Two weeks in and nobody knows what November looks like. That’s fine. November is November’s problem.
What Week 2 did was give us better information. Not the biggest wins. Not the cleanest scores. The results that quietly adjusted the way we should be thinking about three programs heading into September.
Westfield
The Shamrocks were already getting plenty of attention. A 49-21 opening win at Homestead and a No. 2 ranking made sure of that. The more interesting question was what they would look like when they couldn’t dictate the terms of a game.
Carmel answered it. The Greyhounds jumped ahead 14-0 and Westfield had to actually respond to something instead of imposing their will from the jump. What followed was messy, physical, and decided in the final minutes — a 38-34 Westfield win that required Elliott Clevenger’s 118 rushing yards and two touchdowns, Cooper Melvin’s two touchdown passes, Maddox Novotney’s 87-yard punt return to swing momentum, a blocked field goal, and enough defensive stops in the fourth quarter to hold off a Carmel offense that was ready to take the game back.
That’s a lot of different things going right on a night when the opening script went wrong. A team that can do all of that against a program of Carmel’s caliber — on a night it was trailing — is different from a team that just piles up points when everything goes according to plan. Westfield proved Friday it can win the ugly version of a big game. That matters a great deal more than the fact it won.
The Shamrocks are 2-0 and don’t need more hype. The challenge now is proving Friday’s resilience wasn’t situational.
Avon
The Orioles’ 22-12 win over Ben Davis wasn’t just a victory. It was the first piece of real evidence about where Avon fits in 6A this fall.
Coming in, Avon had beaten Decatur Central 31-6 in Week 1. Useful, but inconclusive. Ben Davis came into Week 2 ranked No. 8 and had opened with a 33-27 win over Cathedral, which meant the Orioles were walking into a genuine measuring stick game and handled it without needing a shootout to do it.
Andre Warfield II carried 22 times for 183 yards and three touchdowns — consistent, downhill production against a physical Ben Davis front. On the other side of the ball, Amari Vaughn recorded three sacks and the defense held the Giants to 12 points and no consistent rhythm in the second half.
Both units contributing in the same game against a ranked opponent is the combination that makes programs difficult to prepare for. Avon didn’t need one side to carry the other. That’s a different thing than winning.
One game doesn’t settle where the Orioles belong statewide. But it gives the rest of their season a different starting point than it had 48 hours ago.
East Central
The 14-6 final against New Palestine was the least flashy result of the three — and it might be the most instructive.
New Palestine entered No. 3 overall, No. 1 in Class 5A, carrying a 29-game winning streak that had run through two state championships across two classifications. East Central came in No. 21 overall, No. 1 in Class 4A. The Trojans were outgained 322 to 219. New Palestine had more first downs, more yards per play, more offensive production by virtually every measure.
East Central won by 8.
The way it happened is what travels. Quarterback Ben Bond ran one in from a yard out before halftime to flip the lead. Sophomore Colton Bellman hit a 35-yard touchdown run at 6:59 in the fourth quarter that New Palestine couldn’t answer. The East Central defense held the Dragons to zero points over the final three quarters despite three second-half red-zone possessions — one ended by a blocked field goal, another by a late interception from Chase McCracken.
New Palestine didn’t lose because it played poorly. It lost because East Central made every situational play that decided a close game and the Dragons didn’t make enough of them. That’s a real distinction. Programs that can manufacture that result on the road against a 29-game winner aren’t just physical. They understand how games are decided. East Central has given itself a considerably stronger case than its preseason ranking suggested.
What It Adds Up To
Center Grove’s 42-17 statement win over Carroll was real. Bloomington North’s 41-40 escape against Bedford North Lawrence was one of the weekend’s biggest surprises.
But Westfield, Avon, and East Central belong in a separate conversation because their wins told us something beyond the result. Westfield can absorb adversity against a heavyweight. Avon can turn a ranked matchup into a controlled win without needing late heroics. East Central can outfox a team that outgains them because it understands how games are actually decided.