The RENEGADE

2006 Week-5: NW Indiana High School Top-10 Football Poll

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

9-10-2006

CROWN POINT (9-10-2006) Clearly in NW Indiana, a semi-magnificent seven broke away from the pack. Crown Point (4-0), Griffith (4-0), Merrillville (3-1), Hobart (3-1), Andrean (4-0), Valparaiso (1-2) and LaPorte (3-1) stepped to the front of the room. These seven power programs all won by 10 point or more and let the word go forth from this day forward that they can smack you down.

And Griffith, Hobart and Andrean are happier than the other four because they actually have a slim chance to win the state title. A dark pall was cast over the world of Indiana Class 5A football Friday when second-ranked Ben Davis got beaten within an inch of their collective lives 76-7 by three-time defending 5A champ Warren Central (4-0). Talk over the weekend swung from whether Warren can with the state title to whether Warren can win the NATIONAL championship. Keep in mind, they have crushed Illinois Class 8A Maine South 56-13. The Warriors, who will play at Merrillville on opening night of the 2007 season, average 59 points per game. They still have Carmel, Center Grove and North Central, all Indianapolis-area bad boys, left on the schedule.

Then again Paris Hilton could sober up. Ozzie Guillen could shut up. But what are the odds?

Concord continued to roll, crushing undefeated Wawasee 38-10. Defending 3A champ Northwood apparently had several players on suspension for team no-nos. They lost 59-0 to Concord on Sept. 1, but blasted 5A Goshen 30-14 on Sept. 8. You don't get that much better in a week. Former CP assistant coach Andy Dorrell is 4-0 at rich kid Culver Academy after a booming 28-0 shutout of North Judson.

Looking ahead: Culver plays Lafayette Catholic (4-0) on Oct. 6. As we discussed last week, the only possible remaining Northwest Indiana matchup of undefeated teams is the Oct. 6 match of Griffith (4-0) and Andrean (4-0). Crown Point's toughest stretch is back-to-back games at Valparaiso (1-2) and LaPorte (3-1) later this month. It isn't guaranteed to happen. The 59ers' will not be favored to beat Hobart on Sept. 22. Whiting (3-1, 2-0 LAC Blue) at Kankakee Valley (3-1, 2-0 LAC) is the final game of the season on Oct. 13.

The NUMBERS GAME: Merrillville has allowed just 23 points (5.7 per game) all season and they lead big school Class 5A in scoring defense in the state after four weeks. North Newton (0-4) has allowed 226 points in four weeks, but they host River Forest (0-4), which has allowed 228 points, on Sept. 22. I bet both sides are eagerly awaiting that one. Seriously. With defending state champs Northwood and Lowell at 1-3, casual observers are looking for a similar revival but they should stop. It could happen, but going to the state finals after starting 1-4 is a fluke. You have to eat a lot of 'Lucky Charms'. In the history of the state tournament, only 2002 Roncalli started 0-4 and won state.

What do Roncalli, Lowell and Northwood have in common? They are 3A or 4A and they open the season with Class 5A foes as non conference games. Hammond has lost 20 regular season games in a row and even with Highland (1-3) and Lowell (1-3) coming up in the next two weeks, there is no one on the regular schedule they can beat.

1.) 5A CROWN POINT (4-0)
2005 (11-1), 2004 (4-7), 2003 (5-5)

CROWN POINT - Crown Point had a strong first half, leading 21-0 against unbeaten Lake Central last Friday. Blake Mascarello hit 12 of 18 for 237 yards and WR Matt Ernest caught eight for 182 yards. Soccer player Michael Lipton is 12 of 12 for extra points with one blocked, not to mention three field goals. This is potentially, the best CP team in, at least 15 years. But they have not played one game where they have been good for four quarters. Special teams were leaky last week against LC, giving up 200 yards on kick returns. That's what the Bulldogs are working on this week, because they know that LC kid (Austen Macek) who burned them repeatedly, was not Michael Vick. Against a team with true speed, with that level of kick defense, the Bulldogs would have been walking home.

2.) 3A Griffith (4-0)
2005 (12-1), 2004 (9-3), 2003 (7-5)

GRIFFITH - The Panthers beat Munster 36-19 in a game that wasn't as close as the score indicated. Griffith led 29-7 in the third quarter. The Panthers held Munster to minus yardage rushing. Griffith lost six turnovers though, and that's a major concern. The Panthers will get the No. 1 ranking in Class 3A this week because Bishop Chatard lost to Cathedral in the RCA Dome. But, I don't know if that helps you. They should be used to it. The Panthers were No. 1 for much of last year. Quietly Griffith's pass defense was better against Munster's Joe Gill than it was against Chesterton's Alex Beierwalter. Truthfully, Beierwalter is better than Gill. I'm not sure why the Panthers draw so many penalties. They're reminiscent of the powerful Lake Central teams of the early 90s which almost averaged 100 yards in penalties per game and still won. That's not really a blueprint for victory.

3.) 5A Merrillville (3-1)
2005 (11-3), 2003 (5-6), 2004 (6-5)

MERRILLVILLE - Merrillville is a victim of high expectations. Since they were NW Indiana's best team last year, everyone compares the 2006 team to the 2005 regional title squad. But this team got a huge boost when injured QB Josh Raspopovich came back strong to hit 15 of 24 passes for 273 yards and 3 TDs in the 28-3 win over Portage Friday (9-8-2006). The tall senior also hit eight different receivers. Merrillville has allowed just 23 points in four games and they are gaining experience daily. I cannot explain 70 yards rushing though, and the Pirates better explain it because they can't beat good teams with 70 yards rushing. The Merrillville offensive line was supposed to be a strength this season. Merrillville has allowed 117 points (9.0) in their last 13 games. Merrillville has won 25 of their last 31 and they almost go unnoticed because they are supposed to win all the time.

4.) 3A ANDREAN (4-0)
2005 (8-2), 2004 (13-2), 2003 (12-1)

MERRILLVILLE - The 59ers won't brag about a 47-21 victory over Hammond where the Wildcats rushed for 200 yards. Still, it was 40-7 at the half and the final score is somewhat misleading. Jesse Repay hit 8-of-11 for 304 yards. I don't know how seriously Andrean takes Hammond high. The difference between the Lake Conference and the Duneland Conference is probably Hammond high, which amounts to a week to 'work on things' as Jesse Repay said in the paper Saturday. There is no such week in the DAC. But with that said, here's another team that is supposed to win so they get no credit for it. How can you be a ridiculous 63-9 in the last 5 years and have everybody talk abut everybody else? With that said, I don't think the 59ers are ready to take on Griffith and Hobart. And they need to shore up that run defense before they host Lowell this week.

5.) 5A Valparaiso (1-2)
2005 (5-5), 2004 (6-5), 2003 (5-6)

VALPARAISO - The Vikings got back on track with a 37-7 win at Michigan City and those who say they aren't a good team are less vocal after the Vikings rolled up 375 yards and 17 first downs on the road. The MC TD was a fumble recovery. The Vikings' defense actually shut the Wolves out. Valpo lost favor when they fell 61-14 to Penn on opening night, but Penn is 3-1 now. Running back Hollis Ballard carried 11 times for 99 yards against MC. He's over 350 yards rushing for the year. I didn't know Nick Rodich was a running back, but he carried 14 times for 106 yards. The Vikings also got put in the backyard when they lost 57-56 in 2 OTs to LaPorte. But LaPorte is also 3-1 now and Valpo dominated that game for three quarters.

I don't count the forfeit win over Gary Roosevelt (during the Gary teachers' strike) because they didn't play that game on the field. But that means they are still rounding into top form. Here is the No. 1 roadblock to Crown Point's attempt to repeat as DAC champs. They host CP on Sept. 22.

6.) 4A Hobart (3-1)
2005 (6-6), 2004 (9-2), 2003 (5-7)

HOBART - Four more TDs for running back Andrew Jackson in a 38-14 rout of Highland. Highland led 14-10 going into the fourth quarter, but the Brickies were clearly too physical in the late going, scoring 28 in the fourth quarter. Hobart has not defeated a top team yet, so there's still some uncertainty about how good they are. But when you see them, they sure look good. The offensive average remains almost 40 per game. But there's a lot of weight in the back of their schedule with Andrean, Morton and Griffith still to come and Munster (3-1) up first next week. The Brickies are the only team that has led Crown Point at any time this season. They also appear to be THE only team with the offensive line and running back to take on Griffith's defensive front. But that game is still a month away.

7.) 5A LaPorte (3-1)
2005 (9-2), 2004 (7-4), 2003 (6-4)

LaPORTE - The Slicers keep loading up some serious offensive smoke. And if you're averaging scoring 41 a game and allowing 32 a game, you're putting on a good show. QB Adam Creed has thrown for 500 yards in the last two weeks and 900 for the season. I know they aren't as good as Valpo, a team they beat by one in OT, and the rally from a 21-7 deficit to beat Chesterton 34-21 last Friday was another foot stomper. It is not a sign of a good team that you come from 14 points behind in the second half two weeks in a row, because its not the sign of a good team to BE two touchdowns behind in the second half two weeks in a row. Senior Airrence Shark scored two TDs and became the school's all-time leading rusher. He's at 2,626 with at least six games to play. The Slicers held Chesterton to just 45 yards rushing. I think Valpo and New Prairie exposed that you can run on LaPorte, but they don't put yards gained on the score board (LaPorte has 1,400 of those) and the Slicers are scoring points like they are going out of style.

8.) 5A Chesterton (1-3)
2005 (3-8), 2004 (5-5), 2003 (7-4)

CHESTERTON - When you give up 28 unanswered second half points, all you can do is warm up the bus. Junior QB Alex Beierwalter hit 13 of 26 for 244 yards but he had three intercepted. That's seven pick offs in four games and that's far too many. The Trojans allow a lot of points and unless they run the ball successfully, they will always leave the defense on the field a lot. As long as the weather stays good, the Trojans have a fighting chance against anybody, but they need a fast track against Valparaiso Friday night. In their defense, they're two defensive stops and a two point conversion away from being 4-0. But that's like saying the Cubs are just a couple of dozen games out of the playoffs.

9.) 5A Lake Central (3-1)
2005 (2-8), 2004 (1-9), 2003 (1-9)

ST. JOHN - You can't drop this team for getting smoked 31-14 at Crown Point. CP has won a lot of games over the last two years. I think the Indians had a bad game plan against CP, not appreciating their No. 1 threat (Matt Ernest). The Indians should welcome a rematch in November. LC is a big physical team that will finish with a winning record. They lack a little speed, and strength-wise they didn't match up with CP at all positions. But the days of 1-9 and 2-8 are clearly over. Even in a 14-point loss they showed that. Now you find out about them spirit wise. You never know about teams until they lose a game.

10.) 3A Morton (3-1)

2005 (8-4), 2004 (4-7), 2003 (5-6)

HAMMOND - Morton did not play that well in a 21-17 win at Lowell Friday and they may not be the better team. But they rarely beat Lowell and when the Governors dropped down 17-7, they did not fold on the road as they have in past years. QB David Wallace fired three TD passes and he makes the Governors hard to hold. Morton gave up 200 yards rushing to Lowell and that's a source of concern. The Governors were not able to run on the Devils and they'll see bigger, stronger run defenses in the next few weeks. But Lowell has roasted Morton in recent years and the Governors were equal to the road task. It was a step forward. Unfortunately, now they get Griffith and that could be a step backward.

On the outside looking in...

11.) 3A New Prairie (3-1)
2005 (6-4), 2004 (12-2), 2003 (8-3)

NEW CARLISLE - Time to stop ignoring a team because they don't get any game on the radio or in the newspapers. New Prairie has beaten LaPorte (3-1) and they led 31-0 at the half before they smoked out unbeaten 1A Culver 44-14 Friday. There aren't many teams that run the ball like the Cougars and they are one defensive stop away from being 4-0. . They'll host the big show Friday when New Prairie (3-1) hosts 2A No. 1 Jimtown (4-0). If they win that one, the Cougars will not be ignored much longer.

12.) 4A Munster (3-1)

2005 (3-7), 2004 (4-6), 2003 (8-3)

MUNSTER - Munster isn't in the top-10 because they could do better than a 36-19 home loss. The Mustangs were held to minus yards rushing by the Griffith defense and that's not a good sign for the rest of the season, because Lowell and Andrean (future foes) have strong run defenses. Still, the Mustangs can get right for the playoffs when they won't see Andrean and Griffith. QB Joe Gill passed for three TDs against Griffith and that's a positive, even though the game was not closer than the score indicates. The Mustangs had not played anybody and the Griffith game can toughen them.

13.) 4A Lowell (1-3)
2005 (11-4), 2004 (9-4), 2003 (11-2)

LOWELL - Tough times for Lowell, which showed they had talent building up a 17-7 lead on Morton and then showed their inexperience, losing that lead in the final 16 minutes of the game, falling 21-17. Defensively, the Devils again played well, but offensive mistakes set up Morton for the winning score. Steffan Peck is near 500 yards rushing after four games. Kicker David Lang has been strong on FGs and extra points. Is it possible that Lowell goes 1-4 and finishes 5-4 like they did last season? Yes. Young teams get better. Is it likely? No. Munster and Hobart are better than they were last year. Lowell needs an upset at Andrean. That would wipe out the three losses...