HANCOCK COUNTY — When Hancock County’s Friday night football schedule shrinks from four games to three you know there’s something big brewing.
The third of three regular season county head-to-head matchups leads the slate of area games for Week 6 of the high school football season.
Class 4A No. 10 New Palestine (3-2, 3-0) travels to Class 4A No. 5 Greenfield-Central (5-0, 3-0) in a matchup that has a little extra spice with both teams getting recognition in the state ranking. Plus, they’re the only remaining unbeaten teams in Hoosier Heritage Conference play.
There’s a lot on the line, including long streaks and the HHC Helmet trophy, which has been in the hands of the Dragons since their 42-6 win at Mt. Vernon on Sept. 9, 2022. New Palestine has won 15 straight conference games.
Along with the stretch of conference wins, the Dragons have won 13 straight meetings against the Cougars and 15 straight regular-season contests against their county rivals.
Greenfield-Central’s last win in the series was a 7-0 victory in a sectional semifinal game in 2010. The last regular-season win was an 8-6 verdict in 2007.
The Cougars are on a bit of a winning streak, too.
They come in at 5-0 for the first time since 1973, the same year they won their only state title. The 1973 team went 12-0.
Friday’s winner will be in the driver’s seat for the conference title. There will be three conference games remaining after Friday night. Every team in the conference has at least two losses except for Delta. The Eagles have one, losing last week at Mt. Vernon. Greenfield-Central hosts Delta on Oct. 6 (Week 8). New Palestine travels to Delta on Oct. 13, the final week of the regular season. The Cougars should also have a big challenge next week at Yorktown.
The Cougars-Dragons matchup is the only county rivalry game on the schedule, but it’s not the only rivalry game.
Call it the Battle over the Border when Mt. Vernon (2-3, 1-2) plays host to Pendleton Heights (3-2, 1-2).
The Arabians will cross Madison County into Hancock County for a 10-mile trip to face the Marauders in Fortville.
Like the New Pal-Greenfield series, one team has had the recent advantage.
Mt. Vernon has won the last eight times, five in the regular season and three in the sectional.
The Marauders are under .500, but have played one of the toughest schedules in the state. They’re coming off a big home win over Delta, handing the Eagles their first loss of the season. Pendleton Heights is trying to avert being on the wrong side of the Hancock County trifecta.
After starting the year 3-0, with three shutout victories, the Arabians have lost back-to-back weeks to Greenfield-Central and New Palestine.
Mt. Vernon has scored at least 30 points in all five of its games and, up until Friday, had given up at least 38. In the win over Delta, the Marauders won 31-20.
Pendleton Heights seeks to get back on track after having given up 77 points the last two weeks, losing 43-38 to the Cougars and 34-14 to the Dragons.
Eastern Hancock (3-2) will make the long trip (70 miles) to Milan (3-2) to face the Indians.
Though not close geographically, they have been very close on the gridiron each of the last two seasons.
A year ago in Charlottesville, the teams went to overtime. The Royals scored first, but when the Indians answered they elected to go for the two-point conversion. It was successful and they made the long trip home with a 36-35 win.
The year before, Eastern Hancock trailed late in the game, 24-23, when then-sophomore kicker Aaron Redmon connected on a 33-yard field goal to give the Royals a 26-24 victory.
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Friday’s Football Games
7 p.m. — Eastern Hancock at Milan
7 p.m. — New Palestine at Greenfield-Central
7 p.m. — Pendleton Heights at Mt. Vernon
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Game Capsules
Eastern Hancock (3-2) at Milan (3-2)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Coaches: Pat Echeverria, 31-22, in 5th year at Eastern Hancock, 63-78 in 13th year overall. Ryan Langferman, 106-71 in 16th year at Milan.
Recent history: Teams have split the last two meetings. Milan won in OT at Eastern last year, 36-35. At Milan in 2021, the Royals edged the Indians 26-24.
Sagarin ratings: Eastern Hancock, 52.16, 144th overall, 20th in 2A. Milan, 53.88, 132nd overall, 9th in 1A
Players to watch: Eastern Hancock — RB Mark Kube, DB Caiden Willis, LB Gabe Johnson, QB Elijah Edon, WR/S Cam Volz, WR/DB Dylan Bowman, NG/T Logan Hoskins, TE Kayden Ruble, WR Eli Manship, OLB Evan Wheeler. Milan – WR/KR/CB Dylan Offill, MLB/TE Ethan Pierce, QB Wyatt Marsh, RB/FS Mason Green, RB/CB Austin Green, DE/TE Grant Langferman
What to look for: The teams have traded nail-biters each of the last two seasons with the road team coming out on top. Milan is a 1A school but has played three 3A opponents, defeating Rushville and losing to Batesville and Lawrenceburg. The Royals are a couple of plays away from being 5-0, but snapped a two-game losing streak and retained the Plowshare and Anvil trophy last week against Knightstown. EH QB Edon is coming off an efficient week where he completed 8 of 10 passes for a pair of touchdowns. He also rushed for one. He’s spread the ball around well, too. Manship, in the opener, Ruble, against Heritage Christian, and Bowman, last week against Knightstown, have all had big receiving games. Kube has been one of the county’s top backs and Johnson and Willis have been standouts on the defensive side.
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Class 4A No. 10 New Palestine (3-2, 3-0) at Class 4A No. 5 Greenfield-Central (5-0, 3-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Coaches: Kyle Ralph 119-13 in 11th year at New Palestine. Travis Nolting, 24-22 in 5th year at Greenfield-Central, 84-50 in 13th year overall.
Recent history: The Dragons have won 13 straight, including two meetings last season. New Pal beat G-C in a sectional semifinal game 33-9.
Sagarin ratings: New Palestine 85.39, 20th overall, 2nd in 4A. Greenfield-Central 83.05, 24th overall, 4th in 4A.
Players to watch: New Palestine — RB/LS Grayson Thomas, OL/DL Ian Moore, OL/DL Brock Brownfield, RB/WR Kyler Kropp, WR/DB Mason Hiatt, QB Gavin Neal, LB Josh Ranes, LB Garrett Ranes, DB Caden Jacobia, LB Alex Guhl, K/P Jake Wells. Greenfield-Central – TE Lane Wadle, QB Dallas Freeman, RB/LB Cooper Hinton, RB/LB Jake Hinton, FB Braylen Benavente, WR/KR Kirk Knecht, FB/DL Payton Foley, OL Brayden Flener, K/P/DB Aaron Lee, WR Boston Willard, LB Eddie Mullins, DE Zach Blevens.
What to look for: New Palestine’s defense will try to do something no other team has been able to do this season, stop the Cougars offense. Greenfield-Central has scored 41 points or more in each of its five games and are ranked No. 9 in the state and No. 2 in 4A with an average of 47.4 points per game. They’ve mixed it up in their Wishbone offense with a nice blend of rushing and passing with what seems like an endless list of offensive weapons. With one of Ralph’s youngest Dragon teams, New Pal is growing up game-by-game. They’re young, but they’ve got a few highly-skilled veterans, too, led by Thomas, who has rushed for 972 yards and 10 TDs, Ohio State-commit Moore and TD-machine Kropp (4 rushing, 4 receiving, 1 KOR).
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Pendleton Heights (3-2, 1-2) at Mt. Vernon (2-3, 1-2)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Coaches: Jed Richman, 44-36 in 8th year at Pendleton Heights, 79-66 in 14th year overall. Vince Lidy, 22-8, in 3rd year at Mt. Vernon.
Recent history: Mt. Vernon has won eight straight including three sectional games since 2018. In one meeting last year, the Marauders won 46-14.
Sagarin ratings: Pendleton Heights 73.87, 42nd overall, 8th in 4A. Mount Vernon, 73.07, 49th overall, 13th in 4A.
Players to watch: Pendleton Heights – QB Isaac Wilson, QB Colton Frank, WR Caden Sims, LB/RB Nick Trout, LB/RB Dresden Roberts, LB Eli Arthur, WR/DB Nate Derolf, DL/OL Eli Libler. Mt. Vernon — QB Luke Ertel, WR/KR Tre Jones, OL/DL Roland Trimble, LB Aidan Lindstrom, RB Joliba Brogan, RB/DB DJ Johnson, DL Shawn Taylor, TE/DE Tyler Etherington, WR Domanic Barnett, K Rylan Vinard.
What to look for: The Marauders have played the toughest schedule in Class 4A and the No. 13 toughest schedule in the state, according to Sagarin Ratings. All five of their opponents have been state-ranked or received votes at some time this season. That stretch will continue this week. The Arabians were receiving Class 4A votes after starting the season 3-0. Mt. Vernon got a much-needed victory against Delta last week after back-to-back losses against county rivals Greenfield-Central and New Palestine. Pendleton is a nearby rival, too, and one they have had the upper hand with since 2018. Mt. Vernon had a balanced attack last week. Of their four touchdowns, two were on the ground and two were on pass plays. They also added a field goal from Rylan Vinard. The Arabians are trying to avoid a Hancock County sweep. After starting 3-0, they, too, have lost to Greenfield-Central and New Palestine.
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2023 Hancock County Football Statistical Leaders
PASSING
Name,School;G;C;A;YDS;PCT;Y/G;TD;INT;RAT
Dallas Freeman, Greenfield-Central;5;47;79;736;.595;147.2;12;3;114.2
Luke Ertel, Mt. Vernon;4;62;100;835;.620;208.8;8;1;111.0
Gavin Neal, New Palestine;5;28;57;608;.492;121.6;6;5;86.0
Elijah Edon, Eastern Hancock;5;60;99;707;.606;141.4;5;4;82.3
RUSHING
Name, School;G;CAR;YDS;AVG;Y/G;TD
Grayson Thomas, New Palestine;5;137;972;7.1;194.4;10
Joliba Brogan, Mt. Vernon;4;72;590;8.2;147.5;7
Mark Kube, Eastern Hancock;5;78;533;6.8;106.6;10
Braylen Benavente, Greenfield-Central;5;97;470;4.8;94.0;1
Dallas Freeman, Greenfield-Central;5;46;368;8.0;73.6;6
RECEIVING
Name, School;G;REC;YDS;AVG;Y/G;TD
Chris Edmonds, Mt. Vernon;3;11;238;21.6;79.3;1
Kyler Kropp, New Palestine;5;15;367;24.5;73.4;4
Kirk Knecht, Greenfield-Central;5;15;365;24.3;73.0;6
Tre Jones, Mt. Vernon;4;15;242;16.1;60.5;4
Eli Manship, Eastern Hancock;4;18;226;12.6;56.5;2
TACKLES
Name, School;G;S;A;T;T/G;TFL
Gabe Johnson, Eastern Hancock;5;35;16;51;10.2;7.5
Garrett Ranes, New Palestine;5;28;16;44;8.8;6.0
Josh Ranes, New Palestine;5;26;17;43;8.6;7.0
Corbin May, Mt. Vernon;4;17;17;34;8.5;0
Mason Hiatt, New Palestine;5;25;13;38;7.6;4.0
SACKS
Name, School;G;S;S/G
Mason Hiatt, New Palestine;5;2.0;0.4
Ian Moore, New Palestine;5;2.0;0.4
Evan Wheeler, Eastern Hancock;5;2.0;0.4
Gabe Johnson, Eastern Hancock;5;1.5;0.3
Payton Foley, Greenfield-Central;5;1.5;0.3
INTERCEPTIONS
Name, School;G;I;I/G
Kirk Knecht, Greenfield-Central;5;4;0.8
Caiden Willis, Eastern Hancock;5;3;0.6
Mason Hiatt, New Palestine;5;3;0.6
PUNTING
Name, School;P;YDS;AVE
Aaron Redmon, Eastern Hancock;10;381;38.1
Jake Wells, New Palestine;14;424;30.3
John Duncan, Mt. Vernon;13;383;29.5
Aaron Lee, Greenfield-Central;5;90;18.0
RETURN YARDS
Name, School;K;P;T
Tre Jones, Mt. Vernon;543;16;559
Cameron Volz, Eastern Hancock;189;94;283
Kirk Knecht, Greenfield-Central;219;23;242
Kyler Kropp, New Palestine;168;0;168
Zaidyn Ramsey-Fox, Mt. Vernon;117;0;117
SCORING
Name, School;G;TD;CONV;S;K;TP;P/G
Mark Kube, Eastern Hancock;5;10;0;0;0;60;12.0
Grayson Thomas, New Palestine;5;10;0;0;0;60;12.0
Kirk Knecht, Greenfield-Central;5;9;2;0;0;56;11.2
Kyler Kropp, New Palestine;5;9;0;0;0;54;10.8
Joliba Brogan, Mt. Vernon;4;7;0;0;0;42;10.5
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Indiana High School Football Poll
The Associated Press Top 10 Indiana high school football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through games of Tuesday, September 19, 2023, rating points and previous rankings:
| 6A | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank-School | FPV | Rcd | TP | Pvs |
| 1. Brownsburg | (10) | 5-0 | 286 | 1 |
| 2. Center Grove | (4) | 4-1 | 272 | T2 |
| 3. Indpls Ben Davis | (1) | 4-1 | 244 | T2 |
| 4. Westfield | – | 5-0 | 214 | 5 |
| 5. Crown Point | – | 5-0 | 164 | 7 |
| 6. Hamilton Southeastern | – | 4-1 | 142 | 4 |
| 7. Fishers | – | 3-2 | 86 | 6 |
| 8. Indpls Cathedral | – | 3-2 | 80 | 10 |
| 9. Warsaw | – | 5-0 | 46 | NR |
| 10. Carmel | – | 3-2 | 44 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Penn 42. Carroll (Fort Wayne) 12. Lawrence North 10. Lawrence Central 8.
| 5A | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank-School | FPV | Rcd | TP | Pvs |
| 1. Ft. Wayne Snider | (15) | 5-0 | 300 | 1 |
| 2. Bloomington North | – | 5-0 | 254 | 2 |
| 3. Valparaiso | – | 4-1 | 232 | 3 |
| 4. Plainfield | – | 5-0 | 208 | 4 |
| 5. Bloomington South | – | 4-1 | 170 | 5 |
| 6. Merrillville | – | 4-1 | 154 | 6 |
| 7. Mishawaka | – | 4-1 | 128 | 7 |
| 8. Lafayette Harrison | – | 4-1 | 114 | 8 |
| 9. Floyd Central | – | 4-1 | 34 | NR |
| 10. Decatur Central | – | 3-2 | 22 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Ev. North 14. Concord 10. Franklin 4. Hammond Central 2. Castle 2. Michigan City 2.
| 4A | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank-School | FPV | Rcd | TP | Pvs |
| 1. E. Central | (14) | 5-0 | 298 | 1 |
| 2. Kokomo | – | 5-0 | 246 | 3 |
| 3. Ev. Reitz | (1) | 5-0 | 238 | 2 |
| 4. Ev. Memorial | – | 5-0 | 178 | 4 |
| 5. Greenfield-Central | – | 5-0 | 158 | 5 |
| 6. Columbia City | – | 5-0 | 130 | 6 |
| 7. Northridge | – | 4-1 | 108 | 7 |
| 8. Indpls Roncalli | – | 3-2 | 92 | 8 |
| 9. New Haven | – | 5-0 | 68 | NR |
| 10. New Palestine | – | 3-2 | 56 | 10 |
Others receiving votes: New Prairie 34. Mississinewa 18. Northview 14. Indpls Brebeuf 4. Leo 4. Martinsville 2. S. Bend Riley 2.
| 3A | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank-School | FPV | Rcd | TP | Pvs |
| 1. Indpls Chatard | (15) | 5-0 | 300 | 1 |
| 2. Heritage Hills | – | 5-0 | 224 | 3 |
| 3. Lawrenceburg | – | 4-1 | 198 | 4 |
| 4. W. Lafayette | – | 4-1 | 174 | 5 |
| (tie) Guerin Catholic | – | 4-1 | 174 | 2 |
| 6. Hanover Central | – | 5-0 | 146 | 6 |
| 7. Hamilton Hts. | – | 5-0 | 114 | 8 |
| 8. Tri-West | – | 4-1 | 94 | 7 |
| 9. Tippecanoe Valley | – | 5-0 | 50 | NR |
| 10. Gibson Southern | – | 3-2 | 48 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Peru 42. Knox 40. W. Noble 22. Vincennes 20. Delta 4.
| 2A | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank-School | FPV | Rcd | TP | Pvs |
| 1. Brownstown | (10) | 5-0 | 278 | 2 |
| 2. Bluffton | – | 5-0 | 226 | 4 |
| 3. LaVille | (1) | 5-0 | 220 | 3 |
| 4. Triton Central | (2) | 4-1 | 202 | 5 |
| 5. Linton | – | 4-1 | 158 | 7 |
| 6. Heritage Christian | (2) | 4-1 | 154 | NR |
| 7. Indpls Scecina | – | 4-1 | 138 | 1 |
| 8. N. Posey | – | 4-1 | 100 | 6 |
| 9. Northeastern | – | 5-0 | 76 | 10 |
| 10. Alexandria | – | 5-0 | 58 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Ft. Wayne Luers 12. S. Vermillion 12. Paoli 6. Andrean 4. Cascade 2. Greencastle 2. Rochester 2.
| 1A | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank-School | FPV | Rcd | TP | Pvs |
| 1. Indpls Lutheran | (15) | 5-0 | 300 | 1 |
| 2. Adams Central | – | 5-0 | 264 | 2 |
| 3. Carroll (Flora) | – | 5-0 | 238 | 3 |
| 4. Providence | – | 5-0 | 194 | 4 |
| 5. Indpls Park Tudor | – | 5-0 | 164 | 5 |
| 6. S. Putnam | – | 4-1 | 134 | 6 |
| 7. Sheridan | – | 4-1 | 124 | 7 |
| 8. Madison-Grant | – | 4-1 | 82 | NR |
| 9. Pioneer | – | 4-1 | 60 | NR |
| 10. N. Judson | – | 3-2 | 26 | 10 |
| (tie) Clinton Prairie | – | 4-1 | 26 | 9 |
Others receiving votes: N. White 18. Springs Valley 6. Triton 6. S. Adams 4. Covenant Christian 2. N. Vermillion 2.
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