Rivalry week has arrived in the Summit Athletic Conference and I must ask: Is it a rivalry if one team wins all the time?
Take Snider vs. Northrop. On paper, it’s a rivalry. They’re 6A schools. They share a home field at Spuller Stadium. They’ve got veteran-filled coaching staffs. But Northrop hasn’t beaten Snider since the 1999 sectional, before current players were born. The Bruins are way overdue. Is this the year?
Also, I’m not sure Wayne vs. Concordia is a rivalry game in the truest sense of the word, but they’re fun teams to watch.
Let’s rank the SAC rivalry games this week based on which ones are the most compelling this season:
1. BISHOP DWENGER AT BISHOP LUERS
First meeting: 1965 (Luers 27, Dwenger 2)
Last Dwenger win in series: 2017, 15-14
Last Luers win in series: 2015, 28-15 (Dwenger’s only loss in state-title season)
Series last 10 years: Dwenger leads 6-4
Series last 15 years: Dwenger leads 10-5
This year’s matchup: This Battle of the Bishops has the potential to be one of the more entertaining in the series history. Dwenger sits atop the SAC with a 6-0 mark and has demonstrated a season-long ferocious defense. I know, I’ve used “ferocious” for Dwenger’s D all season. I have yet to find a better word. The Saints will need that D this week because Luers’ offense can strike at any moment. Luers is 4-2 and has scored the most points in the SAC (211) while giving up six more points than it has scored.
Luers quarterback Norman Knapke’s numbers through six games: 107 of 174 passing (61.5 percent) for 1,668 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions. That’s 278 yards passing per game, a huge number for a high school quarterback. Jordan Presley does it all, too, as evidenced by rushing, receiving, punt return and kick return touchdowns last week. Knapke has five receivers with at least 14 receptions, including returning-to-health playmaker Justin Gaston.
Dwenger’s defense has found a way to slow every big-time offense (Wayne, Homestead, Carroll and Concordia). Luers’ defense will have its hands full with Dwenger’s run game, also known as Tippmann, Tippmann, Tippmann & Co. But does rivalry week bring out something unexpected?
Prediction: Dwenger 24, Luers 21
2. CARROLL AT HOMESTEAD
First meeting: 1971 (Homestead 20, Carroll 0)
Last Carroll win in series: 2015, 31-24
Last Homestead win in series: 2017, 58-25
Series last 10 years: Homestead leads 10-5 (includes postseason)
Series last 15 years: Homestead leads 14-6 (includes postseason)
This year’s matchup: These teams are both 3-3. Winner starts the road to a possible momentum-building stretch run to the postseason. Loser faces more soul searching. This game has the makings of a shootout. When they’re at their best, both teams have passing attacks that feature strong-armed quarterbacks (Carroll’s Gaven Vogt and Homestead’s Jake Archbold and Luke Goode) and playmaking receivers (Carroll’s Camdyn Childers and Nathan Harrah and Homestead’s Trevin Taylor and Griffin Little). Yet they’ve both struggled at times.
Both teams have individual defensive standouts (Homestead’s Cam Rogers and Carroll’s Lincoln Lantz, among others) but display some vulnerability as a whole. This one could come down to whose defense makes more game-changing plays but it’s virtually a toss up.
Prediction: Homestead 31, Carroll 28.
3. WAYNE AT CONCORDIA
First meeting: 1975 (Concordia 14, Wayne 6)
Last Wayne win in series: 2014, 60-36
Last Concordia win in series: 2017, 35-14
Series last 10 years: Concordia leads 7-3
Series last 15 years: Concordia leads 12-3
This year’s matchup: This is the biggest game of the year for Wayne. That sounds odd since the Generals just beat Snider. Hear me out. This is a test of whether Wayne can maintain its focus. The Generals have a better team than Concordia – faster, stronger, more playmakers. But the Cadets are dangerous. They can strike quick. They can take advantage of mistakes. Wayne cannot afford to let last week’s huge win remain in their heads. The good news for Wayne is the fact coach Derrick Moore has kept his team playing in the moment since the opening-night loss to Dwenger. The tone needs to be set by Wayne’s defense, and I’m guessing it will be. Wayne (5-1) has sole hold on second place in the conference.
Prediction: Wayne 35, Concordia 14
4. NORTHROP AT SNIDER
First meeting: 1971 (Snider 20, Northrop 6)
Last Northrop win in series: 1999, 24-14 in sectional
Last Snider win in series: 2017, 49-35
Series last 10 years: Snider leads 10-0
Series last 15 years: Snider leads 17-0 (includes postseason)
This year’s matchup: It’s never good to play Snider when it’s coming off a loss, as the Panthers are doing after being stymied and beaten by Wayne last Friday. Since beating Carroll, Northrop has lost consecutive games to Concordia and Luers. Snider isn’t as offensively explosive as either of those teams, but I like the progress Jon Barnes is making at quarterback, and Alonzo Derrick can break free at any time. Northrop has not scored fewer than 28 points in any game this season while Snider has allowed more than 21 only once (a 38-14 loss to Carroll). A wildcard factor is the health of Northrop quarterback Bailey Meerzo, who left the game early with injury last week.
Prediction: Snider 27, Northrop 26
5. SOUTH SIDE AT NORTH SIDE
First meeting: 1927 (South Side 34, North Side 0)
Last South Side win in series: 2017, 35-22
Last North Side win in series: 2015, 49-13
Series last 10 years: North Side leads 8-3 (includes postseason)
Series last 15 years: North Side leads 10-9 (includes postseason)
This year’s matchup: North is 1-5, South is 0-6 and both teams are desperate for a win. North tasted the sweet W against Luers two weeks ago but took a step back in a 36-7 loss to Homestead last Friday. South Side has been held scoreless three times and has reached double digits only once, against Dwenger of all teams. (OK, Dwenger’s backups.) Look for North to bounce back and find its groove again for the second time in three weeks. I don’t think North Side running back Alex Holliday-Robinson can be shut down two weeks in a row.
Prediction: North Side 28, South Side 6
Feature photo by Reggie Hayes
