Looking to extend their three-game winning streak, the 3-1 Center Grove Trojans will host Ohio’s 3-0 Harvest Prep Warriors on Homecoming Night, who have won against their past three opponents by a combined score of 131-30.
The offensive proficiency and large margins of victory have led the Warriors to their undefeated record, which will require the Trojans to make some necessary defensive adjustments from their previous opponents.
“They have a very explosive offense, and we obviously have to make some adjustments for that. Teams we’ve played in the past have different size, different speed, so it needs some adjustments from the defensive side,” senior running back Matthew Yoder said.
Although Harvest Prep poses a unique challenge compared to the other teams on Center Grove’s schedule, the Trojans have the benefit of playing other similarly high-ranked defenses to prepare for the Warriors’ defensive line.
“Their ends for sure are pretty athletic, but [in terms of] their interior guys, we’ve definitely played better. All year, we’ve played pretty solid defensive lines, so I think that’s helped us to prepare for this game,” senior offensive lineman Andrew Eckhart said.
This will be the fifth straight out-of-state opponent for Center Grove, which has posed a different challenge from previous years. However, the experience can have benefits attached with it.
“It’s very new for us, but I do like the challenge. I feel like for the past few years, it’s been fairly easy for most of our games, and playing opponents different from the past four years is pretty eye-opening for us and gets us a lot better,” Eckhart said.
A big part of the Trojans’ strategy this year has been centered around making adjustments on the fly, often reacting to the ebb and flow of the game and the successes and flaws of their opponent’s play.
“Typically, the first drive gives us some good ideas, but coming out to start the game the teams are going to be a little more amped up and aren’t always going to do what they normally do,” Yoder said. “It’s when they get tired that we’ll be able to show an advantage because we are a very well-conditioned team.”
Despite the pressure of delivering against high-ranked opponents and the spotlight of Homecoming Night on the game, theTrojans look to block out the noise and replicate their success from the past three weeks.
“It’s just another game to me. When you’re out there on the field, and you’re focused on the game, you don’t really think about the stuff going on around you,” Yoder said. “It just feels like another football game.”
