October 4th Around the HCC

Great games all around the HCC this week.  Can't definitely call winners in any of the other games with the exception perhaps of Avon with key injury possibly slowing Jeff down more and Westfield should get it done.  Okay, I'll go out on a limb and say Brownsburg win their 3rd game!

Fishers at Zionsville 7pm BE THERE TIGER FANS!

Hamilton Southeastern at Noblesville 7p

Harrison (West Lafayette) at Brownsburg 7p

Lafayette Jeff at Avon 7p

McCutcheon at Westfield 7p

Zionsville Preview

Tigers travel to Zionsville friday for a hot conference matchup against 3-3 Zionsville Eagles.  While I was able to find the stats on individual Eagle players at MaxPreps, I will give a brief overview of players that have done the most so far for Zionsville.

On offense, the Eagles are led by senior QB Josh Hinkle who is 56 0f 97 passing (57.7%) for 496 yards and 1 TD.  Hinkle is also their leading rusher getting 329 yards on 46 rushes and 4 more TDs.  Running backs are led by senior Cole Wendt and junior Matt Penola who are a combined 458 yards on 103 rushes.  Senior RB Matt Cramer will also some carries.

Receiving corps is led by senior Ben Kocher who has 16 catches for 210 yards.  Kocker is also the Eagle defensive leading tackler.

Also of note on defense is senior defensive end Nick Maines, who is leading the team with 5.5 sacks, including 3.5 in their week 3 14-9 win over Zionsville.

Zionsville Weekly Scores:

vs. Jeff won 14-7
@Mavs lost 6-30
vs Millers won 14-9
vs HSE lost 3-21
@ Rocks lost 7-10
@ Raider won 35-13

Throwing out the Harrison Raider game last week, Zionsville is not putting up a lot of points per game (8.8) but they are also not giving too much up on defense (15.4) so the Eagles can be stingy on defense.

Tigers can continue to control their own destiny and get their business done every week against another opponent that circles Fishers game on the calendar and wants to take us down.  Go Tigers, beat Eagles!

Updated HCC Standings

Sept 28, 2013

After Fishers Tigers victory at homecoming, Westfield's win over the other Fishers team and Avon's win over Noblesville, the HCC standings going into week 7 is as follows:

Hoosier Crossroads Conference as of end of week6
                            record PF   PA
Fishers                      5-1 231   169
Westfield                  5-1 189   114
Hamilton SE              4-2 177   121
Noblesville               4-2 125   94
McCutcheon            3-3 148   164
Avon                       3-3 139     95
Zionsville                 3-3 79     90
Brownsburg              2-4 109   169
Jefferson                   1-5 83   126
Harrison                    0-6 58   196

Friday night's scores:

Fishers 47 McCutcheon 28
Westfield 38 HSE 18
Avon 17 Noblesville 11
Brownsburg 28 Jeff 0
Zionsville 35 Harrison 13

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.