Week 7 high school football predictions: Whiteland-Mooresville, Chatard-Merrillville & more

How did this happen? The calendar turns to October and we are just a week away from the high school football sectional draw. Time flies when you are having fun.

Speaking of fun, I was 33-5 on predictions last week to improve to 186-37 (83.4%) on the season. Here is a look at all of the Week 7 area high school football predictions (kickoff at 7 p.m. Friday unless noted):

Mooresville (6-0) at Whiteland (5-1): Class 4A second-ranked Mooresville has maneuvered through a couple of tough challenges the past two weeks with wins over Decatur Central (20-14) and Franklin (39-30). Can the Pioneers make it through a third? Whiteland, ranked fifth in 5A, can still grab a share of the Mid-State Conference with a win in this one. Chase Valentine has rushed for 884 yards and six TDs and caught three TD passes to lead the Warriors. Mooresville 28, Whiteland 24.

Cincinnati Elder (3-2) vs. Cathedral (6-0), at Arlington: Elder’s two losses – to Cincinnati La Salle (53-52) and St. Xavier (38-24) – are to teams Cathedral has defeated. Camden Jordan became Cathedral’s all-time leader in touchdown receptions in last week’s 37-28 win over La Salle. He has 36 catches for 533 yards and 10 TDs this season. Cathedral 34, Elder 24.

Lawrence North (4-2) at Warren Central (2-3): Warren Central has won 18 consecutive games in this series dating to the regular-season finale in 2005. Is this the year for the Wildcats to break the streak? Jordan Jackson is coming off a huge week for Lawrence North with four catches for 148 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-24 overtime win over Ben Davis. Lawrence North 24, Warren Central 23.

Avon (3-3) at Westfield (5-1): Westfield is up to No. 4 in the 6A poll this week after a 43-42 win over Brownsburg. Avon has dominated this series over the years, losing just twice in Mark Bless’ tenure with the Orioles (2013 and ’16). Henry Hesson passed for 372 yards and five touchdowns in Avon’s 49-14 win over Fishers last week. Westfield 31, Avon 30.

Center Grove (6-0) at Pike (3-3): Can Pike give 6A top-ranked Center Grove a game? The Red Devils were edged 29-27 by Warren Central last week. Center Grove has four shutouts and has allowed just 26 points this season. Center Grove 38, Pike 13.

Ben Davis (2-4) at Carmel (4-2): Look out for Carmel. The Greyhounds have won three consecutive games, dominating the second half of a 38-14 win over North Central last week as Zach White rushed for a season-high 148 yards and two TDs. Ben Davis has also played better despite falling 27-24 in overtime last week to Lawrence North. Ben Davis leads the all-time series 23-22 after last year’s 27-14 win. Carmel 28, Ben Davis 27.

Brownsburg (5-1) at Zionsville (3-3): Brownsburg looks to rebound from its first loss, 43-42 in overtime to Westfield. This is a rematch of Zionsville’s 44-41 win in last year’s sectional championship. Zionsville had Hamilton Southeastern on the ropes last week before falling, 14-13. Colin Price rushed for 149 yards and a touchdown, his fifth consecutive 100-yard game. Brownsburg 31, Zionsville 24.

Merrillville (5-0) at Bishop Chatard (5-1), 7:30 p.m.: This is a really interesting game, scheduled when both teams needed an opponent. Merrillville is ranked No. 2 in 6A and Chatard No. 1 in 3A. Merrillville’s Lavarion Logan rushed for 170 yards and two touchdowns in Merrillville’s win last week over LaPorte. Bishop Chatard 27, Merrillville 26.

North Central (4-2) at Lawrence Central (0-6): North Central looks to bounce back from losses to Center Grove and Carmel. North Central 31, Lawrence Central 14.

Greenwood (3-3) at Decatur Central (4-2): Greenwood is averaging 346 rushing yards per game. Can the Woodmen run effectively against Decatur Central? The Hawks have not lost to Greenwood since 2012. Decatur Central 34, Greenwood 23.

Bloomington North (3-2) at Roncalli (4-1), Saturday 6 p.m.: Bloomington North was unable to play last week and this game moves to Saturday to give the Cougars an extra day of preparation. Roncalli has scored more than 30 points in every game except the 28-7 loss to Bishop Chatard. Roncalli 33, Bloomington North 23.

Hamilton Southeastern (4-2) at Noblesville (2-4): Noblesville broke through after a couple of close losses, defeating Franklin Central 20-13. Junior Owen Jones rushed for a season-high 185 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. Hamilton Southeastern squeaked past Zionsville, 14-13, with a couple of late scores. HSE 21, Noblesville 17.

Frankfort (3-3) at Danville (4-0): Danville senior Ethan Dutra has 39 tackles in four games. Danville 28, Frankfort 7.

North Montgomery (5-1) at Tri-West (4-2): Tri-West rebounded from the loss to Danville with a 42-7 victory over Lebanon. Kai Ross has 1,159 passing yards and 14 TDs for the Bruins. Tri-West 31, North Montgomery 24.

New Castle (3-2) at Mt. Vernon (6-0), 7:30 p.m.: Mt. Vernon was tested last week in a 27-21 victory over Pendleton Heights. New Castle quarterback Will Grieser (926 passing yards, 14 TDs; 368 rushing yards, three TDs) leads the Trojans. Mt. Vernon 34, New Castle 24.

Heritage Christian (4-1) at Lapel (5-1), 7:30 p.m.: Heritage Christian looks to bounce back from its first loss of the season, 36-21 to Covenant Christian. The Eagles won this game in a shootout last season, 36-35. Heritage Christian 33, Lapel 28.

Pendleton Heights (4-2) at Delta (4-1), 7:30 p.m.: Pendleton Heights served notice that it will be a tough team to handle in Class 4A Sectional 21 with last week’s 27-21 loss to Mt. Vernon. Tyler McKinley has 20 catches for 306 yards and four touchdowns for the Arabians. Pendleton Heights 28, Delta 21.

Plainfield (3-3) at Franklin (3-3): Franklin gave Mooresville all it could handle last week in a 39-30 loss. The same for Plainfield in a 35-20 loss to Decatur Central. Franklin senior Reed Roberts passed for 268 yards and rushed for 54 in the loss to Mooresville. Franklin 34, Plainfield 28.

Terre Haute South (2-4) at Brebeuf Jesuit (2-2), 2 p.m. Saturday: Brebeuf will play its first game since Sept. 11. This was a competitive matchup last year with the Braves winning, 21-14. Brebeuf Jesuit 24, Terre Haute South 16.

Seeger (4-1) at Sheridan (4-1): Seeger has won four in a row and rolled by 42 points over Sheridan last season. Cameron Hovey leads Sheridan with 989 rushing yards and 14 TDs. Sheridan 28, Seeger 27.

Fishers (1-5) at Franklin Central (1-5): Jeffrey Simmons was a bright spot in Fishers’ 49-14 loss to Avon last week, catching 10 passes for 115 yards. Colin Badgero passed for a season-high 357 yards in Franklin Central’s 20-13 loss to Noblesville last week but was intercepted three times. Fishers 28, Franklin Central 14.

Beech Grove (4-2) at Park Tudor (4-0): Park Tudor routed Oldenburg Academy 40-6 last week as C.J. Thompson caught three touchdown passes. This is a new game on the schedule with both teams needing new opponents and a step up in competition from Park Tudor’s schedule so far. Beech Grove has won seven in a row in the series. Beech Grove 34, Park Tudor 26.

Southmont (2-3) at Western Boone (3-3): Robby Taylor notched his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season last week’s in Western Boone’s 37-0 win over Frankfort. Western Boone 31, Southmont 13.

Monrovia (1-5) at Lutheran (5-1): Lutheran dropped to No. 2 this week in Class A after a 26-25 double-overtime loss to 4A Northview. Blake White was 23-for-30 passing for 230 yards and three touchdowns. Corbin Padgett has 440 yards and two TDs in three games for Monrovia. Lutheran 41, Monrovia 16.

Eastern Hancock (4-2) at Monroe Central (3-1): This should be one of the more competitive games of the night. Eastern Hancock’s Houston Swan has 1,560 passing yards and 20 touchdowns, on pace to eclipse his numbers from last season (2,511 yards and 33 TDs). Monroe Central also has an excellent junior quarterback in Jackson Ullom (717 passing yards, eight TDs). Eastern Hancock 34, Monroe Central 32.

Tech (2-3) at Anderson (0-6): Tech was competitive but dropped a 20-12 decision to McCutcheon last week. The Titans, who have not scored more than 15 points in a game, look to end a two-game losing streak. Tech 30, Anderson 20.

New Palestine (4-1) at Shelbyville (0-6), 7:30 p.m.: Freshman Grayson Thomas rushed for a season-high 141 yards on 20 carries in New Palestine’s 17-14 victory over Greenfield-Central last week and quarterback Lincoln Roth had a season-high 169 rushing yards and two TDs. New Palestine 48, Shelbyville 7.

Shortridge (0-5) vs. Crispus Attucks (2-2), at Northwest: Attucks was off last week due to a quarantine situation at an opponent’s school. Attucks 34, Shortridge 12.

Manual (1-3) at Indian Creek (4-2): Manual picked up its first victory with a 14-6 win over Bowman Academy last week. Indian Creek rolled over Edgewood, 27-7. Indian Creek 42, Manual 16.

Tipton (4-1) at Hamilton Heights (3-3): Hamilton Heights has won three in a row, the latest a 35-14 win over Twin Lakes. Trey Ehman rushed for 142 yards on 24 carries. Tipton 28, Hamilton Heights 23.

Speedway (3-3) at Cascade (2-4): A win here would get Speedway to four victories for the first time since going 8-4 in 2013 in Denny Pelley’s final season as coach. Speedway 34, Cascade 14.

Triton Central (4-1) vs. Scecina (2-2), at Beech Grove: The score could be similar to Scecina’s 8-7 victory last season. Scecina, coming off a two-week break, is allowing just 8.5 points per game. Triton Central is allowing just 9.8 points per game. Freshman Ray Crawford rushed for 100 yards in Triton Central’s win over Indian Creek last week. Triton Central 16, Scecina 12.

Washington (1-4) at Purdue Polytechnic (2-3): Washington has dropped four in a row, while Purdue Poly has lost two in a row. Purdue Poly 22, Washington 20.

Northview (5-1) at Guerin Catholic (1-3), 7:30 p.m.: Northview notched a big victory last week, knocking off Class A No. 1 Lutheran 26-25 in overtime. Guerin is coming off back-to-back shutout losses to Roncalli and Bishop Chatard. Northview 23, Guerin Catholic 13.

Southport (1-2) at Terre Haute North (2-4), 7:30 p.m.: Southport took advantage of four Bloomington South turnovers last week and rolled to a 40-14 victory.Southport 33, Terre Haute North 20.

Southside Home School (0-4) vs. Covenant Christian (6-0), at Zionsville West: Covenant Christian could be headed toward an undefeated regular season after last week’s 36-21 win over Heritage Christian. Covenant Christian 52, Southside 14.

Yorktown (3-3) at Greenfield-Central (1-3), 7:30 p.m.: Greenfield-Central gave New Pal a scare last week in a 17-14 loss. The progress is obvious in Travis Nolting’s second season as coach, even if the record does not show it yet. Quarterback Lance McKee has rushed for 430 yards and seven touchdowns in four games. Greenfield-Central 28, Yorktown 26.

Edinburgh (1-5) at Traders Point Christian (1-3): Both programs are coming off tough losses last week – Edinburgh 62-0 to Milan and Traders Point 41-6 to Lapel. Traders Point 28, Edinburgh 26.

Tindley (2-3) at Wes-Del (1-5): Antonio Robinson passed for a season-high 161 yards and two scores and rushed for another touchdown in Tindley’s 20-6 win over Purdue Poly last week. Tindley 27, Wes-Del 22.

Perry Meridian (0-6) at Martinsville (2-4): Perry Meridian’s Aiden Warren rushed for a season-high 126 yards and a touchdown in last week’s loss to Greenwood. Martinsville looks to snap a three-game losing streak. Martinsville 34, Perry Meridian 24.

Lebanon (0-3) at Crawfordsville (0-6): Lebanon played for the first time in nearly a month last week and lost 42-7 to Tri-West. Lebanon 35, Crawfordsville 14.

Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.