The RENEGADE

2007 - FINAL: NW Indiana High School Top-10 Football Poll

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

12-03-2007

MERRILLVILLE (12-03-2007) - Merrillville's 5A Semistate loss and Lowell's state finals loss put a dim end on a shiny season. Both teams were beaten decisively, which was disappointing, and in Lowell's case, totally unexpected. I'm going to say the politically correct thing and pretend that it was great just to make it that far and lose to the state champions. But I thought Merrillville would be closer to Carmel than the 35-13 loss and I was flat out surprised by Reitz' 33-14 rout of Lowell in the RCA Dome on Nov. 24.

I'll be honest. I could have done without Lowell's ugly RCA Dome loss, which featured a serious arm injury to their youngest player, halfback Brandon Grubbe. But Lowell's 4A Northern Semistate 10-7 win over No. 1 Bishop Dwenger was probably the postseason highlight in NW Indiana. Merrillville's 17-10 opening night win over Warren Central was the regular season's best game.

It is extremely hard for anyone to play well for six weeks of winner-take-all games, something that is not asked at any other level of the sport. You feel for Merrillville, which has not been to the final game in 31 years. Lowell, at least, had the victory in the 2005 state title game to keep them warm on the bus ride home on Nov. 24. Both squads return starting quarterbacks and key defenders in 2008 and have an outside chance to repeat the 2007 performances.

I thought it was a good year overall in NW Indiana with Andrean, Griffith and Crown Point posting fine seasons again and Hammond high posting its best won-loss record in many years.

2008 will be the final year of the present format. Area football fans are starting to grasp that there will be significant change in 2009. It is highly likely that some teams will move to a new Class 6A for the 2009 season. There will be a realignment for six classes and some 5A teams like Munster and Chesterton may benefit greatly by remaining 5A as Crown Point, Merrillville, Warren Central, Penn and Carmel are bumped up to 6A. The sliding of teams upward in class may change far more sectionals than people think.

Also, when 6A comes in, the Class 3A state title game will almost certainly move to Friday night, making the state tourney even more popular. The 2008 state finals will be played in the 67,000-seat Lucas Oil Arena in downtown Indianapolis. Indy officials say that, even though no contracts have been signed, there are no plans to play anywhere else. Class sports has been a big hit in football and it should go right through the retractable roof next season. The 5-game attendance was 51,000 fans, anchored by almost 15,000 for the Lowell-Reitz game at the RCA Dome in 2007.

In Northwest Indiana, the rise of Hammond high is good for all, because Hammond is one of the bedrock franchises in this area. With artificial turf going in at Crown Point, Valparaiso and maybe Morton, 2008 should be another good year. The final year for Hobart's Brickie Bowl, and perhaps the eve of consolidation in Gary are other factors in play when 2008 comes our way.

1.) 5A Merrillville (12-2)
2006 (7-5), 2005 (11-3), 2003 (5-6), 2004 (6-5)

MERRILLVILLE - Merrillville could not get past Carmel at Carmel 35-13, and the Greyhounds went on to win the state championship. Maybe it'll be Merrillville's turn in 2008. Carmel lost the state final in 2006. Beating Warren Central, Griffith, Penn and arch-rival Crown Point made 2007 a once-in-a-lifetime season. The future is rainbow bright with QB Dolapo Macarthy returning with all-state kicker Ryan Stokes (11 field goals, 44-45 XPs) and all-state linebacker Dionte Day (190 tackles). It won't be hard to find running backs, but players like Keith Dockery and Aaron Kacmarksi (6-6, 230) won't be hard to find as returning starters. The Pirates will return as the undisputed No. 1 team in 2008.

2.) 4A Lowell (13-2)
2006 (7-6), 2005 (11-4), 2004 (9-4), 2003 (11-2)

LOWELL - The Devils almost completed a 'road warrior' path through the state tournament, losing their fourth road game, the 33-14 loss to No. 2 Reitz (15-0) in the RCA Dome. Still, this might have been Lowell's greatest season. They won a program-record 13 games. The Devils' finals loss was crushing, but the win over No. 1 Bishop Dwenger in the semistate was probably the greatest home field victory in Lowell history. Lowell returns QB Kurt Monix and 1,675-yard tailback Brandon Grubbe plus both inside linebackers David Eastling and Justin Juarez. Seniors-to-be Nick Schultz (5-11, 230), Brian DeMario (6-3, 22o) and Logan Wright (5-10, 250) can anchor both lines.

The Devils were never settled on the offensive line in 2007 and they should be in 2008. With Concord, Logansport and Griffith in the path, I would not predict a Lowell return to the state finals. But if the Devils can find a kicker, a free safety and a pass rushing defensive end, they can win a sixth consecutive sectional.

3.) 5A CROWN POINT (8-3)
2006 (12-1), 2005 (11-1), 2004 (4-7), 2003 (5-5)

CROWN POINT - CP finished at the top of the DAC for a third consecutive season and they battled to the end, and two teams that beat them, Merrillville and Lowell -- both had overwhelmingly successful years. The Bulldogs did an amazing job to win eight games, even though they did not have a lot of wide receivers. CP adjusted and became a power running team. I was stunned at how well that transition was made, and had 1,810-yard, 21 TD halfback Russell Chick not been injured, CP might have been playing at Carmel in the semistate.

Crown Point is 31-5 over the past three years, but now they change QBs and replace most of the offensive line. On the plus side, the Bulldog defensive secondary returns intact and fullback Mike Kozlowski and kicker Michael Lipton (32 of 35 XP, 4 FGs) are also back. Look for Marcus Shrewsbury to get his chance at QB, but there will be other candidates. CP has had undefeated junior varsity teams for three years in a row, so they have plenty of players coming. Artificial turf at Crown Point could be the reality in 2008, as could a return to the spread-the-field passing style they used in 2005 and 2006.

4.) 4A Griffith (9-4)
2006 (12-2), 2005 (12-1), 2004 (9-3), 2003 (7-5)

GRIFFITH - Two teams lost to Lowell and Merrillville: Crown Point and Griffith. This was a far better year than Griffith should have had after a 2-2 start. The 29-28 upset win at Lowell in September sparked this team to a 15th sectional title. The Panthers were an extra point away from winning the regional as well. When you look back, this was a better year for Griffith than is immediately obvious. The Panthers could easily have been 1-3 and spiraling towards a .500 season. This team had few returning starters from 2006. But they rallied to steal the game in Lowell in week four and went on a winning spree that ended only when Lowell stole one away on Griffith's home field in the regional.

Offensively, Griffith loses a lot, including three-year starters David Alexander and Doug Ashenbaugh, quarterback Derek Hitt and lineman Zack Macak. But it's my understanding they have a very athletic sophomore (juniors in 2008) class. Griffith has quarterback candidates, and there's a lot back on defense including Mark (127 tackles) and Zack Butkus (96 tackles), along with kicker Jacob Melton. With Brad 'Big Country' Hardin (6-7, 255) coming back to anchor the line in 2008, it looks like another sectional title run for the Panthers. Griffith will be the favorite for the 2008 4A sectional nine title.

5.) 4A Hobart (8-4)
2006 (10-2), 2005 (6-6), 2004 (9-2), 2003 (5-7)

HOBART - Hobart outgained the Panthers, but lost 17-14 to Griffith to end a season where they lost twice on last second field goals. The Bricks did not allow more than 22 points in any game and still lost four times. For the second consecutive year, Hobart lost the sectional championship game on a field goal on the final play of the game. That is unheard of. The Brickies return QB Matt Barras and wide receiver Bobby James for the Brickie Bowl's final year in 2008, but this loss will take some time to get over. Kicker Mike Josifovski is also solid and Hobart has more big linemen in the pipeline. I wouldn't be shocked to see James play some running back in 2008, just to get him the ball. Hobart is 18-6 in the last two years and 33-14 in the last four. I see no reason Hobart won't battle Griffith and Lowell again next year, but I also see no reason it will be any easier than it was this season.

6.) 3A ANDREAN (9-4)
2006 (8-3), 2005 (8-2), 2004 (13-2), 2003 (12-1)

MERRILLVILLE - The 59ers found the running game late in the season to win the schools' 11th sectional title. They lost 35-28 to state finalist St. Joseph's, but the Niners found a rushing combo with David Brandt and Kyle Kovach. They'll need a new lead blocker for Kovach (177 carries, 1,100 yards) as Brandt graduates. But the new QB should be Demetri Blanco, who made a little impact as a freshman wide receiver and kick runner.

Andrean went through a change in philosophy at midseason and went back to running the ball. The question in 2008, and it will certainly be based on the new personnel in starting roles, is, 'Do they want to be a finesse team or a power team?' Andrean threw 262 times in 13 games and there's some doubt as to whether a team that throws 20 times a game can win in November in NW Indiana. You can certainly win in August and September, but the consistent success of Lowell and Griffith suggests that you need to grind it out once the snow flies. But Andrean is 50-12 over the past five years, so maybe they should do what they want to do.

7.) 5A Chesterton (6-4)
2006 (5-6), 2005 (3-8), 2004 (5-5), 2003 (7-4)

CHESTERTON - Chesterton ended the season with consecutive losses 38-10 and 21-0 to Merrillville, but with the Pirates (12-2) advancing to the semistate, that's not a black mark. QB Alex Beierwalter (120-of-220, 1,670 yards, 11 TDs) completed his third year on the varsity as an all-area player and his graduation, as that of Alex Sarkisian at Valparaiso and Blake Mascarello at Crown Point will change the style of play in the Duneland Athletic Conference. The cause may have been lost here when Austin Bower (14 catches, 165 yards) was injured and disabled in early September. Zach Carnahan (264 carries, 910 yards) barely missed the 1,000-yard mark rushing. Like CP, the Trojans need to rebuild that offensive line as teams like Michigan City and LaPorte will be coming on strong. The way they were locked down by the speed of Merrillville, I expect this team to also revert to a power running game to challenge the Pirates and Crown Point.

8.) 5A Lake Central (7-5)
2006 (4-6), 2005 (2-8), 2004 (1-9), 2003 (1-9)

ST. JOHN - Good job by LC this year. They were overmatched 30-6 by Merrillville in the 5A Sectional One championship, a repeat of Merrillville's 24-3 DAC win at LC. To me, this was the best LC could do this year and they should be proud of it, despite the 24-point sectional loss. LC was a sub-.500 team last year and they play in a big-school league. They want to be at the top of Northwest Indiana teams but it's not that easy. QB Bo Dempsey returns, as do wide receivers Drew Dumont and John Hurley, plus running back Dillon Jamroz.

LC will lose a little ground here record-wise in the DAC because they'll graduate a lot of their defense. I don't see them challenging Merrillville and CP for the DAC championship until at least 2009. Michigan City and LaPorte will be vastly improved in 2008 and they'll battle LC for a slot in the first division of the Duneland Conference. But the program has gone from two to four to seven wins in the last three years. I sincerely believe the days of 2-8 seasons here are gone like the buffalo.

9.) 5A Valparaiso (6-5)
2006 (3-6), 2005 (5-5), 2004 (6-5), 2003 (5-6)

VALPARAISO - Valparaiso, which beat Lake Central 17-14 on Oct. 12, lost 14-7 in the rain two weeks later at LC to end their season. The Vikings fell to something they were vulnerable to. Probably the best passing team in the DAC, Valpo ran into a post-season night when it rained all game. Senior Alex Sarkisian (165-of-299, 2,392 yards, 19 TDs, 10 INTs) was held to 14-of-31 for 196 yards passing in his final game. Scott Rastovic (57 catches, 1,094 yards) closed the season as a 1,000-yard receiver, a rarity in the DAC, and the Vikings have the 'comfort' of knowing that two of the teams they lost to, Merrillville (12-2) and Penn (12-1), were sectional champions. The win over CP is a season highlight. I never understood why this team couldn't stop the run the last couple of years and I think new people on defense will solve the problem. I suggest Valpo will also revert back to a 75%-25% run-pass ratio in 2008. You can't throw the ball 300 times and get to the Dome from Northwest Indiana. You simply leave your defense on the field too much.

10.) 4A Hammond (9-2)
2006 (2-10), 2005 (1-10), 2004 (2-8), 2003 (1-9)

HAMMOND - Hammond had a strong finish, losing 21-13 at Hobart in the mud in the 4A Sectional Nine semifinals. They can't be unhappy with this year. To finish with an eight-point loss to Hobart (8-4) and a 20-point loss to state finalist Lowell (13-2), the two co-champions of the Northwest Crossroads Conference (NWCC), means that the Cats weren't overrated like University of Missouri football and the Phoenix Suns. David Moore (134 carries, 1,431 yards, 17 TDs) will be very hard to replace, but with a schedule that will still be softer in the first five weeks than it will be later on, the purple boys can rebuild without falling too far from that 9-2 perch. The new QB is already on line and word is the Wildcats may be more of a passing team in 2008. The big thing for Hammond, which was undefeated and other Hammond, Gary and East Chicago schools, is numbers. Football is a war and there will be casualties. Hammond needs to get 65-70 boys on the roster so they can get depth for the long season. Hammond basketball players have to play football, too. Maybe somebody could fund artificial turf for Hammond, too. It could even be purple.