Howard County Football Week 3 Preview and Predictions
Two weeks are in the books, and the 2026 high school football season is starting to take shape across Howard County. Some teams have gotten off to strong starts, while others are still looking to find their footing. Week 3 brings another opportunity to make a statement, build momentum and move one step closer to the stretch run of the regular season.
This week’s schedule comes with a few changes. Due to extreme heat, several kickoff times have been adjusted to help ensure the safety of players and coaches. Northwestern’s game also has been moved to Saturday at Taylor High School due to what the Northwestern School Corporation described on Facebook as an “extreme power outage” on the Northwestern campus. With that in mind, here’s a closer look at this week’s matchups, what to watch for and our predictions for how each game will play out.
Rankings are from the USA TODAY Network Indiana high school football poll.
Class 5A No. 3 Pendleton Heights (2-0) vs Kokomo (0-2)
Kokomo enters Week 3 still searching for its first win of the season. The Wildkats’ defense continued its solid play last week at Terre Haute South and will need to deliver its best performance of the season when No. 3 Pendleton Heights comes to town.
The Arabians enter the matchup as one of the top teams in Class 5A. Their defense turned in its best performance of the season last week, holding Guerin Catholic to three points. Kokomo’s offense, meanwhile, has struggled to find the end zone, while an inability to sustain drives has been another issue the Wildkats are working to overcome. Being back on their home field will be a welcome sight, but No. 3 Pendleton Heights is expected to be too much for Kokomo to handle Friday night.
Winner: Pendleton Heights
Class 3A No. 7 Twin Lakes (2-0) vs Western (0-2)
Western is one of three county football teams still searching for its first win of the season. A young Panthers squad suffered a loss while debuting its new turf field a week ago and will look to flip the script as it opens Hoosier Conference play against Class 3A No. 7 Twin Lakes.
Twin Lakes won both meetings against Western a year ago, including a victory in the sectional championship. The Indians return a veteran group that is averaging 49 points per game and have established themselves as one of the top teams in Class 3A.
Twin Lakes senior quarterback Cooper Dold has been a man on a mission this season, totaling 558 passing yards while completing 70.6% of his passes with eight passing touchdowns. He has also added a rushing touchdown, giving the Indians another weapon to account for. Dold’s ability to control the offense and strike at the right moment has the Indians’ offense humming, and Twin Lakes should have enough firepower to overwhelm Western Friday night.
Winner: Twin Lakes
Southwood (0-2) vs Northwestern (1-1)
The Tigers will play their home game at Taylor High School Saturday afternoon due to the “extreme power outage” on Northwestern’s campus, according to the Northwestern School Corporation. It’s great to see county schools work together to help a football team during an emergency, and Taylor has stepped up to provide a home for the Tigers this weekend.
Southwood has struggled to find its footing this season, having been shut out in both of its games. The Knights do have the luxury of being coached by the winningest coach in Indiana high school football history, Larry “Bud” Wright, giving them an experienced leader who can help prepare the team for Saturday afternoon’s battle.
The Tigers have been banged up this season, with numerous starters suffering injuries. Those injuries will put head coach Shane Turnipseed to the test as he works to get backups ready for a conference game. While the Saturday afternoon kickoff and injuries could create challenges for Northwestern, the Tigers should have enough to overcome them and take down Southwood at Taylor High School.
Winner: Northwestern
Delphi (1-1) vs Class 2A No. 6 Eastern (Greentown) (2-0)
Class 2A No. 6 Eastern (Greentown) continued its strong start to the season a week ago with a 29-point win over county rival Northwestern. The Comets turned up the intensity in the second half and will look to bring that same fire Friday night against Delphi.
Delphi enters the game following a 49-13 loss to Twin Lakes. The Oracles couldn’t contain the Indians’ high-powered offense a week ago and will look to return to the strong play they showed in the season opener against Benton Central.
This matchup features two of the area’s best quarterbacks in Eastern’s Gibson Eagle and Delphi’s Weston Brown. Both quarterbacks have been stars for their respective teams, but their play alone won’t decide this game. Eastern has more weapons around Eagle and should be able to make enough plays on both sides of the ball to come away with another win Friday night.
Winner: Eastern
Class 1A No. 14 Carroll (Flora) (1-1) vs Taylor (0-2)
Taylor is still searching for its first win of the season after a 54-16 loss to North Miami a week ago. The Titans will get a little extra time to prepare Friday night, with kickoff pushed back to 8 p.m. due to extreme heat. That extra time could be valuable for a Taylor team looking to find something to build on.
Class 1A No. 14 Carroll (Flora) also enters the matchup looking to bounce back after a 26-7 loss to Maconaquah. Friday marks the first conference game for both teams, but the stakes are especially important for the Cougars, who are considered one of the favorites to compete for the Hoosier Heartland Conference title. Carroll will be looking to start that chase on the right foot.
Taylor has been hit by injuries while struggling to find consistency on both sides of the ball. The Titans will need their best performance of the season to pull off the upset, but Carroll’s steady play and depth should prove to be too much. Expect the Cougars to leave Taylor with a conference win Friday night.
Winner: Carroll
Week 3 should provide another entertaining Friday night of high school football across Howard County. The Kokomo Post Sports team will be at Western for the matchup between the Panthers and Class 3A No. 7 Twin Lakes, bringing fans coverage from the field throughout the night.
As always, get out and support your local teams if you can. With extreme temperatures expected this week, remember to stay hydrated, take breaks from the heat and look out for one another while enjoying the games. We’ll see you at the stadium.
Jay’s Stats
Last week: 3-1
2026-2027 overall record: 5-4 (55.5%)
