Highlights: Heritage Hills vs. North Posey, football
Heritage Hills defeated North Posey 43-7 in PAC football
EVANSVILLE – This week was a reminder that Friday nights are rarely uneventful.
While there were seemingly no top matchups compared to what is to come, Week 5 did have some interesting results. Only one game in the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference was decided by two points or less, but that was almost a surprise. There were a handful of gems in the Pocket Athletic Conference. This week also paved the way for important matchups later.
More: Week 5: Evansville Area High School Football Results
Here’s what we learned Friday night at high school football in southwest Indiana.
Vincennes Lincoln almost put the SIAC on alert
The final result will not make much difference, but it shows that this conference has more depth.
Castle defeated Vincennes Lincoln 43-30 at John Lidy Field. Maximus McCool had 216 rushing yards and five touchdowns, with the Knights (4-1) needing all of it. The Alices (2-3) were within one point for most of the game.
Cooper Collins unofficially managed 219 yards passing and 119 yards running in his first start at quarterback, finding Luke Lindsey for double-digit pass catches. It’s still a loss, but you can also say it was Vincennes’ best performance against a SIAC contender. And it’s no surprise, but it potentially makes Sectional 32 even more arduous.
Castle’s offense has grown exponentially since Week 1, with a focus on McCool, who has scored more than double-digit touchdowns this season. We’ll likely learn more about the Knights next week when we travel to 4A No. 2 Reitz (5-0 after a 60-7 win over Central).
The next closest game in the SIAC was a 35-14 win by Mater Dei against Jasper.
Wilkerson became the second Patriots coach with 100 career wins
All the doubts from twelve years ago are a distant memory in Lincoln City.
A dominant 43-7 victory by Heritage Hills over North Posey wasn’t just a good performance against a fellow state runner-up. It was the 100th career win for Todd Wilkerson in his 13th year at his alma mater. The only other coach in program history to reach triple figures was Hall of Famer Bob Clayton (320 wins).
Wilkerson went 7-13 in his first two seasons. Since then, he has had just one losing season, including two road games at Lucas Oil Stadium and another regional championship.
“My first two years were tough,” Wilkerson said. “There were people who questioned whether I was the right guy for the job. It’s a good feeling to get to this mark. I have such a great team. I know how important football is to our community. I wasn’t Bob Clayton, but I think I got off to a decent start.”
He could look for mistakes during Saturday’s film session. There weren’t many, even though it wasn’t a big game for the Patriots. They were just better. Heritage Hills outscored North Posey 376-133, with Jett Goldsberry doing the lion’s share of the work. The junior quarterback completed 7 of 12 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns, along with 154 yards on the ground and three scores. His 89-yard run on the final play of the first half, in which he shook off several tacklers and made good blocks down low, was indicative of the entire game.
What could benefit Heritage Hills (4-1) down the stretch is its many options on offense. Hunter Meredith had 99 total yards and a touchdown after missing two weeks with an injury. Tyler Ruxer remains a threat from deep (a 39-yard touchdown), but Peyton Gray has also excelled from outside. The defense also did not allow a point despite the starting lineup being on the field.
“It’s a lot of fun when they go out there and make big plays,” Wilkerson said. “Jett had a strong first half and finally got the running game going. When you put Hunter on the field with Ruxer and Gray, you have three pretty good receivers to cover.”
Heritage Hills vs. Gibson Southern is officially decided
We can finally discuss the biggest regular season game in the PAC this fall.
None of these results matter for the conference standings, but it’s still important to head into next week with positive momentum. Both meetings a year ago were decided by single-digit scores, including a memorable 23-20 semifinal victory by Heritage Hills. Will this round live up to the hype or is it just a sign of what’s to come in the section?
3A No. 2 Heritage Hills had no trouble at 2A No. 2 North Posey. 3A No. 3 Gibson Southern needed a strong second half to beat Southridge 31-22. Chances are the PAC Big School Division will be decided next week at The Jungle.
“We see Gibson Southern every year in Week 6,” Wilkerson said. “That gives us five weeks to prepare for them. This time of year, it’s about getting better every week.”
The PAC has kept the area busy with a series of interesting games
As little sensational as the matter was within the SIAC, the same cannot be said of the Pocket.
Five games were decided by 11 points or less, and there was a notable win by Forest Park, making for one of the wilder weeks in the conference. Let’s start with the Rangers’ 48-20 win over Mount Vernon. While most of the schedule is still to be played, it may have shown that Terry Riggs’ team is not to be overlooked.
Gibson Southern needed a Seth Parsons touchdown with 2:42 left to seal its victory over Southridge. South Spencer needed a strong finish to beat Pike Central. Tell City, playing without star running back Noah Terry, lost to Hancock County on a last-second touchdown. Boonville also beat 2A No. 5 Linton-Stockton 21-20, with Nolan McKinney reaching the end zone three times. And we thought No. 2 against No. 2 in Poseyville might be the best game of the night.
There wasn’t much movement between the leaders this week due to non-division matchups, but the PAC still shows plenty of depth, with eight teams boasting a winning record at the halfway point.
