When the Trojans make the 40 minute drive to Lawrence North this Friday the game will be a lot more than just a game. Lawrence North coach Pat Mallory is a former member of the Center Grove coaching staff, and he seeks to defeat his former team in order to prove that he can coach on his own.

“Lawrence North is a very athletic team,” said sophomore kicker Nolan Foley. “We just have to know how to move the ball and how to limit their big plays.”

This season, the Trojans are undefeated, winning seven games with an average point differential of 40.4. With last week’s win over Pike, they improved to 6-0 in the MIC and clinched at least a partial share of the MIC championship.

Last week, the Trojans also demonstrated that they could overcome adversity. Pike came out and scored two big touchdowns, one on kickoff and one on a busted coverage: the first time the Trojans have trailed this year. However, the team rallied and scored 50 unanswered points to win the game.

“Everybody needs to stay locked in and do their job,” said senior linebacker Jackson Schott, “We need to not worry about who we’re playing and instead just worry about ourselves and doing what we’re supposed to do like every week.”

Lawrence North, led by senior quarterback Donaven McCulley, cannot be underestimated. Their team is 5-2, and has an average point differential of 14.3. Their only two losses on the season have been by less than a touchdown, and they are now second in the MIC in points. Alongside the Indiana commit in McCulley, the Wildcats have star receiver Omar Cooper. Cooper has proven deadly this year, as in only 7 games, he has 28 receptions for 819 yards and 10 touchdowns. These stats rank him 3rd in the State for receiving yards and 5th in receiving touchdowns. Overall, this Lawrence North team could present a challenge to the Trojans.

“We don’t always like to think [about specific players,]” senior corner Matt Soederdahl said, “We know what we’re capable of as a team, and we know that we can stop any team if we just do our job.”

A win this week would have two results: the Trojans would be 8-0 for the first time since 2015, and the team would be the outright champions of the MIC, as they would be the only MIC lineup without at least one conference loss.

“The key this week and every other week is playing together as a team,” said safeties coach Tom Blanck. “The team. The team. The team.”