Yorktown (2-0) at New Palestine (2-0)
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
Coaches: Mike Wilhelm, 78-77 in 15th year at Yorktown. Kyle Ralph, 76-4 in 7th year at New Palestine.
Recent history: New Palestine leads the all-time series, 18-5, including six straight wins. The Dragons won last year’s contest, 81-13.
Sagarin ratings: New Palestine, 119.68, 1st overall, 1st in 5A. Yorktown, 65.27, 66th overall, 5th in 3A.
Players to watch: New Palestine — QB Lincoln Roth, RB Charlie Spegal, DL Kyle King, LB Aven Jones, LB Richard Clevenger, DB Maxen Hook, DB Brody Luker; Yorktown — QB Reid Neal, RB/LB Kameron Spangler, WR/FS Austin Hill, OL/DL Galen Tait, RB/LB John LaPradd
What to look for: The big story tonight is the state rushing record, which Dragons senior Charlie Spegal should break on one of his first carries of the game. Spegal sits at 8,099 career yards, just 11 shy of the 8,110 that Elwood’s Sammy Mireles finished his career with in 2013. If New Palestine receives the kick, Spegal could break the record just seconds into tonight’s game. The Dragons, riding the momentum of a huge road win at Center Grove, should roll in this one. The hosts should lead big by the half and get plenty of playing time for reserves and JV players as they extend their regular-season winning streak to 57 games.
Mt. Vernon (2-0) at Greenfield-Central (0-2)
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
Coaches: Mike Kirschner, 9-4 in 2nd year at Mt. Vernon, 118-66 in 17th year overall. Travis Nolting, 0-2 in 1st year at Greenfield, 60-30 in 9th year overall.
Recent history: The Marauders lead the series in the past 35 years, 23-13, including wins in seven of the last eight contests. Mt. Vernon won the 2018 meeting, 56-21.
Sagarin ratings: Mt. Vernon, 53.17, 121st overall, 33rd in 4A. Greenfield, 10.69, 272nd overall, 54th in 4A.
Players to watch: Mt. Vernon — QB Shaun Shipley, QB Gehrig Slunaker, RB/FS Rylan Cole, OL/LB Charlie Moore, DL Matt Foor, WR Dawan Langston, TE/LB Luke Rappe; Greenfield-Central — QB/DB/P Lance McKee, FB/LB Bradon Nelson, TE/LB Tyler Antic, DB Chris O’Connor, RB/LB Brayden Herrell
What to look for: This should be a close game early, as both teams will come out firing for a big county rivalry. The Marauders, with a dual-QB system and strong passing and running games, should pull away from the Cougars. The key will be how well a good Mt. Vernon rush defense handles Greenfield-Central’s wishbone offense. Mt. Vernon allowed just 27 yards on 27 carries in the opener and 116 yards on 27 carries in Week 2. They’ll be focused on stopping the run again, as the Cougars have yet to complete a pass this season. Greenfield-Central has had a tough schedule to start the season, and that doesn’t get any easier tonight. The Marauders should win by several scores, but it could be a smaller margin from last year.
Eastern Hancock (2-0) at Fountain Central (0-2)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Coaches: Doug Armstrong, 5-7 in 2nd year at Eastern Hancock, 102-86 in 18th year overall. Ryan Hall, 6-6 in 2nd year at Fountain Central, 41-36 in 8th year overall.
Recent history: Fountain Central won the only meeting between the teams, a 32-21 win last season.
Sagarin ratings: Eastern Hancock, 52.55, 123rd overall, 17th in 2A. Fountain Central, 21.4, 242nd overall, 33rd in 1A.
Players to watch: Eastern Hancock — QB Houston Swan, RB/DB Victor Olivo, WR/FS Cole Rainbolt, RB/LB Garrett Friesen, DL Tyler Vandervliet, WR/DB Zach Arnold, WR/DB Cayden Sotelo, WR/LB Connor Shultz; Fountain Central — QB Seth Martin, RB/LB Gabe Riley, WR/LB Jordan Melvin, NG/T Cole Kirkpatrick
What to look for: These two teams have looked almost like opposites so far this season, with the Royals offense clicking on almost all cylinders and the Mustangs struggling to get anything going. Eastern Hancock is averaging nearly 340 yards of offense per game, while Fountain Central is barely over 100 after amassing just 35 total yards in a 26-0 season-opening loss. The Eastern Hancock offense looks much-improved from last year’s matchup, and the key will be limiting mistakes. Last year, the Royals turned the ball over four times against the Mustangs, including three interceptions. They’ve got just one interception through two games this year, and QB Houston Swan has already thrown for 10 TDs, one shy of his total from all of last season. The Royals have a lot of momentum and should get to 3-0, although this one should be closer than the past two weeks.
