Carrollton Hawks @ Brown County Hornets
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Previous meeting: October 19, 2012. Carrollton won 47-18.
Carrollton’s vaunted spread offense will be back in business again, faster than ever possibly. Quarterback Wade Prough, running back Alex Bowker, and wide receiver Jerrett Smith are ready to run wild in their no huddle offense.
All of them possess breakaway speed and great athleticism. The Hawks have plenty of depth in terms of speed capabilities. Brown County missed out on the playoffs for the first time in 10 seasons last year, but the Hornets are excited about their chances this season with several key players returning.
“We know it’s going to be a battle right out of the gate,” Carrollton head coach Nick Flowers said. “It’s going to be two football rich programs going at it and that’s the way we like to have it.”
Triopia Trojans @ Calhoun Warriors
Previous meeting: September 4, 2009. Triopia won 34-6.
With young athleticism all over the roster, Calhoun has high expectations for the first time in several years. Senior Black Booth, a three-year starting quarterback, will lead the potentially explosive Warrior offense. Wes Klocke, Clayton Ralston, and Scout White will be the options in the backfield, while Damien Pohlman and Tyler Webster will pose threats as wide receivers.
The Warriors may also have the upper hand in the trenches with an experienced and massive offensive and defensive line. On the other side, Triopia won’t have the traditional beefed up line they’ve sported in the past, but do have speed in the skill positions. Incidentally both schools are two-time IHSA Class 1A state champions.
“We know what to expect out of them and it’s going to be a difficult task for our team,” Calhoun head coach Aaron Elmore said. “We look at it as a heck of a challenge… We’ll be ready to go.”
Greenfield-Northwestern Tigers @ Routt Catholic Rockets
Previous meeting: October 17, 2014. Greenfield won 26-0.
Coming into this game the Tigers are carrying a four-game winning streak over the Rockets since 2010. They also return leading rusher Taegan Grigsby while Jordan Williams is another capable running back available.
On defense, the Tigers are confident about their linebacker corps, but did have to re-establish their defensive and offensive lines in the offseason. The quarterback spot has been up for grabs all summer long as well. Meanwhile Routt is coming off of a 1-8 season, but did have a successful summer with workouts and 7 on 7’s.
The Rockets ran a run heavy offense last season, but they might bust out a different approach this time around.
“Last year they had a very physical style where they would come at you but at the younger levels they spread things out and were different on offense in terms of the dynamics in terms of the way they would attack us,” Greenfield head coach Joe Pembrook said. “We have to be very prepared for anything and everything.”
Beardstown Tigers @ North Greene Spartans
The Spartans will welcome Beardstown to White Hall and to the WIVC on Friday night.
This is Beardstown’s first season in the prestigious 1A conference and North Greene may not be so gracious on the field. The Spartans are coming off one their best seasons in school history. They did suffer a heavy graduation toll, but do return enough players that know the system well and have experience.
Dalton McDonald will be the anchor to the Spartan’s defense as a defensive lineman. On the other side he’ll be getting carries in the backfield with Nick McEvers and Derek Dawdy. A new era at quarterback has begun with 6’1” sophomore Jonah Hopper.
Head coach Tony Rhodes believes Hopper is already to go, but does have things to work on for being young.
As for opening against the new kids on the block in the conference: “It’s tough to open up with a team you don’t know much about, but they’re kind of in the same boat as we are,” Rhodes said. “We’re getting the kids ready for whatever we think they might do and we’ll be ready for that first game.”
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