By CRAIG ADKINS
NOBLESVILLE – It didn’t take long to figure out how they would take control of the Hoosier Crossroads Conference opener on the road, but the Fishers Tigers proved themselves in lopsided 28-7 win at Noblesville on Friday night.
Seventh-ranked Fishers was out to make a statement on in the HCC opener and it wasted very little time in establishing their rushing attack against Noblesville.
The first possession of the game saw Fishers run right through Noblesville’s defense for eight plays and 56 yards, resulting in senior quarterback Marcus Roux sneaking it in from one-yard out for an early 7-0 lead.
After forcing the Millers to punt following a quick three and out, the Tigers marched right down the field again. This time it was senior tailback Dylan Scally that punched it in from the one, pushing the advantage to 14-0.
Noblesville’s defense did not have an answer for the Fishers rushing game and they made that quite obvious very early in the first quarter.
“We run what we run. We didn’t do anything real special for them. We just ran our offense and we executed it very well,” said Fishers head coach Rick Wimmer on the Tigers’ steady rushing that was key to victory.
The second quarter also belonged to the Tigers and they showed no letting up. The defense forced another punt that turned into another QB sneak from Roux from the one-yard line to get Fishers comfortable at 21-0.
The Millers just weren’t able to muster anything offensively during the first half. Another punt gave the Tigers another opportunity to score and that’s exactly what they did.
This drive took just five plays and 75 yards of offense. Roux found a wide open Reggie Cook-Graham down the middle for a 33-yard touchdown strike that put the Fishers up now 28-0, leaving Noblesville searching for answers.
Grayden Addison got out his boom stick and sailed a spiral punt that was downed at the four-yard line, netting 76-yards, pinning the Tigers deep.
Fishers was backed up for the first time of the game. On the second play of the drive, Roux tossed an interception right into the hands of Noblesville junior cornerback Blaine McNabb, returning the pick to the Tiger 18.
A couple penalties on the offensive line put a damper on the slight momentum for the Millers. They were faced with a third and 26 from the 34 of Fishers. Addison was brought in for a 51-yard field goal attempt, but the kick fell just short of the crossbar and Noblesville trailing by four scores at the half.
“We were just trying to find guys. They didn’t do a good job in the first half. This group is so young, inexperienced,” stated Noblesville head coach Justin Roden on his team’s play in the first half.
The second half became a different story on both sides on the ball. Fishers had put the game into cruise control and Noblesville was doing everything that they could to try to get back into the game.
Forced to punt once again, Addison sent another great kick toward midfield. Tiger punt returner Reece Boland called for a fair catch, but mishandled the return right into the hands of Miller senior Kody Leach, giving the football right back to Noblesville.
For the Millers, it was just another night that their offense would struggle to produce.
Noblesville’s special teams shined again, this time punting toward the Fishers goal line. Boland muffed the punt inside his own 10, allowing Blaine McNabb recovered the ball in the end zone for the Millers’ lone score at 28-7.
“I just think, physically, in the second half they still were able to run the ball,” Roden continued on Fishers’ rushing game.
“We’re going to bend. I’m OK with bending. We’re trying to do some many things. Fix is not the right word and when you try to do that, you make mistakes. We did a better job of that in the second half,” Roden said on his team not giving up, trying to make things work.
Overall, Fishers showed that it is a solid football team. It doesn’t just come down to what the Tigers did offensively. Their defense showed their true worth by holding Noblesville’s offense under 100 total yards, as the Millers netted 75 yards.
“I don’t think we can get away from this and not talk about the job of our defense. They were just phenomenal, but for a half our offense was played on the part of our defense. It’s what we have been looking for and it’s the best half of football we’ve played, I think, especially with the running game,” Wimmer said of his defense and in turn how well the offense ran.
Noblesville (0-3, 0-1 HCC) was held to just one first down on the ground and another by penalty. It was a night where the Millers searched for offense and came up empty, limited to just 66 rushing yards and nine passing.
The Millers hit the road west to face HCC rival Westfield (2-1, 1-0 HCC), who won big at Zionsville, 51-24.
Fishers (3-0, 1-0 HCC) dominated all facets with 328 total yards, including 211 rushing. Dylan Scally carried 20 times for 118 yards and a touchdown. Shaun Kim had a great night spelling Scally, rushing 94 yards on 18 rushes. Marcus Roux didn’t need to run much for his two touchdowns in three carries.
The Tigers will host Hamilton Southeastern for the battle of the Mudsock next week. The Royals lost a home game Friday to top-rated Avon, 35-27.
Fishers tailback Shaun Kim (center, 35) rushed for 94 yards during the Tigers’ 28-7 win over Noblesville Friday at the Millers’ Beaver Materials Field. Also pictured for Fishers is Jeffrey Simmons (86). (Kirk Green)
Noblesville quarterback Alex Zavac looks to throw while being pursued by Fishers linebacker Billy Reiter. (Kent Graham)