
Junior Mark Nondorf is the Trojans’ quarterback, with 686 yards and five touchdowns to his credit. Sophomore Andrew Sowinski has 17 receptions for Chatard, with another sophomore, Daylen Taylor, leading the rushing contingent with 242 yards.
The Guerin Catholic team continues to have the leading scorer, with do-it-all Thomas Kaser scoring 59 points this season: Six touchdowns, two field goals, and 17 extra-point kicks. Kaser is rushing for 713 yards, averaging 8.4 yards per carry. Luke Keller leads the county passing touchdown list with nine, while Bernie McGinnis has 10 receptions for the Golden Eagles.
‘HOUNDS AT NORTH CENTRAL
Carmel will travel to North Central to take on a much-improved Panthers team. NC’s combined record in the past three season was 1-29, but this season the Panthers are 3-2.
The Panthers have wins over Fishers 19-17, Hamilton Southeastern 37-14 and Lawrence North 21-7, with losses to Warren Central 42-21 and Center Grove 24-7. Junior Liam Thompson is North Central’s quarterback, with 994 yards and four touchdowns.
Senior George Stokes is NC’s leader on the ground, with 468 rushing yards and five scores. Another senior, Cole Maguire has made 32 catches.
Carmel, ranked No. 8 in Class 6A, is coming off a big Homecoming week win over Lawrence North 38-14. Camari Hunt set the tone with two first-quarter touchdowns, the first from 76 yards and the second from one yard. Hunt has totaled 356 yards for the season.
Jake McDonald’s 181-yard game last week has moved him on to the top of the county passing leader board with 696 yards. Atticus Clouse remains the county’s top receiver, with 28 catches.
Noblesville’s Zac Tuinei (2) and Eddie Dzenik (10) make a defensive stop for the Millers during their game last week against Zionsville. Noblesville plays at Hamilton Heights on Friday. (Kent Graham)