The theme is the same for local prep football teams as the regular season reaches the halfway point Friday night.

JUST WIN.

All five squads from the IFN coverage area need to get into the “W” column this week after losses last Friday.

Warsaw looks to snap a three-game losing streak as Northridge comes calling for Homecoming.

Wawasee heads to Nappanee to face NorthWood in a matchup of two teams both sporting identical records and two-game losing skids.

Tippecanoe Valley looks to bounce back after a 59-7 home loss to Northfield  with a trip to South Whitley to meet rival Whitko. The Wildcats are smarting from a three-game losing streak of their own.

Triton finally get a break, somewhat, after a brutal three-game stretch against teams who are a collective 11-1.

Following is a quick look at the matchups set for Friday.

Northridge (3-1, 1-1) at Warsaw (1-3, 0-2), 7 p.m.

A win would go a long way to helping cure what ails the Tigers right now.

“The key is that all of us, including coaches, have to get better,” said Warsaw coach Phil Jensen. “There’s a lot of season left. We have done some good things and there’s no question that our kids have played hard.

“We’ve talked about playing with more heart. I want them to show how much it matters to us, as in to the team.”

Warsaw led 31-14 at Memorial last week before the Chargers stormed back for a 42-33 win. Warsaw’s banged-up defense and missed chances by the offense combined for a loss to a team that the Tigers had shut out each of the previous three seasons.

“There’s no one factor that is the reason for our struggles,” said Jensen. “It’s a combination of things on both sides of the football.”

The Tigers set four offensive records in the loss at Memorial. Junior quarterback Michael Jensen set new standards for completions (35), attempts (70) and yards (430). He had held the completion mark with 27 and the attempts mark with 52 in a loss at East Noble this season. The yardage broke the old record of 324 set by Paul Wiley versus Northridge in 1987. Receiver Riley Rhoades also hauled in a record 17 receptions last week to break his old program mark of 10 set versus Northridge last season.

Northridge not only lost 36-13 at Plymouth last week, but lost starting quarterback Nick Hooley for the season due to a broken foot and linebacker Dalton Slabaugh to a back injury.

“Northridge will not feel sorry for themselves,” Jensen said. “They have a different mindset now. They are well coached and play hard. They still have a lot of good players on that team.”

Jensen is hopeful that some of his players return from injuries Friday night. He said that defensive standouts Dylan Childers and Jeremy David (both who missed last week’s loss at Memorial) will be game time decisions. The same is true for leading rusher Will McGarvey, who was injured in the Memorial game, and Jack Tucker.

Warsaw beat the Raiders 24-21 a year ago in Middlebury.

Wawasee (2-2, 0-2) at NorthWood (2-2, 0-2), 7 p.m.

Wawasee coach Josh Ekovich sees the progress of his players in the new offensive system installed this season.

He would love to see it translate into a win this week.

“There is progress and we have taken steps forward with the new offense,” said Ekovich.

Wawasee and NorthWood have both lost two in a row. The Panthers saw a 14-0 lead disappear in a 20-14 home loss to undefeated Goshen last week. A slow start proved costly to the Warriors in a 27-7 setback to Concord.

“We’re in a similar spot with both of us losing two in a row,” Ekovich remarked. “NorthWood is a double-edged sword to prepare for with two quarterbacks. They have skill and size.

“We are focused on getting better, especially offensively. The keys will be the same as every week. We need to win the turnover battle, control the ball and limit their big plays.”

The Warriors beat the Panthers 27-21 last season.

Tippecanoe Valley (1-3, 1-1) at Whitko (1-3, 0-2), 7 p.m.

Josh Mohr knows how much his team wants a win.

Darin Holsopple knows how much his squad wants to erase the feelings from a blowout loss.

“It’s going to be a hard-hitting emotional game,” said Whitko coach Mohr. “It’s a rivalry with Valley that we have had for a long time.

“Our guys know that we did not play well last week. I’ve been proud of how they have kept a positive attitude and came out this week to work hard and focus on the details. It’s the little things that we need to clean up.”

First-year Valley coach Holsopple says his team has also responded this week.

“Our guys have had a good week of practice with a lot of energy,” said Holsopple. “None of us were satisfied with last week. We know that we have to do everything better. Improvement in all areas is critical for us right now.

“Our focus is more on us than on Whitko. I just want us to fight on every single play and show more energy and enthusiasm.”

Whitko topped Valley 34-16 last season.

Triton (1-3, 1-2) at Culver (1-3, 1-2), 7 p.m.

The Trojans welcome a chance to get back into the win column after facing powers LaVille, Pioneer and Bremen.

Triton coach Ron Brown feels his team will benefit from the brutal stretch, in which they were outscored 162-20, in the long run.

“I feel like we gained a lot over the last three weeks,” said Brown. “Playing the toughest rated schedule in 1-A has made us really focus on not making small mistakes that will stop drives.”

“We are still looking for ways to get more people involved in our offense and if we are going to beat Culver we must must match their physical play. This game will give us a better idea of what kind of team we have this year.”

Brown will miss Friday night’s game as his wife is expecting a baby. Rodney Younis, former Triton head coach and a current assistant coach, will be in charge for the Trojans.

Culver blanked Triton 28-0 in 2014.