33rd Indiana State High School 3A & 4A Football Tournament
A Preview by USA-365's Mark Smith

10-21-2005

CROWN POINT (10-19-2005) - When somebody tells you what they know they can do because of what they've done during the high school regular season, you know they're new to the game.  As long as every single team in the state is allowed into the state tournament on a blind draw, the regular season will continue to amount to a hill of beans.

And when the playoffs begin, first time state tournament participants get introduced to pressure.  They can't catch the ball. The field is wet and they keep slipping. They can't run pass patterns correctly. And they just can't seem to make that sure tackle the way they did back on Labor day weekend. Your injured ankle hurts a lot worse.

Pressure is why a Griffith team that beat Andrean 48-14 in October of 2004 lost to them 36-35 one month later.  Pressure is why a 9-0 Whiting team that averaged 38 points a game lost 14-13 to West Central in the sectional championship game last year.  Pressure is why Vladimir Guerrero grounded out to second base 78 times in five games against the Chicago White Sox after he dominated the American League during the regular season. 

Once you begin facing good teams, your fate will be decided by how you handle pressure.  Players talk about how much they want the ball when the game is on the line, but do they want it when they're 12 points down in a driving rain?

Boys want to make a play in a tie game with a minute to play, but do they ever think about what to do when they're 14 points down in the first quarter?  If you have not pictured yourself rallying from a two TD deficit on the road in the rain you probably can't do it if it happens.  One key to sports is to visualize every possibility and know what you'd do.

The cliche goes, if a fire breaks out, do you run towards it or run away from it?  If the other team runs the opening kickoff back for a TD, is that your problem or your opportunity?

CLASS 3 A   - Northern Indiana bracket
Quarterfinals  - 10-21-2005

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

SECTIONAL 18
*Frankfort [5-4] bye
*Benton Central [2-7] at Western [7-2]
*Hamilton Heights [5-4] at Tipton [6-3]
*West Lafayette [4-5] at Twin Lakes [7-2]

SECTIONAL 19
*(SB) St. Joseph's [5-4] at (Mishawaka) Marian [8-1]
*Tippecanoe Valley [6-3] at New Prairie [6-3]
*West Noble [8-1] at Culver Academy [7-2]
*Lakeland [2-7] at NorthWood [3-6]

SECTIONAL 20
*New Haven [2-7] at Maconaquah [5-4]
*(FW) Bishop Luers [5-4] at Norwell [6-3]
* Whitko [3-6] at Leo [1-8]
*(FW)  Concordia [4-5] at Peru [2-7]

GRIFFITH (10-21-2005) - The only undefeated team in Class 3A state wide, top-ranked Griffith has the pole position in the sectional playoffs.  They are in a half of the eight-team Sectional 17 bracket with three teams with top-heavy losing records.  And they would host the showdown game on Nov. 4 with No. 3 Andrean.

You wish the Panthers had had more tests during the season but just because they have questions doesn't mean those questions can't be answered in the affirmative.  QB Matt Nelleman (51-84, 1,141 yards, 15 TDs, one INT) only has to pass when the Panthers are in a good position.  Halfback-kick re turner Drew Rogowski has 24 touchdowns and is a threat to go coast-to-coast on any play.  The Panthers only played two teams (Morton and Andrean)  with a balanced offense and they gave up 34 points and 500 yards in those two games.

The Panthers are shaky on pass defense and they were fortunate to face Chesterton before sophomore Alex Beierwalter was installed as the starting quarterback.  On the other hand, they have rushed for 2,300 yards and the running game will be key as the NW Indiana November weather moves in.

Andrean has a rookie QB in Jesse Repay (97-162, 1,248 yards, 12 TDs, 6 INTs) and I think his ability to run the football (83 carries, 474 yards) will come into play more as the playoffs progress.

I think that Griffith won't beat Andrean by 21 points again, but they will beat them. I'm not buying into an opening night upset of Andrean by Morton. You still have to run the ball and that's not a Morton strength.  The Governors beating Hammond (0-9) by just 20 is a sign and not a good sign. The rest of Sectional 17 is very weak as is Class 3A as a whole.

Late in the year, No. 10 Twin Lakes (7-2) has made a charge and they could upset Griffith in the regional because the Indians have a balanced offense  with QB James Ward (74-148, 1,104 yards, 11 INTs, 4 INTs) and halfbacks Robert Newgent (98-616 yards, 5 TDs) and Evan Mitchell (43-424 yards, 5 TDs).  What turns you off Twin Lakes is a 21-9 loss to 2A Rensselaer and a schedule with no 5A or 4A squads.

The secret agent is No. 5 Marian (8-1), which has lost only 21-7 to 5A Mishawaka. Marian is 3-1 against 5A schools and 2-0 against 4As.  Marian runs an old school-option where QB Nick Trippel has run 99 times for 701 yards and halfback Nick DiCicco has carried 105 times for 940 yards.  Trippel is 32 of 60 for 12 TDs and three interceptions passing. But with that said, they've only played two winning teams all year.  For Griffith's purposes, this is a less successful version of Andrean.  But the Knights have to prove themselves at the sectional level starting with St. Joseph's (5-4). There's no way to know how good Marian is against the schedule they've played.

I can't see New Prairie (5-4), a hard running team, beating Griffith in a matchup of option offenses.  But five playoff games last year says they should be taken seriously. Bishop Luers' (5-4) record is deceptive because they play in The Summit Athletic Conference with 5A No. 1 Snider (9-0) and 4A No. 5 Bishop Dwenger (8-1).  Culver Academy, (7-2) and West Noble (8-1) do not play the schedules to go for the state title.

How on earth does 3A West Noble not play 4A East Noble (7-2) when there's only three high schools in Noble County?

Truthfully, when you have to look overly hard for a challenger, you don't have a challenger. No 3A team in the northern half of the state has dominated the majority of the teams they have played this season. Griffith has won ALL NINE GAMES by 21 points or more.  There are only theories that someone in the north can stop them. There is no evidence of that.

The only team that even slowed them was Lowell and Lowell may have the top 4A defense in this region.

Still, it's dangerous to pick Griffith to reach the state finals. You're going against history. The Panthers have had years like this before and the record shows they have only reached the state finals once in the 33-year history of the state tournament.  Griffith has a history of self-destructing in playoff games or giving away games like they did last year against Andrean. Here's the bad stat.

Griffith has lost seven playoffs games by seven points or less in the past 12 years. Nobody in this half of the state has a record like that.  They snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. It's easy to say this year's team is different, but you could make the argument that 2005 Griffith really isn't as good as the 2004 Griffith team that found a way to lose to Andrean.  But neither is the competition.  I'm not sure how the Panthers match up with perennial 3A powers Bishop Chatard (7-2) or Heritage Hills (8-1), the top squads in the southern half of the bracket,  but Griffith should be playing one of those two teams on Nov. 26 in Indianapolis.

CLASS 4A   - Northern Indiana bracket
Quarterfinals  - 10-21-2005

SECTIONAL 9
  *Hobart [4-5] at Highland [4-5]
*Gary Wallace [2-6] at Gary West Side [3-5]
  *Kankakee Valley [6-3] at Munster [3-6]
  *LOWELL [5-4] at Gary Roosevelt [3-5]

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

SECTIONAL 11
*FW) North [3-6] at (FW) South [7-2]
*Bellmont [3-6] at (FW) Elmhurst [0-9]
*Bishop Dwenger [8-1] at (FW) Wayne [2-7]
*Columbia City [5-4] at Logansport [9-0]

SECTIONAL 12
*Jay County [6-3] at Pendleton Heights [5-4]
*Delta [8-1] at Connersville [1-8]
* Muncie South [0-8] at New Castle [3-6]
*Greenfield-Central [0-9] at Muncie Central [8-1]

FORT WAYNE (10-21-2005)  Class 4A is another area that is not strong in NW Indiana this season.  Defending sectional champ Lowell stumbled to a 1-4 start but has rebounded to win four in a row going into a very winnable game at Gary Roosevelt (3-5) in 4A Sectional nine Friday.  A closer look indicates Lowell may be underrated. The Devils have lost to 3A No. 1 Griffith, 5A No. 2 Crown Point and 3A No. 4 Andrean.  All three were not games they should have won but they were games the Devils could have won.

Sectional nine swings on a first round game between Highland and Hobart. The Brickies are a big powerful team with young QB Josh Miracle and young runners and receivers. The line is big but slow and top linebacker Richard Mitchell anchors the defense.

Highland has a veteran QB in Andrew Helmer (6-4, 195), a top receiver in Derek Moser (6-4, 185) and a solid runner in Dave Lepucki. They are not as strong in the lines, but have a little more speed than Hobart. Highland has lost the last three games to Lowell by 27 points or more each time. Hobart lost 14-7 to Lowell earlier this month and played two low-scoring, one touchdown games with the Devils last year.  So, while Highland has the QB to go further in state play, Hobart is much better suited to play Lowell.  We'll know a lot more after Friday's first round.

Could KV or Munster beat Lowell?  Munster appeared overmatched in a 48-7 loss to Lowell last month and KV just got beat down 35-7 by 1A Whiting and has never beaten Lowell.

The base truth is, that only Lowell is playing well in the month of October in what has to be considered a very weak Sectional this season.  Lowell is better than their record but how much better is the question.

The focus in this bracket will be 4A Sectional 10 where undefeated No. 4 Plymouth (9-0) must fend off Northern Lakes Conference rivals Concord (7-2), 2004 semistate champion Wawasee (7-2) plus 2003 semistate champion East Noble (7-2).

Top passer Chad Clinton (6-4, 180) leads Plymouth with state 800-meter runner Alex Quintana (6-4, 190) and other speedy pass catchers like first-year football player Ricky Davis, who caught a 33-yard pass from Clinton in Plymouth's 21-7 win over Northwood on Oct. 14, a game that gave the Rockies their first undefeated season since 1977.  Leading rusher Brent Corbett has a separated shoulder so against Northwood, Clinton ran 16 times for 74 yards. 

Wawasee returned 30 lettermen off the team that won the regional title in 2004 with a 28-21 win at Lowell. First year QB Joe Leach (107 of 161, 1,075 yards, 14 TDs, 4 INTs) has been a revelation in Wawasee's 4 wide receiver attack and has carried 106 times for 478 yards.  Warrior halfback Rob McKibben has carried 155 times for 1,108 yards and 14 TDs out of Wawasee's one-back set.

East Noble still has 190-pound halfback Konrad Mundon (150 carries, 825 yards), who scored the winning TD in EN's 20-13 win at Lowell in the 2003 regional championship game. The Knights still have that balanced attack like the other three NLC teams here led by QB Matt Dove (72-119, 1.074 yards, 7 TDs, 4 INTs).  The Knights have won six straight and scored 40 points or more in their final three regular season games.

Plymouth would have to go to Wawasee for the sectional title game but they'd host anybody else.  How close its this?  Plymouth beat Wawasee 31-30 in two overtimes on Sept. 23.  Plymouth also beat Concord 27-14.

The best matchup is going to come at the regional level if favored Lowell and their stingy defense faces the multiple offense of Plymouth (33.3 ppg.) or Wawasee (31.9 ppg.).  In Sectional 11, Bishop Dwenger (8-1) and North Central Conference (NCC) champion Logansport (9-0) will battle it out in the semifinals and the competition Dwenger has faced in the Summit Conference is much tougher than what Logansport sees in the NCC, which had only two teams with records of better than 5-4 this year.

Delta will battle Muncie Central in Sectional 12 and that's an even game.  But all the winner will go home with is local bragging rights which are great for the talk shows and the chat rooms but tourney-wise ends being worth a big old sack of nothing. Muncie is a basketball town and their football teams traditionally crumble like pound cake when they face somebody good. Dwenger will chomp on the Section 12 champ like so much popcorn.

Dwenger has allowed just 95 points all season against a lot of speed and offensive athleticism in Fort Wayne. It's sometimes hard to tell about Fort Wayne schools because all they play is each other.  The question is, is it a good year in Fort Wayne?  And the answer is yes.
I'd like to see Lowell in the Dome and Plymouth would put on quite a show indoors, but when they open up the gates at the RCA Dome on Nov. 26, the Saints will go marching in. The Bishop Dwenger Saints.

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Revised: October 22, 2005 .