Top 5: Friday night football should answer some questions
Sep. 16—With the high school football season nearing its halfway point, there are several games on this week's docket that will go quite a ways toward deciding a burning question: How good are these guys anyway?
Some teams appear to be better than their record shows so far. Some teams want to continue taking the steps they've been taking. And at least one team is hoping to continue polishing its resume.
Here are the Top 5 games in terms of answering those questions.
5. West Vigo (1-3, 0-1 Western Indiana Conference Green) at Brown County (0-4, 0-1), 7:30 p.m. — The Vikings have met some tough competition so far but still have a chance for a pretty good fall.
Like Rhyan Shaffer says elsewhere in this edition of the Tribune-Star, however, they have to win this one.
4. North Vermillion (2-2, 1-1 Wabash River Conference) at Riverton Parke (3-1, 1-1), 7 p.m. — Both teams are in the same boat in this game: win and remain a conference contender, lose and fall back to the middle of the pack.
The Panthers' start gives them a chance for a historic season, and there's history they'd like to reverse on Friday. They haven't beaten the Falcons since 2007.
3. Bloomington North (1-3, 0-2 Conference Indiana) at Terre Haute North (1-3, 0-2), 7 p.m. — On paper, this game couldn't be more even. Each team has lost to the same two conference foes and lost to a Class 4A power. The Cougars appear to have an easier schedule the rest of the way, so this game might be more important to the Patriots.
Which it should be. Last week's North-South game revealed that the Patriots still had some things to work out; if they've done so, they can win this game.
2. Terre Haute South (3-1, 2-0 Conference Indiana) at Bloomington South (3-1, 2-0), 7 p.m. — Here's the opposite scenario from the previous game. Both teams have beaten the same two conference foes, although the Braves may have played the tougher nonconference opponents so far.
Friday night's winner becomes no worse than a co-favorite for conference honors, but Friday's loser isn't out of the picture entirely.
And yes, both games between Terre Haute and Bloomington opponents are at 7 p.m. this week, and at least two newspapers are deeply grateful.
1. Northview (4-0, 1-0 WIC Gold) at Owen Valley (4-0, 2-0), 7 p.m. — The Knights reached the top 10 in the Associated Press poll this week and probably haven't hit their peak yet. They might be in the toughest Class 4A sectional in the state and are preparing hard to be ready for it.
The resurgent Patriots aren't the pushovers they used to be where Northview was concerned, however, and proved that definitively last season at Brazil. The Knights should keep their momentum going, but it won't be easy.
In other games Friday, there are Wabash River Conference games featuring early leaders South Vermillion and Seeger at home against Covington and Parke Heritage respectively; Little Illini Conference contests featuring Marshall at Olney and Casey at Robinson; a Southwest Conference game with North Knox at North Central; and nonconference games including Greencastle at Sullivan, Tolono Unity at Paris and Linton at Boonville. There's also an eight-man game with Martinsville at Pawnee.
Saturday's schedule includes another eight-man game, Dugger Union at Fort Wayne Blackhawk.
