The football season rolls on as week 3 is rapidly approaching. These are the games and storylines to watch this Friday night in the Lafayette area.
7:00 PM at Jefferson
Area game to watch: #21 McCutcheon (1-1) vs #5 Lafayette Jeff (1-1). This is the game of the week in the Area for sure, as this is one of the longest-standing rivalries in the area. Both teams come into the matchup fresh on wins, with the Mavericks hanging 31 on West Lafayette and Jeff winning a 49-26 dual vs Michigan City. After the win for Jeff last week, Head Coach Pat Shanley told his team, “Good teams will beat us if we play like we did in the second half”. And he is right, last week’s second half was sloppy for sure as the game ground to a halt for the Bronchos with them being held scoreless for 8 minutes. However, on a better note, junior QB Trysten Barrett is 3rd in the state with passing yards at 618. The mavericks have taken a different approach to finding success, running the rock. The team is averaging 5.9 a carry for 460 yards and 6 touchdowns, just dominating the line of scrimmage in the two games they have played. Tyler Brigham leads the charge with 27 for 195 and 2 TDs. The defense has been solid as well with 14 TFLs, 2 sacks, 1 INT, and 3 blocked kicks.
COACHES: Josh Strasser, 14-18 in 4th year at McCutcheon, 56-61 in 12th year overall. Pat Shanley, 77-23 in 10th year at Lafayette Jeff
SERIES LAST 40 YEARS: Lafayette Jeff, 18-11
LAST MEETING: Lafayette Jeff, 21-14, Oct. 18, 2024
Look for a tough matchup this Friday between a tough Broncho offense and a solid Maverick Defense.
Other games in the area:
Logansport vs Central Catholic – 7:00 -Larocca Field
Logansport comes in 2-0 while Central comes in at 1-1. Both teams are coming off wins last week, with the Berries defeating South Bend Adams 54-6, while the Knights held off Indy Ritter 14-0. Logansport comes into the matchup ranked 10th in 4A, and LC comes in 13th in 2A. A balanced attack for Central with 178 passing yards and 191 on the ground, with all the TDs coming in the air. Logansport, however, believes in running the ball regularly for 610 yards, 10 a carry, and 10 touchdowns. Whoever wins the Line will take this game early.
COACHES: Troy Hudson, 2-0 in 1st year at Logansport. Brian Nay, 61-29 in 8th year at Central Catholic.
SERIES LAST 40 YEARS: Central Catholic, 1-0.
LAST MEETING: Central Catholic, 23-21, Sep. 6, 2024.
West Lafayette (0-2) at Lebanon (1-1) – 7 PM – LHS Field
Westside is looking for a bounce back after a 31-6 loss to McCutcheon last week, while the Tigers defeated Western Boone 48-21. This is the first-ever meeting for the teams. Westside is looking to avoid a three-game losing streak, which would be the 1st to start the season since 2003.
COACHES: Shane Fry, 124-29 in 13th year at West Lafayette. Josh Yoder, 1-1 in 1st year at Lebanon.
OPPONENTS’ RECORDS: West Lafayette 2-2. Lebanon 2-2.
Brebeuf Jesuit (0-2) at Harrison (West Lafayette) (1-1) – 7PM
Both teams are looking to avenge a loss last week, Brebeuf lost to Tri-West 47-29, and Harrison lost to Plainfield 34-27.
COACHES: Matt Geske, 38-22 in 6th year at Brebeuf Jesuit. Kyle Holderfield, 1-1 in 1st year at Harrison.
SERIES LAST 40 YEARS: Brebeuf Jesuit, 1-0.
LAST MEETING: Brebeuf Jesuit, 56-28, Sep. 6, 2024