Published: October 31, 2009 10:39 pm      

Buzz begins for Northwestern vs. Cass

MIC rivals to meet Friday for sectional title

It’s never too early to get excited about a big game — in this case, it’s an excellent football matchup between Lewis Cass and Northwestern that has the Mid-Indiana Conference rivals charged up.

The No. 9-ranked Kings (8-3) and the Tigers (9-2) will meet for the Class 2A Sectional 28 championship Friday night at Northwestern.

“I think the kids are really excited,” Cass coach Scott Mannering. “To have a chance at a championship, against Northwestern, it doesn’t get much better than that. It’s close to home and it’s a big rival for us.”

Cass is no stranger to playing in November. The Kings earned sectional and regional championships in three of the previous four seasons, clearing their semistate hurdle last season to reach the first state finals for the first time.

Northwestern is on the rise under the direction of third-year coach John Hendryx. The Tigers won a sectional title in 2007, breaking a nine-year drought, and they are coming off their best regular season since 2000.

“John is a unique guy. He is very intense, yet he’s very laid back at times. I know the kids have a lot of respect for him over there. I know kids really want to play hard for him — it’s evident in the way their guys do play,” Mannering said. “In the short time he’s been there, the culture of the football program has changed quite a bit. I thought they were good before, but he’s taken them to a different level and instilled a different mentality. They are playing very well.”

What else to like about this matchup?

• Offensive playmakers on both sides. Cass quarterback Damon Foreman is a proven winner and Derrick Worden leads the Kings’ deep stable of running backs. Northwestern has an excellent pass-catch tandem in Trevor Gibson and Brayden Merrell, and running back Michael Schulte had a 237-yard performance against Taylor in the semifinal round Friday night.

• Hot defenses. Both squads are coming off back-to-back shutouts. Combined, they have 10 shutouts on the season.

• Outstanding coaches. Cass skipper Mannering owns a 35-23 postseason record and a 176-87 overall record. Northwestern’s Hendryx has a sparkling 32-15 postseason record and a 136-58 overall mark. Hendryx owns a Class A state championship ring from his time at Carroll.

• History. Cass beat Northwestern 26-7 when the teams squared off in Mid-Indiana Conference play in Week 3. It marked the Kings’ 10th straight win in the rivalry series — a streak the Tigers are hungry to end. Gibson missed that game, still recovering from an ankle injury.

“We beat them the first time, but the dynamics are a whole lot different right now. Both teams have a lot of changes, probably them more than us. It’s going to be a good, tough contest,” Mannering said.

Coincidentally, the last time the Tigers beat the Kings came when the squads last met in the postseason: The Tigers beat the Kings 40-33 in a 1999 sectional semifinal game when Gibson’s brother Nathan was the Tigers’ QB.

Hendryx knows his squad will need a week of crisp practices to prepare for the Kings.

“They have really good balance offensively — they run the ball well and they throw the ball well when they have to — and they play good, solid defense and good, solid special teams. They just don’t have a glaring weakness anywhere,” Hendryx said.

“Something we talk a lot about with our kids is ‘get on people, try to catch them where [doubt creeps in].’ That is never going to happen with Cass. You have to show up, play well and take the game because they’re not going to do things to beat themselves.”

The Sectional 28 final offers two good teams and a high level of respect between the coaching staffs, which is the kind of game Hendryx enjoys.

“I have the utmost respect for what Scott’s done with his program, and you know going into the game you don’t have to worry about the crazy stuff. There’s not going to be any extra-curricular stuff — it’s not going to come from them, it’s not going to come from us. It’s just going to be a good, hard-fought football game I hope,” he said.

How’s the weather?

Cass and Northwestern are surely hoping for better weather and field conditions than they endured in their semifinal games Friday night. Heavy rain and strong winds led to worsening field conditions.

“It was unbelievable. Constant wind and constant rain — it just never let up. It was about as bad as I’ve had to stand out in,” said Hendryx, whose squad beat visiting Taylor 25-0.

“The wind-and-rain combination was bad, then you throw in the fact these fields have been already beaten down pretty well. They’re just shot and ours is no exception. By the end of the first quarter, it was just a mud bath.”

Cass, playing at home, beat Tipton 15-0.

“I talked to coach [Aaron] Tolle after the game and we both felt the same way — it’s too bad that couldn’t have been on a good night because that could have been a game similar maybe to us and Western where it was going to go either way,” Mannering said, referring to Cass’ 34-27 win against Western in Week 9. “The conditions and everything took a lot of things away from both teams, probably them more than us.”

Mannering put only one other game in his 24 seasons ahead of Friday’s night game in terms of poor weather and field conditions — a sectional semifinal game at Heritage in 2006. Heritage scored on the opening drive for a 6-0 win.

“That Heritage game was the worst,” Mannering said. “The field was done after about the second series. You couldn’t run any plays. [Friday] night was similar to that especially on the one end where it seemed everything took place.”