Class 2A, No. 8-ranked Triton Central will take on Class A, No. 1 Indianapolis Lutheran Friday without two of its top playmakers.
Brad Schultz, a junior, and sophomore Ray Crawford are unavailable for the Indiana Crossroads Conference showdown on the south side of Indianapolis.
Schultz (6 carries, 84 yards; 3 receptions, 41 yards) suffered an ankle injury during a Greensburg kickoff return for a touchdown midway through the third quarter last Friday.
“He is out this week. We will evaluate it next week,” said Triton Central head coach Tim Able. “He could miss two weeks.”
Crawford, a cornerback on defense, was flagged early in the fourth quarter for a helmet-to-helmet hit on a Greensburg receiver and was ejected. Crawford, TC’s leading rusher and receiver (397 yards, 4 TDs), will serve a one-game suspension in week three.
Without the talented duo, Able has a plethora of positions to fill with a roster that is not deep with big-game experience. Schultz and Crawford start on both sides of the ball and are TC’s kick returners while Schultz is the No. 1 punt returner.
“We are losing key playmakers and that is tough,” admitted Able.
Lutheran’s high-powered offense was already going to make it tough on Triton Central (2-0, 1-0 ICC). It has scored 100 points in wins over Beech Grove and Ritter.
Senior quarterback Montasi Clay (6-0, 180 pounds) has thrown seven TD passes and ran for three more scores. Junior wide receiver Micah Mackay (6-1, 183) has four touchdown receptions. Sophomore running back Joe Davis (5-8, 148) has three rushing touchdowns. And senior receiver Jake Pasch (6-0, 165) has one rushing touchdown and two scoring receptions.
“We need to make them move slowly down the field,” said Able. “It will be a tough test but we feel we can put points on the scoreboard too.”
Triton Central has averaged 40 points per win this season, throwing for four touchdowns and rushing for six more. Sophomore quarterback Jace Stuckey was impressive in a week one win at Cascade but ran the ball 13 times while only completing 2-of-6 pass attempts in week two against the Pirates.
“He didn’t have to throw the ball much last week,” said Able. “We were able to use our speed and quickness. He will need to throw more (this week) efficiently and effectively.”
Brayden Wilkins carried the ball nine times for 59 yards last week, all in the fourth quarter. Able expects the sophomore to have a greater role this week in Crawford’s absence.
Senior Jaquan Blake and junior Lucas Kleeman also could see more rushing attempts.
Without Crawford and Schultz on the field, Stuckey will look for senior Devon Emberton, junior Haydn Ball, sophomore Anthony Dunville and freshman Chase Chandler in the receiving patterns.
Able (199 wins in his 29th season overall) and Lutheran head coach Dave Pasch (175 wins in 25th year) have combined for 374 career victories. Both have established winning cultures at their schools – Able has put the Tigers in the sectional championship game in each of his eight seasons in Fairland while Pasch is not far removed from a four-year stretch (2016-2019) where the Saints played in four straight semistate games and the 2019 state championship game.
“This is by far the best team we’ve played,” said Able. “On both sides of the ball, they are very talented. It’s a successful program with a great coach.”
Lutheran is the only 2-0 team against ICC opponents. Monrovia (2-0, 1-0 ICC), Speedway (2-0, 1-0) and Triton Central are 1-0 in conference contests.
Beech Grove is 1-1 overall and 1-1 in ICC games. Scecina (1-1, 0-1), Cascade (0-2, 0-2) and Ritter (0-2, 0-2) round out the conference standings after two weeks.
Class 2A, No. 14 Speedway travels to Beech Grove and Cascade is at Scecina in the only other ICC matchups in week three.
Ritter hosts 3A No. 2 Brebeuf (2-0) and Monrovia hosts 2A No. 12 Linton-Stockton (2-0).
