Storylines we'll be watching for during Week 6 of high school football in SW Indiana

EVANSVILLE — The high school football action in Southwestern Indiana continues to heat up.

There were quite a few exciting games around the area last week. Two undefeated teams squared off in a defensive slugfest, three more contests were decided by one possession and there was a record-breaking performance — more on that later.

Will the fireworks continue as we enter the back half of the regular season? Here are a few storylines to follow heading into Week 6.

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Another top-10 matchup awaits in Heritage Hills-Gibson Southern

Both teams are coming off huge wins against Pocket Athletic Conference Small School Division teams.

Undefeated Class 3A No. 2 Heritage Hills made key defensive stops in its 10-0 victory against North Posey while No. 10 Gibson Southern (3-2) had a dominant ground game in its 38-10 victory against Southridge. The Patriots and the Titans are tied with Mount Vernon for first place in the Big School division, and this week's game at Jewell Field isn't just one of the most-anticipated showdowns in Southwestern Indiana.

It's one of the biggest games in the state in Class 3A.

Gibson Southern has won the last five games against Heritage Hills, including the playoffs, and limited the Patriots to nearly seven points per contest during that streak. But the Patriots have also found some success in Fort Branch in recent years, winning four games in Todd Wilkerson's tenure.

Could we see these two teams play each other again this postseason? We'll find that out at a later date.

Will there be offensive fireworks when Reitz visits Castle?

Bosse is no longer the highest-scoring team in the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference.

That title now belongs to Class 4A No. 3 Reitz and Castle. Both teams have scored 185 points so far this season and put up more than 40 points a combined five times. The Panthers (5-0) also tallied their season-high in points in last week's 69-7 victory against Central.

After losing to Vincennes Lincoln 26-21, Castle looks to remain in the SIAC title race when it hosts Reitz. It will be a challenge scoring against the Panthers' defense, though. They haven't allowed an opponent to reach double digits this season, and the Knights (3-2) were limited to 153 total yards and 10 points in last year's matchup at Reitz Bowl.

Both Reitz and Castle have won five games apiece in this series since 2013.

Vincennes Lincoln off to best start since re-joining SIAC

Last week's home victory against Castle was huge for the Alices.

At 4-1, they're now a game behind Reitz and Class 4A No. 4 Memorial for first place in the SIAC — they play the Tigers at Enlow Field later this season. Vincennes' running game continues to take off with Xander Hunt and BB McCrary leading the way. Both players combined for 323 rushing yards as Hunt was responsible for all four touchdowns against the Knights.

There's a good chance Vincennes could continue its hot streak this week against Harrison. The Warriors have yet to win a game, but they did defeat the Alices 39-13 in 2021. If Vincennes were to win at Romain Stadium, it would continue its best start to the season since 2017.

PAC Small School leaders North Posey, Southridge look to bounce back

Last Friday wasn't pretty offensively for either of these teams.

Class 2A No. 8 North Posey and Southridge coughed up turnovers and were each limited to a single touchdown. After the Heritage Hills loss, the Vikings (4-1) have been shut out for the third time in the last 15 games, including the playoffs. Against Gibson Southern, the Raiders (3-2) scored their fewest points of the season since the Week 1 loss to the Patriots.

The Vikings and the Raiders are due for a bounce back when division play resumes this week. North Posey visits Tecumseh (0-5) and aims to avenge its 45-29 loss last year in Poseyville. Prior to the loss, the Vikings won eight straight games against the Braves. Southridge, meanwhile, hosts Tell City, and this will be a big matchup as the Marksmen (3-2) are a game behind first place in the division.

North quarterback Sam McKinney coming off a record-breaking performance

The senior had one of the best performances of his Huskies career last week against Bosse.

He totaled 277 yards and threw a school-record five touchdown passes in the 48-16 victory against the Bulldogs. McKinney has now thrown eight touchdown passes this year after totaling six scores in the air the previous three seasons. He is also one of three Huskies with over 100 yards rushing and averages almost 40 yards per game.

Can McKinney and North (3-2) also stay in the SIAC title race on the road against Mater Dei (1-4)? History hasn't been kind to the Huskies when playing the Wildcats. Their last win against Mater Dei was in 2007 while their last road win came three years prior. North was shut down offensively for most of last year's matchup, but McKinney threw a touchdown pass on the final play of the game.

Courier & Press sports reporter Treasure Washington can be reached via her email, treasure.washington@courierpress.com, and on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Twashington490.

Week 6 Evansville-area high school football schedule

All times are Central.

Central (0-5) at Jasper (3-2), 6:30 p.m.

Memorial (5-0) at Bosse (1-4), 6:30 p.m.

North (4-2) at Mater Dei (1-4), 6:30 p.m.

Reitz (5-0) at Castle (3-2), 6:30 p.m.

Vincennes Lincoln (4-1) at Harrison (0-5), 6:30 p.m.

Pike Central (1-4) at Washington (1-4), 6:30 p.m.

Princeton (1-4) at North Knox (3-2), 6:30 p.m.

South Spencer (2-3) at Forest Park (3-2), 6:30 p.m.

Tell City (3-2) at Southridge (3-2), 6:30 p.m.

Heritage Hills (5-0) at Gibson Southern (3-2), 7 p.m.

Mount Vernon (4-1) at Boonville (2-3), 7 p.m.

North Posey (4-1) at Tecumseh (0-5), 7 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: 5 storylines to watch for Week 6 of Evansville-area football