Football
Week 6 SAC Power Rankings: Major Shake Ups Put Homestead #1, Luers #5
#1: Homestead
Record: 4-1
Last Week: #2
Week 6: vs North Side
Despite not playing in the game, there was no team that benefited more from Dwenger’s win over Carroll than the Spartans. They now take control of the SAC as the #1 team in the standings and if they win out, they’ll be crowned SAC champs for the second consecutive year. QB Evan Ormsby is turning it up a notch, passing for 468 yards, 8 TD, and completing 54% of his passes. Along with Ormsby, WR Jared Kistler also had his best game so far with 6 receptions for 129 yards and 2 touchdowns. It’s great to see the offense begin to match the production of this defense, which has only allowed more than 14 points once in regulation this season. The only thing that Homestead is hoping for now is that their tailback Braeden Hardwick starts to find his groove and take over games like he did last year. He has 569 yards this season, but has only gone over 100 in two games this year. If and when he gets going, Sparty will be nearly unstoppable again on both sides of the ball.
#2: Bishop Dwenger
Record: 4-1
Last Week: #3
Week 6: vs Concordia
It always felt as though Dwenger was always one step ahead of the Chargers on Saturday as they continued to make plays on offense to keep their lead on the scoreboard. Their win puts three teams at 4-1, but Dwenger is sandwiched between Carroll and Homestead in the standings and in our rankings. If there is anything that other teams can learn from the Saints victory, it’s that if you keep overlooking Brenden Lytle, you’ll get burned. Carroll found that out, allowing Lytle to throw 328 yards, 1 TD, and complete 76% of his 21 passes. Since his return, WR Henry O’Keefe has been Lytle’s favorite target with 11 receptions, 256 yards, and 2 touchdown catches. With how they slowed Carroll’s offense for 21 points and 3 turnovers, and the fact they were literally inches away from beating Homestead and remaining unbeaten, the Saints should still be in strong consideration for a 5A state title this year.
#3: Carroll
Record: 4-1
Last Week: #1
Week 6: vs South Side
Carroll’s hold on the SAC came to an abrupt halt Saturday when the Chargers dropped their first game of the year to Dwenger. The Saints were able to expose some weaknesses in Carroll’s seemingly unstoppable offense that led QB Jeff Becker to struggle, in relation to how he had been playing, for 350 yards, 3 INT, and a 55% completion percentage. The lack of a running game, only 29 yards on the ground, along with how the offensive line didn’t respond well to the pressure that Dwenger dialed up, are things that the Chargers will definitely take a look at and fix before the Homestead game. They’re still very explosive, and will almost certainly win big against South Side on Friday, but as we learned this past weekend, there are areas that they’ll need to clean up if they want to take this team to the next level and compete with other teams in 6A. The goal is always to win state and the Chargers have the personnel to do it.
#4: Concordia
Record: 3-2
Last Week: #5
Week 6: at Dwenger
The most underrated SAC team has been the Cadets, who have gone 3-0 with QB Brandon Davis at the helm. In those games, they’ve outscored their opponents 95-6! RB Amir Drew has quietly made his way up to third in the conference in rushing, with 633 yards and 6.4 yards a carry. The great thing for Concordia is that if the offense can continue to play well, the defense should have no problem shutting teams down. They added to their SAC-leading interception total on Friday, now at 11 on the year, and held the conference’s top running back Damarius Cowen to only 76 yards. If they can keep this up, they could find their way back into the SAC title race.
#5: Bishop Luers
Record: 2-3
Last Week: #8
Week 6: at Northrop
A huge win by the Knights on Friday has highlighted how much Luers has improved since last season. QB Carson Clark played his best game of the year with 339 yards, 4 TD, and completed 61% of his passes to give the Knights the win in a back-and-forth shootout. They’re our biggest mover this week as they’ve climbed 3 spots to lead a group of 2-3 teams in our rankings. They’ll have an opportunity to get another statement win against Northrop on Friday.
#6: North Side
Record: 2-3
Last Week: #4
Week 6: at Homestead
After showing plenty of promise in the opener, North Side hasn’t been able to reach that level in any of their other games. Their loss to Luers on Friday has put the Legends back under .500. Despite all this, QB Duce Taylor has been a thrill to watch, as he’s now thrown for 1,615 yards, the most of any quarterback in Indiana and 5th most in the nation, and 14 TD. RB Jasuan Lambert has also been a huge part of this team with 583 yards, 6.6 yards per carry, and 6 TD. The Legends are much better than their record shows and they’ll have a chance to prove that the rest of the year. Unfortunately, they’ll face the top team in the conference in Homestead this week.
#7: Northrop
Record: 2-3
Last Week: #7
Week 6: vs Luers
Northrop had Concordia on the ropes with a 6-0 lead in the second half, until a series of events caused them to trail 13-6 just seconds later. After starting 2-0, the Bruins have now lost 3 straight. It’s no coincidence that RB Damarius Cowen has struggled during this stretch, only going over 100 yards once and having 2 touchdowns. If the Bruins want to turn things around, he’ll need to be a major factor in the games to come.
#8: Snider
Record: 2-3
Last Week: #6
Week 6: at Wayne
The Panthers still have yet to get anything going on offense this season and it’s cost them. Against Homestead, one of the better defenses in the conference, Snider failed to score a touchdown and wasn’t able to stop the Spartan offense. QB Luke Haupert was 8 for 18 and threw for 76 yards. While it hasn’t happened yet, you have to feel like he’s ready to have a breakout game soon. They’ll need him and the rest of the offense to improve in their next game to avoid a loss in their trip to Wayne.
#9: South Side
Record: 1-4
Last Week: #10
Week 6: at Carroll
After an impressive comeback victory over Wayne, the Archers were able to get their first win of the year and make it back-to-back wins over the Generals. Trevor Hapner played a fantastic game, coming away with 12 tackles, 2 sacks, and 3 TFL in the win. With the way South Side has played over the last couple of weeks, this might not be the only victory they get this year. With plenty of winnable games left on the schedule, the Archers are aiming for their first multi-win campaign since 2016.
#10: Wayne
Record: 1-4
Last Week: #9
Week 6: vs Snider
Wayne was ready to improve to 2-3 on the year, but a 4th quarter rally by South Side ended those hopes. Despite the loss, RB Chris Thomas continues to show that he is a valuable part of this offense, collecting 162 yards on 25 carries and coming up with 3 total touchdowns, with one of those being a 25-yard reception. The senior now has 698 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging a healthy 7.1 yards a carry. They’ll need to lean on him next week to get a win vs Snider.
