Patriots play Berries on Friday

Jay County Patriots

Portland, 3-6

Coach: Tim Millspaugh, fifth year

Conference: Allen County Athletic

Last week vs. Heritage: Cole Stigleman had a career night and Parker Grimes scored twice as Jay County snapped a five-game losing streak with a 34-20 win over Heritage. Stigleman rushed 25 times for 225 yards, eclipsing 200 yards for the first time in his career. Grimes returned an interception 74 yards for a TD, and also hauled in a 29-yard TD?pass from Holton Hill.

Season leaders: Passing — Holton Hill – 67-of-118 passing for 1,209 yards, 15 touchdowns and three interceptions. Rushing — Michael Schlechty – 113 carries for 593 yards and 14 touchdowns. Receiving — Caleb Webster – 15 catches for 297 yards and two touchdowns. Defense — Ethan Theurer – 104 tackles, six tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries.

vs. 

Logansport Berries

Logansport, 5-4

Coach: Mike Johnson, second year

Conference: North Central

Last week vs. Anderson: Logansport returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and never looked back in a 43-13 win over the Anderson Indians. LHS quarterback Elijah Crowe rushed for one touchdown and threw for two more while leading the offense with 97 rushing yards and 73 passing yards. Tucker Pratt and Colten Rozzi also rushed for scores, while Jamie Babcock had a pair of interceptions.

Season leaders: Passing — Elijah Crowe – 18-of-36 passing for 322 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. Rushing — Dusten Wilson – 70 carries for 380 yards and two touchdowns. Receiving — Jacob Cox – eight catches for 168 yards and one touchdown. Defense — Tucker Platt – 62 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and one fumble recovery.

Game notes: This is the first meeting between the Logansport Berries and Jay County Patriots, who almost became conference rivals as Jay County was considering joining the North Central Conference ... Logansport finished with a winning record during the regular season for the first time since 2010, the same year the Berries last won a sectional game ... The Berries average 174 rushing yards and 64 passing yards per game. Dusten Wilson’s 380 rushing yards lead the team, and Colton Rozzi (238 yards), Myles Dungey (215), Drake McLochlin (214), quarterback Elijah Crowe (181) and Josh Manfred (131)?have all carried the ball 30 or more times ... Jay County has a pair of seniors approaching career milestones; Cole Stigleman has 3,027 career rushing yards and is 40 shy of becoming the school’s all-time leader, passing 2014 graduate J.D. Mangas. Quarterback Holton Hill is 18 yards away from reaching 3,000 yards for his career, becoming the first Patriot since 2008 graduate Billy Wellman to throw for more than 3,000 yards ... John Harrell’s website predicts Logansport to win 35-28, while CalPreps.com has the Berries as 10-point favorites. The winner meets either the Columbia City Eagles (5-4)?or Wayne Generals (3-6).