By KEVIN HARRIS
Kevin.Harris@newsandtribune.com
> SOUTHERN INDIANA —
BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE AT NEW ALBANY
• TIME: 7 p.m.
• PLACE: Buerk Field.
• RECORDS: New Albany 1-2, 0-1 Hoosier Hills Conference; Bedford 2-1, 1-0.
• SERIES RECORD LAST 15 YEARS: New Albany leads 9-8.
• LAST MEETING: Sept. 11, 2009 at BNL Stadium — Bedford 31, New Albany 17.
• KEY FACTS: Bulldog quarterback Chris Whitehead currently leads the state in rushing yards with 731, averaging 13.5 yards per carry. Teammate Jalen Forrest ranks 20th in the state in rushing with 406 yards with an average of 9.9 per rush. … Despite their 14-point loss at BNL last year, the Bulldogs have won two of the past three meetings with the Stars. However, Bedford has won five of the last seven matchups. … New Albany lost to Jennings County last week, 30-28. It was the first time the Bulldogs have fallen in back-to-back matchups with the Panthers since they lost three in a row in the series from 1996-98.
• MATCHUP TO WATCH: Bedford skill players Kraig Smoot and Jay Thomas vs. New Albany’s defense — Smoot and Thomas combined to score five touchdowns in the Stars’ 47-21 victory last Friday at Jeffersonville. The Bulldog “D” has given up 33 points per contest this season and last week surrendered 311 yards on the ground to Jennings County running back Iyan Bass.
MADISON AT JEFFERSONVILLE
• TIME: 7 p.m.
• PLACE: Blair Field.
• RECORDS: Jeff 0-3, 0-2 HHC; Madison 0-3, 0-1.
• SERIES RECORD: Jeff leads 35-0.
• SERIES RECORD LAST 15 YEARS: Jeff leads 15-0.
• KEY FACTS: During the all-time series, the Red Devils have held the Cubs to single digits 23 times and shut out Madison nine times. … Jeff has not started a season 0-4 since 1973. That year, the Red Devils recovered to win their final six games and post a 6-4 record under head coach Bill Griffith. … Madison’s two HHC victories in 2009 came on the road. The Cubs won at Jennings County (35-32) and New Albany (39-38 in overtime).
• MATCHUP TO WATCH: Jeff’s offense vs. Madison’s defense — Even though the Red Devils are struggling to learn coach Bob Redman’s spread offense, they have lots of talent and potential to have a breakout performance. That might happen against the Cubs on Friday night, as they have given up 34.3 points per contest in 2010.
FLOYD CENTRAL AT SEYMOUR
• TIME: 7 p.m.
• PLACE: Bulleit Stadium.
• RECORDS: Floyd 2-1, 1-0 HHC; Seymour 1-2, 1-1.
• SERIES RECORD: Seymour leads 11-4.
• SERIES RECORD LAST 15 YEARS: Seymour leads 9-4.
• LAST MEETING: Sept. 11, 2009 at Ron Weigleb Stadium — Floyd Central 37, Seymour 10.
• KEY FACTS: Highlander running back Kyle Bramble ranks third in the state in rushing yards with 658, averaging 9.7 yards per carry. … Floyd has not won at Bulleit Stadium since 2004, 15-13. That was Seymour head coach Jeff Richey’s first season at the Owls’ helm. … The Highlanders’ 27-point victory last year over Seymour snapped a four-game losing streak in the series. Floyd has not won back-to-back games in the series since 2003 and 2004.
• MATCHUP TO WATCH: Bramble vs. the Seymour defense — Bramble is averaging 219.3 rushing yards per game this season. Seymour yielded 191 rushing yards in a 54-15 setback last week against Columbus East. The Olympians’ Andrew Wilson scampered for 137 yards.
INDIAN CREEK AT PROVIDENCE
• TIME: 7:30 p.m.
• PLACE: Murphy Stadium.
• RECORDS: Indian Creek 2-1, Providence 2-1.
• SERIES RECORD LAST 15 YEARS: Indian Creek leads 2-0.
• LAST MEETING: Sept. 11, 2009 at Indian Creek — Indian Creek 26, Providence 13.
• KEY FACTS: The Braves scored a school-record 86 points in their season-opening shutout victory over Edinburgh on Aug. 20. … Both teams squared off in the semifinals of Class 2A Sectional 31 in 2003. The Pioneers lost in overtime to the Braves, 24-21. … Providence’s 50-6 triumph over Mitchell was the first time it has scored 50-plus points since a 63-24 victory over Clarksville in the 2008 regular-season finale. In fact, the Pioneers eclipsed the 50-point mark three times in ‘08.
• MATCHUP TO WATCH: Indian Creek’s high-powered offense vs. Providence’s defense — The Braves rank eighth in the state in scoring, averaging 49.7 points per game. Since their 47-46 overtime win over New Albany, the Pioneers have given up 15.5 points a contest in the last two games.
CLARKSVILLE AT CORYDON
• TIME: 7 p.m.
• PLACE: Corydon Central High School.
• RECORDS: Clarksville 0-3, 0-2 Mid-Southern Conference; Corydon 2-1, 1-1.
• SERIES RECORD: Clarksville leads 35-11
• SERIES RECORD LAST 15 YEARS: Clarksville leads 9-6.
• LAST MEETING: Sept. 11, 2009 at Clarksville — Corydon 28, Clarksville 0.
• KEY FACTS: During the five seasons as Corydon’s coach, Darin Ward has won all four of his meetings against the Generals. In those matchups, Clarksville has scored a combined six points. … From 2005-2008, the Generals went 3-1 against the Panthers and averaged 43 points per game. The lone loss in that span was by forfeit. In 2007, Clarksville defeated Corydon on the field 40-6, but later had to forfeit the victory. … For the third time in six seasons, Generals’ head coach Steve Cooley is starting a season 0-3. He lost his first three games in both the 2005 and 2008 campaigns at Jeff.
• MATCHUP TO WATCH: Ward vs. the Generals — Ward has had Clarksville’s number during his two stints as Corydon coach. He guided the Panthers to a pair of shutout victories over the Generals in 2002 and 2003 and blanked Clarksville last year in his return to the Corydon sidelines. During the Ward-less years, Clarksville had a 3-2 record against the Panthers.
CHARLESTOWN AT PEKIN EASTERN
• TIME: 7 p.m.
• PLACE: Eastern High School.
• RECORDS: Charlestown 2-1, 1-1 MSC; Eastern 2-1, 1-0.
• SERIES RECORD: Charlestown leads 3-0.
• SERIES RECORD LAST 15 YEARS: Charlestown leads 3-0.
• LAST MEETING: Sept. 11, 2009 at Dutch Reis Field — Charlestown 28, Eastern 7.
• KEY FACTS: The Pirates have won the three previous meetings by a combined score of 154-7. Two of those victories were shutouts in 2007 and 2008. … In Jason Hawkins’ four-year tenure as Charlestown’s head coach, the Pirates are 14-4 in road games, which includes a perfect 6-0 road mark in 2007. Charlestown is already 2-0 away from home this season. … For the first time in their three-year varsity history, the Musketeers have a winning overall record and a perfect mark in MSC play.
• MATCHUP TO WATCH: Pirates’ quarterback Aaron Daniel vs. Eastern’s defense — Daniel beat Clarksville last week with his arm and his legs. The sophomore rushed for 110 yards and passed for 100 in the Pirates’ 44-14 win over the Generals. The Musketeer “D” has given up an average of 34 points in the last two games, which includes a 42-0 setback at West Washington.
