The
RENEGADE
2006
Week-12: NW Indiana High School
Top-10 Football Poll
A
USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith
10-31-2006
CROWN
POINT (10-31-2006)
There still has not been a major upset in Lake and Porter County all season.
In 5A, Crown Point and Merrillville remain, as many predicted. In 4A,
Lowell and Hobart will decide the sectional title, as almost everyone guessed.
In 3A, Andrean and Griffith decided the sectional 17 title last week. New
Prairie is favored to take the Sectional 19 title and that was also a
significant possibility at the start of the year. In 2A, there was no
pre-season favorite with any conviction and 1A South Newton has run the table
from 'day one' and no one's going to stop the Rebels this Saturday in the
sectional finals.
So we have played 11 weeks to eliminate, with a couple of exceptions like
Andrean, all the teams we knew would be eliminated at the sectional level
anyway. For the first time this week we get to games that actually mean
something. That comes after 65% of the state's teams are gone and it's 35
degrees outside. Are you sure every team should make the playoffs?
Are you sure the 15-week season isn't too long? Just thought I'd ask
again.
Everything changes next season. With East Chicago certainly being
reclassified as a 4A school and Munster still a tad shy of 5A enrollment-wise,
Class 5A sectional one will probably add LaPorte next season, adding a big
boulder to the scales of the balance of power. Class 4A Sectional nine changes
dramatically in 2007 with the almost certain departure of Roosevelt to 3A and
the equally certain addition of East Chicago and Morton to a playoff bracket
that Lowell and Hobart have totally dominated.
There is an outside chance that New Prairie will be added to 3A Sectional 17,
which would upset the stranglehold Griffith and Andrean have on that playoff
group. If New Prairie can beat Jimtown and LaPorte, they can beat Griffith and
Andrean.
While other parts of the state do play games on Saturday, all Lake, Porter and
LaPorte County games are set for exactly the same time Friday night, preventing
anyone from seeing more than one game. Even though state title games are
set for a Saturday, we're playing third round games on Friday night. Are you
sure the tournament doesn't need just a little marketing and formatting help?
Rain killed attendance at the sectional semifinals last week and very cold
weather (predicted for Nov. 3) will hurt the title games as well. Week 12 sees
the showdowns between longtime rivals everywhere. In Lake County, it's
Merrillville and Crown Point plus Lowell vs. Hobart. Delta and Muncie
Central in Muncie. Bishop Dwenger and Fort Wayne South in Fort Wayne.
North Central and Warren Central in Indianapolis. Memorial and Mater Dei
in Evansville.
The Sectional title week is probably the best week, other than the state finals,
of the Indiana state tournament for fans. It is the first week all year where
the victors can earn a real title. The regionals and semistates are big,
but they involve a lot of travel for players and fans. The difficulty in
traveling 100 or 200 miles and playing on Friday night is underestimated.
This is the biggest week of town rivalries and neighborhood games. But again,
form figures to hold. Arguably, there has not been a major upset in any
game in NW Indiana all season.
The NUMBERS GAME: Lowell advances to the 4A Sectional nine finals for
the fourth consecutive year, while Merrillville reached the title game for the
third consecutive season. Penn advanced to the sectional final for the 12th
year in a row. South Newton won a school record 11th game, beating South
Central 28-13. Lowell defensive end Jeff Barker has eight QB sacks in two
playoff games.
Marion, which had scored 412 points in 10 games, was shut out 60-0 by Fort Wayne
Snider last Friday. Hammond High has now won two games in a row after
Sept. 1 for the first time since the 2000 season. Griffith has won 32 of
their last 37 games. Bishop Noll (8-3) has not won more than eight games in any
season since they won the 3A state title in 1989. Finally, the combined
record of the seven teams the Chicago Bears (7-0) have played is 17-38.
Even if you take away the seven defeats the Bears have inflicted. The combined
record of the seven teams the Chicago Bears have defeated so far this year is
17-32. Who's next? Miami (1-6)? Calm down everybody. I've still got my
Bear-Colts Supers Bowl tickets from last January. I'm selling them really
cheap.
1.)
5A CROWN POINT (11-0)
2005
(11-1), 2004 (4-7), 2003 (5-5)
CROWN
POINT -
Crown Point was held to less than 150 yards in the rain and wind, but they
squeaked out a 14-13 overtime win over Portage (6-5) in the 5A sectional one
semifinals. What was lost in one of their worst offensive performances of the
year was one of their best defensive performances. Trailing most of the game,
the Bulldogs contained the power running game of the Indians. QB Blake
Mascarello tossed two interceptions and completed just three passes, but let's
wait and see if a lot of it was the poor conditions which handcuffed QBs across
the northern part of the state. You have to believe that CP has waited 52
weeks to play Merrillville again after the Pirates defeated CP 16-13 in last
November's Sectional one title game. We will now see if the Bulldogs have the
reservoir of confidence they should have after two undefeated regular seasons.
It's judgement day for CP. They were supposed to beat Merrillville last
year, too.
2.)
3A Griffith (10-1)
2005
(12-1), 2004 (9-3), 2003
(7-5)
GRIFFITH
-
Griffith did what they had to do in beating Andean 26-7. The Panthers'
defense shut down Andrean QB Jesse Repay with a little help from severe weather
conditions (15-20 MPH wind and light rain) and David Alexander scored two more
TDs to boost him to 26 on the year. The Panthers aren't playing that well,
from some of their players' public comments, but it doesn't matter how well
you're playing at this point. You either won or you're done. This
was the first good game for the Griffith defensive line in three weeks, although
the passing game has dwindled to almost nothing. Big break this week as
Griffith gets to beat up on a short-handed Hammond team that was winless during
the regular season. There's almost no way Griffith can lose to Hammond.
Far too much of a difference in the lines. In the overly long state
tournament, you need a game like this. If I was the Panthers, I'd be
looking for tapes of Hamilton Heights and New Prairie.
3.)
4A Hobart (10-1)
2005
(6-6), 2004 (9-2), 2003 (5-7)
HOBART
-
A shrewd move by Hobart coach Wally McCormack last week. He basically gave WRs
Michael Brown and Bobby James the night off. Playing in the rain, the Brickies
did not attempt a pass and rolled up 403 total yards. The subliminal message:
Individual stats mean nothing. Beating Lowell and winning the sectional title
means everything. Hobart crushed Highland 49-0 with 400 yards rushing and
they'll keep giving the ball to 'The President' Andrew Jackson (6-2, 220) who is
over 1,500 yards rushing. This week's game was a confidence builder for the
Brickies revamped offensive line. Hobart has to find a way to block
Lowell's pass rush, but there is a tendency to think you can throw on Lowell.
Sometimes that just plays into their hands. McCormack said it publicly.
10-1 means nothing if Hobart can't beat Lowell and finally get that sectional
crown. This is the match that was predicted in the pre-season and no one is
surprised it has occurred. It's now or never for the Brickies, who have
lost three consecutive sectional games to Lowell.
4.)
5A LaPorte (8-3)
2005
(9-2), 2004 (7-4), 2003 (6-4)
LaPORTE
-
Airrence Shark ran for 3 TDs for the second consecutive week as LaPorte advanced
to the sectional championship game with a 28-14 win at Elkhart Central. Adam
Creed was good for the second week in a row with 11 of 19 passing for 168 yards.
No turnovers for the Slicers was a good sign. But the question still
stands: Does LaPorte have the defense to take out defending sectional champ
Penn this week? The idea that they will lineup Shark and run over Penn
(10-2) is a fantasy. The Slicers must hold Penn to 21 points or less and that
is a tall order. LaPorte has allowed an average of 25 points a game and all 11
foes have scored at least two TDs on them. This team still has something
to prove and they have to prove it on defense. They lost to New Prairie
(10-1). They lost to Crown Point (11-0. They lost to Portage (6-5).
Who did they beat? Penn's won 11 sectionals in a row. They own this
bracket. The Slicers have overachieved. It's been a good year.
But with a defense that has been sub-par most of the year, how can they keep the
season from ending this Friday?
5.)
5A Merrillville (7-4)
2005
(11-3), 2003 (5-6), 2004 (6-5)
MERRILLVILLE
-
The Post-Tribune ran a top-10 poll last week that didn't have Merrillville
anywhere in it. Obviously they know that's inaccurate. Portage was ahead
of the Pirates in the poll even though Merrillville beat them by 25 and had a
better record. With that poll on the bulletin board, the Pirates scored 21
points on defense and embarrassed Chesterton 39-22. Josh Raspopovich was
8-of-17 for 171 yards and 3 TD passes and middle linebacker Dionte Day grabbed a
fumble and ran it back 42 yards for a TD. I don't know this for fact, but
I think Merrillville 'ran a game' on Chesterton. In week eight, Chesterton won
22-13 and in week 11, the same Pirate team overwhelms Chesterton. You
don't think the Pirates held some things back in the earlier game? Some
teams are held to different standards. The Pirates did allow 40 points in
back-to-back games in September. But on their worst day, they were better
than Whiting and KV. The Pirates take the short trip to longtime rival Crown
Point (11-0) for a third consecutive sectional showdown this Friday. The
unranked Pirates are the two-time defending sectional champs. But Josh
Raspopovich (18 interceptions) has to be accurate and the Pirates have to
protect him.
6.)
3A Portage (6-5)
2005
(2-8) , 2004 (8-4), 2003 (11-2)
PORTAGE
-
Unlucky.
Portage
just could not move the ball enough to complete the upset of Crown Point last
Friday. They only had one scoring drive in the second quarter. The
Indians could not risk passing and CP was able to seal off the run in the second
half. But with all that said, Raphael Martinez's overtime extra point hit
the cross bar and bounced back or they might still be playing. If you lose
14-13 in overtime and your kicker hits the post, you know it wasn't meant to be.
You don't have to guess. Portage halfback Albert Evans returns with over
1,600 yards rushing from 2006 but the core of the Portage defense, which allowed
146 points in 11 games, graduates. Still, Portage football is back on track
after a 2-8 season in 2005. But don't forget the lesson here.
Despite what you read, despite what you hear, it's the same thing that happens
every year. Defense puts you in position to win games. But defense
does not win for you. Offense wins games. Portage averaged 19 points a
game. You cannot go deep into the state tournament without a prolific
offense. Try to find any state champions that did not average 28 points a
game.
7.)
3A ANDREAN (8-3)
2005
(8-2), 2004 (13-2), 2003 (12-1)
MERRILLVILLE
-
Andrean probably was on the way out of the state tournament when they lost
leading tackler Matt Meschede (97 tackles) for the season last month. Friday's
26-7 loss at Griffith was just the official notice. The Niners had to throw to
win and QB Jesse Repay was just 13 of 33 in the rain. With some personnel
shake-ups, the 2006 Niners lost only three times. Twice to Griffith (10-1)
and once to Hobart (10-1). Top-10 teams. This was a very good year
for them, but I understand if they don't see that because the standards here are
very high. This team has a some big holes to fill for 2007, but Sectional
17 gets easier as Morton goes to 4A and Roosevelt drops to 3A. The Niners will
be changing their schedule, joining the Northwest Crossroads Conference (NWCC).
This was the sixth consecutive season that the 59ers won at least eight games.
8.)
3A New Prairie (10-1)
2005
(6-4), 2004 (12-2), 2003 (8-3)
NEW
CARLISLE - Here
is clearly the team that everyone in NW Indiana is overlooking. The Cougars are
10-1 this year, 28-7 over three years. And still they're virtually ignored.
They blasted Mishawaka Marian 27-6 last week with 300 more rushing yards.
The option-running 'Griffith East' averages 36 points a game and no one short of
5A is going to stop them from running the ball. No one has so far. Corner
back Cody Williamson had three pass interceptions and Marian QBs were held to 12
of 35 for 127 yards in the rain. New Prairie has defeated LaPorte (8-3), Marian
(8-3), St. Joseph's (7-4) and Jimtown (10-1). Next up is Culver Academy
(9-2, another battle-tested foe. But this team is ranked fifth in the state and
they should be a tad more high profile than they are. No one has a tougher
path to the state finals. Undefaeted Norwell (11-0) looms at the regional and
'Griffith West" should be in the semistate.
9.)
4A Lowell (6-5)
2005
(11-4), 2004 (9-4), 2003 (11-2)
LOWELL
-
The "St. Louis Cardinals" of Lake County are back in the sectional championship
game, rallying from a 1-4 start for the second year in a row. A 58-6
walkover against out-manned Gary Roosevelt (4-7) featured two TDs each from
900-yard rushers Steffan Peck and Max Znika. Defensive end Jeff Barker has
13 quarterback sacks to lead NW Indiana pass rushers. The small, but quick
Devils defense has held eight teams to 14 points or less. And Lowell's
'boring' offense (they've been shut out four times) is suddenly not so boring.
They are making the running game work. Admittedly, the competition hasn't been
tough. But the Devils have scored 129 points in the last three games and
the offensive line is opening confidence-building holes. This team has not
shown much of a passing game, but even that isn't an absolute as Josh Kuiper was
4-of-6 for a TD against Roosevelt. This is a very dangerous team, especially in
bad weather. Nobody knows that more than Hobart (10-1), this week's state
tournament foe, who won four state titles with a 'boring' offense.
On
the outside looking in...
10.) Everybody Else
Anyone
who's objective has come to this conclusion. The early post-season losses by
Whiting (8-2) and Kankakee Valley (8-2) pretty much invalidate everyone in the
low-rated the Lake Athletic Conference (LAC) Blue Division. Those teams
were never serious contenders if you looked at their schedules. Bishop Noll
(8-3) is still playing but, as not everybody realizes, they have not defeated a
team with a winning record yet. Chesterton (5-6) and Valparaiso (4-6) had
such disappointing seasons. They never snapped out of the fogs they were
in all season. Would Valparaiso beat Lowell? That's probably the closest
call. I'm not sure. Chesterton is not suited to beat Lowell, despite
a size edge. You can't just drop back and throw the ball 25 times on Lowell.
That's what they want you to try. If I had to rank a 10th team it would be
Chesterton, which lost two games in overtime. But I don't have to. If
Griffith, LaPorte and Crown Point, who all beat Chesterton, advance, it will
validate Chesterton's 5-6 record.
Morton was
5-5 but they lost to every team they faced in the first 10 weeks that had a
winning record. North Judson (9-2) wouldn't beat Lowell or Valparaiso.
Whiting would have little chance against Morton, Chesterton or Lowell. This
wasn't a great year, which worries you for the fate of all remaining Northwest
Indiana teams in the state tournament. We knew this wouldn't be a good year.
Whiting, Morton, Griffith, Lowell, Crown Point and LaPorte all had peak teams in
2005 and we see a notch less this fall.
Just for the
record, though... The Andrean team in 2002 (which went 13-2 and dominated
Lowell, Hobart and New Prairie before losing 31-12 to Bishop Chatard) was
significantly better than the 2004 team that won the state title. I don't
think anybody at Andrean would argue that point. The Lowell team in 2004
was noticeably better than the 2005 team that won the state championship.
No one at Lowell would argue that. You don't have to have the best team in
school history to reach the state finals.
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2006 USA-365.com and Meyer
Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp. All rights
reserved.
Revised: October 31, 2006
.