Author: Ryan Baker
Photos: SEDIII Productions
The Indianapolis AlleyCats begin the second half of their season by hosting the Madison Radicals on Saturday night.
This will be the third time these two teams meet, with both of the previous games ending in Madison’s favor by one point. The caveat about this matchup is that both teams will field a much different set of 20 active players than in previous games.
The AlleyCats will be without Jack Galle, Avi Ghitterman, Nate Little, Kai Creed, Elliot Hawkins, William Wettengel, Jonathan Mast, and Xavier Payne, leaving Head Coach Nathan Bussberg to allocate 129 points elsewhere. Those 129 points come from their most recent game.
In strategic terms, Galle, Ghitterman, Little, Payne, and Creed are five important players for the D-line, and the other three, Mast, Wettengel, and Hawkins, are among the most productive players on Indy’s O-line.
Some of the substitutions for this weekend are players who have yet to play a single point in 2026: David Cox, Noah Wahl, Carson Chamberlain, and Matthew Imm. Others getting the call against the Radicals, who have played two or fewer games this season, are Tyler McCarthy, Robert Davenport, and Jake Wahl.
The good news is that Sofiène Bontemps returns to the lineup after missing last week against Chicago. Bontemps has only played in two games this season, but has produced 6 goals and 3 blocks, and he has looked increasingly comfortable on the O-line as each game has progressed. Max Squires will also return to the O-line after playing in just the season opener.
There is also a chance we see Connor Blalack and Isaiah Mason, but both are listed as questionable. With all the changes, Indy takes a bigger hit to its defense and needs to rely heavily on James Pollard and Jason Kempe.
“People are going to have to step up a lot, but still play within their roles on our team,” Pollard said.
With Madison’s offensive style, it could be easier for Indy to let its younger players play freely and see what they are made of. Putting a group of young players against a team that leans on its handlers could be enough disruption to throw the Radicals off their game.
“Our talent isn't limited to the names people talk about. I'm really eager for our lesser known players to make a statement game for themselves. The best problem a coaching staff can have is hard roster decisions because of plentiful talent. We yearn for hard roster decisions. And, we could find ourselves in that spot after this game.” Bussberg said.
The offensive line doesn’t look too different, as it will still have the core of Jake Felton, Cameron Brock, Carter Hawkins, Seth Gudeman, and Jeremiah Branson. They will simply have to carry a bit more.
“We have the ability to win big games,” said Bussberg "We just need to have the mental fortitude."
This is exactly that if the AlleyCats want to host a playoff game. While a loss this weekend doesn’t put them in a hole in terms of just making the playoffs, they would need to win out and get some help from Madison to reach that second seed.
Two major focuses for Indy heading into this one are entering the fourth quarter with a lead, because against Madison, if you are not ahead entering those final 12 minutes, their offense makes it incredibly hard to turn the game around.
The other one comes from Pollard and the defensive mindset heading into the game: “Converting when we get the turnover on defense. We’ve done a great job the last few games of generating turnovers, but not a great job of punching them in.”
It will be worth watching how much Bussberg lets the more inexperienced players compete, as well as how much he deploys his cornerstones on both lines.
This isn’t the last time Indy will play Madison this year, as their final bout with the Radicals is scheduled for next week. They’ll have another chance to make up some ground in the playoff race, but this weekend still matters for the second seed.
To purchase tickets for Saturday’s game at 6 p.m. EST, go here!
To watch the third matchup between Madison and Indy, click here!
