SPRINGFIELD — After a difficult night against North Union last week, the Indian Lake Lakers will look to regroup Friday when they travel to take on the Shawnee Braves in a Central Buckeye Conference Mad River Division matchup.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at Shawnee High School.

Indian Lake enters the contest at 3-3 overall and 0-1 in conference play following last Friday’s 21-7 loss to North Union. The Lakers had won two straight entering the matchup, including a dominant 40-0 shutout of Bellefontaine, but struggled to generate consistent offense against the Wildcats.

The loss dropped Indian Lake to 3-3 on the season, while Shawnee enters Friday’s game at 2-4.

Lakers Look to Finish Offensive Drives in the Endzone

Indian Lake’s offense has shown the ability to eat up the yards on the field throughout the season, averaging near 400 yards of offense per contest.

They have turned this offense into scoring at by scoring at least 40 points in each of their three victories. The Lakers opened the season with a 54-43 victory over Bath before following it with a 40-7 win over Fairbanks.

The problem occurs when they fail to punch it in. In their three losses. The Lakers are only averaging a little over 9 points a game and around 275 yards. A hair under their typical production.

Quarterback Brady Golliday has been a major part of that offensive production.

Golliday enters Week 7 having accounted for 1,807 total yards this season. He has also thrown for 14 touchdowns and rushed for 6 more. He is the conductor of what can be a lethal Laker offense when it is rolling.

The Lakers will look for a more balanced attack Friday after being held to just 57 rushing yards against North Union.

Brodey Reisinger has remained one of Indian Lake’s primary offensive weapons. The senior receiver leads the Lakers with 89 receiving yards per game and seven total touchdowns on the season.

Braden Tussing and Colin Bendler will also be important pieces as Indian Lake looks to create opportunities through the air.

Against North Union, Bendler hauled in six passes for 59 yards and Indian Lake’s lone touchdown, while Reisinger added six receptions for 54 yards.

Defense Looking for Another Strong Performance

While the Lakers struggled offensively against North Union, their defense has produced several strong performances throughout the season.

Indian Lake shut out Bellefontaine in Week 5 and has held opponents to 132 total points through six games. Junior Aaron Rapp has been one of the leaders on that side of the ball, recording a team-high 69 tackles and seven sacks entering Week 7.

The Lakers have a plethora of defensive ballhawks in the secondary, four Lakers are tied in the team lead with two interceptions.

The defensive front will be particularly important against Shawnee as Indian Lake attempts to control the line of scrimmage and prevent the Braves from establishing momentum early.

A Chance to Reset

Friday's matchup represents an opportunity for the Lakers to put last week's result behind them.

Indian Lake entered the North Union game having won five straight home games dating back to last season, but the Wildcats controlled the contest and handed the Lakers their first conference loss of 2026. North Union finished with 279 total yards, including 190 on the ground, while Indian Lake was limited to 212 total yards.

Now, the Lakers turn their attention toward Shawnee.

The Braves enter the matchup at 2-4 and will be looking to protect their home field. The game is also the first of three consecutive conference games for Indian Lake, with Benjamin Logan coming to Lewistown next Friday before the Lakers host Graham on Oct. 16.

With the Mad River Division race beginning to take shape, every conference game becomes increasingly important.

For Indian Lake, the formula Friday will be straightforward: establish the running game, give Golliday and the passing attack opportunities to make plays, and rely on a defense that has already shown it can create turnovers and pressure opposing quarterbacks.

The Lakers will have their chance to respond when they take the field against the Braves in Springfield on Friday night.