FOOTBALL: Area roundup, Eastern, Tipton, Carroll, Mac score wins
Sep. 24—Eastern steamrolled Clinton Central 52-8 Friday night at Greentown to bounce back from last week's loss to Class A No. 6-ranked Carroll in resounding fashion.
"I just feel like after last week, we obviously took a beating by Carroll ... we had an outstanding week of practice where we focused on us and getting better and cleaning up the areas where we got physically dominated last week and our kids responded," Eastern coach Josh Edwards said.
The Comets put up 40 points in the first half to settle the game quickly. Eli Edwards and Braylon Word got the scoreboard spinning when Edwards hit Word for a 26-yard touchdown pass less than three minutes into the game. Word added two running TDs in the first quarter for a 21-0 lead.
After that, the passing game took center stage as Edwards connected on a series of TD passes to extend the lead. He hit Blake Robinson with a 13-yard scoring strike, tossed a TD 7-yard TD pass to Zak Mossburg, and finished the scoring in the opening half with a 16-yard pass to Clayton Kelley. With that, the Comets led 40-0 and set a running clock in motion for the second half.
Word ran for another TD for the Comets in the third quarter and Isaiah Picket ran in a score in the fourth.
"We always talk about family," Edwards said. "I feel like our kids [Friday] night, they were unselfish.
"Instead of worrying about their own stats or their own accolades, we put some kids in the game and allowed them to have some recognition and have some fun. We played very well as far as football goes, but we also did the right thing on the field."
Eastern improved to 3-1 in the Hoosier Heartland Conference and 4-2 overall. The Comets host Tri-Central next Friday. Clinton Central fell to 0-5, 0-4 in the HHC.
TIPTON 47, NW 21
Tipton took control quickly, going up 19-0 after a quarter. Northwestern rallied with two scores in the second quarter but Tipton added another TD to lead 26-14 at halftime.
The Blue Devils blew the game wide open with 21 unanswered points in the third quarter to go up 47-14 heading into the final period.
Tipton evened its record at 3-3 and is 1-1 in Hoosier Conference East Division play heading into its game at Hamilton Heights next Friday. Northwestern fell to 1-4 overall and 0-3 in the HC East. The Tigers visit Western next Friday.
CARROLL 39, TC 13
The Class A No. 6-ranked Cougars maintained their pace in the HHC to move to 4-0 in the league and 6-0 overall. Sheridan is half a game ahead in the league standings with a 5-0 mark.
Carroll scored a pair of TDs in the first quarter to take a two-score lead into the first break and maintained its edge the rest of the game. Tri-Central cut into the lead with a Daetyn Horn touchdown with 8:22 left in the second quarter. The Cougars blocked a field goal attempt and added another TD late in the half for a 21-7 lead at halftime.
In the second half, Carroll punched in an early score but TC answered with 6:17 left in the third quarter with a defensive score to trim the lead to 27-13. Carroll then put the game away with 12 more points.
Tri-Central is 1-5, 0-4 HHC. The Trojans visit Eastern next Friday while Carroll visits winless Clinton Central.
SHERIDAN 48, TAYLOR 0
Sheridan got rolling early, putting up three quick scores for a 21-0 lead after a quarter and got up 41-0 by halftime to trigger a running clock in the second half.
The Titans fell to 1-5 overall, 1-3 in the HHC ahead of next Friday's game at Clinton Prairie. Sheridan is 5-1, and 5-0 in the HHC.
MAC 28, N. MIAMI 26
Three Rivers Conference co-leader Maconaquah fought off a late rally by North Miami. The Braves had led 28-14 after three quarters before North Miami charged to within two points.
The Braves struck first with a TD in the first quarter and held a 15-6 lead into halftime.
With the win, Mac moved to 5-1 overall and 5-0 in the TRC, tied with Tippecanoe Valley, which topped Whitko 60-6 on Friday. The Braves and Vikings square off at Tippecanoe Valley next Friday. North Miami is 3-3, 2-3 in the TRC.
ROCHESTER 34, PERU 6
Rochester put up a TD in the first quarter and another in the second quarter to take a 14-0 lead into halftime. Rochester pushed its lead to 28-0. The Bengal Tigers got a TD in the fourth quarter but Rochester scored again for the final margin.
The Bengal Tigers are 2-4, 2-3 in the TRC. They visit Southwood next Friday. Rochester is 5-1, 4-1 in the TRC.
