The RENEGADE

2007 - Week 9: NW Indiana High School Top-10 Football Poll

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

10-10-2007

MERRILLVILLE (10-10-2007) -  I talk lot about negative motivation:  "We don't get no respect."  "Everybody thinks we're going to lose."  It's largely trumped-up brainwashing in an attempt to try to get your team to play harder.  If local high school coaches needed anything to use as positive motivation, they got it last Saturday.

In college football, Stanford, a 48-point underdog, pulling off one of the most shocking college football upsets of all time, rallied to end the national championship hopes (you can't lose to a team as low-rent as Stanford and win the national title) of USC 24-23.

And Notre Dame, losers of five in a row and ridiculed nationally by anyone that had anything to do with high school, college or pro media, rose up and embarrassed 12th-ranked UCLA 20-6 in the Rose Bowl.

If you're a coach, you couldn't ask for better examples of how nobody is 'favored' once the game starts.  Many times, teams are discouraged by who they draw in the state tournament, and they play as if it's hopeless.  If you draw a ranked team, you need somebody to convince you that your losing team can beat that Top-10 squad.

Nobody was worse than Notre Dame through five weeks.  The Irish played football as if they weren't certain of the rules.  Five times they were crushed on national television.  It was so bad that ABC refused to televise ND-UCLA, the ultimate slap in the face.  So while the nation was watching Ohio State beat Purdue like a dusty rug, Notre Dame proved what a thousand teams have proven before.  That the score of every game is 0-0 at the opening kickoff.

In a year, when there is no great high school team in NW Indiana, everybody should be lifted by upsets of the magnitude of down-and-outers Stanford and Notre Dame over USC and UCLA.  It has to shake the foundation of any boys belief that his team can't win.

It has been the year of the comeback in Northwest Indiana high school football.  At least 10 times this year, teams have come from 14 points behind to win in dramatic fashion.  The latest example of never giving up came last Friday when Hobart, as expected, was putting a hurt on Morton 15-0 at the half.  But the Governors, in a display far more impressive than some of their victories the past couple of years, rallied to turn back the Northwest Crossroads Conference leaders 20-15.  It was a game that should resurrect Morton's season.

At Chesterton, Crown Point overcame a deficit of nine or more points to win for the third time this season, rallying from a 9-0 second quarter hole to win 42-24.  Coaches do not brag about consistently rallying to win, because they know that truly good teams don't consistently fall behind.  But it says a lot about Crown Point that they do not panic when the scoreboard gets ugly.

And no matter how any years in a row you lose, it can all turn around.  I've spoken many times here about the theme of 2007 in NW Indiana: the rebirth of Hammond football.  Hammond beat Gavit 72-20 last week to go 7-1.  Clark crushed Whiting 27-0 to go 6-2.  Combine that with Morton's win and Oct. 5 was the biggest day for Hammond football in years.  And I ask again: Does anyone care?  Hammond fans did not follow their team to play at 7th-ranked Lowell on Sept. 27.  Will Hammond fans show up for the Hammond-Clark showdown on Oct. 13?  I think they will.

The truth?  Other than five or six high schools in NW Indiana, nobody else cares whether their teams are state-caliber.  Nobody at Clark cares if Clark can beat Bishop Chatard.  All they care about is:  Can they beat Hammond high?  To paraphrase a political motto: All high school football is local.  The Hammond high schools 'championship game' is this Friday, while none of them are Top-10 in the state, or even Top-10 in the area (if you're being honest), they should all be happy about how the city teams have done in 2007.

But there's been so many comebacks this year, nobody agrees on who's in the Top-10.  There's a lot of injuries on all teams we don't know about, so after the top three, your guess is as good as mine.  The only difference is:  Mine is on the record here every week.

MERRILLVILLE  -  The big, purple team wiped out Lake Central 24-3, the Pirates' fourth consecutive win.  Merrillville, playing a schedule that can reasonably be considered the toughest in the state tournament era in NW Indiana, have allowed just 101 points and have won three in a row by 14 points or more.  Cornerback DeMarreo Richardson has nine interceptions and teams need to stop throwing his way.  The Merrillville offense can't be happy with 24 points because championship teams blow people out.

But the Pirates have not had a bad game all season.  They lost 20-17 in overtime at Crown Point (6-2), a game they led 14-0 with eight minutes to play.  As I said here last week, the fear of Class 5A Sectional one foes is that the window of opportunity for NW Indiana teams to beat Merrillville may have closed.

CROWN POINT  - Crown Point rallied from a 9-0 deficit for their most impressive win of the season, 42-24 at Chesterton.  The Bulldogs scored a season-high 42 points and the CP defense grabbed a season-high three interceptions.  Once you fall behind, foes have found that it's hard to deal with the big Bulldog offensive line and halfback Russell Chick (224 carries, 1,445 yards) and CP is clearly getting better in the defensive backfield.  Newcomer Billy Cox made a key interception last week as CP held all-state candidate QB Alex Beierwalter to less than 200 yards passing.  The Bulldogs have also worked fullback Mike Kozlowski into the offense to compliment Chick and tight end Zach Cecich, so their spirits have to be high.  The only thing that bothers you about CP is the scores of the last couple of games against sectional rivals.  You aren't going to win many titles 42-24 and 35-21.  The Bulldogs get an injury-riddled Michigan City team in the home finale this Friday.

LOWELL -  The Devils looked good on offense and not as good on defense in week eight, beating Munster 37-19.  QB Kurt Monix completed 7-of-11 passes for 134 yards and two TDs, while backs Steffan Peck and Brandon Grubbe both ran for TDs inside a 350-yard attack.  Munster (2-6) scored three TDs, however, two through the air and, where Lowell's going in Sectional 10, they have to lock down passing attacks.  I talk about this a lot, but you can look back at championship teams and see a trend in the scores.  Even though they were only 5-4 in the regular season, Lowell's 2005 championship team won four regular season games by 27 points or more.  The point?  Championship teams blow people out.  If you aren't blowing out average teams, a state title run is wishful thinking.  Lowell is a four-time sectional champ and that lifts the bar.  Anything less than a fifth sectional title isn't good enough.  Didn't Lowell beat Crown Point?  Yeah, but so what?  CP beat Merrillville and the Bulldogs aren't better than the Pirates.  Lowell needs a pre-playoff test and here it comes.  Lowell has not beaten Andrean in eight years and the 59ers are in Lowell this Friday.

4.)  5A Chesterton (6-2)
2006 (5-6),  2005 (3-8),  2004 (5-5),  2003 (7-4)

CHESTERTON  -  Chesterton gave up a season-high 42 points in a 42-24 home loss to Crown Point.  Trojan QB Alex Beierwalter and his receivers could not take advantage of an inexperienced CP secondary as they were held to 14-of-24 for 157 yards.  The Trojans miss top receiver Austin Bower and they don't seem to be able to control the pace of the game.  Chesterton's Zach Carnahan carried 22 times for 128 yards and the Trojans led 9-0 after one quarter.  Chesterton won't drop in this poll for a loss to a team that was ahead of them.

I'm not sure Chesterton can't beat CP, but with the offensive line they have, they might need a change of strategy.  As odd as it might seem with a star QB, the Trojans need to run the ball more to keep their defense off the field.  Chesterton might want to attack state-ranked Merrillville (7-1) with that theory this Friday because if they come out throwing on the Pirates, they might as well just keep the bus idling.

5.)  3A ANDREAN (6-2)
2006  (8-3),  2005 (8-2),  2004 (13-2),  2003 (12-1)

MERRILLVILLE -  I don't consider an overtime game anything but a tie, but Andrean was rated above Griffith here last week.  QB Austin Sutter was 10-of-16 for 206 yards and hit key passes in the 28-27 overtime win over the Panthers.  Freshman Demetri Blanco returned the second half kickoff 80 yards for touchdown, his fifth TD of the season.  Freshmen just don't play on the varsity at Andrean.  They just don't.  The Niners gave up almost 200 yards rushing last week to Griffith and that's the second week in a row the Niners have allowed nearly 200 on the ground.  They can't be too comfortable with that level of defense.  But Andrean has scored 28 points or more six times.

Sutter is at 98-of-182 for 1,466 yards, 18 TDs and 13 interceptions and he'll face a perfect playoff preview Friday against a very fast Lowell defense.  If the Niners can beat Lowell (and they've beaten the Devils seven years in a row) they are ready for a long run in the 3A playoffs.

6.)  4A Griffith (5-3)
2006 (12-2),  2005 (12-1),  2004  (9-3),  2003 (7-5)

GRIFFITH  -  The Panthers lost a game they should have won, 28-27 in overtime at Andrean.  Reports were limited but Griffith apparently fumbled deep in their own territory leading 21-14 late in the fourth quarter.  Panther QB Derek Hitt ran for three more TDs, giving him nine in his last four games on the season and his 2-point conversion pass to tight end Doug Ashenbaugh fell just short or the Panthers would have won a 29-28 overtime win for the second time this year on the road.  Griffith's record is 5-3 but they have a one-point win at Lowell and a one-point overtime loss at Andrean, so the record is truly 4-2-2.  Forget the loss at Merrillville, Griffith could play that team 10 times and not win.  So the Panthers real record is 4-1-2.

This is still a young team without a real good pass defense and I'm not sure star two-way players Doug Ashenbaugh and David Alexander are 100% healthy.  The Panthers get a chance to work on the pass defense in the home finale against East Chicago (4-4).

HOBART  -  Hobart lost a 15-0 half-time lead in a 20-15 loss at Morton.  That's the second time this season (CP on Aug 24) that the Brickies have had a lead of 10 points or more and lost the game.  This isn't college football.  When you are up by 15, you've got to win that game.  But the Brickies had a first half TD called back and they fumbled a kickoff to give up six more points.  The Brickies lost to CP by 2, Lowell by 3 and Morton by 5.  This team should be 8-0 and they probably know it.

Obviously, there are questions.  I'm not sure tailback Andrew Jackson is healthy and there are injuries in the lines.  But this is a physical team that will benefit this week when the weather finally starts to deteriorate.  And there's no way a team that has allowed nine points a game can't be a sectional and regional title contender.

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

ST. JOHN  -  To be honest, I thought LC did well to lose only 24-3 to Merrillville.  LC does not have the speed to play that kind of team.  No way they can drop in the poll for losing to the top team in NW Indiana.  LC's defense has given up 135 points in its last five games (27.0), but some of that is on the offense.  The Indians turned the ball over four times against the Pirates in a home game where they played a scoreless first quarter.  Some of the points LC is giving up is the competition they are playing.

LC is not a bad team at all.  They are just an average DAC team.  I think they also benefit when the weather gets rainy and muddy because this is still a better defensive squad than it is an offensive team.

9.) 5A Valparaiso (4-4)
2006 (3-6),  2005 (5-5), 2004 (6-5), 2003 (5-6)

VALPARAISO -  Valparaiso gave up 250 yards rushing in a 28-25 loss to Portage, the Vikings' second loss in a row.  Valpo's Alex Sarkisian (124-of-216, 1,710 yards, 14 TDs, 7 INTs) didn't get to throw that much on Portage because the Indians had the ball a lot.  The Vikings' loses include Penn (8-0) and Merrillville (7-1) so they might be better than most 4-4 teams.  But even allowing for a very difficult schedule, when you are giving up 30 points a game, you aren't exactly building momentum for a title run.  Some rainy, wet weather may help the defense here.

But the Vikings have now allowed 1,700 yards rushing and that number almost makes who they draw in the state tournament irrelevant.  You keep looking for some improvement in the run-stopping ability and it just isn't showing up.

10.) 3A New Prairie  (6-2)
2006 (10-4), 2005 (9-2), 2004 (7-4), 2003 (6-4)

NEW CARLISLE - The Cougars beat outmanned LaVille 56-0 last week, almost a week off for them against a 1A school.  It was New Prairie's 45th win in their last 55 games.  Cody Williamson ran for one TD, passed to 6-foot-5 receiver Austin Kubit for another and ran an interception back 84 yards for a third score as New Prairie totally dominated on the road.

NP coach Bart Curtis calls senior QB Cody Williamson "the best option QB in the state of Indiana" and, while I'm sure he hasn't seen them all, veteran coaches don't say things like that unless the kid is good.  It also helps when Robert Croumlich (6-2, 295) anchors the offensive line.  This team is also waiting for bad weather because they don't have to throw the ball to win.  This is 'Griffith-East' and only Andrean has any experience with them in Sectional 17.  Clark (6-2) needs to get some tapes on this team fast.

On the outside looking in...

5A LaPorte (3-5)
2006 (10-4), 2005 (9-2), 2004 (7-4), 2003 (6-4)

LaPORTE -  Big junior running back Carlton Austin (6-1, 185) ran for over 200 yards and soph QB Dustin DeMuth (9 of 15, 212 yards) passed for over 200 again as LaPorte beat county rival Michigan City for the seventh time in a row, 40-28.  The Slicers racked up 21 first downs and 450 yards and have been competitive with everyone on the schedule.

LaPorte has allowed more points (216) than they have scored (193), but they have defeated Valparaiso (4-4) and New Prairie (6-2).  The offensive numbers here are impressive, but they did give up 300 yards passing to MC's Nate Scully.  The Slicers have not had a bad game since the second week of the season.  They can beat anyone but Penn in 5A Sectional 2.

4A Hammond (7-1)
2006 (2-10), 2005 (1-10), 2004 (2-8), 2003 (1-9)

HAMMOND - The 'return-to-glory' 2007 Wildcat story rolled on with an outrageous 75-20 win over Gavit.  Were they piling it on a team that rival Clark beat 59-0?  Keep in mind, Hammond doesn't have that deep a roster and there's only so many subs they can put in.  But a week after a 24-0 loss at powerful Lowell (7-1), the purple boys seemed buoyed by that loss.  Gavit could not compete as Hammond senior David Moore (5-8, 165) scored four TDs, all on runs of 25 yards or more.  Moore (182 carries, 1,247 yards, 11 TDs in 2006) has an unofficial 871 yards on 79 carries this season.

QB Louis Willis gained 195 yards on 12 carries and also scored four TDs as the Wildcats piled up 525 yards rushing.  Is their schedule weak?  Yes and no.  With all due respect to Gary Roosevelt and East Chicago, the Wildcats should have been very disappointed had they not gone 5-0 to start this year.  But the two-game stretch against Morton and Lowell showed that this team has the speed to overcome a lot of mistakes and is durable enough not to get beat up.

Are they a top-10 team in NW Indiana?  No.  They don't have the offensive linemen to deal with 5A schools.  But at field level, Hammond is faster than they appear to be from up in the stands.  The biggest two questions in NW Indiana football this year are how good are Hammond (7-1) and Clark (6-2)?  Those two teams get together this Friday (10-13-2007) at Hammond to talk about it.


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Revised: October 09, 2007 .