Numbers that would be eye-popping for most have become routine for Lake Central quarterback Ethan Darter.
Darter went 24-of-33 for 396 yards Friday to lead Lake Central to a 40-6 victory over Michigan City in Duneland Athletic Conference play.
Wide receiver Austin Atkins is a known commodity for the Indians (5-1, 4-0). This season, Josh Benson has emerged as a strong No. 2 option. The addition of a third potential playmaker to that mix — Sean Griffin — could take the offense to new heights.
Atkins made five catches for 123 yards. Griffin totaled eight receptions for 128 yards.
But it was Benson who edged out his teammates as the leading receiver against the Wolves (0-6, 0-4). He caught nine passes for 129 yards.
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“Josh has jumped into the scene this year and done a great job of us,” Lake Central coach Brett St. Germain said. “He’s even-keeled, that’s his best trait. Regardless of the situation, he’s always composed and under control. He never gets too high or too low.”
Michigan City’s Michael McCollough threw an incomplete pass on fourth-and-1 from the Lake Central 32 with 2:34 remaining in the second quarter. The Wolves trailed only 12-6 at the time, but the turnover on downs set up the Indians for nine unanswered points to close the half and 28 unanswered for the duration of the game.
Lake Central restructured its offensive line prior to last week’s game against LaPorte. Sophomores Moe Adbeljaber and Mitch Mills made their second straight appearance after debuting against the Slicers.
Darter found Sean Griffin for a 68-yard touchdown late in the second that put Lake Central’s rout in motion.
Wolves coach Michael Karpinski said running back Aryuan Cain-Veasey was “a little banged up” entering Friday’s game and playing at less than 100 percent. However, Cain-Veasey led the Wolves with 83 yards on 20 carries.
Michigan City had three starters sidelined with injuries. Markice Hurt, who joins Cain-Veasey as the team’s top rushers, did not play.
“Right now, we’re a little banged up,” Karpinski said. “We need to clean some things up. They’re an awfully good football team. We would have to play extremely well to knock them off.”
The game ended a grueling four-game stretch in which Michigan City also faced Chesterton, Valparaiso and Merrillville.
“I’m glad we don’t have to play any of those teams again,” Karpkinski said. “The DAC is still a tough conference. It’s right there as one of the tougher conferences in the state. It helps prepare us for the sectional.”
St. Germain mentioned an upset loss to Michigan City that occurred in 2012 through the week to keep his team focused during practice.
“We didn’t oversell it,” he said. “We did remind them. At times there were some holes in our preparation, and we would insert that fact. If you don’t prepare properly, you can get beat.”
Brandon Vickrey is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.