Last week concluded Divisional play in the NECC, but now the exciting time of the year is here. This week is the last week of the regular season, and that means everyone is gearing up for the postseason. In Justice League terms, it would be comparable to getting the team prepared for a huge war against the Injustice League. Disclaimer: Only diehard fans will understand the latter part.
Week 9 will see very interesting non-divisional matchups with tremendous headlines. The battle of division champions: Eastside @ Angola. The Bird Trophy Game: Fairfield @ Churubusco. Lakeland traveling to Bluffton, and Garrett hosting Central Noble.
Small School Division
1. Eastside Blazers 6-2, 4-0 (Small) (Clinched Outright Division Title)
Located in Butler, IN (DeKalb County)
2A Sectional 35
Current Ranking: 1st Small School Division; 1st NECC
Previous Ranking: 1st Small School Division; 1st NECC
Previous Outing: W 35-0 at Central Noble
Next Game: 10/14 @ Angola
- Head-to-Head Series: 27-17 Angola
- First Meeting: 10/15/1965 Angola won 26-6 at Angola
- Last Meeting: 10/15/2021 Eastside won 49-14 at Eastside
- Eastside has won the last 3 meetings
- Eastside has never won consecutive games at Hornet Field
I’m going to keep this short and to the point with most of this division because last week was not memorable. Eastside came into Central Noble and completely dominated a skilled Cougars team 35-0. Offensively, they were very efficient throwing for 72 yards on 6-8 completion from Carsen Jacobs and ran for 256 yards.
The Blazer rushing attack centered around the dominance of Jacobs and Dax Holman as they combined for 221 yards on 22 carries and three TDs. When this offense gets blazing hot, it is one that brings fear to many opposing defenses. What’s more promising is that they have dominated recent competition for obvious reasons, they’ve been able to get some reps in the passing game, especially with Dackotia Reed.
While this offense won’t be as reliant on the passing game as we’ve seen in past years, they know they still have to make plays beyond just pounding the ball. This is especially true if they want to win another sectional and make a deep run.
A tremendous rivalry game with Angola is the perfect type of opponent to get the Blazers focused on the playoffs. A win against Angola would definitely send a message to the 260 that they still belong with the big boys.
2. Churubusco Eagles 6-2, 3-1 (Small)
Located in Churubusco, IN (Whitley County)
2A Sectional 35
Current Ranking: 2nd Small School Division; 3rd NECC
Previous Ranking: 2nd Small School Division; 4th NECC
Previous Outing: W 35-19 @ West Noble
Next Game: 10/14 vs Fairfield
- Head-to-Head Series: 21-14 Busco
- First Meeting: 10/23/1987 Busco won 28-19 at Busco (1A Sectional 34)
- Last Meeting: 10/15/2021 Busco won 26-0 at Fairfield
- Since 2011, Busco has beaten Fairfield in 8 of their last 11 meetings
Arguably one of the most impressive Busco wins in my time covering the NECC, the Busco Wing-T looked as good as I have ever witnessed on tape EVER. They ran for 409 yards and connected for 80 more yards in the air. And they did this against one of the NECC’s top defensive units in 6-win West Noble. That was IMPRESSIVE, to say the least.
Riley Buroff was that DUDE in Week 8, and he made sure everyone knew who Riley Buroff is at his best. Buroff was 7-10 for 80 yards with two TDs and ran 18 times for a whopping 225 yards (12.5 yards a carry) and THREE more TDs. In total. Buroff had a career-high in rushing yards and total yards (305), which showcases that his skillsets are impeccable.
This was undisputedly the greatest Riley Buroff performance of his illustrious career, and one of the best single-game efforts by a quarterback we will ever see. Buroff was a DAWG amongst PUPPIES against a REALLY, REALLY good West Noble defense in front of a loud West Noble crowd.
While that offensive line was laying the hammer on West Noble horses, Buroff was showcasing his exceptional athleticism from his sprinting days, and he was literally untouchable. There were moments where West Noble was able to break the pocket, yet Buroff effortlessly broke multiple tackles and made it way too easy.
What’s more encouraging, however, is Busco’s defense is rounding into postseason form. Since that 28-6 loss at Eastside in Week 4, Busco has held opponents to below 50 yards of total offense in three of their last four games. Even when they allowed 333 total yards to West Noble, Busco’s defense was still doing well to keep them out of the end zone often.
Now, let’s see how they prepare for the postseason against Fairfield’s Wishbone Triple-Option, which is never an easy task to slow down.
3. Central Noble Cougars 2-6, 2-2 (Small)
Located in Albion, IN (Noble County)
2A Sectional 35
Current Ranking: 3rd Small School Division; 8th NECC
Previous Ranking: 3rd Small School Division; 7th NECC
Previous Outing: L 35-0 Eastside
Next Game: 10/14 @ Garrett
- Head-to-Head Series: 25-13 Garrett
- First Meeting: 10/09/1981 Garrett won 33-0 at Garrett
- Last Meeting: 10/15/2021 Central Noble won 8-0 at CN in Albion’s version of the Mud Bowl
- Since 2004, Garrett has beaten Central Noble in 9 of their last 12 meetings.
- Central Noble will look to avoid being shutout in 3 straight games for the first time since Oct. 7, 1983, when the Cougars were shutout from Week 6 to Week 9. This has only happened one other time in program history: 1973 (their inaugural season).
It’s hard to say anything with Central Noble because they ran into a great Eastside Blazers team that was destined to win that division again. While the Cougars were still unable to find the end zone, they did have something positive to say coming out of last week.
After Brody Morgan was cleared to play last week, Morgan showed just enough persistence to break Rex Gallmeyer’s 46-year program record for the most passing yards in a season. Morgan officially threw for 142 yards on 15-27 completion, which gives him 1,120 passing yards on the season.
Yes, Morgan threw four more picks against Eastside (now 11 INTs on the season), but it’s to be expected when he’s facing great defenses and this CN offense has a very inexperienced backfield. The numbers for Central Noble have been brutal lately, but you have to at least come away feeling confident that you now have a nice combo going into next season of Brody Morgan, Tyler Shisler (when healthy), Drew Pliett, and Tysen Deck.
This week is where they can win a game against Garrett, but the Railroaders are starting to play their best football of the season. Memorial Stadium is not an easy place to win a football game, so CN has to make sure they eliminate the turnovers this Friday.
4. Prairie Heights Panthers 2-6, 1-3 (Small)
Located in Brushy Prairie, IN (LaGrange/Steuben County)
2A Sectional 35
Current Ranking: 4th Small School Division; 9th NECC
Previous Ranking: 4th Small School Division; 9th NECC
Previous Outing: W 25-6 @ Fremont
Next Game: 10/14 vs West Noble
- Head-to-Head Series: 39-18 West Noble
- First Meeting: 9/08/1967 West Noble won 13-6 at PH
- Last Meeting: 10/15/2021 West Noble won 26-12 at West Noble
- West Noble has won the last 8 meetings vs PH
- PH’s last win vs West Noble came on October 11, 2013, where the Panthers won 21-13 at PH
I am not going to lie..I did not expect Prairie Heights to throw for 100 yards and run for a season-high 203 yards! They completely shredded the Fremont defense on their home field.
Are you kidding me Prairie Heights and the Fighting McCrea’s? You just got Joe Walburn hyping you up on social media since he was the ONLY one from SummitCitySports that took Prairie Heights last week.
This has to be one of the best games Prairie Heights has ever played in the Pat McCrea era, which is remarkable considering the youth of this team. Jaden Daniels had 138 total yards and two TDs (128 on the ground) as he averaged 18.3 yards a carry. 18.3 YARDS A CARRY, which includes a 71-yard touchdown run. Tayvin Kyle also had a nice game with 86 rushing yards and a score on 17 carries.
It’s been a long journey to try to give Prairie Heights their most successful season in a decade and the first winning season since 1989. Pat McCrea has done a phenomenal job assembling a great staff to teach hard-working kids to play football the right way. The efforts are there, the belief is there…they’re just hoping for the results to show that.
I can’t guarantee you Pat will still be the head coach by the time Prairie Heights gets their first winning season in currently 32 years, but every year feels like they are one step closer to reaching that goal.
5. Fremont Eagles 2-6, 0-4 (Small)
Located in Fremont, IN (Steuben County)
1A Sectional 44
Current Ranking: 5th Small School Division; 10th NECC
Previous Ranking: 5th Small School Division; 10th NECC
Previous Outing: L 25-6 Prairie Heights
Next Game: 10/14 @ Lake Station
- Head-To-Head Series: 1-0 Fremont
- Only Meeting: 10/16/2021 Fremont won 68-16 at Fremont
- Lake Station’s 3-5 record is their best FULL season of football since 2016
- Lake Station has ZERO seasons with 5 wins since 1999 and ZERO winning seasons since 1998
I once picked Fremont to win the Steuben County Brawl on SummitCitySports DOT COMMMMMMM. Then, Jaden Daniels and the Fighting McCrea’s tanked my prediction into oblivion as Fremont’s season is falling off faster than the sinking of the Titanic ship.
I know there is “some” talent at Fremont, but man it’s just hard because Fremont struggles to compete against the bigger, stronger schools in football. This school does an incredible job of supporting their kids. There is tremendous fan support for Fremont sports.
The administration has done a fantastic job making Fremont sports a fun event to attend, and teaching kids to play hard and have fun. The results are showing with tennis, volleyball, basketball, wrestling, golf, track and field, baseball, and softball.
But whenever it gets to football, it is a lot of hope that is left with disappointment and realistic expectations. Like Prairie Heights, they don’t have the numbers to logically compete with big schools every year. They are the smallest school in the NECC to field football and the second smallest overall.
I mean, I guess there will be good things to take from this season because they had their first 2-0 start since 1989. But I know Fremont wants to eventually see more than just a 2-0 start. So, it’ll be interesting to see how Coach Thomas prepares his team for Lake Station and sectionals.
However, it does appear that the future may look bright as their 8th-grade football team took home a NECC Jr. Small School Division title against Eastside. Yes, it’s just middle school, but when it’s Fremont that’s doing this, you have to consider the possibilities. Right??
