BOURBON - Time for Friday Night Lights! LaVille and Triton continue their long-standing rivalry as the 58th meeting commences at Triton High School August 21 in high school football. LHS leads the all-time series 39-18-1, including a 28-0 victory for the Lancers last season. The Trojans finished with a 7-4 record a season ago and were also 6-0 in games played at The Trojan Tundra. THS has won their last nine straight home games dating back to the 2024 season. "Their a Gun-T offense and will pull their guards often, meaning they'll run the football often and have the QB and RB to do so very well," explained Thacker. "We also cannot sleep on their O'line as they can move people. We were very impressed with what they did against Jimtown in the scrimmage. However, they have very capable WR's on the outside and look to get them into the action through play action or in the screen game." With 11 players lining up on the offensive side - the Trojans are going to be a young bunch with just Ryder Gearheart (slot receiver/running back), Charlie Worsham (offensive lineman), and Cayden Bradley (receiver) back.. Beyond that THS replaces everybody else. Lost to graduation are Jayden Overmyer, over 1,700 yards rushing and 19 touchdowns, at running back. Quarterback Gavin Riffle (970 yards passing and nine TD's) and Isaac Quintana (263 yards receiving) are among 12 that picked up their diploma. A total of 10 saw significant playing time. According to second-year Triton coach Andy Barker, Gearheart is the pick to start his senior season as the signal-caller. "Their QB #22 (Gearheart) is a darn good runner and can do some things through the air as well," noted Thacker. "He will be difficult to contain and we'll need to bring our best effort to contain him. #0 (Tyler Painton) is a tough runner and is only a sophomore. We'll need to wrap him up when we have the chance ... #5 (Bradley) on the outside can be a problem if we do not cover him well. He catches the ball well and runs well after the catch." On the defensive side, it looks like Triton will likely start with a 3-3 stack, with Worsham is likely to be at nose tackle, while Ashton Jacobs is scheduled to be one of the ends. In the secondary, watch out for Gayheart,Painton, Bradley and Noah Mondy. "Their defensive line is big and causes havoc up front," explained the first-year Lancer boss. "They will also rotate guys pretty frequently, which could be a problem as well. Each linemen moves very well, they will be a challenge for sure. #66 (Bradley), #70 (WOrsham) and #65 (Van Crisp) are big kids and we'll have to get off the ball. Their LB's are fast and physical. All of them scrape to the ball very well and are not afraid to hit. We're going to have to meet their challenge all night. #22 (Gayheart) plays on the inside and plays linebacker like you're supposed to downhill and fills. #0 (Painton) is fast and will cause issues on the edge if we cannot block him. #5 (Bradley) again is a heck of a football player at safety and flies all over the place he'll be a problem in the run and pass game." LaVille has won eight of the last 10 games in the series against Triton - including just 6-4 in the last 10 in Bourbon. "Again, we'll need to value the football and not turn the ball over," concluded Thacker. "Defensively, we need to stop the run and finish tackles. Plus, we cannot afford costly penalties. Yes, they are a part of the game, but we have to minimize them on our end. Most importantly, we have to worry about ourselves and do what we do." Time to turn on those Friday Night lights! GAMEDAY LaVille (8-5) at Triton (7-4) Kick: 7:00 PM Site: Trojan Tundra | Bourbon, IN. Coaches: Matt Thacker, 0-0 in 1st year at LaVille, 32-50 in 9th year overall. Andy Barker, 7-4 in 2nd year at Triton. All-Time Series: LaVille leads Triton, 39-18-1 Last Meeting: LaVille def. Triton, 28-0, Aug. 22, 2025 Radio/Live-Stream: https://live365.com/station/WYMR-FM-a61946