Panthers are 7th in AP poll; 9th in coaches poll

Associated Press Poll
Class 5A



W-L Pts Prv
1. Warren Central (14) (2-0) 298 1
2. Carmel (1) (2-0) 264 2
3. Hamilton Southeastern (2-0) 236 3
4. Indpls Ben Davis (2-0) 196 5
5. Center Grove (2-0) 142 7
6. Penn (2-0) 128 8
7. Indpls N. Central (2-0) 106 9
8. Fishers (1-1) 68 4
9. Castle (2-0) 60 T10
10. Crown Point (2-0) 40 NR


Others receiving votes: Avon 38, Lawrence Central 18, Brownsburg 14, Southport 12, Ft. Wayne Snider 10, Homestead 8, Floyd Central 6, Columbus North 4, Lake Central 2,


Indiana Football Coaches Association



Class 5A Poll (8/29/11)
1. Warren Central
2. Carmel
3. Hamilton Southeastern
4. Ben Davis
5. Penn
6. Center Grove
7. Crown Point
8. Homestead
9. Indianapolis North Central
10. FW Snider

NC upsets No.7 Lawrence Central

            This game could go down in North Central High School football lore as “The Drive.”

            With the scored tied  at 27, quarterback Gavin Alexander threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jordan Williams with 1:16 left to help North Central defeat No.7-ranked  Lawrence Central 34-27 Friday night in Indiana high school football.

            It was “The Drive” that led to the victory.  North Central got the ball on its own 27-yard line with about 4 minutes left in the tied game.  But the Panthers used the running of Alexander and Jalen McIntyre to move the ball down the field and eat up the clock.  In the drive, McIntyre had 28 yards on three carries, finishing with a career-high 109 yards on 19 carries.  In the drive, Alexander had 15 yards on two carries to set up his throw to Williams.

            Williams’ catch showed North Central’s heart and determination. Facing fourth-down-and -4 from the Lawrence Central 29, Williams caught an out pattern at about the 15, shook off a couple of tacklers and raced down the left sideline for the winning touchdown. He finished with four catches for 69 yards – including TD catches of 32 and 29 from Alexander.

            Alexander did his best passing in the fourth, completing 5-of-7 passes for 67 yards. In the game, he was 9-of-18 for 133 yards with one interception.

            But it was the tough running of McIntyre and a hard hitting defense that kept Lawrence Central off balance. North Central had consistent pressure on senior quarterback Dre Townsend. The Panthers sacked Townsend six times.  Linebacker Jeff Harris and defensive end Deon Posey had two sacks each. Defensive linemen Darius Latham and Trey Williamson each added a sack.

            The overall team effort helped North Central improve to 2-0 with its second straight road victory.

North Central Beats Pike

In sports, especially football, you can’t give up; quitting is not an option.

        North Central finally got it.
        North Central overcame a 14-7 deficit by scoring 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to defeat host Pike 21-14 Friday night in Indiana high school football. It was the first time that North Central has defeated Pike in football in five years.
         The no-quit attitude was displayed on special teams. After North Central tied the score at 14 on quarterback Gavin Alexander’s 48-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Krayshawn Brewer, North Central kicked off to Pike with 5:17 left in the game.  The Red Devils didn’t field the kick cleanly, the ball was fumbled, and a Panther hustled down the field and recovered it with 5:05 left.
         After a rough first half, Alexander continued his hot passing. Four plays after the recovered fumble, Alexander threw a 14-yard TD pass to Jordan Williams, making the score 21-14. In the final quarter, Alexander completed 5-of-6 passes with TD throws to Brewer and Williams. He also threw the first of his three TD passes to Brewer, a 38-yard strike that gave the Panthers a 7-0 first-quarter lead.
         Alexander finished the game 8-of-17 passing for 135 yards.
         But it was the defense that may have won the game. North Central gave up a lot of field position, many times punting the ball away near its own goal line.  Despite having to defend a short field, the Panthers defense came up with several stops and big plays. Defensive backs Kory Rogan and Melvin Graham came up with interceptions. Defensive lineman Trey Williamson had a sack and Panther teammates Darius Latham and Deon Posey applied consistent pressure on Pike quarterback Aloyis Gray.
        North Central kicker Ben Stoller ended the Panthers’ scoring by going 3-of-3 on points after touchdowns.
         Again, not giving up may have led to the victory.