Football Squads Search For Momentum
The opportunity to build momentum going into conference play.
That’s what awaits local prep football teams come week two contests Friday night.
For the pair of Wawasee and Triton, it’s a chance to get off to a quick 2-0 start.
For Warsaw, Tippecanoe Valley and Whitko, it’s a chance to even the early-season mark at 1-1.
Here’s a quick look at the local docket for Friday night.
East Noble (1-0) at Warsaw (0-1), 7 p.m.
The Tigers look for a bounce back performance after a loss to a physical Columbia City team in the opener.
“The thing for us is to just get better,” said Warsaw coach Phil Jensen. “We hurt ourselves last week with some dropped passes and sacks offensively. I’m not happy to be 0-1, but our guys are learning and their attitudes are good.”
Warsaw trailed the Eagles 13-0 before rallying to a 14-13 halftime lead. City controlled the line and the game in the final half for a 33-21 win.
The Tigers showed some promise in their new-look offense, ran by senior quarterback Jake Mangas.
“Jake did a good job last week,” Jensen said. “He’s learning.”
East Noble defeated Warsaw 49-14 a year ago. The Knights went on to a 9-3 season, but lost most of their offense, including standout tailback Brandon Mable, who rushed for over 1,300 yards and scored 19 touchdowns last year.
“East Noble is young on offense and experienced on defense,” noted Jensen. “Our experience matches up with their lack of experience and the same way for them.
“We just need to limit negative plays and score when we have the opportunity this week.”
West Noble (1-0) at Wawasee (1-0), 7:30 p.m.
The Warriors welcome in the Chargers, who replace South Bend St. Joseph on the schedule.
Both teams rolled last week with Wawasee winning 34-12 at Whitko and West Noble rolling past Central Noble 45-14.
“West Noble poses a challenge with their scheme,” said Wawasee coach Josh Ekovich. “They are athletic and have a quarterback who can throw it.”
“We need to limit their big plays, win the turnover battle and win the line of scrimmage and run the ball.”
Ekovich knows a 2-0 start would be big with the NLC opener against Northridge looming next week.
“To be 2-0 would be huge going into a tough NLC,” Ekovich said. “It would be huge for our confidence.”
Tippecanoe Valley (0-1) at Bremen (0-1), 7:30 p.m.
Scott Bibler sees a pair of similar teams in his Valley squad and the Lions.
“I think Bremen is in the same boat as we are right now,” said Bibler. “They lost a lot of players from last year and are young. It should be a competitive game.”
Valley opened its season with a 36-13 home loss to Culver Academies. Bremen, which went 9-4 and won a sectional title last year, lost 56-19 to Plymouth.
“We just need to become more consistent with our execution,” Bibler said. “We just have to work on our mental game and keep battling and pushing each other to get better.”
Bremen defeated Valley 22-7 last season.
Columbia City (1-0) at Whitko (0-1), 7 p.m.
Despite a loss in week one, second-year Whitko coach Josh Mohr found some things to like.
“We made great strides from our scrimmage to the first game and that’s encouraging,” said Mohr. “Our goal is to improve each week and I’m excited where we can go.”
The Wildcats lost to Wawasee, while the Eagles beat Warsaw 33-21 last Friday.
“Columbia City is a big, physical team,” noted Mohr. “For us, it’s about our mental focus. We have to focus on us and focus on the details.”
Columbia City topped the Wildcats 34-14 in 2013.
Triton (1-0) at Northfield (1-0), 7 p.m.
The Trojans hope to build on a big road win with another bus trip this Friday.
“Our focus was to get back to work,” said Triton coach John Johns after a 34-0 win at Caston last week. “Our guys want to build on this. They don’t want a repeat of last year.”
The Trojans dropped a 27-6 final to Northfield last year. The Norsemen edged Bluffton 29-27 last week.
“They have a patient, ball control offense,” said Johns of Northfield. “We have to be ready for the challenge. The most important thing for us is to block better this week.”