Week 1 brought new challenges to the Summit. Out-of-conference competition went 8-2 against the SAC last Friday, with six teams losing by double-digits. Although there are many weeks to fix the chinks in the armor, a lot was still learned about what to expect from the SAC this year.
Big Division
1. Carroll (0-1)
Week 1: 14-28 L at 6A #4 Hamilton Southeastern
Week 2: vs 6A #6 Warren Central
The Carroll offense came out of the gates flat on Friday night, going scoreless through the first half. The Charger offense was so electric last season that it’s easy to forget they can be slowed down, especially to the standstill HSE was able to hold them to. This week’s matchup with the Warren Central Warriors–a team coming off a blowout loss to Snider–will reveal what this team is capable of this year.
2. Snider (1-0)
Week 1: 42-20 W at 6A #6 Warren Central
Week 2: at 4A East Noble
Snider showed out in more ways than one against the powerful Warren Central Warriors. First off, the running game was firing on all cylinders. Snider backs Uriah Buchanan and Ke’ron Billingsley stampeded for 271 rushing yards and four touchdowns. The Panthers’ defense held their own as well, holding a Warriors squad that averaged 32 points per game last season to just 3 touchdowns. All-in-all a picture-perfect start to the year for a Snider team with a whole lot of potential.
3. Bishop Dwenger (0-1)
Week 1: 51-7 L vs 6A #9 Brownsburg
Week 2: at Cincinnati Moeller (OH)
Alright, this was a beatdown. But that doesn’t mean Dwenger won’t be able to hold their own in the SAC this season. Brownsburg lit up the Saints’ defense like a Christmas tree. The Bulldog quarterbacks combined for 218 yards on 23 passes for four touchdowns in a game with zero interceptions thrown. The ground game was even more impressive, with senior RB Garrett Sherrell taking 18 rushes for a whopping 223 yards and three touchdowns. Dwenger got left in the dust Friday night, but they will still be a formidable challenger in the SAC. Moeller presents a similar challenge to what Brownsburg brought, and that’s a runningback who can run circles around unprepared defenses in Michigan-commit Jordan Marshall. We’ll see how Dwenger’s front line holds up against a premier back in the nation.
4. Homestead (0-1)
Week 1: 14-7 L vs 6A #8 Carmel
Week 2: at 6A Noblesville
Homestead came into this game off of the worst season by win percentage since 2013, and they didn’t show much fire in this first game. A 7-7 stalemate at halftime was ended by a Carmel touchdown in the 4th that iced this low-scoring affair. Homestead has a lot of question marks around themselves this season, and all that we saw last night was that the QB play is still in question as two interceptions down the stretch did numbers on Homestead’s chances of victory. A formidable foe in Noblesville this week will give the Spartan offense a second chance at proving itself before SAC play begins.
5. Northrop (0-1)
Week 1: 42-6 L at 4A New Haven
Week 2: vs 4A #19 Wayne
This is a young Northrop team that got rocked by a veteran squad from New Haven. Donovan Williams led a formidable Bulldog offense to a 35-0 halftime lead, alongside three touchdowns by runningback Tre Bates. Northrop’s inexperience on defense will hurt them down the stretch of this season, but with experience, we could see a better Bruins squad by the season’s end.
Small Division
1. North Side (0-1)
Week 1: 26-13 L vs 4A #16 Northridge
Week 2: at 6A #17 Lawrence North
This felt like a game North Side should’ve won with all of the excitement around their program. But Northridge came into Friday night’s game and shut down what was (and still is) a lightning-quick Legends offense. Senior quarterback Dylan Schible struggled in his first start as the permanent starter for North Side, throwing two interceptions in a 120-yard performance. Tae Johnson needs to be on the field for this North Side team. He is the backbone of the entire unit and can pull the Legends out of tight games like this one with his unmatched athleticism. Hopefully, North Side will see him on the turf against Lawrence North.
2. Bishop Luers (0-1)
Week 1: 45-7 L at 4A East Noble
Week 2: vs 4A New Haven
Out of all of the results on Friday, East Noble’s 38-point shellacking of Bishop Luers seemed the most surprising. Luers tends to have the same profile every season: a team that struggles in the regular season against bigger schools, but flourishes in the postseason against 2A competition. East Noble is a great team, but this loss was really surprising considering the all-out domination East Noble displayed. We’ll see how Luers fares against a premier offense in Northeast Indiana versus New Haven.
3. Wayne (1-0)
Week 1: 35-12 W vs 4A Crispus Attucks
Week 2: at 6A Northrop
This win didn’t tell us much about Wayne, as Attucks doesn’t have a history of winning games against competition like the Generals. However, we did learn that Wayne has one heck of a linebacker in Kimar Nelson. Nelson lit up the Tigers’ defense with 16 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. Expect to hear his name a whole lot this season, especially next week against a Northrop team the Generals should be able to shut down.
4. Concordia (0-1)
Week 1: 48-20 L at 2A #9 Indianapolis Scecina
Week 2: vs 2A Eastbrook
Scenina was one of the best teams in Class 2A last season, and they showed it against Concordia. A big question remains for Concordia: who should start at quarterback? Junior Jack Andrews threw for 112 yards on 17 attempts, with one touchdown and two interceptions. Meanwhile, sophomore Braden Corbett threw for 200 yards on 35 throws for 2 touchdowns and an interception. I have a feeling this QB battle will continue next week against Eastbrook, a team that the Cadets should handle.
5. South Side (0-1)
Week 1: 22-17 L at 4A Marion
Week 2: vs 4A South Bend St. Joseph
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that South Side puts up a fight out-of-conference in spite of their SAC woes. Against Marion, the Archers had a great chance of winning after a field goal put them ahead 17-16 with 7 minutes to go. Then, Marion’s Jerald Graves returned the subsequent kickoff 80 yards to the house to score the game’s final score. A heartbreaker for an Archers team hungry to win in these out-of-conference games. They’ll have another legitimate chance at victory this week against a lackluster SB St. Joe team.
