Week 4 Football Preview

Nearly halfway through the regular season, conference games are in full swing. Check out the lineup of action this week: Avon (2-1) at Fishers (2-1) Batesville (3-0) at New Palestine (1-2) Ben Davis (3-0) at Warren Central (3-0) Brownsburg (1-2) at Westfield (0-3) Cascade (0-3) at Heritage Christian (3-0) Center Grove (2-1) at Terre Haute North (1-2) Clinton Central (1-2) at Sheridan (3-0) Decatur Central (0-3) at Martinsville (1-2) Franklin (2-1) at Mooresville (3-0) Greenwood (2-1) at Whiteland (3-0) Indian Creek (2-1) at Brebeuf (2-1) Arlington (2-1) at Northwest (1-2) Cathedral (1-2) at Chatard (3-0) Ritter (3-0) at Speedway (3-0) Roncalli (2-1) at Plainfield (1-2) Tech (2-1) at Manual (0-3) Washington (1-2) at Howe (0-3) Lapel (2-1) at Eastern Hancock (0-3) Lawrence Central (3-0) at Pike (2-1) Noblesville (1-2) at Lafayette Jeff (0-3) North Central (0-3) at Lawrence North (1-2) Pendleton Heights (0-3) at Shelbyville (3-0) Rushville (1-2) at Mt. Vernon (1-2) Southport (2-1) at Perry Meridian (0-3) Terre Haute South at Carmel (3-0) Zionsville (2-1) at Hamilton Southeastern (3-0) One game on the schedule stands out more than the others this week: Class 5A No. 2 Ben Davis at No. 3 Warren Central. It's the biggest game of the year for the Giants and a key Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference (MIC) game. After last week's thriller at Center Grove between No. 1 Carmel and now No. 4 CG, do Warren and Ben Davis have a sequel in mind? Both the Warriors and Giants are coming off huge victories at Lucas Oil Stadium last week. Warren Central defeated Lawrence North 56-14 behind a vaunted rushing attack of George Cheeseborough and Eric Williams, both seniors. Ben Davis also used its fierce running attack, led by Phillip Dudley, Miles Wright and quarterback Greg Rice. Each team has rushed for over 300 yards in each of its last three games. The two MIC schools have combined for 13 state championships in the past 24 seasons - seven for BD and six for Warren Central (including four straight from 2003-06). The winner will keep pace with Carmel in the MIC race. Elsewhere: Though the MIC is regarded as one of the best football conferences in the state, the Hoosier Crossroads Conference has to be up there as well. Every week, another key battle (or two) emerges. This week is no different as 5A No. 5 Hamilton Southeastern (3-0) hosts Zionsville (2-1). Last year, the Royals won a 14-13 squeaker and this year could be no different. Since falling to Lafayette Jeff in the season opener, Zionsville has outscored its opponents 85-19 the last two weeks. HSE comes in on a roll, winners of eight of its last nine games, dating back to Oct. 12, 2007. The Royals only loss? A 13-6 loss to 2007 5A runner-up Pike in regionals. Watch out for talented HSE junior running back Matt Ripp in this one. Another key HCC battle will take place just a couple miles away from Hamilton Southeastern, where Fishers (2-1) hosts Avon (2-1). Avon came into the season highly touted before falling to HSE on a last-second touchdown in the opener at Lucas Oil Stadium in the Marsh Indiana Invitational. Since then, the Orioles have won close games against Westfield (31-28) and Harrison (26-25 OT). Meanwhile, Fishers comes in having won seven of its last nine games. Last year, Avon won 21-6 - but this was a very different Fishers squad. Tigers running back Tyler Carroll is one to watch for. Class 3A No. 1 Chatard hosts Class 4A No. 6 Cathedral tonight in a rivalry game. Cathedral has lost twice to teams ranked in top 25 in the nation (Carmel and St. Xavier, Ohio), so their 1-2 record is a bit deceiving. Chatard is coming off a big win over mutual rival Roncalli - will there be a letdown against Cathedral? Chatard running back Ari Pappas, who rushed for over 200 yards last week, and Cathedral quarterback Kofi Hughes are two to watch in this one. Greenwood (2-1) travels to Whiteland (3-0) in a Mid State Conference battle. It will mark the first time in several seasons that both teams come in on a high note, as Greenwood dominated Martinsville last week, 41-14 and Whiteland escaped a triple-overtime thriller against Plainfield, 41-38. It was the Warriors first win against Plainfield in 18 games. Last year, Whiteland won this contest 35-14, but Greenwood is a stronger team this time around. Watch out for Whiteland running back Luke Harris, a beast when carrying the ball. In terms of smaller classes, it doesn't get any bigger this week than Class A No. 3 Ritter (3-0) at Class 2A No. 8 Speedway (3-0). The Sparkplugs got out to a big lead in last year's contest before Ritter staged a dramatic second-half comeback to win, 28-27.