For three weeks, the Lawrence North offense looked like one of the best in the state of Indiana, as the combination of Indiana commit and Lawrence North quarterback Donaven McCulley and Indiana recruit and wide receiver Omar Cooper were getting it done, and running back Travon Hegler were lighting up scoreboards and finding the end zone early and often. Through three games, Lawrence North was averaging 559 yards per game.
All that came to an end Friday, Sept. 11, as North Central got the best of Lawrence North 27-21.
Below are three takeaways from that game, as well as other high school action from around Indiana.
1. Lawrence North still has plenty to play for
A loss is never a good thing, especially in this bizarre Covid-19 impacted season where nobody knows how many games they may get in or what the landscape will look like next month when the IHSAA playoffs are set to start.
However, a loss may not be a bad thing for the Wildcats as it gets them focused and retooled for what promises to be an interesting portion of the season as dates with Carmel, Center Grove and Ben Davis are on the horizon.
Before the season began, McCulley made it known his goal was to lead Lawrence North to not only a winning season, but its first sectional title since 1990.
The opportunity to achieve that goal still exists, but Lawrence North will have to play better than they did against North Central. McCulley struggled in the first half, turning the ball over and was stymied several times. He was able to connect with Cooper for a 17-yard touchdown.
McCulley finished 19-of-31 through the air, for 158 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. Cooper left the game early with an injury and was seen on the sidelines with his arm in a sling.
2. The Center Grove offense is awfully good
Indiana recruit and Center Grove quarterback Tayven Jackson gets a lot of the publicity and rightfully so, but the Trojans have benefited significantly this season from a healthy Carson Steele, who has drawn some limited attention from the Hoosiers.
A season ago, Steele spent the majority of the season on the bench, sidelined with numerous injuries and came back for the Class 6A state title game against Carmel. This year, however, he has been hitting on all cylinders, as was evidenced by his performance Sept. 11 against Ben Davis.
Against the Giants, Steele rumbled for three touchdowns and became the school's career leader in rushing touchdowns. He had a pair of one-yard runs and an 11-yard run on his way past 2001 grad Jonny Zwitt. Steele finished with 150 yards rushing on 19 carries and is rapidly closing in on Zwitt’s career rushing mark of 4,738 yards. The senior now stands at 4,673 yards on the ground and has 370 career points scored to Zwitt’s all-time mark of 378.
Just how good has Center Grove been offensively? They have outscored opponents 153-26 thus far.
As for Jackson, he finished with 13 yards on the ground and two touchdowns, while throwing for 114 yards on 6-of-7 passing.
3. Where does New Palestine go now that they lost?
Eight years.
That is how long it had been since the New Palestine High School football team had lost a regular season game. Since that time, the Dragons have found a new coach in Kyle Ralph, who is 90-5 in his eight years at the helm, won back-to-back Class 5A state titles and a Class 4A title under Ralph and have sent quite a few players onto the next level.
However, injuries, a struggling running attack and rival Mt. Vernon were too much to overcome on Sept. 11, as Mt. Vernon picked up a 35-22 win, snapping a 65-game regular season winning streak for the Dragons. It also snapped a 49-game conference winning streak.
New Palestine, which has three Division I commits on its offense, struggled to find any rhythm in the contest. Quarterback Lincoln Roth was held to 9-of-24 pass completions for 120 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Blake Austin had five catches for 98 yards and accounted for the two touchdowns.
New Palestine is led by Ralph, who is one of the best, not only in the Hoosier state, but the country, when it comes to x's and o's and adapting.
With games against Pendleton Heights, Greenfield-Central and Shelbyville on the horizon, the Dragons will have a good chance to start a new streak, but they have to find an offense immediately.
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