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Bremen’s Moser, Miller formidable RB duo for Valley defense; Winamac to visit Caston for 3rd place in Hoosier North; Pioneer, N. Judson meeting for Hoosier North title; Culver to visit winless S. Central; NM seeks to bounce back vs. Triton
BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
Pictures from Rochester's week 8 victory over Northwestern
Top left: QB Mitchell Clark (#6) celebrates a TD.
Top Right Alex Chapman (#12) follows his blocks for a big gain.
Bottom Left: RB Grant Holloway hurdles over a down teammate and Northwestern player as Derek Wortley (#55) looks for a block.
Bottom Right: RB Trenton Meadows secures a catch in front of a Northwestern Defender. Photos Courtesy of Jabez Yarber
Rochester (4-4, 3-3 Three Rivers Conference) at Maconaquah (8-0, 6-0), 7 p.m.
The Rochester football team’s resolve was put under a microscope when Northwestern came back from a 22-7 deficit to tie it at 22 last week, but the Zebras drove down for the winning score on a Mitchell Clark quarterback sneak and won 30-22.
Rochester had 443 yards of offense – 87 passing and 356 rushing.
That was a new starter at left tackle in Barrett Brown and a new starter at right guard in Trevor Coplen. Meanwhile, left guard Derek Wortley played on a gimpy ankle. But it was Wortley who blasted a hole for Clark to run through on the game-winning sneak and who also opened a hole for Kale Shotts’ game-clinching 21-yard run for a first down with less than two minutes left.
“He’s just such a tough kid,” Shaffer said. “He’s dealing with an ankle injury. … I don’t really know what percent he is. He’s a kid that unless he physically just can’t walk, he’s going to tell you he’s going to play. And so he just fought through that all night but just came up huge on a lot of trap blocks for us, and just his toughness, just a great tough kid. We have a lot of guys like that.”
Meanwhile, Northwestern drove from their own 34 to the Rochester 5 after the Zebras’ go-ahead touchdown, but the Rochester defense forced a turnover on downs after the Tigers had first-and-goal from the 7.
“I felt like it was really good,” Shaffer said of the pass defense. “It was almost kind of bend-but-don’t-break. You know, they kind of went up and down the field on us, but even the times where they scored touchdowns inside the 10, we made it very difficult for them. And that helped a lot with just our front four and then our two linebackers inside. I think they did a really good job of bottling up the run for the most part. They had a few explosive plays here and there with the run game and got a few yards here and there, but for the most part, I felt like they made them one-dimensional, which is great. And then I felt like, for the most part, we did a good job of containing their screen game, which is just an extension of their run game. Liam Spence had a huge game in that department with his aggressiveness and physicality and stopping those screens before they got going.”
The win over Northwestern leaves Rochester in a tie for fifth place in the TRC going into the regular season finale at Maconaquah. Meanwhile, the Braves clinched the TRC with Northwestern’s loss in combination with their 55-14 win over Manchester.
Now, one week after rooting for Rochester, they will try to beat the Zebras and avenge a 48-6 loss to Barnhart Field last year in the de facto TRC championship game. That remains Maconaquah’s only regular season loss since the start of the 2024 season.
Former Greenfield-Central defensive coordinator Ethan Robbins took over as coach after Mike Fenters left to take the McCutcheon job. Robbins is Maconaquah’s sixth coach since 2017.
Maconaquah’s 51.4 scoring average ranks sixth in the state.
Many of the top offensive threats are back, but they have been more productive.
Rochester held Maconaquah quarterback Aiden Robinson to 86 yards passing and less than four yards per pass attempt in last year’s rout.
This year, Robinson, a senior, leads the state with 2,766 yards passing. He averages 35 pass attempts per game, and he is averaging 10 yards per attempt. Shaffer said that Robbins has a “really high football IQ” and that the offensive play caller will let him “dissect your defense.”
They will also try to slow down his top receiver target Nolan Tarrh. Tarrh, a senior, has 73 receptions and leads the state in receiving yards with 1,063. He had nine catches for 68 yards against Rochester last year, though the rest of the team accounted for just 96 yards of offense.
Shaffer compared him to the Energizer bunny and noted his “relentless effort” and that he does not go down on first contact.
The other main threat is senior Marcell Sims, who has a team-high 662 yards rushing and a team-high 648 yards receiving. He is averaging 8.0 yards per carry and 12.7 yards per reception.
“They have what I would call a run, but it’s probably going down as passing yards,” Shaffer said when asked how Maconaquah likes to use Sims. “They’ll line him up almost as like a wing like we have our wings, but everybody else will be spread, whether it’s trips, doubles or whatever it is. And then he’s at a wing, and he’ll just come across, and they’ll run a little flip pass to him, and do an inside zone run off it. And when you’re prepared for that, now he’s just going to catch a bubble or a screen pass coming across out of the backfield. … Once he gets the ball in space, it’s a headache trying to get him on the ground. Just a really great athlete.”
Defensively, Maconaquah is allowing 24.6 points per game. The last time Maconaquah faced a wing-T offense, they allowed 293 yards on 7.0 yards per carry in a 44-42 win at Lewis Cass two weeks ago. Now they will face the Zebras’ and their wing-T and fullback Kale Shotts and halfbacks Trenton Meadows, Holloway and Chapman.
“They’re in more of like a 4-3 with a ‘four-shell’ look,” Shaffer said. “Two corners, two safeties, three inside backers. To be honest, the last couple years, I don’t know what Maconaquah’s been in. They’ve just thrown everything and the kitchen sink at us defensively. I think they’ll be a little more sound in their 4-3. Every once in awhile, I think they’ll go to a five-lineman front. They’ll bring down one of those linebackers and give you more of like a 5-2 look. They did that against Lewis Cass, so I assume they’ll do something similar against us. … They’ve done what they’ve needed to defensively.”
Gavin Pinder will miss his second straight game with a shoulder injury. Owen Lett will return to play left tackle offensively and will thus change his uniform number back from No. 84 to No. 59. Camden Susaraba will play some offensive tackle as well.
Tippecanoe Valley (7-1, 4-0 Indiana Northern State Conference) at Bremen (6-2, 3-1), 7 p.m.
Valley gave up the first score and fell behind 7-0 against John Glenn last week before responding with 39 unanswered points and cruising to a 39-13 win.
The win clinched a share of the INSC title.
Valley coach Stephen Moriarty said that quarterback Hunter Randall possesses an unusual skill set. He is a quarterback who runs like a running back.
Prior to the Woodlan game two weeks ago, Randall had never rushed for 100 yards in a game. Now he has done it two weeks in a row, rushing for 111 against Woodlan and 120 against John Glenn.
“He’s a running back that’s a quarterback,” Moriarty said. “He just has the ability to move and make people miss, and he knows how to get those extra yards.”
Meanwhile, Valley held John Glenn to 68 yards rushing.
“We had a coverage that was blown, and we were biting up on the run, and just some accidents happen,” Moriarty said. “The adjustments that we made were we just tried to make sure we were reading our keys better and making sure that all zones were covered. … We flew to the ball. We didn’t give up another score until late in the fourth quarter.”
Stopping Bremen’s running game this week figures to be a more formidable challenge. Senior Logan Moser has rushed for 852 yards and 16 touchdowns on 9.5 yards per carry. Moser tormented the Knox defense in a 37-28 win last week, carrying 33 times for a career-high 256 yards and four touchdowns.
“They’ve just got an outstanding running game,” Moriarty said. “The way that they spread the ball around is a little bit concerning to me. I feel like they have 20 different formations. They can go from power-I to empty to student body left where they’ve got four wide receivers on the same side. They do it all, and they have the quarterback, and they have two tailbacks that can do it.”
Meanwhile, Derek Miller, a 220-pound senior fullback, ran for 111 yards against Knox.
“He’s one of their upbacks in the power-I with Moser behind him,” Moriarty said. “And that’s a load to take down anyway, and they run well.”
Moriarty has also warned that Bremen likes to run rollout passes with sophomore quarterback Jake Rodriguez.
Valley is 0-6 in their last six games at Don Bunge Field, though they did beat Bremen at Lucas Oil Stadium in 2012.
Bremen defensive coordinator Jeff Kaiser was the head coach at LaVille from 2023-25. Bremen coach Justin Bogunia was once Kaiser’s offensive coordinator when Kaiser was at LaVille.
Winamac (6-2, 4-2 Hoosier North) at Caston (6-2, 4-2), 7 p.m.
Winamac won their first game with backup quarterback Parker Abbott under center when they drubbed winless South Central 44-6 last week. Abbott, who replaced fellow junior Xavier Adriano when Adriano broke his leg in a game against North Miami Sept. 25, completed one pass to Tearson Wolford for 11 yards against the Satellites but also saw the Winamac ground attack accumulate 312 yards on 7.6 yards per carry.
Wolford ran for 145 yards and two touchdowns, Louis Rugg ran for 81 yards and a touchdown, and Ivan Cardenas ran for 44 yards and three touchdowns.
“It’s been a process getting through it,” Winamac coach Eric Davis said. “I think we’re in a pretty good spot. I know we played well in phases on offense and defense Friday night against South Central. We’re still evolving through the process of getting everything tightened down through the injuries.”
Meanwhile, Abbott also intercepted a pass on defense.
This week, Winamac will travel to Caston in a battle for third place in the Hoosier North. Like Winamac, Caston’s only losses are to Class 1A, No. 1 Pioneer and Class 1A, No. 3 North Judson, who are meeting for the Hoosier North title in Royal Center.
Winamac has nearly halved its defensive average in Davis’ first season – from 36.3 last year to 18.6 this year. Now their goal will be to try and contain halfbacks Ashton Bowyer and Landen Rigney and fullback Tucker Woolever. Quarterback Logan Mollenkopf has thrown for 460 yards and run for 295. He has accounted for 13 touchdowns – three passing and 10 rushing.
“I think they’re a very physical team,” Davis said of the Comets. “That’s the first thing I notice. When you watch them, their line play on offense and defense is very similar to ours. It will be a question of who’s better at it. They’re physical up front. They block well. They play defense really well. I’ve been very impressed with Caston.”
Caston lost to Class 1A, No. 3 North Judson 21-14 last week in a game they led going into the fourth quarter. Ignored by the USA Today media poll no more, Caston is No. 13 this week for their first poll recognition of the season.
Caston beat the Warriors 35-13 at Roudebush Field last year. It was their first win over Winamac since 2012. Caston has already clinched their first winning season since 2012.
North Judson (8-0, 6-0 Hoosier North) at Pioneer (8-0, 6-0), 7:30 p.m.
Pioneer coach Adam Berry has coached the Panthers in 136 games over the course of 11 seasons. He has coached in sectionals, regionals, semistates and in four state championship games at Lucas Oil Stadium.
But as far as regular season games go, this home tilt at the Panther Pit against Class 1A, No. 3 North Judson is unique. Never has Berry coached in a game where both Pioneer and the opponent are 8-0. The winner wins the Hoosier North title outright.
“I would probably say this is the first time since I’ve been head coach where Week 9’s been two undefeated teams going for a conference championship. So I’d say it’s definitely right up there. Not to take away some big regular season games in the past, but not too many times 8-0 and 8-0 to end the season for a conference championship. I still feel like it’s one of the better small-school conferences, and it comes down to two undefeated teams in the last regular season game heading into sectionals.”
Pioneer has started each of its past two games especially quickly. They jumped out to a 62-0 lead at halftime and won 62-14 against Culver at home two weeks ago. Last week, they were ahead 58-0 at halftime against Triton on the road last week and cruised to a 66-7 win.
It is not only a tribute to the rapid maturity of freshman quarterback Colton Popejoy but also the improvement of the offensive line.
“We had a lot of varsity inexperience to start the year, so confidence and more reps, that obviously has helped,” Berry said. “It starts with the offensive line. I think the offensive line has improved week-in and week-out with our run game and pass game. Popejoy at quarterback, he picked up on the offense very quick, and being able to throw the ball has helped us out. And Shiloh Rine just doing Shiloh Rine things. Putting the team on his back at times, but we have Phillip McFatridge at the other wing, who is also a running and receiving threat.”
While it would seem inconceivable that Pioneer could run out to a lead like that against North Judson, one might notice that North Judson trailed Caston 14-7 after three quarters before coming back to win 21-14 last week. That came after North Judson’s first seven wins came with a running clock.
Quarterback Javen Christensen has thrown for 902 yards and 10 touchdowns and run for an additional 242 and seven touchdowns. He commands North Judson’s option attack.
“He even came in a little bit against us last year,” Berry said. “So we were able to see that dual threat ability that he has. He throws a tremendous deep ball, and he has some big receivers who are athletic with some speed to go along with that. He can extend plays. He can scramble. He runs their academy offense, their triple-option offense extremely well. He is that dual-threat quarterback for North Judson, and I’m sure fans and coaches are very pleased with how he’s taken over that starting quarterback role this year.”
Defensively, North Judson is fifth in the state in defensive average, allowing just 5.8 yards per game. They will be tasked with stopping Rine, who has rushed for 768 yards on just 50 carries and who has added 547 yards receiving on 26.0 yards per reception.
“They are very well coached,” Berry said. “They are well coached year-in and year-out. When they lose guys to graduation, they have guys waiting their turn. They’re also a very disciplined defense. They know where they’re supposed to be. They read their keys. They get to their spot in a hurry with physicality, and when they get you, they don’t miss too many tackles. It’s our job to counteract that and know our rules and create some seams, and the wing-T is made to get three-and-a-half, four yards a carry, and that might be what we’re going to have to be happy with to move the chains this week.”
Culver (2-6, 2-4 Hoosier North) at South Central (Union Mills) (0-8, 0-6), 7:30 p.m.
Culver is coming off a 20-8 triumph over North Miami last week in which they shut the Warriors out in the second half. South Central lost 44-6 to Winamac, extending their losing streak to 19 games. South Central’s only points came in the fourth quarter after the running clock was in effect.
Led by Brayen Bush and Carter Beem, the Culver rushing attack garnered 193 yards against North Miami. Meanwhile, South Central allowed 312 yards rushing against Winamac.
South Central averages just 5.8 points per game and has scored in double figures only once.
Culver beat South Central 44-7 at home last year. They have won six of the last eight meetings with South Central.
Triton (1-7, 1-5 Hoosier North) at North Miami (2-6, 1-5), 7 p.m.
North Miami will try to rebound after a 20-8 loss to Culver while Triton will look to snap a four-game losing streak after a 66-7 loss to Pioneer last week.
Triton beat South Central 37-6 on Sept. 11. Since then, they have scored 22 points total in four games. They will face a North Miami defense that limited Culver to 236 yards of offense last week.
Triton gave up 422 yards rushing on 19.2 yards per carry against Triton. Meanwhile, the North Miami option ground attack split the carries between Cooper Pattison, Oliver Wildermuth and Jension Carr – no one had more than 12 carries or fewer than 10 – and gained 191 yards against Culver.
Triton beat North Miami 27-24 in Bourbon last year.
