By GREG KEIM
September 04, 2008 10:05 am
—
It’s still early in the high school football season but three of the higher-scoring teams in the state, according to John Harrell’s Web site, are in the greater Goshen area.
The Concord Minutemen are tied for the top spot with North Montgomery at 53 points per game. The Fairfield Falcons are fourth at 51 while the Lakeland Lakers share seventh with Center Grove and North Putnam at 48.
Following are capsule previews of area games:
Fremont (0-2) at Fairfield (2-0)
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
Series Record: Fairfield 22-10
Last year: Fairfield 66-6
The Fairfield Falcons are ranked No. 3 in Class 2A after opening the season with Northeast Corner Conference wins over Central Noble (41-14) and Prairie Heights (61-7).
Martin Lantz, 6-1 (198) senior fullback, gave the Falcon offense a boost last week with a career-high three touchdowns. It’s the first time in his high school career he has scored multiple TDs in a game.
“He is a very physical runner who gains the tough yards for us,” Fairfield coach Bob Miller said.
Fairfield’s tailback — 5-10 (201) senior Alic Vanover — has three TDs in both games this season.
“Lantz is a nice compliment to Vanover,” Miller added. “It keeps teams from overplaying the one spot.”
Fremont has lost to Churubusco 56-7 and Lakeland 51-13.
“Fremont has a solid quarterback who is mobile,” Miller said. “They use him in sprint outs or play action. This is the first time this season we have seen that type of athlete at quarterback”
Justin Scott, 6-3 (164) junior quarterback, has tossed three TD passes.
“Fremont runs a slanting 3-5 defense,” Miller said. “They bring two linebackers up so at times it looks like a five-man front. This will be a good test to see how Scott has matured. Our whole audible package is in so it will be up to him to get us out of trouble if he sees a bad play when looking at how the defense is lined up.”
Concord (2-0) at NorthWood (2-0)
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
Series Record: N’Wood 27-12
Last year: Concord 35-34
Besides being a battle of unbeatens, this is a matchup of two senior quarterbacks who wear No. 13.
Six-three (185) David Yoder leads the Concord Minutemen while 6-3 (215) Skyler Titus directs the NorthWood Panthers. Yoder has rushed for two touchdowns and passed for four so far this season. Titus has one TD pass.
“They are two different quarterbacks, but are both team leaders,” Concord coach Tim Dawson said. “It’s no secret that Titus runs the show and he has been known to put the team on his shoulders. He can beat you with his arm or his legs. He is not super fast, but you hardly ever see him take a loss.
“David (Yoder) has a great touch and a good presence in the pocket. Our offensive line has been giving him good protection.”
NorthWood coach Rich Dodson said, “Concord is putting up some points and it will be a challenge for our defense to try and stop them. They have good skill kids who know how to execute the offense. The goal is to make our defense look good by keeping Concord’s offense on the sidelines.”
An already potent offense might be getting even more impressive as the Minutemen rushed for 275 yards in last week’s 57-32 win at Elkhart Memorial. LaRone Smith, 5-8 (165) junior, gained 138 yards on 18 carries and 5-11 (180) senior Casey Clark chipped in with 78 on 11.
“Smith and Clark give us a good 1-2 punch,” Dawson said. “I don’t want to jinx us, but we have not fumbled the ball yet.”
The offensive line opening holes for Smith and Clark could be without starters — 6-4 (210) senior Devon Parker and 6-2 (285) junior Jacob Stover.
“Both were held out of practice Tuesday,” Dawson said. “Parker because of a shoulder injury and Stover due to an illness. We have some depth in the line and might have to use it this week.”
The Panthers have played the first two games without 6-0 (239) senior lineman Daniel Grabill.
“He has a knee injury,” Dodson said. “We have been using (6-1, 237, junior) Brent Ramer and (6-3, 220, junior) Michael Bough to replace him.”
NorthWood also has a good 1-2 running back duo in 5-9 (175) senior Danzele Johnson and 5-10 (185) classmate George Lopez.
“Johnson has done well, but he can do better,” Dodson said. “He missed most of last season due to an injury and that has put him a little behind.”
Northridge (1-1) at Wawasee (0-2)
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
Series Record: Wawasee 17-8
Last year: Northridge 36-23
Both teams are coming off rough outings in Week 2 as the Northridge Raiders dropped a 42-0 decision at East Noble while the Wawasee Warriors lost 30-3 at DeKalb.
“Last week was rough, but kids are very resilient,” Raider coach Jonathan Kirkton said. “Momentum was never on our side. Our defense played OK, we just kept giving the ball back to them on turnovers.
“East Noble is always a good measuring stick for us since they are so physical. Our kids stayed with them in that aspect. We were not getting blown off the ball.
“Wawasee looked a lot better against DeKalb than in Week 1 against Whitko. They have some good kids up front and (6-0, 185, junior quarterback) Josh Sommers is a good athlete we have to contain.”
Among leaders for the Raider offense last week were 5-9 (205) senior Scot Troyer with 41 rushing yards on 12 carries and 6-1 (185) junior quarterback Andrew Hooley who completed seven of 18 passes for 82 yards. Six-one (175) junior Gaitlin Rassi caught two balls for 31 yards and 5-8 (160) classmate Carsten Miller two for 26.
“They are still doing the same style of offense,” Wawasee coach Tom Wogomon said. “They want to utilize their speed and get to the corners with jet sweeps. They want to make it a track meet. One thing they do seem to have better control of this season is their passing game.
“Northridge has switched to a 3-5 defense. They are sending their linebackers in a very aggressive style and it confused both Riley and East Noble.”
Sommers completed nine of 17 passes for 163 yards in the DeKalb contest. He also ran the ball 20 times for 40 yards. Joey Melendez, 5-10 (180) junior, snared three passes for 107 yards and 6-1 (175) classmate Ryan Hoover three for 24.
“Comparing our first two games there were some bright spots last week,” Wogomon said. “The first week we had trouble handling snaps and too many untimely penalties. We didn’t make the same kind of mistakes against DeKalb.
“We are a young team and it is going to take some time to learn. We need to be making steps in the direction of getting better each week.”
Culver Military (1-1) at West Noble (1-1)
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
Series Record: CMA 4-0
Last year: CMA 48-0
The West Noble Chargers snapped a 22-game losing streak with last Friday’s 38-7 win over Eastside. The streak dated back to the 2005 season when the Chargers lost their opening game of the sectional to Culver Military Academy 13-6.
Jake Rupright, 5-9 (160) sophomore, scored two touchdowns in the Eastside game to lead the Charger offense. Nathan Cosner, 5-10 (145) junior quarterback, tossed his first TD of the season to 6-1 (215) senior tight end Kyle Grimm.
Culver Military is coming off a 14-6 loss to NorthWood in Week 2 after opening with a 24-14 victory at Tippecanoe Valley.
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