Select any superlative you want and it will still not describe the magnitude of Friday’s clash between Class 2A, No. 1 Triton Central and Class A, No. 1 Indianapolis Lutheran.
Head coach Dave Pasch’s Saints have been the top-ranked team in Class A for 21 straight weeks in the Indiana Football Coaches Association state poll. Triton Central has been consistently ranked in the top 10 in Class 2A during head coach Tim Able’s decade-long tenure but rose to No. 1 in this week’s poll after a pair of convincing wins to start the season.
“Those are nice things to have in the beginning of the season,” said Able of the No. 1 ranking. “It’s much more enjoyable to be up there at the end of the season.”
Lutheran enters Friday’s game sporting a 32-game win streak. The Saints also have four straight wins over the Tigers, which means no current rostered player at Triton Central has a win over Lutheran.
“How many times do you get to play against the No. 1 team in the state,” said Able (photo). “And if you win against the No. 1 team at their own place, they don’t have anything to come back at you with.”
Friday night’s victor also takes early control in the race for the Indiana Crossroads Conference championship. Class 2A, No. 3 Indianapolis Scecina also will be in that hunt.
The two head coaches have a combined 422 career wins and three state championships. And there are marquee players on both rosters.
“We cannot get caught up in the hype,” said Able. “We have to get caught up in doing things the right way longer than we did last week.”
Triton Central raced out to a 36-0 lead on New Castle and coasted to a 36-7 victory, much as it did in week one’s 41-13 win at Cascade.
“The first team defense has not allowed a touchdown yet,” said Able. “I feel really good about that but it will be a real challenge this week. We match up well. We are very similar teams in how we scheme things.”
In the 2022 meeting, Lutheran got out to a 14-0 lead then responded to Triton Central’s first score with three more touchdowns to take a 35-7 lead into halftime. The Tigers closed the gap in the third quarter which led to a fourth quarter where the two teams traded scoring five touchdowns.
Lutheran returns junior quarterback Jackson Willis, who threw for 434 yards and four touchdowns at Mendenhall Field. Graduation took wide receiver Micah Mackay (14 catches, 245 yards, 3 TDs against TC) and running back Joe Davis (25 rushes, 126 yards, 3 TDs) but the program has continued to reload, producing double-digit win seasons in six of the last seven years.
“They have great players. It seems like they reload every year,” said Able. “It’s tradition and when it gets rolling, the next group tries to out (perform) the one before.”
Willis completed 217 of 307 pass attempts for 4,186 yards and 55 touchdowns in Lutheran’s state championship 2022 season.
“He has a quick release. He puts it in there. He really threads the needle,” said Able. “He is hard to get to. We have to control the run game, the spread game.”
In other words, Triton Central wants to make Lutheran’s offense one dimensional. And even then, it will still be challenging to slow down the Saints.
Triton Central is the only team on Lutheran’s schedule that can match quarterback talents. Jace Stuckey (photo) threw for 2,657 yards and 23 touchdowns as a junior. He is part of a senior class that has helped produce 30 varsity wins and three straight sectional titles but never a win over Lutheran.
“He is definitely prepared. Nobody prepares harder than Jace,” said Able of his Eastern Michigan commit quarterback who will graduate with nearly every passing record at Triton Central.
For Triton Central to end Lutheran’s 32-game win streak Friday, it will need strong performances around Stuckey. Running back Ray Crawford (photo) (20 rushes, 100 yards, 2 TDs) and receiver Brayden Wilkins (5 catches, 165 yards, 2 TDs) will be focal points for the Saints defense which could open up opportunities for Mason Compton (main photo) (6 catches, 78 yards, 1 TD), Zeke Robertson (6 catches, 68 yards, 2 TDs) and Chase Chandler (6 catches, 94 yards).
“We have a lot of weapons … a lot of quick kids that come out of cuts,” said Able.
Friday’s date has been circled on the Triton Central schedule for months. It’s the first big test for a program looking to elevate itself into a true state title contender – much as Lutheran has done in recent years.
“They know how to be state champions,” said Able of the Saints. “We have kids still learning that.”
The end game in 2023 is for both programs to be playing Thanksgiving weekend at Lucas Oil Stadium in state championship game.
QUICK FACTS:
Class 2A, No. 1 Triton Central at Class A, No. 1 Indianapolis Lutheran
Game time: 7 p.m. at Meyer Field at Lutheran High School, 5555 South Arlington Avenue in Indianapolis.
Broadcast time: 6 p.m. pregame show from Meyer Field on GIANT fm (96.5 fm, 106.3 fm, 1520 am and the GIANT fm app) with Johnny McCrory and Jeff Brown.
TC Student theme: Fraternity.
2023 record: Triton Central 2-0; Lutheran 2-0.
Head coaches: Tim Able, 92-35 in 11th year at Triton Central; 217-133 in 30th year overall; Dave Pasch, 140-53 in 16th year at Lutheran, 205-110 in 27th year overall.
Sagarin ratings: Triton Central 75.95, No. 1 in Class 2A; Lutheran 77.53, No. 2 in Class A. Lutheran is a 4-point favorite.
Last year: Lutheran won 54-41 at Mendenhall Field in Fairland. Here is the link to the Shelby County Post’s game story from the 2022 contest: https://shelbycountypost.com/sports/650946
Series: The two programs have played 11 straight seasons with Lutheran holding a 6-5 advantage. The Saints have won the last four meetings.
Around the ICC Friday: Covenant Christian (1-1) at Class 2A, No. 3 Indianapolis Scecina (2-0); Edgewood (1-1) at Cascade (1-1); Indianapolis Ritter (0-2) at Purdue Poly (1-1); Class 2A, No. 5 Linton-Stockton (2-0) at Monrovia (2-0); and Speedway (1-1, 0-1 ICC) at Beech Grove (0-2, 0-2 ICC).
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