With the calendar flipping toward September, the opening two weeks of the high school football season have already begun to tell a story around the Lafayette area. The picture at the top is clear. Everything else is complicated — and more interesting because of it.

Central Catholic Is Flying

At the top of the group, Central Catholic has stormed out of the gates with just the program’s second 2-0 start in the last ten seasons. The Knights are setting a tone early and giving the Lafayette area a program to feel good about heading into the meat of the schedule.

Lafayette Jeff Got Battle-Tested. Twice.

Preseason No. 3 in Class 5A, Lafayette Jeff has endured one of the toughest opening stretches imaginable — and it nearly produced two wins.

The Bronchos opened the season against perennial powerhouse Bishop Chatard, falling 35-7 in Week 1. Then came Merrillville in Week 2 — the same Merrillville that knocked off Andrean in Week 1 and has been one of Northwest Indiana’s most talked-about programs through the first two weeks of the season. What followed was one of the wilder games of the weekend anywhere in the state.

Lafayette Jeff put up 54 points against the Pirates. In double overtime. The Bronchos lost 56-54 when Merrillville picked off a two-point conversion attempt to seal it.

Read that again. Jeff scored 54 points against one of the best teams in 5A and went home without a win.

That result stings — but it also reveals something significant about what Pat Shanley has in Lafayette. A team that can score 54 points in a double-overtime thriller against a program with legitimate state championship aspirations is not a team in crisis. It is a team that got battle-tested in the most unforgiving way possible. If those scoring totals translate when the schedule softens, Jeff is going to be a problem in October. The early losses are hard to absorb. The experience they produce could pay significant dividends when sectional play arrives.

West Lafayette Is Inches Away

Across town, the West Lafayette Red Devils have experienced a gut-wrenching start, dropping both of their games by a combined six points.

Week 1 featured a wild 43-40 shootout — a game that could have gone either way on the final possession. Week 2 saw the Red Devils’ defense step up and hold McCutcheon to just 17 points. The problem was the other side of the ball, where West Lafayette struggled to generate consistent offensive production and managed just two touchdowns.

Six combined points separating them from 2-0. If that margin reverses in September, nobody will remember August. With a schedule featuring more Class 4A and below competition moving forward, West Lafayette has a genuine opportunity to turn those narrow losses into wins and arrive at sectional play with momentum.

McCutcheon Is Building Something

First-year head coach Michael Fenter picked up his first win at the helm with the victory over West Lafayette. The Mavericks have already shown flashes of becoming a dangerous football team under his direction — a close loss in Week 1 and a win in Week 2 is not a bad way to open a new era.

As McCutcheon continues to develop under Fenter, a potential postseason matchup with Lafayette Jeff could be one worth circling. The programs face each other on the schedule and the way both teams are trending makes that game more interesting than it might have looked in August.

Harrison Is Building a Foundation

Just west of the Wabash, the Harrison Raiders earned a win over Westside before suffering a decisive loss to Plainfield. There is still plenty to clean up — but the foundation for a successful season is beginning to take shape. Harrison has shown enough in two games to suggest the fall could look significantly different than the start.

The Bigger Picture

Two weeks don’t tell the entire story of a season. But as August comes to a close, the opening chapter is painting a picture of what could be a fascinating fall of football in the Lafayette area.

Central Catholic is winning. Lafayette Jeff is scoring points against anyone and losing by the smallest possible margins. West Lafayette is six points from 2-0. McCutcheon has a new coach and early evidence that he belongs. And Harrison is establishing its identity game by game.

September starts now. There is still plenty of time for this picture to change.