The
RENEGADE
2006
Week-10: NW Indiana High School
Top-10 Football Poll
A
USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith
10-16-2006
CROWN
POINT (10-16-2006)
With Griffith's upset loss 28-17 at home against Hobart, there is only one
undefeated team remaining in NW Indiana and it is the team that was predicted to
be No. 1 in this poll back in August. That plus a quarter will get you
half of the daily newspaper. Losing the final regular season game is never
good, but some coaches secretly don't mind because it yanks the players' minds
back to focus on the next game, something every coach wants on opening night of
the playoffs.
The end of the 2006 regular season signals the beginning of the end to one of
the poorest concepts in the history of Northwest Indiana athletics. The Lake
Athletic Conference (LAC) was an idea that should have been aborted. First of
all, a 16-team league with schools in four different enrollment classes, is
ridiculous on the face of it. Conferences are supposed to group similar schools
that can compete on a fair and equal basis. Organizers of this league
ought to be prosecuted for what they did to the Lake Station athletic program,
forcing them to play schools like Andrean and Munster in some sports and
sentencing them to take 40 mile drives to play 4A Kankakee Valley in every
sport. I know the Eagles hierarchy agreed to the weekly mismatches, but Lake
Station teams were beaten like an albino stepchild year after year and coaches
and ADs at the other schools just let it happen. The other schools might have
offered to help Lake Station's team sports (I hear that Munster, at one time,
did), instead of running up the score on them as if Lake Station kids weren't
worth helping. Thank goodness that LS can now create a schedule within
which they can compete.
The other incredibly poor LAC idea was the concept of the Black and Blue
Division. Instead of breaking the schools down equally in three or four
permanent divisions, the LAC rocket scientists insisted on two eight-team
divisions which doomed Lake Station and Hammond to competitive hell. There is
no eight-team grouping of the 16-team LAC where Lake Station and the Hammond
schools can compete in most sports. Not one. Instead of making the
division permanent, as every other conference in the state does, the LAC
masterminds decided that when teams became strong, they slid up to the black
division and if they had tough years, they slid down to the weaker blue group.
Sounded good, but it created the LAC Blue, a group of schools, which by design,
were bad programs. An athletic ghetto. What did it say to athletes at an
LAC Blue school when the reason they were in that league was because their
program was poor. What did it say to kids at Clark, a school as large as
Griffith, which was LAC Blue because it was deemed their programs were bad? The
entire Black-Blue thing sent the wrong message and it needs to be gone.
The level of competition in the LAC Blue sank to basement levels, as it had to
by design. For 1A Whiting to dominate the LAC Blue is a compliment to them, but
what does it say about the 3A programs they hammered? And when Whiting left NW
Indiana in the post-season, they got spanked and sent home faster than a
misbehaving child because they've been playing bad teams all season.
Believe me, Whiting football will be a big beneficiary of the breakup of the LAC
because they can now schedule good 2A and 1A schools like Rensselaer, North
Judson and Pioneer, instead of being force fed mediocre 3As like Gavit and
Clark. Whiting football can now actually get stronger through playing the best
instead of waltzing through helpless teams like Lake Station and River Forest
and deceiving themselves into illusions of strength. Pioneer plays almost
exclusively a 1A schedule. But it is much stronger than the slate Whiting,
locked into seven LAC teams, plays. Look at the computer Sagarin rankings,
which plays no favorites. Sheridan a 1A school, plays the 147th strongest
schedule in the state. Pioneer plays the 216th strongest slate. Whiting, which
plays 3As and 4As, still plays the 311th strongest schedule. Control of who you
play is more important than guaranteed wins.
Everybody loves their neighborhood, but the essence of athletics is that you
must attempt to play good competition and no one in the LAC Blue was allowed to
do so, even if they wanted to. They were sentenced to meet each other.
Welcome to the NWCC (Northwest Crossroads Conference). Hopefully, Morton
will be allowed to join. The non-NWCC schools now can hand-pick their
schedules and balance softies with tough assignments. They will all be better
for it. As far as the LAC Blue is concerned, thank God and Greyhound it's gone.
The real season begins on Friday, Oct. 20. In Indiana we insist on
all-inclusive playoffs which waste a week while teams that should not be in
playoff competition are horsewhipped to their knees again and sent home for
good. In 2007 there is another chance to change this playoff system and, at
least seed the top two teams in each sectional so they cannot meet until the
final game. It's a small change that almost everyone agrees with and it
would make more money for the IHSAA.
The top two teams in 1A Sectional 33 (Culver and Whiting) are at opposite ends
of the bracket. That's also true in 4A Sectional nine with Lowell and Hobart.
Arch rivals Crown Point and Merrillville are at opposite ends of 5A Sectional
one. But 3A powers Griffith and Andrean will meet in the sectional
semifinals and 2A sectional favorites Wheeler and North Judson meet on opening
night.
It's not fair, but it's Indiana. We live in an 8-track tape state, 20 years
behind the times.
The NUMBERS GAME: Griffith's regular season winning streak was broken at
17 games and their LAC win streak stopped at 15. Crown Point has won 18 regular
season games in a row and 14 DAC games in a row. Lowell has won nine
consecutive sectional games in appropriately enough, Sectional nine.
Portage junior Albert Evans has gained over 550 yards in his last two games.
KV's Dustin Wilson has scored 33 touchdowns in eight games after he was held
scoreless in the season opener against Munster. Hammond high, the all-time
leader in program victories in NW Indiana, will enter next season with 25
consecutive regular season losses. Hammond has not defeated a non-Hammond or
non-Gary school from NW Indiana in six years. Next week's class 3A No. 1 Bishop
Chatard (8-1) has allowed 67 points all season against a schedule that includes
four 5A and three 4A schools.
North Newton (1-8) has allowed 456 points this season, second only to River
Forest (0-9) which gave up 484 points. North Newton's only win was 50-14 over
River Forest. South Newton (9-0) averaged 41.9 points per game. Andrean has
defeated Munster seven consecutive times. Hobart is now 20-8 in LAC league
play since joining the league four years ago. In the school's final four years
in the Duneland Athletic Conference, Hobart was 8-20 in league play.
1.)
5A CROWN POINT (9-0)
2005
(11-1), 2004 (4-7), 2003 (5-5)
CROWN
POINT -
Crown Point coasted past Michigan City 45-13 to complete a second consecutive
undefeated DAC season and a second consecutive undefeated regular season, both
firsts for the school. QB Blake Mascarello hit two more TD passes.
The junior left-hander has 17 TDs and two interceptions, the top ratio among
starting QBs in NW Indiana. Six years ago, CP was 0-10 and in the midst of a
22-game losing streak.
The truth is, CP will have to go 10-0 in the DAC to win the sectional title.
They face three rematches with DAC teams in the post-season beginning with Lake
Central (4-5) Friday. People say CP is beatable, but Warren Central is
beatable. 2005 Lowell and 2004 Andrean were beaten badly more than once and
still won the title. Forget beatable. Think DAC rematches. The Bulldogs
are going to have to go 10-0 against league teams just to survive the sectional.
PRE-SEASON RANK: No. 1. Crown Point is exactly where they should
be.
2.)
3A Griffith (8-1)
2005
(12-1), 2004 (9-3), 2003
(7-5)
GRIFFITH
-
Griffith should be a good bad-weather team, but Hobart whipped them for the
second time in three years 28-17 last week. Three turnovers hurt the Panthers,
who led 10-7 at the half. Griffith continues to have trouble on pass defenses.
Chesterton smoked them through the friendly skies in week two and Hobart's Josh
Miracle hit three TD passes last Friday to 'Bad' Bobby James. The problem
is, the Panthers knew who Hobart was throwing to and they still couldn't stop
him. That says something about James, but it also says something about the
Griffith secondary.
This fits many of the criteria of a good loss. It's a loss to a team
higher in class and it's a game they could have won. I don't think Friday's
loss will stop Griffith and I don't think Hobart is a better team than Griffith.
I don't think the Panthers will lose confidence and they open the playoffs
against a team they match up very well against, Morton. Griffith should still
get to Indianapolis unless they beat themselves.
PRE-SEASON RANK: No. 2. Griffith is also where they should be.
3.)
4A Hobart (8-1)
2005
(6-6), 2004 (9-2), 2003 (5-7)
HOBART
-
Hobart survived a bad game by QB Josh Miracle (9-of-26, 148 yards, 2 INTs) to
upset Griffith at Griffith 28-17. The Brickies win an undisputed LAC title
for the second time in three years. Junior Andrew Jackson scored his 22nd
touchdown. The physical Brickie defense held Griffith to a season low 153 yards
rushing. As has been said here many times, "The President" (Andrew Jackson) is
not Hobart's best offensive player. That would be "Bad' Bobby James (38
catches, 663 yards), who was the difference in last week's game. I'm still
worried about the Brickies' offensive line. They were held to 87 yards rushing
last Friday. That's a bad sign and that's why they are still behind
Griffith in this poll.
PRE-SEASON RANK: No. 6. The Brickies are also where they should
be. Hobart has exactly the record they should have and other teams have
slipped. There should be excitement here because there is no prohibitive
favorite in 4A like 3A No. 1 Bishop Chatard or 5A No. 1 Warren Central in 4A.
4.)
3A ANDREAN (7-2)
2005
(8-2), 2004 (13-2), 2003 (12-1)
MERRILLVILLE
-
Andrean played without a couple of top defenders and defeated Munster 29-21.
Throw this game out. The 59ers will be back at full strength when the
post-season begins. Halfback David Brandt gained 91 yards on 12 carries in the
fourth quarter. Niner QB Jesse Repay suffered like many on a cold weather
night, but still hit 8 of 19 for 211 yards.
The Niners run defense seemed to seal some holes in the second half and they did
have players missing who will, reportedly, be back for the playoffs. This team
is still headed toward 'Judgment Day' -- an Oct. 27 meeting with rival Griffith,
which suddenly does not look so invincible. If the Niners are healthy, Andrean,
while not favored, still has a solid shot at the sectional 17 title.
PRE-SEASON RANK: No. 4. Andrean's regular season was
predictable. They figured to lose to Griffith and Hobart and they did.
The Niners figured to play Griffith for the sectional title and they will.
5.)
3A Portage (5-4)
2005
(2-8) 2004 (8-4) 2003 (11-2)
PORTAGE
-
Bad weather always helps the better defensive team and defense-minded Portage
shut down offensive powerhouse LaPorte 24-7 last week for the Indians' fourth
straight win. The cold conditions hurt the Slicers, but the Portage
defense hurt them more as they held 1,400-yard rusher Airrence Shark to just 54
yards on 17 carries. Portage still has problems on offense, but Albert Evans
isn't one of them. The junior tailback carried 33 times for 236 yards.
Don't get carried away. Portage still has virtually no passing attack, but
you can win with just top rushers this time of year.
The Indians have won four in a row after a 1-4 start. Obviously, the last
NW Indiana team to do that was Lowell in 2005. They won 10 in a row and
won the state title. Portage won't do that. There is a major difference
between Class 4A and Class 5A (and there is a matter of this team in
Indianapolis that has won three titles in a row), but the Indians are a
contender for the Class 5A Sectional one title.
PRE-SEASON RANK: No. 8. At the start of the season, a lot of
people thought Portage had one of the top 10 teams in this region. They
do.
6.)
5A LaPorte (6-3)
2005
(9-2), 2004 (7-4), 2003 (6-4)
LaPORTE
-
LaPorte finally ran into a team that could shut down halfback Airrence Shark and
they lost 24-7 at Portage. It shouldn't bother them. They won't see
another defense like Portage unless they play Penn in November. But the Slicers
have a lot of people who will play a post-season game for the first time when
the Slicers host Mishawaka (5-4) Friday. There is probably a lot of potential
for an upset here as QB Adam Creed has struggled for weeks, but LaPorte can't
play Penn (7-2) until November.
PRE-SEASON RANK: No. 10. This team has overachieved if you go
back to the start of the season. No one should be disappointed with two
losses in the last three games.
7.)
5A Merrillville (5-4)
2005
(11-3), 2003 (5-6), 2004 (6-5)
MERRILLVILLE
-
Merrillville has stumbled through an injury-prone season and they lost another
winnable game, 22-13 to Chesterton last week. A team that gave up 35
points in the first five weeks has given up 132 points in the last four games.
But the offense is the problem. QB Josh Raspopovich was 9-of-32 last week and a
lot of it was protection. Four more turnovers last week negated five Chesterton
turnovers in what was a bad game that can be seen again in two weeks in the 5A
Sectional one semifinals. The Pirates open the playoffs heavily favored over
East Chicago and then they get another shot at the Trojans. You worry about the
lack of a running game here, but they've got two weeks to work on it.
PRE-SEASON RANK: No. 5. This team has had major offensive
problems, putting the defense in many deep holes. I think they can contend
for the sectional title but I wonder if they still do.
8.) 5A Chesterton
(4-5)
2005
(3-8), 2004 (5-5), 2003 (7-4)
CHESTERTON
-
Here is clearly NW Indiana's most unpredictable team. They beat Merrillville
and tied Griffith, but got routed by Crown Point and virtually shut out by
Portage. The Trojans showed the running game they will need in the post-season,
rolling up for a season-best 200 yards against Merrillville. They should
rout Michigan City (1-8) to begin the state tourney, but I wouldn't bet on it.
The Trojans must be patient enough on offense to save wear and tear on their
defense.
PRE-SEASON RANK: No. 7. No denying this team has been a
disappointment so far. But the season hasn't really begun yet and there is
hope they can still reach the sectional title game.
9.)
3A New Prairie (8-1)
2005
(6-4), 2004 (12-2), 2003 (8-3)
NEW
CARLISLE - New Prairie
horsed up 455 rushing yards to punish out-manned LaVille 57-7 for their sixth
straight win. The Cougars have 2,700 yards rushing in eight games, but the
schedule has been so soft, they have to have doubts.
The
early wins over LaPorte (6-2) and Jimtown (6-2) still look good, but the chill
New Prairie feels this week is not the weather. They drew St. Joseph's
(6-2) to open the state playoffs and New Prairie will have played 1A and 2A foes
for seven consecutive weeks when that game arrives.
10.)
5A Valparaiso (3-5)
2005
(5-5), 2004 (6-5), 2003
(5-6)
VALPARAISO
- Valpo
showed what they can do with a 28-14 win over Lake Central. QB Alex
Sarkisian ran or passed for four TDs. HB Hollis Ballard went over the 900 yards
mark and the Viking 'D' sacked LC QB PJ Gbur six times. I still don't accept
that this is not a good defensive team, although the numbers say otherwise.
They lost 51-21 to Portage two weeks ago, but they could reverse that decision.
They do have the talent to do it.
PRE-SEASON RANK: No. 3. Here is the major disappointment in NW
Indiana. They returned 14 starters from a team that allowed just 151 points.
The Vikes have given up a ridiculous 281 points in eight games and only through
the low-rent all-inclusive playoff system are they still here. I don't even
count their forfeit win over Gary Roosevelt. But there's still time and the
players to turn it all the way around.
On
the outside looking in...
11.)
5A Lake Central (4-5)
2005
(2-8), 2004 (1-9), 2003 (1-9)
ST.
JOHN -
I think this team has done all it can with a shaky defense. LC was held to just
47 yards rushing last week in a 28-14 loss to Valparaiso. The Indians
definitely drew the short straw, facing 5A No. 3 Crown Point (9-0) in the
opener. LC averages 20-25 passes a game and Joe Wingis is near 900 yards
receiving. But they've got to run the ball to beat CP and Valpo stuffed them on
the ground.
PRE-SEASON RANK: None. Take away the 10-3 win over Portage and
this is largely the same season LC has had the past few years. But at least
they look better in losing.
12.)
4A Lowell (4-5)
2005
(11-4), 2004 (9-4), 2003 (11-2)
LOWELL
-
Max Znika recorded a second consecutive 100-yard game in a 47-14 win at
Highland, a game marred by four Lowell turnovers. The Devils' defense continues
to hold the opposition within range, allowing 16 points a game. The 47
points scored was a much-needed confidence builder for a team that has been shut
out four times. The Devils must buckle down for the invasion of neighbor
Kankakee Valley (8-1) Friday night in the state tournament opener. We're about
to find out how much playing a tough schedule (Lowell has faced 4 top-10 teams)
matters.
PRE-SEASON RANK: 10. This team is exactly where it should be and
Lowell is well suited to play both of the LAC's league champions. KV (8-1)
and Hobart (8-1).
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Revised: October 16, 2006
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