Mr. Picker 2020 WEEK (15) FIFTEEN:

(2A) Bishop Luers (8-6) vs. Western Boone (10-4)
11 a.m. EST (11-27-2020) The big question here is the eternal question. When you’ve been outside in cold weather all November, what does your offense look like when you move indoors? Bishop Luers junior QB Chris Clark is 225 of 370 for 3,289 yards, 35 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. All games played outdoors. Move him indoors in perfect conditions with junior wide receiver Brody Glenn (59 catches, 1,093 yards, 15 TDs) and junior slot receiver Krashaun Menson (30 catches, 524 yards, 7 TDs, 17.5 yards per catch) and what is Western Boone going to do?

They’re going to hand the ball to senior Robbie Taylor (302 carries, 1,645 yards, 19 TDs) like they have the last two years. Taylor is a two-time 1,000-yard rusher who has 42 career touchdowns. The Stars have run the ball 520 times (37 per game) in 14 games. Western Boone’s best defense against Knights’ passing game is to run the ball and keep the Luers’ air force on the bench.

Luers has allowed more points this season (33.2 per game) than they have scored (32.1 per game). I do not ever remember a team that reached the state championship game with that particular statistic. But Luers has played three Class 6A schools and three Class 5A schools. Western Boone have not played any 5As or 6As. I don’t want to over-think this. Move a big-time passing game indoors and they’ll be even more big time.

Bishop Luers 35, Western Boone 21


(4A) No. 7 Hobart (11-2) vs. No. 4 Roncalli (12-1):

3 p.m. EST (11-27-2020) A ‘legacy match’ here as the nine-time state champ Roncalli Rebels take on the once and future ‘kings of Northwest Indiana,’ the four-time champ Hobart Brickies. This is Roncalli’s 13th state championship game and it is Hobart's 10th. Nobody’s going to make history here.

Roncalli has 53 rushing touchdowns in 14 games and that number is led by Baron Huebler (5-9, 180) who has run 293 times (12 100-yard games) for 2,172 yards and 31 TDs. ‘The Baron’ has 3,900 career rushing yards and I heard he ran for 306 yards and five TDs last week in a 42-14 win over Mooresville. When the ball needed to be thrown, 6-foot-2 junior Aidan Leffler has 113 completions in 177 attempts for 1,508 yards 19 TDs and just five interceptions.
 
Hobart rides with the defense. The Brickies have shut out five teams and held five others to 17 points or less.

QB Riley Johnston is a true double threat with 97 completions in 161 pass attempts for 1,627 yards and 16 TDs plus 116 carries for 782 yards and 12 TDs. Top receiver Zach Vode likes the end zone and he has 54 catches for 1,042 yards. Halfback Tyler Turley has run 129 times for 794 yards and 14 TDs but the Brickies aren't an offensive machine.

All-state linebacker Bobby Babcock (6-1, 220) has 36 tackles for loss in 12 games. Hobart’s ‘D’ has 24 quarterback sacks and 17 interceptions. Only Merrillville and Andrean have scored more than 20 on Hobart, but Roncalli might be as good or better than Merrillville and Andrean.

The Rebels win a close one

Roncalli 24, Hobart 17


(6A) No. 2 Westfield (12-1) vs. No. 1 Center Grove (13-0):

7 p.m. EST (11-27-2020) In theory, there’s a large gap between Center Grove, Cathedral and everyone else in the state. That 2020 theory gets put to the test in the Friday evening game as the top-ranked Center Grove Trojans take on 2nd-ranked Westfield, a team on a 12-game winning streak. Center Grove has beaten everyone except Cathedral (a 17-13 win) by 14 points or more. The Trojans' defense has allowed 93 points all year. Senior running back Carson Steele (6-2, 210) will look to reach the 6,000-yard mark for his career. He stands at 5,797 yards and 80 rushing touchdowns on 938 carries.

When they feel the need to throw, junior Tayven Weems (6-5, 190) has been good with 105 completions in just 167 attempts for 1,635 yards and 15 touchdowns.
But CG wants to run. The Trojans have run the ball 555 times in 14 games. Center Grove has also turned the ball over just seven times all season. You don’t beat them because you don’t have the ball.

But Westfield has won 12 in a row since an opening 56-20 loss to Cathedral and quarterback Max Webster (6-2, 225) is a trouble-maker with 2,023 yards (127 of 90, 27 TDs) passing and 813 yards (134 carries and 18 TDs) rushing. Mr. ‘Big Play’ is senior Mason Piening who has caught 43 passes for 946 yards (22 yards per catch) and 12 TDs. Piening has also ruin back 16 kicks for 27 yards a return including a 99-yarder against Franklin Central.

But nobody moves the ball on Center Grove. Class 5A No. 1 Cathedral scored 56 on Westfield and 13 on Center Grove. I just don't think Westfield can stand up to the ’Man of Steele’ and his offensive line.

Center Grove 35, Westfield 17


(1A) No. 1 South Adams (13-0) vs. No. 5 Covenant Christian (14-0):

11 a.m. EST (11-28-2020) Here’s another game where a top passer moves indoors. Covenant Christian senior Austin Frazier (6-3, 180) has completed 111 of 183 passes for 2,303 yards and 38 touchdowns. To have 38 TDs on 111 completions means he’s throwing it significantly downfield a lot. Not a lot of two-yard passes. Senior basketball player Brian Lomax has 31 catches for 710 yards (a 22.9 yard average) and 13 TDs. Senior Adrian Terry has 27 catches for 619 yards (also a 22.9 average) and 13 more TDs. Micah Wilson has 1,106 yards rushing on 101 carries (an 11.0 average) but CC has run the ball just 284 times in 14 games. That’s not much.

But wait a minute. South Adams quarterback James Arnold (6-3, 185) wants to throw it, too. Arnold has 182 completions in 267 attempts for 3,458 yards and 44 touchdowns and he has five receivers with over 30 catches and 400 yards. Drew Stutzman has 44 catches for 1,075 yards (24.4 per catch) and 18 TDs. When South Adams gets tired of throwing the ball, Chris Summerset has carried 196 times for 1,163 yards and 20 TDs.

But both these teams would obviously rather throw and this will be their first game indoors. The South Adams Starfires have waited a long time. They were 12-0 last year and lost in the regional. This is the first state championship game ever for South Adams. Covenant Christian has only had football for six years so their is also their first-ever state champion game.

I don’t have a good idea about this game except that it will be high scoring

South Adams 49, Covenant Christian 42


(3A) No. 1 Bishop Chatard (12-1) vs. No. 5 Danville (11-0):

3 p.m. EST (11-28-2020) Here comes the godfather. The 14-time state champ Bishop Chatard Trojans. The 2019 state 4A champ. Chatard is 14-1 in state championship games. Chatard’s only losses in the last two seasons are to Cathedral and Danville is not Cathedral. 4A No. 4 Southridge was 13-0 until Danville beat them 30-7 last week. Danville also stopped 3A No. 8 Tri-West. But the Warriors’ schedule isn’t string. Bishop Chatard has faced 3A No. 10 Brebeuf twice, 3A No. 2 Marian, 4A No. 4 Roncalli, 4A, No. 5 East Central, 5A No. 1 Cathedral and 6A No. 7 Merrillville. The only loss was 39-30 to Cathedral.

I could give you a lot of individual statistics here, but they are misleading because these two are from different scheduling neighborhoods. Yards gained and allowed against Danville’s schedule are not yards gained and allowed against the people who Bishop Chatard plays.

Of the six games this weekend, this is one of the two mismatches. The difference in these two schedules is so vivid that I cannot see Danville staying close in the second half.

Bishop Chatard 42, Danville 21


(5A) Zionsville (7-5) vs. Cathedral (12-1):
7 p.m. EST (11-28-2020) This is the other mismatch. Cathedral is the big, bad wolf of Indiana high school football. Zionsville is on a nice postseason run and they rallied to beat Valparaiso last week going away 27-9. The Class 5A Eagles have played a tough schedule with seven Class 6A schools.

But Chatard has played an elite schedule. Forget the three Cincinnati schools, one of which won the Ohio state title. The Fighting Irish have beaten 3A No. 1 Bishop Chatard. They lost 17-13 to 6A No. 1 Center Grove. Cathedral beat 6A No. 6 Carmel and 6A No. 4 Brownsburg and 6A No. 9 Lawrence North.

Here’s another pick where I won’t wear you down with individual statistics because Zionsville simply does not play the same type of teams that Cathedral does. You should never pick a four touchdown spread in a state title game. But….

Cathedral 42, Zionsville 14


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Revised: November 28, 2020 .