USA-365's Week-7 NW Indiana High School Football Poll

MERRILLVILLE (10-4-2005) With two weeks left and the state tournament parings on the street, two things are certain. 1.) There will be more charges against Tom DeLay and; 2.) Absolutely no one is a prohibitive favorite in sectional play. Anyone in the six country area (Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Jasper, Starke, Newton) we call Northwest Indiana could be gone in the first three weeks. No one in NW Indiana has dominated a tough schedule. There are five undefeated teams (Rensselaer, Whiting, Crown Point, Andrean and Griffith) and oddly, there are no one-loss teams except for LaPorte.

It's time to revisit 2004 where a team that lost by five touchdowns in week eight went on to win the 3a state title. It's easy to forget how long the second season is. The question isn't who could win the state title. The question is who could win six games in a row against increasingly tougher competition in deteriorating weather. No one has proven that, because with the occasional exception of the Duneland Conference, nobody plays six tough teams all year much less six in a row. Its easy to project a team into the finals at the RCA Dome when you don't know what's going on outside your area. Here's an example.

In Northwest Indiana, many will say that this week's Griffith-Andrean game is the biggest game in the state. No. 1 against No. 2 in Class 3A. None bigger. Right? Wrong. In Fort Wayne, multiple time state champs and Catholic-public school arch-rivals Bishop Dwenger (7-0) and Snider (7-0) go head-to-head for the Summit Athletic Conference (SAC) title in Fort Wayne. Meanwhile in Indianapolis, 3000-kid superpowers North Central (6-1) and Warren Central (7-0) meet for a share of the title in the undisputed No. 1 conference in the state, the Metropolitan Conference championship in Indianapolis.

You can argue but the point is, at this time of the year if the state finals is your goal (and for some it truthfully isn't) and you want to be realistic (many don't) about your chances, you need to know what's going on outside your area.

1A... Don't look. It's ugly. While local NW Indiana folks ice the Whiting cake for nine weeks, there are other undefeated Class 1A teams like Pioneer (7-0), Seeger (7-0) and West Central (7-0). The Sagarin Computer rankings aren't always true predictors, but they aren't far off. West Central is rated 14 points better than Whiting on the computer. In addition, Whiting plays one of the 15 weakest schedules in the state. They have five weeks (Whiting-West Central is Nov. 4.) to overcome that.

2A... Rensselaer has spent the season facing decent foes, although they should be playing Lowell when you look at a map. Fort Wayne's Harding has played a significantly tougher schedule. But no specific team here is the problem. First, its arch-rival North Judson. then powerful John Glenn (6-1), then Harding. Then, two-time defending champ Tri-West. Does anybody in NW Indiana know that Tri-West has won 29 games in a row? Not 29 regular season games. 29 straight games. Rensselaer is a long-shot at best.

3A... Some in NW Indiana have watched Griffith crush North Lake County schools and have awarded them a state title already. They could be half right. The two perennial powers in Class 3A state wide, Bishop Chatard (seven state titles) and Heritage Hills (a state best 136-13 in the last 11 years) are in the southern 3A bracket and must meet in the semistate as they have for the last four years. So the door appears open for the winner of the Nov. 4 game between Andrean and Griffith. Unless either plays Marian (6-1), which has played a far tougher schedule, or Bishop Luers (4-3) , which always plays a tougher schedule than most non-5A schools because of the league they're in. Bottom line: Private schools have won the last four 3A titles. Outside of 5A, private schools win MOST of the state football titles. Look back at this paragraph at the names I mentioned. Luers, Marian and Chatard. Griffith is a public school. Remember, you've got to win six in a row and you don't get to play Hammond high more than once.

4A... If you just look at the records, nobody in 4A in NW Indiana is any good. Hobart (4-3) and Lowell (3-4) are considered the favorites in Sectional nine but certainly they'd be bombed by Plymouth (7-0) in the regional, right? Maybe. Hobart is injury riddled but nobody is as physical if they can get healthy. Remember that the Brickies have lost to Andrean (7-0), Crown Point (7-0) and Morton (5-2). Their strength of schedule is higher than Plymouth (6-0), which has won two double-overtime games and occasionally gives up points like cows give milk. Lowell? That's a joke, right? Lowell's 3-4. Hold on. They've lost to CP, Morton, Andrean and Griffith (7-0). The Devils' strength of schedule is through the roof. Rushing teams with star players tend to shine in November and Plymouth is a passing team. The real problem in 4A is the winner of the expected 4A Sectional 11 semifinal between Bishop Dwenger (7-0) and old Elmer Britton and Logansport. Logansport has averaged 46 points a game in the football-poor but Class 5A North Central conference. Logansport (7-0) has defeated four 5A schools. If you see anyone in NW Indiana in 4A that can beat either Logansport or Dwenger, you've got better eyes than I have.

5A... No one from NW Indiana has ever won a 5A state title. Maybe I should just stop there. Because no one will this year either. Or maybe I should say, no one in NW Indiana beats Warren Central (56-6 in five years), the two-time defending big school state champ
and the nation's No. 3 team. But maybe Lawrence North (6-1) can beat Warren Central. And then maybe seven-time state champ Ben Davis can beat Lawrence North. And then maybe Reitz or Avon (6-1) can beat Ben Davis. And then, maybe Crown Point could beat Avon, complete a 15-0 season and win the state title.

That's if Crown Point gets past Valparaiso, Portage, arch-rval Merrillville, five-time state champ Penn and undefeated five-time semistate champion Snider (7-0). That's why no 5A team out of NW Indiana has ever won a state title.

MERRILLVILLE - The number of local football people who whisper that Merrillville is not that good diminished significantly last week after the Pirates blew out Valparaiso 30-0. That's the same Valpo team that played everybody, including 5A No. 9 Penn and 5A No. 3 Crown Point. Merrillville grabbed six interceptions and held Valpo to just 115 total yards. All-state halfback James Aldridge gained 120 yards on 11 carries and the Pirates committed no turnovers, the key to their success. The Pirates have posted three shutouts and they held Michigan City (5-2) to just seven points. Throw out the 38-35 OT loss to LaPorte, a game where Merrillville was shorthanded in the secondary against a top passing team and no one has scored more than one TD on them in any game. Look closely, though. The Pirate offense is still not clicking. If you get six turnovers, you should score six touchdowns. The Pirates aren't rolling up the rushing yards they should and that points to the offensive line. The question of whether Merrillville is better than Crown Point will be answered on Nov. 4 when then Bulldogs will play the Pirates in the Sectional one championship game. That is, if CP can get there.

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 got senior QB Matt Jansen back off the disabled list and they immediately scored a season-high 35 points and gained a season-best 400 yards. Folks who said that Jansen should not immediately go back into the starting lineup apparently forgot about how skilled a ball-handler and passer he is. Even running at 80%, he's the top QB in the DAC. No knock against Blake Mascarello, who led the Bulldogs to six wins, but this was to be a learning season for the sophomore lefty. And he got an advanced course in quarterbacking. Now, CP, which had no experienced QB lined up for next year, will have a strong-armed young man who has played 2/3 of a DAC season. Everybody wins. One key to CP this year has been the offensive line which has three sophomores. They have developed into an excellent front wall and they must continue to play well.

The defense has allowed the fewest points of any 5A team in the state. And they play nine competitive teams, unlike schools like Morton and Munster which begin with two nonconference softies to get their motor running. State rankings are phony, because most of the voters don't even know where your town is. Rankings are based on how good you are, not how many games you win. It's week eight and no one yet has told me they feel that Crown Point has a better team, player for player, than Merrillville. Absolutely no one. It's not an insult to be ranked No. 2 in NW Indiana behind a team with five D-1 players. The Bulldogs gave up some passing yards last week and they'll get another chance to work on the pass 'D' against pass-happy and upset minded Chesterton.

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 past another out-manned foe, zapping Hammond 64-0. The Panthers used the winless Wildcats (0-7) as a chance to rest starters in front of the game with Andrean this week (Oct. 7), as they should have.

The Panthers now face their second true test of the year. Griffith struggled early in a 21-0 win at Lowell on Sept. 2. What the Panthers need to do this week is come from behind to win. You do not want to go into the state tournament never having been behind all year. That's blueprint for overconfidence followed by failure.

The Panthers want the LAC championship, but they will be reminded of 2004, when they smoked Andrean in Week eight and then choked in the sectional championship four weeks later, a game they simply gift-wrapped and gave away.

QB Lance Juergensen #2 drops back to pass for LaPorte as Nick Hladek #93 applies pressure from the Crown Point defensive line, 9-30-2005.

LaPORTE - The Slicers not only lost 35-14 at Crown Point (7-0) but they lost QB Lance Juergensen to an apparent rib injury. The Slicers depend on four and five wide receiver sets and they will be severely diminished for as long as Juergensen cannot play.

LaPorte wasn't exposed last week giving up 300 yards rushing because they've given up an average of 200 yards rushing per game all year. The Slicers are going to have to outscore the opposition until their front wall can slow down running backs. They can still do that.

The focus now will go to HB Airrence Shark, who wasn't a major factor after CP jumped to a 21-0 lead last week. A team's first loss of the season can have a major effect on them. Look out for a tough game against up-and-coming Michigan City this week.

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

MERRILLVILLE - The 59ers coasted past injury weakened Highland 32-0 last week in a tune-up for undefeated Griffith this Friday. Andrean passed tests against Lowell and Hobart, but this is a major exam for rookie QB Jesse Repay (66-of-105, 879 yards, 8 TDs, 3 interceptions) and the 59er offense, which was shut down in Lowell in a 7-0 victory.

The only way to beat Griffith is to keep the Panther defense, their most suspect unit, on the field. If I'm Andrean, I'm very aggressive early in this game with four and five wide receivers. Some privately feel Griffith cannot handle a quality passing attack.

The Niners have allowed only 1,167 yards in seven games and they have 16 pass interceptions so they welcome the Panthers' new found love for the forward pass.

If the 59ers can get the lead, their 200-yards-a-game rushing attack could wear Griffith out. But nobody has taken so much as a one-point lead on Griffith all year and there's no guarantee it will happen Friday.

Valparaiso's Aaron Biggs #34 had 12 carries for 112 yard Sept. 23 against CP's top-rated scoring defense.

VALPARAISO - Valpo took a 30-0 spanking from Merrillville, but that's no crime. Valpo's been in more fights this year than a NASCAR driver. The Vikings have lost to Penn (5-2), Merrillville (5-2), LaPorte (6-1) and Crown Point (7-0), all ranked in the top-20 state wide.

No one in NW Indiana has played a schedule like this and it 's hard to look at this week's game at perennially tough, but 2-5 Portage, as a break.

QB Carl Hoeffler had a nightmare game against Merrillville, firing up five pass interceptions. But expect him to be back at QB against Portage. It's not time to change the captain just because the ship's taking on a little water.

Valpo's weekend wasn't a total loss. They drew Crown Point (7-0) at Valpo to open the state playoffs. Seriously, Valparaiso played CP better than anybody else has this season (losing just 13-10 to CP).

MICHIGAN CITY - Michigan City won a big game at home 23-14 over Portage, clinching a non-losing season for the first time since the consolidation of Elston and Rogers in 1995. William Dobkowski blocked a potential game-winning Portage field goal with 7:19 to play. Top rusher Robert Fics then iced the game with a 98-yard run. Fics gained 314 yards on 25 carries, his second 300-yard game of the season. It all comes down to the offensive line as the Wolves head into the toughest portion of their schedule against LaPorte (6-1) and Crown Point (7-0). The truth is... Fics hasn't run for 100 yards on a good team yet. Portage, Chesterton and Lake Central are all 2-5. Michigan City has not defeated anyone with a winning record. Can Fic run on good teams like he runs on mediocre ones? Valpo and Merrillville stopped him. But I will say this. Everybody runs on LaPorte. Here is the upset of the week. Don't tell anybody. LaPorte can't stop the run. MC beats LaPorte. Maybe decisively.

PORTAGE - I'm still not sold that this team is no good. For the second consecutive week, they should have won. The Indians got HB Justin Smith back in the lineup and he scored a key TD late in the game. But when the game was on the line, Michigan City blocked a go-ahead field goal with 7 1/2 minutes to play. Every Lake County media poll has Whiting ahead of Portage and Whiting could not stay on the field with Portage for a half and they both know it. But the numbers don't lie. Portage has not beaten anyone with a winning record and they have not held the lead in four of their losses. The defense is above average but the offense has not been consistent. I would guess there's a lot going on internally here that isn't obvious. But there's still time and Portage got the draw they wanted, a Chesterton (2-5) team that defeated them.

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

HOBART - Hobart lost a 21-7 lead against Morton because they couldn't stop the pass. In the 28-21 defeat, Morton completed 20 of 28 passes against a secondary that was powerless once the momentum of the game changed.

Hobart did get 232 yards rushing and that's the best news of the week for the Brickies. Hobart found a running back in big sophomore Andrew Jackson (6-1, 220), who carried 36 times for 202 yards in what I believe was his first start. That's a real Brickie running back.

We'll see if Jackson can keep it up this week as Hobart faces rival Lowell (3-4) in another game between sectional favorites. Here's another team that will benefit when the colder weather moves in this week.

Don't write Hobart off yet. The draw should get them to the 12th week where they should see Lowell again. This week's game is only a dress rehearsal.

RENSSELAER - The Bombers hijacked Delphi 61-7 last week with 458 yards rushing. The Bombers need a win over Sheridan (6-1) this week to nail down a second consecutive undefeated regular season. Only North Newton has scored more than 14 points all season against the Bombers all year. This team is not big and physical and they've got a tough playoff road starting with a Wheeler (4-3) team that has the capability to pull an upset. Could Rensselaer beat Morton or Lowell? In Rensselaer? Sure they could.

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

LOWELL - Lowell smoked out Munster 48-7 as Scott Gray went over the 1,000-yard mark. Lowell has had a 1000-yard rusher for six years in a row.

Lowell is the only NW Indiana team that has played (and lost to) all three of Lake County's undefeated teams, Andrean (7-0), Griffith (7-0) and Crown Point (7-0). They held the trio to a combined 44 points so the season defensive average (103 points) of 13.8 points a game is legit. Why aren't they in the top-10 after routs of Calumet, Hammond and Munster. Because they need to beat somebody better than those three.

Lowell, like Hobart and Crown Point, is still shorthanded without FB-LB Ethan Winel who has missed four games. The Devils have posted wins 41-6 and 48-7 and they are 2-1 on the road and Lowell was lifted by the draw which saw them get a road game at Gary Roosevelt (3-3) and a second round matchup with Munster or KV. Lowell has won a 4A sectional title in each of the past two years and, after a bad start, they believe that goal is still reachable.

HAMMOND - Morton scored a big come-from-behind win over Hobart 28-21 that has to lift them. QB Robert Dutton was 19-of-27 for 224 yards and he's been the catalyst in wins over the Brickes and Lowell. Now, I'm not sure Morton is better than those teams. Morton played Lowell when Lowell's all-state multi-position player Jeff Clemens and all-state wrestler Ethan Winel were injured and unavailable.

Hobart has battled multiple injury problems all year. Hobart and Lowell, at full strength, beat Morton. Bottom line, the Governors, with the exciting basketball on grass attack, still give up a painful amount of rushing yards. They aren't physical and you just can't beat good teams that way.

They've done pretty much all they can do during the regular season. Why aren't they in the Top-10? The losses are to Andrean (7-0) and Griffith (7-0). Come on. But, except for Hobart, which could be 4-4 after this week, Morton has no wins over teams with winning records. And that rushing defense is about as tough as twinkies. Everybody has run on Morton and like LaPorte, I don't know what they can do about it.

WHITING - Whiting coasted past Gavit 41-6 as Matt Kobli was 14-of-24 for 298 yards. Kobli has been over 290 yards passing four times. Another week. They play one of the 20 weakest schedules in the state. We've said that many times. But Whiting's fortunes are rising as they have home games with Clark and Kankakee Valley to finish the season. Then they drew River Forest (1-6) in the 1A sectional 33 opener. River Forest is not capable of beating Whiting right now. The Oilers could then host Lake Station (1-6), another team they could not possibly lose to. So the Oilers have a very good chance to be at home the entire month of October winning and having fun before playtime ends with a Nov. 4 showdown against West Central (7-0). Who cares if they have played a schedule that's weaker than Boston Red Sox pitching? The Oilers will be playing in November when most schools are getting ready for basketball.

USA-365's

Week 7: NW Indiana High School Top-10 Football Poll