Call it the regular season’s final exam. Brownstown Central’s undefeated football team will face its toughest test when it hosts red-hot Scottsburg on Friday (7 p.m. kickoff).

The Warriors have won six straight games since starting the season with consecutive losses to Madison and North Harrison. During that streak, they’ve dominated their opponents by a combined score of 265-42. Two of the wins, over Silver Creek and Charlestown, came via shutout.

Thanks to that good work, tenth-year head coach Kyle Mullins’ team finds itself in a position to do something it has never done before: win a conference title.

The Warriors are 6-2 overall and 5-1 in the Mid-Southern Conference. Brownstown is 8-0 overall and 6-0 in the conference. The Braves clinched a share of the MSC title with last week’s 44-6 win against Silver Creek. Scottsburg can horn in on the Braves’ claim with a win on Friday.

“They’ve never won a conference title so they’re going to be extremely fired up,” Brownstown head coach Reed May said. “This is their opportunity to come up here and get a share of the title. They’re going to have a very good game plan and they’re well coached. It’s going to be a tough game for us.”

Averaging nearly 37 points, Scottsburg fields a balanced offense that features strong-armed quarterback Nathan Byrd and workhorse running back Landon Shuck. Both are juniors and three-year starters who helped the Warriors defeat Brownstown, 23-14, two seasons ago.

Byrd has thrown for 1,579 yards, or 197.4 per game, eight interceptions and 25 touchdowns this season. He has completed 91 of 146 attempts. In two previous games against Brownstown, he owns a 1-1 record with 381 yards, three TDs and three interceptions on 20 for 42 passing.

The 5-foot-8, 175-pound Shuck, meanwhile, has run for 1,311 yards on 177 carries (7.4 average). Among his seven 100-yard games was a 39-carry, 346-yard effort against Corydon Central in a 56-21 Warrior victory.

“He’s a really good running back and runs the ball hard,” May said. “They spread you out and throw the ball quite a bit. They’ve got some really good skilled athletes, and they’ve got a good scheme. They’ll run inside zone, outside zone, pullback counter. They do a great job with the RPOs throwing the ball. They’ve got a very good offense.”

Scottsburg’s defense has also ascended this season, allowing just 11.4 points per game. For perspective, the Warriors have yielded 31 points on average since rebooting their football program in 2015. Last season, they allowed 23.4 points.

“They’ve got a new defensive coordinator,” May said. “They’ve been running a 4-3 and doing a great job at it.”

Brownstown will counter Scottsburg’s improved defense with the state’s No. 7 scoring offense. The Braves are averaging 47.4 points. Over the last four weeks, against tougher competition, they’ve averaged 38.5 points.

BC’s offense is paced by senior slotback Gregory Hutcheson, who is coming off a 192-yard, three-touchdown performance last week against Silver Creek. For the season, he has 981 rushing yards on 77 carries (12.7 average) and 19 total touchdowns.

Jack Pace (326 yards, seven touchdowns) and Preston Garrison (252 yards, three TDs) are also productive running options, though both have battled injuries in the last two weeks. Brock Dean, who had a 35-yard run last week against Silver Creek, and fullbacks Trevor Branaman (276 yards, four TDs) and Evan Stahl (167 yards, four TDs) will likely see their numbers called against Scottsburg.

In the last two weeks, Brownstown’s passing attack has been more active. Quarterback Micah Sheffer threw for a combined 247 yards and two touchdowns on 17-for-26 passing in wins over Madison and Silver Creek. For the season, the junior has 577 yards, seven TDs and one interception on 33-for-57 passing (58 percent).

Both Scottsburg and Brownstown appear in this week’s polls. The Braves’ standing in the Class 2A polls generally held steady, though their rating in the computer-based Sagarin Rating fell slightly.

Same as last week, BC is the No. 1-ranked team in the AP poll, No. 2 in the USA Today poll and No. 3 in the coaches poll. Unbeaten Lafayette Central Catholic held on to the top spot in the USA Today and coaches polls, while Indianapolis Lutheran (7-1) stayed in the No. 2 spot in the coaches poll.

In the Sagarin Ratings, Brownstown dropped to No. 4 as Adams Central (No. 2) and Lafayette Central Catholic (No. 3) leapt above the Braves. Indianapolis Lutheran maintained its No. 1 rating.

Scottsburg is ranked No. 17 in the Class 3A coaches poll and is unranked in the USA Today and AP polls. Among Class 3A teams, the Warriors are rated 36th in the Sagarin Ratings, one spot below recent BC opponent Madison.

In the overall Sagarin Ratings, regardless of class, Brownstown is rated 73rd (down from 50th last week) while Scottsburg is 167th.

Since the Warriors rejoined the MSC in football in 2017, Brownstown has a 7-1 record against them. Factoring in the two teams’ meetings between 1971-83, BC has a 16-5 advantage in the series.

Players of the Week

Offensive Back: Greg Hutcheson

Offensive Line: Drew Shelton

Defensive Line/MLB: Isaac Hutchinson

Defensive Back/Dime: Hunter Toppe

Special Teams: Joe Roberts