BIG SCHOOL DIVISION
Friday starts division play in the NECC. For these 10 teams, for most of the remaining games, these weeks matter way more as we get to see just what these teams are made of.
(3-0) West Noble Chargers (1st Big, 1st Overall)
- Last Week: W 41-17 @ Eastside
- This Week: Friday vs Angola
- Series vs Angola (1989): 9-28
- Angola has won 7 of their last 8 meetings
After a tough first half in Butler, the West Noble Chargers rebounded in the second half and dominated the rest of the way outscoring Eastside 20-3 since halftime.
West Noble was their usual selves in the sense that Seth Pruitt led the way on the ground with 139 rushing yards and a TD. But this was the game Drew Yates was unstoppable throwing for 137 yards on 10-11 completion.
Big statement game to open division play against Angola. Can the Los Caballos Grandes contain Hawk Hasselman and Lane King? If West Noble can win the battle up front and pound the football, it’s going to be a good night for the Chargers.
(3-0) Lakeland Lakers (2nd Big, 2nd Overall)
- Last Week: W 69-14 @ Prairie Heights
- This Week: Friday vs Garrett
- Series vs Garrett (1971): 16-24
- Since 2014, Garrett is 8-2 against Lakeland
- Lakeland hasn’t beaten Garrett in consecutive years since 1999
There isn’t a lot to say about the Milk Can game because it clearly wasn’t a contest with 62 of their 69 points coming in the first half.
A few things to take away about this game, sophomore Sean Conley ran four times for 248 yards and 4 TD’s. Folks, that’s an average of 62 yards per carry, showcasing that elite speed and athleticism that Lakeland hasn’t had in that backfield since maybe Eli Wallace, who ended up having a great career at Saint Francis.
Brayden Holbrook is still Brayden Holbrook. He’s a bad dude because he’s so gifted at QB. But I think you’re even seeing maturity and confidence from him as the team is starting to showcase just how dangerous this team can be when the line is dominant and the athletes are using their talents. For example, Cole Frost, Levi Cook, and Keyan Arroyo are combining for 21 catches for 391 yards and 5 touchdowns. That’s a productive wide receiver group, not including Carson Mickem.
This team still has growth and it’s a team filled with several sophomores. A potential trap game awaits them as Garrett now has some swagger coming off their win over Busco. On paper, Garrett has the frontline, work ethic, and even some skill capable of containing some of Lakeland lethal weapons. The big thing however is they’ll need to be able to tackle well against linemen like Bo Kerns and Cam Riegling. If they can negate some of that attack in the backfield, that might put some pressure on the passing game.
Again, that’s a big if. For Lakeland, you cannot start looking ahead as this where teams start to figure out who they really are, and they’ll be at their best if they know what they’re up against.
(2-1) Fairfield Falcons (3rd Big, 4th Overall)
(Up 1 in both Division and NECC Rankings)
- Last Week: W 35-6 Central Noble
- This Week: Friday @ Culver Academies
- Series vs CMA (1976): 4-10
- First meeting since 10/23/2015: 24-21 CMA
Last week, this was a get-right game in a huge way for Fairfield getting back to the basics and taking Central Noble out of their rhythm from the start. They took advantage of a shorthanded Central Noble defense.
Brecken Maran was excellent in that game rushing for 115 yards on 21 carries with 3 touchdowns that were huge in getting the Wishbone offense rolling in the first half. As a team, they ran for 295 yards in an offense that saw six different players getting three or more touches.
Now can they continue to dominate up front against a solid Eagles squad out of Culver, IN. This Eagles team runs a contrasting style offensively led by sophomore quarterback Michael McColgan and his 365 passing yards, 63.2% completion, and 3 TD’s. However, he does have four picks. So if Fairfield can get to the quarterback and force him to scramble more, they might be able to frustrate CMA. That being said, this is a tough place to win on the road.
(1-2) Garrett Railroaders (4th Big, 5th Overall)
(Up 1 in Both Division and NECC Rankings)
- Last Week: W 27-0 vs Churubusco
- This Week: Friday @ Lakeland
- Series vs Lakeland (1971): 24-16
- Since 2014, Garrett is 8-2 against Lakeland
Garrett gets that monkey off their back, and doing so without another long losing streak to begin a campaign following a dominant shutout win over Busco. It was the first since 2004 that Garrett blanked Busco and doing so in Big Train fashion.
Last week, Garrett pounded the ball, and ponded the ball they did. Camren Ruble quietly had a dominant individual performance on 35 carries for 193 yards and recorded three of the team’s four total touchdowns.
Calder Hefty had the hefty weight off his chest last Friday throwing 9-12 for 116 yards and 2 touchdowns. Getting some life out of the passing game was just as crucial and Parker Skelly had a big 24-yard score that really stretched this lead for good. Nate Wells was awesome in this game with 12 total tackles and recorded a QB hurry.
Now, can they find that consistency against a dangerous Lakeland team? Chris DePew will be challenging his team against a Lakeland team that can beat them with their size, speed, and passing in their shotgun offense. What’s more dangerous is how fast they can score in this scheme. Garrett will have their hands full on paper. But this is Garrett, so it’ll be interesting to see if they contain their talents.
(0-3) Angola Hornets (5th Big, 6th Overall)
(Down 2 Spots in Both Division and NECC Rankings)
- Last Week: L 30-24 John Glenn
- This Week: Friday @ West Noble
- Series vs WN (1989): 9-28
- Angola’s last 0-4 start came in 2019
Ouch! Bad time to be going into division play on a winless start as they’re one of four NECC teams to still be searching for their first win. At this point, there’s just no defending Angola’s 3rd place projection now. That loss to Glenn was a stinger and not for the good reasons.
Up 2 with under a minute to go at home, that’s a game you just cannot afford to let it slip away from you. The bad thing about the way they lost that game was Angola didn’t get beat by the run on that last play, but rather the defense was completely fooled by Glenn’s quarterback Chase Miller threw a dart to a wide open receiver where no black Angola uniform was anywhere near the end zone. That was just a great playcall and a gutsy one from Glenn.
What continues to irritate me and most people is that Angola continues to get completely torched against the run as Chase Miller was responsible for the other three touchdowns with his bursting speed. Positives to take away with Angola are Hawk Hasselman’s continual progression at QB, his chemistry with Micah Steury is starting to show growth, and for the first time the Hornets had some fight in them on defense…it’s they fell just short in finishing the job.
The issue is with this division being as it is, falling short three weeks in a row is just not going to cut it in this competitive division. It’s not a doomsday situation obviously, but this is totally a tale of two seasons. And quite honestly, my concerns that Angola lost too much firepower and talent on defense is accurate thus far.
They’ll get there, and there are things to like this team, especially with the Pistol Option starting to improve. But until the defense can stop the run, it’s going to be a long season in 2023.
