Whew. Week 1 never ceases to amaze, does it?! Some great ball across Northeast Indiana really has fans stoked for more. And there will be some great NE8 matchups to watch. We will see how things shake out next week in the power poll. I expect Leo to bounce back like a cobra this week. So here we go!
Norwell vs. Heritage: Norwell by 10
The Knights showed us what depth they have, and this will set up nicely for a postseason run. It doesn’t matter who is running the football in Ossian. The Knights win again.
East Noble vs. Northwood: East Noble by 7
East Noble put on a great display last week but will have to improve the passing game as the season goes on. I still think they win here.
Leo vs. Angola: Leo by 10
You love to see the Hornets improve. But even with finding the new offensive identity, there are too many top-level players on the Leo squad and they get their first win under the new Head coach.
New Haven vs. Eastbrook: New Haven by 10
If the Bulldogs put on a display like last week this could be a thrilling game. We need to see New Haven against a little bit more formidable opponent. They get it in week two and win.
Columbia City vs. Delta: Delta by 3
This is a revenge game for CC from last year. It gets a little tougher with the Eagles on the road. This one should be close and can go either way. Edge to the home team.
DeKalb vs. Garrett: Garrett by 3
The Railroaders can bounce back after a big loss to a State title contender last week. I think this could be a great matchup this week in terms of offensive play.
Huntington North vs. Jay County: Jay County by 1
The Vikings had a tough loss last week. Riding high on a big win in the prior week, I think Jay County wins here.
Bellmont vs. South Adams: South Adams by 14
After a tough loss to Heritage the Braves aren’t giving any favors here. The Starfires will come locked and loaded and ready to play.
Scheme note for the week: Redemption week for both DeKalb and Garrett. This is a very interesting matchup of two offenses not afraid to spread it out. Both sides have QBs that can throw. They can both pick apart a zone. What kind of exotic pressures can either defense use to create mismatches with different looks on the defensive line? That will be the key to this matchup as both teams feature a base of four down linemen but both have also shown a willingness to move more players down to the point of attack.
