Lafayette area top plays of the week between Oct. 13-18
Ever seen a kill made with a volleyball player’s head? How about a clutch superman save? Check out these eye popping Lafayette area plays of the week.
LAFAYETTE ― IHSAA high school football playoffs continue with the semifinal action Friday, Oct. 31. It’s the second game for most teams in Classes 4A-1A, while it’s the start of the postseason journey for all 6A teams and 32 of the 33 Class 5A squads.
Here’s a breakdown and prediction of the 13 IHSAA matchups in the Lafayette area, headlined by McCutcheon hosting Lafayette Jeff.
Game of the Week: Lafayette Jeff (8-1) vs. McCutcheon (2-7), 5A sectional semifinals
McCutcheon attempts to shock the state when it battles rival No. 3 ranked Lafayette Jeff in 5A for the second time this season. Lafayette Jeff pounded McCutcheon 42-0 on Sept. 5 but now the Mavericks have a chance to play spoiler in a season full of highs for the Bronchos.
McCutcheon junior quarterback Karson Smith has shown improvements, getting the ball out quicker in the pocket while aided in a run game driven by senior ATH Keegun Rice (7.3 yards per carry) and junior running back Tyler Brigham (6.2 yards per carry). While McCutcheon will be well rested after the off week, so too will Lafayette Jeff, carrying a payload of star talent in senior defensive lineman and Minnesota commit Aaden Aytch, senior receiver and Northern Illinois commit Omar Williams Jr., junior receiver Bryce VanOstran, senior offensive lineman Butler commit Kyros Carr, junior safety Ka’Vion Campbell-Walker, college bound senior running backs Tarvaris Fernandez, Marquis Adkins and junior top five passing leader Trysten Barrett.
McCutcheon puts up a good fight in the first half, but Lafayette Jeff ultimately pulls away. Prediction: Lafayette Jeff wins 49-21.
6A: Harrison (4-5) vs. Carmel (8-1)
Speaking of upsets, Harrison looks to accomplish something it has never done before ― win a 6A playoff game. And the task doesn’t get any more difficult than traveling to Carmel, a program the Raiders have never beaten in football. Harrison is led by senior Navy commit Jack Gonzalez (six touchdowns, 463 rushing yards, 286 receiving yards, 79 tackles, two interceptions), sophomore running back Zion Clopton (513 rushing touchdowns, three touchdowns) and senior quarterback Lannon Nicoloff (175 of 245 passing 1,919 yards, 22 touchdowns, five interceptions) and linebacker Clayton Daubenmire (86 tackles, four for loss).
Carmel is simply more talented. Senior quarterback Anthony Coellner (1,486 yards, 16 touchdowns, six interceptions) is committed to Troy and joined by senior running back Andrew Pemberton (967 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns) and 3-star linebacker Dane Bathurst (58 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, six sacks) committed to Duke. Prediction: Carmel wins 56-7.
3A: Peru (3-7) vs. Twin Lakes (8-2)
Twin Lakes is fresh off its most complete performance against a quality opponent when it took care of Maconaquah in the first round. Twin Lakes showed it can be effective running the football with sophomore Darin Baker (191 rushing yards, two touchdowns) and Cooper Dold (138 rushing yards, two rushing and one passing touchdown) leading the victory.
Twin Lakes sits just one win from reaching its first IHSAA 3A sectional final since 2016 but has to get through Peru. Peru’s offense is headed by senior running back Isaiah Korba (1,179 rushing yards, eight touchdowns, 98 tackles, three TFL) and senior Ryne Babbs (577 rushing yards, 370 rushing yards, 11 combined touchdowns). Defensively, Twin Lakes has a pass rush led by Matthew “Chewie” Walters (113 tackles, five tackles for loss), junior linebacker Ben Hodgen (78 tackles, six for loss) and defensive lineman Colton Robertson (113 tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks). Prediction: Twin Lakes wins 35-10.
2A: Rensselaer Central (8-2) vs. Bremen (6-4), 7:30 p.m.
Rensselaer is coming off a dominant first round 56-0 win against Boone Grove. They now turn its attention north to Bremen senior quarterback Jack Wildauer. The Bombers’ run game has been smooth and steady led by the triumvirate of seniors Carter Ogborn (1,181 yards, 16 touchdowns), Logan Metzger (800 rushing yards, 13 rushing yards) and Landon Musch (595 yards, six touchdowns). Prediction: Rensselaer wins 28-20.
2A: Southmont (9-1) vs. Western Boone (6-4)
Southmont is looking to make a second sectional championship in three seasons, but will have to go through Western Boone. Western Boone’s offense is fueled by running back Jacob Smith (1,637 rushing yards, 24 touchdowns) and senior linebacker Michael Kraus (75 tackles, three TFL and 2.5 sacks). Southmont’s high powered run game looks to prove it can stun the Stars on the road, headed by senior running back Avery Stadler (1,370 rushing yards, 19 touchdowns) and quarterback Heath Tolliver (1,216 yards combined passing and rushing, 17 touchdowns). Southmont’s run game headed by senior John Smaltz up front gets Southmont the push it needs for a massive road win and a clear path to the 2A sectional final. Prediction: Southmont wins 28-22.
2A: Seeger (9-1) vs. Lewis Cass (7-3)
Seeger now turns its attention to Lewis Cass after an emotional last-minute win against Central Catholic. Lewis Cass carries junior linebacker 5-foot-10 Zion Grogg (37 tackles, two sacks) who is relentless to the football with a run game aided by senior running back Gavin Smith, who broke the school’s single game rushing record with 305 yards and five touchdowns last week. Seeger is led by senior running back Tucker Herndon, junior quarterback Jake Salts and senior Taylor University commit Paul Ragan at running back. Winning on the road is never easy and Seeger struggled in the second half against Central Catholic. Lewis Cass is physical in the trenches, but Seeger is making big plays in big moments. That’s what the playoffs are about. Prediction: Seeger wins 27-20.
1A: Frontier (10-0) vs. Pioneer (9-1)
Frontier faces its biggest challenge of the 2025 campaign against Pioneer and are one win away from its first IHSAA sectional title appearance since 2013. Junior quarterback Ayden Justice (1,129 passing yards, 805 rushing yards, 38 rushing and passing touchdowns) leads the Falcons against a Frontier run game averaging 8.7 yards per carry and has gained over 3,000 yards as a team, led by senior Micah Rans (967 rushing yards, 22 touchdowns) and junior All-State blocker Liam Rouch. Frontier is facing a different beast in Pioneer that beats teams with its physicality. Prediction: Pioneer wins 34-17.
Other Lafayette area game predictions
- 4A – Frankfort (0-9) at Lebanon (8-2): Prediction: Lebanon wins 63-7.
- 3A – Crawfordsville (5-5) at Guerin Catholic (6-4): Prediction: Guerin Catholic wins 38-10. NOTE: kickoff at 8 p.m.
- 1A – South Putnam (8-2) vs. Fountain Central (6-4): Prediction: Fountain Central wins 21-14.
- 1A – Taylor (6-3) at Carroll (6-3): Prediction: Carroll wins 42-28.
- 1A – Bowman Academy (6-4) vs. West Central (9-1): Prediction: West Central wins 35-21. NOTE: kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. ET
- 1A – South Putnam (6-4) vs. Fountain Central (6-4): Prediction: Fountain Central wins 28-21.
- 1A – Sheridan (6-2) at Clinton Prairie (3-5): Prediction: Sheridan wins 49-13.
Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached at ehanson@jconline.com, on Twitter at EthanAHanson and Instagram at ethan_a_hanson.
