Football Friday: Season kickoff incoming as Tiger Cubs tangle with Bulldogs; Cougars, Eagles and Clovers begin new season at home

All the posturing and predicting finally comes to an end Friday night as the 2024 IHSAA football season begins with three county schools at home and Greencastle taking one of its three road trips this season to Monrovia.

The Bulldogs finished the 2023 season 9-3 with an appearance in a sectional final, falling to Tri-West a win shy of a sectional title, and is two years removed from a semi-state appearance.

Monrovia will keep it on the ground and only throw as much as is necessary, having only thrown 35 passes in 12 games, though the team will have to replace 3,600 rushing yards that graduated away, leaving seniors Ryder Pool (393 yards, 6 TD) and Jozy Hand (238 yards, 6 TD) as the top returning rushers in the Bulldogs’ Wing-T scheme that averaged just under 400 yards per game last year.

Hand returns as the team’s top tackler with 82 finishes while Joey Smith (76 tackles) and Ethen Followell (67 tackles) leading a defense that returns several starters in a 4-3 scheme.

North Montgomery has had the number of North Putnam the past four seasons with turnovers a big part of the problem with nine giveaways in the past two meetings.

The Chargers may be an upperclass-heavy team but it will be a group that lacks varsity experience with no returning quarterback passes, the team’s top four rushers and three of its top four receivers and several top tacklers gone.

Kelby Harwood returns after hauling in 38 receptions for 695 yards and eight scores as the Chargers use a mix of Wing-T and spread packages on offense.

Out of its 3-4 defense, North Montgomery brings back linebackers Jayden Thompson (86 tackles), Harwood (71 tackles) and a pair younger players on the back end Jack Warren (47 tackles) and Dakota Glasson (32 tackles).

Speedway will offer South Putnam a glimpse of the speed it will see several times throughout the season, particularly the following week when 2A No. 1 Indianapolis Lutheran comes to town.

Junior quarterback Connor Moreland threw for 1,884 yards and 15 scores while classmate Jazz Coleman leads the rushing attack with 888 yards and eight touchdowns. Coleman is the leading returning receiver (253 yards) while Vinsin Jean had 169 yards receiving a year ago. Expect more names to crop up as the Sparkplugs spread things out and rely on the arm of Moreland to keep the pace on offense.

Coleman also led the Sparkplugs with 122 tackles a year ago from his linebacker spot in a 3-4 scheme, though the defense will have to replace eight players who saw significant time on the field a year ago.

Riverton Parke has ended Cloverdale’s season in two of the past three years and is expected to be a squad looking to challenge for the top half of the WRC standings in 2024.

Collett Sanders threw for 407 yards and a pair of scores as a sophomore with top targets AJ Goff (174 yards) and Kyle Price (107 yards) returning.

Price and Goff are also the top returning rushers with the former rushing for 684 yards and six scores while Goff added 338 yards and four scores. Sanders also carried the ball for 157 yards and four scores as the Panthers use several Wing-T variations, though are not afraid to spread it out from time to time.

Riverton Parke uses a 4-4 defense with several offensive players also leading the defensive side of the ball.