vs
| 10/18/24 - Away | 35-3 W |
| 10/13/23 - Home | 36-0 W |
| 10/14/22 - Away | 13-21 L |
| 10/15/21 - Home | 42-7 W |
| 10/18/19 - Home | 41-21 W |
| + 4 more games |
Decatur Central has gone 8-1 against Franklin Community recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Hawks will welcome the Grizzly Cubs at 7:00 p.m. One thing working in Decatur Central's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points in their last five contests.
Decatur Central barely beat Perry Meridian the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Hawks claimed a resounding 42-0 victory over the Falcons. Given the Hawks' advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana football rankings (they are ranked 14th, while the Falcons are ranked 99th) , the win on Friday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Decatur Central's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Braylon Morris led the charge by picking up 38 receiving yards and one score, while also rushing for 31 yards. Those 38 receiving yards gave Morris a new career-high.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Decatur Central was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 247 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 173 rushing yards in nine consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Decatur Central's defense stepped up as well, laying out Jackson Schoch six times. The heavy lifting was done by Jordyn Shanks and Mykul Campbell, who racked up five sacks between them.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Franklin Community, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They took down Greenwood 31-14 on Friday. The win continues a trend for the Grizzly Cubs in their matchups with the Woodmen: they've now won five in a row.
Decatur Central better keep an eye on Cori Tonte. He was instrumental in Franklin Community's win, rushing for 287 yards and three TDs while picking up 9.3 yards per carry. Tonte has become a key player for the Grizzly Cubs: the team is 3-1 when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns, but 1-3 otherwise.
Franklin Community didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Brian Leap and Blake Smythe. Leap has been hot recently, having also posted at least one defended passe the last three times he's played. Smythe got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
The victory got Franklin Community back to even at 4-4. As for Decatur Central, their win bumped their record up to 6-2.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground. Decatur Central has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 295.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Franklin Community struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 184.1 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Everything came up roses for Decatur Central against Franklin Community when the teams last played back in October of 2024, as the team secured a 35-3 victory. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Grizzly Cubs' Alex Leugers, who rushed for 162 yards while picking up 7.7 yards per carry. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for the Hawks to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
