It's time to take a look ahead to Week 1 IHSAA high school football matchups

It may seem early, but area football teams are already counting down the days to the 2022 IHSAA season-opening weekend. It seems reasonable, so let's take a look at the top Week 1 matchups among some  Southern Indiana squads as they get set to kick it off on Aug. 19:

No. 10: Springs Valley at Eastern Greene

This one may seem innocuous on the surface because the Blackhawks dominated last year's contest, 46-10. But this year it could be vital as a hinge game that could swing the fortunes of each team in different directions. Springs Valley is coming off a tremendous 9-2 season in which it reached the sectional championship game for the first time in a decade, but the Blackhawks lost uber athletes in quarterback Kannon Chase and tailback Conner Grimes (both of whom are headed to Wabash College to continue their playing careers) along with several other key seniors.

It's the second season for head coach Jason Lowe, and he'll have a tough follow-up act. Eastern Greene, meanwhile, is just five seasons removed from a Class A state runner-up run, but it seems a world away after three straight 1-9 seasons. Travis Wray is back as head coach after going 6-4 in 2018, and a win in the season opener would provide a boost of energy.

No. 9: Boonville at Paoli

The Rams have somewhat quietly cultivated one of the top Class 2A football programs in southern Indiana and are coming off a 7-3 season that ended with a heartbreaking 37-35 setback at Triton Central in the sectional championship game. Paoli is stepping up to Class 4A for its 2022 opener against Boonville, but third-year head coach Neil Dittmer (14-7) has junior tailback Trey Rominger returning after he rushed for 1,465 yards and 20 touchdowns on 172 carries (8.5 yards per carry) last season.

The Paoli defense lost six key players, but junior linebacker Austin Benales, the top tackler with 90 total stops, is back. Boonville went 2-7 in 2021, but it was the first losing season for the Pioneers since 2014, and it came against a monstrous schedule. Senior fullback/linebacker returns after leading the team in rushing (631 yards) and tackles (82) last season.

No. 8: Edgewood at Mitchell

This opener is critical for both clubs' morale after each posted sub-par seasons in 2021. The Bluejackets went 3-6 and have a new head coach in Kevin Kling, so a victory at home to start the season would be vital for a multitude or reasons.

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Do-it-all quarterback/running back/defensive back Nick Mundy is a devastating graduation loss, but Carsyn Herald, who also saw time at all those positions, returns to lend some stability, while lineman Trey Craig and free safety/QB Ethan Turner are other key returnees. Edgewood dropped a thriller to Mitchell, 28-26, in last year's season opener, and it spun the Mustangs into a 2-8 campaign in Caleb True's first season as head coach. Senior quarterback Jakob Lanning (677 passing yards) is back, but Edgewood is desperately seeking offense after rushing for only 552 yards and throwing for 812 in 2021.

No. 7: Castle at Evansville North

Castle is a perennial power just outside the Pocket City, and the Knights appeared well on their way to a big finish last year after beating Evansville Memorial in the regular-season finale to go to 7-2. Bloomington South, however, pulled a mild road upset, 16-14, in the sectional opener at Newburgh. So Castle will carry a bad taste in its mouth into this year's season opener at North.

Castle has the components for a juggernaut in 2022 with senior quarterback Cameron Tilly (1,716 passing yards, 20 TDs, 3 INT), senior tailback Peyton Guerzini (559 yards, 9 TDs), senior wide receiver Weston Aigner (35 catches, 665 yards, 8 TDs) and junior wideout Antonio Harris (31 receptions, 459 yards, 5 TDs) all returning on offense, and the top tackler, senior linebacker John Purdy (116 total tackles) leading the defense.

Evansville North head coach Joey Paridaen led Eastern Greene to the 2017 Class A state runner-up and he's trying to right the ship at North after former BNL head coach Bret Szabo went 12-39 in five years. A win over Castle to start would be huge for the Huskies.

No. 6: Whiteland at Columbus East

The Olympians may not have had their mystique shattered completely last season, but it took a heavy hit when East suffered through a 4-6 season, its first losing campaign since 2002. The 2022 season opener looms large as second-year head coach Eddie Vogel tries to find the magic after taking over for Hall of Famer Bob Gaddis.

It won't be an easy task against against Whiteland, which has won the past three meetings overall and the last two season openers, including the final one under Gaddis. The Olympians will lean heavily upon senior quarterback Ethan Duncan, who rushed for 699 yards and five TDs on 151 carries. Whiteland was 6-4 last year and returns top rusher in senior Peyton Emberton (976 yards, 8 TDs) as well as senior quarterback Kevin Denham.

No. 5: Bloomington North at Mooresville

Class 4A Mooresville is coming off an 8-3 season and is 44-19 in five seasons under Mike Gillin, and now the Pioneers are giving themselves a stern test out of the blocks against a Class 5A Bloomington North team that was 7-4 last season.

The Pioneers have one of the best quarterbacks in the area returning in senior Nick Patterson, who connected on 199 of 282 passes (71 percent) for 2,970 yards and 37 TDs with only 7 interceptions. Junior Hogan Denny (36 catches, 477 yards, 4 TDs) and senior Wes Reeves (25 for 344, 4 TDs) are back to catch the ball, but the Pioneers are trying to build for the near future after being shifted to Sectional 21, which has powerhouses Brebeuf Jesuit and Roncalli in the field.

Bloomington North was not as fortunate in the quarterback sweepstakes as all-time great Reece Lozano has graduated and is moving on as a preferred walk-on at IU. But the Cougars do return senior running back Cody Mikulich, who rushed for more than 1,100 yards last season and had more than 600 receiving yards.

No. 4: Martinsville at Bedford North Lawrence

This one could have postseason ramifications after the IHSAA moved BNL down to Class 4A and into Sectional 23 along with the Artesians. The Stars are looking for a big statement win in the second season under head coach Derrick Barker, who went 4-6 in his first campaign. It included a 45-14 loss at Martinsville as BNL damaged itself badly with turnovers on offense, and surrendered big plays defensively.

More: Coach Barker bet Bedford North Lawrence football would move to Sectional 23

BNL lost a strong group of seniors, but have weapons returning in kids who have been working very hard in the offseason to improve. Junior quarterback Memphis Louden passed for 1,288 yards and 11 TDs, while senior slotback Dylan Nikirk caught 23 passes for 462 yards and 3 TDs and rushed 25 times for 306 yards and 3 more scores to rank as the top returning rusher. Junior wide receiver Ryker Hughes had 21 catches for 443 yards and 5 TDs.

The Artesians enjoyed a 7-5 season under Brian Dugger and reached the championship game of Sectional 23 before falling to East Central, 37-7. Senior quarterback Tyler Adkins passed for 2,292 yards and 28 TDs last season, while senior wideout Garrett Skaggs (44 catches, 635 yards, 7 TDs) is the top returning receiver and junior Brayden Shrake (79 carries, 382 yards, 6 TDs) is the leading rusher coming back.

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No. 3: Evansville Memorial at Jasper

This will be a Sectional 24 championship-game level contest right out of the gate when these two titans of the Southern Indiana Conference clash at Jerry Brewer Field in Jasper.

Memorial enjoyed a brilliant run under John Hurley in 2021, going 11-3 with sectional and regional titles before falling in the semi-state to Mount Vernon (Fortville), 42-28. But it was the Wildcats who got the win in last year's lid-lifter, 27-19, behind a pair of rushing touchdowns from Ashton Schuetter and one each from Cooper Ewing and Issac Day.

Memorial's offense has a fair amount of rebuilding to do, including a new tailback to replace Ray Brodie (1,285 yards), but the Tigers have senior quarterback Caleb Ellspermann (62 percent passing for 1,830 yards and 18 TDs) and senior wideout Leo Collins (56 catches, 539 yards, 6 TDs) returning.

No. 2: Linton at Parke Heritage

This is a tremendous southern Indiana duel for Week 1 between one the traditional Class 2A powerhouse Miners and the defending Class A Sectional 47 champion Parke Heritage, which is an upstart program started in 2018. Linton rarely stumbles and head coach Brian Oliver is 91-22 heading into his 10th season.

That run includes an undefeated state championship in 2016. The Miners went 10-1 last season, suffering a gut-wrenching 28-27 loss to Evansville Mater Dei in the sectional semifinals. Linton will be led by one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks around in senior Hunter Gennicks, who passed for 1,418 yards and 20 TDs against two interceptions, while rushing for 1,195 yards and 14 more scores.

It will be the the Miners' first meeting with Parke Heritage, a newly-consolidated school in Rockville. The Wolves will be led by senior quarterback Christian Johnson, who led an incredible passing attack with 3,160 yards and 44 TDs with a mere six interceptions.

No. 1: Bloomington South at New Albany

This one could a be a bloodbath at Buerk Field because big-time pride will be on the line for Bloomington South, while New Albany can make major moves toward legitimacy and forward momentum with a victory in rematch of last year's regional duel.

The Bulldogs stunned the Panthers, 33-14, to advance to semi-state before falling to powerful Cathedral, 52-13. The Bulldogs went 9-4 under veteran coach Steve Cooley, but the offense was decimated by graduation as quarterback Derell Simmons (2,508 passing yards, 31 TDs; 431 rushing, 11 TDs), running backs Kyondre Winford (996 yards, 9 TDs) and Myles Johnson (786 yards), and receivers Dejon Winburn (1,044 yards, 15 TDs) and JayRay Johnson (1,018 yards, 10 TDs) all departed.

The Panthers (8-4 last year) lost top rusher Che Hogue (1,327 yards) and All-State linebacker/end Dasan McCullough to graduation, while heralded senior safety Daeh McCullough opted to move to South Bend. South will have quarterback Zack David (1,294 yards, 13 TDs) back for his senior season.

Contact Times-Mail Sports Writer Jeff Bartlett at jeffb@tmnews.com, or on Twitter @jeffbtmnews.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Mail: It's time to take a look ahead to Week 1 high school football matchups