Bloomington South Panthers (4-5) vs Whiteland Warriors (8-2)

When: Friday, Oct. 26, 7 p.m.

Where: Whiteland Community High School

Last meeting: (W) 42-37

After consecutive 4-5 regular seasons, coach Mo Moriarity and the Bloomington South Panthers will look to make a statement against a familiar sectional opponent, the Whiteland Warriors. Whiteland is a much better team than they were last time they played South, posting a 2-7 record last year.

It’s certainly no secret that Whiteland likes to run the football. The four-headed monster of Jake Perry, Gavin Lutz, Brock Christianson and Brylar Metz have accounted for 2,130 rushing to go along with 29 rushing touchdowns. Although the Panther offense is much more balanced, junior running back Maveric Thiery has been a crucial part of the Bloomington South offense, rushing for nearly 1200 yards in nine games.

“[Maveric] has been really good this year,” offensive coordinator Anthony Lindsey said. “He runs north and south and he’s not afraid to hit someone. For the volume of carries he’s had, he’s done a great job staying healthy.”

South remains banged up on the defensive side of the ball with senior linebacker Charlie Abel and junior safety Zach Bellini out for the season with injuries. The run defense for Bloomington South will have to be performing at it’s best for any hopes of stopping Whiteland’s elite running game. For Whiteland’s defense, the main point of emphasis will be stopping Thiery, as he is currently the only running back on the varsity roster suiting up with any significant amount of carries.

“[Whiteland] is obviously a really tough team, but we had an extra week to prepare and rest. I think [stopping the run game] is going to be challenging but we have guys who can do it,” junior cornerback Jayden Blackwell said.

With an 80 percent chance of rain, this should certainly be an interesting matchup on the road. Moriarity has had plenty of postseason experience, having three state championships to his name. However, this game could potentially be the last of his exemplary coaching career.