The Hoosier Crossroads Conference football standings are in a bit of a traffic jam going into the Week 6 slate of games.
As of right now, there are ties for first, third, fifth and seventh places in the league. Something will have to give on Friday night: The teams that are tied for first will play each other, as will the teams that are tied for the other positions.
Westfield and Brownsburg, both 3-0 in the HCC, will play at the Bulldogs’ field. The third-place teams, Zionsville and Hamilton Southeastern, will meet at the Royals’ TCU Field. The current fifth-place teams, Avon and Fishers, will play at the Orioles’ field, and the seventh-place teams, Noblesville and Franklin Central, will face off at the Millers’ Beaver Materials Field.
WESTFIELD-BROWNSBURG
The Shamrocks will be the latest team to get a shot at undefeated Brownsburg, which has won all but one of its five games by comfortable margins this season.
The Class 6A No. 2 Bulldogs’ only close contest was its Week 2, nationally-televised epic against Cincinnati St. Xavier, which Brownsburg won 30-24 in overtime. The Bulldogs cruised through their other games: Ben Davis 38-7, Franklin Central 35-7, Avon 47-29 and Fishers 42-6.
Senior Ben Easters has been solid as the Brownsburg quarterback, completing 67 of 115 passes for 962 yards and eight touchdowns. His top targets have been seniors Luke Lacey (26 catches, five TDs) and Preston Terrell (23 catches, two TDs).
Sophomore Caleb Marcus leads the Bulldogs’ rushing with 564 yards and nine touchdowns, while senior Brandon Burks has 299 yards rushing and five scores. On defense, senior Jalen Wilson has 34 tackles. Junior Isaiah Street has made 7.5 tackles for a loss and three sacks on the season. Senior Jacob Howell also has three sacks.
Westfield will come into the game 4-1, having won its last four games. The Shamrocks are tied for eighth in this week’s 6A coaches poll.
The dual quarterback threat for Westfield has worked out well: Junior Maximus Webster is 33-of-58 through the air for 518 yards and seven touchdowns, while senior Nick Talley is 29-of-42 for 370 yards and four TDs. Senior Mason Piening is the top receiver with 19 catches and four touchdowns.
Junior Micah Hauser is on top of the running game with 415 yards rushing and two scores. Webster has gained 292 yards on the ground and five touchdowns. Hauser also is dominant on defense, as he is on top of the tackling list with 43 stops. Junior Popeye Williams has made seven tackles for a loss and three sacks, leading in both those categories.
SOUTHEASTERN-ZIONSVILLE
Southeastern will host Zionsville, the No. 8-ranked team in Class 5A, Friday in a 7 p.m. kickoff. Both teams are 2-1 in conference play.
The Eagles are 3-2 overall and have won two in a row, beating Franklin Central 27-0 and Noblesville 24-17 over the previous two weeks. That got Zionsville over the .500 mark after a 1-2 start; the Eagles fell to Pike 26-24, beat Lebanon 42-19 and lost to Westfield 49-16.
Senior Josh Stone is Zionsville’s quarterback and he has had an efficient season so far, completing 67 of 107 attempts for 872 yards and seven touchdowns. Two more seniors are tied for the most receptions: Myles Cox and Luke Baumgartner both have 16 catches; Cox has two TDs and Baumgartner one.
Junior Colin Price leads the Eagles’ rushing contingent with 586 yards and five scores. Junior Otto Kyler and senior Shane Bates are among Zionsville’s top tacklers, with Luke Nolan and senior Zach Bielecki other defensive players to watch out for.
The Royals are 3-2 and fell to Westfield last week 14-3, ending a two-game win streak.
Senior John McCall has had a good season as the Southeastern quarterback, completing 51 of 78 pass attempts for 526 yards and five touchdowns. Martice Taylor is the top receiver, with 17 catches, including three for scores.
Blaine Wertz leads the Royals rushing with 402 yards and five touchdowns. On defense, Nate Haas made 12 tackles last week against Westfield, bringing his total to 36 for the season.
FISHERS-AVON
Fishers travels to Avon Friday evening for a game against the HCC’s two fifth-place teams, both of whom are 1-2 in the league. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
The Orioles are 2-3 this season. After dropping its opener at Lawrence North 62-34, Avon beat Ben Davis 54-13. The Orioles lost to Southeastern 39-28 and Brownsburg 47-29 before rebounding last week against Franklin Central 35-7.
Senior Henry Hesson has some impressive numbers at the midpoint of the regular season, totaling 1,121 yards and 14 touchdowns on 63-of-106 passing. Senior Wallace Stovall has 31 of those catches, including four touchdowns, while senior Remington Gall counts seven scores among his 16 receptions.
Junior Chrishon McCray is on top of the rushing list with 435 yards and five touchdowns. Senior Clayton Peters has been dominant on defense with 53 tackles, eight of them for a loss.
The Tigers are 1-4 overall, having dropped their last two games. Senior quarterback Lucas Prewitt has solid numbers, completing 63 of 115 pass attempts for 793 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Landon Morris has 24 catches so far, including three TDs.
Sophomore Carson Dunn leads the rushing with 368 yards and two scores. On defense, senior Seth Dunnuck tops the tackling list with 45, followed by senior Billy Reiter with 41. Junior Curtis Kearshner has five tackles for a loss and three sacks.
NOBLESVILLE-FRANKLIN CENTRAL
Noblesville welcomes Franklin Central on Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff between two teams looking for their first conference wins of the season after 0-3 starts in the league.
The Flashes are 1-4 overall. After beating Perry Meridian 40-14 in its opener, Franklin Central has since fallen to Roncalli 36-6, Brownsburg 35-7, Zionsville 27-0 and Avon 35-7.
Senior Colin Badgero is the Flashes’ quarterback, and he is passing at a 55-of-122 clip for 471 yards and one touchdown. Junior Bryan Marshall is the top receiver with 18 catches, followed by junior Dionte Stephenson with 15 receptions and a touchdown.
Franklin Central has two solid runners. Senior Josh Ruley is on top of the list with 364 yards and five scores, followed by junior Aataeveon Jordan with 276 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Vaughn Taylor leads the defense with 51 tackles, followed by senior Ben Massey with 45 stops.
The Millers are 1-4 and will look to break a three-game losing streak Friday night. Noblesville is getting closer, as it nearly came back against Zionsville last week. The Millers erased a big halftime deficit before the Eagles escaped with a 24-17 win.
Junior Owen Jones is Noblesville’s top rusher with 360 yards and three touchdowns to his credit, while senior Holden Montarsi has gained 259 yards and scored twice. Junior quarterback Conner Meindering has thrown for 146 yards and a touchdown, with sophomore Chance Yeager making four catches.
On defense, senior Skyler Tolliver leads the way with 38 tackles, including 5.5 for a loss. Junior Sam Steinhofer has six tackles for a loss, while junior Alairic Rogers-Walton also has 5.5 tackles for a loss, and leads in sacks with 3.5.
SHERIDAN-TAYLOR
Sheridan will continue Hoosier Heartland Conference play Friday by welcoming Taylor to Bud Wright Stadium. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
The Titans are 0-3 in the conference and 1-4 overall. Taylor beat North White 32-12 in its opener, but has since lost to North Miami 40-30, Carroll 56-28, Eastern 61-0 and Clinton Central 62-6.
The Blackhawks are 1-1 in HHC play and 3-1 overall. Sheridan got its first league win last week by beating Clinton Prairie 34-7.
The Blackhawks’ traditional running game has been out in full force, led by senior Cameron Hovey’s 765 yards and nine touchdowns. Junior quarterback Silas DeVaney has thrown for 143 yards and two touchdowns, with junior Cale Cummings and senior Keenan Warren both catching one TD pass.
On defense, Hovey and sophomore Jacob Jones each have 45 tackles. Jones has made six tackles for a loss and also has five sacks for the season.
CARMEL-NORTH CENTRAL
Carmel will make a short drive to North Central on Friday for a 7 p.m. game with the Panthers.
It will be a game between two top 10 6A teams, as North Central is rated No. 5 and the Greyhounds are tied for eighth. The Panthers had won their first four games of the season, beating Fishers 40-20, Hamilton Southeastern 36-35, Warren Central 10-0 and Lawrence North 27-21, before getting stunned by Center Grove 47-0 last week. North Central is 2-1 in MIC play
Senior Zayd Vestal is the NC quarterback, and he has completed 58 of 95 passes for 798 yards and eight touchdowns. Senior Theran Johnson leads the reception list with 22 catches, including four TDs.
Another senior, David Smith, is the Panthers’ top rusher with 384 yards and three touchdowns. Junior Zion Woods has 47 tackles on defense, with senior Micah Green making 42 tackles, including nine for a loss.
Carmel is also 2-1 in the MIC and 3-2 overall, having won its last two games. Junior quarterback Zach Osborne is 49-of-103 through the air with 590 yards and six touchdowns to his credit. Senior Colton Parker has 17 of those catches, including three for TDs.
Osborne also leads the rushing list with 254 yards and four touchdowns. Senior Tamarris Springfield is the top Greyhounds tackler with 41 stops. Junior Hayden Cate has three sacks.
HAMILTON HEIGHTS-TWIN LAKES
Hamilton Heights will travel to Monticello on Friday to take on unbeaten Twin Lakes. This game kicks off at 7:30 p.m.
The Indians are 4-0 for the season, having been idle on Week 3. In between that off week, Twin Lakes beat Northwestern 48-6, Seeger 42-15, Tindley 20-6 and Benton Central 30-12.
Senior Lewis Dellinger has been the main quarterback for the Indians, completing 38 of 65 pass attempts for 487 yards and nine touchdowns. Senior Gage Businger has 11 of those catches, including four TDs.
Senior Jaylen Roush is Twin Lakes’ top rusher with 234 yards and two touchdowns. Right behind him is sophomore Saige Brandt, with 230 yards and four TDs. Junior Brandon Franscoviak has 39 tackles on defense, with Roush making four tackles for a loss. Junior Kayvion Jackson has four sacks.
The Huskies are 2-3 for the season, but are on a two-game win streak. Heights beat Northwestern 41-7 two weeks ago and scored a dramatic overtime victory over Western last week 19-18.
Junior quarterback Guy Griffey is 30-of-68 through the air, totaling 525 yards and eight touchdowns. Juniors Isaac Tuma and Gavin Bramel each have eight catches, with Tuma hauling in four TDs and Bramel three.
Sophomore Trey Ehman has gained 445 rushing yards and scored four touchdowns. Junior Harrison Hochstedler leads the tackling list with 50 stops and has also made three sacks.
GUERIN CATHOLIC-BISHOP CHATARD
Guerin Catholic will finish Circle City Conference play Friday at Bishop Chatard. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
The Trojans are ranked No. 1 in Class 3A with a 4-1 record. Chatard has beaten Brebeuf Jesuit 27-14, East Central 10-0, Roncalli 28-7 and Southport 42-0; its only loss is to 5A No. 1 Cathedral, 39-20.
Quarterback Carter St. John threw for 336 yards and four touchdowns in the Trojans’ victory over Southport. Thomas Coleman caught all four of those TD passes, half of his eight overall catches.
The Golden Eagles are 1-2, having dropped their last two games. In last week’s game with Roncalli, quarterback Sam Miller completed 11 of 18 passes for 72 yards. Jagger Albert led the rushing with 64 yards.
