South Bend-area high school football playoff previews in Indiana and Michigan
SOUTH BEND — High school football regional championships are on the line in both Indiana and Michigan Friday night. Here's a look at the three games featuring local teams:
Mishawaka Cavemen (10-1) vs. Fort Wayne Snider Panthers (10-1)
When/where: Friday, 7:30 p.m. at Steele Stadium in Mishawaka.
Series: Snider leads 2-0. Snider won 31-7 in 2016 regional in last meeting.
Last week: Mishawaka defeated Concord 38-17. ... Snider defeated Fort Wayne North 25-21.
Extra points: Class 5A regional championship matchup. .... Winner plays No. 9 Valparaiso (8-3) or No. 6 Merrillville (9-2) in semistate game on Friday, Nov. 18. ... Mishawaka ranked No. 4 in final AP poll. .... Snider ranked No. 1 in final AP poll. Mishawaka has won last four games since a 14-6 loss to NLC foe NorthWood. ...Snider has won nine in a row since a 28-21 loss to Class 6A Fort Wayne Carroll. ... Mishawaka averages 34 ppg. and allows 13 ppg. ... Snider averages 37 ppg. and allows 9 ppg.
Key numbers: Mishawaka rushed for 3,515 yards in first 10 games, an average of 351 per game. Junior quarterback Brady Fisher had 971 yards on the ground with 10 touchdowns, while sophomore Novell Miller had 777 yards with 13 scores and senior Chase Gooden 745 yards with seven touchdowns.
Mishawaka coach Keith Kinder says: "Snider is a complete team. They are big, fast and physical on both sides of the ball and are extremely well coached. We will have to play well in all three facets to give ourselves a chance to win the game. We have to take care of the ball and be efficient on first down on offense. On defense we will have to match their physicality and tackle well in space."
New Prairie Cougars (11-1) vs. Northridge Raiders (8-4)
When/where: Friday, 8 p.m. ET at Amzie Field in New Carlisle.
Series: Northridge leads 4-2. Northridge won 20-14 in 2021 semistate in last meeting.
Last week: New Prairie defeated Hobart 49-28. ... Northridge defeated NorthWood 34-17.
Extra points: Class 4A regional championship matchup. .... Winner plays No. 9 Columbia City (11-1) or No. 7 Kokomo (11-1) in semistate game on Friday, Nov. 18. ... New Prairie ranked No. 6 in final AP poll. .... Cougars have won four in a row since a 21-0 loss to NIC foe Penn. .... Northridge has won seven of last eight games after starting season 1-3. ... New Prairie averages 35 ppg. and allows 11 ppg. ... Northridge averages 31 ppg. and allows 22 ppg.
Key numbers: Cougars are averaging 271 yards per game on the ground and 7.1 yards per rushing attempt. Senior Noah Mungia has 1,702 yards rushing with 19 touchdowns, while junior quarterback Marshall Kmiecik has 1,108 yards with 12 scores. ... Northridge senior quarterback Qade Carrington has thrown for 2,714 yards and 28 touchdowns. Senior Kade Seinz has 50 receptions for 811 yards and 11 touchdowns and senior Jethro Hochstetler has 50 catches for 975 yards and 10 scores.
New Prairie coach Casey McKim says: "They (Northridge) are a very talented and well coached football team. They do a tremendous job of playing to their strengths. Their ability on offense to get the ball in their playmakers hands play after play makes it very difficult to contain them. On defense they are hard-nosed and athletic. They do an outstanding job of getting off blocks and getting to the football. They do a great job of not giving up big plays and making you earn every yard you get. The keys to success for us are execution, winning in the trenches, and stopping the big play. In terms of execution, we must limit mistakes and play fast. Every game we play our goal is to win up front whether it is offense or defense and it will be no different this week. Lastly, we need to limit their big play ability and make them execute over and over again."
Northridge coach Chad Eppley says: "New Prairie is a big physical football team. They are very well coached, and they are peaking at the right time of the year. They have a special quarterback and running back combo that is hard to stop, and a good hard-nosed defense with a lot of special players on it. We have to control the line of scrimmage. No turnovers. No Penalties. Play our game."
Edwardsburg Eddies (10-1) vs. Hastings Saxons (10-1)
When/where: Friday, 7 p.m. at Leo Hoffman Field in Edwardsburg.
Last week: Edwardsburg defeated Niles 24-17. ... Hastings defeated Charlotte 23-13.
Extra points: Division 4 regional championship matchup. .... Winner plays Whitehall (11-0) or Grand Rapids South Christian (12-0) in state semifinal game on Nov. 19. .... Eddies have won 10 in a row since loss in season opener. ... Eddies have scored 416 points and allowed 174. ... Hastings has won nine in a row. ... Saxons have scored 447 points and allowed 130.
Key numbers: Eddies are in the regional final for the seventh straight year. .... Eddies have rushed for 4,063 yards and 53 touchdowns this season. ...... Andrew Colvin paces Eddies punishing ground game with 106 carries for 967 yards and 13 touchdowns, while Brett Allen has 89 carries for 902 yards and 11 scores, Brendan Madison 72 rushes for 638 yards and six scores and Brenden Seabolt 74 rushes for 515 yards and eight touchdowns. .... Eddies roster boasts 28 seniors.
Edwardsburg coach Kevin Bartz says: "One of the keys to the game is to make every possession count. There may only be three or four possessions per team, per half, based on our styles of offense. The team that makes the big plays on offense or defense on fourth down wins this game. We have some injuries that could also affect us. Andrew Colvin (who plays both fullback and defensive back) will be out with a severe separated shoulder. Brennan Brady-Brittain (who plays offensive guard and defensive tackle) is also questionable with an ankle injury."
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: High school football regional football playoff preview
