Brunt: Indiana prep football notes
By CLIFF BRUNT
ISL Editor
Center Grove resoundingly remained at the top of The Associated Press’ Class 6A Indiana football poll with a 42-10 win over Lawrence North last Friday.
The Trojans got 16 of 18 first-place votes.
Pike came back from 28-0 down to beat Warren Central 38-28. Pike is now No. 8. Warren, which fell from No. 3 to No. 7, plays at No. 4 Carmel this week.
Lawrence Central fell out after losing 42-12 to Ben Davis (story here). Ben Davis, ranked No. 3, will play at Center Grove on Friday.
In 5A, Westfield is the new leader, up from No. 2 after rolling past Hamilton Southeastern 38-18. Previous No. 1 Concord lost 35-14 to Jimtown. Terre Haute North jumped from No. 6 to No. 2 after blowing out 6A Columbus North 49-17.
Decatur Central, which lost its first three games, sneaks in at No. 10 in 5A. The Hawks are averaging 57 points per game. They lost games this season in which they scored 50, 78 and 47 points.
In 3A, Brebeuf fell from No. 2 to No. 5 after a loss to Roncalli (story here).
Watch out for Sheridan in Class 1A. The Blackhawks are up to No. 8 after a 34-7 win over Monrovia. I spoke with Larry ‘Bud’ Wright in the preseason, and he said his offensive line would have to develop as the season progressed. After scoring 13 and 6 points in their first two games, the Blackhawks have scored 61, 46, 47 and 34. Running back Austin Hoover has rushed for 1,379 yards and 19 touchdowns this season. The junior ran 42 times for 173 yards against Monrovia a week after rushing 39 times for 388 yards and seven touchdowns against Clinton Central.
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Record setter
North Central (Farmersburg) running back Chase VanSchoyck ran for a state-record 581 yards and scored seven touchdowns in his team’s 71-50 win over Eastern Greene.
The 6-foot-1, 230-pound senior might have done more damage, but he was injured in the third quarter and left the game. According to his Twitter account, he sprained the AC joint in one of his shoulders.
VanSchoyck broke his previous state record of 511 yards set last year against Riverton Parke. He offered this bit of thoughtfulness on Twitter: “I love my line, thank you guys!”
North Central remained No. 9 in this week’s AP Indiana Class 1A poll.
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Penn’s state?
Penn continues to roll past the competition, and finally, the Kingsmen are starting to gain some recognition for it. Penn debuted at No. 16 in the Student Sports Midwest regional rankings this week.
Stuck behind Center Grove at No. 2 in The Associated Press’ Indiana 6A Top 10, the Kingsmen defeated South Bend Washington 58-0 last Friday. That’s Penn’s fifth consecutive shutout. The Kingsmen have outscored their competition by an average score of 47-1. Penn has allowed the fewest points of any team in any class in the state of Indiana.
The Kingsmen will face one of their tougher tests this week when they play at South Bend St. Joseph (4-2), which lost to Indianapolis Cathedral 50-40 earlier this season. St. Joseph is just outside the Top 10 in Class 4A. The Kingsmen’s toughest challenger to this point, current 5A No. 8 Fort Wayne Snider, was obliterated 38-0 in Week 4.
Center Grove is No. 7 in the regional rankings. Indianapolis Ben Davis, Carmel and Cathedral are on the bubble.
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Southport rolling
Southport is out to a 6-0 start and a No. 5 ranking in Class 6A.
The Cardinals are coming off a 37-22 win over Franklin Central. Their best win might have been in the opener, a 21-16 win over Indianapolis Roncalli.
Southport utilizes a balanced offensive attack that has produced averages of 238 yards rushing and 215 yards passing.
Luke Johnston, a 6-foot-4 sophomore, has passed for 1,250 yards and 12 touchdowns. Running back Christian Perry, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound senior, has rushed for 1,092 yards and 13 touchdowns. His best effort was a 43-carry, 325-yard effort against Perry Meridian in Week 3.
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Players to watch
An update on some of the players we’ve been following this season. We’ll include last week’s stats and six-game totals.
Alex Kimack, Chatard RB: Ran for 90 yards on 22 carries in a 20-13 loss at Cincinnati Elder. Season: 167 carries, 1,071 yards, 12 TDs.
Jake Purichia, Cardinal Ritter QB: Completed 17 of 28 passes for 331 yards and three touchdowns and ran for two scores in 49-28 win over Triton Central. Season: 98-for-149, 1,565 yards, 21 TDs, 2 int.
Collin Barthel, Cathedral QB: Connected on 13 of 26 passes for 307 yards and two scores in a 35-30 loss to Louisville Trinity. Season: 98-for-159, 1,350 yards, 12 TDs, 3 int.
