Floyd Central Highlanders (9-2) at Bloomington South Panthers (7-4)

When: Friday, Nov. 15, 7 p.m.

Where: Fred Huff Field

Last Meeting: N/A

After another dominant performance against Castle, the Panthers look to keep the momentum going back at home against Floyd Central. 

Offense: The Bloomington South offense has started to get hot at the right time, putting up 49 and 32 points in their sectional matchups. Senior running back Maveric Thiery was phenomenal, rushing for 244 yards and two touchdowns to break the school rushing record. D.J. Bull only threw 10 passes; however, a strong passing game wasn’t needed with how well the running game was working. Sophomore running back Jordan Tolden saw a large increase in playing time, specifically as a blocker out of the backfield. Floyd has some playmakers on defense. Most notably junior outside linebacker Trace Richards. Richards specialty is wreaking havoc in the backfield, boasting 80 tackles and 11 sacks this season. Senior safety Trace Willman also possesses great ball skills. While he may only have one interception this season, the stats don’t tell the whole story. 

Defense: The Panther defense was great yet again, holding Castle to just six points. Junior safety Maddix Blackwell has been a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks all season, as he tallied two more interceptions on Friday. Senior linebacker Elijah Griffin suffered an injury last week and is ruled out for Friday. Expect junior linebackers Mason Vernon and Matt Dobos to have a larger role in the defense. The biggest threat offensively for Floyd is junior running back Wenkers Wright. Wright is the backbone of the offense, rushing for 2,000 yards this season on 9.4 yards per carry to go along with 24 touchdowns on the ground. The good news for South is that Wright will be playing through an ankle injury he sustained in last weeks game against Jeffersonville. The quarterback for the run-oriented Highlanders is junior Tristan Polk. Polk is a big strong pocket passer who can make big throws down field if given time. His 3.0 touchdown to interception ratio also speaks to his good decision making and awareness. Polk’s biggest weakness is his ability to move out of the pocket and make plays on the run. If the defense can contain Wright and pressure the quarterback, they should have another dominant outing. 

Overview: This is the first meeting between these two teams and it should be a good one. Both teams have incredibly talented running backs who can punish opposing defenses. The winner of this regional will face either New Palestine or Cathedral in a semi-state matchup. Prediction: BHSS-18 FCHS-9