HANCOCK COUNTY — The theme of the week in the Hoosier Heritage Conference is separation.
By Friday night’s end, front-runner Mt. Vernon will either hold a more comfortable lead in the HHC standings or the Marauders could have some company at the top.
At 2-0 in the HHC, Class 4A No. 8 Mt. Vernon (3-1) enters Week 5 on a three-game winning streak after defeating 5A New Palestine (1-3, 1-1 HHC) to retain the Boundary Rail last week.
The Dragons, while a game back in the league standings, remain in the hunt and could gain ground, if they can score a home victory over visiting Pendleton Heights (3-1, 1-1 HHC), and Delta (3-1, 0-1 HHC) can upset the Marauders.
Yorktown (3-1, 1-1 HHC) is tied for second in the HHC with Pendleton Heights, Greenfield-Central and New Palestine.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Greenfield-Central (2-2, 1-1 HHC) will be idle this week with Shelbyville (1-1, 0-0 HHC) unable to compete due to COVID-19 quarantine issues. The Cougars are actively attempting to find a replacement opponent for homecoming week.
Meanwhile, 2A Eastern Hancock is looking to rebound after a tough, 35-0, homecoming loss to No. 3 Heritage Christian last Friday.
At risk of being handed an unexpected bye week due to rival Knightstown’s inability to compete, similar to Shelbyville, the Royals will now play South Putnam at home this Friday.
Last week’s defeat to Heritage Christian gave the Royals (3-1) their first loss of the season.
Here’s a breakdown of each match-up entering Friday night.
Delta (3-1, 0-1 HHC) at Mt. Vernon (3-1, 2-0 HHC)
Game time: 7 p.m. at Mt. Vernon.
Coaches: Chris Overholt, 38-21 in sixth year at Delta. Vince Lidy, 3-1 in first year at Mt. Vernon.
Last game: Delta lost to Yorktown, 28-27, OT. Mt. Vernon defeated New Palestine, 49-10.
Series info: Delta holds a 21-16 series lead in the past 35 years with Mt. Vernon winning the last meeting, 35-0, on Sept. 18, 2020.
What we learned: The Mt. Vernon Marauders are only growing stronger.
On paper, last week’s 49-10 victory over rival New Palestine was impressive with touchdown plays that covered 73 and 47 yards. The Marauders also had a 60-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Overall, the Marauders’ rushing attack gained 167 yards on 30 carries at 5.6 yards per attempt, and quarterback Gehrig Slunaker completed 11 of 15 passes for 204 yards and three touchdowns.
All of this after the Marauders trailed 10-0 early in the first half.
With several key players back in their lineup, the Marauders are in prime position to create some separation in the HHC standings with a win over Delta.
The visiting Eagles will try to slow down the Marauders both through the air and in between the tackles. Junior Abram Stitt leads the running game with 333 yards and five touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Kaiden Bond has thrown for 366 yards and five touchdowns.
Pendleton Heights (3-1, 1-1 HHC) at New Palestine (1-3, 1-1 HHC)
Game time: 7 p.m. at Kelso Stadium.
Coaches: Jed Richman, 34-25 in sixth year at Pendleton Heights, 69-55 in 12th year overall. Kyle Ralph, 97-9 in ninth year at New Palestine.
Last game: Pendleton Heights lost to Greenfield-Central, 27-20. New Palestine lost to Mt. Vernon, 49-10.
Series info: New Palestine holds a 20-10 series lead over the past 35 years and won the meeting, 13-3, on Sept. 18, 2020.
What we learned: The New Palestine Dragons stunned the Mt. Vernon Marauders momentarily last week by building a quick 10-0 lead before the offense fell silent the rest of the way.
This week, the Dragons will look to awaken the production, once again, and they’re more than capable.
At home on Friday, the Dragons are better than their 77 rushing yards and 112 yards passing against Mt. Vernon.
Grayson Thomas was held to 17 yards after churning for more than 200 the week prior, and quarterback Damon Hockett is back full time after getting injured in Week 1.
The key is winning up front, and last week, the Dragons got beat quite a bit.
If they can clean up the efficiency and execution, then the visiting Pendleton Heights Arabians might pay the price as the Dragons look to rebound quickly.
The Arabians can seemingly do it all based on the numbers alone. Senior Quarterback Luke Candiano has passed for 517 yards and five touchdowns this season. Senior Ethan Ross powers the running game with 402 yards and two touchdowns. Candiano has rushed for 181 yards and four touchdowns.
This one could be interesting.
South Putnam (3-1) at Eastern Hancock (3-1)
Game time: 7 p.m. at Knarr Field.
Coaches: Chuck Sorrell, 20-8 in third year at South Putnam, 24-34 in sixth year overall. Phil Morris, 3-1 in first year at Eastern Hancock, 26-38 in seventh year overall.
Last game: South Putnam defeated Greencastle, 19-13. Eastern Hancock lost to Heritage Christian, 35-0.
Series info: Eastern Hancock holds a 1-0 series lead, winning the teams’ only meeting in the past 35 years during the 2013 regional championship game, 29-14, on Nov. 15.
What we learned: So much for rivalry week in Charlottesville. This week was supposed to pit bitter foes Knightstown and Eastern Hancock against one another under the lights.
Not so.
Instead, the Royals were forced to pivot and they found a new opponent in South Putnam after Knightstown had to back out. Rumor has it, the Greenfield-Central Cougars were a potential replacement. Imagine that. Too bad it didn’t pan out.
Regardless, the Royals will now face a program they haven’t seen since 2013 back when the team pushed through the postseason in dominant fashion.
This could be a call back to the glory days and be a repeat of the Royals’ regional win from eight years ago, or it could spell a two-game losing streak after last week’s hiccup against Heritage Christian.
The Royals have the athletes to win with quarterback Houston Swan, standout Cole Rainbolt, running back Zach Arnold and wide receiver Landon O’Neal, among others.
The question is can this offensive scheme get them going from the opening kickoff?
