LAKEVILLE - It's GAMEDAY in Lakeville! As LaVille prepares for North Newton in the IHSAA Class 1A Sectional #41 semifinal on Friday, November 1, coach Jeff Kaiser knows his team must get off to a good start. "Friday night we will be tested by a North Newton team that will mix up formations and are a 50/50 run-pass team," Kaiser said as the Lancers will prepare for a 8 p.m. ET kick at Lancer Field. "We must come out of the gates strong and play solid for 48 minutes." Kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m. ET at Lancer Field, Lakeville, IN. Admission will be $7 per person and tickets may be purchased ahead of time by clicking https://public.eventlink.com/tickets?t=100681 No conference passes or all-sport tickets will be accepted at the IHSAA contest. The game will be on live stream at https://www.ihsaatv.org/?B=1492503 North Newton is 3-7 overall and coming off a 46-40 victory over Bowman Academy Academy in the opening round of the IHSAA Class 1A Sectional #41 tournament. According to coach Kaiser, the Spartans are led by quarterback Cade Watkins, a 6-foot senior, along with the running back duo of senior Hunter Crabtree and junior Kared Kutsch. Coach Jonathan Ewing's club averages 16.3 points per game and are 3-1 so far this season when scoring at least 16 points per game. "North Newton will run multiple sets and will throw as much as run so we must make sure we are in proper alignment and play assignment football on defense," said Kaiser. "A couple key players we need to keep track of are #7 (Cade Watkins) the QB and RB's # 14 (Jared Kutsch) and #24 (Hunter Crabtree)." The Spartans have seven players that are 2-way starters, keyed by Crabtree as a middle linebacker on defense. "When we have the ball they will be in a 4-3 / 4-4 and will look to stop our running game," noted Kaiser. "A key player that stands out is #24, their MLB." LaVille is 5-5 this season, coming off a 41-6 victory over West Central a week ago. It was a team effort against West Central as the running game turned up over 300 yards and three touchdowns. Cody Allen and Cole Stafford provided a solid 1-2 punch in the Lancer running game. Allen finished up with a career-high 245 yards. While the offensive line was opening holes for the ground attack, they were also protecting the passer to the tune of three touchdown passes to three different receivers. Czarnecki was able to find Brayden Schwitz, Xzavian LaFave, and Stafford that resulted in touchdowns. "We have got to focus on the moment and opportunity that is in front of us and create the opportunity to play for a sectional championship," Kaiser said when asked about the North Newton game Friday. "We must get our running game established early on and in dominating fashion." The all-time series is tied, 2-2. LaVille and North Newton last met on August 18, 2017, in Morocco, IN. The Lancers came away with a victory in the season-opener. "We hope to see a good crowd Friday Night cheering us on to a victory once again!" concluded Kaiser. "Go Blue!" Friday's North Newton-LaVille winner will face the winner of the North Judson-Culver Community game. The Sectional #41 championship will be played Nov. 8 at a time and site to be determined by the semifinal results. Game on . . . GAMEDAY Class 1A Sectional #41 Semifinal #1 North Judson (10-0) at Culver Community (2-8) Cavalier Field, 7:30pm ET Coaches: Brett Lambert, 56-19 in 6th year at North Judson. Austin Foust, 3-18 in 2nd year at Culver Community, 19-52 in 7th year overall. Last Outing: North Judson defeated South Newton, 71-20. Culver Community defeated South Central (Union Mills), 44-15. Series Last 35 years: North Judson leads Culver Community, 12-2. Last Meeting: North Judson def. Culver Community 70-0, Sept. 20, 2024. Semifinal #2 North Newton (3-7) at LaVille (5-5) Lancer Field, 8:00pm ET Coaches: Jonathon Ewing, 3-17 in 2nd year at North Newton. Jeff Kaiser, 16-7 in 2nd year at LaVille. Last Outing: North Newton def. Bowman Academy, 46-40. LaVille def. West Central, 41-6. All-Time Series: Tied, 2-2. Last Meeting: LaVille def. North Newton, 3-0, Aug. 18, 2017.