FROGGY NIGHT LIGHTS

ELKHART COUNTY WEEK 4 PREVIEWS

We’re officially a third of the way through the regular season, and Week 4 gives us five more games with plenty of questions attached.

 

Can Northridge keep rolling? Can Elkhart build on a dominant bounce-back? Can Goshen slow down a Concord offense that has scored 48 points in consecutive weeks? And can Jimtown and Fairfield respond after very different kinds of setbacks?

 

Let’s get into it.

 

GAME OF THE WEEK

 

CONCORD (2-1) vs GOSHEN (1-2)

 

Homecoming night at Concord brings a matchup that has been pretty one-sided in recent years.

 

JJ Lee has been a major part of the rushing attack, while PJ LaRoche has emerged as a big-play threat through the air. Concord has also gotten strong defensive production, including four sacks from Jacob Bemiller and two interceptions from Bryce Outlaw.

 

Goshen enters at 1-2. The RedHawks opened the year with an 18-point effort against Angola, shut out South Bend Washington 59-0 and then ran into a Northridge team that put up 55 points against them last Friday.

 

Concord dominated this matchup 42-0 last season, and the Minutemen have controlled the series for years. But this is a new season, and Goshen gets the opportunity to make Homecoming a little less comfortable for its county rival.

 

The question is whether Goshen can slow down an offense that has found a serious rhythm over the last two weeks.

 

JIMTOWN (1-2) at JOHN GLENN (1-2)

 

Back in Indiana, Jimtown is looking to get back on track against a John Glenn team that has the tools to make this a very difficult game to predict. 

 

The Jimmies opened the season with a 41-21 win over Wawasee before running into a Concord team that jumped ahead early and never let them back into the game. Edwardsburgh was another brutal test, but now they get a Glenn team that will give them a fight, but can be a chance to get back to the Jimmie’s football we saw week 1.

 

John Glenn opened the season with a 33-7 win over Boone Grove, but has since lost to Fairfield and Rensselaer Central. The Jimmies took wins against Glenn in 2024 twice, but last year, the Falcons took their regular season matchup 14-10. I would not be shocked to see another 1-score game this Friday.

 

This feels like an important reset game for both teams. Neither is where it wants to be after three weeks, and both have a chance to change the trajectory of the season Friday night.

 

ELKHART (2-1) at SOUTH BEND RILEY (1-2)

 

Elkhart already showed in Week 1 that it can win a close game, beating Concord 22-20. It showed in Week 3 that it can completely overwhelm an opponent. Riley offers a chance to see what the Lions look like when they’re somewhere in between.

 

The Wildcats are 1-2 after opening the season with a 33-0 win over Hammond Noll before losses to Valparaiso and Penn.

 

Elkhart won this matchup 39-22 last season, with Micah Jarrell accounting for four touchdowns. But this year’s Riley team is trying to find its footing, and Elkhart has an opportunity to put together back-to-back strong performances. I’m looking for this offense to really establish rhythm throwing and consistent gains in the run game. It’s the time of the season where improv plays should start to wane in favor of taking what the defense is giving you.

 

NORTHRIDGE (3-0) vs WAWASEE (0-3)

 

The Raiders are the only Elkhart County team that has yet to lose. Every season we get a wild upset and Northridge is doing their best not to overlook a trap game before a matchup with Concord next week.

 

Jake Scholl and Tre Copeland have been central to that offensive success and the defense has had a chance to really nail-down their responsibilities against the triple-option/wing-t offenses in the area.

 

Wawasee comes in looking for its first win after losses to Jimtown, West Noble and Concord. The Warriors were beaten 48-10 by Concord last week, and now they get another difficult assignment against an unbeaten team.

 

There is some history here, too. Northridge beat Wawasee 42-7 during the 2025 regular season before Wawasee made things much more interesting in the postseason, when the Raiders escaped with a 35-26 sectional win.

 

Wawasee might actually need to reinvent the wheel Friday night to stand up against a scorching hot Northridge team. It needs to find a way to make Northridge uncomfortable and perhaps it happens through the air after how much the Raiders improved against the run last week. If the Raiders get comfortable early, this could turn into another long night for the Warriors.

 

JIMTOWN (1-2) at JOHN GLENN (1-2)

 

Back in Indiana, Jimtown is looking to get back on track against a John Glenn team that has the tools to make this a very difficult game to predict. 

 

The Jimmies opened the season with a 41-21 win over Wawasee before running into a Concord team that jumped ahead early and never let them back into the game. Edwardsburgh was another brutal test, but now they get a Glenn team that will give them a fight, but can be a chance to get back to the Jimmie’s football we saw week 1.

 

John Glenn opened the season with a 33-7 win over Boone Grove, but has since lost to Fairfield and Rensselaer Central.

 

Jimtown took wins against Glenn in 2024 twice, but last year, the Falcons took their regular season matchup 14-10. I would not be shocked to see another 1-score game this Friday.

 

This feels like an important reset game for both teams. Neither is where it wants to be after three weeks, and both have a chance to change the trajectory of the season Friday night.

 

FAIRFIELD (2-1) at LAKELAND (1-2)

 

Fairfield’s Week 3 loss to Angola was one of the biggest surprises of the season so far.

 

The Falcons went from scoring 45 points against Calumet New Tech and 34 against John Glenn to losing 7-6 to the Hornets in a game decided by a two-point conversion that came up short.

 

Kahler Maust and Miguel Gutierrez have been important pieces of that attack, and the Falcons remain one of the higher-ranked teams in the area at No. 16 in Class 3A and Lakeland comes in at 1-2 after losses to South Bend St. Joseph and Angola, with its lone win coming against Plymouth.

 

Fairfield lost 17-6 at Lakeland last season, so the Falcons have another reason to be motivated Friday night. If Fairfield can get its ground game going again, I think this will be a very different game than the one the Falcons just played against Angola.

 

 

WEEK 4 — THE STORIES I’M WATCHING

 

Northridge: The Raiders are 3-0, and now the question becomes whether they can keep handling business as the expectations rise. Take care of business in a trap-game against Wawasee would set up a massive matchup with Concord next week.

 

Elkhart: The Lions’ response to the Warren Central loss was impressive. Now refining the fundamentals becomes priority number 1 if they want to keep their NIC championship hopes alive.

 

Concord: Forty-eight points in consecutive weeks has turned the Minutemen into one of the county’s most dangerous offenses. Homecoming against Goshen gives them another chance to keep that momentum going.

 

Goshen: Feast of famine for the Redhawks this season. Northridge into Concord is a tough stretch for anyone and right now Goshen just needs to find some purchase in a new offensive scheme against tough opponents and stay healthy as they head into the middle of their season.

 

Jimtown: John Glenn provides a game for the Jimmies that can be a huge momentum-builder. It’s not an opponent they just assume they can beat, and if Jimtown can play their game and get a win against a competitive opponent, it can pay huge dividends in their development and momentum.

 

Fairfield: The Falcons went from 2-0 and looking like one of the county’s hottest teams to a frustrating 7-6 loss. How they respond may tell us more about Fairfield than the first two wins did.