Published: August 27, 2008 11:51 pm            

HS FOOTBALL: Friday's Game-night glance

A capsule look at this weekend's football matchups

FRIDAY’S GAMES



Floyd Central at Providence

• TIME: 7:30 p.m.

• PLACE: Murphy Stadium

• RECORDS: Floyd 1-0, Providence 0-1.

• SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Floyd leads 6-5.

• LAST MEETING: Aug. 24, 2007 at Scott Field — Providence 26, Floyd 14.

• KEY FACTS: The Highlanders’ 63-36 victory at Clarksville last Friday was the first time they have cracked the 60-point mark since the 1998 season. That year, Floyd won 61-7 over Northview in the Class 4A sectional semifinals en route to its only sectional championship. … In last week’s 30-21 loss to New Albany, Pioneer running back Ethan Cook rushed for less than 100 yards for the first time in six games. Cook ran for 79 yards on 21 carries.

• BURNING QUESTION: Is coach Brian Glesing’s rebuilding magic starting to work at Floyd?

It’s looking like it. The Highlanders appeared to be much improved under the second year of Glesing’s guidance in last Friday’s huge win. But still it was only the season opener, and there are much tougher games on the horizon like Friday’s game at Providence. Floyd must show that the Clarksville triumph was not a fluke. It needs to back it up, and that will be tough to do against an archrival that won a sectional title last year.



Brownstown at Charlestown

• TIME: 7 p.m.

• PLACE: Dutch Reis Field

• RECORDS: Charlestown 1-0, 0-0 MSC; Brownstown 1-0, 0-0.

• SERIES RECORD: Brownstown leads 21-19.

• SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Brownstown leads 16-1.

• LAST MEETING: Aug. 24, 2007 at Blevins Stadium — Charlestown 35, Brownstown 31.

• KEY FACTS: The Pirates have not defeated the Braves in back-to-back matchups since Charlestown won 11 straight meetings from 1983 to 1992. Last year was the first time Brownstown head coach Reed May, who is in his 16th year at the school, had ever lost to the Pirates. … Charlestown extended its regular-season winning streak to 10 games last Friday with a 45-13 win at Madison. In those 10 wins, the Pirates have scored 35-plus points seven times.

• BURNING QUESTION: Can Charlestown make it two wins in a row over the Braves?

There is a chance, but it will be very difficult. Brownstown has 19 starters back, including all 11 on defense. Plus the Braves have got to have revenge on their minds after last year’s surprising setback to the Pirates at home, which eventually cost them the Mid-Southern Conference title. But the Pirates have two advantages — one is running back Cameron Metzger and the other is home-field advantage. If Metzger has a big game on the ground and Charlestown plays well at home like it did last year, the Pirates could make it two in a row.



Jeffersonville at Seymour

• TIME: 7 p.m.

• PLACE: Bulleit Stadium

• RECORDS: Jeff 0-1, 0-0 HHC; Seymour 0-1, 0-0.

• SERIES RECORD: Jeff leads 26-22-3.

• SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Seymour leads 6-5.

• LAST MEETING: Aug. 24, 2007 at Blair Field — Jeff 34, Seymour 15.

• KEY FACTS: Red Devil quarterback Edward Wright-Baker is 1,035 yards shy of tying the school’s all-time passing yards mark, which is held by former standout Jeff Hedges (3,294). Wright-Baker moved into third place on the all-time list last week after throwing for 201 yards in a 34-33 loss to Evansville Reitz. … The Devils have won four of their last five meetings with the Owls. Prior to that, Seymour owned a five-game winning streak in the series.

• BURNING QUESTION: How does Jeff bounce back after last Friday’s heartbreaking setback to Reitz?

Simple, forget about the loss. The Red Devils have bigger fish to fry like being a factor in the HHC title race. A win on Friday night against a veteran Seymour squad on the road would be critical for Jeff’s hopes of winning the HHC for the first time since 1997. But the Reitz game did tell the Red Devils what areas they need to work on like special teams.



Castle at New Albany

• TIME: 8 p.m.

• PLACE: Buerk Field

• RECORDS: New Albany 1-0, Castle 1-0.

• SERIES RECORD: Castle leads 6-3.

• SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Castle leads 5-0.

• LAST MEETING: Aug. 24, 2007 at Castle Stadium — Castle 38, New Albany 3.

• KEY FACTS: The Bulldogs’ 30-21 victory at Providence last Friday was their first season-opening win in four years. New Albany’s previous triumph in a season opener was in 2004 at Clarksville, 32-6. … The Dogs have lost eight straight contests to Evansville-area opponents. The last time they defeated an Evansville school was the 2002 Class 5A Sectional 8 championship against Reitz, 32-6.

• BURNING QUESTION: How much has New Albany quarterback Graham Brown benefitted from just playing offense this season?

Based on his performance in the opener, it has helped him a lot. Brown looked pretty good against Providence, completing 16-of-29 passes for 214 yards and two touchdown passes. The senior also showed his mobility, rushing for 59 yards on 18 carries and one TD. Playing on one side of the ball should help Brown more as the year goes on. Plus it helps having his older brother, former New Albany standout QB Mitch Brown, as his quarterback coach.



Clarksville at Pekin Eastern

• TIME: 7 p.m.

• PLACE: Eastern Field.

• RECORDS: Clarksville 0-1, 0-0 MSC; Pekin Eastern 0-1, 0-0.

• SERIES RECORD: Clarksville leads 1-0.

• SERIES LAST 15 YEARS: Clarksville leads 1-0.

• LAST MEETING: Aug. 24, 2007 at Clarksville — Clarksville 45, Pekin Eastern 0.

• KEY FACTS: The 63 points the Generals surrendered last week to Floyd Central were the most in seven years. Clarksville lost 68-8 to Brownstown in the first round of Class 2A Sectional 31 in 2001. … During their inaugural varsity season in 2007, the Musketeers lost all six of their MSC games by an average margin of 46 points. In fact, they scored only 14 total points in the six conference contests and were shut out five times.

• BURNING QUESTION: What did the Generals find out about themselves after the Floyd loss?

That they need to improve on defense. The Generals gave up 532 total yards to the Highlanders, 380 coming on the ground. It was a major learning experience for a defense with only four starters back. But head coach Brad Troutman believes he has some talent on that side of the ball, and his defense should improve in the future. A positive thing Clarksville discovered was it can score some points. The Generals posted 36 points against a Floyd defense that should be better than in past seasons.

        

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