The first all-Hamilton County football game of the season will take place at Fishers on Friday, as the Tigers welcome Noblesville to their field for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
The Millers will be heading to this Hoosier Crossroads Conference game coming off a big win at Terre Haute South last Friday, improving its record to 1-1 for the season. Noblesville swept past the Braves 50-0, the first time it had scored more than 50 points since the Millers beat Lawrence North 55-50 in a wild season opener in 2015.
Noblesville accomplished its victory by keeping its feet on the ground. The Millers racked up 401 yards of rushing offense, while never attempting a pass during the game. Owen Jones ran for a touchdown and totaled 154 yards in five carries.
Jones has emerged as the leading rusher for Noblesville, with 196 yards in nine carries, a remarkable 21.8 yards per carry average. Two other Millers runners, Andrew Petrulis (108) and Holden Montarsi (104) are also over the 100-yard mark.
“Noblesville is a physical football team with a strong running game,” said Fishers coach Curt Funk. “Last week they looked impressive in their 50-0 victory over Terre Haute South. They play with confidence and are a good football team.”
Alairic Rogers-Walton and Blaine McNabb are currently leading the Millers defense with nine tackles each. Sam Steinhofer has 3.5 tackles for a loss.
Fishers will come into the game 0-2, after dropping contests to Metropolitan Conference opponents North Central 40-20 and Pike 28-14.
“We need to finish drives and clean up our mistakes,” said Funk. “We have moved the ball in the first two weeks, but have struggled to finish and a result has been playing catchup against two good football teams. Our players have reacted with a positive attitude and are ready to start conference play against a good Noblesville football team.”
The Tigers have already gotten some impressive numbers out of quarterback Lucas Prewitt. The senior went 23-for-41 last week against the Red Devils, totaling 273 yards. Prewitt already has 414 yards to his credit for the season.
Prewitt also has two great receivers to work with. Both senior Landon Morris and junior Jeffrey Simmons have 11 receptions for the season.
“They really have two of the biggest, most talented wide receivers that you’re going to find around,” said Millers coach Dave Sharpe.
Sophomore Carson Dunn leads the Fishers rushing game with 68 yards for the season. Senior Joey Slimak is the top tackler for the Tigers with 18 stops, followed by Seth Dunnuck’s 15 tackles. Juniors Curtis Kearshner and Andre Glover both have three tackles for losses.
“I think they’re good enough to know that if you focus on those two kids, they can beat you with their inside run game and outside run game,” said Sharpe. He said the Tigers have “a complete offense” that has gone up against two of the top defenses in the state.
“So they are battle-tested and they have our full attention,” said Sharpe. “It’s going to be a difficult matchup for our offense, but it’s something that our kids are very fired up about it..”
CARMEL-CENTER GROVE
Carmel will head south on Friday to begin MIC play at Center Grove. This is the “Copper Kettle” game, and it kicks off at 7 p.m.
The Trojans are off to a 2-0 start. They overwhelmed Decatur Central 56-14 to open the season, then shutout Warren Central 20-0 last week in the first MIC game of the year.
Center Grove’s Tayven Jackson is off to an efficient start as quarterback. He has made 13 of his 22 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore Gage Rees has six of those catches, totaling 170 yards.
Senior Carson Steele leads the Trojans’ rushing, totaling 143 yards in 28 carries and three touchdowns. Defensive players to watch out for include senior Matt Hohlt, with 10 season tackles, and junior Caden Curry, who has 4.5 tackles for a loss and two sacks.
The Greyhounds will be looking to rebound after a 44-28 loss to Cathedral last week, which dropped their record to 1-1. Zach Osborne threw for 176 yards and a touchdown against the Irish; his season totals thus far are 26-for-49 passing for 285 yards and two scores.
Osborne also leads Carmel’s rushing with 109 yards, while Colton Parker has 11 catches and Jaedon King has made eight receptions. Senior Andrew Turvy and junior Solomon Williams each have 16 tackles.
SOUTHEASTERN-AVON
Hamilton Southeastern will begin HCC play on the road, traveling to Avon for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
The Orioles are 1-1 for the season. Avon fell to Lawrence North 62-34 in its first game, then picked up a victory over Ben Davis, 54-13. Already, the Orioles have posted some spectacular numbers.
Senior quarterback Henry Hesson has thrown for 586 yards in his first two games, completing 32 of 46 passes, including eight touchdowns. Senior Wallace Stovall has caught 17 of those receptions, including four TDs, for 315 yards. Junior Joe Hall has seven catches for 193 yards, including three touchdowns.
Junior Chrishon McCray is the Orioles’ top rushers with 192 yards and three scores in 33 carries. Seniors Josh Jones and Clayton Peters both have 16 tackles, with Peters and senior Sam Shockley both making three tackles for losses.
The Royals will also come into this game 1-1, after being dealt a tough loss to North Central, 36-35, last week. Senior quarterback John McCall has stepped up big for Southeastern, already totaling 333 yards on a 26-of-36, or 72.2 percent, passing rate.
Junior Martice Taylor has six of those receptions, including a touchdown, for 142 yards. Another junior, Blaine Wertz, leads the rushing with 113 yards and three scores. Sophomore Cole Earlewine and senior Giovanni Ragland both have 11 tackles this season, with sophomore Evan Sherrill making five for a loss and four sacks.
SHERIDAN-TRI-CENTRAL
Sheridan will play its third home game in a row on Friday, welcoming Tri-Central to Bud Wright Stadium for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
The Trojans will come into this Hoosier Heartland Conference game 2-0. Tri-Central beat Frankton 12-6 to open the season, then edged Wes-Del 13-8.
“They’re a decent football team,” said Sheridan coach Bud Wright.
So far, the Trojans have done much of their damage on the ground. Senior Holden Rayl is the leading rusher with 207 yards and two touchdowns, while senior Mason Pickens has gained 187 yards and one TD.
Pickens is also the quarterback, and has thrown for 90 yards and a touchdown. If that weren’t enough, Pickens has 14 tackles on defense, tied for the top of the list with senior Garrett Graves. Senior Conner Hindman has four tackles for a loss, and both he and Rayl have made three sacks.
Sheridan will also come into the game 2-0, with victories over Western Boone 21-20 and Benton Central 48-6. The Blackhawks will be without 12 players due to various reasons. Wright said his team will “play with what we got” and do the best it can.
“We’ll just have to see what we can do,” said Wright. “When you got that many kids out, you can’t practice very good all week long. So we’re going in, not knowing exactly what to expect.”
WESTFIELD-ZIONSVILLE
Westfield will also play a third consecutive home game, welcoming Zionsville for a 7 p.m. kickoff to open HCC play.
The Eagles are 1-1 to begin the season. Zionsville lost a close game to Pike 26-24 in Week 1, then took care of Boone County rival Lebanon 42-19. The Eagles have a solid senior quarterback in Josh Stone, who has completed 18 of 33 attempts for 209 yards and three touchdowns in his team’s game with Pike.
Westfield is also 1-1 for the season. The Shamrocks rebounded after a season-opening loss to Cathedral to beat Harrison 34-10 last Friday. Nick Talley completed 14 of 19 pass attempts against the Raiders, totaling 181 yards and a touchdown. Maximus Webster threw for two touchdowns. Mason Piening and Nic DePasquale both had five catches, while Jack Pfeiffer rushed for 105 yards and a score.
HEIGHTS-WEST LAFAYETTE
Hamilton Heights finally gets to play a game at its home field on Friday. The Huskies welcome West Lafayette, in a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.
The Red Devils are 1-1 for the season, falling to Lafayette Jefferson 27-16 in their first game. West Lafayette then smashed McCutcheon 41-3 last Friday.
Senior Colin Martin has put up some solid numbers already, completing 37 of 60 attempts for 361 yards and a touchdown. Junior Cannon Melchi has made 20 of those catches for 160 yards and the score.
Junior Brice Rider has rushed for 290 yards and four touchdowns. Junior Jaxon Deutsch leads the defense with 19 tackles.
The Huskies are 0-2 for the season, with losses to Lapel 42-19 and North Montgomery 31-7. Junior Guy Griffey has already passed for 295 yards and four touchdowns. Junior Gavin Bramel has six of those receptions, totaling 144 yards and two touchdowns.
