Mishawaka's 21-point 3rd Qtr leads to 35-14 win over Lowell in Sectional Opener

LOWELL (10-21-2011) Maybe it was unrealistic for Lowell followers to think that a Red Devil team that couldn't move the ball in a 27-8 loss to Munster in week eight, and couldn't move the ball in a 35-7 loss in week nine, would be able to move the ball against a Mishawaka team that won a 5A Sectional title last year. Turns out that was definitely the case.

In a 4A Sectional 10 showdown between two powers that stumbled to the end of the regular season, Mishawaka showed they were born again, while Lowell just lost again, 35-14 in a decisive quarterfinal playoff game.

Lowell gave up big plays to Mishawaka's tricky Veer option attack and could not answer when they had the ball, losing in the opening playoff game for the second year in a row.

"Mistakes, turnovers, it's been that way all year," said Lowell coach Keith Kilmer. "It been that way all year. What can you say? The kids play hard. But we didn't execute. We rolled the dice with an onside kick. When you are 5-4, you do things like that. You may kick yourself for the next nine months, but we're averaging giving the ball at the 38 anyway, so we didn't lose much. They got it at the 45. The kid (kickoff man Nick Kijurna) hit a great kick and we had it for a second. But then we didn't."

Lowell had just scored after sophomore halfback George Fields broke loose on a 54-yard run that led to a game-tying TD with 4:49 to go in the half. Tied 7-7, Lowell tried an onside kick that squirted out of the hands of a Lowell special teams player and was recovered by the Cavemen, who were making their debut in the 4A playoffs after decades as a 5A school. The Cavemen quickly drove 55 yards in 10 plays for the go-ahead score. Halfback Matthew Carver took an option pitchout 18 yards to the Lowell 35 and four plays later, Caveman QB Sam Schrader tossed a 13-yard roll out pass to Carver down to the 3-yard-line.

Schrader, who has 37 TD runs in two years as an option QB, pitched it out to wingback Danny Eggleston, who scored a three-yard TD with just 20 seconds to go in the half. Mishawaka then took the second half kickoff and drove 66 yards to score on a 14-yard pitchout run by Eggleston. Lowell went from a 7-7 tie to a 21-7 deficit without having a chance to respond.

Lowell has a problem for the future, as long as Mishawaka is a 4A school. That option they run is something that none of Lowell's opponents use and they fooled the Devils badly with it at times. It's not Griffith's triple option and it's not what Hammond does. Mishawaka won't always have a slick QB like Schrader to run it, but he is only a junior and the Cavemen are always going to run this attack as long as coach Bart Curtis is there. Schrader appeared to be calling all plays at the line, ala Peyton Manning. Curtis suggested that's not totally true.

"We give him something he can do," said Curtis. "We give him options. Sometimes we give him 'either or' and sometimes we give him the whole playbook. Sometimes we give him a play and he takes whatever he wants."

"They (Lowell) were focused in taking away Sam on the mid line (option) and triple and that opened up the toss."

Leading 21-7, Lowell backed up Mishawaka to their own 10-yard line with a 2nd and 16. But Schrader faked the option and tossed a 15-yard pass across the middle to Eddington, who out ran the Lowell secondary for a 90-yard TD and an insurmountable 28-7 lead with 4:54 left in the third quarter.

"That was classic," said Curtis. "The game was still in the balance. Adam Reese, our offensive coordinator called that. We've been able to score, but the difference tonight was that we played good defense. Was it something I said? I wish it was that simple."

Curtis, whose team will advance to host South Bend Riley (3-7) in the 4A Sectional 10 semifinals, obviously enjoyed his first trip to Lowell. But he's known of Lowell for many years.

"I've known these guys for years," Curtis said. "I coached with (former Lowell coach) Kirk Kennedy at the all-star game in '04. I've gone to camp with these guys. Class act, I love these guys."

Lowell was not in a 'love' mood after the game. They saw a lot of aspects of their team break down in the final three weeks. Lowell fumbled only twice, but they fumbled and recovered it themselves five other times. The kicking game was nonexistent and the lines were exposed as being a little slow in the final weeks.

The Devils return Fields, quarterback Bryan Thomas, center Spenser Kersey, linebackers Mitch LeCrone and Tony Mauer and punter/safety Austin Hamm. But both lines have to be rebuilt as well as team confidence. This senior-dominated team looked like they were going to win the Northwest Crossroads title three weeks ago and then they ended up with a .500 season.

"We beat the teams we thought we could beat and we lost to the teams we were supposed to lose to," said a disappointed Kilmer. "They all played hard, but we just could not execute to beat the good teams. We were very one-dimensional. In our good years, we've always had two threats. It's an uphill battle."


DEVIL NOTES: Some statistics don't lie. In all five of Lowell's losses, they were held to eight points or less. They gave themselves little chance to win those games.

"We've scored 21 points in the last three weeks," said Lowell coach Keith Kilmer. "And we were lucky on that blocked field goal. That should have been a touchdown, too."

On Lowell's first quarter field goal attempt, the snap was bad, the hold was barely possible and kicker Nick Kijurna rolled the ball into the line. A Mishawaka player picked up the ball and ran towards the end zone, but game referees ruled the ball was dead for some reason.

The crowd at Lowell was noticeably smaller than usual. Going back to the 5-5 days of 2002 and the 2-8 days of 1998, the Devils always drew well at home. But the grandstand was only 2/3 full for a game where the both teams were 5-4. It was cold Friday, but the weather was better than it was the week before when a sellout crowd watched Lowell play Andrean.

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Revised: October 23, 2011 .