Tonight’s prep football capsules

Friday, October 21, 2016

Cascade (2-7) at Cloverdale (3-6)

Game time: 7 p.m.

Media coverage: The MTC Sports Network will telecast the game online at www.mtcsports.net.

The coaches: Tony Meyer is in his second year at Cloverdale. Steve Spinks is in his first year at Cascade.

History: Cloverdale won 8-6 earlier this season in a game delayed by weather and finished on Saturday evening to break an eight-game winning streak by the Cadets.

Season recap: The Cadets’ only wins came over Brown County (21-6) and Edgewood (40-13).

Cloverdale started the season at 3-3, but injuries have limited the Clovers’ personnel the last three weeks. Cloverdale has lost three straight games and has only scored eight points during that stretch.

Up next: The winner will meet the winner between Mitchell (5-4) and South Vermillion (2-7) in the semifinals.

Coach Meyer on his team: “We’re as good as can be. We are having a great week of practice, and everybody is on cloud nine. We are anxious to play the Cadets. We have changed some things from what we’ve been doing. It will be a little bit different, and it works well. I’m pretty fired up with where we are.”

Coach Meyer on Cascade: “I don’t know they have changed since we played the first time, but they have gotten more precise. With coach Spinks being in his first year, we caught them early. They were probably getting used to each other. What we saw after they played us, they were very dialed in. Their running game was solid, and their defense really tightened up. I don’t think they expected much from us. We may have surprised them. That’s not going to happen again. Their quarterback has been playing well.”

West Vigo (5-4) at Greencastle (8-1)

Game time: 7 p.m.

The coaches: Mike Meyer is in his seventh year at Greencastle. Jeff Cobb is in his 12th year at West Vigo.

Media coverage: WREB-FM 94.3 will broadcast the game on radio, and wabashvalleysports.com will telecast the game online.

History: Greencastle won 30-27 at West Vigo in week 3 to break a two-game losing streak to the Vikings.

Season recap: Greencastle placed second in the Western Indiana Conference’s West Division and defeated Owen Valley 13-10 last week in the crossover round to claim third place in the conference. The Tiger Cubs were one of only two teams in the state to reciprocate a 1-8 record last year into an 8-1 record this year.

West Vigo finished 1-4 in the WIC West Division and defeated Edgewood 39-7 to claim ninth place.

Up next: The winner plays the winner between Indianapolis Northwest (5-4) and Danville (7-2).

Coach Meyer on his team: “We have had a good week of practice. Our kids know West Vigo has always been very good, and they have a lot of respect for West Vigo. I know they are excited for it. We have practiced at the same times we normally do [despite being on fall break], and have handled it well. Our seniors have done a great job of setting an example.”

Coach Meyer on West Vigo: “I always know West Vigo and coach Cobb are going to come ready to play. They are difficult to prepare for since they use a lot of different formations on offense. I thought we threw the ball well against them, and we’ll need to do that again. We need to throw it better. Devin Clar has been great running the ball. Hopefully we can continue that.”

Paoli (4-5) at North Putnam (6-3)

Game time: 7:30 p.m.

Media coverage: WGRE-FM 91.5 will be broadcasting the game.

The coaches: Greg Barrett is in his eighth year at North Putnam. Brian Balsmeyer is in his 11th year at Paoli.

History: North Putnam won 40-32 in the sectional semifinals last year in the only meeting between the teams, at least since 1994.

Season recap: North Putnam finished in fourth place (2-3 record) in the West Division of the Western Indiana Conference, and won the crossover game to finish in seventh place. They will be playing their fourth straight home game tonight, after starting the season playing the first four games on the road. The Cougars average 29.0 points per game and allow just 16.3 per game.

Paoli finished second in the Patoka Lake Conference with a 4-1 record, beating Mitchell, Springs Valley, Perry Central and Crawford County and losing only to league champion West Washington.

Up next: The winner will play the winner of Southmont (2-7) and defending state champion Monrovia (5-4). If the Bulldogs win as expected, they would host either Paoli or North Putnam in the second round.

Coach Barrett on his team: “We have learned from mistakes, and made some adjustments in linemen up front. We’re very excited, and the kids know we have a chance to keep playing and win some games.”

Coach Barrett on Paoli: “They are physical, fast and give a great effort — just like last year’s team. They have lots of returning starters, and they are well coached. They run a lot of veer option, and a lot of mid-line option. They definitely run more than pass. They are a lot like West Vigo and Southmont. They are good with field position and have a strong punting and kicking game.”

South Putnam (4-5) at Sheridan (5-4)

Game time: 7 p.m.

The coaches: Nathan Aker is in his third year at South Putnam. Larry Wright is in his 52nd year of coaching, the last 51 at Sheridan. He is the state’s career leader in coaching wins with 400 and has won four state championships.

History: South Putnam won 56-22 at Sheridan last year in the first round of the sectional. It is believed to be the only other matchup between the two teams.

Season recap: South Putnam went 4-0 in non-Western Indiana Conference games and the conference crossover game and 0-5 in WIC West Division games.

Sheridan won the East Division of the Hoosier Heartland Conference with a 4-0 record (beating Clinton Central, Eastern-Greentown, Tri-Central and Taylor), but lost 41-14 to Carroll (Flora) in the crossover championship.

Up next: The winner plays the winner between No. 9-ranked Fountain Central (8-1) and Riverton Parke (1-8).

Coach Aker on his team: “I really like the strides that our offense has been making. Coach [Brian] Baker-Watson has done a great job utilizing our young men’s talents and putting them in positions where they can make plays. Forcing turnovers, limiting penalties and moving our feet as we finish blocks have been big focuses for us this week.”

Coach Aker on Sheridan: “This is an exciting time of the year. We will be competing with one of the top football programs in the state of Indiana. Coach Wright is a living legend and has a much improved ball team this year. They’ve got a top notch running attack, and they do an outstanding job running the midline and veer. Executing our specific assignments will be key for us to create success on defense.”

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