Prep football notes: Top 10 performances at midseason
By CLIFF BRUNT
ISL Editor
ISL’s staff members have taken a look back at the 10 best performances we’ve seen in the first half of the season. They are in no particular order.
Cliff Brunt
Terry McLaurin, Cathedral WR vs. Warren Central – The 6-foot, 190-pound Ohio State commitment caught nine passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns. He had two scores called back, including an 84-yard punt return, in Week 2.
Darius Lee, Warren Central WR vs. Cathedral – Had a 70-yard touchdown catch, a 90-yard kickoff return for a score and ran nine times for 33 yards in a 42-28 win in Week 2.
Luke Calvert, Center Grove QB vs. Lawrence Central – The senior passed for 274 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another as the Trojans, ranked No. 1 in Class 6A, defeated No. 4 Lawrence Central 42-10 in Week 5.
Craig Dragash
Austin Roberts, Carmel WR vs. Center Grove – The UCLA-bound receiver caught 10 passes for 158 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown reception, in a losing cause in Week 3.
Reggie Bonnafon, Louisville Trinity QB vs. Carmel – Louisville commitment had 345 total yards and four touchdowns (two rushing, two passing) in Trinity’s Week 2 win.
Max Norris, Center Grove RB vs. Carmel – eight carries, 218 yards and three touchdowns, including scoring runs of 98 and 94 yards in Week 3.
Ben Fahrbach
Alex Kimack, Chatard RB vs. Ritter – 37 carries, 281 yards, five touchdowns vs. Cardinal Ritter in 41-14 win. Big-time performance against a highly regarded foe in Week 5.
LeVante Bellamy, Brebeuf RB vs. Chatard – 15 carries, 134 yards, three touchdowns in a shocker over Class 4A No. 1 Trojans in the opener.
Collin Barthel, Cathedral QB vs. Chatard – 22 for 31, 213 yards, three touchdowns passing; scored game-winning touchdown on quarterback sneak with 10 seconds left. Led 86-yard game-winning drive in the final minutes of the Week 4 showdown.
Ryan Naylor
T.C. McKiernan, QB, Noblesville vs. Fishers – The senior passed for 221 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another 160 yards in Noblesville’s 27-24 upset over Fishers in the opener that announced Noblesville’s arrival on the stage. The Millers are knocking on the door of the 6A Top 10.
Which is the best you’ve seen so far?
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Poll update
Each week, we look at what’s new in the AP poll.
In Class 6A, Center Grove maintained its No. 1 ranking with a 42-10 win over Lawrence Central that dropped the Bears from fourth to eighth. Ben Davis jumped from seventh to fourth after its 49-48 overtime win over Indianapolis Pike. Pike is 2-3 with a four-point loss to Cincinnati Moeller, a one-point loss to Center Grove and the loss to Ben Davis. The close calls are why the Red Devils are still tied for No. 9 in the poll, despite a losing record. Pike plays at Warren Central on Friday.
No. 2 Penn continued its northern Indiana reign of terror, shutting out South Bend Clay 57-0. The Kingsmen have outscored their opponents 225-7 this season.
In Class 5A, Indianapolis Cathedral dropped from 2nd to 5th after a 15-6 loss to Cincinnati St. Xavier. Cathedral’s other losses are to 6A No. 3 Warren Central and 6A No. 4 Ben Davis. There are three new teams in this class — No. 7 Castle, No. 9 Munster and No. 10 Mishawaka.
In 4A, Leo enters after a 35-12 win over South Adams. Now 5-0, the Lions have allowed just 25 points this season.
Batesville enters the 3A rankings at No. 9 following a 31-10 win over East Central.
In 2A, Ritter fell from No. 2 to No. 6 after a 41-14 loss to Indianapolis Chatard, which is No. 4 in Class 4A. Scecina fell from No. 3 to No. 5 after a 20-7 loss to Indianapolis Roncalli.
Roncalli, No. 8 in Class 4A, will host 3A No. 2 Brebeuf on Friday.
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Tired scoreboard operator
Ben Davis and Indianapolis Pike lit it up at Lucas Oil Stadium last Saturday.
Ben Davis took a dramatic 49-48 overtime win. Pike took the lead in overtime on a 10-yard run by Taylor Sanders, but the extra point failed, leaving the Red Devils with a 48-42 lead.
Michael Beatty’s 10-yard touchdown reception from backup quarterback Cody Turpen tied the score, and Danny Alvarez’s extra point sealed the deal for the Giants.
Worth mentioning — Brent Lyles threw four touchdown passes, three to Dominque Booth, for Pike. Jamie Akin ran 19 times for 135 yards and two touchdowns for Ben Davis.
Next up for Ben Davis – Lawrence Central, which is coming off a 42-10 loss to Center Grove.
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Teams to watch
One team in the MIC that isn’t getting much attention but should be is North Central.
The Panthers are just 1-4, but a closer look reveals the potential to be a spoiler down the road. North Central lost 34-31 at Lawrence Central in Week 2, lost to Ben Davis 28-14 in Week 3 and fell 28-26 to Warren Central in Week 5. The only time the Panthers played a team that isn’t ranked in the Top Ten, they rolled Lawrence North 29-0.
Against Warren Central, Michael Loggan passed for 229 yards and four touchdowns and Jared Clark caught four passes for 115 yards and three scores. The Panthers nearly overcame a 28-7 deficit in the fourth quarter. Loggan has passed for 898 yards and 10 touchdowns this season.
Another team to keep an eye on is Indianapolis Tech. The Titans nearly shocked Carmel in the opener before losing 6-2, and there were whispers that Carmel might not be very good.
Turns out, Tech is better than expected. The Titans are 3-2 and beat Class 3A No. 1 Brebeuf 38-31 in Week 4.
