Marquee Matchups: Playoffs Week 2

Week 2 of the state playoffs in Indiana is upon us and it offers up some very intriguing matchups. Win or go home time sees tough teams going head-to-head, with squads looking to get one step closer to Lucas Oil Stadium. Today, we take a look at four juicy games that are tough to call right now and will have plenty to watch for. These games feature evenly-matched foes. It is all or nothing tonight, who will come out on top? Homestead at Carroll The Caroll Chargers were victorious over the Homestead Spartans in the regular season, helping themselves win a share of the SAC championship. For Homestead to avenge their earlier defeat to Carroll, they are going to need to move the football well through the air. Quarterback Peyton Slaven will need to rely on standout Wide Receiver [player_tooltip player_id="98058" first="Nate" last="Anderson"]. If the Western Michigan commit can have himself a big night the Spartans will certainly have a chance of pulling off the upset. Defensively, they will likely need a big play from top linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="98038" first="Ebon" last="Person"]. For Carroll, it is simple: let South Dakota State commit [player_tooltip player_id="98016" first="Jeff" last="Becker"] go to work. He has been outstanding down the stretch and if he gets in rhythm early, it could be a long night for the Spartans. Becker can hurt Homestead with both his arm and his legs, meaning that Sparty will have to be vigilant at all times defensively. On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="107189" first="Dylan" last="Bennett"] has been having a terrific season. If he can come up with another takeaway, it could dramatically flip momentum in the Chargers’ favor. Eastside at Central Noble Eastside won this matchup in the regular season in dominant fashion. Star quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="98073" first="Laban" last="Davis"] had a huge game for the Blazers as they rolled to a win. Davis continues to play impressive football. If he can put up big numbers again tonight, Eastside could very well take another step toward Indianapolis. Their high-powered offense is going to be very difficult to deal with. Central Noble will have to play well defensively, but even if they do, they are going to have to put up points. Quarterback Tyler Shisler will need to have a productive evening for them to knock off the Blazers. Shisler will also have the support of top-tier running back Will Hoover, who has racked up well over 1,000 rushing yards on the season. When dropping back to pass, Shisler will need to look for leading receiver Preston Diffendorfer. If those three can have big nights, Central Noble has what it takes to advance. Fishers at Hamilton Southeastern One of the top matchups in the Indy area this week sees Fishers and Hamilton Southeastern square off. For Fishers, Junior Quarterback Luke Mimms- who has had a solid campaign- will be needed to make some key plays in this game. But they will also need contributions to come from other sources as well. Leading rusher [player_tooltip player_id="107239" first="Carson" last="Dunn"] could be instrumental for wearing down the Hamilton Southeastern defense. Receiver Jeffrey Dunn will need to be the one to test the opposing secondary. Quarterback Sam Jacobs has been outstanding this year for Hamilton Southeastern. Another big performance could very well have his team heading for the next round. Running back Blake Wertz could be called upon regularly in this contest. Wertz is approaching the 1,000 rushing yard plateau. If he can be productive on the ground, he could allow his team to control the tempo of the game.