Seven unbeatens remain: What we learned from Week 3 of SW Indiana high school football

We're about to hit the halfway mark of the high school football regular season in Southwestern Indiana.

Here's what we learned from Week's 3's action, including Mount Vernon ending Pike Central's undefeated season and more:

High school football in SW Indiana: Complete coverage from the 2024 season

Scoreboard: Week 3 Evansville-area high school football scores

Mount Vernon rolls through Pike Central, ends its undefeated season

MOUNT VERNON, Ind. — There was a turning point for Mount Vernon during the second half of its game against Pike Central.

The Wildcats led by just a single point going into halftime against an undefeated Chargers team. Three touchdowns in the second quarter alone happened within 39 seconds of each other between the two teams. Pike Central wasn't going to go down without a fight.

But as the Chargers drove deep into Mount Vernon territory to start the second half, Hunter Pedrotti flipped the script. The Wildcats senior scooped up a fumble all the way for a long touchdown. Junior Nash Hostetter then scored three of his four touchdowns, and Mount Vernon never looked back as it blasted Pike Central 56-27 Friday evening at Memorial Field.

Wildcats coach Justin Fischer still expects better of his team. They committed personal fouls and turnovers while there wasn't enough running room from the offensive line. Mount Vernon's defensive performance could have been better, too.

Pike Central junior Grant Boyd (209 rushing yards, two touchdowns) remains one of the Pocket Athletic Conference's best running backs. Senior quarterback Matthew Meadows also had 59 rushing yards and a pair of scores.

"The first half didn't go our way, but we were still up one," Hostetter said. "And I'll take responsibility for that. I lost my head and had to get taken out for a couple plays because I got a personal foul. That's on me. But Coach (Fischer) did a good job at halftime switching the mood; our players talked to each other, and we figured out what needed to be done in the second half. And we went out and competed like we normally did."

Mount Vernon junior Grant Lippe was another game changer for his team, rushing for 224 yards and two touchdowns. So were classmates Ryder Snodgrass (326 passing yards, five touchdowns) and Brady Schickel. Hostetter had a second-half interception in addition to his four scores against the Chargers (2-1).

The Wildcats (2-1) will host Washington next week in a critical Big School Division contest. The Hatchets are one of the area's seven undefeated teams. The last time they started 3-0 was in 2010.

"We have to start practicing better," Fischer said. "And I've been harping with the kids about our approach in practice has not been good enough. We have to take that more serious day in and day out."

"We're going to get our heads straight and keep in our own lane," Lippe added. "We're going to work on staying tight-knit, clean up our act and work with what we've got."

The three undefeated SIAC teams stayed undefeated

It continues to be a good fight for the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference entering the halfway mark of the regular season.

In addition to Class 4A No. 5 Reitz's win against Jasper , Class 3A No. 1 Memorial and No. 6 Mater Dei took care of Central and Vincennes Lincoln, respectively, with ease. The Tigers defeated the Bears 35-6 at Enlow Field, while the Wildcats rolled on the road against the Alices 34-14. Mater Dei junior Caden Thacker ran for three touchdowns.

A massive showdown soon awaits between Memorial and Mater Dei at Reitz Bowl.

Defending sectional champion North gets back in the win column

The Huskies avoided their first 0-3 start since 2018 with a 13-3 victory against Harrison at Romain Stadium.

After a scoreless first quarter, senior running back Jason Rucker II accounted for both of North's touchdowns. While the Warriors got on the board in the second half with a field goal, Rucker's second touchdown of the night put the Huskies ahead by two scores late in the third quarter.

North aims to get back in the SIAC hunt when Reitz visits Bundrant Stadium.

The PAC Small School race continues to heat up

Out of the seven undefeated teams in Southwestern Indiana, two are from the Small School.

Class 2A No. 3 North Posey won its division opener at South Spencer, 31-16. Vikings senior running back Jed Galvin totaled 215 yards and two touchdowns in the win — he now has six total scores over his last two games. Tell City is another dominant team in the Small School and also won its division opener 41-24 against Forest Park. Senior Noah Terry had three rushing touchdowns over 50 yards.

North Posey and Tell City will be one of the many marquee matchups to watch in Week 4.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Seven unbeatens remain: What we learned from Week 3 of SW Indiana high school football