"The Renegade"

High School Top-10 Football Poll

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

CROWN POINT (11-9-2003) The poll stood up as 1-3-4 all won. Remember that LaPorte beat Portage. NW Indiana could get shut down for the year in regional week. Andrean, Lowell, Portage and Rensselaer all have a chance but only Andrean will be favored. Nobody really believes that Andrean could beat Portage...

As always, 'The Renegade', with no allegiance to any school or any sponsors (not yet, anyway) can tell it like it is about local prep football. All schools in the six county Northwest Indiana region count and records are irrelevant. These are the BEST teams.

1.) Portage (11-1)

HB Antoine Brown (258 carries, 2,013 yards, 29 TDs) is the first 2,000-yard rusher in northwest Indiana in 3 years Griffith-Tyler Radtke). Portage poured on the points early to win the regional title. The 43-28 win was not as close as the score indicated. They go wire-to-wire as the region's best. But they've never beaten Penn... and they will face a very prolific attack. Portage allowed 244 yards rushing to Merrillville and that's a worry. Especially with the Indians heading up against the 'Axis of Evil', Hoosier grid superpowers Penn (11-1) Snider (11-1) and Ben Davis (11-1), potentially their next 3 opponents.

2.) LaPorte (6-4)

With Portage (11-1) still playing, Elkhart Memorial (11-1), Elkhart Central (7-4) and New Prairie (7-4) now free to play basketball, you can see how good LaPorte was. LaPorte is the only team to beat Portage and that looks better every day. Does anybody in Griffith think Andrean would beat LaPorte? Next year, the record will be better.

3.) ANDREAN (12-0)

The 59ers won for the 39th time in 42 games... edging Griffith 16-14. They also got a break when Hamilton Heights beat Twin Lakes 24-15. That gives the 59ers a home regional game. QB Tommy Finn (105 of 178, 1,311 yards, 14 TDs, 3 INTs) hit Nick Stockwell (42 catches - 493 yards) who caught 10 passes for 90 yards. The 59er offense held the ball and the Panthers got only 5 first downs. Mark Edwards' 46-yard game winning field goal was only his second of the year. Finn was 17-of-22 passing for 194 yards. That's the fifth time Andrean has come from behind in the second half to win this season. But the 59ers held Griffith to a season-low 103 rushing yards. Andrean can't get overconfident. Hamilton Heights has a very highly regarded defense.

4.) LOWELL (11-1)

Justin Henley (236 carries, 1,464 yards, 19 TDs) didn't play defense against Hobart, but he'll probably be back out there this week against No. 1 East Noble. FB Toby Goetz (138 carries, 811 yards) was very effective as a power runner in the 34-3 win over Hobart. Lowell has 44 quarterback sacks in 12 games and has lost only 21-7 to 3A No. 2 Andrean (11-0). The opposition has scored first against Lowell five times this year. Lowell outscored 3 sectional foes 113-31 but the ultimate test is coming. East Noble brings a 36 ppg offense to Route 2 for the regional championship game. You keep winning as long as you control the line of scrimmage. Lowell has never won more than 12 games in any season.

5.) Chesterton (7-4)

Chesterton gained only 300 yards rushing in the last three games and I just don't know why, except that maybe I'm not giving enough credit to Merrillville (7-5), which was the foe on two occasions. QB Casey Martin (86 of 161, 11 TDs, 10 INTs) was 8-of-19 for 152 yards and four interceptions against Merrillville in last week's season-ending 21-14 loss. Seven of Martin's interceptions came in two games against Merrillville. Did Chesterton really almost beat Andrean?

6.) Griffith (7-5)

Jack Kosinski (164 carries, 1,862 yards, 23 TDs) was held to 45 yards and just 7 carries in a 16-14 loss to Andrean. The Panthers had just five first downs and 123 total yards not because of offensive ineptitude, but because they couldn't get the ball away from 59er QB Tommy Finn. Andrean had 18 first downs. The Panthers lose to Munster, Lowell (11-1), Chesterton and Andrean (12-0) twice. Not a bad year.

7.) MERRILLVILLE (7-5)

Merrillville and 1,200-yarder rusher Brandon Mosely went beyond where they should have so it was a successful year. Mosely had 4 TDs in his final game. QB Evan Parker returns and the Pirates have a lot of speed returning next season. The Pirates lost to Crown Point, Valparaiso, LaPorte and Portage twice. Merrillville rolled up 348 total yards against the Indians. Not a bad year.

8.) CROWN POINT (5-5)

CP lost to Portage (11-1) twice, LaPorte (6-4), Chesterton (7-4) and Lowell (11-1). The Bulldogs are the only team to lose to Lowell and Portage. It wasn't a bad year. QB Matt Cowan (116-216, 1,543 yards, 15 TDs and 9 INTs, plus 140 carries, 546 yards) would be an all-area player if his team had progressed further in the state tournament. Same is true of WR Aaron Miller (60 catches, 937 yards, 9 TDs). With the late season run of Lowell and Hobart, CP's 1st two opponents next fall, the Bulldogs' 2004 schedule looks tougher than 2003's slate, which was rated among the top 40 in the state.

9.) Valparaiso (5-6)

Valparaiso gave up 500 yards to Portage in a 24-14 loss but VHS had a good rebuilding year losing twice to Portage (10-1), Chesterton (7-4), CP (5-5) and LaPorte (6-4). Jon Moon (92-of-182, 1,293 yards, 11 TDs, 11 INTs) returns next year as does WR Colin McShane (32 catches, 564 yards), HB Jeff Brandt (156 carries, 1,126 yards) , HB-LB Bo Gilliland (86 carries, 611 yards and 100 tackles) and TE Sam Matias (24 catches, 406 yards). The Vikings will be a DAC title favorite.

10.) Hobart (5-7)

The reality is... Hobart lost to four teams that were still playing last week: Andrean, Griffith, Portage and Lowell, twice. With Mark Drobac and TJ Pope both returning next year, plus big Adam Bailey (6-4, 350) to lead the line and with Kyle Gonzales set to take over at QB, the Brickies will be the 3rd best team in the LAC next year behind Lowell and Andrean. Look for much more of a multiple offense from the Brickies. Here's another team that overachieved.

JUDGMENT Day is coming....

for Lowell (11-1)

Only the strong survive when the number one team comes to your town. I do not believe that Lowell has ever faced a team rated number one in the wire service poll. On November 11, 1994, the Devils faced the defending state champion, beating Hobart 28-25 in what some regard as their greatest win ever. Nine years later... almost to the day... undefeated, top-ranked East Noble (12-0) Knights, a team the Devils have never played.... will try to cut short what could be Lowell's best-ever season. The Knights are a big strong team with a multiple offense. They have beaten 5A teams in Homestead and Carroll. Only Homestead (8-4) has held East Noble to less than 20 points. Half of Noble County may be headed west for the game. Surely no 4A team from a largely mediocre conference can defense the 4,700-yard (in 12 games) offense of one of the state's dominant teams, can they? We are about to find out if this is really Lowell's year.