PREPS INSIDER

Kyle Neddenriep's top games from Week 1 of HS football season

Kyle Neddenriep
kyle.neddenriep@indystar.com

Guess what? The high school football season begins nine weeks from Friday. We’re not all that far away. With that in mind, I’m going to post a football-related list each week leading up to the season. This week, here are 10 games I’m looking forward to – and why – from Week 1 of the season (the first games are Aug. 19):

Center Grove vs. Warren Central highlights first week of season

  1. Warren Central at Center Grove – What more needs to be said? Center Grove will be playing its first game since last year’s 28-16 win over Penn in the Class 6A state title game. The Trojans defeated Warren Central twice last season, including a 24-13 win in the regional. The Warriors are coming off an 8-4 season and returns quarterback Zach Summeier. Center Grove has a lot to replace but has senior running back Titus McCoy back. This will be the fourth consecutive season the teams have met in the opener.
  2. Hamilton Southeastern at Carmel – Carmel opened last season with a 28-7 win over HSE on its way to a 10-3 season and regional title. HSE lost only one more game, but it came in the first round of the sectional to rival Fishers (38-22). Carmel quarterback Elliot Charlebois is a talented senior and will have some weapons around him with seniors Jalen Walker, Ethan Merriweather and Kurt Rafdal. Jake McDonald will also play at quarterback for the Greyhounds. Carmel was won openers the past two seasons against HSE.
  3. Whiteland vs. New Palestine, at Lucas Oil Stadium: New Pal has had time to catch its breath since its last game – also at Lucas Oil Stadium – a 64-61 loss to Fort Wayne Snider in the Class 5A state title game. The Dragons are 41-2 in Kyle Ralph’s three seasons, but this will be a major test with quarterback Alex Neligh gone to graduation, along with several other talented seniors. Whiteland was 7-3 last season, losing to Columbus East in the sectional. Starting quarterback Jace Carpenter was a junior last season.
  4. Monrovia vs. Cardinal Ritter, at Lucas Oil Stadium: This is the first game of the doubleheader at Lucas Oil (Whiteland vs. New Pal the nightcap). Monrovia is coming off a Class 2A state championship and 14-1 season. The lone loss? It came at the hands of Ritter, 22-16, in the season-opener a year ago. Ritter was 6-5 last season and lost to Scecina in the sectional. Monrovia returns two of its top rushers in Garrison Lee (1,628 yards) and Dalton Smith (1,646 yards).
  5. Roncalli at Southport -- Roncalli will attempt to reload from a 9-5 season and the program’s first regional crown in 10 years. Last year’s team was senior-dominated. It’ll be a new era at Southport with Brandon Winters taking over as coach after Bill Peebles rejuvenated the program and took over at Lawrence Central. Blake Evans (1,325 receiving yards) should have a big senior season for the Cardinals.
  6. Brownsburg at Bloomington South -- There should be plenty of buzz around Brownsburg despite the Bulldogs coming off a 4-6 season. Senior quarterback Hunter Johnson (Clemson) should put up big numbers under new coach John Hart. Will it translate to more victories? Bloomington South was 11-1 last season and won a Class 5A sectional under coach Mo Moriarity. This is a new opener on the schedule.
  7. Noblesville at Lawrence North -- This has been a high-scoring, competitive game the last two years – both Noblesville victories (55-50 last year). Noblesville finished 3-7 and Lawrence North 3-8. Jason Simmons takes over as a first-year coach at Noblesville. Patrick Mallory has brought Lawrence North to respectability in his three seasons and looks for a breakthrough in Year 4.
  8. Avon at Plainfield -- Can Avon reload after last year’s 10-3 season and run to the Class 6A semistate? The Orioles should be able to lean on senior-to-be Bryant Fitzgerald. Plainfield was 5-5 last season, losing 41-0 to Avon in the opener.
  9. Zionsville at Pike -- This is another new game on the schedule. Pike is coming off back-to-back 4-6 seasons. Zionsville was 5-7 but won a Class 5A sectional.
  10. Western Boone at Sheridan -- Western Boone is coming off an 8-2 season, including a 47-20 win over Sheridan in the opener. Sheridan coach Bud Wright, the state’s all-time wins leader, is just five from 400 for his career. This will be his 52nd season overall and 51st at Sheridan.