For the third time in a calendar year and the final time as members of the Western Indiana Conference, the North Putnam Cougars (7-1) and the Greencastle Tiger Cubs (2-6) will face off Friday at North Putnam. Both teams will join the new Monon Athletic Conference next school year.

Greencastle won both matchups last season, defeating the Cougars 17-9 in the regular season finale and 30-29 in the sectional opener.

“We want to play the role of spoiler and ruin their night. They are going to run a lot of different formations and different ways to get the ball to Christian Kramer. People from Roachdale and Bainbridge want to beat Greencastle, and people from Greencastle want to beat Roachdale and Bainbridge. It’s a big deal in Putnam County, and this is the third time we’ve played them in 365 days. They feel like they let us off the hook twice, and we are hungry to show we are better than we’ve shown. We’re going to come out and do the best we can in this rivalry game,” Greencastle coach David Stephens said.

For the Tiger Cubs, the 2024 season has been a mixed bag, with the team yet to put together four solid quarters, according to Stephens.

At 2-6, Greencastle is on a three-game skid, having fallen to Linton-Stockton, Cloverdale, and Cascade. This season, the Tiger Cubs are averaging 17.9 points per game while allowing just over 34 points per contest. Sophomore quarterback Cole Stephens, who holds an offer from Miami (OH), has thrown for 1,557 yards and 15 touchdowns for Greencastle.

As for North Putnam, the Cougars have been dominant this season, with the only blemish being a loss to Cascade in September. Scott Moore’s squad is 7-1 and sits in first place in the Western Indiana Conference Green Division with a perfect 4-0 conference record. The Cougars average 41.6 points per game while giving up an average of 25 points per contest. North Putnam has scored over 50 points in four games this season.

A major reason for their success can be traced to the arm and legs of junior quarterback Christian Kramer, who continues to make his case as the top player in the WIC. Kramer has completed 65 percent of his passes (104-of-160) for 1,527 yards and 12 touchdowns. He has also added 1,358 rushing yards and 19 more touchdowns for the Cougars, who open the sectional tournament next week at home against Western Boone.