North Montgomery's Kai Warren looks to get past Crawfordsville's Carson Scott last Friday.
Each year North Montgomery football has a goal of winning county, conference, and sectional championships.
After a 42-6 win over Crawfordsville last Friday, the Chargers won their first county title since 2015, and despite a 2-2 record in the Sagamore Conference, a matchup with Tri-West on Friday proves to be pivotal in the league standings.
North Montgomery (3-3, 2-2 SAC) will look to pickup a win over a non-county or Frankfort Sagamore opponent since 2015, also the last time the Chargers finished with a record above .500. Tri-West enters the game 4-2 overall, and 3-1 in the conference.
“We have to stay focused on our game plan, and play within our strengths if we want to be successful, and I have all the confidence in the world that we can do that,” Chargers coach Josh Thompson said. “But we have to come out and compete well with a good team on Friday night.”
The Chargers have had a balanced offense all season long, and enter Friday night’s matchup with the Bruins with four different players over the century mark rushing, while Jaron Bradford ranks third in the conference with 843 yards, and has thrown 13 touchdowns.
“Obviously there are certain times where you want to get the ball to certain guys,” Thompson said. “But if you have any sort of balance whatsoever, I think it makes it more difficult on the other team. We are always going to look to see what the other team is going to give us.”
North Montgomery is looking for its first win over Tri-West since 2011.
Keys To The Game
For the Chargers to come out on top, they will need to limit the big plays defensively, and finish drives in the end zone offensively.
Players To Watch
North Montgomery’s Jaron Bradford (843 passing yards and 13 touchdowns), and Zak Searle (4.8 yards per carry, and 40 tackles).
Crawfordsville (0-6, 0-4) at Lebanon (2-4, 2-2)
Crawfordsville continued to struggle offensively in its 42-6 loss to North Montgomery last Friday, and the task won’t get any easier against Lebanon, who won two in a row after an 0-3 start, before losing to Tri-West 35-28 last week.
Athenian’s coach Kurt Schlicher realizes they must do a better job on first down to give themselves more favorable situations.
“We must do a better job on first down across the board,” he said. “Hopefully by creating better more favorable yardage situations will allow us to open up the playbook a little more. Overall our team needs to play faster and with more confidence.”
Keys To The Game
For Crawfordsville to sneak past Lebanon, the Athenians will need to score a touchdown in the first quarter, something they haven’t been able to do all season. They will also need to put together a strong defensive effort for a full 48 minutes.
Players To Watch
Crawfordsville’s Cale McCarty (473 passing yards and 94 rushing yards), and Jesse Hortin (66 tackles). Lebanon’s Garrett Harker (1,294 passing yards and 12 touchdowns), and John Reese (711 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns).
Western Boone (5-1, 4-0) at Southmont (3-3, 2-2)
It’s back to the drawing board for Southmont after a 42-0 loss at Danville last week. After a two-game winning streak came to a halt, the Mounties will look to get back on track when the defending Class 2A state champs in Western Boone pay a visit to New Market on Friday.
“First of all we’ve just got to play better than what we did last week,” Mounties coach Desson Hannum said. “For us to be able to compete on Friday, and have an opportunity to win the game, we’ve got to be able to run the football game better than we did last Friday. We didn’t have very many first downs. We are going to have to have our A game against Western Boone.”
Southmont averages 198.5 yards on the ground per game, but only rushed for 36 in the loss to the Warriors.
Keys To The Game
The Mounties will have to play a near perfect game to knock off the Stars. Win the turnover battle, and score on almost every possession, if not all of them.
Players To Watch
Southmont’s Cameron Giles (416 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns), and Ty Welliever (334 rushing yards).
Fountain Central (0-6, 0-4) at South Vermillion (3-3, 2-2)
Fountain Central is still in search for their first win of the season as they travel to South Vermillion on Friday night for a showdown with the Wildcats.
Keys To The Game
For the Mustangs to find victory formation they will need to get off to a good start, and get key defensive stops.
Players To Watch
Fountain Central tailback Austin Pickett, and South Vermillion quarterback Anthony Garzolini (977 passing yards and 11 touchdowns.)
