Tonight, the West Noble Chargers travel west just outside of Marshall County to take on Knox. Both teams come in at 10-0 looking to clinch a spot in the Class 3A Sectional 26 championship game.
For West Noble, they’re coming off a crazy 46-43 comeback win where Drew Yates had a career high 262 passing yards with 3 TD’s and ran for 101 yards for 2 more scores. For Knox, they’re coming off a 46-19 win over Lakeland with 28 of them coming in the 1st quarter.
Head Coach Monte Mawhorter, knowing the challenge of this game, was amazed by how his team responded through adversity.
“(Mishawaka) Marian is a very good team,” said Mawhorter on last week’s opponent. “Their OL/DL were by far the best we have seen this entire season. Their skilled kids were crazy good. We knew we would have to make plays just to be in the game.
“The (Bryce) LaSane kid is one of the best QBs I have coached against. I spoke to him after the game and he seemed to be a great kid also. People say he will be drafted into the MLB later this year. The comeback is something these kids will talk about for years to come. We have a great coaching staff that the team believes in completely.”
But now a great matchup awaits the Chargers in the Knox Redskins who have built a perennial contender over the last 4-5 years, especially since New Prairie legend Russ Radtke took over the program. Radtke has 47 years of coaching experience under his belt.
For those that don’t know where Knox is located, it’s just west of Plymouth right on the outskirts of LaPorte and not that far from that Kankakee Valley region. Knox leads the series 1-0, but West Noble has not won multiple sectional games in a single postseason since 1990. Monte Mawhorter is also 1 win shy of tying the program record for wins in school history.
Keys to Winning
1. Start on Time
Coming off an emotional win against a very good Mishawka Marian team with a huge offensive and defensive line, plus the long hour and a half drive west. There’s a time zone change with this travel, so you do wonder how this will affect the start of this game. Oh and by the way, showers and thunderstorms are expected to impact the field conditions of this game. How much and to what extent that this matters is unknown.
But when you’re playing a triple option that is as big and fast and Knox’s frontline, you got to start off strong and have a strong attention to detail.
The last time Knox trailed at any point of a football game this season, it came in the 3rd quarter against North Judson when they were down 18-15, before Knox came back to win 22-15. That’s the only time Knox has trailed all season long.
Last season, West Noble started off alright going into the 4th quarter down 8-0 before the turnover plague ended up being a 22-0 Knox win.
If the Chargers can get that lead and out that pressure on Knox, I wonder how this game could go.
2. Contain Myles McLaughlin
McLaughlin is not the only good player Knox has, but as I’ve stated he is the straw that stirs the drink. He was a huge part of Knox’s 28-point 1st quarter outburst and his elusive plays with the football on deception plays, and his quick speed makes him an excellent athlete on this Knox team.
Jake Conroy is another guy that will get his fair share of touches on the ground. Knox has a lot of talent not just in the backfield but also with their frontline as well. Knox has two excellent tackles in Phillip Jones 5’9, 330lb sophomore, and Isaiah Jones 6’4, 280lb senior.
Against Lakeland, McLaighlin ran 10 carries for 224 yards and 4 TD’s. S/O to Ken Fillmore for catching that stat line during Lakeland’s radio broadcast. He’s rushing for 2,976 yards in his career and he’s just a sophomore.
For West Noble to win this game, they have got to contain this motion-based rushing attack. Knox has size up front without question, but I’m more amazed by how quick they are. They play faster than what you would anticipate with this roster. And that means they have got to tackle very well in this game. West Noble was good against Marian up front, but for them to beat Knox, they will have to be even better.
“Knox is a very good team that will be a handful,” said Mawhorter. “No one has beaten them this year. We struggled to score last year and a couple of turnovers cost field position. We feel there were things we could have done that would have helped make the game closer. We will have to play a perfect game to have a chance to pull this one off.”
3. Distribute the Offense Across the Field
Knox plays a tougher schedule than one would assume. North Judson and LaVille are good teams. LaVille beat a tradition rich Andrean team last week, so Knox is not a pushover. Maconaquah played them tough early in the regular season, and Maconaquah has weapons on that offense.
Last week showcased a great test for West Noble where Mishawka Marian went to the box and did not allow Seth Pruitt to find time and space between tackles and was held to less than 30 rushing yards and a TD. Prior to that game, West Noble had never won a game when Pruitt had less than 50 yards rushing in a game.
But West Noble has the ability to get the ball to many athletes, mainly because of an excellent frontline and Drew Yates being an exceptional athlete at quarterback. Bradyn Barth was 4-4 on catches with 2 TD’s as his size and strength from his basketball skills paid off in a huge way.
“Drew (Yates) is an incredible player, leader and all around kid,” said Mawhorter on his quarterback. “The team has complete confidence that he will make every play. He put the team on his shoulders on the last drive to get us into field goal range.
“Seth (Pruitt) is a target every week and I am sure he will continue to be. He never missed a beat and he found other ways to help out the team. He caught passes and blocked tremendously. This is one one of the least selfish teams I have ever been a part of.”
McKale Bottles with his 6’2 big frame and his athleticism on both ends of the field makes him an excellent option. There are a lot of sophomores and juniors that showcase plenty of great talent including Drew’s younger brothers Xavier (sophomore) and Ethan (freshman).
For the Chargers to have a chance, they need the passing game to be just as good, not exclusively throw the ball but use it to open up the run game when they need to run the ball.
Players to Watch
West Noble
McKale Bottles Junior Slotback/Outside Linebacker
Last week against Mishawaka Marian, Bottles had 7 tackles, 2.5 TFL’s, a sack, and a crucial safety in the 4th quarter that changed the outcome of this game. On the season, he has 34 tackles, and 2 sacks along with 9 TFL’s.
I look for him and Ethan Yates (who led WN with 11 tackles and had a INT vs Marian) to be key contributors on defense against a great Knox frontline. Mawhorter has confidence that someone on his team will step up.
“It seems that every game this year has had moments where someone had to step up and make a play that changed the game,” said Mawhorter. “We expect someone to step up and make plays. The fanbase has been great all year. Our freshman kicker (Nefty Silva) and freshman holder just do their jobs and everyone expects them to be successful.”
Knox
Myles McLaughlin Sophomore Slotback/Outside Linebacker
As I mentioned earlier, Knox’s success in this game will hinge on the performance of their stud Slotback for the Redskins. He is a Brett Fuchs type of playmaker where you can slot him in any position and he will thrive. He’s quite the athlete, and if he finds open space, he will turn on the jets. He doesn’t need a lot of time or a lot of touches to change the outcome of a game.
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