Homecoming Victory Over McCutcheon

Fishers Tigers prevailed on homecoming over visiting McCutcheon Mavericks 47-28 with early power attack on ground and in the air.  Full stats coming.

September 27th Around the HCC

In Other Hoosier Crossroads Conference matchups, the following games are being played around the great state of Indiana with 7pm kickoffs:

Brownsburg @ Jeff  prediction: Jeff

Zionsville @ Harrison prediction: Zionsville

Westfield @ HSE wish:  Westfield

Avon @ Noblesville prediction: Avon

Game time temperatures in the mid to low 70s at kickoff and mid to lower 60s at the 0:00 mark.

Go Tigers!

Homecoming Night: Beat McCutcheon!!

McCutcheon Mavericks visit for homecoming and pose a great test for the Tigers who are coming in with some banged up players and unfortunate key suspensions.

McCutcheon's season so far prove they can be one of the top teams in the HCC and can't be overlooked by anyone.  Since their opening loss at Brownsburg, McCutcheon has put it together a lot better to handily beat Zionsville and barely lose to Noblesville last week.

@ Brownsburg lost 28-49
Zionsville  won 30-6
@ Jeff won 18-15
Harrison won 24-19
Noblesville lost 20-28

Offensively, McCutcheon is led by senior running back Nate Deno but the Mavs have question marks at quarterback for the Tiger defense to take advantage of.  Defensively, they have one of the best linebackers in the state in Caleb Harper.  McCutcheon also has other fine defenders that will be up for this game and will not quit.

Tigers will need to contain the running lanes and be strong up the middle to keep yards per play within reason.  McCutcheon will try to confuse and pressure the Tiger blocking discipline to get to Conner Christiansen and force Tigers into making plays and keep the defense honest by proving they can balance the attack.  Decision-making will need to be sharp and the offense can do a lot to help the defense get needed rest between McCutcheon possessions.

Tigers will have to keep the game in mind for 48 minutes and be ready to go the distance for all of them.  McCutcheon is not traveling to Fishers on homecoming with anything in mind other than taking this one away from us and earn the conference respect that they feel they deserve.  Fishers must battle every game to keep the HCC title hopes alive.

Bold Prediction of the Week:  Tigers will get a kick return OR TWO!  This fan hopes the 2nd one in the crystal ball wasn't for McCutcheon!

UPDATE:  LB Lukas Robinson OUT WITH ANKLE

A pre-season preview in Lafayette Journal & Courier:

McCUTCHEON MAVERICKS

Head coach: Ken Frauhiger (11-52 in six seasons) 
2012 results: 3-9 (1-8 Hoosier Crossroads Conference); lost to Fishers 38-13 in sectional championship 
Class: 5A, Sectional 11 (Harrison, Kokomo, Westfield) 
Sectional championships: 6 (1976, ’82, ’83, ’94, ’96, ’99) 
Regional championships: 1 (1982) 
Semistate championships: 1 (1982) 
Stadium: David Ellison Stadium, 4951 Old U.S. 231 S. 
Returning starters (offense/defense): 6/6 
Offense: Spread 
Defense: 4-3 
Returning leaders

Rushing: Nate Deno (6-1, 175, Sr., RB/Slot) 186-1,261 yards, 14 TD 
Passing: N/A 
Receiving: Deno 12-177 yards 
Tackles: Caleb Harper (5-11, 195, Sr., LB) 132 
Interceptions: Alex Nicoson (5-8, 180, Sr., CB) 2 
Others to watch: Lane Beeler (6-0, 220, Jr. FB); Blake Elming (5-7, 165, Jr., RB); Caulin Post (5-11, 250, Jr., C); Tanner Flynn (5-11, 235, Jr., G); Cole Taylor (5-7, 175, Jr., CB); Brad Myers (5-10, 235, Jr., DL); Lukas Robinson (6-0, 195, Jr., LB); Jake Shake (6-0, 175, Sr., K/P). 

Outlook: The Mavericks made an unexpected run to the sectional championship game last season. Can they build off that momentum and take another step forward in their final season in the HCC? 
McCutcheon returns over 2,000 rushing yards, starting with the versatile Deno. Elming is a speedy complementary piece and Beeler brings experience and size at fullback. First-year starting quarterback Jami Frier can target veterans like Deno and R.J. Blair. Kyle McGhee, a three-year starter, slides from tackle to guard and leads the offensive line. Shake is a consistent field goal threat whose punting also continues to improve. 
Harper earned Journal & Courier Big School Player of the Year recognition last season. Between he and Richardson, linebacker should again be a strength. The Mavericks will lean on their depth both up front and in the secondary. The defensive back group is senior-heavy, and Frauhiger says as many as nine players are in the mix to rotate up front.

Journal and Courier piece on backup running Blake Elming:

As McCutcheon’s backup running back, junior Blake Elming plays an invaluable role.

Beyond giving starter Nate Deno a rest, Elming’s downhill style also provides a change of pace compared to Deno’s juking, slashing style.

But it’s when the Mavericks put both talented backs on the field that the offense has a chance to reach its full potential.

“We’re both pretty good weapons,” Elming said, “so they can’t really key on us both.”

While Deno is the unquestioned No. 1 weapon in the McCutcheon offense, Elming’s emergence last season gave the Mavericks a new versatility. McCutcheon coach Ken Frauhiger said the 5-foot-7, 165-pound Elming is even faster this season.

“As a smaller guy, he gets stuff done that most smaller guys don’t,” said Deno, who rushed for 1,261 yards and 14 touchdowns last season. “It’s cool to watch him. It kind of reminds me of me my sophomore and junior year. He’s fun to play with, and he’s really talented.”

Elming rushed for 703 yards and six touchdowns as a sophomore. When junior fullback Lane Beller and up-and-coming sophomore LeVon Thompson enter the backfield mix, suddenly the McCutcheon offense has crucial depth.

“You can put Elming in the backfield, and people still have to think about the run,” Frauhiger said. “Elming‘s back there, Beeler‘s back there — and Beeler’s a freight train — and now you maybe throw Deno on the outside. So if you’ve got your coverage based on the fact that we don’t have anybody that can go behind you, now we do.”

McCutcheon ran for more than 2,200 yards while advancing to the sectional championship. Elming accounted for a third of that output, but just as importantly, he instilled confidence in his teammates that someone could fill Deno’s shoes when needed.

“He’s got a heart like no one else on this team,” Deno said. “He helps me a lot just getting rests in between. When I come out, we know we’re going to have a good person coming in. He has my back and I have his.”

One day, Elming might own that role as the lead running back. For now, there’s nothing unsatisfying about being the understudy.

“I’m looking forward to it, but I’m still ready for this year, too,” Elming said.

Hoosier Crossroads Conference Standings After Week 5

Hoosier Crossroads Conference as of end of week5
	record	PF	PA
Fishers	4-1	184	141
Hamilton SE	4-1	159	83
Westfield	4-1	151	96
Noblesville	4-1	114	77
McCutcheon	3-2	120	117
Avon	2-3	122	84
Zionsville	2-3	44	77
Jefferson	1-4	83	98
Brownsburg	1-4	81	169
Harrison	0-5	45	161

Week 5 Conference Scores:

Avon 41, Brownsburg 13

Fishers 35, Harrison (West Lafayette) 13

Hamilton Southeastern 42, Lafayette Jeff 22

Noblesville 28, McCutcheon 20

Westfield 10, Zionsville 7

Tigers Get Win Over Harrison 35-13

Congratulations to Fishers Tigers for win #4 over Harrison to stay on top of the Hoosier Crossroads Conference contention.  The Tigers will take on McCutcheon Mavericks during homecoming week.

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.