34th IHSAA State Football Tournament
 A Preview by USA-365's Mark Smith

10-19-2006

Sectionals - Round One
 October 20, 2006.  Tickets: $5.00 per night

(1A) SECTIONAL 33
 Whiting [7-2] at Culver [5-4]
Lake Station [1-8] at West Central [3-6]
South Newton [9-0] at LaVille [2-7]
River Forest [0-9] at South Central [4-5]

KENTLAND (11-3-2006)  Looks like South Newton will play at home in the semifinal and finals and folks from Whiting don't even know where Kentland is. Some of the state's worst teams are in this sectional. It will only take a little bit of a running game to get the Rebels to the regional. Whiting is always hurt by their soft regular season schedule but they may benefit from lack of high expectations this time. Bad weather might low-bridge what looks like a South Newton run that could potentially match them up with Sheridan (9-0) or Lafayette Catholic (9-0) at the semistate.  Catholic, incidentally, is down to their third QB this season due to injury. Only egos will be seriously injured in this sectional and there's no way anyone here wins the state title.


 (2A) SECTIONAL 25

 
Wheeler [5-4] at North Judson [8-1]
Rensselaer [3-6] at Knox [5-4]
North Newton [1-8] at Bishop Noll [6-3]
Guerin Catholic [3-6] at Winamac [3-6]
NORTH JUDSON (11-3-6)  There's no clear cut favorite here because North Judson will play on the road after the first round.  Bishop Noll gets two easy games and they have the ground game to survive bad weather.  Judson has been re-born on offense and unless the bus breaks down, no one will stop them here.  This sectional is as weak as watered down dishwater.  How many 3-6 teams can one playoff have?  Bet your Chicago Bear Super Bowl tickets that Fairfield (9-0) or Jimtown (7-2) will put up a serious road block for anybody out of here at the regional.  The only way anybody here reaches the RCA Dome is if they buy tickets.


(3A) SECTIONAL 17
Gary Wirt [3-6] at Andrean [7-2]
Morton [5-4] at Griffith [8-1]
Gavit [2-7] at Hammond [0-9]
Calumet [2-7] at  Clark [4-5]


(3A) SECTIONAL 18
 
Frankfort [6-3] bye
Tipton [5-4] at West Lafayette [3-6]
Western [7-2] at Benton Central [1-8]
Twin Lakes [7-2] at Hamilton Heights [6-3].


GRIFFITH (11-3-6)  Another flaw of the all-inclusive state tournament is that somebody gets a bye.  No one in the state tournament should ever get a bye.  The season is an endurance test and the winners have to play 15 weeks in a row.  If the winner of the Oct. 27 Griffith-Andrean game doesn't win that sectional, there should be a Congressional investigation.  An all-star team made up of the other six schools could not beat Andrean or Griffith.  Hamilton Heights is the perennial champ of Sectional 18 and I don't want to go against them except for that bye, that free pass that Frankfort got.  But what difference does it make?  This region usually boils down to when does Griffith beat themselves.  They have the offense that nobody really stops and enough anger issues to fill up the locker room at the University of Miami.  Griffith should reach the state finals and get their whipping from Bishop Chatard.


(4A) SECTIONAL 9
 
Munster [5-4] at Hobart [8-1]
Gary West [2-5] at Highland [2-7]
Lew Wallace [0-9] at Gary Roosevelt [3-6]
Kankakee Valley [8-1] at LOWELL [4-5]

(4A) SECTIONAL 10
 
East Noble [6-3] at Wawasee [7-2]
Northridge [3-6] at Plymouth [6-3]
Angola [5-4] at DeKalb [4-5]
Concord [9-0] at (SB) Washington [3-6]


ELKHART (11-3-6)  This is the yellow brick road to the state finals.  Look closely.  Wawasee, East Noble and Lowell have all reached the RCA DOME in the last three years coming out of this region.  Both sectionals nine and 10 are a little down this year.  The door is open for anybody.  KV's 8-1 record is deceptive and it would be a surprise if Hobart and Lowell didn't throw down for the eighth time in four years on Nov. 3.  Concord, Wawasee, Plymouth and Northridge are all Northern States Conference (NSC) brothers and they play every year.  But Concord is in a side of the bracket away from the other three and the Minutemen will be at home after the quarterfinals.  QB Bobby Cira was 20-of-36 for 293 yards last week in a 34-0 beat down of Warsaw.  Cira is the top passer in this part of the state and he'll pass the 3,000-yard mark in the sectional title game.  The Hobart-Lowell drama will be great theatre.  But unless it snows, you would need Hobart's offense and Lowell's defense combined to beat Concord, which should be the fourth consecutive team from this part of the state to reach the state finals.


 (5A) SECTIONAL (1) ONE

Chesterton [4-5] at Michigan City [1-8]
East Chicago [2-7] at Merrillville [5-4]
Portage [5-4] at Valparaiso [4-5]
CROWN POINT [9-0] at Lake Central [4-5]

(5A) SECTIONAL (2) TWO
 
(SB) Riley [3-6] at Elkhart Central [5-4]
Mishawaka [5-4] at LaPorte [6-3]
Elkhart Memorial [3-6] at (SB) Clay [6-3]
Penn [7-2] at (SB) Adams [0-9]


 CROWN POINT (11-3-6)  Crown Point has handled the pressure of being the favorite well so far, but it will be intense at the sectional level.  It would be game 13 of the regular season before CP played a game in which they were not favored.  Few teams know what that's like.  But CP appears healthy and they will be at home for two weeks if they defeated Lake Central.  Portage has come on strong lately, but they had the misfortune to draw arch rival Valparaiso in the semifinals.  Portage has a soph QB who will be much better in years to come.  Valpo and Merrillville have a shot at beating CP, but it's not likely in CP.  Penn is a bigger favorite to win in early November than the Democratic Party.  LaPorte has not shown much defense all season.  Forget about a potential CP semistate game at Hamilton Southeastern (9-0), Crown Point vs. Penn is new ground.  They have never met.  If Penn has to travel two hours to play at CP, they will be at a disadvantage that playoff experience can't overcome.  But the 5A region season can only be a disappointment if this game does not occur.
 
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Revised: October 19, 2006 .