North Montgomery's Zach Waldon runs against Southmont last week.
North Montgomery is riding high, Southmont is looking to find its identity, and Crawfordsville and Fountain Central are looking to continue to improve as all four local football teams head into week four action on Friday night.
Chargers (2-1, 1-0) at Lebanon (0-3, 0-1)
North Montgomery is coming off a 30-7 thumping of Southmont, and has won two games in a row, while Lebanon is still in search of their first win on the season following losses to Mooresville, Zionsville, and Danville.
The Chargers will look to maintain their consistency on offense, entering the game averaging 26 points per contest.
“I think we have to make sure we maintain our consistency on offense, and continue to finish drives with scores,” North coach Josh Thompson said. “Week 1 we moved the ball, but struggled to score late in the game, the last couple weeks we’ve done much better of finishing drives in the red zone and eating up clock, and we just have to continue to do that.”
Keys To The Game
For a North Montgomery victory, they will need to limit big plays from the Tigers offense, win the turnover battle, and win the time of possession.
Players To Watch
Jaron Bradford (383 yards), and conference leader Garrett Harker (732 yards) will look to kicks-start both offenses. Look for big things from North Montgomery’s Kai Warren (155 receiving yards, 23 tackles) on both sides of the ball.
Danville (1-2, 1-0) at Cville (0-3, 0-1)
Crawfordsville looks to fight back after suffering a 49-0 shutout loss to Western Boone last week, while Danville hopes to move to 2-0 in the Sagamore Conference. Athenian’s coach Kurt Schlicher knows improving as a football team all starts in practice.
“Our football team has improved this past couple of weeks at practicing,” he said. “The pace, energy, and intensity is getting better each week. Learning “how” to practice is an important step to improving our play on Friday nights.”
Keys To The Game
For a Crawfordsville victory, the Athenians will need to force the Warriors into mistakes, and take advantage of them. Crawfordsville’s margin for error remains slim, but they have the play-makers capable of attacking Danville’s weaknesses.
Players To Watch
The trio of Cale McCarty (313 passing yards), and Andrew Martin (99 receiving yards) and Carson Scott (104 receiving yards), look to shake-up the Danville secondary.
Frankfort (0-3, 0-1) at Southmont (1-2, 0-1)
Southmont looks to bounce back from an ugly 30-7 loss at North Montgomery, while Frankfort searches for their first win since 2017.
The injury bug has already bitten the Mounties, and coach Desson Hannum knows each player must fulfill their role as they open their home conference slate.
“I think for us that it is one of those things where if you have a situation where you need to replace somebody, that next guy has to be ready,” he said. “Everybody’s gotta understand their role, and know the scouting report, and they’ve got to understand what their responsibility is as a football player and their obligations they have to their teammates.”
Keys To The Game
For a Southmont victory, the Mounties will need to make sure they don’t hurt themselves. Do the things they do well like run the football, and set the tone defensively, and they should cruise to a win.
Players To Watch
Cameron Giles (248 yards) is third in the conference in rushing yards, while Frankfort’s dual-threat quarterback — Michael — has 199 passing yards and 150 yards on the ground. Southmont’s Riley Woodall leads the conference in tackles with 34.
Fountain Central (0-3, 0-1) at Covington (0-3, 0-3)
With both teams searching for their first wins of the season, emotions and intensity will be high in a Fountain County matchup.
Mustang’s coach Ryan Hall says he’s seen a lot of improvement from the Mustangs week-to-week, and is confident his team will be ready to go on Friday.
“Right after Friday’s game, we directed our attention to this Friday,” he said. “If our players are not ready to go this Friday, I am not sure if they will be ready at anytime this season. We are hoping to just keep improving and remember hard work does payoff.”
Keys To The Game
For a Fountain Central victory, the Mustangs will have to establish a running game out of the gate, and win the battle up front. Defensively they will need to contain the Trojans, and not give up any big plays.
Players To Watch
Look out for both Seth Martin and Gabe Riley for Fountain Central, as both are over the century mark in rushing yards.
