What we learned from Week 5 of Southwestern Indiana high school football

EVANSVILLE — This week was a reminder Friday nights are rarely uneventful.

Despite the perceived lack of premier matchups in comparison to what's coming, Week 5 had its fair share of interesting results. Only one game in the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference was decided by two scores or less, but it was nearly a shocker. There were a handful of gems within the Pocket Athletic Conference. This week also paved the way for important matchups later.

More: Week 5 Evansville-area high school football scores

Here is what we learned on Friday night across Southwestern Indiana high school football.

Vincennes Lincoln almost put the SIAC on alert

The final score won't move the needle much. It does showcase more depth in this conference.

Castle defeated Vincennes Lincoln 43-30 at John Lidy Field. Maximus McCool went off for 216 rushing yards and five touchdowns with the Knights (4-1) requiring every bit of it. The Alices (2-3) were within one score for the majority of the game.

Cooper Collins unofficially had 219 yards passing and 119 yards rushing in his first start at quarterback, finding Luke Lindsey for double-digit receptions. It's still a loss but also fair to say the best showing from Vincennes against a SIAC contender. And no surprise, but potentially makes Sectional 32 even more a grind.

The Castle offense has grown exponentially since Week 1 with a heavy emphasis on McCool, who eclipsed double-digit touchdowns on the season. We'll likely learn more on the Knights next week with a trip to 4A No. 2 Reitz (5-0 after beating Central 60-7).

The next closest game within the SIAC was a 35-14 win from Mater Dei against Jasper.

Wilkerson became the second Patriots' coach with 100 career victories

Any doubts from a dozen years ago are a distant memory in Lincoln City.

A dominant 43-7 victory by Heritage Hills over North Posey wasn't just a good showing against a fellow state runner-up. It marked the 100th career win for Todd Wilkerson in year 13 at his alma mater. The only other coach in program history to hit triple digits was Hall of Famer Bob Clayton (320 victories).

Wilkerson went 7-13 in his first two seasons. Only one losing campaign since with a pair of trips to Lucas Oil Stadium and another regional championship mixed in.

"My first two years were rough," said Wilkerson. "There were people questioning whether I was the right guy for the job. It feels good to get to this mark. I have such a great staff. I know how special football is to our community. I haven't been Bob Clayton, but I feel like I've had a decent start."

He may pry to find mistakes during Saturday's film session. There weren't many even if it wasn't an 'A' game from the Patriots. They were simply better. Heritage Hills out-gained North Posey 376-133 with Jett Goldsberry earning the lion's share. The junior quarterback was 7 of 12 passing for 134 yards and two touchdowns, plus 154 yards on the ground and three scores. His 89-yard run on the final play of the first half, shedding multiple tacklers and getting good downfield blocking, was indicative of the entire game.

What may benefit Heritage Hills (4-1) later is the multiple options within the offense. Hunter Meredith had 99 total yards and a touchdown after missing two weeks with an injury. Tyler Ruxer remains a deep threat (a 39-yard touchdown) but Peyton Gray has also emerged on the outside. The defense also didn't allow a point with the starting unit on the field.'

"It's a lot of fun when they get out there and make big plays," said Wilkerson. "Jett had a big first half and finally got the run game going. When you throw Hunter out there along with Ruxer and Gray, you have to cover three pretty good receivers."

Heritage Hills vs. Gibson Southern is officially a go

We can finally discus the biggest regular season game in the PAC this fall.

Neither of those results matter in the conference standings. It's still important to enter next week with positive momentum. Both meetings a year ago were decided by single digits including a memorable 23-20 semistate victory by Heritage Hills. Will this round live up to the hype or simply be a precursor for the upcoming sectional?

3A No. 2 Heritage Hills had zero trouble at 2A No. 2 North Posey. 3A No. 3 Gibson Southern needed a strong second half to beat Southridge 31-22. The odds are strong that the PAC Big School Division will be decided next week at The Jungle.

"We get to see Gibson Southern Week 6 every year," said Wilkerson. "That gives us five weeks to try and be ready for them. This time of year is about getting better every week."

The PAC carried the area with a bunch of interesting games

As little fanfare as there was within the SIAC, the same can't be said about the Pocket.

Five games were decided by 11 points or less. Also add in a notable victory by Forest Park to get one of the wilder weeks from the conference. Start with the Rangers' 48-20 win over Mount Vernon. Despite the meat of the schedule remaining, this possibly proved Terry Riggs' squad isn't to be overlooked.

Gibson Southern needed a touchdown from Seth Parsons with 2:42 remaining to seal its win over Southridge. South Spencer required a strong finish to beat Pike Central. Tell City, playing without star running back Noah Terry, lost to Hancock County on a last-second touchdown. Boonville also knocked out 2A No. 5 Linton-Stockton 21-20 with Nolan McKinney finding the end zone three times. And here we thought No. 2 versus No. 2 in Poseyville could be the best of the night.

This week didn't do much to separate the leaders because of non-division matchups. The PAC is still quietly showing plenty of depth with eight teams owning a winning record at the midway point.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: IHSAA football: What we learned from Week 5 in SW Indiana