Those wondering if the Greencastle Tiger Cubs had used up all their points following last week's 84-0 road win at Brown County, were disappointed by the end of Friday's contest at Cloverdale, as the Tiger Cubs cruised to a 68-7 victory. 

"Always pleased when the boys perform," Greencastle head coach David Stephens told The Putnam County Post following the game. 

With the win, Greencastle improved to 5-2 overall, 4-0 in the WIC Green Division, while Cloverdale dropped to 2-5 overall, 1-3 in the WIC Green Division. 

If there was a negative, it was the fact Greencastle botched two point after attempts in the first half. 
Other than that, Greencastle took advantage of big play capabilities and outstanding field position early and often in the first half. 

The Tiger Cubs wasted little time striking first, as Lamar Moore took a handoff and raced 27 yards for the end zone. The point after attempt stretched the lead to 7-0 with 9:27 remaining in the first quarter. 
Greencastle's lead would swell minutes later, as quarterback Cole Stephens hit Moore for an 84-yard pitch and catch, pushing the Tiger Cubs to a 14-0 advantage. 
Cloverdale would contribute to Greencastle's next scoring opportunity, as a bad snap on a punt situation would result in a safety, extending the lead to 16-0. 

Greencastle was just heating up, as Stephens hit Moore for a 41-yard touchdown strike on its ensuing possession, however, the point-after-conversion failed, leaving the Tiger Cubs holding onto a 22-0 lead with four minutes left in the first quarter. 

Following another Cloverdale punt, Moore would again find paydirt, as he took a direct snap in the wildcat formation to open the scoring in the second quarter, putting the Tiger Cubs ahead 29-0. 

"Lamar played well. He only played one side of the ball, trying to keep them fresh and only a half," Stephens said. 

Defense would set up Greencastle's next touchdown, as Anthony Adams picked off Tre Henderson, and a play later, he would find the end zone, stretching the lead to 35-0. 
Greencastle would tack on two more scores before the half, as Stephens connected with Brendle Brennan for a 33-yard touchdown and an 18-yard touchdown, sending the Tiger Cubs into the locker room with a 49-0 halftime edge. 

The halftime break did little to slow the Tiger Cubs, who took advantage of Cloverdale's inability to corral the second half kickoff, and Moore scooped up the loose football. Two plays later, he scored from 15 yards out to push the lead to 55-0 with a running clock underway. 

Greencastle would tack on another in the third quarter, as Trevin Long was on the receiving end of a 73 yard pass from Dillon Hughes, extending the Tiger Cubs to a 61-0 lead after three quarters. 

With under three minutes remaining in the game, Cloverdale would avoid the shutout, as Henderson threw the ball up for grabs and Tayt Jackson was able to secure the football for a 14-yard touchdown, trimming the lead to 61-7.

Greencastle would score one final time, as Cayden Blodgett would take the ensuing kickoff back 75 yards for a score. 

With the win, Greencastle turns its attention towards next week's showdown with Owen Valley, where Stephens spent the last two years as the offensive coordinator before coming to Greencastle. 

"Honestly, I just have to keep my emotions in check. Our players are just coming on to try and ball out," Stephens said. 

Cloverdale, on the other hand, will look to bounce back when it hosts West Vigo, who lost 48-0 against North Putnam. 

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Now that the boy's soccer sectional draw has been announced, the Greencastle Tiger Cubs are focused on trying to claim another sectional crown. 

The 18th ranked Tiger Cubs will open the sectional at Northview on Oct. 3 when they take on Indian Creek. 

Greencastle brought an 11-2-1 record into this week and were slated to play South Vermillion last night. 

The Tiger Cubs have gotten solid play from a host of players this year, according to head coach JD Sims. 

"All our seniors have been solid this year -- Sam White, Harris Weltz, Clay Glessner, Dylan Olson, Jalen Hardman and Henry Cox. Sophomore Micah Foss has scored a boat load of goals and Mylin Tucker has supplied a lot of great assists. Fischer Barcus, a freshman, has pushed his way into the team this year and has been a starter the entire season," Sims told The Putnam County Post. 

On the season, Foss has amassed 68 points, 32 goals and four assists, while keeper Harris Weltz has allowed nine goals and recorded 20 saves. 

When it comes to the rest of the sectional opponents, Greencastle has defeated Owen Valley 7-0, defeated Indian Creek 4-0, defeated Brown County 9-0, defeated Northview 4-0, defeated West Vigo 6-0 and defeated Edgewood 5-0. 

"We look forward to giving our best shot at another sectional win. We feel confident that we can win the competition. Defending the title is a situation we have been in before so the boys are ready to get the job done," Sims said.

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A look at area mathcups tonight including our GIANT fm WREB broadcast, Greencastle vs Cloverdale and North Putnam vs West Vigo.

Greencastle set to square off against Cloverdale

At 4-2, Greencastle head football coach David Stephens has been pleased with what he has seen out of his Tiger Cubs in his first season at the helm.

However, with the regular season entering the final third of the season this Friday against county foe Cloverdale (2-4), Stephens knows his team must continue to make strides and improve if it is going to contend in the Class 2A playoffs in a few weeks. 

A week ago, Greencastle upended Brown County, 84-0, on the road as quarterback Cole Stephens was 23-of-26 for 572 yards and 10 touchdowns. 

"At some point, these defensive coordinators strategy is going to be quit loading the box and play the pass. Until then, we will continue to air it out," Stephens said. 

Stephens said the goals for the Tiger Cubs remain the same. 

"Same as always -- be process focused. We can't control which teams are on our schedule, good or bad. We have to focus on ourselves and what we need to do to improve individually and as a team," Stephens said. 

At 4-2, Stephens admits he likes where his team is, but admits he is not satisfied. 

"We feel like our record should be better, but it is what it is. We are in the driver seat in the county and the conference. I think we have a wide open sectional and can be competitive. We need to improve in all three phases of the game," Stephens said. 

Cloverdale, on the other hand, enters at 2-4 and on a three game losing streak, having lost last week at South Decatur, 27-13. 

In the loss to South Decatur, Cloverdale gave up 375 yards and four touchdowns on 26 touches to Corbin Johnson. 

Stephens said Cloverdale is a tough team. 

"They are spread on offense and 4-4 cover one on defense. They have a dynamic quarterback," Stephens said. 

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and coverage begins on WREB GIANT fm at 6:40 p.m. Friday. 

North Putnam looks to bounce back

While the North Putnam Cougars stand at 1-5 heading into the final third of the regular season, football coach Scott Moore believes his team is improving each week. 

"We feel that we are improving each week. We will always have things to work on, but a lot of our young guys who are playing are starting to get a better feel for the game. We know the record may not show it, but over the last three games, we have had a lot of positive things on the offensive side of the ball. We lost a one score game to a good Covenant Christian team, played well to get up on Cloverdale, and had every opportunity to beat Cascade in a back and forth game where we took the lead in the fourth quarter and had many opportunities to come out on top," Moore told The Putnam County Post. 

Leading the way for the offense has been sophomore quarterback Christian Kramer, who was 23-of-28 for 274 yards and three touchdowns through the air and added another 101 yards and three touchdowns on the ground for the Cougars. 

With the Cougars slated to play at West Vigo (1-5) tomorrow night, Moore wants to see his defense play better. 

"Defensively we have to cut out big plays, we can not bail teams out when we have them in third and long and fourth down.  Giving up a kickoff return and a strip fumble on top of some big chunk plays was the difference in last Friday's game and you can not do those things when playing good opponents," Moore said.

West Vigo lost 63-0 last week to South Putnam and lost 56-18 earlier this season to Greencastle. 

Moore said North Putnam will have to be "sound on both sides of the ball" against the Vikings. 

" They have some big guys up front and some good skilled position players and we need to be ready to play.  Offensively, we need to keep executing and cut down on negative plays to put us behind the sticks.  We have found good balance in our rushing and passing attack and we will continue to take what the defense is giving us and whomever's name is called to make plays, needs to be ready to make them.  We have talked all week about staying mentally focused and ensuring our success with how we prepare.  We hope to put forth a great effort and as in any Friday night, give ourselves opportunities to win a football game," Moore said. 

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With the sectional tournament right around the corner for the North Putnam girl's soccer team, head coach Jacob Bender is optimistic the Cougars can put a nagging issue behind them. 

"Unfortunately, this season, the team experienced several injuries. With these injuries in mind, we have accomplished some fantastic feats. There were target objectives that I aimed for that we did not achieve, which we will build on for next season. Overall, the mental strength and team unity built this year has been incredible. I am unsurprised because we have a great group of athletes that I have enjoyed working with this season," Bender told The Putnam County Post. 

The first year coach saw his team enter this season at 4-9-1 and have posted more wins this season than last. 

Bender admits every player has met his expectations for the season, making it hard to single players out. 

"It's a difficult task to pick a few that stand out over others. Each of our seniors has been exceptional. Their leadership capabilities, passion for the sport and eagerness to build the program will be a weight for the new group of seniors to take up," Bender said. 
With that said, he did single out the efforts of keeper Kylie Jacobs and Kassidy Hackleman. 

"Kylie Jacobs continues to impress. She is composed in goal and started really finding her voice to organize her defense. Kassidy has also been incredible with her ability to put away goals throughout the season. She has really improved on making smart runs and linking up with other players," Bender acknowledged. 
In the upcoming Southmont regional, North Putnam drew South Vermillion on Oct. 5. The Cougars suffered a 1-0 loss to South Vermillion earlier this year, and according to Bender, the sectional competition is "always challenging."

"In each game, the team has to be focused, driven and determined. It didn't matter who we drew in the competition. We will always have to give all of our efforts," he said. 

Bender admitted if the Cougars are to break through and make a deep run, there are several things they must do. 

"In order for a serious run at the sectional title, it will take dedication, hard work and unity. We need to focus on continuous improvement, individually and as a team. Mental toughness is paramount in order to stay competitive, especially when facing tough opponents. Every player has a crucial role to play, and if we trust in one another and are committed to our goals, I'm confident that we will be successful in the sectional tournament. It won't be easy, but with our team's ability, I'm excited to see what we can accomplish together," Bender said. 

As his South Putnam football team enters the final third of the regular season, Chuck Sorrell continues to push his football team for greatness.

At 5-1 heading into Friday's road clash against Brown County (1-5), Sorrell wants to continue to see competitions in practice, as well as a balance on offense and a stingy defense when his team hits the field. 

He got all three last week as the Eagles soared past West Vigo, 63-0. 

"Assignment football Monday through last night defensively. We ran the right assignments," Sorrell said of the win. 

In the contest, South Putnam quarterback Wyatt Mullin was 10-of-13 for 302 yards and four touchdowns in a half. 

Bransyn Hanley had two catches for over 100 yards and two touchdowns. Ty Benton had over 100 yards and a touchdown. 

Kicker Wyatt Kendall was 9-of-9 on point after attempts and broke the all-time record for extra points in a season. Keenan Mowery-Shields and Aiden Beadles had 27 totals and 11 tackles for a loss to help hold West Vigo to less than 10 yards rushing in the contest. 

Sorrell said it is imperative that other players step up as the Eagles are without the likes of Wyatt Switzer, Drew Hill and offensive lineman Preston Pelfrey for a few weeks. 

"We have had guys step up. The last two weeks, teams have prepared for Drew and Wyatt, and when you can put Bransyn back deep, it helps. It is nice to have depth and a nice freshman class that's going to win a lot of football games for us the next four years," Sorrell said. 

In Brown County, South Putnam takes on a team that lost 84-0 to Greencastle last week, and allowed over 500 yards passing and 10 passing touchdowns to the Tiger Cubs. 

Sorrell's job is to make sure his team stays focused despite Brown County's record or recent outcomes. 

"We have been saying for a few of these weeks that Tuesday and Wednesday practice should feel harder than Friday games. But the harder the go, the easier it will be to get playing time if we get to running clocks. We have to have a good week of practice and we will have some competitions," Sorrell said. 

Sorrell and the Eagles will square off with Brown County at 7:30 p.m. Friday night, and he said it will be an "old school football week."

"We won't get a bus until 4:30. It's an hour and a half there. This is an old school football week. We will wear pants on the bus. They don't have 20 minutes to put pants on. It's all about taking care of business and we will be more balanced this week and continue to run the football. We will try to run the football a little bit more. It's a fun trip for the fans," Sorrell said. 

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With Greencastle making it formal a move to a new athletic conference, another shoe dropped when Cascade also announced its intent to be a member of the same conference.

After the 2018-19 season Cascade left the Western Indiana Conference to join rival and former WIC member Monrovia in the Indiana Crossroads Conference. It had been announced that Cascade intended to return to the WIC following this season. Now, Cascade has elected to go with Greencastle to a new conference alignment starting with the 2025-26 season.

The Greencastle School Board approved the measure Monday night at its meeting, accepting an invite to join the other schools in what was known as the Sagamore Conference in the 2025-26 school year. 

Cascade's announcement on the Cascade Athletics X post Monday.

The new conference will feature the likes of North Putnam, Crawfordsville, North Montgomery, Western Boone, Frankfort, Southmont, and Cascade along with the Tiger Cubs. 

Greencastle's football team already plays North Putnam, while North Putnam currently plays Southmont, Cascade and North Montgomery. 

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The record may not be what the North Putnam football team would have wanted at the halfway point, but a huge bright spot in the season has been quarterback Christian Kramer. 

The class of '26 prospect is off to a strong start for the Cougars, who will bring a 1-4 record into tonight's clash with Cascade after leading North Putnam to a 48-0 win over Cloverdale last week. 

The success is nothing new for Kramer, who grew up around the game of football. 

"When I was younger, I was around the game all the time. My dad, Bucky Kramer, was a coach at Logansport and was often at the stadium. So I was constantly around the game and it just grew on me. Being around the players was great. You seem like a superstar as a kid around all of those guys," Kramer told The Putnam County Post. 

While he is experiencing success as a signal caller, it wasn't the position he originally played. 

"As a kid, I didn't originally play quarterback, but I was persistent. Every practice I asked coach if I could try quarterback, and, eventually, he gave in and it stuck. The thing I enjoy most about the position is the ability to use my knowledge and just be an athlete. Things are completely different with the ball in your hand and in the pocket. You see things coaches can't see and coaches see things you can't see. But the ability to be an athlete and make plays gives you a little slack if you don't see something right away," he admitted. 

On the season, Kramer has thrown for 933 yards and six touchdowns, while adding another 543 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. He ranks 11th for total yards in the Class of '26 and 11th for total yards in the state. 

In last week's win over Cloverdale, he was 18-of-27 for 270 yards and three touchdowns, rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown and rushed for a two point conversion. 

"My play style this year is definitely different from last year. Last year, I would have considered myself pro style, but this year, I am far from it. As the season continues, I am hoping to put up more numbers alongside my teammates and make a run when sectional comes around," Kramer said. 

One thing he has gotten better at is handling the pressure that comes with playing quarterback. 

"I definitely deal with a lot of pressure on a day to day basis. I am expected to outperform myself day in and day out, to do better than I did last season and to lead in everything I do. It's definitely not easy, but I pray about it and put it in God's hands. But if I am being honest, I wouldn't have it any other way. The pressure makes me disciplined and gives me motivation," Kramer said. 

He said much of that has to do with his growth from last year. 

"People don't know how much work I really put in to prepare and study. I credit Coach Morelli for teaching me how to break down the game and coverages. You can see the difference in my film from last year to this year. You can see me going through read progressions and pre snap looking at where the defenders are aligned," Kramer said. 

While the season hasn't gone as he had hoped, Kramer acknowledges he sees improvement each time out. 

"We have a lot of young guys getting their first varsity experience, but that's never an excuse. Every game we see improvement. Our first stretch of games are our toughest, but we like the challenge. As we get further into the season, the progress will only keep showing. We are super close to a breakthrough and we are going to put the whole area on standby," he said. 

With a win under their belts now, Kramer is optimistic it will serve as a springboard for the Cougars. 

"I think that set the tone for the rest of the season. We're hot, hungry and we are coming to play. As a collective, we have a chip on our shoulder, and we are going to continue to play with it. Our offense and defense have both been clicking and progressing day in and day out. The area has counted us out, and that extra motivation is what we need," Kramer said. 

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It's official -- the Greencastle Tiger Cubs are leaving the Western Indiana Conference.

The Greencastle School Board approved the measure Monday night at its meeting, accepting an invite to join the Sagamore Conference in the 2025-26 school year. 

The Sagamore Conference is a new conference and will feature the likes of North Putnam, Crawfordsville, North Montgomery, Western Boone, Frankfort, Southmont, and Cascade along with the Tiger Cubs. 

Greencastle's football team already plays North Putnam, while North Putnam currently plays Southmont, Cascade and North Montgomery. 

Earlier this year, it was rumored Greencastle may leave the WIC. At that time, Greencastle athletic director Doug Greenlee told The Putnam County Post, "I will confirm that Greencastle is still in the WIC and had no plans to switch conferences."

This is a developing story and updates will be made as available. 

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With the regular season winding down in boy's soccer, two teams from Putnam County got their assignments for the upcoming IHSAA boy's soccer sectional tournament Sunday night. 

For Greencastle, the 18th ranked Tiger Cubs will defend their sectional title at Northview when they take on Indian Creek on Oct. 3. 

Other matchups in the sectional include Edgewood playing West Vigo on Oct. 2 at 5:30 p.m., Brown County playing Northview on Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m., and South Vermillion playing Owen Valley on Oct. 3 at 5:30 p.m. 

The Tiger Cubs bring an 11-2-1 record into this week and are slated to play South Vermillion (4-6-2) on Tuesday. 

Greencastle has wins over the rest of the sectional slate this season. 

The Tiger Cubs knocked off Owen Valley 7-0, defeated Indian Creek 4-0, defeated Brown County 9-0, defeated Northview 4-0, defeated West Vigo 6-0 and beat Edgewood 5-0. 

On the season, Micah Foss has amassed 68 points, 32 goals and four assists, while senior keeper Harris Weltz has allowed nine goals and recorded 20 saves. 

As for North Putnam, the Cougars will open the Class A Sectional 41, held at Covenant Christian, in the semifinals against Providence Cristo Rey. 

The top half of the bracket features Covenant Christian against Bethesda Christian and MTI School of Knowledge locking up against Riverside. 

The Cougars are 12-1 on the season and an undefeated 8-0 in the Western Indiana. North Putnam also holds a win over Greencastle, 5-4 in penalty kicks after playing to a 0-0 draw during regulation. 

Kyle Morgan's team entered the season wanting to win the first conference title in boy's soccer, as well as finishing with 10-11 wins and being competitive in the sectional. 

With the unveiling of the Class A Sectional 41 girl's soccer draw Saturday night, it was a mixed bag for Putnam County teams. 

The sectional will be at Southmont and Cascade, who is ranked 15th in the state, and Southmont will kick things off on Oct. 3 in the first round. The winner of that game will take on Greencastle on Oct 5, while North Putnam will take on South Vermillion on Oct. 5. The final is set for Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. 

For North Putnam, the Cougars enter this week with a 4-9-1 record under first year head coach Jacob Bender. 

North Putnam has already posted more wins than last season, as Bender continues to create a program with a "positive and good atmosphere."

The Cougars suffered a 1-0 loss to South Vermillion on Sept. 2 and have lost to Cascade already this year. 

North Putnam has been led by Kassidy Hackleman, who has notched eight goals in six games. 

As for Greencastle, the Tiger Cubs bring an 11-3 record into this week and sit in first place in the Western Indiana Conference at 6-1. Coach Scott Monnett has already surpassed the 50 win mark with the Tiger Cubs. 

On the season, Greencastle has scored 56 goals and allowed only 18 and are ranked 10th in the state this week. 

On the season, Greencastle has posted a 5-0 win over Southmont, a 3-1 win over Cascade and have games against South Vermillion and North Putnam scheduled for this week. 

Ali Dobbs has scored 13 goals, as has Evelyn Briones for the Tiger Cubs. From a defensive standpoint, Greencastle keeper Bella Monnett has posted seven shutouts on the season. 

A week after coming up just short of posting a school record for the most passing touchdowns in a single game, Greencastle freshman quarterback Cole Stephens obliterated the record, as he helped guide the Tiger Cubs to an 84-0 road win at Brown County.

The win improved Greencastle to 4-2, while Brown County dropped to 1-5. 

"It feels good. We want to keep our championship focus and I felt like we did that on both sides of the ball tonight," Greencastle head coach David Stephens told The Putnam County Post. 

Stephens threw for 10 touchdowns and over 500 yards in the victory. Owen Huff found the end zone several times, as did Ian Williamsown. 

"At some point, the defensive coordinator's strategy will be to quit loading the box and play the pass. Until then, we will continue to air it out," Coach Stephens said. 

The first year coach said he was proud of his team going on the road and taking care of business. 

"It says a lot. We were down our second leading receiver tonight and had Garrett Cooper step up big," Stephens said. 

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Coming into Friday night's game between North Putnam and Cascade, Cascade coach Connor Simmons was worried about the play of North Putnam quarterback Christian Kramer. 

In the end, his defense limited Kramer, but had an answer of its own in Toby Savini, who put on quite a show in the second half to lift Cascade to a 49-39 in over North Putnam, ruining homecoming for the Cougars. 

Cascade improves to 4-2, while North Putnam drops to 1-5. 

Trailing 25-21 after Kramer hit Paxton O'Brien for a 45 yard touchdown to put the Cougars ahead 25-21, Savini went to work.

He took a handoff and went 31 yards for a touchdown of his own, pushing Cascade back in front 28-25 with just under nine minutes remaining in the game. 

Kramer would not be denied on North Putnam's next possession, as he marched the Cougars down the field and connected with Wesley Murphy on a five-yard touchdown to put North Putnam ahead 32-28 with five minutes remaining. 

However, Savini would answer right back, taking the ensuing kickoff back 90 yards for a touchdown, giving the Cadets a 35-32 advantage. 

Cascade's lead would swell to 42-32 as North Putnam would cough the ball up with Lucas Farmer taking it away and taking it 40 yards the other way for a touchdown. 

Again, despite the deficit, North Putnam would not go away quietly, as Kramer found an opening and scored from 13 yards out, cutting the deficit to 42-39 with 2:24 remaining. 

Cascade would tack on one more down the stretch to secure the victory. 

After forcing a pair of turnovers to open the game, Cascade's offense was able to strike first as quarterback Brady Trebley hooked up with Caiden Clements for a 52-yard strike and moments later, Trebley called his own number to put the Cadets ahead 7-0. 

North Putnam would answer early in the second quarter, as Kramer used his legs to move the Cougars down the field and inside the end zone. A penalty by Cascade would allow North Putnam to go for two, which it failed to convert, finding themselves trailing 7-6. 

Cascade would answer right back as Savini found a seam and went 34 yards for the end zone. The point after attempt pushed Cascade's advantage to 14-6. 

The Cadets would look to stretch the lead right before the half, as Savini reeled in a 36-yard pass from Trebley, but Brogan Woodall would wrestle the ball away from Savini, eliminating the threat and sending both teams into the locker room with Cascade ahead 14-6.

The halftime break did little to stop Cascade, who marched down the field methodically as Trebley scampered 21 yards into the end zone on a quarterback keeper. The point after attempt stretched the lead to 21-6. 

Despite the deficit and a series of penalty flags on its ensuing possession, North Putnam kept clawing back in the game on the legs on Braden Glaze.

The Cougars fed Glaze the football early and often on the drive and it paid off nicely, as he plowed ahead from a yard out, cutting the lead to 21-13.

After a long punt return from Brogan Woodall, North Putnam would find itself in great position on its next drive, which would prove to be beneficial as Kramer connected with Woodall for a 29 yard strike that resulted in a touchdown for North Putnam. Again, the Cougars would go for a two point conversion and fail, leaving the Cougars down 21-19. 

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With the second half of the high school football season set to kick off Friday, all four Putnam County teams find themselves in a position to garner success and build towards a late season push into the postseason. 

This week, Cloverdale heads to South Decatur, North Decatur hosts Cascade, South Putnam takes on West Vigo and Greencastle plays at Brown County. 

Here's a look at all four matchups. 

North Putnam (1-4) vs. Cascade (3-2), 7 p.m. Cougar Stadium, WREB coverage begins at 6:40 p.m. 

Fresh off a win over Cloverdale, 48-0, the North Putnam Cougars are looking to build some momentum heading into the second half of the season. 

Standing in its way is the Cascade Cadets, who are 3-2 despite losing to Lutheran, 49-13, last week. 

In the win over Cloverdale last week, all scoring took place in the first half for the Cougars, as a running clock brought about a rapid second half. 

Quarterback Christian Kramer was a huge part in North Putnam's success last week, as he hit Brogan Woodall for the first score, as North Putnam also got touchdowns from Braden Glaze, Wes Murphy and Paxton O'Brien last week. In addition, Kramer, who finished with 10 carries for 138 yards and was 14-of-19 for 191 yards through the air. North Putnam ended with 213 yards on the ground and forced four turnovers. 

As a unit, North Putnam enters averaging 28 points and allowing just under 34 points a contest. 

Kramer believes last week's win can "set the tone" for the rest of the season for the Cougars. 

"I think that last week set the tone for the rest of the season. We are hot, hungry and coming to play. As a collective, we have a chip on our shoulder, and we're going to continue to play with it. Our offense and defense have been clicking and progressing day in and day out. The area has counted us out, and that extra motivation is all we need," Kramer told The Putnam County Post. 

Kramer has the attention of Cascade coach Connor Simmons. 

"Christian Kramer is a really good player," Simmons said. 

South Putnam (4-1) vs. West Vigo (1-4)

At 2-1 in the Western Indiana Conference's Green Division, South Putnam looks to stay in the mix of a title when they roll out the red carpet for West Vigo (1-4, 1-1). 

The Eagles bounced back from a loss to Greencastle last week by thumping Edgewood, 56-13. 

In that game, Zach Dorsett had two receiving touchdowns, while Bransyn Hanley added two receiving touchdowns and had two 80 yard kick returns for touchdowns for Chuck Sorrell's South Putnam squad. 

"We have a few discipline cases and a few injuries we will fight through. We have a lot of young guys stepping up and filling in the gaps, which will really help us in the long haul," Sorrell said. 

The young guys stepped up nicely last week, as South Putnam started five freshmen last week.

"They all made some type of contribution. Bransyn had four touchdowns. Kennan played every snap and had 10 tackles. Blake held every extra point and caught punts, plus a reception and no blown coverage. Brody had a few great blocks and two tackles on special teams. JV games are great, but contributions on Friday night is the best learning curve a young player can have," Sorrell said. 

The Eagles soar into Friday's matchup averaging 49.6 points and allowing just over 15 points, while West Vigo enters fresh off a 41-21 win over Brown County last week. 

According to Sorrel, West Vigo presents some issues for South Putnam. 

"West Vigo makes you play assignment football. We will have to play our keys all night," Sorrell said. 

Sorrell believes the second half of the season sets up nicely for his team.

"We still have a chance to win a lot of football games, but each week will get more difficult," Sorrell said. 

Brown County (1-4) vs. Greencastle (3-2)

After starting the season 0-2, Greencastle has looked dominant the last three weeks, putting up points in large numbers and rolling towards first place in the Western Indiana Conference Green Division. 

With last week's 49-21 win over Sullivan in the rearview mirror, the Tiger Cubs will take on a Brown County squad that lost to West Vigo, 41-21. 

In last week's win, freshman quarterback Cole Stephens tied a school record with six passing touchdowns in a single game, as he was 20-of-24 for 330 yards, while Ian Williamson reeled in three touchdown passes. 

Head coach Dave Stephens said the Tiger Cubs are approaching this week's contest the same way as they have every game played thus far. 

"We coach to be process focused, not outcome focused. Our process does not change regardless of the opponent," Stephens said. 

With this week's game, along with next week's clash against Cloverdale, Stephens is optimistic the Tiger Cubs can get healthy, while continuing to improve. 

"We want to make sure that we are peaking at the right time. Physically, we want to take care of our players to keep them fast and athletic. We want to become really efficient with our schemes. We will definitely be looking at building depth the next two weeks," Stephens said. 

South Decatur (4-1) vs. Cloverdale (2-3)

Cloverdale steps out of conference play this week as they travel to Decatur County to take on South Decatur. 

The Cougars are riding a four game win streak after losing to North Decatur in the opener and knocked off Southside Home School, 55-8 last week. 

Earlier this season, South Decatur knocked off Edinburgh, 52-14, while the Clovers picked up a 20-6 win over the Lancers this season. 

Cloverdale enters Friday's contest having been shut out the last two weeks and reeling from a 48-0 loss to North Putnam. The Clovers are averaging just under 10 points a contest and allowing 39.4 points per game. 

In last week's loss to North Putnam, the Clovers finished with 73 yards on the ground and were 5-of-42 for 50 yards and two interceptions through the air. 

For Cole Stephens, while it may sound like a cliche, football truly is life. 

The freshman quarterback gets a healthy dose of the sport at practice, and, of course, on Friday nights, but also every other minute, as his dad, David Stephens, is the head coach of the Greencastle Tiger Cubs. 

And, for Stephens, he wouldn't trade the experience for anything. 

"It's really fun. I played for him in the third grade, and it's just as fun to be playing for him in high school. It gets rough at times because he's going to hold you accountable, but that's why we have developed so much as a team in year one," Stephens said. 

The elder Stephens had his own career as a player for the Tiger Cubs, and the younger Stephens is currently writing his own story for Greencastle. 

On the season, Stephens is 73-of-113 for 1,198 yards and 16 touchdowns through the air. He recently tied a school record for the most passing touchdowns in a single game with six. 

He admits, it is "special" to keep the family tradition going for Greencastle. 

"It's special to me. I remember being three year old on the track singing the Greencastle fight song as loud as I can at the top of my lungs. I love Greencastle," Stephens said. 

After opening the season 0-2, Greencastle has found success as of late, soaring to a 3-2 record heading into Friday's contest at Brown County. 

The Tiger Cubs, ranked 15th in the Media Poll, have scored 49 points or more the last three seasons, and Stephens attributes the success to his teammates. 

"It's awesome. I've got really good teammates around me that help a freshman quarterback out. There's no negativity on the team whatsoever. I think I am finding out as I go. I've only been sacked one time. My offensive line has given me all the confidence in the world. My receivers are lightning fast and have great hands. They have given me all the tools I need," Stephens said. 

As the new kid, Stephens said all of his teammates have been welcoming this season, making the transition as the starting quarterback an easy one. 

"Lot of guys on this team that are very friendly and accepting. I moved to Greencastle this year and everyone is kind to each other. There was a negative mentality that was there the past years and now it's changed," Stephens said. 

He points to the season opening loss to Danville as a sign of just how good Greencastle could be. In that game, the Tiger Cubs raced out to a 14-0 lead before falling 21-14. 

"That game was a roller coaster for sure. Going up 14-0 was one of the greatest feelings I've had. That game gave us confidence to know we are a good team. Danville is a really good team and we are trying to bring Greencastle back to its winning ways," Stephens said. 

With games against Brown County and Cloverdale before a big test with Owen Valley, Stephens said he is staying grounded and taking it one day at a time. 

"Try not to look too far ahead, one day at a time, have good days every day and work hard. Something I learned against West Vigo is there is no easy game in high school football. You have to prepare the best you can," Stephens said. 

South Putnam’s Alexa Newby kept her high school golf season alive with a 93 at the Northview Sectionals held at Forest Park in Brazil.

Newby finished with the highest score among golfers without a team advancing.  She’ll travel south to Washington for regional competition at the Country Oaks Golf Club.

As a team, South Putnam finished sixth at the sectional. The top three teams to advance were Terre Haute South with a 312 followed by Terre Haute North (390) and Parke Heritage (402).

Cloverdale finished ninth in the 11 team field with a 463. Autumn Wheeler topped the Clovers with a 109.

Greencastle had three golfers compete in the sectional. Emma Callahan’s 104 was the Tigers Cubs top score.

At the sectional at Harrison Hills, hosted by Attica, North Putnam finished seventh in the 10-team field. Gabrielle Simonson led the Cougars with a 108.

Western Boone won the sectional with a 378. Benton Central (386) and Southmont (386) finished in the top three to advance to the regional.

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It was only a matter of time.

After several good showings in losses to start the season, it all clicked Friday night for the North Putnam Cougars, as they ruined Cloverdale's homecoming, rolling past the Clovers, 48-0.

A stingy defense, which held the Clovers to a yard on the ground and 51 total yards in the first half, along with the play of quarterback Christian Kramer proved to be too much for the Clovers to handle. 

With the win, the Cougars improved to 1-4, while Cloverdale dropped to 2-3. 

All of the scoring took place in the first half for the Cougars, as a running clock brought about a rapid second half and end of the contest. 

North Putnam struck first as the Cougars found life on a fourth and long and two plays later, Caiden Hankins cashed in with a plunge from a yard out. A penalty on the point after attempt moved North Putnam closer and the Cougars opted to go for two, which it converted to go up 8-0. 

Moments later, North Putnam's Kramer would call his own number for a 47 yard that would set up a pitch and catch touchdown play between Kramer and Brogan Woodall to give the Cougars a 15-0 with six minutes left in the first quarter. 

The lead would swell before the end of the first quarter, as Kramer converted on two fourth down plays before handing it off to Braden Glaze, who found paydirt from 11 yards out to put the Cougars ahead 22-0 with just under two minutes left in the opening frame. 

Cloverdale's best chance to score came in the final minutes of the first quarter, as they took advantage of three 15 yard penalties by North Putnam before turning the ball over on downs moments into the second quarter. 

The Clovers would benefit from their defense on North Putnam's ensuing possession, as Cloverdale forced and recovered a fumble deep inside North Putnam territory. 

The opportunity would be short lived as backup quarterback Tre Henderson would come in to take over for Tayt Jackson. On his first play under center, Henderson was hit hard and fumbled the ball away to the Cougars. 

Moments later, Glaze would find the end zone again from a yard out. The point after attempt would extend the lead to 29-0. 

North Putnam would again find the end zone, as Kramer, who entered as North Putnam's leading rusher on the season, found a seam and hit the afterburners from 72 yards out. The point after attempt would push the Cougars ahead 36-0 midway through the second quarter. 

The Cougars would pad its lead with two more touchdowns late in the second quarter. 

On the first, Kramer connected with Wes Murphy for a touchdown pass. Moments later, North Putnam's defense would force another turnover by the Clovers and Paxton O'Brein would make Cloverdale pay, as he rumbled from 25 yards, flipping into the end zone to push the lead to 48-0.

Despite facing a large deficit, Cloverdale managed to put together a solid drive in the closing minute of the first half, highlighted by a huge catch by Tyson Bridges, who hauled in a catch at the North Putnam 17 yard line. The drive would come to an end with a Jackson turnover. 

Kramer ended the first half with 139 yards on the ground and over 100 yards through the air. He would end the game with 10 carries for 138 yards and was 14-of-19 for 191 yards through the air. As a unit, North Putnam ended with 213 yards on the ground. Murphy finished with 8 catches for 78 yards and a score. North Putnam forced four turnovers in the contest.

The Clovers finished with 73 yards on the ground and were 5-of-42 for 50 yards and two interceptions through the air. 

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As is the case with any sports season, there are plenty of ebbs and flows that a team can experience.

The North Putnam girl's golf team has had its share of peaks and valleys this season, according to head coach Earl Hall. 

"Per norm, based on the strength of our schedule, the season has had its peaks and valleys. We play some stiff competition both in the two invitationals we play annually and our dual matches throughout the season, which sees us match up with some consistently strong programs such as Southmont, Western Boone, Terre Haute North and South just to name a few," Hall told The Putnam County Post. 

Through it all, the Cougars have shown their might with a lineup that has seen every golfer play number one during the course of the season. 

"Our team has been pretty consistent in their play with scoring averages extremely close. We move our lineup around throughout the season using last performances on different courses to determine where a player might play positionally on any given night," Hall said. 

In addition to every golfer playing the top spot, every player has been an individual medalist as well this season for North Putnam, as well as establishing a new personal best for 9 hole and 18 hole scores. 

As a unit, the Cougars managed to put together a run where they recently captured the Putnam County County Golf championship. 

"The county is always a goal that we work towards and this year has added meaning in that we were beaten last season for the title after having won this even four straight years. The girls were really focused as the event drew near and on that night, they played with poise and confidence," Hall said. 

Senior Gabbi Simonson led the way for North Putnam, firing a 47, which tied for top overall score. 

She fell just short in a one hole playoff to determine the eventual winner, and while she fell short, Hall said Simonson's performance was an "inspiration to her teammates."

"In addition to Gabbi's inclusion on the All County Team, we also had two other players, senior Mason Morgan and junior Madison Houser, who were also members of the 2023 All-County Team. And Kaitlyn Jacobs missed making this year's team by one stroke, so, all in all, it was a very special night for the team," Hall said. 

North Putnam also placed fifth in the conference and placed Kaitlynn Jacobs on the All-Conference Team. 

Now, North Putnam turns its attention to the sectional at Harrison Hills Country Club in Attica.

Hall said the Cougars will see the likes of Western Boone, Southmont and Crawfordsville in it, as well as others. 

"I know the girls will give it their best, but we may need more of an effort than that to get out of that sectional team wise or even with an individual who could possibly move onto the regionals. One thing I know for sure, when it is all said and done, there will be no faces of sadness as the girls will leave it all on the course," Hall said. 

It may have taken some time, but nobody in Putnam County is hotter right now than the Greencastle football team under first year head coach David Stephens. 
After opening the season 0-2, Greencastle finds itself 2-2 heading into the midway point of the season this week against Sullivan after knocking off South Putnam, 51-49, in an emotional contest last week. 

"We had a lot of emotion last week. We can't let South Putnam hangover get us. Sullivan's not coming in scared of the Tiger Cubs. We are still the ones with things to prove. We have to continue to make strides and strides include beating top tier teams like Sullivan and being competitive in the postseason," Stephens said. 

In last week's win over the Eagles, Greencastle was able to overcome 14 penalties, three turnovers and a 49-35 deficit to pick up the win on the legs of Lamar Moore, who rushed for 158 yards, and the arm of freshman quarterback Cole Stephens, who was 13-of-23 for 283 yards. 

Despite the win streak, Stephens is ensuring his team stays locked in, focused and doesn't let up and is drawing on the past to make sure his message gets across. 
The first year coach is pointing to the 2021 season when he was the offensive coordinator at Owen Valley. 
That season, Owen Valley opened 5-0 and had just picked up an emotional, hard fought win over Northview only to lose 24-14 to Sullivan, and he wants to make sure it doesn't happen with his new team. 

The Golden Arrows opened the season with wins over North Knox and South Vermillion, but have struggled to score points the last two weeks in losses to Northview (46-13) and Linton-Stockton (14-12). 
Despite that, Stephens knows Sullivan will be up for the 7 p.m. kickoff Friday. 

"They play well. It's going to be a battle. We have to play an A type game, click on offense, continue to improve on defense and make some plays. We have to work on ourselves. It's definitely going to be a challenge. They are a good, quality opponent, and I know they can play. They do things that make it challenging. Our defense has to step up, play better and play penalty free," Stephens said.

After losing to rival Greencastle, 51-49, Friday night, South Putnam coach Chuck Sorrel didn't mince any words. 

"We have things we have to fix. My question to the team was what kind of team are we? That was my first loss in the county in four years. We've got to get better every week," Sorrel said. 

Against Greencastle, penalties and turnovers hurt the Eagles, who were ahead 49-35 to start the fourth quarter. In the game, South Putnam committed nine turnovers and coughed it up three times. Kolby Harcourt rushed 27 times for 134 yards, while quarterback Wyatt Mullin was 18-of-32 for 229 yards. 

According to Sorrel, Greencastle was "more ready to play than we were for four quarters."

"They made the big plays. Can't give those big plays away and expect to win ballgames. We had two or three chances to put the game away and didn't," Sorrel said. 

Sorrel said the loss will spur his team to "practice harder" and the results will be seen. 

"The next three weeks, you'll see us get better. We are going to practice harder and play better the next few weeks," Sorrel said. 

Next up for South Putnam is a road date with Edgewood, who comes in 1-3 after losing 40-6 to Owen Valley last week. It will be Edgewood's homecoming, as they enter averaging just over 12 points and allowing just under 40 points a contest. 

"They'll have everything to beat us. We've got to get better and focus on ourselves. It's a game, obviously, we should win, but we can't play sloppy. We have to be composed. Special teams will be better. Defense will be better. I have a feeling we may score a lot of points," Sorrel said. 

When the lights come on this Friday at Cloverdale's football stadium, there will be two teams hungry for a win playing down below in Cloverdale and North Putnam. 

Cloverdale comes in at 2-2 and fresh off a 68-0 loss against Cascade last week, while North Putnam seeks its first win of the season after a 44-37 setback last week against Covenant Christian. 

For the Clovers, Cascade turned a 20-0 first quarter lead into a 62-0 halftime advantage, as Cloverdale struggled with the loss of quarterback Tayt Jackson during the game. 

"He rolled his ankle pretty good. We could've used him, but it was good for our backup guy to get some reps," Cloverdale coach Tyler Lotz said. 

Backup quarterback Tre Henderson did an admirable job considering for Cloverdale, who finished with minus four yards of offense after rushing 21 times for minus 32 yards and having 28 yards through the air. 

Cloverdale had entered on a two game win streak, and Lotz said his team learned a lot about themselves in last week's loss.

"I told the guys we won two games, but don't pat yourselves on the back. We learned a lot about ourselves, and now we need to get back on track and rolling again," Lotz said. 

If there is one area he said his team needs to improve on, it is scoring points and finishing drives. 

"In our two wins, we should've scored more. It takes all 11 doing what they're supposed to do for us to score. Skill position wise, we have a lot of guys who have played, but up front, we have a lot of new guys," Lotz said. 

As for North Putnam, the Cougars enter 0-4 on the season and look to bounce back after a tight loss to Covenant Christian. 
In that game, North Putnam raced out to a 15-13 lead after the first quarter and had chances as the game progressed. 

According to Lotz, his team will face quite a challenge from the Cougars. 

"They throw a lot at you. The quarterback is a pretty good player," Lotz said. 

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Cloverdale, but pregame coverage will begin at 6:40 p.m. on WREB. 

With a freshman quarterback calling plays, the Greencastle football team has leaned on its offensive line to protect and they have come up big thus far. 

Especially, senior Jackson Buis, who plays on both sides of the ball for the Tiger Cubs. 

The 6-foot-3-inch, 290-pound standout is off to a fast start on the offensive line for Greencastle, who will put its 2-2 record on the line Friday against Sullivan. 

"My father got me into football at a young age when he got out of college coaching for nine years. He coached at Northwestern, Grand Valley State and Eastern Michigan," Buis told The Putnam County Post.

Last week, Greencastle moved to 2-2 after knocking off South Putnam, 51-49 in come from behind fashion. The win moved the Tiger Cubs. to 1-0 in the county race, as well. 

Buis said the season has gone well so far for his team. 

"It's going really well. We've played two really good teams in week one and two, but I think we do have a chance to win out the rest of our season. I believe we will end up winning our county and conference and make an amazing run in the playoffs," Buis said. 

While he is having success as an offensive lineman, Buis admits the start of his time as a lineman did not go well. 

"No young kids wants to put his hand in the dirt and not be able to run the ball. When I got older and started to enjoy it, I took it very seriously, trying to get better every day. I take great pride in the position. I worked to the best of my ability to get where I am, and I still believe I have more to learn and get better. Last season, I spent a bit of time teaching our middle school program the importance of it, helping them with drills and how to get better. I want the younger groups to have just as much pride that I have in the position," Buis said. 

As for who he owes his success to, Buis said there's two people that have helped make him the player he is today -- his father and the late Greencastle coach Mike Meyer. 

"Almost all of my success goes to my father. He had taught me everything I needed to know and got me to the point where I am today. But I also thank my high school head coach Mike Meyer. I couldn't get to where I am without him giving me the opportunity to play. Coach Meyer had definitely played a part in my success, but he sadly passed away, and our new coach has pushed me to be even better than I am now," he said. 

The pushing has paid off for Buis, who entered last week not allowing a sack and recording 11 pancake blocks. 

In addition, he recently committed to Saginaw Valley State. 

"They made me feel like I was at home and the culture they have is hard to beat. Also, Coach Brady and Coach Ekens are two fantastic coaches. With my father being around a lot of different types of coaches, he even told me they're two great coaches, which gave me more comfort. It also wasn't just athletics that set them apart from everyone, but their academics are amazing as well," Buis said.

One has to forgive Greencastle head football coach Dave Stephens for sporting a smile and getting excited when talking about the Tiger Cubs. 

The reason isn't necessarily tied to wins and losses or the big win over South Putnam last week, but has more to do with the fact that Stephens is living out his dream job as head football coach at Greencastle. 

For the Greencastle graduate, this was the only job he ever wanted, and after two years as the offensive coordinator at Owen Valley, when the job opened, he gave it everything he had to get an opportunity. 

Now that he has the position, he is working tirelessly to bring success to the Tiger Cubs. 

"It means so much. Greencastle has been down the past couple of years and some of the excitement for the team had diminished. I am happy to play a small part in reinvigorating our school and community about football in Greencastle," Stephens said.

The road in his first season hasn't necessarily been a smooth one, as Greencastle opened the season 0-2 with losses against Danville and Northview before cracking the win column against West Vigo. Last week, the Tiger Cubs kept possession of the Putnam County Bucket as they overcame turnovers, penalties and a 14-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter to knock off South Putnam. 

Is the team where he envisioned after four weeks?

"Not quite. I felt like we had the ability to upset one of our first two opponents but it just didn’t work out that way. Based on our schedule we can live with 2-2," Stephens said.

The success this season can be traced back to an offense that is led by freshman quarterback Cole Stephens and a defense that has been stiff numerous times this season. 

However, Stephens notes there have been other players who have stepped up this season as well.

"Lamar Moore played really well on both sides of the ball. Jackson Buis is just so solid on the offensive and defensive lines. Brendle Brennan has gone off with two back to back 100 yard, 2 plus touchdown games. Cam Pingleton has been disruptive on the defensive line," Stephens said.

As a result, Stephens admits he and his coaching staff know what kind of potential the Tiger Cubs have as Greencastle hits the halfway point of the season. 

"I think we know what kind of potential we have. We still have improvements to make going forward to compete in our sectional. But the potential is there if we can keep improving and reduce some mental mistakes," Stephens said. 

And, along the way, he admits he has seen the culture change at Greencastle. 

"It feels great. It's what we set out to do. Greencastle is a place used to having a ton of football success. We want to bring back the excitement and success to our football program," Stephens said. 

This Friday, Greencastle looks to extend its win streak as it takes on Sullivan (2-2). The Golden Arrows fell 14-12 last week to Linton Stockton, and Stephens notes the pressure is on the Greencastle coaching staff to make sure the players are ready to go, especially after an emotional win last week. 

"That will be a big challenge for us. The South game was extremely emotional. As a staff, we have to make sure there isn’t a letdown with effort and focus. I think there are more than enough items we can point to on film that need to be fixed. And our main goal is to improve throughout the season. We focus on process over outcome," Stephens said. 

Heading into this volleyball season, North Putnam second-year coach Jenny Heron voiced excitement for this year's team. 

The excitement has been backed up time after time thus far, as there's a 12-3 record the team brought into this week, they are 4-0 in the Western Indiana Conference, and now, they are the Putnam County County Volleyball champs after this weekend's tournament. 

The Cougars knocked off Greencastle 28-26, 19-25, 15-12 in the semifinal and then knocked off South Putnam 25-21, 25-15 in the final. 

"It feels fulfilling to win the county, as this is one of the smaller things we would like to achieve this year. I think as a whole we played well and are still capable of more as a team. Ashleigh Riley and Saylor Carrell did a great job on the outside for us and scored on some tough balls. Lexi Daigle did a great job of setting our hitters a tempo that was easy for us but made our opponent uncomfortable at times.I also think our back row Alexa Stiff, Addi Osburn, and Callee Riggle were able to serve tough to put our opponents out of systems and covered a lot of ground making it challenging for the other teams to score," Heron told The Putnam County Post. 

Heron said the season has been "pretty smooth" so far for the Cougars. 

"Our season has been pretty smooth so far with a couple of bumps that we have been able to recover from quickly. I think winning county is one step we were able to accomplish to help prove ourselves as a team and program. I am starting to see moments of where I want to peak at by the time sectionals are here in four short weeks," Heron said.

North Putnam was set to host Danville on Sept. 11 and will travel to Crawfordsville Sept. 12 for a 6 p.m. clash. 

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Heading into Friday night's clash between South Putnam and Greencastle, the series between the two teams was tied 17-17. 

It was easy to see why as the two Putnam County rivals lit up the scoreboard at South Putnam's Wildman Field, combining for a total of 100 points in a game that was filled with emotions, penalties and turnovers all night. 

When the dust settled,  Greencastle walked away with not only county bragging rights, but the Putnam County Bucket, knocking off South Putnam, 51-49.

The game featured six combined turnovers and 23 total penalties. 

For Greencastle coach Dave Stephens it is his first win in the series as coach of the Tiger Cubs, who improved to 2-2 on the year. 

South Putnam falls to 3-1 on the season with the loss. 

The win didn't come without plenty of fireworks, momentum changes and penalties in the final quarter. 

Trailing 49-41 after Lamar Moore went 57 yards and the point-after-attempt failed, Greencastle's defense would come up huge on the ensuing South Putnam possession, forcing a fumble. 

The Tiger Cubs would cash in, as kicker Ian Williamson belted a 43 yard field goal to trim the deficit to 49-45. 

With under four minutes left, Greencastle would take over possession at its own 48 yard line. 

What would ensure would be total chaos for both teams and bliss for the Tiger Cubs. 

Greencastle would benefit from a facemask penalty against South Putnam as well as a huge pass from Owen Huff to Williamson for a 27 yard gain that would put the Tiger Cubs inside the red zone. 

After an Aiden Beadles tackle for a loss, Stephens would hit a wide open Huff for a 13 yard touchdown. Williamson's point after attempt would lift the Tiger Cubs, 51-49. 

After an explosive first half that featured plenty of fireworks and points, South Putnam appeared to find its footing and took advantage of numerous second half penalties and turnovers by Greencastle to gain early momentum.  

Trailing 35-28 after Greencastle quarterback Cole Stephens hit Brendle Brennan for a 46 yard touchdown pass, the Eagles woke up their rushing attack and stepped up its defensive effort in the second half. 

Drew Hill got South Putnam's defense going as he intercepted Stephens and minutes later running back Kolby Harcourt found the end zone, tying the game at 35-35.

The tie would be short lived as South Putnam's defense would again come up huge, as Keenan Mowery-Shields intercepted Stephens on fourth and three and raced back 46 yards to the end zone, giving the Eagles a commanding 42-35 lead. 

The lead would swell to two touchdowns to open the fourth quarter, as Hartcourt took a handoff and raced 30 yards, giving South Putnam a 49-35 advantage. 

The first half featured big play after big play, as both teams combined for 56 total points. 

Greencastle would strike first as Lamar Moore took a handoff from Stephens and hit paydirt from 52 yards. The point after attempt was good, and the Tiger Cubs found themselves up 7-0 with 9:47 left in the first quarter. Moore would finish with 158 yards on 27 carries. 

South Putnam would respond, thanks in part to three crucial penalties from Greencastle, who had 11 first half penalties. On first and goal from the Greencastle 4-yard line, South Putnam quarterback Wyatt Mullin called his own number, knotting the game at 7-7. 

The tie would be short lived, however, as Greencastle took to the air for its next score. 

On third and 11, Stephens drilled Brennan for an 89 yard strike that would put the Tiger Cubs ahead 14-7 with just under five minutes left in the first quarter. The Tiger Cubs would look to stretch the lead as they intercepted Mullin, but were unable to come up with any points. 

South Putnam would make them pay, as Mullin redeemed himself with a 61 yard pitch and catch with Bransyn Hanley, who outraced the defense to the end zone, tying the game at 14-14. 

Greencastle would cough the ball up again, as a fumble would be recovered by South Putnam, who again went to the air as Mullin hit Hayden Meredith for a 31-yard strike to put the Eagles ahead 21-14 with 20 seconds left in the first quarter. 

Greencastle's next touchdown would come thanks to its defense, who forced Mullin to fumble it away and Moore would find the end zone moments later, tying the game at 21-21. 

Greencastle would extend its lead, as Ian Williamson found paydirt from 43 yards out, pushing the Tiger Cubs ahead 28-21. 

However, South Putnam would not go away quietly in the first half, as Mullin hit Meredith for another touchdown to tie things up at 28-28.

After another turnover by Greencastle, South Putnam would look to take the lead into the locker room as they attempted a 34-yard field goal that would fail, sending both teams into the locker knotted 28-28. 

Greencastle picked up 144 yards on the ground, while Stephens finished 13-of-23 for 283 yards and two interceptions through the air. 

South Putnam finished with 134 yards on the ground, all coming by way of Harcourt who rushed 27 times. 

Mullin was 18-of-32 for 229 yards and an interception through the air. 

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With week four approaching, the Cloverdale Clovers find themselves in the midst of a win streak, while the North Putnam Cougars are looking for the first win of the season. 

The Clovers travel to Cascade, while North Putnam travels to Covenant Christian. 

Here's a look at the two Putnam County teams. 

Cloverdale off to strong start

For the first time since 2010, the Cloverdale Clovers find themselves above .500 after posting back-to-back victories against Edinburgh and Brown County. 

"It's a great feeling for all of us. I think our success has come from several different variables. We're not where we want to be, but I think one of the main things is our strength and speed is starting to close the gap some, as well as just playing time for some of these guys. They've had some time on the gridiron and are starting to gain experience," Cloverdale coach Tyler Lotz told The Putnam County Post. 

A week ago, Cloverdale upended Brown County on the road, 28-6. In that game, the Clovers raced out to a quick 21-6 lead after the first quarter.

Tayt Jackson was 4-of-7 for 103 yards and a touchdown through the air, as well as adding 88 yards and a score on the ground. 

Running back Levi Johnson had 21 touches for 145 yards and two touchdowns, while wide receiver Jaxton Helton reeled in a 51 yard touchdown pass. 

"A lot of guys have worked hard for this and the closer we get as a team, the better we become. Football is the ultimate team sport and it takes all of them to do what we've done so far," Lotz said. 

At 2-1 and heading into the thick of things in the Western Indiana Conference, Lotz said he won't be judging this team on wins and losses. 

"We have already won more games this year than any other year in the last five years. My biggest challenge for this team has been to compete no  matter the score. If we continue to do that, we're going to improve, which will in turn result in more wins. I am excited about the future of Cloverdale football and this year's team is leaving their mark on it," Lotz admitted.

Friday, the Clovers hit the road for a test against Cascade, who enters 2-1 and is also on a two game winning streak after losing to Triton Central in the season opener. Cascade has knocked off Beech Grove and Edgewood the last two weeks. 

In the win over Edgewood, Cascade rolled up 21 first downs and raced out to a 56-0 halftime edge as Dayton Mink found the end zone three times and rushed for 98 yards. In addition, Toby Savini accounted for 132 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. 

"Cascade is a very good football team and it will take us matching their physicality up front for four quarters. We have to limit the missed tackles on our end and create missed tackles for our offense if we want to win Friday night," Lotz said.

North Putnam seeks first win of the season

An 0-3 start to the season was not what North Putnam head coach Scott Moore envisioned when the season began, but it is the hand the Cougars have been dealt. 

North Putnam fell 26-8 to South Putnam last week.

"We did some really good things last Friday. Defensively, we kept ourselves in the game by stopping their run and executing our gameplan. A few big plays in the passing game happened where they just made plays and our guys didn't. South Putnam's defense is very fast and stout and we had to find what was working throughout the first half. We We shot ourselves in the foot on several drives in the second half with big penalties, turnovers or missed opportunities that could have been game changers. We are proud of our players for how they competed and played four quarters of solid defense against a good football team," Moore told The Putnam County Post. 

The Cougars will look to pick up the first win of the season on the road against a Covenant Christian squad that is 1-2 after falling to Scecina, 36-22, last week. 

"Covenant Christian presents yet another tough opponent to start our season as they have many good athletes and some new guys on both sides of the ball that make them a good football team once again.  We are hopeful that our progression through the first 3 games will finally come full swing into playing a great game on both sides of the ball and give us an opportunity to win a football game on friday night.  We must keep taking strides forward, keep working on ourselves, fixing mistakes, and rising up to make plays when its our time to make big plays," Moore said. 

It may have taken three weeks for Dave Stephens to get his first win, but that didn't diminish the feelings the first year Greencastle head football coach had when he began celebrating last week after watching his team knock off West Vigo, 56-18.

"Getting that win was really special. Being able to be back in my hometown and get that win with my son playing quarterback, guys I went to high school with on the staff, guys I coached being on the staff, it was something that I had dreamt of since I was a teenager," Stephens told The Putnam County Post. 

At 1-2, Greencastle enters Friday's clash at South Putnam averaging just over 30 points per game and surrendering just over 27 points per game. 
Despite the sub .500 record, Stephens admits he is "really happy" with his squad. 

"I'm really happy with where we are at considering the level of competition that we have played in the circumstances we have faced," Stephens said.

One constant for the Tiger Cubs has been freshman quarterback Cole Stephens.

"Cole is doing a great job. He has thrown for over 600 yards and six touchdowns so far this season. Our other freshman that starts at middle linebacker, Parker Welker, had 11 tackles and a fumble recovery for a touchdown last week. The future is bright at Greencastle with our young players," Stephens said. 

This Friday, Greencastle will need their younger players to continue making gains, as the Tiger Cubs travel to take on a formidable opponent in the South Putnam Eagles. 
Chuck Sorrel's team is 3-0 on the year and have already knocked off county foes Cloverdale (69-0) and North Putnam (28-6). 
On the season, South Putnam is averaging almost 48 points per game and is surrending only four points a contest. 

According to Stephens, the rivalry between the two schools is something both communities look forward to. 

"The rivalry is absolutely huge in Putnam County. Generations of players have played for the county bucket even when teams have the most successful seasons in program history like when South Putnam won the state title in 1986. It's nice for Greencastle to remind that even though they were state champs, they were not county champs. South Putnam is a rural school that plays with a chip on its shoulder and has used that energy to foster themselves into a really good high school football program. Stakes are usually high when these teams meet and right now in this season, it's no different. The WIC Green Division goes through Greencastle and South Putnam," Stephens said. 

As for the Eagles, they come rolling in with a solid quarterback of their own in Wyatt Mullin, who is 19-of-25 for 369 yards and five touchdowns passing and has rushed for 126 more yards and two touchdowns this season. 

According to South Putnam coach Chuck Sorrel, Mullin's hard work in the weight room during the offseason has paid off. 

"He has put on 15 pounds in the weight room. He went to multiple quarterback camps to really become a great thrower of the football, but his strength is he is really fast and that is hard to see when you scout us. He is able to fly around on defense and has three interceptions in three games and multiple long runs," Sorrel said. 

Both coaches are complimentary of the other's program coming into Friday. 

"They are well coached and have a very good, senior driven offense. Their young quarterback, Stephens, makes really good throws for a freshman," Sorrel said. 

As for what he thinks it will take for the Eagles to pick up the win, Sorrell said, "We have to establish and dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. We have to stop their run and make them one dimensional, and then we must be able to run power and counter." 

Stephens said South Putnam looks "phenomenal on both sides of the ball."

"They are physical and fast. They are a proud group that has goals of a deep run in the playoffs. What it will take to beat the Eagles this week is for us to focus on us and the things that we can control. We can't beat ourselves by making poor football decisions. If we play for our brothers next to us and have enough discipline to execute our techniques and schemes, I love our chances," Stephens said. 

As a child, Wyatt Mullin would find himself huddled around the television watching the Indianapolis Colts and quarterback Peyton Manning. 
It was at that moment, he fell in love with not only the sport of football, but also the quarterback position. 

"I've been playing football since I was six, and I've always loved the sport. I used to watch Peyton Manning when I was really young and he inspired me to be a quarterback," Mullin told The Putnam County Post. 

The inspiration and watching has paid off nicely for Mullin and his South Putnam Eagles, who are off to a 3-0 start heading into Friday's clash against Greencastle. 

Through three games, Mullin is 38-of-56 for 598 yards and six touchdowns through the air and has added 244 more yards and three trips to the end zone on the ground. 
And, he has handled all the pressure that comes with playing quarterback nicely. 

"For me, dealing with pressure isn't really an issue. I'm confident in my abilities and I know what I'm capable of and all I have to do is go out and show out," Mullin admitted. 

On the season, the Eagles have put up points at will this season, as they average almost 47 points per game behind a strong offensive line and dominant running attack. 
Those things create more opportunities for Mullin to handle pressure nicely under center. 

"When I think about my team and this season, I have huge goals for us as a team. I know we have a very special group of players and we've been off to a great start this 2023 season. I can't wait to see what the rest of this year has in store for us," Mullin said. 

What's next in the immediate is a clash against county foe Greencastle, who enters 1-2 and has a strong quarterback of its own in freshman Cole Stephens. 

"We know they are a good football team and they won't be taken lightly. there's a lot of hype surrounding this game due to it being a rivalry and there's been a lot of talk going on. We don't listen to all that though. We are blocking out the noise and all we can do is go out and play our best like we can," Mullin said. 

Currently ranked fourth in this week's IFCA Class A Poll, Mullin believes the "sky is the limit" for South Putnam. 

"We have some seasoned veteran leaders on this team who do a great job of leading the young talent in the right direction and if we can keep our tracks, I think we can do whatever we put our minds to," Mullin said. 

DePauw dominated total yardage and time of possession in winning the 2023 football opener at Rose-Hulman, 33-21.

The Tigers jumped out to a 13-0 first quarter lead only to see the Engineers battle back with a 21-7 second quarter for a 21-20 halftime lead.

Gus Baumgartner (Guerin Catholic) scored on a five-yard touchdown run in the early minutes of the third quarter to give DePauw a lead that it wouldn't relinquish.

Baumgartner rushed for 122 yards on 25 carries.

DePauw outgained the Engineers in total yardage 535 to 268. That includes  the Tigers outrushing Rose-Hulman 259 to 66 to gain a time of possession advantage of better than 2-to-1, 40:19 to 19:32.

DePauw is back on campus Saturday, Sept. 9, for the home opener with a 1 p.m. kickoff against Anderson at Blackstock Stadium.

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The DePauw women's cross country team opened its 2023 season with a dominant first-place finish at the Grizzly Invitational.

The event was held at the Blue River Cross Country Course in Shelbyville.

With runners finishing in the second through 14th scoring spots, the Tigers totaled 28 points.
 
Top-seven (5k) finishes for the Tigers included:
 

 
Lilly Monnett is a Cloverdale graduate.

The Tigers are back in action on Saturday, September 9, at the NCAC Preview hosted by Denison University in Granville, Ohio.

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