> SOUTHERN INDIANA — The New Albany football team proved last Friday that it has more playmakers on its team than just Chris Whitehead.

Whitehead — the Bulldogs’ first-year quarterback — followed up a 344-yard performance in Week 1 with 135 yards on 20 carries in New Albany’s Week 2 victory over Castle.

Whitehead apparently isn’t alone on offense. In the 31-22 win, junior tailback Jalen Forrest added 151 yards and two scoring runs and Scootie Middleton caught a touchdown pass from Whitehead in the win.



JEFF ADDS THREE ATHLETES

Even with a 26-21 loss to Seymour on Friday that dropped Jeffersonville’s record to 0-2, the Red Devils did have some good news in the past few days.

Earlier in the week, Jeff added three well-known athletes to the mix.

Austin Hines — known best as a member of the Jeff/GRC Little League World Series team — transferred from St. Xavier in Louisville to Jeffersonville on Monday. Because he had his allotted number of practices at St. X, the freshman was eligible to play Friday against Seymour and had 33 yards from scrimmage in his first varsity game.

Hines played in the Middle School Football All-American game in San Antonio last spring.

“We’re thrilled to have Austin out,” Jeff head coach Bob Redman said Friday before the Jeff-Seymour contest. “I hope people see this and recognize that we’re building a strong program on this side of the river, too. We want the best (Jeffersonville) athletes to stay in Indiana.”

Also joining the team last week were twins Jordan and Jonathan Ellis. The basketball stars weren’t eligible to play on Friday, but should be this week when Jeff hosts Bedford North Lawrence in another big Hoosier Hills Conference game on Friday.

Jonathan Ellis is listed as a running back, while Jordan Ellis appears on Jeff’s roster as a wide receiver.

“I’ve known about the Ellis twins since I took the job,” Redman said. “What they’ve done is they’ve doubled their chances down the road of playing at the (college) level.”

On the other hand, the Red Devils did lose two starters. Running back Taylor Magnuson and offensive lineman Mark Moore have reportedly quit the team and no longer appear on the Jeff roster. No reason was specified.

 

DEVILS DENIED FROM THE 1

Trailing 26-15 in the fourth quarter, Jeff took a Seymour punt and sliced through the Owl defense to the 3-yard line. However, four plays later, the Devils still trailed by 11 points. Seymour got to the 1 on the second play, but couldn’t punch it in on the final two plays.

“You have to score when you get to the 1,” Redman said.

Jeff later scored what could have been the game-winning touchdown on a Dalton Conway to Tyrone Williams pass with 1:31 to go in regulation.

 

GENERALS HAVE THEIR MAN

Clarksville had a tough-luck loss, 28-26 at Pekin Eastern on Friday, but all of the news wasn’t bad.

General quarterback Wes Rittman completed 25-of-31 passes, including two touchdowns.

In two games, the junior is 46-for-58 through the air.

“He hasn’t played football since middle school,” Clarksville coach Steve Cooley said. “He’s thrown the ball very well. He’s getting better every week.”



PIRATES ARE BETTER THAN THEY SHOWED

Football fans in Charlestown shouldn’t be overly worried about their favorite team.

A 47-8 loss is always a cause for concern, but it was one of those nights where everything that could go wrong did for the Pirates.

There was a fumble at the end of an impressive opening drive, a 14-yard punt, and a failed fourth-down conversion in Brownstown territory.

In fact, Brownstown only had six more first downs than the Pirates, and despite scoring only seven points, Charlestown had 246 yards from scrimmage.

The biggest concern has to be the run defense, which surrendered 266 yards to the Braves. But with a lot of size and talent on his side, coach Jason Hawkins has proven in his tenure at Charlestown that he finds a way to fix his defense.

 

BALANCE MAKES CORYDON MSC FAVORITES

Corydon Central came into the 2010 season as the favorites in the Mid-Southern Conference.

Despite a couple of scary performances by Brownstown Central, that hasn’t changed.

In their Week 2 win over North Harrison, the Panthers rushed for more than 250 yards. Three Panthers went for more than 50 yards, including Seth Rennirt, who finished with 120 yards on 12 carries and three scores.

Throw in the league’s best receiver over the past three years — Brandon Dunaway — and Corydon may have the MSC’s best offense. If quarterback Chase Burton proves his worth, Corydon could be one of Class 3A’s best teams.

 

IS EAST VULNERABLE?

Did Columbus East’s 42-21 loss to Columbus North open up the HHC race?

Probably not.

The six-time defending HHC champions may not be as good as expected. However, the Olympians are still pretty strong.

The top contender to East’s crown may be Floyd Central, which has been impressive in a 1-1 start.

 

AFTERMATH HONORS

• PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Kyle Bramble, Floyd Central. Bramble ran all over rival Providence with 237 yards on 32 carries and four touchdowns in the Highlanders’ 25-13 win over the Pioneers.

• COACH OF THE WEEK: Kevin Roth, New Albany. I’m not sure that last year’s Bulldog team could have overcome a 14-0 deficit against a good team. This year, however, it’s obvious that Roth has the Bulldogs believing in themselves. After surrendering 14 points to open the contest against Castle, New Albany outscored the Knights 31-8 for a big victory against a sectional rival.

• TEAM OF THE WEEK: Floyd Central. The Highlanders were expected to have a bit of a rebuilding season, but no one should be surprised that they have picked up where they left off from last season’s sectional championship season. No matter the situation, Brian Glesing’s teams always overachieve and are ready to play each and every week.

• PLAY OF THE WEEK: Whitehead’s interception return. While being known for his offensive play, Whitehead’s 85-yard interception return was the difference in the Bulldogs’ 31-22 win over Castle on Friday. Down 14-0, Whitehead set the tone for the New Albany offense with his return that cut the Knights’ lead in half.

— Compiled by Greg Mengelt