Shelbyville (6-1) vs. Mt. Vernon (Fortville) (4-3)
GAME TIME: 4:45 p.m. Saturday, Lucas Oil Stadium
COACHES: Patrick Parks, 118-115 in 22nd year at Shelbyville. Doug Armstrong, 41-22 in sixth year at Mt. Vernon (Fortville), 93-78 in 16th year overall.
LAST OUTING: Shelbyville lost to New Palestine, 70-20. Mt. Vernon (Fortville) defeated New Castle, 42-13.
VS. COMMON FOES: Shelbyville 3-1; Mt. Vernon (Fortville) 3-1.
OPPONENTS’ RECORDS: Shelbyville 25-24, Mt. Vernon (Fortville) 28-20.
SERIES LAST 30 YEARS: Mt. Vernon (Fortville), 10-9.
LAST MEETING: Shelbyville, 30-29, Oct. 9, 2015.
NOTES: After a 1-3 start to the season, the Class 4A Mt. Vernon Marauders bus into Indianapolis on Saturday with a record of 4-3, winning their past three games by an average margin of 16.3 points per game. … Mt. Vernon and Shelbyville are tied for second place in the Hoosier Heritage Conference at 4-1. … Shelbyville is ranked ninth in The Associated Press 4A rankings this week. … Shelbyville’s John Lux, formerly the state’s top passer, was limited to 79 yards passing and four interceptions last week against Class 5A No. 2 New Palestine. … He’s ranked fifth in the state with 1,974 passing yards and has 21 touchdowns. … Mt. Vernon beat Shelbyville 40-0 in 2014 before losing 30-29 last year. … Mt. Vernon’s Zac Montgomery has rushed for 472 yards and six touchdowns while passing for six scores and 1,045 yards. … Montgomery and running back Eric Jones combined for 295 yards rushing and four touchdowns against New Castle last week. … Cole Van Slyke sparked the Marauders defense against New Castle with two pick-six plays spanning a total of 95 yards.
Shenandoah (6-1) vs. Eastern Hancock (4-3)
GAME TIME: 2 p.m. Saturday, Lucas Oil Stadium.
COACHES: Scott Widner, 79-21 in ninth year at Shenandoah, 79-31 in 10th year overall. Jim O’Hara, 24-7 in third year at Eastern Hancock, 111-55 in 15th year overall.
LAST OUTING: Shenandoah defeated Winchester, 47-14. Eastern Hancock lost to Monroe Central, 34-13.
VS. COMMON FOES: Shenandoah 1-0; Eastern Hancock 1-0.
OPPONENTS’ RECORDS: Shenandoah 20-29, Eastern Hancock 26-23.
SERIES LAST 30 YEARS: Shenandoah, 20-15.
LAST MEETING: Eastern Hancock, 42-27, Oct. 9, 2015.
NOTES: The Class 2A Eastern Hancock Royals and Class A Shenandoah Raiders were former conference foes in years past. … Meeting at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday for their annual showdown, the Royals haven’t lost to the Raiders since 2012. … They’ve won three straight against the Raiders by outscoring them 134-66. … The Raiders won seven meetings in a row prior to the Royals’ recent run of dominance. … Shenandoah is currently ranked eighth in the AP Class A Poll. … Last week’s 34-13 loss to Class A No. 7 Monroe Central snapped a four-game winning streak for the Royals. … The Royals are averaging 31.9 points per game. … They are led by quarterback Jarett Lewis, who has passed for 1,266 yards and 14 touchdowns… He’s rushed for four touchdowns. … Devin Denny leads the Royals with eight rushing touchdowns and 765 yards. … The Raiders have amassed 1,642 yards between the tackles for 234.6 yards per game. … Dalton Hatcher rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns in Shenandoah’s 47-14 win over Winchester last week.
Greenfield-Central (4-3) at Delta (4-3)
GAME TIME: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Delta Stadium
COACHES: Adam Sherman, 4-3 in first year at Greenfield-Central. Chris Overholt, 4-3 in first year at Delta.
LAST OUTING: Greenfield-Central defeated Yorktown, 28-27, overtime. Delta lost to Pendleton Heights, 31-28.
VS. COMMON FOES: Greenfield-Central 2-2; Delta 1-3.
OPPONENTS’ RECORDS: Greenfield-Central 24-25, Delta 26-23.
SERIES LAST 30 YEARS: Delta, 22-0.
LAST MEETING: Delta, 14-12, Oct. 23, 2015, sectional.
NOTES: The Class 4A Greenfield-Central Cougars have never beaten the 4A Delta Eagles. … The closest margin of victory in recent years was in 2011 when the Eagles won 19-17 prior to a 6-0 win in 2010. … The Cougars are marching toward their first potential winning season win finishing 6-5 in 2011. .. their 4-3 record entering Week 8 is the best the program has produced since being 5-2 in 2011. … In coach Adam Sherman’s first season at Greenfield-Central, the team is averaging 30.7 points per game and more than 200 yards rushing. … Last week’s 28-27 overtime win against Hoosier Heritage Conference foe 3A Yorktown snapped a two-game losing streak for the Cougars. … Delta opened the year 2-1 before falling to 4-3… Last week’s 31-28 loss to Pendleton Heights ended Delta’s run at four consecutive meetings. … Charlie Spegal leads the Delta offense with 1,028 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. … The Eagles are averaging 276.4 yards rushing per game.
New Palestine (7-0) at New Castle (3-4)
GAME TIME: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Huffman Field
COACHES: Kyle Ralph, 48-2 in fourth year at New Palestine. Will Ragle, 6-32 in fourth year at New Castle, 6-42 in 5th year overall.
LAST OUTING: New Palestine defeated Shelbyville, 70-20. New Castle lost to Mount Vernon (Fortville), 42-13.
VS. COMMON FOES: New Palestine 4-0; New Castle 2-2.
OPPONENTS’ RECORDS: New Palestine 24-25, New Castle 24-25.
SERIES LAST 30 YEARS: New Palestine, 3-0.
LAST MEETING: New Palestine, 72-0, Oct. 9, 2015.
NOTES: The Class 5A No. 2 New Palestine Dragons are rolling toward a fourth consecutive Hoosier Heritage Conference title at 7-0 on the season and 5-0 in the HHC. … New Castle is 2-3 in the HHC and has never beaten New Palestine in three meetings. … In those three games, the Dragons have scored 201 points and have allowed 10. … New Palestine running back DuRon Ford ranks first in 5A wiht 1,405 yards rushing. … He’s first in the state with 25 rushing touchdowns. … Ford is second in the state in scoring with 152 points. … Quarterback Gunnar Large has passed for 1,034 yards and 12 touchdowns. … The Dragons are the top scoring team in the state, posting an average of 57.3 points per game. … The New Palestine defense has scored six touchdowns this season, including four in the last three games. … Against Shelbyville’s John Lux, the Red Rage collected four interceptions in the Dragons’ 70-20 win. … quarterback Niah Williamson leads New Castle with 744 passing yards.
