Black Crunch is aiming for its first semi-state trip since 2008. (File photo by Nick Goralczyk)

NAPPANEE – Something has to give come Friday night at Andrews Field.

It will be a clash of unbeatens as NorthWood plays host to New Haven in a Class 4-A regional clash of prep powers.

The host Panthers, who sit at No. 2 in the AP Poll, boast a perfect 12-0 mark.

The Bulldogs, who check in at No. 4, carry a perfect 11-0 record.

The winner not only claims a regional championship but moves within one more win of playing for a state title in two weeks.

A lot to play for on both sides of the football for a matchup of a pair of powers.

The showdown appears to have all the makings of a shootout. NorthWood averages 46.3 points-per-game, while New Haven is even a little better at 49 points-per-contest. The Panthers allow 18 ppg., while the Bulldogs are giving up 11 per outing.

“They’re unbelievably athletic, and they pass the eye test, that’s for sure,” said NorthWood coach Nate Andrews about New Haven. “They’re huge up front, and where they’re not huge, they’re really athletic up front, on both sides (of the ball).

“Their defense is lights out. For the most part, they want to stay in a two-high or cover-two shell and play ball and let their safeties clean up the mess, if there is one, and they’ve been able to do that to a lot of people.”

NorthWood, under the direction of third-year coach Andrews, boasts a balanced offensive attack with a multitude of playmakers. The prolific Panthers average 251 yards rushing and 249 yards passing per game. NorthWood rolled past host East Noble last week 52-24 as the Panthers rushed for 306 yards.

Trey Bilinski will look to have his best game yet as the Panthers aim for 13-0. (File photo by Nick Goralczyk)

The Panthers are led by star quarterback Trey Bilinski. The senior is 174-281 passing for 2,982 yards with 37 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He has also rushed for 315 yards and another five scores.

NorthWood boasts a three-headed monster in its diverse running game. Junior Brayton Yoder leads the ground attack with 96 rushes for 908 yards and 10 touchdowns. Sophomore Bronson Yoder has 136 carries for 741 yards and 10 scores and junior Payton Bear has 104 rushes for 639 yards and six touchdowns.

The Panther passing game has weapons all over the field for Bilinski to throw to. Junior Deandre Smart leads the talented group with 50 receptions for 979 yards and 13 touchdowns. Sophomore Bronson Yoder had 49 catches for 947 yards and eight scores, while junior Landen Gessinger has 30 for 404 and six scores and senior Drew Minnich 25 for 375 and six touchdowns.

NorthWood got a three-touchdown effort from Bronson Yoder in last week’s win at East Noble. Brayton Yoder rushed for 159 yards and Bilinski fired two touchdown passes as the Panthers scored 50 or more points for the seventh time this season.

New Haven comes into the regional clash off a tremendous sectional title game win. The Bulldogs beat defending state champion Fort Wayne Dwenger 28-23 last week, their first win over the Saints since 1965. The game saw a total of 10 turnovers, five by each team.

The Bulldogs have played one less game than the Panthers this season. Their game at DeKalb in week three of the regular season, back on Sept. 2, was cancelled after two DeKalb players were involved in a car accident that day prior to the game. One of the players died that day, while the other passed away four days later.

New Haven, under the direction of 16th year coach Jim Rowland, relies heavily on running back Nishawn Jones. The senior has rushed for 1,495 yards on 164 carries this fall with 27 touchdowns. Senior quarterback Keshawn Moore is 140-237 passing for 2,101 yards with 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The top receivers for the Bulldogs are senior Keshon Thomas, who has 37 catches for 615 yards and four touchdowns, along with junior James Gardner (30-459, six touchdowns), senior Whitney Harris (29 catches, four touchdowns) and senior Jones (18 catches, six touchdowns).

The two teams have played two common opponents this season in Columbia City and East Noble. NorthWood beat Columbia City 52-13 in a first-round playoff game in Nappanee and then won at East Noble 52-24 last week in the sectional final. New Haven defeated Columbia City 46-0 and beat East Noble 55-21.

NorthWood has won 10 regional championships in the rich history of its program with the last being a Class 3-A title in 2008. New Haven owns one regional title, that coming in 2001, also in Class 3-A.

The NorthWood defense is led by Minnich. The senior has 100 tackles on the year, including 13 tackles for loss. Senior Dylan Brugh has 63 stops, including 11 for loss, while Bear has 65 and junior Ingle Will has 59 with 12 of those for losses.

The duo of senior Ivan Upshaw (64 tackles) and senior Jerian Freeman (10 tackles for loss) lead the way for the New Haven defense.

An interesting stat in the matchup lies in the area of two-point conversions after touchdowns. NorthWood is 41-54 on two-point tries this season, while New Haven does not have a successful two-point conversion. The Panthers have also not attempted a field goal this season, while the Bulldogs are 2-5.

The NorthWood-New Haven winner advances to face either Lowell (8-4) or No. 11 Hobart (10-2) in the Northern Semistate game on Nov. 18. That winner then moves on to the Class 4-A state championship game on Friday, Nov. 25 at 3:30 p.m. at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

The New Haven at NorthWood game kicks off at 7:30 Friday night. The contest will be the Channel 46 Game of the Week and will be shown at 11 p.m. Friday and again Saturday at 9 a.m.