The wait is over, Football is back in Indiana for high school football. The Chargers came into the season with incredible high hopes, to make it back to Lucas Oil Stadium in November. With a returning 9 starting players on offense, the hype surrounding the team was real heading into week one vs the Hamilton Southeastern Royals. On August 23 the season kicked off with an early dose of fireworks around the area but the Chargers were the ones who have major issues to work out moving forward.
Week One vs the HSE Royals:
The night started off just fine for the Chargers matching the Royals’ first TD with a 1-YD rush TD of their own after a 65-yard run from Senior Dajaun Green which set them up inside the two-yard line. After those first 2 touchdowns, it was all downhill from there for the Chargers as the final score was a smashing 45-21 in Favor of HSE. Some good that came from the matchup include the fact that the Chargers remained healthy and got a good indicator of where they stack up in the state rankings, and spoiler it’s not great.
The bad
First off let’s take a look at the special team play from Friday, 2 fumbles led to Royal drives starting within the 10-yard line. Not great to say the least, The kick returning needs work after losing the field position battle and led to every drive for the Chargers starting inside their 15-yard line. The offense, with several D1 recruits, was limited because of the bad field position.
Let’s address the elephant in the room, the defense did little to slow down, let alone stop, the Royals offense. The defense gave up 285 yards and 5 Touchdowns on the ground, and another 120 yards through the air and another touchdown. It could have been a lot worse too if HSE Senior QB Chandler Weston could complete a pass further than 10 yards down the field as he was 4/10 which could have led to another 20 points for the Royals but the missed throws included a wide-open 40-yard bomb. Even the addition of WR Jaidon VanPelt on the defensive side couldn’t stop the bleeding. The Royals also dominated the time of possession by nearly 20 minutes.
Some of the few upsides is the Chargers came out healthy and saw how they compare to the Indy area teams
Week 2 @ Center Grove:
Update: The game was called at half due to weather Carroll lost 28-14.
Week 3 vs South Side:
Ah Yes, finally a win. South has been terrible the past few years and Carroll will look to capitalize after a rough open to the year. Score prediction 70-6
Week 4 @ Dwenger:
The Saints are always a tough game as the rivalry runs deep between the Saints and the Chargers, last season was close up until the 3rd quarter when the offense remembered that they were playing football and started scoring. Jimmy and company looked great against Center Grove and will capitalize on the Saints barring a special teams meltdown, as in weeks 1 and 2. Score Prediction: 42-31
Week 5 vs Snider ( Homecoming)
Oh boy here we go, Dinan has been historically .500 against the Panthers, (which is mid, but better than nearly anyone else in the city). Last year, Carroll, who did not play their best, fell to the Panthers 27-24. The play calling was questioinable and a pair of pick-sixes sealed the game in favor of the Panthers a year ago. This year might be a bit of a different story as the Snider defense looks really good early in this season which can not be said about the Carroll D. This year’s matchup holds more weight since the Panthers are now in the same sectional as Carroll which could lead to a rematch in late October or November. That being said Give me Carroll 24-21 in OT
Week 6 @ Wayne
Wayne could be a tough matchup for sure as last season it was 17-10, however, the defense hasn’t been spectacular and I like the Charger’s Offense as much as anyone in the State and that’s what this game will come down to. Carroll wins 42- 35
Week 7 @ Homestead
Rivalry Week in Indiana, one of Indiana’s best at that, writes another chapter this season at Spartan Field. While Homestead looks improved this season in year 2 of their lefty QB, Jimmy will be looking to go undefeated against his old team in his Senior year. Carroll wins 52-48 in a barnburner
Week 8 vs Northrop
Even though the Bruins have several D-1 WRs they got exposed vs Huntington North who is bad at football. Look for Carroll to keep it vanilla this week due to the potential of seeing Northrop again in November. Carroll rolls 42-7
Week 9 @ North Side
The Legends were the last team in FWCS to get turf but that won’t make a difference to Carroll. The Legends have never gotten out of the 1st round, Give me Carroll 56-6
