Tonight's prep football capsules

Cloverdale at South Putnam

Game time: 7 p.m. WREB-FM 94.3 will broadcast the game.

The coaches: Tom Winders is in his first year at Cloverdale. Nathan Aker is in his fourth year at South Putnam.

History: South Putnam won 26-8 at Cloverdale last year, and has won the last 10 meetings between the teams.

Last year, Cloverdale led 8-0 midway through the second quarter before South Putnam’s Aidan LeBlanc returned a kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown that changed the momentum of the game. The Clovers would not score again, and Kyle Shaffer scored three rushing TDs.

Over the past 30 years, South Putnam has won 31 of 35 meetings. Cloverdale has not had a winning record since going 7-3 in 1996.

Last year: Cloverdale was 3-7, going 0-4 after a 3-3 start. South Putnam finished 4-6, breaking a streak of seven straight winning seasons. Both teams lost their sectional openers.

Key players: For Cloverdale, senior Drew Boyette and junior Parker Watts will share the quarterback duties. Seniors Nick Winders, Tyce Jackson, Tyler Kaeff and Steven Allen will be running backs, while receivers will be senior Haiden Davis, junior Trey Henry and sophomore Jake Smith as well as junior newcomer Jake Wilkes.

For South Putnam, senior Christian Zeffel is the quarterback while Aidan LeBlanc will man the tailback spot and Dalton Scott will be the fullback.

Scott leads the Eagles on defense from his linebacker position.

Coach Winders on the Eagles: “South Putnam is a little bit bigger than we are, but I think we are quicker. I think our kids match up well with them. Dalton Scott is a fantastic player for them. He is one of those kids who has a motor that doesn’t stop, and we have to game plan for him. He’s a game changer on defense and an impact player. Our focus this week has been to focus on their key players, and hopefully we can come out with a victory.”

Coach Aker on the Clovers: “The Cloverdale-South Putnam rivalry goes back a long time. It is interesting having it as the first game of the year, and that gives it a little different feel. This is the third year for that. Cloverdale has a good squad. They have a lot of seniors. I have heard a lot of talk from down there about how they’ve been waiting for this year. Billy Boyette does a great job of calling offense for them, and they look like they have some guys in positions who can do some damage. Playing in this conference is tough. We had a good scrimmage partner [Indianapolis Lutheran] to find out some things about ourselves to get ready for this. That just helps us to get better, and should help us [tonight]. We are looking forward to opening up things at home.”

Greencastle at Crawfordsville

Game time: 7 p.m. WGRE-FM 91.5 will broadcast the game.

The coaches: Mike Meyer is in his eighth year at Greencastle. Larry Getts is in his second year at Crawfordsville.

History: The teams are 1-1 in the past 30 years, having met in the sectional in 2003 with the Athenians winning 44-18 and Greencastle winning 27-20 at home last year.

In the polls: Greencastle is tied for 20th in the Class 3A AP poll.

Last year: Greencastle was 9-2 and was eliminated in the sectional semifinals, while Crawfordsville was 2-8 and lost its sectional opener.

Key players: Junior Alex Costin takes over from his brother, Nick, at quarterback for Greencastle while junior Andrew Fajt is the new tailback. Seniors Jacob Meyer and Abe Wade are taking over at the wide receiver spots, while junior Gavin Bollman is the new tight end.

Coach Meyer on Crawfordsville: “Crawfordsville runs a pistol offense with a lot of option and some play-action passes. Defensively, they are aggressive and will come after us. We are going to have to make sure our pass protection is up to snuff. The difference is going to be the front lines, and whose line comes to play. If our guys continue to play at the level where we’ve been playing, I feel pretty good.”

Indian Creek at North Putnam

Game time: 7 p.m.

The coaches: Sam Carnes is in his first year at North Putnam. Brett Cooper is in his first year at Indian Creek.

History: The teams have never played in football.

In the polls: North Putnam is ranked No. 15 in the Associated Press Class 2A poll.

Last year: North Putnam finished 7-4, while Indian Creek was 6-5 (runnerup in the Western Indiana Conference). Both teams were eliminated in the semifinal round of the sectional.

Key players: Senior quarterback Hayden Rudes will run the offense again for the Cougars, while running backs will be senior Ethan Christy, junior Chris Murray and sophomore Aidan Baker. Former lineman Dillon Binnion is the team’s new tight end.

For Indian Creek, senior quarterback Brett Voris completed 155 of 279 passes last year for 2,174 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Coach Carnes on the Braves: “We don’t really know much about them this year, since they have a new coach. Coach Cooper has been at a lot of very good programs and he always does an outstanding job. It’s really tough to prepare, especially with only a scrimmage to go by — with no special teams. It’s going to be a whole new world for both of us.”