Lowell stuns Andrean 31-3, ties Hobart for Northwest Crossroads Conference title

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

9-22-2007

Friday, October 12, 2007,  49 degrees, dry - Northwest Crossroads Conference finale at LOWELL, IN

1st Qtr:  ANDREAN (3-0) Cameron Panther, 37-yard field goal.  56-yard drive, 9 plays.  5:34 left.
2nd Qtr:  LOWELL (7-3) TJ Lukasik, 48-yard punt return.  Davd Lang kick.  6:11 left.
LOWELL (10-3) David Lang, 39-yard field goal.  62-yard drive, 8 plays.  3:05 left.
3rd Qtr:  LOWELL (17-3) Steffan Peck, 3-yard run.  45-yard drive, 7 plays.  David Lang kick.  6:48 left.
LOWELL (24-3) Brandon Grubbe, 5-yard run.  17-yard drive, 4 plays after a 31-yard punt return by TJ Lukasik.  David Lang kick.
4th Qtr:  LOWELL (31-3) Brandon Grubbe, 28-yard run.  75-yard drive, 7 plays.  David Lang kick.  8:27 left.

RUSHING:
ANDREAN (33 carries, 89 yards) Kyle Kovach (HB) 18-68 yards; David Barndt (FB) 4-8 yards;
Austin Sutter (QB) 9-13 yards (4 sacks, -19); John Kennedy (WR) 1-1; Demetri Blanco (WR) 1 (-1).

LOWELL (38 carries, 260 yards)  Brandon Grubbe (HB) 19-148 yards, 2 TDs; Steffan Peck FB) 10-46 yards, TD; Kurt Monix (QB) 2-26 yards;
James Zelenka (HB) 4-27 yards; Andrew Eldred (FB) 2-10 yards; Ray Skamay (QB) 1-4 yards.

PASSING:
ANDREAN:  Austin Sutter (QB) 6-17, 58 yards 2 interceptions
LOWELL:  Kurt Monix (QB) 4-10, 51 yards, 0 interceptions.

RECEIVING:
ANDREAN:  John Kennedy (WR) 2-24 yards, Jon Bronisz (WR) 3-30 yards; David Brandt (FB) 1-4 yards;
LOWELL:  Jeff Barker (TE) 1-11 yards; Danny Remboski (WR) 2-30 yards; Eric Roadruck (WR) 1-10 yards.

TOTAL YARDS:
ANDREAN:  146 yards, 10 first downs, 2 turnovers.
LOWELL:  311 yards, 14 first downs, 0 turnovers.

LOWELL (10-12-2007) -  The 2007 Lowell Red Devils have been good all year.  They are one defensive stop from being undefeated.  But considering what they must face in the 'second season' that starts next Friday in the Class 4A, Sectional 10 quarterfinals against North Central Conference power Logansport (7-2), Lowell, to be totally honest, had not looked like they were going to win very many playoff games.  Until Friday.

Lowell (8-1), spotted Andrean three first quarter points and then turned up the heat, scoring 31 unanswered points to send the 59ers home on the short end of a surprising 31-3 smack down.  On a 50-degree night, the Devils' speedy defense held one of Northwest Indiana's best offenses to just 146 total yards and they held mobile Niner QB Austin Sutter to 13 yards rushing and 57 yards passing.

"That is by far the most physical team we have faced," said Andraen coach Brett St. Germain.  "We did some good things at the start of the game, but you have to give them credit.  What has their defense allowed?  Nine points a game?  And some of that is at garbage time."

In Friday's regular season finale, the 7th-ranked (Class 4A) Red Devils took a strong foe, 8th-ranked (Class 3A) Andrean, and knocked them out.  Lowell finished in a tie with Hobart (6-3, 5-1) for the first Northwest Crossroads Conference (NWCC) title, but that co-crown seemed much less significant than finally defeating Andrean.

"We had not beaten them since 1999," explained linebacker Ben Rigby.  "Coach talked about that all week.  We knew it, but he talked about it.  That was big.  And it was the conference championship."

Andrean, coming in off a 28-27 win over Griffith and with a chance to tie for the NWCC title, started fast Friday, driving 36 yards in seven plays before a sack of Sutter by Lowell linebackers David Eastling and Bryan DeSomer forced a 59er field goal attempt, which senior kicker Cameron Panther made good from 37 yards away.

After Lowell's second 3-plays-and-punt possession, Andrean began moving again, using speedy junior halfback David Kovach to get outside the Lowell defense.  Kovach's 10-yard run gave the 59ers a first down at the Lowell 32-yard-line.  But two QB sacks stopped this drive ending a first quarter where the Niners outgained Lowell 66-16.

The game clearly turned when a Lowell punt was grabbed by John Kennedy with a fair catch at the 59er's 10-yard-line. Three plays later, Panther punted and Lowell's TJ Lukasik grabbed the ball near the home sidelines, circled across the field towards the visitors bench, broke two tackles, the last one with a 360-degree running back spin and raced downfield, crossing back towards the home sideline to complete a 48-yard TD runback with 6:11 left in the half.

"Special teams did a really good job, said Lukasik, who set up a third quarter TD with a 31-yard punt return. "Everytime I caught the ball, I saw a wall of black (Lowell's black jerseys).  We really haven't had that many returns this year.  It's a combination of catching the ball or not setting up a wall.  But this time, they just set up the wall and I ran there.  Great hustle by the punt return team."

"First of all, I've got to catch the ball," added Lukasik.  "I've had some trouble with that this year.  Coach has threatened me that he was going to replace me back there, but he didn't do it.  So, my main thing is catching the ball.  Then I just follow the black jerseys."

Lowell's special teams' success lifted the entire team and they scored two third quarter TDs on runs by sophomore Brandon Grubbe and senior Steffan Peck.  Andrean had only three second half first downs as Lowell's defense shut down the wide runs and the Red Devil secondary contained Sutter's receivers.  Sutter, a quick-footed baseball pitcher, who was 104 of 176 for 1,462 yards, 18 TDs and 15 interceptions, passed for a season-low 57 yards.

Lowell wasn't great offensively, but they did run with growing enthusiasm as the game progressed, rolling up an unofficial 260 yards on the ground.  The Devils are still shuffling the offensive line with senior Josh Hayden (5-11, 210) at center between guards Nick Schultz (5-11, 231) and Matt Haebel (5-11, 164) plus tackles Geno Wentworth (6-2, 240) and converted linebacker Justin Juarez (6-2, 221).

This is probably the unit that will begin the post-season blocking for Grubbe (145 carries, 947 yards, 12 TDs) and Peck (144 carries, 609 yards, 8 TDs) against a powerful Logansport squad that Lowell doesn't know much about.

"You usually don't get these kind of feelings until the regional," said Lowell coach Kirk Kennedy.  "Usually your sectional is a repeat of your conference or someone in your area.  They run the ball.  They have good size.  They are fullback-quarterback oriented.  Everybody wants to talk about their schedule and their conference compared to the teams here.  Everybody wants to make a lot of comparisons that they don't know about.  They (Logansport) have only lost two games on the road."

There was a lot of well-wishing on the field after the game as coaches and players on both sides talked about playing back-to-back (the Class 3A state title game precedes the Class 4A championship) on Nov. 24.  The outcome of last Friday's game has been forgotten by now as both teams face major hurdles in the sectional quarterfinals.

"That's my job as a coach," said St. Germain, when asked about how his team would bounce back off its worst loss of the season.  "Win or lose, the focus Saturday morning was going to be on New Prairie.  A lot of people looked at our sectional and said that us and New Prairie were the two best teams.  I guess we'll find out right away."

Lowell knows that, even if they keep winning, this was one of the final home games.  There are mixed emotions about ending the regular campaign.

"I want to get to the playoffs," said Lukasik.  "It's more exciting.  But I don't want the season to end.  I could play forever.  But it does have to come to an end."

Rigby says: "We weren't supposed to do much last year.  Now we are supposed to do a lot.  There's a lot of pressure the rest of the way."

DEVIL NOTES:  Part of the difficulty with dealing with Lowell's defense is that some of the parts are interchangeable.  Lowell linebackers and secondary people are almost all small, quick players who can switch into different roles at the snap.  Senior linebacker Ben Rigby is one who shows up in a lot of places.

"Corner, safety, D-end," he says.  "Wherever they put me, that's what I do."

Rigby acknowledges that there's a lot more involved in facing a team you've never played.

"We have to watch more film, take more notes.  When Hobart or Andrean comes here, we know what they're going to do.  When Logansport comes here, we're not sure."

David Lang's first quarter Lowell field goal was his seventh of the season and his fourth in his last four games.   Short punts and bad coverage gave Lowell a chance for two TDs after returns by TJ Luaksik.

"A big part of that lopsided score," said St. Germain, "were special teams.  We were atrocious on special teams.  I don't want to say they cost us the game, but they were a major factor."

Senior Steffan Peck is back at fullback, the position he played with Scott Gray in 2005, with Max Znika in 2006 and in front of Brandon Grube this season.  The last two seasons have begun with Peck playing half back and then switching because the Devils wanted his blocking ability in front of someone with greater speed.

"You need guys like that on a football team to win," said Lowell coach Kirk Kennedy.  "Two years in a row, he's been taken from tailback because, with his abilities, we thought that was where he could make a greater contribution to the team.  For the second year, it's working out pretty well.  This year, as a fullback, he's carrying the ball a lot more.  He's much more productive.  It says a lot about him.  Leadership as a senior.  Leadership as a captain.  And leadership by example."

Junior Trevor Kersey (6-2, 216) is out indefinitely with a leg injury.  Kersey played some defensive end when senior Joe Carlson was injured earlier in the year.

In the final minutes Friday, sophomore Ray Skamay (5-10, 145) made his varsity debut at quarterback for seven plays.

Logansport dropped a bomb on New Castle 50-22 in the Berries' regular season finale in Cass County Friday night.  Logansport (7-2), which was 11-3 in 2004, 10-1 in 2005 and 8-2 in 2006, has lost only to Kokomo (8-1) and Huntington North (8-1) this season.

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Revised: October 16, 2007 .