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Class 4A Playoff Preview:Sectional 9 |
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Post-Season: High School Football Preview
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Class 4A Playoff Preview:Sectional 9 |
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| The Favorite |  |
Munster (7-1) |
| The Contender |  |
Lowell (7-1) |
| Surprise Team |  |
Highland (4-4) |
Lew Wallace (4-4) at LOWELL
(7-1)
Gary West Side (6-2) at Munster (7-1)
Highland (4-4) at Hobart (3-5)
Kankakee Valley (2-6) at Gary Roosevelt (1-7)
MUNSTER
(10-15-3) - Munster, with a home game for the rematch against Lowell, is a
slight favorite here, even though the Devils beat them 22-20 on Oct. 3. The
question for the Devils is, with both teams healthy, what are the chances of
Lowell winning at Munster twice in five weeks? Munster is a
multidimensional offensive team. QB Wally Cirafesi had 17 TD passes in his
first eight games. Munster's junior back Prince Kwateng had 500 yards
rushing and nine TDs going into the regular season finale against Andrean.
Lowell averaged 30 points and 200 yards rushing per game after eight weeks. They have won last minute victories at Munster twice in three years. The Devils are healthy and appear to have the best offensive and defensive lines in this sectional. But they didn't get a good draw and Munster led Lowell 20-19 with five seconds to play in the earlier meeting before Korey Kildares kicked a 30-yard field goal.
Highland has to find a way to keep the Brickies big offensive line, including Adam Bailey (6-4, 350) from dominating the game. Highland QB Kris Boyd (88-171, 1,175 yards, 13 TDs, 5 INTs - 8 weeks) has a quartet of good receivers, but if the Brickies have 10 or 12 play drives, Boyd sits on the bench. There is virtually no way on earth that the other four teams here (Velt, West Side, LW and KV) can win three games and win sectional nine.
4A SECTIONAL TEN:
Favorite (East Noble),
Contender (Plymouth)
Surprise team (Concord)
South Bend Washington (3-5) at Plymouth (6-2)
Northridge (0-8) at DeKalb (3-5)
Angola (5-3) at Wawasee (5-3)
Concord (4-4) at East Noble (8-0)
EAST NOBLE (10-16-2003) - Opening night says a lot here as East Noble, which has outscored the opposition 299-78 after eight games, hosts a Concord team that has played the eighth toughest schedule in the entire state.
Concord has lost to Jimtown (7-1), Elkhart Memorial (8-0), East Noble (8-0) and Wawasee (5-3). The East Noble win was 35-17 over Concord. Concord has defeated perennial 3A power Northwood (5-3). East Noble has not defeated anyone with a record of better than 5-3. The strength of their schedule (rated 42nd state-wide) is cumulative, not built up by one team.
Plymouth got a great draw.
Washington had scored only 77 points after eight games. DeKalb has been held to
14 points or less five times and Northridge had scored only 59 points after
eight losses. The Angola-Wawasee winner is a longshot choice to win the
sectional if Concord beats East Noble. Wawasee's schedule has been very
tough. But it's a very longshot because they would also have to play at
Plymouth, which is led by high-scoring halfback Nathan Bieszka (15 TDs) and
schooled by an even tougher schedule.
STATEWIDE: The big dog in Fort Wayne is 5A Snider. Bishop Dwenger,
a yearly power, is only 3-5. Power teams Zionsville (7-1) and Bloomington
North (7-1) are in the southern part of the draw. Muncie-area powers Delta (7-1)
and Muncie Central (7-1) both spent times at No. 1 before suffering blowout
defeats by more than 20 points. In short, this bracket is weak.
With 1A Pioneer and 2A Jimtown
prohibitive favorites over any possible region survivor, high-scoring Twin Lakes
a favorite over whatever 3A team wins in northwest Indiana (and 2-time 3A champ
Chatard favored over everybody). Monsters Penn (7-1) and Snider (7-1) or
Jefferson (8-0) are slight favorites over even undefeated Portage (8-0) in
5A. So northwest Indiana teams have a better chance to win the state title
in 4A than in any other class.