NORTHRIDGE 35, COLUMBIA CITY 34

Northridge proved Friday night that the Raiders can do more than just score points. 

After setting a school record with 62 points in their opener, Northridge found itself in a completely different kind of game against Class 4A No. 10 Columbia City. The Raiders trailed late, but sophomore quarterback Jake Scholl and senior receiver Tre Copeland came up with the biggest play of the night when Scholl found Copeland for a 40-yard touchdown with 1:53 remaining to tie the game. Eli Stec knocked through the extra point to put Northridge ahead 35-34.

Columbia City still had one more shot. The Eagles drove into Northridge territory and lined up for a 45-yard field goal that would have won the game, but the game-winning kick fell just short and just like that, the Raiders were 2-0.

Scholl was once again the engine, rushing for 197 yards and throwing for 156, while Copeland’s late touchdown catch provided the moment everyone will remember. The two teams combined for nearly 800 yards of offense, but Northridge made the one play it absolutely had to have.

That’s a much different kind of win than the 62-32 opener, and perhaps a much more important one. New head coach Luke Amstutz has now watched his team win a shootout and then survive a one-point thriller against a ranked opponent. The Raiders are no longer simply an intriguing story.

They’re 2-0.

Next Opponents:

Northridge (2-0) at Goshen (1-1)

 

GOSHEN 59, SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON 0

If the first chapter of the Griff Heckaman era was about figuring out what needed to change, Friday night looked like a pretty convincing answer.

Goshen bounced back from its 41-18 loss to Angola by absolutely hammering South Bend Washington, rolling to a 59-0 shutout and scoring 51 points through three quarters. The RedHawks’ new-look offense plays through their ground game now and produced 274 rushing yards on Friday. Suddenly a team that scored 18 points in its opener had nearly reached 60 before the fourth quarter even got started.

Carter Diaz was at the center of the offensive explosion, while Bennett Short added 70 rushing yards and a touchdown on just three carries according to Regional Radio Sports Network.

And that’s the part I like most about this win for Goshen. It wasn’t simply a case of hanging around and waiting for something good to happen. The RedHawks established the run, controlled the game and never let Washington find a foothold. Last year’s game between these two was a bit of a dog fight and this was clear evidence of Goshen’s growth.

Now comes the real test.

Northridge has won nine straight against Goshen, including a 49-21 victory last season. But the RedHawks are entering this rivalry matchup with something they didn’t have last year: momentum.

Next Opponents:

Goshen (1-1) hosts Northridge (2-0)

 

CONCORD 48, JIMTOWN 13

Concord didn’t just put Week 1 behind them. The Minutemen slammed the door on it.

After losing a 22-20 heartbreaker to Elkhart, Concord came out against Jimtown and scored 41 points before halftime. The Minutemen outgained the Jimmies 384-218, including 236 rushing yards, and turned Friday night into a running-clock game in the second half.

Junior quarterback Braylon Monroe was outstanding, completing 8-of-10 passes for 131 yards and four touchdowns while adding 83 rushing yards and another score. PJ LaRoche got Concord on the board with a 39-yard touchdown catch, while Jaron Allen scored twice through the air.

Jimtown actually landed the first punch. Cameron Inbody found Zander Whitaker for a 61-yard touchdown on the opening possession, but that would be about as good as the night got for the Jimmies. Whitaker later added a 26-yard touchdown, finishing with two catches for 87 yards and two scores.

Worth note, the Jimmies were without seven starters. This included their two leading running backs, according to The Elkhart Truth. That made an already difficult assignment against a ranked Concord team even tougher.

Back to Concord, this is exactly the response the Minutemen needed. A week after letting Elkhart escape, they didn’t give Jimtown a chance to hang around.

Next Opponents:

Concord (1-1) at Wawasee (0-2)

Jimtown (1-1) at Edwardsburgh (1-0)

 

FAIRFIELD 34, GLENN 14

Fairfield is 2-0, and the Falcons are starting to look like exactly what they want to be.

The Falcons followed their 45-14 season-opening win over Calumet New Tech with a 34-14 victory over Glenn. Fairfield nearly replicated the 355 rushing yards from Week 1, with 323 yards this week. Once again the combination of Miguel Gutierrez and Kahler Maust did the heavy lifting.

Gutierrez finished with 145 rushing yards, while Maust carried 12 times for 126 yards and two touchdowns. Maust also threw a touchdown pass, giving him a hand in three Fairfield scores on the night. This is a run-focused team with enough wrinkles in the playbook to crush worse opponents, but we’re about to see Fairfield up against a serious test against the team that beat them 35-8 last season.

That’s going to tell us a whole lot more.

Next Opponents:

Fairfield (2-0) hosts Angola (1-1)

 

WARREN CENTRAL 49, ELKHART 10

Elkhart is a good team, but there is a lot of work left to do before Coach Curry gets this group to the level he knows they can be. 

The Lions ran into one of the best teams in Indiana and found out just how high the ceiling is at the top of Class 6A. No. 4 Warren Central rolled to a 49-10 win, taking a 28-3 halftime lead and eventually putting the game away with a dominant rushing attack.

I’d like to direct your attention to something I feel will be a sign of what this team might be.

Early in the fourth quarter, Warren Central’s Johnathan Dossett broke loose for a 73-yard touchdown run. Elkhart’s Coleman Bell chased him nearly the entire way. Bell couldn’t make the tackle, but head coach Travon Curry specifically pointed to that effort as the kind of response he wanted from his team after halftime.

That’s not enough to make a 49-10 loss feel good, but it does give Elkhart something to build on.

The Lions now get South Bend Washington, a team they beat 34-13 last year, and an opportunity to put Warren Central in the rearview mirror.

Next Opponents:

Elkhart (1-1) hosts South Bend Washington (0-2)