Class 2A, No. 2 Triton Central has a dangerous opponent to close out its regular-season schedule.
Speedway, just 2-6 and an even worse 0-5 record against Indiana Crossroads Conference opponents, presents the Tigers’ final challenge to securing a runner-up finish in the standings behind Class A, No. 1 Lutheran (8-0), the only team to defeat Triton Central this season.
“They are athletic on both sides of the ball,” said Triton Central head coach Tim Able. “They had some tough breaks early in the season. It seems like they have smoothed things up a little.”
The Sparkplugs are coming off a surprising 28-9 loss at Lutheran Friday. The Saints had defeated seven straight opponents by at least 30 points.
“Lutheran has some injuries. They fumbled on the 1-yard line and their running back was playing gimpy,” said Able of what he saw on film. “Speedway is getting better. Its tournament time and they are starting to kick it in and I think Lutheran is trying to heal up.”
Speedway relies more on the pass than the run and utilizes two quarterbacks to direct the offense. Senior Carter Watson has completed 39-of-52 pass attempts for 397 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore Connor Moreland has been more active, completing 107-of-177 passes for 1,447 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Sophomore Jazz Coleman leads the Sparkplugs in rushing (586 yards, six touchdowns) and is third in receptions (22) and fourth in receiving yards (177).
“Coleman is a good athlete,” said Able. “Speedway has athletes similar to Beech Grove.”
The top receivers are Avery Mitchell (47 receptions, 678 yards, 4 TDs), Cam Reich (26 receptions, 204 yards, 2 TDs) and Christian Cooke (13 receptions, 226 yards, 2 TDs).
Triton Central struggled to get in gear at Beech Grove last Friday and trailed the Hornets at halftime, 6-3, before scoring four touchdowns in the second half to pull away for a 31-6 victory that secured it no worse than a tie for second place in the ICC standings.
Triton Central’s overall team health is improving and the IHSAA postseason draw granted them a favorable start to the sectional on Oct. 20 with a road trip to winless Clarksville (0-8).
Senior running back Ray Crawford (photo) saw limited time on the field at Beech Grove, both defensively and offensively.
“If Ray is healthy, it makes a big difference,” said Able.
Senior linebacker Sam Kemper is still out with a leg injury.
Senior quarterback Jace Stuckey (photo) suffered a leg injury at the end of the first half in the win over Scecina on Sept. 29 but showed no repercussions at Beech Grove, running for two touchdowns and throwing for two more in the second half.
“We let Jace run a little bit more and our blocking was better,” said Able of the halftime adjustments. “We set up the run game then got a big pass off a fumbled snap where Jace hits Mason Compton with a tight spiral. Mason made two or three good moves and got into the end zone.”
Able is closing in on his 100th career win at Triton Central, needing three more to hit the century mark. He is 222-134 in 30 years of coaching. Triton Central’s senior class is nearing the program record for wins, chasing the 2022 senior class record of 38 victories. The 2023 class is at 35 and counting with a potential long postseason run ahead.
QUICK FACTS:
Class 2A, No. 2 Triton Central at Speedway
Game time: 7 p.m. at Sparkplugs Field at Speedway High School.
2023 record: Triton Central 7-1, 5-1 ICC; Speedway 2-6, 0-5 ICC.
Head coaches: Tim Able, 97-36 in 11th year at Triton Central, 222-134 in 30th year overall; Shane Clampitt, 17-14 in third year at Speedway.
Sagarin ratings: Triton Central 75.41, No. 1 in Class 2A; Speedway 50.09, No. 32 in Class 3A. Triton Central is a 23-point favorite
Last year: Triton Central defeated Speedway, 38-7, in the regular-season finale at Mendenhall Field. Link to the Shelby County Post game story can be found here: https://shelbycountypost.com/sports/657601
Series: Triton Central has won 10 of the 11 games over Speedway since 2012. The Sparkplugs’ only win came in 2021, 24-21.
Around the ICC Friday: Beech Grove (3-5) at Franklin County (3-5); Covenant Christian (4-3) at Indianapolis Ritter (3-5); Monrovia (6-2) at Class 2A, No. 10 Indianapolis Scecina (5-3); South Putnam (7-1) at Cascade (5-3); Class A, No. 1 Indianapolis Lutheran (8-0) is off.
Class 2A, Sectional 39 records: Class 2A, No. 2 Triton Central 7-1; Class 2A, No. 3 Brownstown Central 7-1; Switzerland County 5-3; Christel House Manual 2-5; Clarksville 0-8; Brown County 1-7; Eastern (Pekin) 3-5; Class 2A, No. 10 Indianapolis Scecina 5-3.
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