Dangerous Beech Grove in position to spoil Triton Central's quest for ICC title

FAIRLAND – Triton Central’s grasp on a share of the Indiana Crossroads Conference title is precarious at best.

The Tigers built a 16-0 lead against Indianapolis Scecina last Friday but had to recover an onside kick attempt in the game’s final minute to survive the Crusaders’ comeback rally, 19-16.

“It was an unfortunate scenario in the second half,” admitted Triton Central head coach Tim Able. “Our first half was pretty good. We made a couple mistakes where we should have scored again – red zone mistakes. You can’t have those.

“Second half, we let them get back in the game. We gave them some confidence. We had three turnovers which is about as many as we’ve had all season up to that point. Turnovers are huge in football and we have to protect the ball on offense.”

With the win, Triton Central improved to 5-2 overall and is 4-1 in the ICC standings along with Monrovia (5-2, 4-1) and Indianapolis Lutheran (6-1, 4-1).

The Tigers’ final two games of the regular season are at home at Mendenhall Field. Beech Grove (4-3, 3-2) rolls into Fairland this week and Speedway (4-3, 3-2) follows for the finale on Oct. 18.

The Hornets feature senior running back Jeremiah Lee, who has rushed for 866 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. Lee, who has several Division I football offers but is still uncommitted, ran for 172 yards and a touchdown last season against Triton Central in a 31-6 loss.

“Lee is a pretty amazing dude. He came to our basketball gym last year and dominated us there and on the (football) field he dominated with over 40 carries,” said Able (photo). “We know he is a really good player. We know we have our hands full with what is coming in here to Tiger Town. It’s very important we gang tackle him and get multiple people to him.”

If Lee and his offensive line can control the line of scrimmage that takes pressure off young quarterback Bishop Moore. The six foot, five-inch freshman has thrown for 943 yards and nine touchdowns this season.

First-year head coach Rajshawn Mosley has the Hornets above .500 one season after the program won its first postseason game since 2020. Beech Grove sits firmly in the spoiler role with games against Triton Central and Indianapolis Lutheran still on the schedule.

“We got exactly what we wanted now let’s see if we can take advantage of it,” said Able of Lutheran’s 49-14 win over Monrovia last week. “We only have these opportunities so many times in your life. We’ve only won the conference one time since I’ve been here and I think that is the only time for the school in this conference. It would be a nice way to finish the regular season and give us a little momentum going into the playoffs.”

Triton Central will again be without leading rusher Kade Stephens (photo), who suffered an injury in the win over Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter two weeks ago. Able is hoping for a postseason return for the sophomore.

In his place, junior Bo West nearly topped 100 yards rushing in the win over Scecina. West and Braden Brown (photo) combined for 119 yards on 21 carries. The duo also had five receptions for 94 yards.

“Both of them hit the hole pretty good,” said Able. “Braden is a long strider while Bo is more of a short strider, quick scatback. Braden has a lot of power and good speed on the outside and is really good at catching the ball. He is a big target and big playmaker for us.”

Postseason draw

On Sunday, the IHSAA will announce the sectional pairings for the Football State Tournament. The program will air live at 6 p.m. at IHSAAtv.org. The pairings show also can be heard on GIANT fm locally at 96.5 fm, 106.3 fm or 1520 am.

Triton Central has played in 11 straight sectional championship games but that streak will be put to the test by a strong Sectional 38 field.

Six of the eight teams in the field currently have winning records. Two have combined for just one loss – Northeastern (7-0) and Centerville (6-1).

Triton Central is 5-2 with Lapel, Eastern Hancock and Shenandoah all 4-3. Winchester (2-5) and Union County (0-7) are the favorable targets for first-round draws.

“Whomever we get we have to play well to beat them because they are going to be good,” said Able.

Beech Grove at Triton Central

Site: Mendenhall Field in Fairland.

Kickoff: 7 p.m.

Broadcast: The GIANT fm pre-game show will air live from Mendenhall Field with Mark Drake and Jeff Brown at 6 p.m. Listen live at 96.5 fm, 106.3 fm, 1520 am or online at GIANT.fm.

TC student theme: Pink Out.

2024 records: Beech Grove 4-3, 3-2 ICC; Triton Central 5-2, 4-1 ICC.

Coaches: Rajshawn Mosley, 4-3 in first year at Beech Grove; Tim Able, 106-39 in 12^th  year at TC, 231-137 in 31^st year overall.

Last meeting: Triton Central defeated Beech Grove, 31-6, on Oct. 6, 2023.

Sagarin rating: Beech Grove 43.67 (194th overall, 45th in Class 4A); Triton Central 57.86 (128th overall, 14^th in Class 2A). Triton Central is a 16-point favorite.

Sectional 38: Centerville (6-1), Northeastern (7-0), Lapel (4-3), Triton Central (5-2), Shenandoah (4-3), Union County (0-7), Eastern Hancock (4-3) and Winchester (2-5).

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