Brunt: Indiana high school football notebook
By CLIFF BRUNT
ISL Editor
Chatard led Broad Ripple 47-20 last Friday when the storms came rolling in.
The game was called because of lightning with 3:50 left in the third quarter, but the game was over long before that. The Trojans recovered from their season-opening loss to Brebeuf by pounding Broad Ripple for 250 yards rushing.
Sam Gleaves, who struggled in the opening loss to Brebeuf, completed all eight of his passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Alex Kimack had another solid week with 147 yards rushing and three touchdowns. He ran his season totals to 391 yards and five scores. Stan Jackson added 76 yards and a touchdown for Chatard.
The Trojans, who remained No. 3 in this week’s Associated Press Class 4A poll, play Class 4A No. 6 Roncalli on Friday. ISL’s Ben Fahrbach will be there.
Lawrence Central-Trinity
Lawrence Central will host Louisville Trinity Friday night in one of the biggest high school games on Indiana soil in recent years.
Lawrence Central is ranked No. 17 in the USA Today Super 25; Trinity is No. 23. Lawrence Central is the No. 1 team in the latest Indiana Associated Press Class 6A poll.
Trinity, led by Louisville commitment Reggie Bonnafon at quarterback, defeated Carmel 42-35 last Friday. Check out this story by Craig Dragash about the Carmel-Trinity game, and this story by Dragash to learn more about Trinity.
Lawrence Central is coming off a 34-31 win over North Central. Tyler Redfern passed for 140 yards and Mark Wilson ran for 129 yards on 14 carries in the victory. Lawrence Central led North Central 27-10 at the end of the third quarter. The Bears will need to close better if they are to win this week.
Lawrence Central’s No. 1 ranking in Indiana is probably on the line, too. If the Bears get blown out, they’ll probably drop below Carmel, provided the Greyhounds win this week against Center Grove. Center Grove is No. 2 and opened the season with a win over No. 6 Warren Central. Carmel is ranked No. 5 in Class 6A.
Usually with out of state games, there is no point of comparison. The Carmel game gives us something to compare Lawrence Central’s effort to, so they could get leapfrogged if they don’t perform as well as Carmel did.
Penn is No. 3 after outscoring Valparaiso and Portage a combined 81-7, but the Kingsmen haven’t been tested like the other teams near the top of the 6A poll. They could slip into the top spot with a win over Elkhart Central, ranked No. 6 in Class 5A, and losses by Lawrence Central and Center Grove.
Brunt will cover Lawrence Central-Trinity while Dragash staffs Carmel-Center Grove.
No. 1s face off
Brebeuf, ranked No. 1 in Class 3A, faces Indianapolis Ritter, ranked No. 1 in Class 2A, Friday at Marian University.
Brebeuf opened the season by defeating Chatard, then followed it by clocking Crawfordsville 78-0.
Ritter defeated Heritage Christian 59-7, then beat Indianapolis Lutheran 38-6.
The game will feature two of the state’s most exciting players: Brebeuf running back LeVante Bellamy and Ritter quarterback Jake Purichia.
Bellamy, a track sprinter, has 23 carries for 217 yards (9.4 yards per carry) and five touchdowns this season. He was huge in the win over Chatard, as Ben Fahrbach explained in this story.
Purichia has completed 20 of 31 passes for 397 yards and seven touchdowns in his first two games. Kyree Hollis and Jake Hagan give him two big-time targets.
Scoreboard operator, get ready.
McLaurin is a beast
Cathedral receiver Terry McLaurin’s performance in a losing effort was the best individual effort I’ve seen from an Indiana football player.
McLaurin, the Ohio State-bound wideout, caught nine passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns against Warren Central last Friday. The senior had two other touchdowns called back, including an 84-yard punt return. Learn more about his effort against Warren in this article by Brunt.
McLaurin has it all — hands, speed and strength. His best catch was actually a leaping grab on the sideline that didn’t count because he landed out of bounds. He got the wind knocked out of him, got up and continued to dominate. It’s rare that a receiver is the top candidate for Mr. Football, but McLaurin at least belongs in the conversation. He’s fast, he’s tough, he’s got great hands and he has a flair for the dramatic.
Let’s not forget about Collin Barthel, either. The 6-foot-6 senior passed for 367 yards and four touchdowns against Warren. He’s efficient and can throw both the short and deep ball.
Noblesville highlights poll movement
Congratulations to Noblesville for entering the Class 6A football poll.
The Millers, who went 5-6 last year, enter at No. 9 after defeating Fishers in the opener and following up with a 26-6 win over Brownsburg.
Quarterback T.C. McKiernan leads Noblesville. He passed for 174 yards and a touchdown and ran for 104 yards against Brownsburg and is emerging as one of the state’s best dual threat quarterbacks.
Indianapolis Cathedral fell from No. 2 to No. 4 in Class 5A after a 42-28 loss to Warren Central. Warren, desperately in need of a quality win, jumped from No. 8 to No. 6 in Class 6A.
Westfield jumps into the 5A poll at No. 5 after a 17-15 win over Avon.
Castle, which dropped its opener 44-14 to Terre Haute North, bounced back and defeated New Albany 14-7 to move back into the 5A poll at No. 9.
Sheridan dropped out of the Class A poll after a 46-6 loss to Hamilton Heights, which entered the game ranked No. 8 in Class 3A. The Blackhawks are 0-2 this season under legendary coach Bud Wright.
Odds and ends
Perry Meridian leads 6A with 62.5 points per contest. Conner Smith has passed for 865 yards and 12 touchdowns in his first two games. Jaquan Keys has 11 catches for 308 yards and four touchdowns and Daymeon Hamilton has 10 catches for 299 yards and five scores. … Chandler Carroll of Yorktown has rushed for 427 yards and nine touchdowns in two games. … Decatur Central leads the state with 64 points per game. … Attica, North Montgomery, North Vermillion and Yorktown are the only teams in the state that have not allowed a point.
