High school football: Week 3 previews

<p><strong>Center Grove</strong> <strong>(0-2) at Carmel (1-1)</strong></p>
<p><strong>Kickoff:</strong> 7 p.m.</p>
<p><strong>Webcast:</strong> centergrovefootball.com</p>
<p><strong>Recent history:</strong> The Trojans have won the last four regular-season meetings, including a 17-7 triumph last fall. Carmel beat Center Grove in the 2016 Class 6A state championship game.</p>
<p><strong>Sagarin ratings:</strong> Center Grove 106.04 (third in Indiana), Carmel 101.31 (fifth)</p>
<p><strong>Players to watch:</strong> Center Grove — QB Tayven Jackson, RB Connor Delp, DE Caden Curry, LB Gavin Boyd, DB Dane Young; Carmel — RB Dylan Downing, RB John David Rogers, DL Cole Brevard, LB Dominic Padjen, LB Ty Wise</p>
<p><strong>What to look for:</strong> After a pair of tough losses to start the season, the Trojans face yet another powerhouse opponent in the rival Greyhounds. Center Grove is looking to become the first team in the history of this rivalry to win the Copper Kettle five straight years; to do so, it’ll need to be more effective in the red zone than it was last week against New Palestine, when it had to settle for field goals after three long drives that stalled.</p>
<p><strong>Franklin (2-0) at Perry Meridian (0-2)</strong></p>
<p><strong>Kickoff:</strong> 7 p.m.</p>
<p><strong>Recent history:</strong> The Falcons’ Mid-State conference debut last season resulted in a 38-21 setback at the hands of the Grizzly Cubs.</p>
<p><strong>Sagarin ratings:</strong> Franklin 67.77 (59th), Perry Meridian 47.88 (139th)</p>
<p><strong>Players to watch:</strong> Franklin — QB Drew Byerly, RB Jalen Ward, WR Isaiah Klein, LB Brendan Couch, LB Noah Crow; Perry Meridian — RB/LB Aiden Warren, WR/DB Reggie McDonald, DL Nathen Bowsher</p>
<p><strong>What to look for: </strong>After beating up on hapless Shelbyville last week, the Grizzly Cubs will get a chance to prove they’re for real against a Falcons team that should at least provide some challenge physically. Franklin hasn’t won three games in a season since 2014 or started 3-0 since the year before that, so another convincing victory here would give the team some valuable confidence as it digs into the toughest portion of its schedule the next three weeks.</p>
<p><strong>Greenwood (1-1) at Martinsville (2-0)</strong></p>
<p><strong>Kickoff:</strong> 7 p.m.</p>
<p><strong>Webcast:</strong> woodmenbroadcasting.com</p>
<p><strong>Recent history:</strong> The Artesians’ 29-8 triumph last year snapped a run of four straight Greenwood victories in the series.</p>
<p><strong>Sagarin ratings:</strong> Greenwood 66.90 (63rd), Martinsville 88.34 (15th)</p>
<p><strong>Players to watch:</strong> Greenwood — QB Oliver Rau, RB Ethan Haessig, WR/DB Tanner Allen, WR Jaydin Sheppard, LB Gavin Ruppert; Martinsville — QB Xavier Tunitis, RB Tyler Cox, WR Matthew Thomas, WR Andy Myers, LB Westyn Pemberton</p>
<p><strong>What to look for:</strong> A Mid-State Conference doormat three years ago, the Artesians have quickly become a force under head coach Carter Whitson. Tunitis passed for 315 yards last week and has a deep stable of receivers that should test the Greenwood defense. Will the Woodmen be able to control the clock with their ground game and keep Martinsville’s potent offense off the field? They’ll have to do that and force some turnovers to give themselves a reasonable chance at the upset.</p>
<p><strong>Decatur Central (0-2) at White</strong><strong>land (1-1)</strong></p>
<p><strong>Kickoff:</strong> 7 p.m.</p>
<p><strong>Radio:</strong> KORN Country (100.3 FM)</p>
<p><strong>Recen</strong><strong>t history:</strong> The Hawks have taken the last three meetings, including a 28-14 home win a year ago.</p>
<p><strong>Sagarin ratings:</strong> Decatur Central 62.33 (79th), Whiteland 51.23 (127th)</p>
<p><strong>Players to watch:</strong> Decatur Central — QB Peyton Horsley, RB Carreon Underwood, WR Javon Tracy, WR Kenny Tracy, DL Jordan Miles; Whiteland — RB Melvin Taylor, RB Gavin Lutz, DL A.J. Beil, LB Jacob Schultz, DB Jacob Brown</p>
<p><strong>What to look for:</strong> The Hawks played for the Class 5A state title a year ago, but they’ve sputtered out of the gate and now face a stiff challenge in the run game of the Warriors, who were generally untested in a rout of Greenfield-Central last week. This feels like a must-win game for two teams that always have Mid-State title aspirations; can Whiteland deliver on its home field against a team that’s had its number in recent years?</p>
<p><strong>Owen Valley (0-2) at Indian Creek (0-2)</strong></p>
<p><strong>Kickoff:</strong> 7 p.m.</p>
<p><strong>Recent history:</strong> The Braves have won each of the three meetings by increasing margins since joining the Western Indiana Conference, rolling to a 59-8 victory last year.</p>
<p><strong>Sagarin ratings:</strong> Owen Valley 9.19 (275th), Indian Creek 36.39 (183rd)</p>
<p><strong>Players to watch:</strong> Oven Valley — RB Glen Hinshaw, RB Christian McDonald, DB Jerry McBee; Indian Creek — QB Roman Purcell, RB Owen Sego, WR/DB Owen Neathery, WR/DB Jordan Gorham, OL/DL Cameron Elmore</p>
<p><strong>What to look for:</strong> After starting the season with two blowout losses, the Braves settle into their WIC East schedule, which they’ve handled with ease since joining the league. Can they use this game as a springboard to get morale back on track, or will there still be lingering effects from the shaky start?</p>
<p><strong>Oldenburg Academy (1-0) at Edinburgh (0-2)</strong></p>
<p><strong>Kickoff:</strong> 7 p.m.</p>
<p><strong>Recent history:</strong> The Twisters claimed a 40-22 win last year, their second straight in the series.</p>
<p><strong>Sagarin ratings:</strong> Oldenburg 22.29 (241st), Edinburgh minus-11.19 (307th)</p>
<p><strong>Players to watch:</strong> Oldenburg — QB Rhett Martin, RB/LB Abe Peetz, RB/DB Caleb Lehman, TE/LB Matthew Sedler, OL/LB Abe Streator; Edinburgh — QB/DB Tyson Sackman, RB/LB Austin Streeval, RB/LB Lennon DeLoach, WR/DB Darius Bennett, WR/DB Riley Palmeter</p>
<p><strong>What to look for:</strong> Can the Lancers get back up off the canvas after being flattened by North Decatur last week? They’ll have a chance to put some pressure on a freshman QB (Martin) but must be wary of Sedler, who pulled in all three of the ninth-grader’s Week 1 completions. Oldenburg didn’t play last week, so if Edinburgh can catch the Twisters on their heels early, it could help get the ball rolling.</p>
<p><strong>Roncalli (0-2) at Chatard (2-0)</strong></p>
<p><strong>Kickoff:</strong> 7 p.m.</p>
<p><strong>Webcast:</strong> rebelmedianetwork.com (audio only; video available on Roncalli’s YouTube and Facebook pages)</p>
<p><strong>Recent hist</strong><strong>ory:</strong> The Trojans pulled out a 21-13 win last season after the Rebels had won the previous two years.</p>
<p><strong>Sagarin ratings:</strong> Roncalli 56.43 (107th), Chatard 93.85 (11th)</p>
<p><strong>Players to watch:</strong> Roncalli — QB Aidan Leffler, RB Baron Huebler, RB Lucas Hoffman, OL Daniel Heinrich, DE Jack Wardzala; Chatard — QB Kyle Cheek, RB Daylen Taylor, WR Andrew Sowinski, WR/DB Patrick Mastrian</p>
<p><strong>What to look for:</strong> The Trojans, ranked first in the state in Class 3A, are off to a dominating start. Can Roncalli keep building on the forward momentum it started to generate in the second half against a tough Franklin Central squad? The Rebels will need another big game out of Huebler, who racked up more than 200 yards of offense and scored three touchdowns against the Flashes, and they’ll also need to slow down a potent Chatard offense that has fallen just short of 50 points each of the first two weeks.</p>