Fishers-Hamilton Southeastern rivalry fest culminates in football matchup
By RICHIE HALL
This past week has been rivalry week in Hamilton County, and it all concludes tonight with Week 4 of the football season.
There will be some huge games between backyard rivals, including the annual Mudsock game. Fishers travels to Hamilton Southeastern tonight for a 7 p.m. kickoff, in a game that will likely draw thousands of fans to TCU Field. Last year’s game saw 8,000 people in attendance.
“We try and treat this game like any other game,” said Fishers coach Curt Funk. “Keep the schedule the same and focus on getting better each day. We want them to enjoy the moment and make memories but still stay levelheaded and focused.”
“We remind them that this game is a step in the process of us getting to where we want to be in our growth,” said HSE coach Michael Kelly. “We try to get them focused on how they play rather than who they are playing. We do not ask them to play perfectly, we expect them to play hard and with great effort.”
Here’s another similarity between the previous Mudsock game and this year’s game: Both teams are unbeaten (3-0) coming into the contest. The Royals are also rated No. 4 in the Class 6A Associated Press media poll and No. 5 in the IFCA coaches’ poll. The Tigers are receiving votes in both polls.
Southeastern toughed out a 12-7 victory at Lawrence Central for its first game, then ran through North Central 45-14 and Avon 48-13 in its next two. The Royals have gotten solid play from senior quarterback Ty Bradle, who has completed 43 of 68 passes for 406 yards and six touchdowns.
Junior Donovan Hamilton has 16 catches for four touchdowns, while junior Jalen Alexander has rushed for 297 yards and two scores. Senior Griffen Haas leads the defense with 19 tackles, with senior Shane Gastineau and junior Judah Parker each getting 17 stops.
“HSE has a strong defense, and they play fast to the ball,” said Funk. “They make you earn every yard and create turnovers and three and outs.”
Fishers has made its way to 3-0 with victories over North Central 34-0, Pike 28-17 and Noblesville 49-25. Senior quarterback Lucas Minns has had a consistent start, going 18-for-30 with 338 yards and three TDs. Senior Aidan Zimmer has nine catches, while sophomore JonAnthony Hall has two touchdown receptions.
Junior Khobie Martin leads the rushing with 300 yards and three touchdowns, while senior Carson Dunn has 224 yards and five touchdowns. Senior Grady Stanley is on top of the defense with 22 tackles, followed by junior Ryan Cox with 21 tackles. Kelly said Fishers is a balanced team “that is playing with a lot of confidence.”
“They are well coached, disciplined, and play hard which is always a good combination for success,” said Kelly. The coach also said the Tigers are “talented in the skill positions,” and their offensive linemen and defensive line “are very good.”
WESTFIELD-NOBLESVILLE
This year’s chapter of the Noblesville-Westfield football rivalry will be written at the Millers’ new Beaver Stadium. Kickoff for that game is at 7 p.m.
Both teams will come into the game with 2-1 records. The Shamrocks are tied for seventh in the 6A AP poll and No. 10 in the coaches poll, while Noblesville is getting votes in the AP poll.
“We love playing our neighbors,” said Westfield coach Jake Gilbert. “It is definitely fun! But ultimately we have to focus on what’s in front of us every Friday night. They are a good football team so we’ll have to lock in and play our best.”
The Shamrocks dropped their opener at New Palestine 42-28, then rebounded to beat Lawrence Central 42-27 and Zionsville 23-16, both at home. Senior quarterback Cole Ballard is off to a nice start, with a 23-of-37 completion rate and 334 yards, including three touchdowns. Sophomore Gabe Aramboles leads the receptions with six, while junior Maximus Nosler has two TD catches.
Sophomore Kendall Garnett tops the rushing list with 161 yards, while Ballard has run for four touchdowns. Senior Tyler Dikos has 19 tackles, putting him on top of that list.
“They have done a great job of figuring out how to win close games the past couple of weeks,” said Millers coach Dave Sharpe. He had high praise for the newcomers as well.
“Although they have a lot of new faces on both sides of the ball, their winning culture really showed in the third and fourth quarter of their Week 2 game,” said Sharpe. “They feel confident they’re going to win games in the second half. It’s going to take an outstanding four-quarter effort from our team.”
Noblesville opened the season with wins over Mount Vernon 43-35 and Benet Academy 21-13 before falling to Fishers last week 49-25. Junior Logan Shoffner has already rushed for 445 yards, an average of 148.3 yards per contest. Gage Gulley (260 yards) and Blake Widget (161 yards) have both rushed for four touchdowns, with Shoffner rushing for three.
Freshman quarterback Landon Hughes is 8-for-21, with 132 yards and a touchdown pass so far this season. Junior Austin Hastings has dominated the defense with 37 tackles.
“I think their offense is extremely dangerous,” said Gilbert. “They are huge. They can hold the ball for forever. They execute extremely well and have great ball security. Their backs hide behind those big offensive linemen and squirt out on you at full speed. They are tough to stop.”
BREBEUF JESUIT-GUERIN CATHOLIC
The football game between Brebeuf Jesuit and Guerin Catholic will be the culmination of a sports tripleheader taking place at the Eagles Nest on Friday.
The two teams will face off in boys tennis and volleyball first, with each contest beginning at 5 p.m. The football game then kicks off at 7:30 p.m. The Braves are 1-1, while the Golden Eagles are perfect at 3-0.
Brebeuf is tied for seventh in the 4A coaches’ poll and rated No. 8 in the AP rankings. The Braves dropped their opener to Bishop Chatard 24-13, then beat Tri-West 36-8 in Week 2. Brebeuf did not play a Week 3 game.
Guerin Catholic, meanwhile, is ranked No. 5 in both 3A polls, and should be highly-rated after a good start. The Golden Eagles have taken care of McCutcheon 45-21, Lafayette Central Catholic 47-10 and Heritage Christian 35-21. This will be GC’s first Circle City Conference game of the season.
Junior Ryan Zimmerman is having an outstanding start, passing at a 62-92 clip for 985 yards and eight touchdowns. Senior Will Fremion has 23 catches, including five scores, while junior Jack Cherry has 18 receptions.
Senior Justin Zdobylak has rushed for 221 yards and four touchdowns. Senior Anthony Ferrucci leads the tackles with 34, while junior Gavin Stella has 27 stops, six for a loss.
PIKE-CARMEL
Carmel is at home for the second week in a row, taking on Pike in a 7 p.m. kickoff.
The Red Devils are 0-3 to start the season, falling to Zionsville 31-24, Fishers 28-17 and Ben Davis 38-0.
The Greyhounds are 1-2, but the losses have been to good teams: Louisville Trinity 17-7 and Center Grove 31-27. Carmel got its first win last week, beating Cass Technical 35-21. The ‘Hounds are No. 6 in the 6A coaches’ poll and tied for seventh in the AP poll.
Senior quarterback Jack Kazmierczak is playing well, completing 40 of 62 pass attempts for 666 yards and seven touchdowns. Senior Reece Bellin has 16 catches, five for touchdowns.
Senior Nick Beidl leads the rushing with 111 yards. Senior Will Heldt and Mason Bardwell each have 31 tackles to lead the defense.
HAMILTON HEIGHTS-NORTHWESTERN
Hamilton Heights goes back on the road tonight to play Northwestern in its first Hoosier Conference East Division game. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
The Tigers are 1-2 to start the season. Northwestern began with a 33-7 victory over Twin Lakes, but fell to Eastern 53-30 and Lafayette Central Catholic 42-13 in subsequent games.
The Huskies are 2-1. Heights opened with a 34-7 win at Lapel, dropped a 14-7 game at North Montgomery, then rebounded with a 21-0 shutout of Rensselaer Central last week on its new turf field.
Junior quarterback Bodie Derrer is 28-of-49 through the air, with 494 yards and seven touchdowns to his credit. Sophomore Tyler Champion has been impressive with 13 receptions, five of them for TDs.
Junior Owen VanHaaren leads the rushing with 151 yards. Juniors Ethan Millsaps and Eric Balcom both are on top of the defense with 26 tackles each.
SHERIDAN-DELPHI
Sheridan travels to Delphi tonight for a 7 p.m. Hoosier Heartland Conference game. The Blackhawks are 2-0 in conference play and 2-1 overall, and are receiving votes in both 1A polls.
The Oracles are 0-3, falling to Benton Central 20-14, Carroll 39-6 and Eastern 49-0.
Sheridan rebounded from a 35-12 season-opening loss to Western Boone with big wins over Clinton Central 47-0 and Tri-Central 54-7. Senior Peyton Cross has gained 318 yards rushing, followed closely by junior Zach Bales with 313 yards. Both players have scored four touchdowns.
Sophomore Caleb Alexander has made 9 of 15 pass attempts for 147 yards and a pair of scores, with junior Trent DeCraene making six catches. Cross and senior Jacob Jones both have 27 tackles, with Bales making 26 stops.