For Indiana high school football teams, Week 3 is when things start to get serious.
Not that the first two games were unimportant – far from it. But for many schools, the third game of the season is also the first conference game of the year. That is true in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference, which sees all eight of its teams begin league play on Friday.
The big HCC game in Hamilton County is an all-county game between Noblesville and Fishers. That one kicks off at 7 p.m. at Beaver Materials Field. It should be a good one, as both the Millers and the Tigers are off to 2-0 starts.
KEEP ON RUNNING
The Millers literally ran away with their first two games, blitzing Mount Vernon 57-36 in their opener and Terre Haute South 45-12 in their second game. In those two contests, Noblesville totaled 968 yards of rushing.
Sophomore Logan Shoffner has emerged as a star for the Millers, having already gained 590 yards on the ground and scored eight touchdowns. Two seniors are also solid runners: Alairic Rogers-Walton has 155 yards and three touchdowns, while Brayan Goméz Sánchez has 154 yards and a TD.
“Noblesville has a very explosive offense,” said Fishers coach Curt Funk, noting that the Millers are also big in the offensive line and tight end positions.
“We are going to have a big challenge ahead of us on Friday,” said Funk. “They have a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball and have been putting up a lot of points.”
Senior Seth Stone leads the Millers defense with 22 tackles, with senior Jacob Hofmann making four tackles for a loss.
Meanwhile, the Tigers have been doing well themselves. Fishers has only given up one touchdown in its first two games. That was in the Tigers’ opener, where they beat North Central 27-7. In Week 2, Fishers defeated Pike 14-0.
“Defensively, they haven’t given up much of anything this year to two good MIC (Metropolitan Conference) schools in North Central and Pike,” said Noblesville coach Dave Sharpe. “We’re very impressed with the quickness and tenacity of their front seven. We know that it’s going to be tough to consistently put drives together and finish drives.”
As for the Fishers offense, junior Luke Minns has already put together some good numbers as quarterback, completing 17 of 27 pass attempts for 314 yards and three touchdowns over the Tigers’ first two games. Senior Jeffrey Simmons has five of those receptions, including a TD. Junior Carson Dunn leads the rushing with 163 yards and a touchdown.
Sharpe said that Fishers gives an opponent “a lot of formations,” and called the Tigers “a very smart football team and a team that can attack you with multiple formations and multiple players.”
Fishers’ defense is led by junior Grady Stanley, who has 23 tackles, including five for a loss and two sacks. Sophomore Brady Wolf has made four tackles for a loss.
CARMEL-CENTER GROVE
Carmel will go from one big game to another this week, as the Greyhounds host defending Class 6A state champion Center Grove Friday.
This will be a 1 vs. 2 battle, as the Trojans are ranked No. 1 in 6A and the Greyhounds are No. 2. Both teams are 2-0 for the season. Center Grove already has a jump on the MIC standings, as it opened the season against Warren Central, winning 38-14. The Trojans followed that with a 56-7 win over Decatur Central.
Senior Tayven Jackson is off to a good start at the quarterback position for Center Grove, going 16-for-28 with 252 yards and four touchdowns. Senior Daniel Weems leads the Trojans in both receptions with five and in rushing yards with 112, having scored one touchdown each way. Senior Trei Specker leads CG in tackles with 16.
Center Grove will be Carmel’s first Indiana opponent this season. The Greyhounds won two hair-raising games against out of state opponents, beating Louisville Trinity Lutheran 49-38 in Week 1 and Detroit King 42-40 in Week 2.
Senior Zach Osborne has completed 33 of 52 passes for 381 yards and three touchdowns. Junior Desmond Duffy has had an outstanding start in the receiving game, with 11 catches, including two TDs.
Senior Ethan Hall leads the rushing with 174 yards and a touchdown, while Osborne has rushed for five scores. Junior Winston Berglund is on top of the defense, with 21 tackles, four of them for a loss.
AVON-SOUTHEASTERN
Hamilton Southeastern is back at TCU Field to host its HCC opener, welcoming Avon for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
The Orioles are 0-2 to start the season, having lost high-scoring games to Lawrence North 26-22 and Ben Davis 59-35. Avon is working with a sophomore quarterback, Mason Reynolds, who already has impressive numbers.
Reynolds has completed 30 of 56 pass attempts this season, totaling 536 yards and seven touchdowns. Senior Carson McCray has 17 of those receptions, including six for touchdowns. Meanwhile, senior Derrick Shaw II leads Avon’s defense with 11 tackles.
The Royals are off to a 2-0 start, with big wins over Lawrence Central 35-7 and North Central 45-13. Southeastern has two solid senior running backs, Owen Jones and Blaine Wertz, who have each scored two touchdowns on the ground. Jones has rushed for 152 yards and Wertz for 112 yards.
On the quarterback front, senior Sam Jacobs is 7-for-12 with 119 yards and three touchdowns to his credit, while junior Ty Bradle is 3-for-6, totaling 69 yards and two scores.
WESTFIELD-ZIONSVILLE
Westfield will go back on the road for Week 3, but not too far, as the 6A No. 4 Shamrocks travel to 5A No. 2 Zionsville.
The Eagles are yet another team that is 2-0 to begin the season. Zionsville scored wins over Pike 28-10 and county rival Lebanon 30-2. Junior Christian Abney is the Eagles’ quarterback, and he is throwing at a 24-of-42 clip for 267 yards and a touchdown.
Senior Colin Price has been solid on offense for Zionsville, as he leads in receptions with nine and in rushing with 212 yards and three touchdowns. Abney has also scored three rushing touchdowns. Senior Otto Kyler is the Eagles’ leading tackler with 13 stops.
Westfield has started its campaign 1-1, falling to Cathedral 14-0 in its opener before beating Harrison 33-11 in Week 2. Senior Maximus Webster has had an efficient start, completing 18 of 25 attempts for 214 yards and three touchdowns.
Senior Ian Bruch has stepped up in the receiving department, leading with 10 catches, including a TD. Senior Micah Hauser is still the Shamrocks’ iron man, with 134 yards rushing (and a touchdown), and is second in tackles with 25. Junior Tyler Dikos is the stops leader for Westfield with 27 tackles.
GUERIN CATHOLIC-HERITAGE CHRISTIAN
Guerin Catholic will make the short trip to the northeast side of Indianapolis Friday night to take on Heritage Christian in a Circle City Conference game.
Heritage is 2-0 and ranked No. 6 in Class 2A. The Eagles began their season with easy wins over Traders Point Christian 34-14 and Shenandoah 49-14.
Junior Kyle Antoine has been a force for Heritage Christian at quarterback, completing 31 of 49 pass attempts for 467 yards and eight touchdowns. Senior Zac Schloemer is his top receiver with 15 catches, including four TDs.
Antoine has also rushed for 142 yards and three touchdowns. Schloemer and junior Collin Thompson both have 13 tackles on defense, with junior Timothy Jackson making six tackles for a loss.
The Golden Eagles are No. 8 in 3A and hold a 1-1 record. Guerin Catholic beat McCutcheon 1-1 in its opener before falling to Lafayette Central Catholic 48-42 last week.
Senior quarterback Sam Miller is off to a good start, going 29-for-41 with 393 yards and four touchdowns. Senior Ryan Cherry has 12 receptions, including three scores, while sophomore Jack Cherry has 10 catches, including one score.
Junior Justin Zdobylak is GC’s leading rusher, with 276 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Adam Novelen is tops in tackles with 19, while senior Dylan Balcer has made four tackles for a loss.
SHERIDAN-TRI-CENTRAL
Sheridan continues Hoosier Heartland Conference play on Friday with a trip to Tri-Central.
The Trojans are 2-0 to begin the year, with non-conference victories over Madison-Grant 28-12 and Wes-Del 50-26. Tri-Central is primarily a running team, with 572 yards of offense on the ground over its first two games. Junior Daetyn Horn is the leading runner with 228 yards and seven touchdowns. Senior Ross Cassity leads the tackles with 16 stops.
The Blackhawks have already played a conference game, beating Clinton Central 18-6 last week. Sheridan fell in its opener to Western Boone 55-13.
Senior Gavin Reners has established himself as a solid running back, having gained 281 yards and scored three touchdowns. Junior Jacob Jones is on top of the defense with 20 tackles.
HAMILTON HEIGHTS-RENSSELAER CENTRAL
Hamilton Heights will be making yet another road trip on Friday, this one to Rensselaer Central. Kickoff is at 8 p.m. (7 p.m. Central Time). Both teams are in the Hoosier Conference, but in different divisions, so this counts as a non-conference game.
The Bombers are 2-0 and ranked No. 9 in Class 2A. Rensselaer’s first wins were over Kankakee Valley 41-17 and North Newton 35-8.
Senior Tate Drone is the Bombers’ quarterback, and he has completed 10 of 20 pass attempts for 183 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Kelton Hesson leads the receptions with seven, including the three TDs.
Senior Dylan Kidd has been dominant on the ground, with 383 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Kidd and junior Luke Janek are also strong on defense, with 22 tackles each. Junior Jordan Cree has 21 stops, including seven for a loss.
Hamilton Heights is 1-1 for the season. The Huskies dropped a 10-0 opener to Monroe Central, then beat Bluffton 21-14 in Week 2.
Junior Trey Ehman is pacing Heights’ offense so far, rushing for 197 yards and a touchdown. Senior Guy Griffey has 95 passing yards at quarterback, including a touchdown. Another senior, Hudson Hochstedler, leads the defense with 21 tackles, including four for a loss.
