By CRAIG ADKINS
For The Reporter
Carmel: The 6A No. 9 Greyhounds (2-1) head south down Interstate 65 just over the Kentucky border to the Louisville area to face a perennial powerhouse in the Trinity Shamrocks (1-2). The No. 2-ranked Shamrocks started the season going 1-1 in back-to-back home games. Last week, they went on the road and got sent packing with a 34-7 loss at 6A No. 2 Center Grove.
Carmel convincingly climbed back into the 6A top 10 as No. 10 following a 39-0 shutout of Detroit’s Martin Luther King, one of the top teams in Michigan. Defense seems to be back at the forefront for the ‘Hounds and it’ll have to be even better on Friday at Trinity. The Shamrocks lead the overall series 4-3. This will be a 7:30 kickoff for those Carmel fans making the trip south.
Fishers: Scoring 132 points in their first three games for a 44 per game average, the 6A No. 6 Tigers (3-0, 1-0 HCC) are gaining the watchful eyes around the state. Fishers allowed its first points of the year in a 48-22 HCC win at Noblesville last week.
The Tigers host their biggest game of the young season, welcoming their neighbors in the school district, the Hamilton Southeastern Royals. The battle for the Mudsock is one of the best rivalry games around and this year will be even better with both coming in undefeated. HSE leads the series that dates back to 2006 by a 15-11 tally.
Guerin Catholic: The Golden Eagles (3-0) keep holding tight to the 3A No. 2 ranking heading into Week 4. Out-scoring McCutcheon, Lafayette Central Catholic and Heritage Christian by an 86-20, Guerin cruised through the first three games of its non-conference portion of their schedule.
The Golden Eagles get their first Circle City Conference test this Friday at Brebeuf Jesuit (2-1). Last week, the Golden Eagles put up another solid defensive effort in a 31-7 road win at Heritage Christian. The Braves have won two straight over Tri-West and at Mishawaka Marian after dropping their opener to Bishop Chatard.
Hamilton Heights: The Huskies (3-0) are off to their best start since 2016. One thing that helps Heights is that they’ve had the privilege of playing on their home turf for the first three games to open up the season. Taking advantage of being at home, Hamilton Heights has had a handle on Lapel, North Montgomery and Lafayette Central Catholic 69-26, including last week’s shutout over 1A perennial power Central Catholic, 15-0.
Heights has finally been recognized for its undefeated start. The Huskies come into Week 4 ranked No. 12 in Class 3A AP poll. They’ll have their first road game of the season on Friday, opening up Hoosier Conference East Division play at Northwestern (1-2). The Tigers won a shootout last week at Benton Central (50-48) after losing their first two to Twin Lakes and Eastern (Greentown).
Hamilton Southeastern: The 6A No. 4 Royals (3-0, 1-0 HCC) have scored 105 points to start off the season with three consecutive wins. HSE cruised comfortably to a 42-23 win to start its HCC slate last Friday.
Southeastern takes the shortest road trip in the state to face Fishers for the battle for the Mudsock. The Royals have won five in a row in the series, including capturing the last three Mudsock matchups. HSE also holds the edge 15-11 since the two split and started competing against each other during the 2006-07 school year.
Noblesville: The Millers (2-1, 0-1 HCC) hope to get its offensive groove back this week, but it won’t be easy at all. After combining for 90 points in the first two games, Fishers held Noblesville to just half of its average in a 48-22 loss to the Tigers.
Noblesville takes a short bus ride west on State Road 32 to face another explosive offense in the Westfield Shamrocks for the Midland Trace Trophy. The Millers have lost seven in a row to Westfield.
Sheridan: The Blackhawks (2-1, 1-0 HC) will look for their third win in a row on Friday when they host the Clinton Central Bulldogs (0-2, 0-1 HC). Sheridan has scored 79 to their three opponents’ 47 total, but more importantly, holding Tri-Central scoreless in Sharpsville last week 28-0.
Sheridan stays at 1A No. 8 in both polls this week. The Blackhawks have won 10 in a row in the series with Clinton Central and own a whopping 36-4 advantage overall against the Bulldogs.
Westfield: The ‘Rocks (3-0, 1-0 HCC) have held steady at 6A No. 7 the past two weeks, winning two by one-point. Westfield outlasted Lawrence Central 59-58 in overtime two weeks and survived a road scare last week at Zionsville, winning 28-27.
Westfield hosts the potent offense of Noblesville that will be a big test for both defenses. It will look to continue the current seven-game win streak in the series and hope for a fifth in a row as the two duke it out in the Midland Trace Trophy game. The two have no problem scoring, but it will be a matter of which defense can stop the opposing offense.
