ADAMS CENTRAL (5-0) AT SOUTH ADAMS (5-0)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Starfire Field.
COACHES: Michael Mosser, 72-39 in 10th season at Adams Central. Grant Moser, 21-17 in fourth season at South Adams.
LAST CONTEST: Adams Central beat Heritage, 45-14. South Adams beat Monroe Central, 36-15.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Adams Central, 28-7, on October 20, 2017 in Class 1A sectional opener.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jalen Hammond ran 11 times for 82 yards and a touchdown for the Flying Jets against Heritage. Nick Miller has three catches for 109 yards and a score for the Starfires against Monroe Central.
CHALK TALK: "This week will be our greatest test of the season. South Adams is young, but very talented. We are going to have to play stubborn defense, not allow them to pass all over us, and stop their run game. We are going to have to execute on offense by playing fast and smart and using our skill, experience, and speed to our advantage. Jalen Hammond, Logan Macklin, and Parker Bates will have to lead us to victory this week." – Adams Central's Michael Mosser.
"Adams Central is incredibly well-coached. They start 11 seniors on offense and bring a lot of pressure on defense. They have great team speed and are very disciplined. We will have to play very well to beat them." – South Adams' Grant Moser.
ATTICA (4-1) AT NORTH VERMILLION (4-1)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Gibson Field.
COACHES: Ryan Good, 78-39 in 11th season at Attica. Brian Crabtree, 68-12 in seventh season at North Vermillion, 103-51 in 14th season overall.
LAST CONTEST: Attica beat Fountain Central, 32-8. North Vermillion beat Riverton Parke, 48-6.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Attica, 22-16, on October 20, 2017 in Class 1A sectional opener.
TOP PERFORMERS: Drew Sheridan tallied 14 carries for 68 yards with a touchdown for the Red Ramblers against Fountain Central. Christian Myers scampered 12 times for 92 yards with a score for the Falcons against Riverton Parke.
CHALK TALK: "We will have to handle their defensive pressure by playing well on the offensive line. Our defense will have to play sound assignment football." – North Vermillion's Brian Crabtree.
CARMEL (4-1) AT NORTH CENTRAL (INDIANAPOLIS) (4-1)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Panther Stadium.
COACHES: John Hebert, 32-13 in fourth season at Carmel. Kevin O'Shea, 7-8 in second season at North Central, 221-81 in 26th season overall.
LAST CONTEST: Carmel beat Lawrence North, 23-9. North Central beat Center Grove, 26-14.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Carmel, 10-9, on September 22, 2017.
TOP PERFORMERS: Zach White rambled seven times for 36 yards and a score for the Greyhounds against Lawrence North. Scott Hoeg connected on three extra-points and a 29-yard field goal for the Panthers against Center Grove.
CHALK TALK: "To defeat Carmel, we'll need to handle their defensive pressures, contain their running game, and win the turnover battle." – North Central's Kevin O'Shea.
EVANSVILLE REITZ (3-2) AT EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL (5-0)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. CDT, Enlow Field.
COACHES: Andy Hape, 50-14 in sixth season at Evansville Reitz. John Hurley, 78-53 in 11th season at Evansville Memorial.
LAST CONTEST: Evansville Reitz beat Evansville Harrison, 40-13. Evansville Memorial beat Evansville Bosse, 63-14.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Evansville Memorial, 41-21, on September 22, 2017.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jarrett Naas recorded 10 tackles for the Panthers against Evansville Harrison. Colton Pence had three receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown for the Tigers against Evansville Bosse.
CHALK TALK: "We anticipate a great game this Friday against a tremendous opponent. Coach Hurley's team is well-coached, disciplined, and very talented. We are going to have to play as mistake free as possible and control the line of scrimmage on both sides. If we can get pressure on the quarterback (Michael Lindauer) and control the ball on offense, we feel we have an opportunity to be successful. It should be a great game." – Evansville Reitz's Andy Hape.
"Playing Reitz High School is always a challenge. Coach Hape is a solid football coach and runs a great program. We will have to play sound fundamental offensive and defensive football and stop the run." – Evansville Memorial's John Hurley.
GUERIN CATHOLIC (4-1) AT INDIANAPOLIS BISHOP CHATARD (5-0)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Bishop Chatard Stadium.
COACHES: Tom Dilley, 34-15 in fifth season at Guerin Catholic, 114-92 in 19th season overall. Rob Doyle, 12-6 in second season at Bishop Chatard.
LAST CONTEST: Guerin Catholic beat Columbus North, 17-10. Bishop Chatard beat Southport, 45-26.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Bishop Chatard, 35-7, on September 22, 2017.
TOP PERFORMERS: Charles Bock racked up 16 tackles for the Golden Eagles against Columbus North. Tony Harrison ran 16 times for 104 yards and two touchdowns for the Trojans against Southport.
CHALK TALK: "We are excited to play at Bishop Chatard this week. They are a very talented team that is very well-coached and plays very hard. As always, it begins with running the ball and stopping the run. Throughout the season, our weekly goal is to improve. To compete with the Trojans, we must play our best game of the year." – Guerin Catholic's Tom Dilley.
"Guerin Catholic is a disciplined team and very sound fundamentally. They do not make mistakes. We will need to be very physical on defense in the run game. Offensively, we try to stay balanced, but we ran for over 350 yards last week, and if we can run the ball like that, it will be a good night." – Bishop Chatard's Rob Doyle.
HERITAGE HILLS (5-0) AT GIBSON SOUTHERN (4-1)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. CDT, Jewell Field.
COACHES: Todd Wilkerson, 44-25 in seventh season at Heritage Hills. Nick Hart, 71-10 in seventh season at Gibson Southern.
LAST CONTEST: Heritage Hills beat North Posey, 66-7. Gibson Southern beat Princeton, 41-0.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Gibson Southern, 48-7, on September 22, 2017.
TOP PERFORMERS: Cade Jones raced nine times for 85 yards with a score for the Patriots against North Posey. Dawson White caught four passes for 41 yards with two touchdowns for the Titans against Princeton.
CHALK TALK: "Our offensive and defensive lines must play well. In addition, we can't allow Gibson Southern's offense to rip off big plays. It should be a great high school football game." – Heritage Hills' Todd Wilkerson.
"We are going to have to play mistake-free football on Friday night. Heritage Hills is very talented and very well-coached. They do a great job with their option attack on offense. We are going to have to be very disciplined on defense to get them off of the field. They have done a great job all season of keeping teams out of the end zone. We have to be able to finish drives when we are able to put them together. It is going to take a total team effort and we have to play our best game of the year." – Gibson Southern's Nick Hart.
MISHAWAKA MARIAN (4-1) AT BREMEN (5-0)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Don Bunge Field.
COACHES: Mike Davidson, 4-1 in first season at Marian. Jordan Leeper, 17-10 in third season at Bremen.
LAST CONTEST: Marian beat Jimtown, 24-7. Bremen beat South Bend Clay, 56-7.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Bremen, 21-14, on September 22, 2017.
TOP PERFORMERS: Zack Whitfield racked up 15 tackles for the Knights against Jimtown. Alex Stouder accounted for six rushes for 53 yards and two scores for the Lions against Clay.
CHALK TALK: "In order win on Friday, we have to win up front on both sides of the ball and eliminate mistakes and turnovers. Defensively, we can't give up the big play and offensively, we have to take care of the football." – Marian's Mike Davidson.
"Bremen's offense will have to handle the defensive pressure applied by Mishawaka Marian. Our defense will need to stop Marian on first and second downs and force them into third and long situations." – Bremen's Jordan Leeper.
MONROVIA (4-1) AT BEECH GROVE (4-1)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, The Pit.
COACHES: Kevin Hutchins, 79-39 in 10th season at Monrovia, 96-72 in 15th season overall. Mark Weller, 35-43 in eighth season at Beech Grove, 48-64 in 11th season overall.
LAST CONTEST: Monrovia beat Speedway, 44-14. Beech Grove beat Brown County, 58-14.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Monrovia, 34-9, on September 22, 2017.
TOP PERFORMERS: Corbin Padgett scampered 12 times for 163 yards and a touchdown for the Bulldogs against Speedway. Keyonni Johnson came up with two interceptions for the Hornets against Brown County.
CHALK TALK: "We have to really maximize our mentality focus this week. We can't make the mental errors we have been making and beat good teams like Monrovia." – Beech Grove's Mark Weller.
NORTH CENTRAL (FARMERSBURG) (5-0) AT MACONAQUAH (4-1)
KICKOFF: 8 p.m. EDT, Maconaquah Stadium.
COACHES: Travis Nolting, 56-26 in eighth season at North Central. Austin Colby, 4-1 in first season at Maconaquah.
LAST CONTEST: North Central beat North Knox, 46-24. Maconaquah beat Peru, 36-7.
PREVIOUS MEETING: North Central, 19-16 (2OT), on September 22, 2017.
TOP PERFORMERS: Ty Thompson completed 2-of-3 passes for 56 yards with two touchdowns and ran 15 times for 127 yards and two scores for the Thunderbirds against North Knox. Zack Bullock had 11 rushes for 112 yards and a touchdown for the Braves against Peru.
CHALK TALK: "In order to win this Friday against Maconaquah, we must use our size and strength upfront offensively to control the line of scrimmage. We must also use the tremendous speed we have in our backfield to create big play opportunities. Defensively, we must match Maconaquah physicality and force multiple three and outs. Maconaquah is a Class 3A program with solid coaching. Playing them only makes us better prepared for the Class 1A tournament. We feel that this is the best team we have seen this year, but also feel we are the best team they have faced as well." – North Central's Travis Nolting.
NORTH PUTNAM (4-1) AT NORTHVIEW (5-0)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Knights Stadium.
COACHES: Sam Carnes, 8-7 in second season at North Putnam. Mark Raetz, 43-14 in sixth season at Northview, 58-59 in 12th season overall.
LAST CONTEST: North Putnam beat Cloverdale, 49-14. Northview beat Owen Valley, 70-0.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Northview, 41-35, on September 22, 2017.
TOP PERFORMERS: Kevin Barger hauled in an 87-yard touchdown pass for the Cougars against Cloverdale. M.J. Shelton had three carries for 102 yards and two scores for the Knights against Owen Valley.
CHALK TALK: "Northview is a great team. You can see that by looking at their resume up to this point. They haven't allowed more than 26 points all year and haven't scored less than 35 points all year. We have to stop their run plays on first and second down and force them to throw on third down. On third down, we have to stop No. 1 (Trevor Cook) and No. 7 (Trey Shaw) from making big plays. On offense, we have to pick up their blitzes and stunts and eliminate unforced errors." – North Putnam's Sam Carnes.
"For us to beat North Putnam this week, we must execute well in all phases of the game, focus on doing our job every play, and block and tackle well. Ball security is important as usual." – Northview's Mark Raetz.
NORTHRIDGE (3-2) AT NORTHWOOD (5-0)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Andrews Field.
COACHES: Tom Wogomon, 40-21 in sixth season at Northridge, 65-58 in 12th season overall. Nate Andrews, 40-14 in fifth season at NorthWood, 80-53 in 12th season overall.
LAST CONTEST: Northridge lost to Warsaw, 37-14. NorthWood beat Wawasee, 57-13.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Northridge, 24-14, on September 22, 2017.
TOP PERFORMERS: Tanner Barber accounted for 10 tackles for the Raiders against Warsaw. In addition to throwing a 24-yard touchdown pass, Nate Newcomer also grabbed an interception for the Panthers against Wawasee.
CHALK TALK: "NorthWood is an outstanding football team. They are a confident, well-coached team that knows what they want to do. Bronson Yoder is one of those guys that plays the game of football at a whole different level. I will be glad that after this year we won't have to worry about defending him. We are going to have to do a number of things well if we have any hope to be successful this Friday. We need to play outstanding in the special teams' department. We will need to be the more physical team on Friday. Northwood's defense is very opportunistic and they create turnovers. We must take care of the football and we also need to create turnovers ourselves on defense." – Northridge's Tom Wogogmon.
"We must run the football and stop the run to be successful Friday." – NorthWood's Nate Andrews.
SHENANDOAH (4-1) AT HAGERSTOWN (4-1)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Cory Field.
COACHES: Jordan McCaslin, 13-4 in second season at Shenandoah. Scott Snodgrass, 46-34 in eighth season at Hagerstown, 55-94 in 15th season overall.
LAST CONTEST: Shenandoah beat Wes-Del, 55-6. Hagerstown beat Cambridge City Lincoln, 36-0.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Shenandoah, 22-12, on August 18, 2017.
TOP PERFORMERS: Dallas Rigsley carried the football 10 times for 82 yards with two touchdowns for the Raiders against Wes-Del. Ryan Golliher finished with 11 tackles for the Tigers against Cambridge City.
CHALK TALK: "Hagerstown is a well-coached and talented football team. They have a rich tradition when it comes to football. Our games have been close the last couple seasons and we expect the same. To beat them, we must be ready for the challenge of playing on the road. We are coming off four straight home games, so being able to be a mature football team and get the job done on the road is our priority this week. We must limit our mistakes and be able to fight through adversity. We are looking forward to a fun and exciting football game Friday." – Shenandoah's Jordan McCaslin.
"For us to get a win vs. Shenandoah this week, we will have to match their physicality and play very solid fundamental football. They have great size and speed up front and at the skill positions, so we will have to contain their athletes and eliminate the opportunity for them to have big plays. On the offensive side of the ball, we will have to find a way to deal with their big, fast, and solid defensive line and linebacker group. We will need to be on top of our game." – Hagerstown's Scott Snodgrass.
SOUTH BEND SAINT JOSEPH (4-1) AT PENN (4-1)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, TCU Freed Field.
COACHES: Bryon Whitten, 11-16 in third season at Saint Joseph. Cory Yeoman, 170-33 in 16th season at Penn.
LAST CONTEST: Saint Joseph beat Elkhart Central, 29-27. Penn beat South Bend Adams, 48-14.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Penn, 30-14, on September 22, 2017.
TOP PERFORMERS: Casey Conery came up with 11 tackles and a fumble recovery for the Indians against Elkhart Central. Brock Boynton had six receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown for the Kingsmen against Adams.
CHALK TALK: "To win Friday night against Penn, we have to play mistake-free football. Penn is an excellent team that makes opponents pay for their mistakes. We need to eliminate turnovers and big plays due to physical or mental errors. If we can play mistake-free football and stay on track or even ahead of the chains regarding down and distance, I like how that will play out Friday night." – Saint Joseph's Bryon Whitten.
"We need to continue to makes positive strides in all three phases of our football team." – Penn's Cory Yeoman.
WHITELAND (4-1) AT MARTINSVILLE (5-0)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. EDT, Siderewicz Field.
COACHES: Darrin Fisher, 93-59 in 14th season at Whiteland, 154-131 in 28th season overall. Carter Whitson, 11-5 in second season at Martinsville.
LAST CONTEST: Whiteland beat Perry Meridian, 52-17. Martinsville beat Franklin, 30-7.
PREVIOUS MEETING: Martinsville, 43-33, on September 22, 2017.
TOP PERFORMERS: Melvin Taylor recorded five rushes for 70 yards and a score for the Warriors against Perry Meridian. Michael Hoppel caught six passes for 94 yards for the Artesians against Franklin.
CHALK TALK: "Martinsville is a quarterback driven offense. He (Travis Griffey) is an excellent runner and good deep ball passer. Stopping the run with our front six and staying in coverage is an emphasis this week. Offensively, we will look to use our running game to control the pace of the game." – Whiteland's Darrin Fisher.
"It starts early in the week with Whiteland by getting familiar with their offense. They are very unique and it gives teams a hard time no matter what defense you play. Add on that their tailback, No. 1 (Jake Perry), is a really good player and that makes them dangerous on offense. We have to stop the run and make them throw the ball. Coach Fisher does a great job and they'll have answers for our adjustments. It will be a big chess match with their offense and our defense. Offensively, we need to put it all together. We still feel like we haven't played a full game up to our potential. They are really good up front and we have to step up to the challenge of winning the battle in the trenches. We will do what we do and distribute the ball all around to our different weapons and play up-tempo. We need to start fast and score early. A big difference in this game will be special teams. Watching their film, you can tell they are well-coached and give great effort. We have to match that in preparation and be aggressive. These are two really good teams, so it should be a fun one to watch." – Martinsville's Carter
