The Indianapolis Star

Kyle picks all the Indy-area games

Here we go. Week 2 of high school football brings a lot of great matchups across Central Indiana to get the threeday weekend started off right. I was 3510 on prediction­s for Week 1 and looking for improvemen­t.

Here is a look at all of the Central Indiana games (kickoff at 7 p.m. Friday unless noted):

Carmel (1-0) at Westfield (1-0): Newly minted Class 6A No. 1 Westfield announced itself with a 34-28 victory at Center Grove in the season opener, rallying from a 21-7 deficit to take command. Gabe Aramboles caught seven passes for 138 yards and a touchdown and also threw a 58-yard TD pass and Carsen Melvin was efficient in his first start, going 12-for-15 through the air for 178 yards and a TD. Can the Shamrocks stay No. 1? This is the first regular season meeting between these programs since 1964, though they have met in the sectional five times since 2009, including the past two years (both decisive Westfield wins). Carmel, ranked No. 9 this week in the USA TODAY Network poll, is coming off a 34-10 win over Homestead in the opener. Drew Cannon picked off a pass and returned it for a touchdown as Carmel’s defense dominated outside of one long fourth-quarter touchdown pass. Homestead finished with just 19 rushing yards. I expect this game, likely the first of two between these sectional rivals, to be closer than it has been the past two years. Westfield 31, Carmel 24.

Brownsburg (1-0) vs. Cathedral (1-0), at Marian: Arguably no team made a bigger statement than Cathedral in Week 1 with its 24-6 victory over defending state champion and previous 6A No. 1 Ben Davis. Cathedral, up seven spots to No. 3 in 6A, ran for 268 yards, including 162 from senior Jalen Bonds. But how about a little respect for Xavier Dangerfiel­d, too? The sophomore spelled Bonds and ran for 69 yards on 11 carries. Ben Davis did have some success through the air, but Cathedral scored a defensive touchdown on Kyle Harden’s 86-yard fumble return and intercepte­d the Giants twice. Sixthranke­d Brownsburg had no trouble with Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger in the opener, getting a running clock in the second half on the way to a 45-13 win.

Brownsburg 24, Cathedral 23.

FW Carroll at Center Grove (0-1), 7:30 p.m.: Center Grove dropped to No. 7 in the Class 6A poll after a 34-28 loss to Westfield in the opener, though the Trojans certainly showed some offensive firepower with Brevin Holubar (nine catches for 116 yards) and Tristan Baxter (four catches for 85 yards) both catching TD passes from Gabe McWilliams, who threw for 328 yards. These teams met in the 2022 Class 6A championsh­ip with the Trojans winning, 35-9. Carroll is led by Iowa recruit Jimmy Sullivan, who was 12-for-15 passing for 148 yards and a TD and ran for 82 yards and a TD on 16 carries in a 45-21 loss to Hamilton Southeaste­rn in the opener. Center Grove 35, Carroll 21.

Franklin Central (1-0) at Roncalli (1-0): Franklin Central ended a threegame losing streak to Roncalli last season with a 20-6 victory. The Flashes rolled over Perry Meridian 45-14 (it was 45-0 at halftime) in the season opener as four of Nevan Tutterow’s seven completion­s went for touchdowns, including two to Hudson Moritz. Roncalli was similarly dominant in a 37-13 win over Southport as Jayden Buchanan was 14for-21 passing for 288 yards and four TDs. Drew Nelson had five catches for 101 yards and a TD. We should find out a lot more about both of these teams Friday night. Franklin Central 28, Roncalli 24.

Ben Davis (0-1) at Avon (0-1): This is one of the more interestin­g games on the schedule. Previously 6A top-ranked Ben Davis took a tumble to No. 8 after a 24-6 loss to Cathedral. Can the Giants rebound? Alijah Price had just nine touches (seven carries for 54 yards), a number I would expect to go up. Avon had some defensive struggles in a 41-28 loss to Lafayette Jeff, but Ashton Carter ran for 184 yards and a TD and the Orioles put up nearly 500 yards of total offense. Can Avon run on Ben Davis? Hmmm. Ben Davis 31, Avon 23.

Warsaw (1-0) at Warren Central (1-0), 7:30 p.m.: I went back Sunday and watched 6A fourth-ranked Warren Central’s 15-0 win over Fort Wayne Snider. The defensive line is ridiculous­ly talented. The Warriors had 13 tackles for loss with three apiece from Damien Shanklin and Marcus Bell Jr. Jerimy Finch Jr. and Tyrone Burrus were also in the backfield regularly. The offense overcame some stops and starts with one long pass play from Anthony Dennison to Airic Hester and 168 yards on the ground. Warsaw, ranked fourth in 5A, handled No. 8 Michigan City 20-7 in the opener in Bart Curtis’ 250th win as coach. The Tigers will want to run the ball (249 rushing yards vs. Michigan City). Warren Central 23, Warsaw 10.

Brebeuf Jesuit (0-1) at Tri-West (1-0): Class 4A No. 8 Brebeuf looks to bounce back from a 58-35 loss to Bishop Chatard. Class 3A No. 6 Tri-West eased into the season with a 43-7 win over Western. The Bruins played both senior Malachi Walden (118 passing yards, one TD; 102 rushing yards, two TDs) and sophomore Jackson Sorgi (5-for-9 for 35 yards) at quarterbac­k. Brebeuf Jesuit 34, Tri-West 32.

Decatur Central (0-1) at New Palestine (1-0): There was potential here for a No. 1 vs. No. 1 matchup. Class 4A topranked New Palestine held up its end with a 35-14 win over Kokomo in the opener. The Dragons ran just 30 offensive plays and possessed the ball for only 15 minutes but took advantage of its opportunit­ies, getting three TD passes from Jacob Davis and a TD run. Decatur Central dropped from No. 1 in 5A to No. 6 after a 41-15 loss to Columbus North. Quarterbac­k Bo Polston took a hard shot and left the game late in the third quarter. The Hawks won a wild one last year in this game, 43-42. New Palestine 34, Decatur Central 26.

Pike (1-0) at Fishers (1-0): Pike jumped all over Zionsville in the opener, then had to hang on tight in the fourth quarter for a 31-20 win. The Red Devils rolled up 369 yards of total offense, including 19-for-31 passing for 206 yards and a TD from Dohnavin Ward. Can Pike slow down the Fishers offense? The Tigers scored all 49 of their points in the first half and cruised home with a running clock 49-35 win over North Central in the opener. Fishers 35, Pike 21.

Lawrence Central (0-1) at Zionsville (0-1): Terry Walker III is going to be exciting to watch this season. The junior quarterbac­k can make plays through the air and with his feet. He was 10-for-21 for 160 yards and a TD passing in a 33-26 loss to Lawrence North and ran for 47 yards and a score. The Bears ran for 274 yards overall, which should project well for the rest of the season. Zionsville nearly rallied from 24 points down against Pike before falling short, 31-20. Eugene Hilton caught two TD passes in the loss. Lawrence Central 27, Zionsville 20.

Noblesvill­e (1-0) at Homestead (0-1): Senior Brody Gump ran for 110 yards on 13 carries in Noblesvill­e’s 43-24 win over Mt. Vernon. The Millers piled up 459 rushing yards, including 45 yards and two TDs from linebacker and Boston College commit Israel Oladipupo. Homestead lost 34-10 to 6A No. 9 Carmel in the opener. Noblesvill­e 38, Homestead 16.

Guerin Catholic (1-0) at Lebanon (1-0): Class 3A fourth-ranked Guerin Catholic knocked off McCutcheon 36-17 as Malcolm Houze went 14-for-25 for 172 passing yards and three TDs. Can Lebanon match that firepower? Brendan Shockley ran for 190 yards and two TDs in a 48-40 win over Pendleton Heights. Guerin Catholic 35, Lebanon 31.

North Central (0-1) at Hamilton Southeaste­rn (1-0): Class 6A fifthranke­d HSE hit the ground running with a 45-21 win at FW Carroll. Four first-half rushing TDs by AZ Wallace set the tone. North Central got its offense going in the second half of a 49-35 loss to Fishers. Eli Thompson caught 10 passes for 172

HSE 46, North yards and three TDs.

Central 18.

Mt. Vernon (0-1) at Franklin (1-0):

Mt. Vernon struggled to stop the run against Noblesvill­e, which may not bode well against Franklin and Alex Leugers, who carried 13 times for 244 yards and three TDs in a 47-6 win over New Albany. Mt. Vernon has an outstandin­g running back of its own in Joliba Brogan, who had 78 rushing yards and three TDs vs. Noblesvill­e and a 73-yard kickoff return. Mt. Vernon won a 41-38 shootout last year vs. Franklin. Franklin 41, Mt. Vernon 38.

Plainfield (1-0) at Harrison (West Lafayette) (1-0): Plainfield actually dropped one spot to No. 9 in the 5A poll after a 31-27 win over Terre Haute South. These programs met twice last year (and in 2022). That will not happen this year after Harrison moved up to 6A. The Raiders, who knocked off Plainfield 39-13 last year in the sectional, are coming off a 30-22 win over West Lafayette.

Harrison 35, Plainfield 28.

Whiteland (1-0) at Kokomo (0-1):

This will be a tough challenge for 5A second-ranked Whiteland. Both teams want to run, which is putting it mildly. Slate Valentine had 256 yards on 31 carries in Whiteland’s 27-13 win over Jeffersonv­ille as the Warriors ran for 377 yards overall. Kokomo ran for 185 yards in a 35-14 loss to 4A No. 1 New Palestine, though it took 53 carries to get that total. The Wildkats attempted just eight passes and had two intercepte­d. Kokomo won last year’s meeting, 27-13. Whiteland 23, Kokomo 21.

Lutheran (1-0) at South Putnam (1-0): Here is a No. 1 vs. No. 1 game. Lutheran, the top-ranked team in 2A, was in the same sectional as Class A No. 1 South Putnam last year, winning 21-14. South Putnam knocked off Speedway 28-20 in the opener as sophomore Ty Benton rushed for 141 yards and a TD.

Lutheran 34, South Putnam 16.

Lawrence North (1-0) at FW North (1-0): The Wildcats are oozing with confidence after a 33-26 win over Lawrence Central and for good reason, considerin­g their offensive weapons. Davion Chandler caught six passes for 112 yards and a TD to lead the way. The Legends defeated Northridge 32-20 as quarterbac­k Tristen Newsome starred with 205 passing yards and two TDs and rushed for 132 yards and two more scores. This could be a challenge on the road. Lawrence North 36, FW North Side 26.

Hanover Central (1-0) at Bishop Chatard (1-0), 7:30 p.m.: Hanover Central was an 11-1 team last year that battled West Lafayette to a 42-41 overtime loss in a 3A sectional final. Both of these teams bumped up to 4A this year, Chatard after winning two 3A state titles. The Trojans are coming off an impressive 58-35 win over Brebeuf. Chatard 42, Hanover Central 21.

Bloomingto­n South (1-0) at Martinsvil­le (1-0): Class 4A No. 9 Martinsvil­le gets a much tougher task than it had in a 50-7 win over Bedford North Lawrence last week. Bloomingto­n South, ranked No. 8 in 5A, is coming off a 27-6 win at Columbus East. Braylen Townsend is a tough runner for Bloomingto­n South. If it comes down to a field goal, South’s Bryce Taylor kicked a school record 53-yarder last week. This is the 82nd meeting between these programs. Bloomingto­n South 24, Martinsvil­le 21.

Eastern Hancock (1-0) at North Decatur (1-0): Class 2A No. 4 Eastern Hancock gives its home scoreboard a rest after last week’s 63-49 win over Frankton. North Decatur moved up a spot to No. 3 in Class A after a 48-6 win over South

Decatur. Eastern Hancock 33, North Decatur 22.

Monrovia (1-0) at Linton-Stockton (0-1): Linton-Stockton dropped three spots to No. 8 in the 2A poll after a 45-6 home loss to Marion Local out of Ohio, a program with a 49-game winning streak. No shame there. Monrovia, which knocked off Linton-Stockton 27-26 in double overtime last year in the opener, is coming off a 35-21 win over Greencastl­e. Noah Bryant (156 yards), Ryder Pool (133) and Jozy Hand (111) all rushed for more than 100 yards. Monrovia 30, Linton-Stockton 26.

Cardinal Ritter (1-0) at Lafayette Central Catholic (1-0): Ritter, coming off a 36-0 win over Tech, is clearly improving. How much? This is a good way to find out. Class 2A second-ranked rolled to a 55-6 win over Seeger in the opener as Bobby Metzger passed for 361 yards and four TDs. LCC 41, Cardinal Ritter 22.

Indian Creek (0-1) at Greenwood (0-1): Both teams are coming off frustratin­g losses. Indian Creek rallied late but lost a fumble in the goal line in the final 90 seconds in a 21-18 loss to Cascade. Greenwood came up short in a 23-20 loss to Seymour. Freshman Evan Clark was 14-for-20 passing for 163 yards and two TDs in Indian Creek’s opener. Greenwood 28, Indian Creek

23.

Southport (0-1) at Perry Meridian (0-1): Perry Meridian is coming off a blowout 45-14 loss against Franklin Central in a game that was played with a running clock all second half. Southport had similar difficulty in a 37-13 loss to Roncalli. The Falcons have won the past three meetings between these rival programs. Perry Meridian 32, Southport

20.

Triton Central (0-1) at Hamilton Heights (0-1): Triton Central, ranked No. 7 in 2A, played close with 3A No. 5 Batesville before falling 21-14 in Week 1. Sam Collier was 14-for-27 passing for 175 yards and a touchdown for the Tigers. Sophomore Drew Woodruff was 19-for-34 for 275 yards and two TDs in Hamilton Heights’ 29-20 loss to Lapel. Triton Central 21, Hamilton Heights

20.

Western (0-1) at Western Boone (1-0): Western Boone cracked into the top-10 in 2A this week at No. 10 after a 35-14 win at Sheridan. Dylan Sheets caught two passes for 85 yards, including one for a touchdown. Western lost 43-7 to Tri-West in the opener. Western Boone 38, Western 12.

Lapel (1-0) at Frankton (0-1): Lapel looks to avenge last year’s 38-37 overtime loss to rival Frankton. It was Frankton’s first win in the series in its last 14 tries. Frankton lost a wild one in Week 1, 63-49 to 2A No. 4 Eastern Hancock. Lapel is coming off a 29-20 win over Hamilton Heights. Lapel 42, Frankton 30.

Mooresvill­e (1-0) at Terre Haute North (0-1): Don’t sleep on the Pioneers. I’m a little surprised Mooresvill­e did not get more love in the USA TODAY Network state poll this week (the Pioneers were outside the top-10 with 13 points) after a 30-27 win over 5A No. 9 Bloomingto­n North. Terre Haute North has lost 14 consecutiv­e games, including a 34-20 loss to Northview in the opener. Mooresvill­e 45, Terre Haute North 14.

Scecina (0-1) at Heritage Christian (1-0): Heritage Christian jumped into the 2A poll at No. 9 this week after a 55-12 win over Covenant Christian. Scecina is coming off a 20-14 loss at Fort Wayne Concordia. Heritage Christian 35, Scecina 14.