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Late starts? Prep football worth the wait

andy amey, the tribune-star, terre haute, ind.
·6 min read

Aug. 24—There could be two kinds of high school football games in the Wabash Valley the next two days: The ones that have already changed their starting times, and the ones who are about to do that.

Rules installed to keep athletes safe from the heat this week have impacted practice times and game times, although forecasts of slightly cooler weekend weather had coaches and administrators cautiously optimistic that games will be played either Friday or Saturday.

The times listed here are the most recent obtained by the Tribune-Star, but modifications or even postponements are still possible.

And a couple of these games will be well worth braving the elements to see.

* Parke Heritage (0-1) at West Vigo (0-1), 8 p.m.

— Both teams suffered decisive losses last week, but both played strong opponents.

A veteran West Vigo team won last year at Rockville, but that adjective doesn't fit the Vikings this season. Should be an interesting game, and a boost for whichever team wins it.

* Terre Haute South (0-1) at Floyd Central (0-1), 7:30 p.m.

— Repeat the first sentence about the previous game, although the Braves could argue their loss wasn't that decisive. The Highlanders' first opponent was Louisville St. Xavier, which is often pretty good.

This becomes an important week for the Braves, then, and the bus ride may not work in their favor.

* Terre Haute North (0-1) vs. Indianapolis Crispus Attucks (0-1) at Indianapolis Broad Ripple, 7:30 p.m.

— Repeat after me: Both teams suffered decisive losses last week, but both played strong opponents.

Attucks is a program that might be on the rise, but the Tigers weren't showing that last year in a 59-6 loss to the Patriots. Once again, an outcome that will reward the team that wins.

* Greencastle (0-1) at Northview (1-0), 7 p.m.

* — The Knights debuted with a dominant game (first half?) last week at Terre Haute North, while the Tiger Cubs were nipped against Danville.

These teams are in different divisions of the Western Indiana Conference, and the Knights have dominated the rivalry lately. Greencastle's last win came in 2016.

* North Daviess (1-0) at North Central (0-1), 7 p.m.

* — The four-team Southwest Conference doesn't get a lot of notoriety, but the winner of this game will take over its lead for a while.

North Daviess' win came over its county rival Washington, while the Thunderbirds fell to North Vermillion. North Central's last win in this series was in 2018, but the two didn't play each other in either 2020 or 2021.

* Decatur (Ill.) St. Teresa (0-0) at Linton (1-0), 7 p.m.

* — The Miners are still doing some experimenting offensively (Jesse Voigtschild 108 yards rushing, Paul Oliver throwing, running and catching last week) but look rock-solid defensively, forcing four fumbles in last week's opener.

Decatur St. Teresa, which long ago taught me a lesson about never underestimating anybody, is merely the preseason No. 1 team in Illinois Class 2A. Another Game of the Week possibility.

* Riverton Parke (1-0) at Carroll (Flora), 7:30 p.m.

* — The host Cougars are ranked fifth in Class A, so a win by the Panthers could put Riverton Parke in the rankings for the first time in a while.

Carroll routed North Newton last week, while the Panthers blanked Class 3A foe Pike Central.

* Dugger Union (0-1) at Traders Point (0-0), 7:30 p.m.

* — The Bulldogs lost 18-12 last week at Rock Creek Academy and will be playing a team making its 8-man football debut.

Traders Point, coached then by former North Putnam coach Sam Carnes, was 6-6 and got to a Class A sectional championship game a year ago, but is one of the newcomers to the 8-man game.

* Sullivan (1-0) at South Vermillion (1-0), 8 p.m

* . — Two teams coming off decisive victories last week (a nice change) tangle in what could also be a sectional preview in addition to the continuation of a long rivalry.

South Vermillion hasn't won against the Golden Arrows for a long time and don't think the Wildcats haven't been reminded of that this week. Maybe the strongest candidate for Game of the Week.

* North Vermillion (1-0) at Paris (0-0), 8 p.m. EDT

* — This is a matchup that some have probably been waiting for, considering how close the teams are to one another.

The Falcons won at North Central last week, while the Tigers are playing their season opener after a 2-7 season last fall.

* Effingham (0-0) at Robinson (0-0), 8 p.m. CDT

* — Former Rockville (and Mount Union) star James Kent is the first-year head coach for the Maroons, although he was an assistant coach on the staff there the past two seasons.

Last year's 6-4 season ended a playoff drought for Robinson, which is breaking in new personnel on the offensive line and in the offensive backfield but has some seasoned returnees at other spots.

Leaders for the Maroons include receiver/safety Julian Parker, receiver/cornerback Jud Pinkston, two-way lineman Payton Skaggs, linebacker Eli Rosborough, cornerback/running back A.J. Knoblett and safety/receiver Blake Green.

* Casey (0-0) at Red Hill (0-0), 7 p.m. CDT

* — First-year coach Jeff Fritchnitch leads the Warriors in the season opener against a former Little Illini Conference rival coming off a 7-3 season a year ago.

Saturday

* Marshall (0-0) at Trenton Wesclin (0-0), 7 p.m. CDT

* — Steve Weber, who coached several outstanding teams at Linton, gets the task of reviving the winning tradition of another team.

"The kids are working hard, learning new systems and ready for success," Weber reported to the Tribune-Star.

Among the returnees from last year's 0-9 team are quarterback Kaden Matzke, running backs Kyden Boyer and Lucca Giannavola, split end Reilly Wallace and linemen Jack Pearce, J.T. Burnside, Ty Harper and Trenton Sanders.

Trenton Wesclin has some tradition of its own but was 2-7 last year.

* Lawrenceville (0-0) vs. OPH (0-0) at Oblong, 7 p.m. CDT

* — Apparently the people in Oblong won the argument against their Crawford County neighbors because the team's nickname is now Panthers, according to the Illinois High School Association. OPH was 0-9 last year, Lawrenceville 3-6.

* Martinsville (0-0) at Milford (0-0), 1 p.m. CDT

— The Bluestreaks begin another season in the Illinois 8-man organization after a 4-5 season a year ago. Milford is coming off a 7-2 campaign.