Landon Kleindorfer

BRAZIL, Indiana (DLC Media) – As week 6 approaches the Knights have been able to remain undefeated. Now Northview faces a bigger foe than they have seen all season long. The Terre Haute South Braves sit at a deceiving 1-4 on the season with losses to both Bloomington North and South and a win over Terre Haute North (Northview also has a win over THN).

Last week Northview started slower than they would have liked after a fumble on the opening drive and a muffed punt led to the Knights only leading 14-0 at halftime. A late interception thrown by Owen Valley in the first half as the buzzer sounded would make sure that the Patriots could not score.

In the Second half, Northview went back to their typical run game as Tyler Lee and DeMarius McLawyer combined for a massive 225 rushing yards and three touchdowns all while quarterback Kyle Cottee (5 Completions on 5 Attempts) got comfortable passing the football. The Knights would give up a garbage time score and then answer with a kick return for a final score of 41-7 (20 of Northview’s points came in the 4th).

This week’s opponent could be the type of team that finds a hole in the Knights armor. Terre Haute South will use a passing attack unlike what Northview has seen. Despite the record of THS, they throw up significant numbers with quarterback Brady Wilson having 236 passing yards per game and 11 total touchdowns already this year. On the ground, the Braves will use Zyeiar White who rushes for just over 100 yards per game and averages a touchdown per game.

On defense, THS leans on tackle leaders Coy Bender (60 ToT) and Brandon Freeman (74 ToT, 3 TFL) to make stops. Those two will have their hands full. Another deterrent to the Knights offense will be DB Colin Nieten who has four interceptions in five games. The Knights don’t pass often, however when they do drop back Nieten will be someone to be cautious around.

Now back to Northview, the offense has not been stopped for longer than a half (typically the first half). The Knights have done well to come out of the halftime locker-room juiced and it shows on the scoresheet. With McLawyer seeing his first significant time last week, it is safe to say that the Knights offense has a three headed monster in the backfield (Lee, McLawyer, Cottee). The knights rush for 359.2 yards per game (220 yards over the national average).

Then there’s the defensive side for Northview… The defense has been nothing short of spectacular this season, only allowing 12.7 points per game. The D is led by four defensive players who each have at leas 20 tackles on the season (Slade Fell; 29, Gage Thompson; 25, Tyler Lee; 22, and Jace Deakins; 21). Each of the four also has multiple tackles for loss on the season.

FINAL ANALYSIS…

Northview will once again be tested in the start of this game. The main key for the Knights in this game is to stay between the THS receivers and the endzone. The pass game will most likely decide the game for both teams. However, if Northview can run between the tackles like they have all season, there is very little that any team can do to match the Knights.

Final Score Prediction: 34-27 Northview def. Terre Haute South

NV Sagarin Rating: 68.37 (22nd in 4A)

THS Sagarin Rating: 61.34 (21st in 5A)