Top standouts, best performances in Week 1 of the Indiana high school football season

Taking a look at the top performers from Week 1 of the Indiana high school football season

We are taking a look at some of the standout performances during Week 1 of the Indiana high school football season: 

Mason Alexander, DB, Hamilton Southeastern

One of the state's top college prospects, Alexander led a dominant effort by the Royals' defense during their matchup with last year's 6A runner-up, Carroll, on Friday. The junior intercepted two passes and took both back for touchdowns as Hamilton Southeastern opened their season with a 28-14 victory.

Eli Chappelow, QB, Shelbyville

Chappelow’s strong all-around effort helped Shelbyville to their first Week 1 win since 2017. The junior QB completed 13 of 20 passes for 283 yards and five touchdowns and he added 47 rushing yards and another score as Shelbyville cruised to a 39-14 victory at Greensburg.

Dallas Freeman, QB, Greenfield-Central

Freeman started his junior year with an electric performance on Friday night. The 6-foot-3 junior threw for 230 yards and four scores along with a rushing touchdown to lead Greenfield-Central to a 49-0 win over Madison. All four of Freeman’s touchdown passes came in a 29-point first quarter.

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Jackson Gilbert, QB, Westfield

Gilbert opened his senior season by leading Westfield to an impressive 34-14 victory over New Palestine on Friday night. The senior threw for 142 yards and a touchdown and added two scores on the ground to carry the load for the Shamrocks.

DJ Gordon, QB, Park Tudor

A dual-threat quarterback committed to Harvard, Gordon got his senior season started with a big 65-6 victory over Greenwood Christian. Gordon accounted for seven total touchdowns to lead the way, including throwing for 190 yards and running for 111 yards.

Thomas Gotkowski, QB, Ben Davis

Gotkowski had an impressive performance on the road at Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) on Friday. The senior quarterback threw for 283 yards and three touchdowns and added 49 yards and a score on the ground as the Giants traveled back to Indianapolis with a 49-28 victory.

Dash King, QB, Bloomington North

King had a breakout performance in Bloomington North’s 34-29 victory over Mooresville on Friday night. He completed 13 of 20 passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns.

DJ Mendez, QB, Scecina Memorial

Mendez was effective through the air and on the ground during the Crusaders' 48-20 victory over Concordia Lutheran on Friday. The senior quarterback completed 14 of 20 passes for 280 yards and a touchdown and added 82 yards and three scores on the ground.

Kobe Meyer, QB, Heritage

Meyer showed off his dual-threat abilities during the Patriots 34-0 victory over Bellmont on Friday night. The senior led the offense as he completed 10 of 15 passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 213 rushing yards on 15 carries with another three touchdowns.

Kimar Nelson, LB, Fort Wayne Wayne

Nelson was all over the field during the Generals' 35-12 win over Crispus Attucks on Friday. The junior racked up 16 tackles (3.5 tackles for loss), a sack, and forced a fumble to lead Wayne’s impressive defensive effort.

Bret Perry, QB, Seymour

A senior quarterback, Perry threw the ball all over the field during a 51-49 shootout loss to visiting Greenwood on Friday night. He completed 25 of his 34 passes for an impressive 387 yards and five touchdowns along with 77 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Christian Peterson, DB, Carmel

Peterson proved to be the hero during Carmel’s 14-7 season-opening win over Homestead on Friday night. The Indiana commit stepped up in the fourth quarter with a 68-yard interception return for the game-winning touchdown.

Dontae Pope, QB, Merrillville

Pope got his senior season off to a great start against the Pirates' archrival, Andrean, on Friday night. He showcased his dual-threat ability as he converted on 13 of 18 passes for 215 yards while adding 76 yards and two touchdowns on the ground to lead Merrillville to a 40-13 victory.

Derek Reid, RB, Tri-West

A 190-pound junior running back, Reid was the workhorse for the Bruins on Friday night. He carried the ball 29 times for 177 yards and three scores and added two catches for another 48 yards in a 42-6 Tri-West victory over Western.

Brock Riddle, QB, Greenwood

A senior quarterback, Riddle started his season off with a historic performance in a thrilling 51-49 victory over Seymour. He completed 20 of 26 passes for 434 yards and six touchdowns – a school record – and added 78 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Logan Schoffner, RB, Noblesville

Friday night marked a milestone for Noblesville's senior running back. The 5-7, 160-pounder broke the school's 41-year-old career rushing yardage record after rushing for 232 yards and scoring three total touchdowns in the Millers' 48-30 victory over Mt. Vernon at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Branden Sharpe, RB, Brownsburg

Sharpe, a freshman, had a breakout performance in his first taste of varsity action on Friday night. He opened up the scoring with an 80-yard touchdown run and followed it up with two more first-half rushing scores as he helped Brownsburg cruise to a 51-7 win over Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger.

Jace Stuckey, QB, Triton Central

One of the top passers in the state a year ago, Stuckey continued to light up the stat sheet in Triton Central’s opener against Cascade. A senior committed to Eastern Michigan, he threw for 415 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Tigers to a 41-13 victory.

Jackson Willis, QB, Indianapolis Lutheran

Willis led Indiana in both passing yards and touchdowns during his sophomore season a year ago and continued his success on the field on Friday night. The reigning 1A state champions defeated Beech Grove 50-0 and the junior lefty quarterback threw for 284 yards and three touchdowns.

Mark Zackery, WR/DB, Ben Davis

Zackery is one of the top prospects in the Class of 2025 and he showed why during the Giants' 49-28 road victory at Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) on Friday. He made big plays on both sides of the ball, catching three passes for 109 yards – including a 67-yard touchdown – and returning a fumble 99 yards for a score. 

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