The RENEGADE

2007 - Week 4: NW Indiana High School Top-10 Football Poll

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

9-02-2007

CROWN POINT (9-02-2007) - There are few clear-cut No. 1 teams in Northwest Indiana or state wide. With 5A No. 1 Carmel's double-overtime loss to Center Grove Friday, the Greyhounds' time atop the big school poll is temporarily over. I say temporarily because CG still has superpowers Ben Davis and Warren Central to play. In 3A, Bishop Chatard (2-1) probably has the best team, but a very odd 28-22 loss to 5A Indianapolis Arlington (the game was suspended from Friday to Saturday with Chatard leading 17-0) dropped them down in the polls. A win over Roncalli next Friday could move the defending 3A champs back up to No. 1. It's early.

Locally, you could not have watched 5A Crown Point's come-from-behind 20-17 victory over 5A Merrillville and come to any unbiased conclusions about who was the better team. CP's really good on offense and good enough defensively and Merrillville is exactly the opposite.

Lowell can claim they are No. 1 in NW Indiana with a 3-0, but they trailed Crown Point 14-0 and needed to combine good play with good fortune to come back. Plus, the Devils' schedule including Morton and Kankakee Valley so far is not that of CP, Chesterton and Merrillville.

Hobart can claim they should have defeated Crown Point and that's true. They should have. But they are 2-1 and one of those wins was a walkover 63-0 scrimmage with Gary West Side. Chesterton is a solid 3-0, but they'll be 5-0 before they face a team with an experienced offense or defense. The Trojans have also exhibited some defensive soft spots, allowing 68 points (22.6 ppg.) in 3 games.

So, there's no true undisputed No. 1 right now, and, while that's great for the regular season, it also indicates there's no state contenders in NW Indiana this year. I'd hold off on that judgment until you watch the Sept. 21 game that sends Lowell to Hobart. If that game is evenly played with no dominating winner, it's unlikely there's a state contender anywhere in Northwest Indiana.

The revival in Hammond continues and it is schedule-related. Hammond high began the year with five easy games and they should go 5-0 before a showdown with Morton. I'm not knocking it. Local media can't say it publicly, but the Hammond schools do not have the facilities or the programs to beat the schools further south. Even Morton, while they are proud of 'staying with' the so called suburban teams, Morton doesn't beat them that much and Gavit, Hammond and Clark almost never have in this decade. Until they consolidate those schools and begin drawing fans to enrich their programs, the Hammond teams will not be able to consistently defeat Munster, Andrean and Lowell.

Its nobody's fault. You can't win just because you want to and you try hard. Football is a game of numbers and facilities (read: weight rooms).

So put your pride aside and play equals. Then be proud of the record. For the record, Hammond (3-0), Clark (2-1), Morton (1-2) and Gavit (1-2) all have new hope because of the breakup of the Lake Athletic Conference. Truthfully, nobody at Gavit cares about Gavit beating Lowell. They care about Gavit beating Hammond high because it's a neighbor. And, eventually, while it may not have happened yet, folks will pay to see Gavit play Hammond in a league game where they won't pay to see Gavit play Lowell. That's just the way it is.

It's my understanding that Lake Station (0-2) and River Forest (0-2) played before a capacity crowd last week in their first game in the Greater South Shore Conference. Schools must play schools their own size in league play. Who wins? Who cares? It's good for both sides and the fans come to watch.

Crown Point won their 15th DAC game in a row and Lowell stayed undefeated against KV in 23 years. Wheeler scored 30 points in a row in the second half to beat Whiting 37-26. Gary Roosevelt played the debut game against the new IHSAA member Bowman Academy of Gary. Teams like Hanover Central and Boone Grove that are talking about starting football programs may want to remember it won't go well immediately. Roosevelt beat Bowman Academy 62-0.

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

MERRILLVILLE - A major rule of this poll, as it has been for many years, is that an overtime game is a tie. So, Merrillville isn't going to drop out of the top spot here for an overtime loss on the road. The Pirates' defense gave up almost 400 yards against Crown Point, but a lot of that was caused by the offensive struggles. QB Dolapo Macarthy completed 13 of 33 passes and those 20 incompletions simply hurried the ball back into the hands of CP and their big offensive line. I was more impressed with the Pirate defense against CP than I was against Warren Central because the Pirates' stoppers had so much more to cover against CP. The Pirates secondary, which includes Roosevelt and Ronneal Williams, Keith Dockery and Demarrio Richardson, all track sprinters, is the fastest in recent years and Richardson is a shut down cornerback.

Jonothan Lee caught seven passes against CP and scored two TDs. The Pirates, who use four wide receivers a lot, don't need to be throwing 33 passes ever, and Macarthy should get some designated running plays. He's tough enough to carry the ball. The Pirates do need injured senior offensive tackle Steve Lohse (6-6, 320) back to help the running game and that will happen this month. Merrillville has the best 2007 track record and the most potential of any team in NW Indiana by far.

2.) 5A CROWN POINT (2-1)
2006 (12-1), 2005 (11-1), 2004 (4-7), 2003 (5-5)

CROWN POINT - CP was lucky to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat for the second week in a row, following a 22-20 win over Hobart (2-1) with a 20-17 overtime win over Merrillville (2-1). But with that said, the comebacks exhibited CP's strengths, which include a big physical offensive line (600 yards rushing against three quality teams) and NW Indiana's second most experienced QB (22 starts) in Blake Mascarello.

No one has stopped senior halfback Russell Chick (78 carries, 451 yards) and with all due respect to Chick (5-10, 180), he's getting those yards due to the line led by center Matt Polus (6-2, 260) and right guard Kurt Wermers (6-5, 270). But the cold, hard truth is that CP has trailed in the fourth quarter of all three games they've played so far. That's a blueprint for a losing season. The Bulldogs are not No. 1 because they aren't getting many turnovers and the offense has far more yards (950) than they do touchdowns (7 TDs).

3.) 5A Chesterton (3-0)
2006 (5-6), 2005 (3-8), 2004 (5-5), 2003 (7-4)

CHESTERTON - Bold prediction time? Ready? Chesterton will be 7-0 when they host Crown Point on October 5. Nobody debates that, in a league of good QBs, the Trojans' Alex Beierwalter (25 starts) is the best passer. Did Beierwalter really throw a TD on a 4th-and-goal from the Michigan City 41-yard-line last week? That can't possibly be true. The offensive line has to get some credit for Beierwalter (44-of-73, 695 yards, 7 TDs, 2 INTs) getting off to the best start of his three years. Zach Carnahan carried the ball 14 times for 143 yards last week in the 22-20 win at Michigan City.

They aren't No. 1, because of the defense that is allowing 20 points every time out. The Trojans have no chance to beat Crown Point on that distant October night (or Merrillville on Oct. 12) if they can't start containing either the run or the pass. But it's all about the offensive line and Chesterton's line has produced opportunities so far, although, like CP, the Trojans have more yards (almost 1,200) than they have TDs (13) to show for them.

4.) 4A Lowell (3-0)
2006 (7-6), 2005 (11-4), 2004 (9-4), 2003 (11-2)

LOWELL - The Red Devils played their best game of the season by far last Friday in a 38-0 road win at Kankakee Valley. Now KV was coming off two games against 2A teams and the Kougars haven't beaten Lowell since Ronald Reagan was in office, but the Red Devil defense is off to a good start, with 11 shutout quarters in a row and they held KV to just 62 total yards. The Devils' pass rush and secondary has not allowed a passing TD this year and did not allow one completed pass at KV.

New QB Kurt Monix was 8-of-11 for 129 yards, including five for 101 yards and two TDs to tight end Jeff Barker. Senior Steffan Peck is gaining 100 yards a game and that's all you can ask for. Lowell, which stared the season 1-4 in 2005 and 1-4 in 2006, will almost certainly go 5-0 if they beat long time rival Griffith next week. As odd as it might seem after a 38-0 win, Lowell needs to do better on offense. The Devils have scored just 20 first half points (6.6 per game) all season and that's a good way to get whipped. I know the Devils' game plan is to wear teams down, but the Devils have to find a way to match intensity with execution at the start of the game. Griffith is hungry for a win, so next Friday would be a good time for a quick start.

5.) 4A Hobart (2-1)
2006 (10-2), 2005 (6-6), 2004 (9-2), 2003 (5-7)

HOBART - Hobart dominated the first half and held on to win at Griffith 24-14 last Friday as new QB Matt Barras was again good, completing 9-of-16 for 183 yards. As Hobart develops the consistent balance of passing and running with senior halfback Andrew Jackson, who was held to 54 yards on 18 carries last week, they'll become tougher and tougher to beat. What jumps out at you from the Hobart-Griffith box score is no turnovers for the Brickies. I believe they have three turnovers (and no interceptions) all season with a new varsity QB.

That's very good and very promising. I'd still like to see them work Jackson into the passing game and the third quarter defensive problems the last two weeks are unsettling, but there's no question that Hobart just got through the toughest two road games on their schedule. The week six home game with Lowell (3-0) is getting bigger all the time.

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

MERRILLVILLE - Andrean rolled over East Chicago 41-6 as Austin Sutter completed 16 of 22 for 256 yards. 14-year-old freshman Demetri Blanco (5-9, 155) scored as a running back, a receiver and later as a quarterback. The Niners will remind you they couldn't hold a 14-0 lead against Portage or they'd be undefeated and state ranked. They probably already know, however, that the 59ers have given up 37 second half points and that's quite a few considering that all three teams they've played have mediocre offenses at best. The Niners surely are developing depth. Remember, Andrean does not have eighth grade teams to draw from so they're putting some young boys on the same field with each other for the first time. I know that wins over Bishop Noll (0-3) and East Chicago (0-3) aren't worth a twinkie, but the Niners have looked good every time out. That is encouraging because Munster (2-1) and Hobart (2-1), two good offensive teams are up next.

7.) 5A Portage (2-1)
2006 (6-5), 2005 (2-8), 2004 (8-4), 2003 (11-2)

PORTAGE - Portage lost a low-scoring game to Lake Central for the second year in a row. Coaches will tell you that defense wins, but they're lying. They know that the offensive line wins, and Portage simply has not been able to open holes. A fired up LC defense held Portage to an unofficial minus-2 yards rushing, unheard of when you have a Division I halfback like Albert Evans. And Portage has completed only completed 13 passes all season. There's nothing wrong with a defense that's allowed 28 points (9.3) in three games.

All-area WR-DB Billy Doll returned to the lineup and scored a TD. Reportedly, he's not 100% but he's playing. Evans may have been slowed by an ankle injury last week, but he's playing as well. The Indians can easily develop. They have the players. But Portage had offensive line and QB problems last year and, it's clear, they still have them.

8.) 5A Lake Central (3-0)
2006 (4-6), 2005 (2-8), 2004 (1-9), 2003 (1-9)

ST. JOHN - Lake Central held Portage to 61 total yards in a 14-6 win. The defense has not faced a top offense yet, buy they've allowed just 22 points (7.3 ppg.) in three games. The LC defense, which has held three consecutive foes under 150 yards, had six sacks against Portage. LC has outscored the opposition 34-6 in the second half so far and halfback Tony Morang (5-10, 205) had his second two-TD game in a row. You gotta love the big defensive end Danny (Thunder) Manick (6-5, 245) and the offensive line should be good. But LC has scored just 59 points (19.7 ppg.) and that won't be enough against the high-powered offenses of Crown Point or Chesterton. Okay, I know that Lake Central was 3-0 last year and they finished 4-6. Merrillville (2-1), Chesterton (3-0) and Crown Point (2-1) are still ahead on the schedule and LC won't be favored to beat any of them.

But if you keep starting the season 3-0, you will break through. The LC offensive line must control the ball this week against Crown Point. The advantage for them mentally this season is that they know how little 3-0 in August means in the overall scheme of things. LC must treat Friday's game with Crown Point like its a playoff game. It's not just another foe, because if they lose, it's just like last year and last year for LC should have been a disappointment.

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

GRIFFITH - The Panthers lost by eight to Merrillville (2-1) and by 10 to Hobart (2-1) and they don't need to be making ugly faces about that. This is a young Griffith team and only the most hard core Griffith fans thought they had a good chance at 3-0. The Panthers have almost 500 yards rushing, which is very good against Merrillville, Morton and Hobart. But Griffith has completed just 11 passes all year and you just can't make that work for you. The Panthers also have five fumbles and six interceptions. But that's what you get from a team that lost 15-16 starters.

There's top flight athletic ability here, including obviously, David Alexander (6-2, 175). But Griffith has scored nine TDs and Alexander has scored eight of them. There's no way to make that work for you either. This will be a good team in October. Trouble is, they play at undefeated Lowell (3-0) Friday night.

10.) Michigan City (2-1)
2006 (1-9), 2005 (6-5), 2004 (4-6), 2003 (3-7)

MICHIGAN CITY - There's always been raw talent here. I was impressed that MC moved the ball in the air against Chesterton. Nate Scully (6-2, 180) was 9-of-21 for 3 TDS, 181 yards and no interceptions in the 22-20 loss to Chesterton. It is definitely the year of the quarterback in the DAC and the numbers I've found show Scully (25-of-49, 468 yards, 9 TDs) has not thrown an interception in 49 tosses. The offense has over 430 yards rushing in three games and that means the offensive line has potential.

I know they have some injuries now at halfback and they were held to 80 yards rushing by Chesterton last week. But Scully was passing because his team was behind. The defense has allowed just 47 points (15.6 ppg,) and that's against the high-powered offenses of Chesterton (30.3 pg.) and Gary Roosevelt (38 ppg.). Can this team beat LaPorte? Right now? Maybe. They are more experienced. Can they beat Valparaiso? Right now? Well, they play them Friday night.

On the outside looking in...

11.) LaPorte (2-1)
2006 (10-4), 2005 (9-2), 2004 (7-4), 2003 (6-4)

LaPORTE - The Slicers scored late to beat Valpo 21-17 last week, bouncing back from a 34-0 stomping at Mishawaka (2-1). Hard to figure this team, which took out 3A power New Prairie (2-1) in the opener 28-7. There are so many new players here including tailback Carlton Austin, who ran for 3 TDs last Friday. Austin (20 carries, 136 yards) and Bryce Holland (11 carries, 134 yards) both ran for 100 yards.

Soph QB Dustin DeMuth (8-of-13, 100 yards, 2 INTs) is gaining experience, but there will be more tough games for the young backfield and they are going to need a lot of defense this Friday at Chesterton (2-1).