Class 3A No. 5-ranked Heights enters the game on a four-game happy streak and fresh off big victories at Eastern and Taylor. The Huskies scored a combined 123 points in their last two games, while giving up just 20.

"They have excellent offensive and defensive packages, and they have excellent personnel in the packages," Northwestern coach Dan Robinson said of the Huskies. "They are as complete a team as we've faced in a while."

Heights punches holes with its running game, then blends in a big-strike passing game. Junior tailback Tanner Pickett leads Heights with 883 yards rushing over six games. He averages 8.5 yards per carry and 147 yards a game.

Through the air, senior quarterback Dustin Sherer has completed 73 of 124 passes (a 59 percent clip) for 1,270 yards and 17 touchdowns. Heights' main targets include senior receivers Daniel DeWeese (18 catches) and Kyle Henderson (23 catches), as well as Pickett (12 receptions).

Northwestern knows it faces a steep challenge.

"There is a very small opportunity for us to win because [the Huskies] are so talented," Robinson said. "Our kids have to buy into what we're asking them to do, and they have to buy in with no fear. It's hard to assess whether they will be able to do that because we've had two really disappointing losses in the last three weeks.

"Our kids need to be confident that we're a good team, and that we do have the tools and the talent necessary to win the game. If all those things come together, and if we eliminate the turnovers that have hurt us in our losses, it could be a good game. If any doubts creep in, it could go south in a hurry. We have to throw caution to the wind and compete."

Heights wants to make things go south for Northwestern in a hurry.

"How you start the game [is important]," Heights coach Steve Stirn stressed. "I think so often that initial possession says a lot. You need to make the most of it on both sides of the ball because it really is a tone-setter for the game. I just sense that [the Tigers] have the ability to make it a low-possession game. We've got to stop that."

Northwestern junior QB Kurt Dikeman has connected on 68 of 135 passes for 825 yards this season. His top targets are senior Jon Gonzales (21 catches), senior Cam Muhlenkamp (14 catches) and junior Luke Daily (12 catches). Junior running back Bryce McDonald has rushed for 422 yards on 91 totes.

Stirn is wary of Northwestern's experience and expects the Tigers to hit Arcadia with a good game plan that will pose a challenge. He said that the Huskies need to impose their will, not react to Northwestern's.

Stirn said some things that could help against the Tigers are: "If we're able to establish the tempo of the game; winning the line of scrimmage and preventing the [Northwestern] catch from becoming the run-after-the-catch defensively. Offensively, establishing offensive balance early; not just run-pass, but getting the ball into various kids' hands is important."

Northwestern upset Heights 25-22 in 2000, the Huskies' first season in the MIC. The Huskies have won the last three meetings. They rolled to a 65-0 win last season.

Tipton (5-1, 2-1) at No. 3 Sheridan (6-0, 3-0)

Last week: Tipton beat Eastern Hancock 35-21; Sheridan thumped Delphi 45-10.

Last meeting: Tipton beat Sheridan 7-6 last season.

Tipton coach Mike Tolle expects a tournament atmosphere this week for the meeting of rivals with just one loss between them.

He is impressed with the Blackhawks, who are No. 3 in the AP's Class A poll and No. 1 in the coaches' poll.

"They're not 6-0 and ranked No. 1 in 1A football for nothing," Tolle said. "They're certainly worthy of their ranking and their record.

"I think they're very good on both sides of the ball, and probably one of the things that scares me the most is their special teams. They've scored quite a few touchdowns on punt returns and kickoff returns. Teams that possess that kind of explosive speed, you just never can let up [against]."

Sheridan shares the Hoosier Conference lead with Rensselaer, which is the only team to beat Tipton this season.

Sheridan features an effective, four-pronged ground attack. The Blackhawks get yards in chunks from Ryan Gibbons (108 carries for 707 yards), Josh Burgan (48-426 yards), Travis Pelham (29-286) and quarterback Brett Zachery (41-258). Zachery has also connected on 21 of 45 passes for 403 yards.

The Blue Devils are also eating ground in mass quantities as running backs Joe Harpe (794 yards), Jake Heard (551 yards) and Adam Moats (434 yards) combine to average 296.4 yards per game.

A repeat of last season's low-scoring affair seems unlikely. Sheridan averages 47.5 points per game while allowing just 9.2. Tipton averages 32.8 ppg. The strengths of the two squads make for a juicy matchup.

"I don't think we have to change a lot of what we've been doing; we've been playing pretty good football ourselves," Tolle said when asked what it will take to beat Sheridan. "Needless to say, when we've got the ball, that's our best defense. We've got to be able to run the ball, that's been our strength all year.

"We've got to keep them from having the big play offensively, and of course we need to do that on special teams. I think we'll have to play a good defensive game. I don't think we can shut them out, but I think we have to contain them."

Tipton quarterback Jeff Ogden is back from an injury and has been practicing alongside Shawn Friend, who has directed the Devils in place of Ogden. As of the midweek, Tolle hadn't decided which QB would start today.

Eastern (0-6, 0-4) at Western (4-2, 3-1)

Last week: Western blanked Peru 26-0 while Cass hammered Eastern 54-7.

Series record: Western holds a 24-20-1 lead in the all-time series, including a 15-2 advantage since Eastern rejoined the MIC in 1987.

Last meeting: The Panthers pulled out a 13-10 win in overtime last season, their fifth straight win in the series.

Western finishes the regular season with games against Eastern, Hamilton Heights and Cass. The Panthers' last two games are juicy, but coach Jim Plummer wants his team focused only on Eastern. He is wary of the winless Comets.

"I think anytime we play Eastern, it's a dangerous game regardless of what the records are. They always play well against us. Last year, we had to go to overtime to beat them," Plummer said. "They are a team that can potentially score from anywhere on the field. [QB Zach] Pence throws the ball well, and he has some good receivers. Their misdirection offense concerns us."

Pence is averaging 150.8 passing yards per game.

The Panthers' offense figures to receive a boost tonight with the return of quarterback Blayne Burkholder, who missed the last four games with a back injury. Plummer said he likely will alternate Burkholder and Quentin Brown at quarterback tonight. Brown suffered a shoulder injury last week, but he is expected to play.

The Panthers' injury bug bit lineman Travis Stevens, who suffered a broken foot this week and is out for the remainder of the season.

Kokomo (1-5, 1-3) at Logansport (4-2, 2-2)

Last week: Kokomo lost at Richmond 28-14, while Logansport fell to unbeaten Muncie Central 41-14.

Series record: The Wildkats hold a commanding 56-20-3 lead. Kokomo has more wins over Logansport than any school it plays.

Last meeting: Matt Clason and Major Ramsey hooked up on a 15-yard TD pass with 39 seconds remaining to get the Kats a 26-23 victory last season.

Over 79 years of football, Kokomo has generally had its way with Logansport. The Wildkats have dominated the series with 56 victories, including five straight and 13 of the last 14.

While Kokomo has been winning on a regular basis, the margin of victory has been shrinking. Three of the last four Wildkat wins have been by a touchdown or less and last year's three-point win came in the closing seconds.

Logansport has to figure tonight is its opportunity to get a little payback. The Berries have one of their better teams in recent years and at 4-2 with Kokomo, New Castle and Richmond remaining on their schedule, figure to have a good chance of assembling their first winning season since 1995.

Wildkat coach Wayne Lance says the Berries are solid on both sides of the ball.

"The strength of their team is their run defense," Lance said. "They are very experienced in their line play."

Offensively, the Berries are operating out of the wing-T.

"They run it very well -- they're very disciplined," Lance said. "It's an offense that gives you a lot of misdirection and with the right quarterback, can be very affective."

The Berries appear to have that right quarterback too, in senior Dan Angle who has rushed for 386 yards and passed for 387 yards on 28 of 53 accuracy. Fullback Brent Woodruff, a 180-pound senior, leads the ground game with 540 yards and 12 TDs.

Kokomo struggled early last week at Richmond only to rally and make a game of it. Lance was disappointed in his team's approach to the game, but said he continues to see overall improvement.

"I think we're understanding each week a little more what it takes to win," Lance said. "We've had good practices this week and we're continuing to look at some different things we can do as well as work on fundamentals."

Lance said he was pleased with the performance of linebacker Jacob Camp at Richmond and noted the continued outstanding play by defensive back Collyn Ramsey. Leading tackler Kollin Nottingham missed some of last week's game with an ankle injury, but is back at full strength.

Taylor (1-5, 1-3) at Cass (5-1, 3-1)

Last week: Hamilton Heights hammered Taylor 62-14 while Cass whipped Eastern 54-7.

Series record: Cass holds a 23-9 lead in the all-time series

Last meeting: The Kings took a 27-0 win last season for their sixth straight win in the series. The Kings blanked the Titans in the last four meetings.

Cass coach Scott Mannering gave his defense high marks for its effort against Eastern last week. He noted the work of a trio of sophomores -- linebacker Garrett Segraves, tackle Connor McCulley and defensive back Taylor Bowser.

"McCulley probably had one of his better games. He is very aggressive and he gives us a lot of energy on the defensive line," Mannering said. "We were able to get some pressure with our front four people, which led to us to getting four interceptions. Bowser had two."

Now, the Kings turn their attention to the ground-oriented Titans. Taylor is led by running backs Nick Garrett (79.7 yards per game), Justin Macky (33.7) and Kelvin Vazquez (30.3).

"I am very impressed with their tailback, Garrett. He runs hard and he is quick," Mannering said.

Mannering sees an improved Taylor defense, and he points to a strong effort from his line as a key to handle their blitzers. Segraves leads the Kings' offensive attack with an average of 111.8 rushing yards per game and quarterback Eric Sites offers 81.7 passing yards and 36.8 rushing yards per game.

"We have to take into account a lot of different people," Taylor coach Glenn Humerickhouse said, referring to the Kings' depth in the backfield. "The problem is, if you start sucking up on the run they will hit you with the flood pass and make you look really bad because you have two or three zones open.

"They are not as quick as they've been in the past, but they're still quicker than we are so we're going to have to find some ways to neutralize that speed a little bit. If we can do that, we think we have a chance to be successful at some things."

- The Cass Athletic Boosters will be selling Papa John's pizza and also booster memberships tonight during the homecoming game.

Other games

Maconaquah (4-2 overall, 3-1 MIC) is riding a three-game happy streak into a rivalry game against Peru (1-5, 1-3) tonight in the Circus City. Expect this one to be decided on the ground -- the Braves average 218 rushing yards and 27.2 passing yards per game, and the Tigers average 160.7 rushing and 29 passing ypg.

Peru leads the overall series 19-11, but Maconaquah has won the last two meetings.

In a Hoosier Heartland Conference rivalry game, Clinton Central (1-5 overall, 0-2 HHC) hits the road for a game against Class A No. 7-ranked Carroll (4-1, 2-1).

Meanwhile, Tri-Central (4-2) is stepping out of HHC play for a tough road test against Class A No. 4 Shenandoah (6-0).

Tribune sportswriters Pedro Velazco, Bryan Gaskins and Dave Kitchell compiled these previews.