Lowell's Goetz scores 4 TDs as Red Devils rout Hornets 57-12

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

10-23-2004

Sectional 9, 4A Quarterfinal - Friday, Oct. 22, 2004,  60 degrees in Gary

1st Q: LOWELL (7-0) Toby Goetz, 2-yard run. 80-yard drive, 6 plays. Matt Seidel kick - 10:03 left.

LOWELL (14-0) Jeff Clemens, 29-yard fumble return. Seidel kick - 9:26 left.

LW (14-6) DeShanon Frierson, 18-yard run. 18-yard drive, 2 plays (after MC Edwards interception). 2-pt pass failed 4:17 left.

LOWELL (20-6) Toby Goetz, 6-yard run. 57-yard drive, 6 plays. Kick blocked. - 1:06 left.

2nd Q:  LOWELL (27-6) Jeff Clemens, 35-yard run with lateral pass from Jimmy Ritter. 48-yard drive, 4 plays. Seidel kick – 8:04 left.

LOWELL (34-6) Toby Goetz, 16-yard run. Seidel kick. 32-yard drive, 2 plays. - 4:17 left.

3rd Q: LOWELL (41-6) Toby Goetz, 12-yard run. 24-yard drive, 3 plays (after Jeff Clemens interception) Matt Seidel kick - 9:30 left

LOWELL (43-6) Safety - LW punt snap carried out of the end zone. 7:03 left.

LOWELL (50-6) Chris Lampa, 20-yard pass from Scott Schulz (5^th TD pass). Seidel kick.

LOWELL (57-6) Jeff Clemens, 36-yard run. Seidel kick. 36 yard drive, 4 plays after Jeff Clemens interception) Seidel kick. 4:16 left.

4th Q:  LW (57-12) DeShanon Frierson, 4-yard run. 81-yard drive, 13 plays. 2-pt run failed 8:14 left.

Game Statistics

LOWELL (10-22-2004) Basically, you went to see who would play and who wouldn't. On the road to Gary, you knew Lowell would beat Lew Wallace and you could almost predict the score. The question was, one week before the pivotal game with Hobart (9-1), how healthy was Lowell?

As odd as it sounds, Lowell star tailback Toby Goetz gained 128 yards and four touchdowns and didn't seem 100 percent OK. Toby twisted his knee in a pileup in the second quarter and, though he returned to the game for the start of the third period, there were worries.

“Let's see if everybody is healthy tomorrow,” said coach Kirk Kennedy on his way to the bus after Lowell's 57-12 victory. “That will be the most important thing.”

Fullback Ethan Winel, who has had a broken left hand since midseason, did not play at all. But while Lowell may miss Winel's blocking, they clearly found something in his replacement.

Lowell moved junior Jeff Clemens (6-0, 171) to fullback and he looks like he's always been there, gaining 113 yards on six carries. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Goetz and Clemens, who were paired in the backfield for the first time in Gary, together for some of the game against Hobart.

Goetz, who has gained 1,560 yards on 201 carries, has scored 26 touchdowns. Clemens (24 carries, 384 yards), who also scored a TD on a first quarter fumble return now has 15 TDs. Most teams haven't scored 41 touchdowns in 10 games, much less by two players in the same backfield. The tandem of the Devils' two most dangerous runners is something other teams will have to prepare for. If Lowell goes that way.

“It gives us another look,” said Kennedy, who did not commit to keeping Lowell's two leading scorers together in the same backfield. “Ethan and Toby in the backfield is more of a power situation between the tackles. When you put Clemens in there or (Scott) Gray in there, it gives us more speed. What putting Jeff in the backfield takes away, though, is that third option. It's always nice to have that third option for misdirection and and passes. Putting Jeff in the backfield takes that away.”

Lowell won this game easily on a 60-degree night in front of a crowd of about 250 fans, almost 90% of them from Lowell. Before the slim crowd was settled in the giant 5,000-seat Lew Wallace stadium two blocks west of 45^th and Broadway on Gary's far south side, the Devils led 14-0. Clemens broke a 21-yard run and Goetz followed with a 23-yard run in a six-play 80-yard drive that put Lowell ahead 7-0 on a two yard run by Goetz with just 1:57 gone.

On Wallace's first play from scrimmage, quarterback Courtney Brown fired a quick flare pass to wide receiver Melvin Mitchell, who appeared to bobble and drop it when he was hit. The referees incorrectly ruled the loose ball a fumble, however, and Clemens, Lowell's free safety, picked up the ball and ran 29 yards to make it 14-0 with 9:26 still to play in the first quarter.

The Hornets (1-8), who have only defeated winless Wirt (0-10), got Lowell's attention with a first quarter score. Wallace's MC Edwards intercepted a quick pass by Lowell QB Scott Schulz that deflected off the hands of the Devils' senior tight end Clayton Miller at the Lowell 18-yard-line. Lew Wallace scored two plays later on an 18-yard sweep by DeShannon Frierson.

Lowell (7-3) came back strong for a seven play TD drive, the key play being a 30-yard screen pass from Schulz to Clemens. Goetz' six-yard run made it 20-6 with 1:06 left in the opening quarter. The Devils scored on a lateral pass from back-up QB Jimmy Ritter to Clemens, who ran 35-yards for a TD with 8:04 left in the half to make it 27-6. After a five-yard Lew Wallace punt, Lowell scored again on a 16-yard run by Goetz with 4:12 left before halftime. That effectively ended the competitive part of the game.

Lowell intercepted four passes, two by Clemens, one by Kyle Mitsch and a late pickoff by back-up RB-LB Max Znika. Four quarterbacks played for Lowell including Schulz, who threw a 20-yard third quarter TD pass to Chris Lampa, Jimmy Ritter, sophomores John Cap and Josh Kuiper. Junior Andre Flournoy was easily Lew Wallace's best player, punting, playing fullback and free safety.

“We could have played Ethan tonight,” said Kennedy. “We wanted to play Toby. Our objective was to get him out here, get him some carries. Get the rust off him and get him out of here healthy. I just hope now (injury wise) he's not back to square one.”

After 10 games, there is a sense that what Lowell hoped would be a championship season of some kind, is also back to square one. Even with a 7-3 record and a lot of pretty statistics, a successful season rides on one 48-minute game with the region program that defines success.

DEVIL NOTES:  You sense that, even with a good record, Lowell is not satisfied. They are still shuffling somewhat at position and not just in the backfield. The Devils have a team full of running back-linebacker types and they are trying to diversify.

Lowell now uses linebacker and former tight end Ryan King (5-9, 180) at guard, a move that gives them a little more mobility up front. “He's a solid aggressive kid and that position suits him,” said Kennedy, “He's really been coming along at linebacker. He gets a lot of leverage. He gets his pads in the right position.”

The Devils are also using running back-linebacker Scott Gray (5-8, 180) as a corner back. “He does some good things,” said Kennedy, who knows that Gray can't get a lot of playing time at his natural RB-LB slots. “And then sometimes he's too tentative. Earlier in the year we were struggling at the corner. He's another possible answer for us.”

The first quarter Lew Wallace fumble marked the fifth different way junior Jeff Clemens had scored a TD this year. He has caught three TD passes, run three interceptions back for touchdowns, run for five TDs from scrimmage and run back three punts for scores. The only possible way to score a TD that Clemens has not done is to score on a kickoff and he isn't on the kickoff return team.

The interception of Schulz was the first against him all season in 43 attempts. It was only the Devils' fifth turnover all season in 10 games. Jeff Clemens now has six interceptions this season.

Lowell beat Lew Wallace 58-21 to start the 2003 state tournament.

With the sectional quarterfinal results of Friday night, Lowell will host Hobart (9-1) on Oct. 29 and, should they win, would be on the road at Highland (5-5) or Gary West Side (6-4) for the Sectional nine title game. With East Noble (10-0) playing at Plymouth (7-3) in the Sectional 10 semifinals, the Knights are guaranteed to host their sectional championship game. That means that if Lowell and East Noble both survive sectional play, they will meet the night of Nov. 12 in Lowell.

The three teams that defeated Lowell all advanced to the second round. Hobart beat Munster 27-10. Andrean (8-2) buried Hammond 56-6 and Griffith (8-2) crushed Calumet 55-0. Lowell has not lost a quarterfinal sectional game since 1998.

Sectional 9

Gary West Side (5-4) 12, at Gary Roosevelt (4-4) 0

Kankakee Valley (4-5) 7, at Highland (4-5) 24

LOWELL (6-3) 57, at Lew Wallace (1-7) 12

Hobart (8-1) 27, at Munster (4-5) 10

Semifinals, 10-29-2004

Highland (5-5) at Gary West Side (6-4)

Hobart (9-1) at LOWELL (7-3)

Sectional 10

Northridge (2-7) 3, at Plymouth (6-3) 31

Angola (7-2) 8, at East Noble (9-0) 21

Washington (2-7) 7, at DeKalb (3-6) 35

Wawasee (8-1) 48, at Concord (7-2) 9

Semifinals, 10-29-4

East Noble (10-0) at Plymouth (7-3)

DeKalb (4-6) at Wawasee (8-1)

Sectional 11

Bishop Dwenger (7-2) 31, at Bellmont (7-2) 32 (2 Ots)

Logansport (7-2) 28, at (FW) Elmhurst (1-8) 21

Wayne (0-9) 8, at (FW) Northside (5-4) 48

Columbia City (1-8) 14, at (FW) South (4-5) 23

Semifinals, 10-29-4

Bellmont (8-2) at Logansport (8-2)

(FW) Southside (5-5) at (FW) Northside (6-4)

Sectional 12

Muncie South (4-5) 7, at Pendleton Heights (2-7) 14

Connersville (2-7) 28, at Greenfield (2-7) 42

Delta (9-0) 55, at New Castle (0-9) 6

Jay County (3-6) 6, at Muncie Central (9-0) 32

Semifinals, 10-29-4

Greenfield (3-7) at Pendleton Heights (3-7)

Muncie Central (10-0) at Delta (10-0)

ANALYSIS: The big result from Friday (10-22-4) was the elimination of state power Bishop Dwenger. That means that the winner of next week's Muncie Central-Delta game is very likely to host the semistate against the winner of the Lowell-Hobart-East Noble struggles. Dwenger is an 11-time regional champion and three time state champ.

Lowell 57, Lew Wallace 12

TOTAL YARDS: 

Lew Wallace - 125 yards (115 rushing yards)

LOWELL - 390 (335 rushing yards)

FIRST DOWNS: 

Lew Wallace – 6, LOWELL -- 12

TURNOVERS: 

Lew Wallace – 5, (4 interceptions); LOWELL -- 1

PASSING: 

Scott Schulz (L) 3-4, 55 yards, TD, INT

Courtney Brown (LW) 2-10, 10 yards, 4 interceptions

RECEIVING: 

Hasheen Rashman (LW) 1-5; Mel Mitchell (LW) 1-5 yards, fumble

Chris Lampa (L) 1-20 yards, TD; Jeff Clemens (L) 1-30 yards; Michael Dowling (L) 1-4 yards

RUSHING: 

Andre Flournoy (LW) 7-38 yards; MC Edwards (LW) 12-35 yards;

DeShannon Frierson (LW) 6-42 yards; Mel Mitchell (LW) 1 (minus-8); Kevin Huey (LW) 3-8 yards

Toby Goetz (L) 16-128 yards, 4 TDs; Jeff Clemens (L) 6-113 yards, 2 TDs;

Scott Gray (L) 2-16 yards; Michael Dowling (L) 10-54 yards; Max Znika (L) 4-24 yards; 

Chris Lampa (L) 1-4 yards; Scott Schulz (L) 2 (minus-5 yards).

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Revised: October 23, 2004 .