After each having a week off, the Carroll Chargers and the Elkhart Lions will shake off the cobwebs and hit the field against one another at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Elkhart will be up against a hot Carroll squad: the team just extended their winning streak to five. Everything went the Chargers' way against Fort Wayne Bishop Luers last Friday as they made off with a 35-10 win. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 35-3.
A big part of Carroll's victory came down to the chemistry between Gabe Frisinger and his top target Jaidon Vanpelt. Frisinger threw for 202 yards and four touchdowns while Vanpelt picked up 130 receiving yards and three scores.
Carroll didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Fort Wayne Bishop Luers to a completion percentage of just 40%. The Chargers weren't nearly as limited: they posted one of 57.1%.
Meanwhile, Elkhart owes their defense a big pat on the back after their performance last Friday. They put the hurt on South Bend Adams with a sharp 21-0 win. The Lions haven't had any issues with the Eagles recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive victory against them.
Carroll better keep an eye on Micah Jarrell. He was instrumental in Elkhart's win, rushing for 56 yards and a pair of TDs, while also throwing for 92 yards and one touchdown. Jarrell also punched in two rushing touchdowns, which is notable because the Lions are undefeated when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns, but 1-3 otherwise.
Elkhart's defense made their presence known, laying out Cayden Keen six times. The team can thank two different players for their defensive prowess: Kros Jones and Eliott Sanders, who each picked up 1.5 sacks apiece. Elkhart got some further help from Jones: he picked up 1.5 sacks and made 17 total tackles (7.0 for loss).
Carroll's record is now 6-3. As for Elkhart, their record now sits at an identical 6-3.
The upcoming matchup will be a clash of competing strengths. Carroll has relied on air attacks this season and has averaged 287.7 passing yards per game. Elkhart, on the other hand, has relied on a stout run game: they average 209.6 rushing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
