My quest to achieve the 80 percent plateau remains intact as I went 19-5 (79 percent) last week. My overall record is now 166-37; which keeps me at 82 percent for the season. All games on Friday unless indicated.
CLASS 6A
Penn (6-5) at Merrillville (11-0): The Kingsmen crowned No. 3 Merrillville, 28-16, during the 2018 campaign. Ryne Buckley was 5-of-10 for 113 yards with a touchdown in Penn’s 10-7 win over Chesterton. Angel Nelson went 7-of-12 for 169 yards and two scores in the Pirates’ 42-14 win over Lafayette Jeff. Matt’s pick: Merrillville 38, Penn 14.
Westfield (10-1) at Carroll (Fort Wayne) (10-1): Micah Hauser ran nibe times for 75 yards with a touchdown in the No. 2 Shamrocks’ 24-22 win over No. 7 Hamilton Southeastern. A.J. Lazoff caught three passes for 21 yards with a score in the No. 6 Chargers’ 36-0 win over Warsaw. Matt’s pick: Westfield 29, Carroll (Fort Wayne) 26.
Brownsburg (9-2) at Indianapolis Ben Davis (6-5): The No. 5 Bulldogs claimed a 33-22 win over Indianapolis Ben Davis on August 20. Jayden Whitaker completed 12-of-14 for 150 yards with two touchdowns in Brownsburg’s 31-7 win over No. 4 Carmel. Dillon Moore hauled in two passes for 48 yards with a score in the Giants’ 42-20 win over Indianapolis Tech. Matt’s pick: Brownsburg 31, Ben Davis 17.
Center Grove (11-0) at Lawrence North (7-3): The No. 9 Wildcats dropped a 43-19 decision to top-ranked and defending state champion Center Grove, 43-19, on October 8. Daniel Weems scampered seven times for 58 yards with two scores in the Trojans’ 41-7 win over Columbus North. Ali Richardson rambled 30 times for 103 yards and two touchdowns in Lawrence North’s 28-20 win over Lawrence Central. Matt’s pick: Center Grove 40, Lawrence North 20.
CLASS 5A
Valparaiso (10-1) at Michigan City (8-3): The No. 4 Vikings downed No. 10 Michigan City, 49-28, on September 10. Ricky Hall came up with three receptions for 77 yards with two touchdowns in Valparaiso’s 42-0 blanking of Munster. Tyler Bush was 12-of-16 for 216 yards with two scores in the Wolves’ 48-25 win over No. 7 Mishawaka. Matt’s pick: Michigan City 33, Valparaiso 30.
Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger (7-4) at Zionsville (7-5): The Eagles captured the regional title a year ago with a 30-21 win over Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger. K.J. Tippmann raced 19 times for 160 yards with three scores in the Saints’ 42-20 win over No. 5 Fort Wayne Snider. Colin Price ran 66 yards for a touchdown in Zionsville’s 42-17 win over No. 9 Kokomo. Matt’s pick: Zionsville 28, Bishop Dwenger 23.
New Palestine (8-3) at Indianapolis Cathedral (11-1): The defending state champion and top-ranked Irish suffered a 35-10 loss to New Palestine in the 2019 regional finale. Grayson Thomas came up with 23 carries for 96 yards with a score in the Dragons’ 20-17 win over Whiteland. Seth Mencer recorded 20 carries for 106 yards and three touchdowns in Cathedral’s 31-7 win over No. 2 Decatur Central. Matt’s pick: Cathedral 42, New Palestine 21.
Bloomington South (8-2) at New Albany (8-3): The No. 8 Panthers roared to a 50-21 win against New Albany on August 20. Nathan Zurface booted a 41-yard field goal in Bloomington South’s 24-17 win against Bloomington North. Myles Johnson ran 27 times for 133 yards in the Bulldogs’ 34-27 win against Seymour. Matt’s pick: Bloomington South 41, New Albany 16.
CLASS 4A
New Prairie (10-2) at Lowell (9-3): The Cougars earned a 24-14 win over Lowell on September 3. Ben Fronk caught an 18-yard touchdown pass in New Prairie’s 35-3 win over Saint Joseph. Ryan Marx carried the ball seven times for 107 yards with a score in the Red Devils’ 38-10 win over No. 10 Hobart. Matt’s pick: Lowell 34, New Prairie 32.
Mississinewa (9-2) at Northridge (8-4): Carson Campbell registered 15 carries for 192 yards with four scores in the Indians’ 42-6 win over Fort Wayne Wayne. Kade Sainz had three catches for 36 yards with a touchdown in the Raiders’ 27-26 overtime upset of No. 2 Leo. Matt’s pick: Mississinewa 25, Northridge 19.
Indianapolis Roncalli (12-0) at Mount Vernon (Fortville) (11-1): The No. 1 and defending state champion Royals downed No. 4 Mount Vernon (Fortville), 35-14, in last season’s regional finale. Luke Hansen accounted for 27 carries for 190 yards with a touchdown in Roncalli’s 35-21 win over No. 7 Indianapolis Bishop Chatard. Gehrig Slunaker went 7-of-9 for 156 yards with three scores in the Marauders’ 70-0 blanking of Connersville. Matt’s pick: Roncalli 37, Mount Vernon (Fortville) 24.
East Central (10-2) at Evansville Memorial (10-2) (Saturday): Cole Burton was 10-of-11 for 136 yards and two scores in the No. 5 Trojans’ 37-7 win over Martinsville. Ray Brodie rambled 22 times for 239 yards with two touchdowns in the No. 8 Tigers’ 24-7 win over No. Northview. Matt’s pick: Evansville Memorial 27, East Central 19.
CLASS 3A
Marian (9-3) at Hanover Central (11-1): The Knights cruised to 43-6 win over Hanover Central in the 2016 sectional semifinals. Greg Atkinson racked up five catches for 111 yards and two scores in Marian’s 40-7 win over Jimtown. Matt Koontz tossed for 80 yards with a touchdown in the Wildcats’ 24-16 win against Knox. Matt’s pick: Marian 44. Hanover Central 12.
Brebeuf Jesuit (10-2) at Norwell (11-1): The No. 3 Braves blanked No. 8 Norwell, 14-0, during the 2004 campaign. Jack Maiers tallied 13 carries for 107 yards with a touchdown in Brebeuf’s 42-17 win over Western Boone. Austin Deleon connected on a 33-yard field goal in the Knights’ 24-13 win over Peru. Matt’s pick: Brebeuf Jesuit 35, Norwell 18.
Tri-West (10-2) at Owen Valley (10-1): The Patriots edged No. 10 Tri-West, 14-12, in the 1998 season. Ty Owens completed 13-of-18 for 166 yards with two touchdowns in the Bruins’ 18-13 win over No. 4 Danville. Christian McDonald had scoring runs of one and 18 yards in Owen Valley’s 14-0 win over Vincennes Lincoln. Matt’s pick: Tri-West 20, Owen Valley 10.
Lawrenceburg (11-1) at Gibson Southern (11-1) (Saturday): Teagan Bennett registered 17 carries for 166 yards with three touchdowns in the No. 5 Tigers’ 35-14 win over No. 6 Brownstown Central. Brayden Malone recorded three catches for 142 yards with three scores in the No. 2 Titans’ 42-7 win over Heritage Hills. Matt’s pick: Gibson Southern 43, Lawrenceburg 33.
CLASS 2A
LaVille (9-2) at Andrean (9-3): Lucas Plummer went 7-of-12 for 131 yards with a score in the Lancers’ 41-0 blanking of Pioneer. Alonzo Paul caught three passes for 86 yards with a touchdown in the No. 8 59ers’ 49-0 win over Whiting. Matt’s pick: Andrean 25, LaVille 11.
Eastbrook (11-0) at Eastside (12-0): The top-ranked Panthers clawed past No. 4 Eastside, 42-9, for the 2019 regional crown. Isaiah Dalton had five receptions for 49 yards with a touchdown in Eastbrook’s 28-21 win over No. 6 Tipton. Dax Holman raced 17 times for 90 yards with a score in the Blazers’ 21-16 win at No. 2 Fort Wayne Bishop Luers. Matt’s pick: Eastbrook 40, Eastside 38.
Indianapolis Scecina (9-3) at Lafayette Central Catholic (8-4): The Knights captured the Class 1A state championship with a 14-0 win over Indianapolis Scecina. Tamir Woods recorded two receptions for 78 yards with a touchdown in the Crusaders’ 21-10 win over No. 9 Centerville. Baylor Smith rambled 24 times for 127 yards with a score in Lafayette Central Catholic’s 56-35 win over No. 10 Speedway. Matt’s pick: Lafayette Central Catholic 39, Indianapolis Scecina 32.
Evansville Mater Dei (10-2) at Triton Central (8-4): The No. 7 Wildcats posted a 16-6 win over Triton Central in last year’s regional finale. Joey Pierre scampered 19 times for 135 yards with a touchdown in Mater Dei’s 42-13 win over North Posey. Ray Crawford accumulated 22 rushes for 147 yards with a score in the Tigers’ 37-35 win over Paoli. Matt’s pick: Evansville Mater Dei 30, Triton Central 13.
CLASS 1A
North Judson (8-3) at Carroll (Flora) (9-3): Aldric Harper was 8-of-14 for 144 yards with four touchdowns in the Bluejays’ 40-6 win over Culver. Carson Lambert’s interception helped the Cougars on their way to a 16-6 win over Clinton Prairie. Matt’s pick: North Judson 19, Carroll (Flora) 14.
Adams Central (11-1) at South Adams (10-2): The No. 3 Flying Jets soared to a 48-7 win over No. 7 South Adams on September 24. Alex Currie finished with five rushes for 91 yards and two scores in Adams Central’s 49-3 win over Triton. A.J. Dull ended with 10 carries for 107 yards in the Starfires’ 41-7 win over Union City. Matt’s pick: Adams Central 28, South Adams 16.
Indianapolis Lutheran (12-0) at Parke Heritage (10-2): Jake Pasch returned a kickoff 83 yards for a score in the No. 1 Saints’ 34-27 win over No. 10 Covenant Christian Caleb Basler hauled in a 69-yards touchdown pass in the No. 5 Wolves’ 34-16 win over Riverton Parke. Matt’s pick: Indianapolis Lutheran 38, Parke Heritage 31.
Tri (10-2) at North Central (Farmersburg) (6-5): Parker Burk scampered 17 times for 98 yards with two touchdowns and caught a 35-yard pass for another score in the Titans’ 20-13 win over North Decatur. Jeremiah Swalls tallied 17 carries for 76 yards and two scores in the Thunderbirds’ 30-14 win over No. 6 Springs Valley. Matt’s pick: Tri 14, North Central (Farmersburg) 9.
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