USA-365's Week-5 NW Indiana High School Football Poll

MERRILLVILLE (9-19-2005) The value of being undefeated came into play in week five as three unbeaten teams in NW Indiana had truly close games for the first time.

When looking at teams, I always look at what they haven't done or what they can't do instead of raving about how awesome they are.

All unbeaten teams five games in have good players but there is another truth. As always, any team that is unbeaten after the midway point of the season is either dominant sledge-hammer of a squad, somewhat fortunate or a team that plays a questionable schedule.

Crown Point (5-0) was probably lucky to get by Portage and they may know that. The Indians out gained them unofficially by about 50 yards. The Bulldogs certainly have played a tough schedule, handing powerful Merrillville (4-1) and Hobart (4-1) their only losses. But the Bulldogs can't keep winning without more consistent offense and that's no secret.

Griffith (5-0) hasn't played anybody except Lowell at Lowell and nobody seems to recall how they struggled in that game. The Panthers have stomped and chomped on Chesterton (0-5), Riley (1-4) and Munster (2-3), three teams that won't be playing in the RCA dome this year.

Morton is totally intimidated by Griffith and you know it because they keep declaring that they aren't every year before they get waxed by 40 points. I know this isn't Lowell's best team and I cant get beyond the sight of the 1-4 Devils grinding out three 50-yard drives and passing on the 'invincible' Griffith defense.

Everybody loves the hype and feisty old coach Russ Radtke but this isn't Griffith's best team of the last 10 years by a long shot and the thought of the Panthers playing somebody like Bishop Chatard is about as scary as the prospect of a third term for President Bush.

Rensselaer (5-0) has had a wonderful run (they were 10-1 last year) and the Bombers are reminiscent of Seeger, which went 15-0 in Class 1A in 2005. The key to that sentence is the phrase 'Class 1A.'

I wish them well because they've played a tough schedule, but I don't wish them a rematch with North Judson or a match against Jimtown (5-0). The Bombers are not a physical team and finesse teams do real well in warm weather, but not nearly as well in cold weather.

Whiting (5-0) has a top-shelf passing attack and a lot of defensive questions against the run which is a major issue because Class 1A powers Pioneer (5-0) and West Central (5-0) run the ball 98% of the time. When you win games as easily as Whiting has (all five foes have losing records) you don't get much practice covering punts, converting 3^rd-and-longs or taking serious physical punishment, the way teams need to if they don't want the basketball season to begin before Halloween.

A loss would help any of these four teams. You become much more realistic after you get beat and you work harder. It also isn't good for anybody to constantly hear how great they are week after week, especially when they know it isn't true. Besides, everyone who has seen Merrillville knows that the Pirates are the best team in NW Indiana, no matter what they say for broadcast or publication.

MERRILLVILLE - Merrillville dominated out-manned Michigan City 42-7, holding star MC HB Ryan Fics to just 75 yards rushing. The Pirates have not allowed more than 13 points in any game this season and any poll that does not have them No. 1 or No. 2 is about as real-life as 'Kim Possible.'

QB Evan Parker was 8-of-14 for 136 yards last week and halfback James Aldridge scored three times to run his TD total to 10 in five games. No turnovers for the Pirates last week, a big plus since giveaways cost them the upset loss at Crown Point two weeks ago.

Sometimes in the weekly game-to-game flurry we forget what teams have. Merrillville has, at least, five Division I players in James Aldridge (6-1, 220), Deji Macarthy (6-1, 245), Brandon Jordan (6-5, 300), Dexter Larimore (6-3, 275) and QB Evan Parker, who will probably end up as a wide receiver or defensive back.

The Pirates lost one game on the road when they turned the ball over four times against an undefeated arch-rival. If the Pirates play CP, Andrean or Griffith tomorrow, who is your money on?

The DAC gets down to serious business when LaPorte (5-0) visits the Pirates Friday (Sept. 23) night.

QB Blake Mascarella pitches football to Donny Keiser #37, as Ryan Forney #12 and Ryan Walsh #80 move into position on the double reverse option pass that scored in the first 30 seconds against Hobart on Aug. 26 in the 26-0 win at Crown Point.

CROWN POINT - The Bulldogs went to 5-0 for the first time in 18 years with a come-from-behind victory over Portage 31-21. Jon Sertich made big runs late in the game creating two TDs and the CP defense created two turnovers.

Five consecutive teams have been held under 100 yards rushing by the Bulldogs five linebacker set. How can Donny Keiser possibly have nine field goals in five games? The offense is inconsistent, but Crown Point has four turnovers all year and that's one reason they win.

But it's still mid-season. Boys have to prepare to play a three month season and they can't get all happy after five games.

Here comes another arch-rival in up-and-coming Valparaiso (3-2), another physical, deep squad. You win with offensive line play and CP's O-Line is the youngest part of this team.

The Bulldogs are 3-0 this month and since they joined the Duneland Athletic Conference in 1993, CP has NEVER won every game in the month of September. Of course it only really counts to be undefeated in October or November.

LaPORTE - LaPorte's fifth consecutive 400-yard game enabled the Slicers to crush out-manned Lake Central 35-7. The Slicers would be higher if they'd faced top DAC teams instead of the second division.

But Airrence Shark (114 carries, 656 yards) has been the top running back in the Duneland Conference this year so far and QB Lance Juergensen (10 TD passes) is the league's most experienced QB. Counting all-state kicker Nick Ford, no one in the region has all the experienced skill position players LaPorte does.

The offensive line appears to be getting better, but with Merrillville (4-1), Crown Point (5-0) and Portage still to come, this team's future is more uncertain than United Airlines.

Griffith's David Alexander #20 moves in to tackle Lowell's RB Scott Gray #6 in the Panther's 21-0 win at Lowell, 9-2-2005.

GRIFFITH - Griffith coasted by outclassed Morton 58-13, gaining 500 yards. Drew Rogowski scored three TDs and Matt Nelleman fired three TDs against the soft Governors' defense.

The Panthers have scored 248 points against four losing teams and Morton (3-2), which has beaten three losing teams. The Panthers have allowed almost 800 yards passing which is something they must correct before they face Andrean (5-0) or Hobart (4-1).

This team clearly has question marks in the secondary that no one has seriously exploited. The Panthers struggled at Lowell and have played four other teams who crumbled under pressure like they were the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Constant routs definitely hurt a team. You can't graduate with honors until you pass some tests. When Griffith comes from behind and wins a close game, they will become a better team. Until then, they just look good in the Saturday paper. On the other hand, just because you have question marks does not mean you can't answer them in the affirmative.

PORTAGE - It's not about who you beat, it's about who you play. Griffith and Andrean haven't played anyone anywhere near the caliber of Merrillville and Crown Point and they both know it. Portage led both Merrillville and CP in the final quarter before they started playing defense like Notre Dame against Michigan State.

Erik Rhein is clearly improving as a first-year starting QB and the Indians' offense moved the ball on Crown Point, which no one previously had done. Why the drop in the poll?. Injuries to running backs and Justin Smith's questionable status are holding this team back. There are serious place-kicking problems here as well. How about some one off the soccer team to come in and save the day?

QB Josh Miracle #18 drops back to pass in Hobart's 26-0 loss to Crown Point, 8-26-2005.

HOBART - Hobart needed a two-yard run by Jeremy Coons to beat a very average Munster team 22-19. QB Josh Miracle was 12 of 21 for 227 yards as the Brickies, who had no passing game in 2004, continue to correct that problem.

I think that the 26-point loss at Crown Point was somewhat of a fluke. Hobart has the physical strength to control the line of scrimmage against anybody and the first half of the season has been spent fitting in new players like Miracle, Coons and receivers Michael Brown and Bobby James.

They are sixth in the poll because of close games against Highland and Munster that should not have been that close. The Brickies may not be ready to rumble.

But go back to what you saw at the start of the season. No one in NW Indiana had a run-blocking tackle like Adam Bailey (6-4, 340) and a linebacker like Richard Mitchell (6-2, 215).

As the weather starts to change and the field starts to get slow and you have to run and stop the run, that's still true.

VALPARAISO - Valpo rallied from a 14-0 deficit and smoked Chesterton 35-21 with 300 yards rushing and 26 first downs. Hard-running backs Hollis Ballard (33 carries, 169 yards) and Aaron Biggs (15 carries, 103 yards) continue to gain yards and QB Carl Hoefler scored on four short runs.

This was a rout. Chesterton scored two TDs on fumble recoveries of 70 yards or more so this was really a 35-7 game.

Valpo is a good example of how too many pay too much attention to wins and losses. Valpo has lost by 10 to Penn (4-1) and by seven to LaPorte (5-0), yet locally they are ranked behind teams that have defeated four cans of 7-Up and a Big Mac.

There's only a couple of teams in NW Indiana that can line up and stop this rushing attack. Unfortunately for Valpo, those teams ARE on the schedule.

Andrean's QB Jesse Repay #12 throws pass in direction of John Kennedy #12 in 7-0 win over Lowell, 9-16-2005.

MERRILLVILLE - Andrean was held to under 100 yards rushing but they committed no turnovers and won a hard game 7-0 at Lowell. Junior fast-rising rookie QB Jesse Repay was 17 of 25 but he struggled in key situations and made a couple of bad decisions.

The 59ers defense was outstanding in stuffing Lowell on more than one occasion when the game could have turned. Andrean may have some injury issues going into this week's game with Hobart but I think Andrean is physically strong enough to deal with the Griffiths and Hobarts and I think they proved that in a slug fest at Lowell.

Andrean is like Arnold Schwarzenegger. We still like him because of what he used to be. Nobody knows exactly what he is these days.

All five teams Andrean has beaten have been average at best this season. The moment of truth is here for the 59ers, who host defending LAC champ Hobart (4-1) Friday night.

MICHIGAN CITY - Michigan City got smoked out by Merrillville 42-7 but that's no shame. Michigan City isn't as good as Merrillville.

The Wolves don't have a passing attack and that means they will wins game against teams that can't stop the run and they'll hit the wall against teams that can.

It's important that MC not get discouraged by losing to teams that are better than they are. Only one turnover in two weeks for MC is a small bright light in eight quarters of gloom.

The Wolves have to get ready for an all-out air assault Friday night against Lake Central (2-3) as two teams desperate for a win go head-to-head.

MC closes the season with LaPorte (5-0) and Crown Point (5-0) so they very much need to beat Lake Central.

RENSSELAER - The Bombers faced a real test, but won 21-9 over Twin Lakes (3-2), a team that had allowed only 22 points all season.

The Bombers held TL's 30 points per game offense to nine points and 250 yards. That's the second 3A team that 2A Rensselaer has defeated. Senior QB Jake Kiger completed 10 of 16 for 221 yards as Rensselaer won for the 16th time in 17 games.

A victory at 3A West Lafayette Friday clears the path for the Bombers to complete a second consecutive undefeated regular season, for what that's worth.

Could Rensselaer beat Lowell, Munster or Highland? Half the time? Yes, they could.

Lowell's Kaleb Layman #51 pressures Andrean QB Jesse Repay in 59ers 7-0 win, 9-16-2005.

LOWELL - Lowell was shut out for a second time, losing to Andrean 7-0 on a 26-yard Jesse Repay to Chris Skinner third quarter TD pass. Lowell got safety Jeff Clemens back in the lineup and they could get linebacker Ethan Winel and end Joe Wojcik off the injury list by the end of the month.

Lowell is an odd squad. They are the only NW Indiana team that has played (and lost to) all three of Lake County's undefeated teams, Andrean (5-0), Griffith (5-0) and Crown Point (5-0).

They faced all three in Lowell and held the trio to a combined 44 points. So they've got to be at least better than Rensselaer right? And the Red Devils were relatively competitive with all of them. Don't go there. Saying you're good when you're 1-4 is like saying hurricane management is going well when the streets are still flooded.

You feel success could kick in for Lowell at any minute, especially with a second half of the schedule that includes Hammond (0-5), Munster (2-3), Hobart (4-1) and Highland (3-2).

WHITING - Whiting rallied to beat Wheeler 24-12 as QB Jake Kobli hit 16 of 25 for 216 yards. It was very good for the Oilers to be in a relatively close game, trailing 6-0 and 12-7 in the first half.

Whiting badly needs more tests in the final four games to prepare for West Central (5-0) and their tricky 'flex-bone' offense in sectional play. The game with Kankakee Valley (3-2) in week nine is rising in importance as KV continues to win.

The Oilers need a big physical team to play with and they need the Kougars to roll over their next three foes like so many dead skunks in the middle of the road. That way the game on Oct. 14 is crucial and Whiting can get something out of winning it.

Whiting hears more lies than any other team in NW Indiana. Some who say publicly how awesome and unstoppable they are privately insist the Oilers will fold come playoff time faster than the White Sox.

Warren Central beat Terre Haute South 76-12 last week. What planet are they from? Terre Haute South is a big school and Central beat them like a dusty rug. WC has scored 299 points in five games and they need to cut it out.

For Lowell fans, your team has company. Mighty Center Grove of north suburban Indianapolis is also off to a 1-4 start.

Of course the teams they have lost to are Carmel, Lawrence North, Ben Davis and Roncalli. Center Grove still has State No.1 and USA No. 4 Warren Central to play in a schedule that is scarier than the prospect of Geena Davis as the President of the United States.

The concussion suffered by Highland QB Andrew Helmer (out 2 games) sparked a discussion of why there aren't trainers at all high school events. Sometimes people forget how many high school athletic events there are.

There are 20 high school sports and eight in the fall. Football also has JV and freshman games played on different nights. Even if every school had two trainers, there wouldn't be one at every event. It isn't going to happen. And if you only staff football and volleyball, what happens if little Susie Popsicle runs into the goal post at the soccer game and the trainers' not there. There are more soccer injuries than any other sport bar none.

To be honest, coaches need some first aid training for situations where the trainer can't be at three places at once.

To be really honest, 15 weeks of high school football is ridiculous. Its a wonder 50% of all players don't get knocked out. Six weeks of playoffs is a joke, The National Football League only has four weeks of playoffs. Its way past time for Indiana to come into the 21^st century and limit the playoff to 32 (or better yet, 16) teams that QUALIFY in each class.

If half the teams don't make the playoffs, so what? Teams with losing records shouldn't be in the playoffs anyway. Maybe some of these boys can go home at night and crack a book instead of spending three hours at practice in November getting ready to get roasted 68-0 by Fort Wayne Snider.

USA-365's

Week 5: NW Indiana High School Top-10 Football Poll