Football
Week 7 SAC Power Rankings: Middle of the Conference Continues to Shuffle
#1: Homestead
Record: 5-1
Last Week: #1
Week 7: vs Carroll
Homestead beat North Side with what was once thought as their achilles heel, their offense. My how things have changed since week 1, after Homestead put up 56 on the Legends defense Friday. QB Evan Ormsby has now reached the 1,000 yard mark and has thrown for 16 touchdowns, 10 over the past two weeks. His top targets Nate Anderson and Jared Kistler have combined for 40 receptions, 691 yards, and 12 touchdowns. LB Luke Palmer has anchored the defense with his 56 tackles, 2 sacks, and 10 TFL, one of the main reasons why the Spartans are on a 5-game winning streak. This will all be put to the test though against Carroll, in a decisive week 7 showdown.
#2: Bishop Dwenger
Record: 5-1
Last Week: #2
Week 7: at Luers
Dwenger erased any drama that might have come from playing a solid Concordia team by going up 24-6 at halftime and never looking back. QB Brenden Lytle has 1,083 yards through the air and 10 touchdowns, with another 4 on the ground. The defense has been stellar, with linebackers Devon Tippmann and John Michael Fabini making an impact with 57 tackles and 15 TFL between the two. The Saints pride themselves on being tough and physical and they have exemplified that this year. Now, Dwenger fans will cheer for Carroll like they never before and hope the Chargers can knock off the Spartans this week, which would put the Saints in first place.
#3: Carroll
Record: 5-1
Last Week: #3
Week 7: at Homestead
Carroll doesn’t control their own destiny. The Chargers will have to beat Homestead and pray that Dwenger loses sometime between now and the end of the year to get back into first in the standings. For now, they’re taking care of what they can and the offense has been just as potent. Jeff Becker has passed for 1,785 yards and 22 TD, and WR Mason Englert is up to 951 yards and 14 TD, leading the charge for the Chargers to outscore their opponents by a 305-117 margin, by far the highest in the SAC. But these stats really don’t mean a whole lot without taking down one of the “big boys” of the conference. They’ll have their chance this week to not only get a win and prove they’re one of the best teams in Indiana, but they have a shot to break a 6-game losing streak to their hated rival, the Homestead Spartans.
#4: Concordia
Record: 3-3
Last Week: #4
Week 7: vs Wayne
Things got out of control quickly as the Cadets’ mistakes began to pile up at Dwenger. Despite the loss, they haven’t dropped in our rankings. Aside from the two early fumbles, QB Brandon Davis had a solid outing with 127 yards, 1 TD, and no interceptions and RB Amir Drew is still one of the best running backs in the SAC with 685 yards, 5.9 yds/car, and 5 TD. The question now is how this defense will respond to giving up 31 points in Friday’s outing and if they get back to playing at a high level. A game against a struggling Generals team this week might be exactly what they need.
#5: Northrop
Record: 3-3
Last Week: #7
Week 7: at Snider
There’s an interesting trend going on with Northrop. When Damarius Cowen reaches at least 200 yards in a game, the Bruins win. For the third time this season, Cowen went over 200 yards, this week against Luers, and for the third time this year Northrop has won. Here’s another fact: Cowen had at least 30 carries in all those games and had under 30 carries in all of those losses. If Cowen can get that amount of carries and yards the rest of the way, it’s a safe bet that Northrop will win most, if not all of their games in these last three weeks.
#6: North Side
Record: 2-4
Last Week: #6
Week 7: vs South Side
Another week, another great performance by Duce Taylor in a loss. This week, Duce threw for 193 yards and 3 touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Legends competitive at Homestead. Everyone, including Coach Brevard knew it would be hard for North Side to win all of these games and they fought hard to get to 2-4. Now comes the most challenging part of their year mentally. They’ll have to show the same fight and the same level of energy that it took for them to get here, in order to finish the season with a winning record. We’ll see who wants it more in the annual battle between North and South at Chambers Field on Friday.
#7: Snider
Record: 3-3
Last Week: #8
Week 7: vs Northrop
Snider had their most impressive win of the year over Wayne. In a game that some thought could be tight all the way through, Snider made sure to get the win by pulling away with 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. RB Tyrese Brown has the best individual game of any Panther this season, with 217 yards and 3 TD. If QB Luke Haupert and this passing game can find their groove, the running game should keep producing and the defense will have any easier time doing their job. This week won’t be any easy win, but playing Northrop will provide another opportunity for the Panthers to improve offensively before sectionals.
#8: Bishop Luers
Record: 2-4
Last Week: #5
Week 7: vs Dwenger
Luers’ offense is showing promise this year. QB Carson Clark is coming into his own with 1,249 yards and 9 TD and RB Sir Hale has had back-to-back 100 yard games for 238 yards over the last two games. The real issue is with the defense which has surrendered 241 points, second most in the SAC, and has allowed more than 30 points in every one of their games. If they can find a way to get off the field more often and hold opposing offenses, their own offense should be able to do its job and win them some more games.
#9: South Side
Record: 1-5
Last Week: #9
Week 7: at North Side
Trevor Hapner has been a force on this defense. His 45 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 sacks, and 3 turnovers make him one of the most versatile players on the field and have allowed him to flourish no matter where he lines up. While South Side has struggled to find consistency on offense, they at least know that they can trust Hapner and their defense to keep them in the game. They’ll be looking to avenge their heartbreaking loss last year to North Side with a win, in one of the most heated rivalries around.
#10: Wayne
Record: 1-5
Last Week: #10
Week 7: at Concordia
Wayne has been able to stay in games but has been unable to finish the job and win them. They’ve been very competitive and have been within 10 points in the fourth quarter in four of their games this year. This is the mark of a young but talented team that has plenty of potential to be great in the future. For now, Chris Thomas and co. will try to pull out a win over Concordia. Thomas has 767 yards, 6.8 yds/car, and 11 TD this year, making him a threat to go off on any given week.
