By RICHIE HALL
This week marks the midpoint of the Indiana high school football season, and it also means the Homecoming part of the schedule is in full swing.
Westfield is hosting Hamilton Southeastern tonight for its Homecoming game, with the kickoff at 7 p.m. It should be a good game regardless of the circumstance, as the Class 6A No. 4 Royals are unbeaten at 4-0 and the 6A No. 8 Shamrocks are 3-1. Both teams are 2-0 in Hoosier Crossroads Conference play, which makes it important in terms of getting an early advantage in the league.
Westfield coach Jake Gilbert was watching a middle school football game Thursday evening at Riverview Health Stadium, where his ‘Rocks will play tonight. The team participated in Homecoming festivities on Thursday, and a fun time was had by all.
But Gilbert wants his team focused on the contest itself once the football is kicked off – “we got to make it about the game,” he said.
“Homecoming’s great,” said Gilbert. “There’s the dance, there’s the parade, there’s the lunch, there’s a pep rally. All that stuff’s fun. But the most important thing is the football game. All these people that come back, they come back to watch the football game. That’s our job. So, all of those other things are fun, and I’m glad we have them. I’m very grateful for all the school and community spirit. However, our job is to come out here and play our best and win the football game.”
Westfield will host a Royals team that is coming off an emotional win itself. Southeastern beat Fishers 28-27 in overtime last Friday to claim the Mudsock trophy. With the victory, the Royals are 4-0 for the second consecutive year. Southeastern already has wins over Lawrence Central 12-7, North Central 45-14 and Avon 48-13.
HSE coach Michael Kelly said his team has been “preparing much like we have all year.” Kelly said his team is “focused on getting better every day in practice,” and they are being challenged to not look ahead.
Royals senior quarterback Ty Bradle is 53-of-93 through the air, with 581 yards and eight touchdowns. Junior Donovan Hamilton has 20 of those catches, including four touchdowns, while senior Clayton Wilke has 15 receptions and one score.
Junior Jalen Alexander is on top of the rushing list with 313 yards and two TDs. Senior Griffen Haas leads the defense with 31 tackles.
“I think they have a tremendous defense,” said Gilbert. “They return most of those kids. They’re extremely fundamentally sound. I think they’re fast. I think they run to the ball very well, adapt sound, they just don’t give you very much. I think they have one of the better defenses we’re going to see the entire season, for sure.”
Westfield had a close win last Friday, beating Noblesville 34-33. The Shamrocks are on a three-game win streak; after dropping its opener to New Palestine 42-28, Westfield has defeated Lawrence Central 42-27 and Zionsville 23-16 as well.
Southeastern coach Michael Kelly started his discussion about Westfield by saying the team is “extremely well-coached. They do a tremendous job at the basics of the game.” Kelly said that the Shamrocks are “outstanding” at blocking, tackling and execution.
Westfield quarterback, senior Cole Ballard, has completed 37 of 54 pass attempts for 522 yards and five touchdowns. Kelly said Ballard “is dynamic with the football in his hands.”
“He has a great group of skill players around him that are dangerous and challenging to tackle,” said Kelly.
Sophomore Gabe Aramboles has 11 catches, including two for touchdowns. Another sophomore, Kendall Garnett, leads the rushing with 208 yards and two TDs, while Ballard has rushed for 205 yards and five scores.
Senior Tyler Dikos leads the defense with 38 tackles, followed by junior Andrew Lieske with 31 tackles.
“Defensively they are sound and tackle really well,” said Kelly. “They mix up fronts and coverages really well which makes it challenging to replicate.”
FISHERS-BROWNSBURG
Fishers returns to its home field tonight to take on undefeated Brownsburg, the No. 1-ranked team in Class 6A. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
The Bulldogs beat two tough programs to start their season, getting past Ben Davis 21-16 and Cathedral 42-35. Since then, Brownsburg has rolled through its first two HCC games, beating Franklin Central 42-7 and Avon 60-21.
The 6A No. 9 Tigers are 3-1, coming off the overtime loss to Hamilton Southeastern in last week’s Mudsock game. Senior quarterback Lucas Minns is 26-of-47 passing, totaling 428 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Aidan Zimmer leads the receptions with nine, followed by junior Joe Syrus with eight; both have one touchdown catch.
Junior Khobie Martin has rushed for 452 yards and five scores. Junior Ryan Cox is on top of the defense with 27 tackles, followed by senior Grady Stanley with 25 stops.
HAMILTON HEIGHTS-WESTERN
Hamilton Heights is back home on its new turf field tonight, hosting Western in a Hoosier Conference East Division game that starts at 7 p.m.
The Panthers are 1-3, and open division play with this contest. Western lost its first three games to a tough slate of teams: Tri-West 20-14, Western Boone 44-24 and West Lafayette 47-18. The Panthers picked up their first victory last Friday over Benton Central 49-12.
The Huskies are 3-1, and won their division opener last week over Northwestern 55-20. Junior quarterback Bodie Derrer is 45-of-68 through the air with 769 yards and 10 touchdowns. Sophomore Tyler Champion has 17 of those catches and six scores.
Junior Owen Vanhaaren leads the rushing with 171 yards and a touchdown, while Derrer and Trey Ehman both have scored twice. On defense, junior Eric Balcom has 32 tackles and senior Vincent Harley has 31 stops.
CARMEL-LAWRENCE NORTH
Carmel travels to Lawrence North tonight for a 7 p.m. game at the Wildcats’ field.
Lawrence North is 2-2 for the season. The Wildcats opened with a 32-25 win over Avon, then dropped games wo Whiteland 24-13 and Lawrence Central 21-3 before rebounding to beat North Central 44-6.
The 6A No. 6 Greyhounds are also 2-2, taking care of Pike 34-14 last Friday. Senior quarterback Jack Kazmierczak is having a great run so far, passing at a 52-of-77 rate for 794 yards and eight touchdowns. Senior Reece Bellin has 25 catches for 457 yards six scores.
Senior Nick Beidl has run for 158 yards and a touchdown. On defense, senior Will Heldt leads the tackles with 42, followed by 38 stops for senior Mason Bardwell and 35 for junior Hunter Snow.
GUERIN CATHOLIC-RONCALLI
Guerin Catholic travels to Roncalli tonight for a 7 p.m. game as the 3A No. 5 Golden Eagles continue Circle City Conference play.
The 4A No. 2 Royals are undefeated at 4-0 this season, starting with a 46-7 victory at Southport. Since then, Roncalli has defeated Franklin Central 17-0, Bishop Chatard 17-14 and Columbus North 38-17.
Guerin Catholic is 3-1, dropping its first game of the season last week to Brebeuf Jesuit 28-7 in a conference game. Junior Ryan Zimmerman has been solid at the quarterback position, throwing at a 68-of-103 clip for 1,035 yards and nine touchdowns. Senior Will Fremion has 25 catches, including five TDs, and junior Jack Cherry has made 20 receptions.
Senior Justin Zdobylak leads the rushing with 286 yards and four touchdowns. Another senior, Anthony Ferrucci, is tops on defense with 46 tackles, while Gavin Stella has 38 stops.
NOBLESVILLE-ZIONSVILLE
Noblesville travels to Zionsville tonight for a 7 p.m. HCC game.
The Eagles will enter this contest with a 3-1 record. Zionsville opened with wins over Pike 31-24 and Lebanon 42-6, losing their only game to Westfield 23-16. The Eagles beat Franklin Central 14-7 last Friday.
The Millers are 2-2. Noblesville has been solid in its rushing game, with three juniors leading the way: Logan Shoffner has 611 yards and four touchdowns, Gage Gulley totals 360 yards and five touchdowns, while Blake Widget has gained 287 yards and scored five TDs.
Freshman quarterback Landon Hughes has thrown for 148 yards and three touchdowns; sophomore Aiden Brewer has all three of those touchdown receptions. Junior Austin Hastings leads the defense with 46 tackles.
SHERIDAN-CLINTON PRAIRIE
Sheridan travels to Clinton Prairie for an important Hoosier Heartland Conference game. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
The Gophers are unbeaten at 4-0 so far. Prairie easily won its first two games, over Wes-Del 46-6 and Frankfort 54-30, the latter contest a case of a 1A team beating a 4A team. After that, the Gophers entered conference play and have been unchallenged, taking care of Clinton Central 34-0 and Tri-Central 54-28.
The Blackhawks are 3-1, having easily won their last three games, all of them against conference opponents. Sheridan leads the HHC standings at 3-0, with Carroll, Prairie and Eastern right behind at 2-0.
Senior Peyton Cross is on top of the rushing list with 493 yards, followed by junior Zach Bales with 387 yards. Both have scored six touchdowns. Sophomore Caleb Alexander has thrown for 178 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Trent Decraene is the leading receiver with six catches. On defense, senior Jacob Jones has 43 tackles, followed by Bales with 40 stops and Cross with 36.