The Press-Dispatch
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B-2 Sports Wednesday, August 28, 2019 The Press-Dispatch 210 yards, with three touch- downs and no interceptions. Carter presented a difficult challenge for Pike Central. "I know he's listed at 215 pounds, but I looked at the man, and he's every bit of 6 -foot-3-inches and 245 pounds," Stephens said. "He's accurate and he has a good supporting cast." The Chargers were in good position on many of the Ea- gles' big plays, but it was just the case of the Brown Coun- ty players going up over a de- fender or sometimes two, and making the play. "I felt like we were in pret- ty good position, but we just have to execute a little better," Stephens said. "There were a couple of passes they got on us where we were in a cover- age where we were trying to send pressure on the inside and that put us one-on-one on the outside. It's a risk-reward thing and our pressure wasn't able to get home before they were able to execute the pass. I don't feel like our kids did anything wrong there. They just executed better than us." Stephens said that overall, he had mixed feelings on how his offensive line played. "I was proud of how some of our young guys held out phys- ically," Stephens said. "What I wasn't happy with was some- times when you are young, the nerves and the mental as- pect comes into play. There were several plays where we had one guy just not going to the correct assignment at all." He said the team averaged about six yards per carry when all of the offensive line- man stepped in the right di- rection. "We were in the negative on plays in which we didn't go to the right assignment," Stephens said, adding that he felt like the team did show some improvement from last season. "We have a lot of first-year starters out there and some- times those Friday night lights from game one can get to them," he said. "I think we will get assignment-sound and play more within our- selves as Friday nights be- come more routine. I think our guys will be able to let the game slow down and be able execute what they do. The first varsity action you get, it's like things are moving a mile a minute. As they gain more experience, the game will slow down and become easier for them to execute." The IHSA A's new mer- cy rule came into effect in the second half when Brown County took a 41-6 lead. The rule calls for a mandatory running clock in the second half once a team reaches a 35 -point lead, with the excep- tion of timeouts, scores and injuries. Stephens said he under- stands both sides of the argu- ment for the new rule. "I get the running clock, but once you break that [35 -point] threshold, I wish it would go back to regular," he said. "I understand what they are trying to do, but maybe that's something that needs to be looked at. For us, es- pecially with so many young guys and not having a junior varsity schedule, we would re- ally like to get as many reps as possible." Stephens said that some of his reserves, who would have typically played 15 to 20 plays in a game, only played for three to five plays because of the running clock. "I can live with it," he said. "I understand why they do it, but that's not where we want to be or how we want our games to go. We want to make sure we are putting ourselves in position for that to not hap- pen to us." The Chargers appeared to make it through the first game of season without any injuries, something Stephens credits to the program's off- season weightlifting. "We have known what are weaknesses have been for a long time," he said. "We have made sure that we committed ourselves in the weight room to put on that base layer of ar- mor." The most positive takeaway from Pike Central's perfor- mance was the way the team kept competing and fighting in the second half, despite be- ing out of the game. "At halftime, I challenged them and asked them if they were going to lay down, be- cause that has happened, where we didn't give great ef- fort in the second half, or if they were going to keep fight- ing and try to make some- thing positive out of this night," Stephens said. "They looked me in the eyes and told me they wanted to keep fight- ing. That's one of the things I love about this team. We may not be the most talented, but we have a great group of kids with great character and they are fun to coach because of those types of attitudes." Chargers' wide receiver Connor O'Neal finished the game with six receptions for 113 yards. He also rushed twice for nine yards, scored both a rushing and reaching touchdown, and led the team with seven tackles. "You never want to take for granted what he does, but that's kind of who we think [O'Neal] is," Stephens said. "He's a hard match-up in the slot and he shows a lot of abil- ity and toughness on the pe- rimeter. I was very pleased with him, especially with him coming down to linebacker af- ter playing safety the past two years." Pike Central running back Wyatt Frasure was also im- pressive with his physical running style and gritty de- fense play. The sophomore had 18 carries for 110 yards and scored a touchdown. He also had six tackles. Stephens said he was happy with how Frasure ran the ball. "He took advantage of the opportunities we gave him to be successful," he said. "We are just constantly going to work on making sure we keep the ball secure and make sure we give him the right kind of opportunities to show what he can do. "We are really excited about [Frasure] and his fu- ture. He's a guy who has im- proved tremendously and he's shown that once he can get through to that second level, that he has some good top-end speed and is hard to catch." Stephens also said he was really impressive with the play of freshman Brayden Howald, who lined up in the defensive backfield for much of the game. Pike Central will look to re- bound when it hosts Tecum- seh (0 -1) on Friday at Weath- ers Field at 7:30 p.m. in its home-opener. SWARM Continued from page 1 PREVIEW Continued from page 1 SPORTS BRIEFS All-Sports Passes available at Pike Central High School Individuals planning on attending a large number of regular season sports contests at Pike Central High School during the 2019 -20 school year can save money on admission fees by purchasing an All- Sports Pass. An All-Sports Pass, which is good for all regu- lar season home events at Pike Central High School, costs $70 for adults, and $ 50 for students and se- nior citizens. A family package is available, if all passes are purchased at the same time. Fans must pur- chase two adult passes at the regular price, and the student passes for stu- dents in the same family are $10 each. Students will not be al- lowed to use an adult pass to enter the gates. Passes must be shown at the gate of each event, every time. All-Sports Passes will be good for entry into varsity and junior varsi- ty football games, volley- ball matches, basketball games, wrestling match- es, and swimming during the winter; and baseball games, softball games and track meets in the spring. All-Sports Passes can be purchased at the Pike Central High School ath- letic office from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Individuals can earn an All-Sports Pass by signing up and working five gates for each pass. For more information, contact the Pike Central High School athletic department at 812-354-8478, extension 495. Kiwanis golf scramble set for September 7 The annual Petersburg Kiwanis Golf Scramble will take place on Sat- urday, Sept. 7 at Prides Creek Golf Course. The scramble, which starts at 9 a.m., is the Pe- tersburg Kiwanis' top fundraiser for its Chil- dren's Christmas Pro- gram that provides un- derprivileged children in Pike County with gifts during the holiday. Registration is open at the golf course and costs $40 per person or $160 for a team. Can't make the event and still want to help? Sponsor a hole for $100. Make checks payable to Kiwanis and mail to: Dustin Schnarr at P.O. Box 14, Petersburg, IN 47567. For any questions, call Schnarr at 812-295 -8183 or Prides Creek Golf Course at 812-354-3059. Registration is now open for the Join the Herd 5K The inaugural Join the Heard 5K Walk and Run is set for Saturday, Sept. 28. There is a $20 entry fee that includes a buffalo hat. T-shirts are also available for $10, but must be preor- dered by Friday, Sept. 20. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Buf- falo Trace Festival on Sept. 27 and 28. Prizes will be awarded to the first, second and third-place male and fe- male finishers. Registration begins at 8 a.m. the morning of the race, with a 9 a.m. start time. Participants should line up at the Pe- tersburg Police Station on 4th Street. Refreshments will be available after the race and a group photo will be taken. To register, contact Jan- et Graff at 812-354-3001 or janet.graff@amber- manorhc.com. Registration open for Buffalo Trace softball tourney Registration is open for the co-ed slow-pitch soft- ball tournament that will take place during the Buf- falo Trace Festival. The tournament will take place on Friday, Sept. 29 and Saturday, Sept. 30 at the Petersburg Little League Field. It costs $200 per team, with up to 13 individuals on each squad. The regis- tration deadline is Tues- day, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. The tournament is pre- sented by the Petersburg Little League and Discov- er Downtown Petersburg, Inc. For more information and to sign up, contact Jo- seph O'Brien at 812-486 - 7017. UPCOMING SCHEDULE WEDNESDAY, AUG. 28 Boys' Varsity Tennis: Tecumseh at Pike Central, 5:30 p.m. THURSDAY, AUG. 29 Middle School Football: Washington at Pike Cen- tral, 6 p.m. Girls' Varsity Soccer: Pike Central at Evansville Day School, 6 p.m. Junior Varsity Volleyball: Loogootee at Pike Cen- tral, 6 p.m. Middle School Volleyball: Fort Branch Commu- nity at Pike Central, 6:30 p.m. Varsity Volleyball: Loogootee at Pike Central, 7:15 p.m. Boys' Varsity Soccer: Pike Central at Evansville Day School, 8 p.m. FRIDAY, AUG. 30 Varsity Football: Tecumseh at Pike Central, 7:30 p.m. SATURDAY, AUG 31 Boys' and Girls' Varsity Cross Country: Pike Central at the Harrison Invite at Angel Mounds, 9 a.m. Boys' Varsity Tennis: Pike Central at Vincennes Lincoln, 9 a.m. Varsity Volleyball: Pike Central at Screen Printing Plus at Vincennes Lincoln, 9 a.m. Middle School Volleyball: Pike Central at Forest Park, 10 a.m. TUESDAY, SEPT. 3 Boys' Varsity Tennis: Pike Central at Washing- ton, 4:30 p.m. Boys' and Girls' Middle School Cross Country: North Knox and Washington at Pike Central, 5 p.m. Boys' and Girls' Varsity Cross Country: North Knox at Pike Central, 5 p.m. Girls' Varsity Golf: North Posey and Gibson South- ern at Pike Central (Prides Creek), 5:30 p.m. Girls' Varsity Soccer: South Spencer at Pike Cen- tral, 6 p.m. Junior Varsity Volleyball: Pike Central at Forest Park, 6 p.m. Middle School Volleyball: Washington at Pike Central, 6 p.m. Varsity Volleyball: Pike Central at Forest Park, 7:15 p.m. Boys' Varsity Soccer: South Spencer at Pike Cen- tral, 8 p.m. BOX SCORE FRIDAY, AUGUST 23 BROWN COUNTY 41, PIKE CENTR AL 19 PC BC First Downs 10 19 Rushes-yards 34-177 17-111 Passing 63 233 Kickoff Returns 5 -36 n/a Interceptions Ret. 0 -0 2-40 Comp.-Att.-Int. 10 -18 -2 19 -24-0 Punts 3-71 n/a Fumbles-Lost 2-0 0 -0 Penalties-Yards 8 -55 12-64 Time of Possession 29:42 18:18 First Quarter BC — Brandon Fleischman 1 pass from Noah Car- ter (Kick no good), 9:46 BC — Kody Walsh 27 run (2-point failed), 6:41 BC — Seth Oliphant 32 interception return (2-point good), 0 :37 Second Quarter PC — Wyatt Frasure 31 run (2-point failed), 8:05 BC — Javan Oliphant 33 pass from Carter (2-point good), 7:11 BC — Jordan Oswald 25 pass from Carter (Kick no good), 6:15 Third Quarter BC — Wangle Roux 5 run (Caleb Yager kick), 5:40 PC — Connor O'Neal 3 run (Kick no good), 0 :17 Fourth Quarter PC — O'Neal 37 pass from Lars Utterback (Sam Coleman kick), 3:31 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING — PC: Frasure 18 -110 ; O'Neal 1-9; Utter- back 4-1. BC: Kody Walsh 4-35; Hunter Funkhouser 1- 23; Seth Oliphant 3-23; Carter 2-19; Roux 2-6; Aidan Vaught 2-5; Oswald 1-1; Evan Asher 2-2. PASSING—PC: Utterback 10 -18 -2-141. BC: Carter 16 -20 -0 -210 ; Seth Oliphant 3-3-0 -23. RECEIVING—PC: O'Neal 6 -113; Stephen Krieg 2- 12; Colson Dillard 1-6; Levi McCarter 1-11. BC: Oswald 6 -85; Javan Oliphant 3-47; Walsh 3-36; Carter Kelly 3- 28; Freischman 2-18; Nick Huls 2-15; Jordan Nash 1-4. DEFENSE—PC Tackles: O'Neal 7; Frasure 5; Brayden Howald 4; Caleb Zazzetti 4; Brandon Goep- pner 3; Krieg 3; Dillard 2; Cody Davis 1. 180 pounds), who competed 52 of 128 passing attempts for 460 yards and four touch- downs last season. He also rushed for 132 yards on 41 carries. "They will be a tough challenge," Stephens said. "I'm sure they will have a good week of practice and they are looking to come out and compete hard because, I know, they don't feel that they represented what kind of team they are from the score last week with North Daviess." Other Tecumseh players to watch for are running back and linebacker Jaidan Woodruff (5 -9, 158), line- man Jon Jackson (6 -3, 290), lineman Baron Jones (5 - 11, 245) and defensive back Dylan Simmons. Wide receiver Nick Gal- lagher (6 -3, 190) has also proven to be a weapon for Braves' offense. "I don't want to give away what we are doing, but we are making some person- nel changes," Stephens said. "We have to get some speed up front and get some movement out of our defen- sive line." Tecumseh is hoping for a breakthrough after four consecutive losing seasons, in which they finished 4-7 three times. The Braves primarily play out of a 4-3 defense, but will also play some 4-4, and ev- ery now and then they will switch to an odd front to im- prove their pass rushing. "I am very much looking forward to playing a home game," Stephens said. "I am very excited about hav- ing the ability to stay at our place and defend our home field in front of our crowd." Pike Central will play five home games this season, af- ter only playing three times at home last season. Pike Central High School football names captains By Dennis Marshall Press-Dispatch Sports Editor sports@pressdispatch.net Pike Central head football coach Dave Stephens recent- ly announced the four cap- tains for the Chargers' 2019 - 20 campaign. Seniors Connor O'Neal, Levi McCarter, junior Lars Utterback and sophomore Wyatt Frasure were select- ed by their teammates, with coaches having final discre- tion. "They are all very good rep- resentations of the Pike Cen- tral football program," Ste- phens said. O'Neal, a receiver and line- backer, has always been a lead-by-example guy, but he's stepped into more of a leader- ship role this season. "He's vocal and what we call a thermostat guy versus a thermometer guy. "Thermometer tells you the temperature of the room and a thermostat sets the tem- perature. He's done a really good job this year of making sure we have good practices and sessions, and everyone is on the same page and not messing around." McCarter, a tight end and defensive end, constantly sets an example for the younger players. He had zero unex- cused absences this past sum- mer and is always willingly to take criticism in order to get better. "Some guys I can't get af- ter because of their personal- ity or the way they handle it," Stephens said. "Sometimes I criticize through [McCarter]. If he can take it, then every- body else has to take it too. That's what a leader does; sac- rifices himself for the team." Utterback plays the natural leadership position of quarter- back. "It's a good positive thing for our team," Stephens said. "By selecting Utterback, the guys on our team are say- ing that he's a guy that they choose to follow. He has used his gifts to serve others more than thinking about what the game can do for him, and it's paid off with a captaincy." While O'Neal has stepped up into a more vocal leader- ship role this season, Ste- phens said Frasure, a run- ning back and linebacker, is what O'Neal use to be. "He's going to do it in silence, but he's also a lead-by-example guy," he said. "He's going to work as hard as anyone on the team. He will give credit to linemen. He appreciates and respects those guys. He's humble and won't take credit for himself, and is quick to give praise to others." Pike Central receiver Colson Dillard takes off af- ter catching a short pass at Brown County on Fri- day, Aug. 23.