Noblesville opens home slate; Heights, HSE get their first road tests
By CRAIG ADKINS
For The Reporter
Hamilton County teams went 6-2 in their openers and things amp up even more in Week 2. Beaver Stadium pits Homestead against Noblesville, while Hamilton Heights hits the road to Triton Central and Hamilton Southeastern is at North Central.
Week 1 had a few firsts for three football teams in Hamilton County and all three occurred on the road.
In his first game as head coach at Noblesville, John Hebert notched a road win at Mt. Vernon, 21-6. Carmel’s Kevin Wright got his second stint with the Greyhounds off with a bang with a 49-24 win at Fishers. First-year head coach Jake Chesney guided the Sheridan Blackhawks to a comeback win over Greenwood Christian in his first game, 32-29.
The Indiana Football Coaches Association poll entering Week 2 has half of the Hamilton County teams ranked. In Class 6A, Westfield (3), Carmel (6) and Hamilton Southeastern (7) sit solidly in the Top 10. Guerin Catholic is ranked No. 9 in Class 3A.
The USA Today poll has Westfield up at No. 2, while HSE (6) and Carmel (7) flip-flopped spots. Guerin is at No. 11.
Homestead (0-1) at Noblesville (1-0)
There’s a lot of newness for Noblesville. The Millers have a new head coach, some new assistants and new starters on both sides of the football, but most importantly a new offensive look.
Noblesville spread its scoring against the Marauders. Junior Noah Shinkle scored 40 seconds into the game for the early 7-0 lead. Shinkle scored a second time just past the midway point of the third and sophomore Woody Corey II put the icing on the cake halfway through the fourth. The Millers’ defense held tough throughout, as Mount Vernon scored with just five seconds left in the game.
Junior quarterback Windsor Hutchins completed 8 of 12 passes for 77 yards in his debut. Shinkle ran for 67 on 14 carries and sophomore Ethan Clark tallied 49 on 13 rushes. Senior Calvin Moody caught four passes for 37 yards.
The Spartans were blanked last week at Westfield, 35-0.
The Millers lead the series 2-1 and were 49-6 winners at Homestead in 2024.
Hamilton Southeastern (1-0) at North Central (1-0)
Southeastern hits the road for an Hoosier Crossorads Conference/Metropolitan Conference battle with the Panthers. North Central snapped a 32-game losing streak last week with a 35-13 home win over Brebeuf Jesuit. The Royals lead the series with the Panthers 7-5, including a 49-26 home win in 2024.
No. 7 HSE faced a tough No. 15 Fort Wayne Carroll opponent at home in Week 1 and was able to grind out a 14-7 win.
The Royals used a wide receiver pass to get their first TD. Senior quarterback Terry Walker III caught a 23-yard touchdown from fellow senior Kian Kelly three minutes into the game.
The Chargers scored in the second to tie the game 7-7 at halftime. Junior running back Carter Reed found the end zone late in the third that wound up being the final score of the game.
Walker went 12-for-24 for 126 yards in his first start. Senior Kendrick Pennybaker caught five of those passes for 65 yards.
Hamilton Heights (0-1) at Triton Central (1-0)
The Huskies take their first road trip at 2A No. 11 Triton Central team. The Tigers won their Week 1 game against Batesville, 11-10. Last season’s matchup went to overtime with Triton Central winning 17-14.
Hamilton Heights has a record against TC of 6-2.
Heights dropped its season-opener last week to 2A No. 6 Lapel, 23-7. The Huskies got down right away when Lapel ran back the opening kickoff 95 yards for a score. The Bulldogs got a safety on a blocked punt and scored again, creating a 16-0 deficit at halftime.
Junior quarterback Drew Woodruff threw a 22-yard TD pass to Cam Fleming for Heights’ lone score in the third. Fleming caught five for 63.
“I’m excited for what the future’s going to bring this season, because you can build upon that attitude and effort,” said Hamilton Heights head coach Jon Kirschner.