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| Valparaiso will carry a 19-game regular season winning streak onto the home field Friday night against Crown Point. (Photo by Mark Smith) |
A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith
09-21-2020
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| Valparaiso will carry a 19-game regular season winning streak onto the home field Friday night against Crown Point. (Photo by Mark Smith) |
MERRILLVILLE
(09-21-2020) Crown Point won a dramatic game last week 27-24 over Portage.
Valiant rally by Portage. Game-winning kick by Sammy Brewer on Homecoming night
for the Bulldogs. Good crowd from what I understand. Cool night. Good
atmosphere, I heard. I wasn’t there.
From the middle of the week on, I felt sick last week so I stayed home. I
hesitate to call it ‘feeling sick’ because that word scares people in the 2020
Covid-19 virus world. I just tell folks I’m tired. Long day. Haven’t eaten. I’ll
be fine. But, for a while, I thought it was more than just hungry and tired.
I had no high
temperature even though I felt a little fever. No sneezing or coughing. I just
couldn’t feel good. It was nothing new for me. I work outside a lot of the day
during the week. When the weather gets cooler in the fall, I always “feel sick."
Low-grade fever. It comes and it goes. Every year. I’m sure many of you go
through the same thing.
Did I go see a doctor? The doctor who tells you that if you even think you ‘feel
sick’ don’t put our staff at risk by coming in here? No, I didn’t. Go get a
Covid-19 test. Can't do that, either. I don't have symptoms.
Just feelings. Feelings I’ve had for years.
So what should I have done when last Friday arrived? Don’t sit with the crowd in
the stands? Go to the game but don’t go anywhere near coaches or the boys and
girls? Sounds good but, as most of you who read this site already know, the only
reason I go to games is to stand on the sidelines with the boys and the girls.
So I stayed home. Better for everybody. I wanted to go to the football game last
Friday, but I decided to stay home. As I’m writing this, I feel fine now. What
was wrong with me? As far as I know for sure, nothing. The lesson I learned? As
far as I know for sure, nothing.
I’m looking forward to next Friday’s game. What can I say? It’s the year 2020.
These cancellations make it tough on the poll. Some games are won. Some are
lost. Some aren’t even played. But there will be a couple of changes this week.
1. (6A) Merrillville (4-0)
2019 (11-2), 2018 (7-4), 2017 (1-9), 2016 (5-6), 2015
(7-5)
MERRILLVILLE: The Pirates did not play last week and they resume the second half of season play this Friday against LaPorte (1-4). I’m a believer that a week off during the football season is a big plus for a team and the ‘idle Friday’ for the Pirates came directly in the middle of the nine-game regular season. The teams Merrillville has defeated [Hobart (3-1), Andrean (4-1), Portage (2-3) and Crown Point (3-2)], are having good seasons and the Pirates defeated all of them by two touchdowns or more. There is no question that Merrillville is the top-ranked team.
2. (5A) Valparaiso (3-0)
2019 (13-1), 2018 (10-2), 2017 (8-2), 2016 (5-5), 2015
(7-3)
VALPARAISO: Valpo rallied to beat Chesterton 30-21 gaining 380 yards rushing on 53 carries. Valpo kicker Liam Shepherd booted field goals of 22, 33 and 35 yards. The Vikings have two 19-game winning streaks. Valparaiso has won 19 regular season games in a row and the Vikings have also won 19 DAC games in a row. Valpo is second-ranked in Class 5A and while the Vikings are surely fired up to beat Crown Point (3-2) this week and Merrillville (4-0) in two weeks, somewhere, someone in a green shirt is watching tape of Class 5A No. 1 Cathedral (5-0). You can bet on it.
3.) (4A) Hobart (3-1)
2019 (11-3), 2018 (7-3), 2017 (6-4), 2016 (10-3), 2015
(5-5)
HOBART: Hobart’s game with Lowell (4-0) was canceled due to virus issues in
Lowell. No big deal for the Brickies. They played four games, they took a week
off and now they play the final four regular season games. Bye weeks don’t hurt
a football team. Just ask the linemen. Hobart will play Lowell in Class 4A
Sectional 17, so they’re not thinking about the Devils right now. Hobart is on
the home field for a big time match with 2A No.1 Andrean (4-1).
4.) (2A) Andrean (4-1)
2019 (10-4), 2018 (10-2), 2017 (8-4), 2016 (5-6), 2015
(7-4)
MERRILLVILLE: Andrean has won four games in a row by scores of 28-0, 42-14, 47-0 and 52-10. The 59ers’ season-opening loss to Merrillville (4-0) is a distant memory. The Niners' 53-10 win over Highland featured 23 first downs and 508 total yards. Ryan Walsh rushed for 107 yards on 14 carries. Andrean needs a challenge about now and they’ll get one at Class 4A No. 4 Hobart (4-1) this Friday.
5.) Chesterton (2-3)
2019 (6-4), 2018 (3-7), 2017 (4-6), 2016 (2-8), 2015
(8-3)
CHESTERTON: Here’s the problem with polls. Chesterton (2-3) is rated ahead
of Michigan City (2-1). MC has only lost once but that loss is to Chesterton. I
thought the Trojans played well in a 30-21 loss to Valparaiso last week. Junior
QB Chris Mullen was 18 of 28, for 205 yards and I don’t know who Coby Bullock is
but he caught 10 passes for 102 points. Bullock has 31 catches on the season for
400 yards. The Trojan losses are to 5A No. 2 Valpo, 4A No. 4 Hobart and 2A No. 3
Pioneer. ‘Good losses’ are fine but the next three games can't be ‘good losses.’
They need to be dirty, filthy wins.
6.) (5A) Michigan City (2-1)
2019 (4-6), 2018 (10-3), 2017 (9-4), 2016 (7-4)
MICHIGAN CITY: Michigan City has been off two weeks due to virus issues, but they return this weekend (I’m not sure if the game is Friday or Saturday) to host Lake Central. MC has to be thinking that the last four games (LC, Portage, LaPorte and Crown Point) are all wins but I’m sure they’ll be happy just to get back on the field in a year when nothing is guaranteed. All these games are warm-ups for the unavoidable 5A Sectional 9 matchup with Valparaiso (3-0).
7.) (4A) Kankakee Valley (5-0)
2019 (4-6), 2018 (2-8), 2017 (3-7), 2016 (3-8)
WHEATFIELD: I have hesitated in putting Kankakee Valley in this poll
because of the competition they have faced. KV has not faced a Class 4A or Class
6A team and they have only seen one Class 5A in Munster (1-4). But will that
said, KV has allowed only 29 points all season. No one has scored 10 in any
game. Quarterback Eli Carden was 8 of 11 passing for181 yards and the Kougars
gained 206 yards rushing on 36 carries. But can they beat Lowell for the first
time in five years? Will the game even be played? Stay tuned.
8.) (4A) LOWELL (4-0)
2019 (7-5), 2018 (10-3), 2017 (14-1), 2016 (9-5)
LOWELL: I’m putting Lowell in quarantine until they get back on the field.
The Devils had to cancel last week’s game due to Covid-19 virus concerns that
affected 1/3 of the team. I am not sure if Lowell will play Kankakee Valley
(5-0) this week as scheduled, and even if they do, I’m not sure how many of the
Devils will be able to play. If all the Red Devils’ players can come back, the
only damage done was to the Lowell athletic department bank account which lost a
good home gate against Hobart. The team won't be hurt by a mid-season bye week
again, if everybody can come back.
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Revised: September 21, 2020
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