Welcome to the Jungle Harrison!

The Tigers enter week 5 with a 3-1 record and going into the week without star wide receiver J-Shun Harris who will be out due to concussion late in the Avon game last friday night.  Harrison comes into Tiger Stadium with an 0-4 record thus far.  The season so far for Harrison:

@ Westfield       loss  13-42

vs Jeff                loss    0-26

vs Avon              loss    0-34

@ McCutcheon  loss  19-24

Harrison is coming in with 30 straight losses stretching over the last 4 seasons.  That is never a reason to take any team lightly and Harrison has the motivation to win any week and the bigger the opponent they have, the bigger that motivation will be.  While the points against doesn't show it, the Harrison defense is improving.

For a pre-season preview on the Harrison Raiders from the Lafayette Journal and Courier, please read on.

HARRISON RAIDERS

Head coach: Tony Martin (3-27 in three seasons at Harrison; 15-45 in six seasons overall) 
2012 results: 0-10 (0-9 Hoosier Crossroads Conference); lost to McCutcheon 34-0 in sectional quarterfinal 
Class: 5A, Sectional 11 (Kokomo, McCutcheon, Westfield) 
Sectional championships: 6 (1981, ’87, ’89, ’90, ’92, ’94) 
Regional championships: 4 (1987, ’89, ’90, ’92) 
Semistate championships: 1 (1992) 
State championships: 1992 (4A) 
Stadium: A.J. Rickard Field, 5701 N. 50 W 
Returning starters (offense/defense): 8/7 
Offense: Wing-T 
Defense: 4-2 
Returning leaders

Rushing: Nick Torres (5-8, 180, Sr., RB/S) 77-294 yards, 1 TD 
Passing: Jake Lasky (5-8, 145, Sr., QB) 76-169, 677 yards, 4 TDs, 4 INTs 
Receiving: Nathan Brown (6-0, 145, sr., WR) 15-142 yards, 1 TD 
Tackles: Drezden Johnson (6-1, 185, sr., WB/S) 75 
Interceptions: Johnson, Jeep Morehouse (5-11, 175, jr., WB/S) 1 
Others to watch: Daniel Wright (5-6, 170, Jr., FB); Arrione Cook (5-7, 160, Sr., WB); Cameron Greene (6-0, 190, Jr., WB); Evan Sturgeon (5-11, 240, Jr., OL); Alex Harris (5-10, 210, Jr., OL); Parker Senesac (5-10, 190, Sr., OL); Brett Spitznagle (5-11, 215, Jr., DL); Jamie Dunbar (5-10, 200, Sr., DL); Seth Meyer (6-1, 215, Jr., LB); Ben Fields (6-2, 205, Jr., LB); Tanner Watkins (5-6, 150, Jr., DB). 

Outlook: The Raiders hope their young players take another step forward and help the program achieve its first victory since 2010.  Harrison plans to utilize a talent glut at wingback, where Torres, Cook and Morehouse all have starting experience. Greene moves up from JV to join the rotation, while Wright will try to pick up where he left off last season at fullback. Lasky is a third-year starter at quarterback, and center Sturgeon, right guard Harris and right tackle Senesac will bring along some newcomers on the offensive line.  Martin likes his secondary, headlined by All-HCC free safety Drezden Johnson, strong safety Morehouse and cornerback Watkins. With the shift to a 4-2 alignment, Meyer and converted defensive end Fields occupy the linebacker spots. Spitznagle and Dunbar return to man the starting spots at tackle, though the Raiders have less experience at end.

A quick piece from Lafayette Journal and Courier also highlighted Drezden Johnson.

Pat Johnson passed along great football genetics to his son, Drezden.

But at first, the former Purdue and Miami Dolphins player didn’t grant Drezden permission to use them.

“My dad didn’t really want me to play football when I was younger. He was afraid I was going to get hurt,” Drezden Johnson said. “He finally let me play halfway through my seventh-grade season, and since then he’s taught me a lot.”

Drezden Johnson begins his third season as Harrison’s starting free safety — the same position his father played. The Raiders also expect to use the speedy 6-foot-1, 185-pound senior more on offense.

After solid sophomore and junior performances, the Raiders are anxious to see what Johnson can do in his final year.

“He shows signs of brilliance, and it just has to be more consistent every day,” coach Tony Martin said. “When he flips the switch — oh yeah, he’s as good as there is in our league. But he has to make that an every-play thing.”

Johnson collected 75 tackles (59 solos), four pass breakups, one forced fumble and an interception as a junior.

With his combination of size and speed, Johnson’s physical play contrasts with his usually soft-spoken demeanor.

“He’s quick, he’s fast, he’s smart, he knows how to play the game,” junior Jeep Morehouse said. “... We can match him with anyone and he’ll compete with them.”

Johnson averaged 32 yards per kickoff return last season with a touchdown. His athletic tools are too enticing to keep on the sideline, so he’s expected to rotate at wingback with Morehouse, Nick Torres, Arrione Cook and Cameron Greene.

Yet the veteran’s intangible contributions may be just as important as his physical ones.

“Drezden’s a good leader,” junior cornerback Tanner Watkins said. “I’d say that was probably his biggest contribution. He’s big, he’s strong, he’s fast, and he can really lead the defense. We can always look up to him as a role model.”

HCC Standings and Week 5 Contests

Fishers Tigers welcome Lafayette Harrison to Jungle!

Other conference matchups this week (all 7pm friday night):

Brownsburg at Avon

HSE at Jeff

Noblesville at McCutcheon

Zionsville at Westfield

At this point in the season, we'll be very interested to see what happens at McCutcheon and Westfield.  This fan expects Zionsville to improve and McCutcheon may have something for Noblesville.

Conference Standings:

Hoosier Crossroads Conference as of end of week4 record PF PA Fishers 3-1 149 128 Westfield 3-1 141 89 Hamilton SE 3-1 117 61 McCutcheon 3-1 100 89 Noblesville 3-1 86 57 Zionsville 2-2 37 67 Avon 1-3 81 71 Brownsburg 1-3 68 128 Jefferson 1-3 61 56 Harrison 0-4 32 126

For last week's Avon stats and box, click HERE

Game 4: On The Road To Avon

The Tigers enter week 4 with a 2-1 record and seeking continued improvement on both sides of line.  The Westfield 3OT win proved these Tigers have the heart to battle on and pull through.  This week’s game pits the Tigers traveling to an always dangerous Avon Orioles that are 1-2 and are looking to get to not lose more ground in the conference standings.  Avon’s performance through the first 3 weeks is as follows:

@ HSE        loss 7-28

vs WHS       loss 15-17

@ Harrison  won 34-0

Throwing out a disappointing outing in week 1 against HSE, we may conclude that Avon is playing well enough to be one of the top teams in conference and their close loss to Westfield has to be a sign for the Tigers that ball security and field position will loom large.  Avon has the weapons and always seem to start slowly before surging during the course of the schedule and should never be taken lightly, especially when they love to play their best against Fishers.

Avon is a big team up front and is led on offense by #18 sophomore QB Brandon Peters who threw for 101 yards against Harrison last week 6’5”, 210 lb pro-style quarterback Richie Steinmetz and #46 junior RB David Schall who ran for an impressive 232 yards last week and 2 TDs on 18 carries .  Other offensive threats include senior TB #20 Tijuan Johnson running from the I formation and being a passing threat plus additional receiver threats senior #16 Cress Kimbrough and senior #87 Sam Bloom.  Big O lineman junior #53 Zach Ryan is also a tougher one to get past.  The offensive line is prone to breakdowns and Peters runs well enough to evade the breakdown and continue to look for a receiver.  Peters does have a tendency to look at his target the whole way and may be improving on looking at progressions.  Tiger defensive secondary will need to stick tightly and close on Peters' targets whether he is able to stay in the pocket or is scrambling out of trouble.  Don't let Kimbrough get separation on the corner route.

Defensively, Avon returns 9 starters, is a quick team as usual and are led by the Belden brothers, senior #54 Ryan Belden who primarily plays OL and junior #44 Joey Belden, as well as an impressive group that includes Miami OH commit #54 Mack Duffin, D1 caliber senior DB #32 David Griffith and senior #85 Chad Scaggs that has made an impressive switch to the defensive side of the ball.

Avon at Westfield game link: YOUTUBE

Other conference matchups this week (all 7pm friday night):

Westfield at Brownsburg

HSE at Zionsville

Harrison at McCutcheon

Jeff at Noblesville

Conference Standings:

Hoosier Crossroads Conference as of end of week3
	record	PF	PA
Fishers	2-1	123	103
Westfield	2-1	104	76
Hamilton SE	2-1	96	58
McCutcheon	2-1	76	70
Noblesville	2-1	62	44
Zionsville	2-1	34	46
Avon	1-2	56	45
Brownsburg	1-2	55	91
Jefferson	1-2	48	32
Harrison	0-3	13	102

Note:  Avon, having played Westfield and HSE, are among the best defenses in the conference.  We will wait till the opponents becoming a lot stronger to judge if Laf. Jeff has one of the best defenses in the conferences.  Likewise with Noblesville and Zionsville.

Lucas Oil Wrap Up of 3OT Victory Over Westfield

Fishers Tigers prevailed in one of the most amazing games in Indiana High School Football history with a 3OT 48-45 win against resurging Westfield Shamrocks in Lucas Oil Stadium.

Ball control was an early issue and the Shamrocks were somewhat successful in stopping the big play for the most part.  The battle was won by making the big play when it mattered most and the Tigers defense was kept on the field because of Westfield's successful conversion on 3rd downs.

After exchanging punches in the first 2 OTs, Fishers defense was able to stop Westfield from scoring in the 3rd OT and Alex Sahakian would convert on kickers' dream OT FG to win the battle.

Congrats Tigers and keep going!

	Qtr 1	Qtr 2	Qtr 3	Qtr 4	3OT	Final
Fishers	7	7	7	10	17	48
Westfield	3	14	7	7	14	45

 Quarter 1

- FHS 2 yd fumble recovery return by Griffin Hulecki (Sahakian pat good) 7-0
- WHS FG 7-3

Quarter 2
- FHS 2 yard run by M. Campbell (Sahakian pat good) 14-3
- WHS 3 yard run by Caldwell (pat good) 14-10

- WHS 2 yard run by Ferrer (pat good) 14-17

Quarter 3
- WHS 2 yard run by Caldwell (pat good) 14-24
- FHS 1 yard run by C. Christiansen (Sahakian pat good) 21-24

Quarter 4
- WHS 7 pass from Ferrer to Reece (pat good) 21-31
- FHS 5 yard pass from C. Christiansen to J. Williams (Sahkian pat good) 28-31
- FHS 12 yard field goal by A. Sahakian 31-31

OT 1

- WHS 10 yard pass from Ferrer to Reece (pat good) 38-31

- FHS 10 yard pass from C. Christiansen to J. Harris (Sahakian pat good) 38-38

OT 2

- FHS 4 yards pass from C. Christiansen to J. Williams (Sahakian pat good) 45-38

- WHS 10 yard pass from Ferrer to McCrary (pat good) 45-45

OT 3

- FHS Sahakian game winning FIELD GOAL!!!!  48-45

Tigers Offense Leaders:

Connor Christiansen 16 for 26 passing, 204 yards, 3 TDs passing

J-Shun Harris 6 catches for 131 yards, 1 TD receiving

Harvey Allen 13 carries for 66 yards rushing

Maurice Campbell 9 carries for 69 yards, 1 TD rushing

John Williams 5 catches for 41 yards, 2 TD

Alex Sahakian, 6 PATs, 2 FGs

Tigers Defense Leaders:

RJ Potts 9 solo and 4 assists for 13 total tackles

Josh Lloyd 8 solo and 2 assists for 10 total tackles

Griffin Hulecki 6 solo and 3 assists for 9 total tackles, TFL, Forced Fumble TD

Fishers 48, Westfield 45

What a classic of a game as the Fishers Tigers were able to overcome costly turnovers early and prevail in a 3 OT thriller over Westfield 48-45.  The kickers' dream would come true as Fishers kicker Alex Sahakian would nail home the game-winning field goal in OT after Westfield failed to score.

Fishers keeps the Lucas Oil Stadium record unblemished at 4-0 now.

Full run down coming in the next day or two.  For now, congratulations Tigers on the win and keeping the HCC standings interesting as 2-1 is the mark and we are in company of many.

Lucas Oil Stadium Game Week - Opponent is Westfield

The Tigers enter week 3 with a 1-1 record and looking to continue the surge.  The 8:00 game at Lucas Oil on Saturday night will be against the Westfield Shamrocks 2-0 after wins against Harrison and Avon.

Other conference matchups this week (all 7pm friday night):

Avon at Harrison
Brownsburg at HSE
McCutcheon at Jeff
Noblesville at Zionsville

Conference Standings:

Hoosier Crossroads Conference as of end of week2
	record	PF	PA
Westfield	2-0	59	28
Noblesville	2-0	53	30
Fishers	1-1	75	58
Hamilton SE	1-1	59	58
McCutcheon	1-1	58	55
Brownsburg	1-1	55	54
Jefferson	1-1	33	14
Zionsville	1-1	20	37
Avon	0-2	22	45
Harrison	0-2	13	68

Game Recap, finished: Tigers Weather Storm to Prevail 51-31 Over Royals

When the game resumed at 10 am on Saturday morning, the chances of any comeback were quickly dismissed as Fishers picked right up where they left off when storms chased all fans and players away friday night.  On the first play of resumed play, Maurice Campbell ran off left side for an impressive 70 yard TD run that put the Tigers up 44-24 and put the Tiger faithful into a frenzy.  The few HSE fans that showed back up were quiet as they had been for most the previous 2 quarters after the Royals jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead.

The final score of 51-31 was incredible performance for a team coming off of a shocking loss to Noblesville that was quickly punched in the mouth at the start of game 2.  To be down 14-0, you might fear a further collapse but this team came together and put something very special together for a much needed and great team win.  It is always a pleasure to see a team meet adversity head on and turn themselves around and soundly defeat the opponent.  Proud to be a Tiger!

	Qtr 1	Qtr 2	Qtr 3	Qtr 4	Final
Fishers	7	10	14	20	51
Visitors	14	10	0	7	31

 Quarter 1

- HSE 69 yard run by J. Crockham (pat good) 0-7
- HSE 14 yard run by J. Crockham (pat good) 0-14
- FHS 1 yard run by C. Christiansen (Sahakian pat good) 7-14

Quarter 2
- FHS 5 yard run by M. Campbell (Sahakian pat good) 14-14
- HSE 16 yard run by H. Hardee (pat good) 14-21
- FHS 19 yard field goal by Sahakian 17-21
- HSE 42 yard field goal by Hoffman 17-24

Quarter 3
- FHS 41 yard C. Christiansen pass to J. Harris (Sahakian pat good) 24-24
- FHS 31 yard C. Christiansen pass to J. Harris (Sahakian pat good) 31-24

Quarter 4
- FHS 7 yard run by M. Campbell (Sahakian pat good) 38-24
- FHS 70 yard run by M. Campbell (pat failed) 44-24
- FHS 45 yard fumble return by G. Hulecki (Sahakian pat good) 51-24
- HSE 71 yard run by J. Crockham (pat good) 51-31

Tigers Offense Leaders:

Connor Christiansen 10-11 passing, 162 yards, 2 TDs passing

J-Shun Harris 3 catches for 98 yards, 2 TDs receiving

Harvey Allen 13 carries for 159 yards rushing

Maurice Campbell 11 carries for 149 yards, 3 TDs rushing

Game Recap, to be continued: So Far So Good!

After a 1 hour evacuation at halftime and a later lightning delay with 6:21 left in the game, the Fishers Tigers are poised to finish a strong performance and secure victory over the HSE Royals.  BUT, we have to finish that final 6:21 the next morning at 10:00 am.  The Tigers will have the ball and the 38-24 lead over the rival school that is just 3.26 miles away.

HSE started the game with a first play from scrimmage long TD run from Jimetrius Crockham that instantly put a damper on the hopes of the Tigers faithful.

That quick punch was jolting but the Tigers players and coaching staff gathered themselves and started throwing counter-punches needed and the Tigers climbed right back and began to take overall and total control.  To the credit of the rebounding Tigers, the team developed in front of all watching into a team that grew in confidence, made plays and became the Tigers they're meant to be.

As fans learned Noblesville may be a very strong team from Brownsburg updates and watching the Tigers respond to being quickly down 14-0 to HSE, they realized there was an evolution occurring on the field.  The Tigers started to envelop opposing runners and receivers and making critical stops.  Turnovers presented themselves and the Tigers took advantage of most opportunities and suddenly the rival Royals fans were silenced and stunned.  The rivalry was on!

Incredible play by Connor Christiansen, Maurice Campbell, J-Shun Harris, Harvey Allen and a stronger defense gave the Tigers a 38-24 lead before the postponement.   The return to action on Saturday morning will be strangely exciting for the Tigers and we all have the confidence know the tasks at hand and we hope they can quickly wrap up this exciting and most deserved victory over the blue.  The concerns we had after losing to what has turned out to be a very strong Noblesville team may well be behind us and the conference is up for grabs.

FINISH THE GAME STRONG!  GO TIGERS!

10:00 AM Saturday, August 31st Fishers High School will be final 6:21 in the annual renewal of the strongest rivalry in Indiana high-school football.  Oh yea, Fishers will snap with a 38-24 lead.