PLAINFIELD, Ind. — This week's Operation Football Game of the Week sees the Franklin Grizzly Cubs (4-2) travel to Plainfield to take on the Quakers (5-1) in a battle for first place in the Mid-State Conference.
Both Franklin and Plainfield are tied atop the conference standings with three wins and one loss each to inter-conference opponents. The winner of this game has the best chance of taking home the conference title with only two games remaining in the regular season.
Breaking down the two teams' performances against similar opponents, both Franklin and Plainfield have played Perry Meridian and Mooresville so far this season. Franklin beat Perry Meridian 26-20 in overtime during week three and then beat Mooresville 29-26 last week. Plainfield beat Mooresville 31-15 in week three and followed that win up with a narrow 21-20 victory over Perry Meridian in week four.
According to MaxPreps, both Plainfield and Franklin have scored an average of 28 points per game this season.
Taking a look at the Grizzly Cubs' performance against Mooresville last week, senior quarterback Clay Pinnick completed 7 out of 13 of his passes for 129 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also ran for 21 yards and scored one rushing touchdown. Junior running back Alex Leugers carried the ball 30 times during last week's game and racked up a staggering 232 yards rushing and one touchdown in Franklin's win. On the receiving end, senior Luke Bechert caught three passes for 50 yards, while senior Cooper Taylor caught two passes for 45 yards and a touchdown.
Against Perry Meridian, Pinnick was 3-for-10 passing for 39 yards but shared duties under center with sophomore Greyson Betts. Betts completed 2 out of his 6 passing attempts for 31 yards and two touchdowns. Leugers rushed 21 times for 128 yards and one touchdown.
The Quakers' game against Mooresville wasn't as close as Franklin's. Plainfield's senior quarterback Hunter Newell completed 9 out of 17 of his passes for 151 yards, while sophomore running back Luke Starnes rushed 19 times for 83 yards and one touchdown. Senior running back Carter Fergerson ran for 22 yards and two touchdowns off seven carries.
Plainfield won by a nose over Perry Meridian but still managed to put up impressive offensive numbers. Quarterback Hunter Newell completed 14 out of 28 of his passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Luke Starnes carried the ball 19 times and rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown.
Overall, this week's Game of the Week matchup is likely to live up to its namesake. Both teams enter the game evenly matched, with the number one ranking in the conference up for grabs. Don't forget to catch highlights of this game and others on Operation Football every Friday night during the IHSAA football season on 13News at 11 p.m.