A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith
9-24-2007
MERRILLVILLE (9-24-2007) -
Week six of the Northwest Indiana season may be known, in the end, for its
turning points. Or it may be known, in the end, for misleading results.
Frankly, even though Valparaiso beat Crown Point 21-17, Hammond beat Morton
14-13 and Lowell beat Hobart 10-7, I'm not sure the losing teams in those
matches are not better than the winning teams.
Thus speaks to the evaluation of one game. The Hammond-Morton game was the most vivid example. Morton dominated Hammond between the 20-yard lines, out gaining them 389-140 and recording 21 first downs to just three for Hammond. But an 80-yard run and a 98 yard fumble recovery tilted the game to Hammond (6-0). Lucky? Sure. But you need luck to win. No one is good enough to 100% dominate a game.
Being nonpartisan for a moment, the Hammond win over Morton was the best thing that could have happened to Hammond football. Had Morton blown out Hammond, which they could easily have done, given the yards gained, city football there would have immediately gone back to being Morton and three teams that can't get a witness.
But now, Hammond is back on the map and that's good for NW Indiana football. Hammond high is the original Hammond high school and the all-time leader in games won in NW Indiana. They've played for 100 years and they need the legacy to return just like it did at Hobart.
Love or hate Notre Dame. Notre Dame being 0-4 is bad for college football because more people care about them, positively or negatively, than anybody else. Hobart is at that point. Hammond's greatness came in an era that was largely unreported. But if Hammond gets back to winning every year (probably after the much needed and inevitable consolidation of high schools in Hammond), watch Hammond fans come out of hibernation with stories of what Wildcat football used to be like. Can Hammond win a sectional title? Hey, the Cubs are going to finish first this year, aren't they?
And is anyone willing yet to admit that, with Hammond (6-0) and Clark (4-2) having 'comeback' seasons, that the breakup of the terribly conceived, mismatched Lake Athletic Conference was the best thing that has happened to Hammond city football in 20 years?
Now we've just got to work something out for Kankakee Valley, a former LAC Blue Division power, which has been shut out four weeks in a row in the Northwest Crossroads Conference.
1.)
5A Merrillville (5-1)
2006
(7-5), 2005
(11-3), 2003 (5-6), 2004 (6-5)
MERRILLVILLE
-
Let me predict that every poll of prep teams in NW Indiana will suddenly have
Merrillville at No. 1. This is the best team now and they have the most
potential. Merrillville beat Michigan City 42-28 in a game that wasn't
that close. The Pirates led 28-7 at the half. Roosevelt Williams
posted his third consecutive 100 yard game with 19 carries for 162 yards and QB
Dolapo Macarthy had a career-best 106 yards on 11 carries and a season-best
8-fo-16 passing for 178 yards and 2 TDs. The Pirates gained 283 yards on 31
carries in their third consecutive win. Note that the Warren Central team
Merrillville defeated is now 4-2 and averaging 35 points a game. The
Pirates now face pass-happy Valparaiso and that's a good thing. Merrillville
has the speed in the secondary to defend the entire field, something no Valpo
foe has been able to muster so far.
The Pirates still are vulnerable to a power running game. Their task is to become so proficient on offense that the power running teams will have to be very productive to stay with them. Against the No. 1 schedule in NW Indiana, the Pirates are 5-1 and a clear-cut No. 1 in every poll.
2.)
5A CROWN POINT (4-2)
2006
(12-1), 2005
(11-1), 2004 (4-7), 2003 (5-5)
CROWN
POINT - Admittedly,
it's hard to find a No. 2 team this week, but Crown Point, for the second time
this year, held a double digit lead in the second half and lost it. Russell
Chick (30 carries, 192 yards) gained 100 yards for the sixth consecutive week,
but CP had just 45 yards passing and their secondary was exposed as Alex
Sarkisian completed 16-of-33 for 253 yards and no interceptions. CP simply
has no deep threats and they need to find one (or the threat of one) to back the
defenses of the running game.
The Bulldogs are the only team to even survive Merrillville (5-1) and Lake Central (5-1), so the credentials are sound and this is still the defending DAC a 5A Sectional One champion. CP's defense is still solid against the run and that's more important than being solid against the pass, if you must choose in Northwest Indiana. The Bulldogs have yet to allow more than 21 points in any game and there's time to work on the pass defense. The Bulldogs rallied from 10 down to beat Hobart and from 14 down to beat Merrillville in OT. But they also lost two double-digit leads, which is odd, because they have become Lowell, pounding out yards with Chick (164 carries, 893 yards) and shortening the game. It's no secret the Bulldogs need some confident offensive playmakers who can put points on the board from any point on the field. That's a hard thing to come up with this late in the season.
3.)
4A Lowell (5-1)
2006
(7-6), 2005
(11-4), 2004 (9-4), 2003 (11-2)
LOWELL
-
If Lowell
played badly on Sept. 14 in the 39-0 win over Highland (and they did), they rose
to the occasion in a 10-7 with at 4A No. 8 Hobart last week. In a game
that certainly meant much more to the home team, Lowell slugged it out with a
hard-hitting foe and won on David Lang's field goal in the final two minutes.
A nine minute drive in the fourth quarter on the road gave the Devils an
eye-opening road win playing without senior tailback Steffan Peck (107 carries,
459 yards) and senior defensive end Joe Carlson (4 sacks), both of whom will
return for the game with Hammond (6-0). Lang also kicked the game-winning
field goal in November of 2006 when Lowell won at Hobart 31-28. QB Kurt
Monix was a season-best 5-of-6 for 173 yards, while sophomore Brandon Grubbe (71
- 556 yards) had his second consecutive 100-yard game subbing for Peck and
safety Lukas Palmer had 10 tackles. Lowell does not seem big enough
physically to hang with the teams they hang with. To keep winning, the
Devils are going to have to score more points when they get good chances.
But a shorthanded road win over a ranked team is a big deal.
4.)
5A Chesterton (5-1)
2006
(5-6), 2005
(3-8), 2004 (5-5), 2003 (7-4)
CHESTERTON
-
Chesterton won a big one 14-7 over Portage and moved into a four-way first place
tie in the Duneland Athletic Conference. This game reportedly should have
been a 21-0 shutout. An 80-yard Portage pass from Jason Melcic to Albert
Evans was a pass that bounced out of the hands of a Chesterton defender.
The Trojans ran the ball for 150 yards and Alex Beierwalter needed to complete
just 11-of-20 passes to build up that 14-0 fourth quarter lead. Chesterton
clearly struggled with penalties last week, losing 85 yards due to nine yellow
flags. The record is impressive but so is the remainder of the schedule.
Chesterton has won about as many titles as Dale Earnhardt Jr., so overconfidence
is not an option.
The Trojans close the season with Lake Central (5-1), Crown Point (4-2) and
Merrillville (5-1) so any further judgment must be withheld until those games
are played. It will be very important for the Trojans, who really should
be 6-0, not to get too excited or too deflated by the next three results,
because they could see all three teams again in the post-season next month.
5.)
4A Hobart (4-2)
2006
(10-2), 2005
(6-6), 2004 (9-2), 2003 (5-7)
HOBART
-
Hobart lost 10-7 to Lowell, in another tough defeat against the Devils. What
was more eye-opening was that Lowell drove nine minutes in the fourth quarter to
set up the game winning field goal. The Hobart defense gave up a long second
half predominantly rushing drive for the second time this season to lose a close
game. QB Matt Barras threw his first interception in the final seconds
against Lowell, but his receivers could not hold catchable passes and Bobby
James could get free only for two catches. Hobart has to get the ball in James'
hands even if they have to hand it to him. The only serious loss here may
have been lineman Roy Hall (6-0, 240), a senior who did not play much in this
game after getting hurt early. The Brickies line was not the same without him.
The lone consolation for Hobart was that they tested a fourth top-10 team (including Griffith at the time) and they led or were tied with all of them in the fourth quarter. Hobart should rebound now against Munster (2-4), Kankakee Valley (2-4) and Highland (0-6), but they must beware of those three foes, who are especially hungry for just one win. None more so than Munster, which has lost four times by seven points or less.
6.)
3A ANDREAN (4-2)
2006
(8-3), 2005
(8-2), 2004 (13-2), 2003 (12-1)
MERRILLVILLE
-
Andrean
dominated Highland 42-0 with Austin Sutter completing 12 of 18 passes for 133
yards and three TDs to John Kennedy. Sutter (78-138, 963 yards, 13 TDs, 10
INTs) continues to lead a Niner offense that averages 29 points a game, even
after getting shut out by Hobart.
What goes unnoticed is that the Andrean defense has allowed less than 15 points a game. It bears noting that Andrean's defense is required to be more durable than the defenses of Lowell, Griffith and CP to get the same result because the Niner offense produces short possessions. The defenses of Valparaiso, Chesterton and Andrean are on the field more than the defenses of Merrillville and CP are because of their style of offense.
Andrean did roll up 283 yards rushing against outmanned Highland (0-6) and they may do the same against KV (2-4) this week. But the Niners need to prove they can run the ball and that opportunity comes in the final two weeks against powerhouses Griffith (4-2) and Lowell (5-1).
7.)
4A Griffith (4-2)
2006
(12-2), 2005
(12-1), 2004 (9-3), 2003
(7-5)
GRIFFITH
-
The Panthers outscored Munster 34-29, but Griffith did allow a 21-point second
quarter. The Panthers are giving up quite a few points. They've allowed
20 or more four times this season and that does not include the game against
Merrillville. There was little wrong with the offense as QB Derek Hitt led an
attack that collected 329 yards rushing while he threw for two scores.
Griffith is getting a good test the rest of the way. The Panthers' final four contests are all against predominantly passing teams. Munster's Joe Gill was 12 of 24 for 121 against the Panthers. They saw the run-based offenses of Merrillville, Lowell and Hobart early on. The win over Munster was Griffith's third consecutive 200-yard rushing game and it's hard to lose that way. And nine lost fumbles is actually less than Griffith usually has after six games. I'm not going to tell you they should have beaten Merrillville and Hobart because they shouldn't have. And they are giving up too many yards right now to win a rematch with Hobart. But the Panthers have three winnable games remaining and they have time to develop the offense that could carry a leaky defense.
8.)
5A Lake Central (5-1)
2006
(4-6), 2005
(2-8), 2004 (1-9), 2003 (1-9)
ST.
JOHN
-
Lake Central needed a second consecutive
second half comeback to beat a sub-.500 team. But the Indians did mount a
19-point third quarter behind junior QB Bo Dempsey (10-21, 141 yards, 3 TDs) to
rally past Michigan City (2-4) at home. LC's Dillon Jamroz carried the ball 21
times for 208 yards in his best effort in place of injured senior Tony Morang.
There is a concern about the defense, which was strong in the first four games,
but has been shelled for 600 yards and 56 points in the last two weeks.
Scott Spicer kicked two more field goals, giving him four for the season. Coach Bill Melby wisely dumped the alternating QB situation and installed Dempsey as the starter. The Indians will make progress this season. They will not have a losing record for the first time since 2001. No matter what comes down in the second half of the year, this season represents continued progress for the Lake Central football program.
But this game also marked the fourth time
this season that LC has trailed at the half. While the Indians have
rallied to win three of those times and that's a display of admirable comeback
ability, everyone at LC knows that championship teams do not trail at the half
every week. That's not a blueprint. That's a bad habit. I
still think Lake Central has more to prove than the Chicago Bears and the first
moment of truth has arrived this week against Chesterton (5-1).
9.)
5A Valparaiso
(4-2)
2006 (3-6), 2005
(5-5), 2004 (6-5), 2003 (5-6)
VALPARAISO
-
But Sarkisian (98-of-156, 1,423, 12 TDs, 3 INTs) had his fourth 200-yard passing game this season and the Vikings' pass rush harassed Bulldogs QB Blake Mascarello into just 45 yards passing. Valpo is the only 4A or 5A team in NW Indiana that has scored 20 or more (1A Whiting has scored 26 or more) points every week. Valpo was not able to correct their No. 1 weakness, which is rushing defense. They gave up 200 yards to CP and the defense has now given up 1,100 yards rushing. That is uglier than the Philadelphia Eagles uniforms last Sunday. Valpo is playing with confidence on offense, but this is a warm-weather offense and the Vikings are well aware that they are running out of time trying to shore up that run defense.
10.) 5A LaPorte (2-4)
2006 (10-4), 2005 (9-2), 2004 (7-4), 2003
(6-4)
LaPORTE -
You're saying, 'Come on, they're 2-4'.
But I will ask you to look more closely. Consecutive losses to 5A league
rivals: 22-20, 31-28 and 42-28. All against winning teams and all
competitive efforts. Soph QB Dustin DeMuth was 19-of-37 for a career-best
206 yards. Wide receiver Andrew Vaughn caught 12 passes for 165 yards and
2 TDs. While it is true that LaPorte has allowed more points (153) than
they have scored (132), take note: Every team LaPorte has faced so far is
either 5-1 or 4-2. With over 1200 yards rushing in six games and an
improving passing attack, LaPorte is starting to resemble those LaPorte teams
that stayed up near the top of the DAC for most of this decade. They have
defensive weaknesses and they have passing yards, but LaPorte has a better
chance to correct those problems than they would if they'd been giving up 200
yards rushing every game. Would they beat Hammond (6-0) or Whiting (5-1)?
Definitely. Would they beat New Prairie (4-2)? They already did.
How about Portage and Michigan City? We'll see. They play both next
month.
On the outside looking in...
11.) 3A New Prairie (4-2)
2006 (10-4), 2005 (9-2), 2004 (7-4), 2003 (6-4)
NEW
CARLISLE - Here's the team nobody in Northwest Indiana talks about.
It's not that they don't want to talk about them. Nobody in NW Indiana
covers them and since they never play any games in Lake and Porter County, few
in NW Indiana ever see them. But you can bet your bottom dollar that Andrean
has every New Prairie game tape since NP is in 3A Sectional 17 with the 59ers.
After losing the season opener 35-7 to 5A rival LaPorte, the Cougars have been
very strong, going 4-1 and losing only 35-24 to 2A No. 1 Jimtown, the same
Jimtown team that lit up 4A Concord 35-14 last week.
Prairie QB
Cody Williamson is an option phenom and that's not an overstatement. He
has 100 yards rushing in every game so far and has scored 10 TDs.
Williamson had nine carries for 130 yards last week in a 42-14 win over Triton.
Williamson (5-9, 165) carried seven times for 135 yards against Culver on
September 7. He had 129 yards on 22 carries on Aug. 31 against Bremen.
The Cougars have 100 first downs and 2,000 yards rushing, but the hidden
weakness for NP is that they play in the Northern States Conference which has
three Class 1A teams. Defensively, you have to wonder about a team that gave up
420 yards rushing to Jimtown.
Andrean
has played tougher teams than Jimtown and they haven't given up 200 yards
rushing to anybody. New Prairie does have 3A Knox (4-2) to play next month
and 3A John Glenn (4-2) to play next week. But New Prairie was 11-2 last
year and 12-2 in 2004. This isn't Boise State. NP does it every
year.
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2007 USA-365.com and Meyer
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Revised: September 25, 2007
.