The RENEGADE 2009 NW Indiana High School Top-10, Week-9 Football Poll


A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

10-13-2009

 

 

MERRILLVILLE (10-16-2009)With one week left before the state playoffs, we're still looking for a state contender in the six county area (Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Jasper, Newton and Starke) that we call Northwest Indiana.  In the eighth week of the season, no one looked like they could handle bad weather conditions against a good team.  The top two teams Merrillville (7-1) and Lowell (7-1) could not convert their 'games' to the 'cream of wheat' fields that were created by two days of rains.  When you rank a team, not only do you consider how good they are right now (as compared to eight weeks ago), but you judge them in good and bad weather.

 

Some of the ratings in the DAC may be a little off because five of the seven DAC schools have artificial turf and most Indiana high school football stadiums do not.  That means teams with speed like Valparaiso and Merrillville might see that speed handcuffed if they get a night where they have to deal with a mayonnaise playing surface like most teams did last Friday.

 

Two points to be made here.  You can't judge a team based on how they played on a field which had all the density of mashed potatoes.  But remember that some fields, like the one at Chesterton, are shot for the season.  If the Trojans host a playoff game, the field will still be muddy because real grass isn't going to grow back like a Chia Pet in two weeks.  And that field that Munster defeated Lowell on last Friday?  Six DAC teams could get sent there Tuesday night.  The big night this week is not Friday but Tuesday.  Nothing that happens to anyone on Friday can hurt any team.  But what happens Tuesday night at 5:00 p.m. CDT (the IHSAA state tourney draw) could send your team downhill faster that Purdue University's.
 


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

 

MERRILLVILLE:  Merrillville escaped from the quick sand at Lake Central with a 20-7 win.  Note to the Pirates:  When the local newspapers give credit to the team you just beat for only losing to you by 13 on their home field, that's a backhanded compliment.  Pirate Junior Denzel Pierce ran for three more TDs and he now has 16 TDs this season.  The Pirates are vulnerable in bad weather because they can't just lineup and run over you.  But the defense has allowed just 12 points a game since losing the opener to Warren Central.  No one should question who's number one in NW Indiana this week and the Pirates are very happy that this week's game against Chesterton is at Merrillville.
2.)  4A Lowell (7-1)
 2008 (13-1), 2007 (13-2), 2006 (7-6), 2005 (11-4), 2004 (9-4)
 

LOWELL:  The Devils won't recognize the 15-13 loss at Munster as a good loss, but it may turn out to be.  What do you need for a good loss?
1.) It needs to be to a good team.  Munster is in this poll.  2.) It needs to be on the road.  Lowell still hasn't lost a home game since 2007.  3.) It needs to be a loss that was not injury-based.  I do not know of any starting player that Lowell lost to injury.  4.) You need to have outplayed the other team and gave it away.  That's what Lowell did, leading 13-3 with eight minutes to play and finding a way to lose.  If you have read these pages for any length of time, you know that I do not think it's good for a team in youth sports to be undefeated heading into the post-season.  The IHSAA makes sure that you get absolutely nothing for being unbeaten.  You cannot earn a weak opponent or the home field.  Lowell's loss is good for them in the long run because if they'd been coasting or holding anything back, it comes out now for this week's season finale against Andrean.  One ominous note:  Of the 11 TDs scored against Lowell this season, seven have been TD passes.
 


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

 

MERRILLVILLE:  The Niners won a mud bowl 10-6 over Griffith, a solid, but meaningless win over a team they won't see again in the post-season.  I see absolutely no value in winning your conference.  That's for your ego and for the Mom's Club.  Andrean must prepare for the post-season in this week's game against Lowell (7-1).  You can say what you want, but if Andrean loses six players to injury in a hard fought 59-58, 16-overtime win over the Devils Friday, what will they have accomplished?  1.) They will win the Northwest Crossroads title.  2.) They will be wiped out in 3A Sectional 17 play.  3.) They will be stupefied that they ever thought that a half share of a championship in a three-year old, seven team league was worth 1/10 of the championship of the entire state.
 


4.)  5A Chesterton (6-2)
 2008 (9-3), 2007 (6-4), 2006 (5-6), 2005 (3-8), 2004 (5-5)

 

CHESTERTON:  The Trojans didn't exactly rule the world in a 14-3 win over Crown Point last week, but they played well in bad weather and that's what has to work for them.  The Chesterton defense and four inches of mud on the field held Crown Point without a first down for the entire game.  I have never seen that in varsity football. Junior QB Jon Watson scored his 15th TD in eight games as the Trojans clinched a winning season both overall and in DAC play.  The Trojans play at Merrillville Friday (10-16-2009) and they hope they don't draw Merrillville Tuesday in 5A Sectional One.

 


5.)  5A Valparaiso (4-4)

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

 

VALPARAISO:  Okay I admit to a certain amount of confusion as to where to rank Valparaiso.  The Vikings win big one week and they lose the next.  They wiped out Portage 35-0 last week to get back to the .500 mark the week after they lost halfback Nick Thompson for the season with a leg injury.  Valpo averages 350 yards a game after losing their starting QB in week one.  But they've allowed 20 or more points to six different teams.  Crown Point (3-5) is the only team Valpo has played that is under .500.  But Penn beat them by 3 TDs and Merrillville beat them by 4 TDs.  You rank them.

 

 

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

 

PORTAGE:  Here's another bunch of freaky boys.  If you watch them on the right night, junior backs Jake Dixon and Zach Huston rule the world.  If you saw them last Friday night at home against Valparaiso, you saw them get worn out like the Indiana University defense did last weekend.  This is a bad defensive team and I'm not sure why.  I know they've faced great offensive players from Valpo, Merrillville and (Chicago) St. Rita.  But Portage had two shutouts in the first three weeks before the run-stoppers apparently headed for warmer weather.  Since then the defense had sunk like Jay Leno's ratings.
 

 

7.)  5A LaPorte (5-3)
 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.
 

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

MICHIGAN CITY:   Same thing here.  Michigan City is without QB Rodney Washington (42 of 77, 802 yards, 7 TDs) and they are not the same team without him.  Washington has missed the last three games and MC is 1-2 in those contests.  I do not know Washington's injury, but I would not expect to see him this week at Crown Point (3-5) in the regular season finale because all he can do in that game is get re-injured.  The Wolves need a win Friday to have a winning season.  To their credit, they have not been beaten badly in any game.  Are they better than Portage, Chesterton, Valpo or LaPorte?  It's hard to say.  Are they superior to Morton (7-1), Munster (6-2) or Wheeler (8-0)? That's easier to say.


 

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

 

HAMMOND:  Morton rolled over Hobart 43-6 last week but they are getting hurt because the schedule they play isn't what it used to be.  The Governors have defeated Hobart and Griffith this season, but Hobart (1-7) and Griffith (4-4) have seen better days.  The home field battle with Lowell (7-1) where the Governors led by 13 before they lost 35-26 was also devalued when Lowell lost at Munster last Friday.  Before Morton folks get upset at where I have them ranked, note which 4A Sectional nine teams are rated AHEAD of Morton here.  Morton seems primed to deliver a 1st round playoff beat down.  Although I remember saying that about the St. Louis Cardinals, too.



10.)  5A Munster (6-2)
 2008 (7-4) , 2007 (3-7), 2006 (5-5), 2005 (3-7)


MUNSTER:  Munster dug deep in the Lake County mud and found some fourth quarter offense for a 15-13 upset of Lowell last week, meaning the Mustangs have defeated Andrean (6-2) and Lowell (7-1) this season, both in come-from-behind fourth quarter rallies.  Munster has one-point losses to Griffith (4-4) and Morton (7-1), so the reality here is, while Munster could be 8-0, they could also be 4-4.  Senior QB Josh Lukoshus tossed two late TD passes to 6-foot-5 Justin Gill to beat the Devils.  The Mustangs have scored only 63 points in the last five games so there are still major offensive problems here.  But since they are not going to win 5A Sectional One (they are overmatched), this week's final regular season game at Kankakee Valley (3-5) is everything.  Munster will share the Northwest Crossroads Conference title with the winner of the Lowell/Andrean contest.  For this one team, next Friday is bigger than next Tuesday's IHSAA draw.  I'd like to see Munster defeat a winning team without trailing for three quarters and pulling it out with a miracle rally.

 

 

Copyright © 2009 USA-365.com and Meyer Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp.  All rights reserved.
Revised: October 13, 2009 .