The RENEGADE 2009 NW Indiana High School Top-10, Week-10 Football Poll

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

10-19-2009

MERRILLVILLE (10-23-2009) As we start the post-season, another factor has jumped into play in Indiana high school football. Boys staying home sick. In Lafayette, the ninth week game between Clinton Prairie and top-ranked Class 1A Lafayette Catholic was canceled last Friday when 127 Clinton Prairie students missed school on Thursday with the flu.

In South Bend, Washington upset Mishawaka 24-0 even though Washington claimed to have had 30 players sick and out of school on Wednesday. Some fall sports like soccer are almost designed to make the players ill, scheduling multiple state tournament school night games in October. Adults need to have more sense than that. Most football players can miss practice and still play on Friday night, and with no school on Saturday, you can play sick. But if dozens of players at your school are ill on any Friday night from this point on, your season is probably over.

The rankings didn't change much for week 10 but they will for week 11 as there are some big sectional quarterfinal match ups.

1.) 5A Merrillville (8-1)
2008 (8-5), 2007 (12-2), 2006 (7-5), 2005 (11-3), 2004 (6-5)

MERRILLVILLE: The Pirates were mediocre in a 24-21 win over Chesterton with three turnovers. In their defense, Merrillville had nothing to play for in week nine. Denzel Pierce scored his 15th TD and the Pirates won their eighth game in a row. Merrillville got a very good draw but they need to be very concerned Valparaiso because you don't know exactly which set of personnel is available to the Vikings. If they keep giving the ball away more often than Jay Cutler does for the Bears, it will be a short post-season.

2.) 4A Lowell (8-1)
2008 (13-1), 2007 (13-2), 2006 (7-6), 2005 (11-4), 2004 (9-4)

LOWELL: The Devils needed a dramatic second half rally to overcome deficits of 14-3 and 21-11. Brandon Grubbe and Ray Skamay made big runs in an 80-yard fourth quarter drive that put the Devils ahead in a game where they were outplayed. Lowell got a miserable draw. To win a seventh consecutive sectional title, they must beat three of the state's top 4A teams in Plymouth (9-0), South Bend Washington (7-2) and Concord (6-3). The Devils are largely healthy but they need their best game in two years to still be playing on Halloween.

3.) 3A Andrean (6-3)
2008 (6-7), 2007 (9-4), 2006 (8-3), 2005 (8-2), 2004 (13-2)

MERRILLVILLE: The Niners lost leads of 14-3 and 21-11, but they can't be unhappy with the 25-21 loss at Lowell. Andrean became the first team all season to out-gain the Devils and they rolled up 386 yards against a top 4 A teams. The Niners got a good draw in the 3A playoffs because they get a Calumet team that has scored just 18 points total in the last four weeks. The Niners got a decent draw but they have no chance to play a sectional semifinal game at home. Even so, 3A Sectional 17 is weaker than the California Angels playoff hopes.

4.) 5A Chesterton (6-3)
2008 (9-3), 2007 (6-4), 2006 (5-6), 2005 (3-8), 2004 (5-5)

CHESTERTON: The Trojans played well in the 24-21 loss at Merrillville Friday. Jon Watson scored his 15th and 16th TDs and the Trojans rushed for 211 yards against the DAC champ Pirates. If the Trojans can get past a suspicious looking opening game at Crown Point (3-6), they should meet Merrillville against for the sectional one title in November. This team has more to show us defensively but they need to show it starting Friday.

5.) 5A Valparaiso (5-4)

2008 (9-2), 2007 (6-5), 2006 (3-6), 2005 (5-5), 2004 (6-5)

VALPARAISO: Valpo coasted past Lake Central 24-6 last week and they got halfback Issac Bullock back healthy to a team with 1,000-yard rusher Michael Perkins. Has anybody noticed that Valpo has won four of their last five games? The Vikings probably didn't want to draw Merrillville right away because they still may have players they can get off the injury list next month. But Valpo, which averages 27 points a game against Northwest Indiana's toughest schedule, had three TDs of 60 yards or more last week. On the artificial turf, they are a scary offensive team.

6.) 5A LaPorte (6-3)
2008 (4-8), 2007 (8-3), 2006 (12-1), 2005 (11-1), 2004 (4-7)

LaPORTE: LaPorte's just a bunch of homers. After losing road games at Merrillville and Crown Point, the Slicers returned home to top Michigan City 21-7 last week. You may know the numbers by now, but LaPorte, which has won only seven road games (they are 7-15 on the road and 15-7 at home in the last 44 games) in the last four years, improved to 4-0 at home while remaining 1-3 away from home. I believe LaPorte is without halfback Nick Latchford (124 caries, 818 yards) due to injury, so it's hard to rank them any higher than this. But you all know LaPorte would defeat Morton and Munster. LaPorte might beat the Colts if they played them at home.

7.) 5A Michigan City (6-3)
2008 (4-6), 2007 (2-8), 2006 (1-9), 2005 (6-5), 2004 (4-6)

MICHIGAN CITY: With QB Rodney Washington (47 of 86, 912 yards, 7 TDs) back in the lineup, the Wolves rolled at Crown Point 35-3. That's why they moved up in this poll. Folks act like this team doesn't exist. Adam Harmon (1,250 yards) is the No. 1 ground gainer in the area this year. They've allowed 14 points a game and they are 5-1 (the loss to Merrillville) in games that Washington has started. They host Elkhart Memorial (6-3) in a tough opening game. But on a good field, they should prevail.

8.) 5A Portage (4-5)
2008 (6-4), 2007 (5-5), 2006 (6-5), 2005 (2-8), 2004 (8-4)

PORTAGE: They've lost 31-28 and now 23-21. All five teams that have beaten them have winning records, but five losses is rough for a team with the offense Portage has. Jake Dixon has 16 TDs, but the defense has been weaker than the Tennessee Titans' defense. Nobody would (or should) argue that Morton or Munster could beat Portage, but to be a really good losing team is not a plan. The saving grace? Portage's playoff draw is more mediocre than Tim Tebow's passer rating. Portage hosts East Chicago (3-6) for an easy playoff win this Friday and they'll take on the CP-Chesterton winner in the semifinals.

9.) 4A Morton (8-1)
2008 (7-5) 2007 (6-4), 2006 (5-5), 2005 (8-4)

HAMMOND: Morton coasted past Gavit 53-0 in another no-contest Governor win. Morton is a lot like Wheeler (9-0) in that they're winning so big you have to pay attention to them. They have wins over Griffith (5-4) and Munster (7-2) and a nine-point loss to Lowell (8-1). But you wish they'd have faced tougher foes down the stretch. The Governors got a half-and-half draw with Highland (1-8) in the opener. The bad half is that they will play Griffith in the second round and the Panthers have been looking forward to a rematch for two months.

10.) 5A Munster (7-2)
2008 (7-4) , 2007 (3-7), 2006 (5-5), 2005 (3-7)

MUNSTER: Munster took home their first Northwest Crossroads Conference title with a 40-13 rout of Kankakee Valley. This was a very successful season for the Mustangs, who ended up winning their final three games. Did you know that no one scored more than 21 points in any game against Munster this year? Only Wheeler can make that statement. I don't like the fact that they drew Lake Central again in the first round of the playoffs. They've beaten LC three times in two seasons and you don't want another match in the mud at LC.

On the outside looking in...

2A Wheeler (9-0)
2008 (9-1), 2007 (11-2), 2006 (5-5), 2005 (5-5)

UNION TOWNSHIP: Look at the record Wheeler has rolled up: 29-3 over the past three years. Last week's 42-0 shutout of Calumet was the Bearcats' sixth shutout in nine games this year and their ninth in the last 14 Wheeler games. These are incredible numbers. The Bearcats also average 50 points a game and that does include wins over 4As Highland (1-8) and KV (3-6). The opener at North Newton (4-5) will be spirited, but Wheeler will win easily. Then the tests. The Bearcats will host North Judson (5-4) and would have to travel to Rensselaer (7-2). I don't think Wheeler can win all three. But then, I didn't think Purdue could beat Ohio State in 100 years.