Center Grove (6-0) at Pike (3-3)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Webcast: www.iscsportsnetwork.com/products
Attendance: Center Grove was given an allotment of tickets for player families and students; none are expected to be available at the gate.
Recent history: The Red Devils’ lone win against the Trojans came in 2017; Center Grove pulled out a narrow 24-21 home win last fall on a late Austin Watson field goal.
Sagarin ratings: Center Grove 112.77 (first in Class 6A and in Indiana), Pike 81.01 (16th in 6A, 28th overall)
Players to watch: Center Grove — QB Tayven Jackson, RB Carson Steele, DL Caden Curry, DL Austin Booker, LB Trey Clark; Pike — QB Anthony Cialdella, RB Isaiah Martin, WR Zavier Simpson, DE Kyran Montgomery, LB Josh Woods
What to look for: The Red Devils have proven to be quite the competitive outfit this fall, taking Carmel to double overtime and losing to Warren Central by just two last week. That might not be enough against the Trojans, who have running-clocked their last four opponents and not allowed a touchdown of any consequence all season. Pike has been steady offensively, scoring at least 24 points in every game; it would be quite an impressive feat if it can keep that streak going against what looks like a historically great Center Grove defense.Â
Plainfield (3-3) at Franklin (3-3)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Webcast:Â IHSAATV.org/MidState/FranklinCommunity
Attendance:Â Capped at 400 and sold out. No tickets will be available at the gate.
Recent history: The Grizzly Cubs’ 28-11 triumph last year ended a five-game series losing streak against the Quakers.
Sagarin ratings: Plainfield 70.71 (10th in 5A, 57th in Indiana), Franklin 67.93 (14th in 5A, 67th overall)
Players to watch: Plainfield — QB Aiden Moyers, WR Cael Vanderbush, WR Noah Hessong, WR/DB Jack Beebe, LB Mason Scott; Franklin — QB Reed Roberts, RB Jalen Ward, RB John Shepard, DL Manny Danso, DB Beau Baker
What to look for: The Grizzly Cubs have settled into a nice balance offensively, scoring 78 points over the last two weeks and becoming the first team to put up 30 on Mooresville. Stopping opponents from responding, though, has been an issue at times. Franklin is capable of getting big momentum-changing plays out of its defense, but can it get the routine stops? It’ll need to do so against a pretty solid Quaker offense. This could be another back-and-forth affair, and a win could really help fuel the Grizzly Cubs’ confidence heading into a difficult stretch run.
Greenwood (3-3) at Decatur Central (4-2)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Webcast:Â www.ihsaatv.org/MidState/DecaturCentral
Attendance:Â Whiteland was given an allotment of tickets; none will be available at the gate.
Recent history: The Hawks have taken the last seven meetings in the series, winning by a 42-7 margin a year ago.
Sagarin ratings: Greenwood 64.23 (21st in 4A, 85th in Indiana), Decatur Central 85.06 (third in 5A, 19th overall)
Players to watch: Greenwood — QB/LB Gavin Ruppert, RB Noah Apgar, RB Ethan Haessig, WR LaNard Bolden, DE Dylan Mayhew; Decatur Central — QB Peyton Horsley, RB Kaleb Hicks, WR/DB Javon Tracy, OL/DL Christian Sweeten, DB Ngui Dodo
What to look for: Greenwood’s run-dominant offense seems to have found yet another gear with Ruppert under center; the trio of he, Haessig and Apgar has been nearly unstoppable. That’ll be a necessary weapon against the Hawks’ big-play attack, still the only offense to score against Center Grove’s starting defense all season. Decatur can score quickly, so the best chance for the Woodmen may be to grind out as much clock as possible to keep the ball out of Horsley and Tracy’s hands.
Mooresville (6-0) at Whiteland (5-1)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Webcast:Â IHSAATV.org/MidState/WhitelandCommunity
Attendance:Â Capped at 50 percent of capacity. Tickets will not be sold at the gate.
Recent history: The two teams have traded narrow road wins the last two years, with Whiteland earning a 17-13 victory in 2019.
Sagarin ratings: Mooresville 90.01 (second in 4A, 12th in Indiana), Whiteland 82.62 (sixth in 5A, 26th overall)
Players to watch: Mooresville — QB Nicholas Patterson, RB Breken Greene, WR John Clampitt, DL Zach Richards, DL Jaelin Alstott-VanDeVanter; Whiteland — QB Brant Kunz, RB Chase Valentine, TE Max Sullivan, LB Kayden Welling, DB Ewan Niccum
What to look for: Perhaps the most competitive football game played on Johnson County soil this fall. The Pioneers have been excellent but also had some difficulty slowing down Franklin’s balanced offense last week. The difference for Whiteland might be whether Kunz can do enough through the air to keep the Mooresville defense honest and prevent them from stacking the box to take away the Warriors’ vaunted ground game. This battle has come down to the wire the last two years and probably should again; can Whiteland — which is coming off of back-to-back shutout wins — pull it out and secure a likely share of the Mid-State title?
Indianapolis Manual (1-3) at Indian Creek (4-2)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Attendance:Â Capped at 50 percent capacity. Tickets can be purchased online (https://www.ticketracker.com/store?schoolId=1857&departmentId=359); any still remaining will be sold at the gate.
Recent history: The Braves have enjoyed blowout wins the last three seasons, including 57-8 last year in the teams’ first regular-season meeting.
Sagarin ratings: Manual 4.72 (63rd in 3A, 302nd in Indiana), Indian Creek 56.31 (16th in 3A, 119th overall)
What to look for: Manual is coming off of its first win of the season, so it might have some confidence built up — but that’s unlikely to mean much against easily the toughest team that the southside squad will face during the regular season. The Braves have been a bit uneven at times offensively this season, but the defense has been outstanding the last three weeks. Murray and Gorham have combined for nine interceptions. This should be a fairly trouble-free week for Indian Creek.
Edinburgh (1-5) at Traders Point Christian (1-3)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Webcast: indianasrn.org/PB_15.php
Attendance: Edinburgh was provided a block of tickets for player families; none are expected to be available at the gate.
Recent history: The Knights got their first series win with a 48-0 shutout victory last season.
Sagarin ratings: Edinburgh 7.07 (51st in Class A, 298th in Indiana), Traders Point 14.34 (43rd in A, 279th overall)
Players to watch: Edinburgh — QB/DB Riley Palmeter, RB/LB Austin Streeval, WR/DB Caleb Dewey, WR/DB Landen Burton, WR/DL Keegan Smith; Traders Point — QB Gabriel Sink, RB Eli Underwood, WR/DB Zavior Gibson, WR/DB Phillip Moran, DB Matthew Maxey
What to look for: It’s been a rough last two weeks for Edinburgh, which followed up a big Week 4 win with a pair of lopsided defeats. The Lancers will try to get back on the winning track tonight during their second and final road game of the regular season — and despite what last year’s score might say, this is a gettable game. The Knights have allowed more than 42 points per contest over the last three weeks, so Palmeter and company should be able to get the offense going again. The key will be getting stops — something the Lancers have struggled with most nights.
Bloomington North (3-2) at Roncalli (4-1)
Kickoff: 6 p.m. Saturday
Webcast:Â roncallimedianetwork.com
Radio: CBS Sports 1430
Attendance:Â Limited to 25 percent capacity; Tickets will not be available at the gate.
Recent history: Roncalli won by a 31-14 margin in 2018 and 19-14 last season.
Sagarin ratings: Bloomington North 62.74 (16th in 5A, 91st in Indiana), Roncalli 81.64 (fourth in 4A, 27th overall)
Players to watch: Bloomington North — QB Reece Lozano, RB Cody Mikulich, WR Bailen Murphy, LB Isaac May, DB Tyree Rochell; Roncalli — QB Aidan Leffler, RB Baron Huebler, DL Owen Volk, LB Sean Sinovic, DB Dominic Brown
What to look for: There was some question as to whether this game would be played at all after the Cougars had to scrap last week’s contest against New Albany due to COVID-19 concerns, but here we are. Roncalli will try to build on the momentum from a wild 49-45 victory at Harrison as well as a smaller but still existent homecoming atmosphere. Expect another fairly high-scoring game, but Roncalli should be able to get enough separation over the course of 48 minutes to avoid a finish as close as last Friday’s.
