"The Renegade"

Week 3: High School Top-10 Football Poll

A USA-365.com Special Report

9-1-2004

CROWN POINT (9-1-2004) The top teams in the poll all won because, well, they're the top teams. Hammond continued to rebound from their 0-10 season in 2003 with another Hammond city win, this time 34-0 over Clark. North Newton scored a decisive 32-13 win over Wheeler. The Spartans (1-1) have played very well two weeks in a row after years of losing records. Rensselaer's 40-10 win over Kankakee Valley should be taken in the context that KV led 10-7 at the half. Outside of the region, the biggest noise was made in Class 3A where three-time defending state champ Bishop Chatard (2-0) traveled to Evansville and crushed 5A No. 6 Evansville Reitz 35-0. That's very bad news for anyone in 3A with state championship hopes. No. 1 (3A) Chatard (2-0) faces No. 1 4A Roncalli (2-0) Friday in Indianapolis.

Significant heat moved in, after a cool summer, for last Saturday and it wore down teams that had close games. That could be a significant factor for Hobart, Crown Point, River Forest, Lake Station, Chesterton and Griffith this coming Friday (Sept. 3). Especially watch Hobart and Crown Point, who played a dramatic wearing game in virtual 90-degree heat and humidity on the floor of Hobart's sunken Brickie Bowl.

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.) Valparaiso (1-1)

Head Coach: Mark Hoffman (185-122, 27 years at Valpo)

VALPARAISO - Valpo dominated Gary Roosevelt 48-0 as junior HB Gilbert Allen (6-0, 172) gained 150 yards on 13 carries and scored three TDs. The Valparaiso defense held the Panthers to nine yards rushing. Valpo gets a pass on playing a badly overmatched foe every year in week two because they play a superpower (Penn) in week one. I've never heard anyone say this, but several teams (Valpo, Lowell, Merrillville, Andrean) have a soft foe in week two of the season before starting league play. Notice that teams I've mentioned there have had great success in recent years. It makes sense to peak for a tough opener and then recover in week two to hit the league at full stride.

Andrean could easily go 9-0 but anyone who has the 59ers rated above Valpo doesn't really understand what's going on down there on the field. The most significant result of the season so far in northwest Indiana was Valpo's OT loss (actually a tie game) at Penn. No one else in the six county region (Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Jasper, Newton, Starke) we call northwest Indiana could go to Penn right now and get a tie.

2.) Portage (2-0)

Head Coach: Craig Buzea (91-28, 10 years)

PORTAGE - Portage buried East Chicago under a 33-0 first half and grounded the Cardinals 54-23. Senior Milton Rivera intercepted two passes and ran one back for a TD. Rivera also caught two TD passes from QB Jake Huston. HB Antoine Brown ran for three TDs, gaining 158 yards on 17 carries. Huston is 19-of-33 for 257 yards, 4 TDs and no interceptions.

Every year you hear northwest Indiana talk about how some of the top teams outside the Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) are just as good as the top teams in the DAC. Ask independent East Chicago about that. EC was crushed back-to-back by Merrillville 42-13 and Portage 54-23. The reason Portage earns respect is that they play big schools EVERY WEEK, not once a year. Lake Central comes in on Friday (Sept. 3) and they won't have to ask if Portage is ready.

3.) MERRILLVILLE (2-0)

Head Coach: Jeff Yelton (46-29, 9 years)

MERRILLVILLE - James Aldridge carried 25 times, gained 258 yards and scored seven touchdowns. That's all that Crown Point needs to know before they arrive in Merrillville (Sept. 3) for the DAC opener. The 215-pound junior really hasn't faced a good run defense yet and he may not see one this Friday. But 450 yards and nine TDs in two games is more than weak competition. Jimmy Reitz took some snaps at QB and hit 6-of-8 for 123 yards. Reitz (6-4, 210) and Evan Parker are splitting time. Merrillville is still a little untested. It would be interesting to see what happened if they fell behind in the rivalry game Friday against CP.

Merrillville has lost late leads against Crown Point for two seasons in a row and their seniors will want to make amends this week. The Pirates had 20 first downs and 470 yards gained against Dunbar, but nobody here knows anything about Dunbar so what does it mean? No one has stopped Aldridge yet but someone will. What happens to Merrillville then? This would appear to be the best Merrillville team since the Jamel Williams, Dave Joseforsky and Zac Wells days of the early 90s.

4.) LOWELL (2-0)

Head Coach: Kirk Kennedy (95-51, 13 years)

LOWELL - Lowell dropped Calumet 57-0 last week in a bad matchup of a good running team and a bad running defense. Six Red Devils scored touchdowns including three by fullback Toby Goetz (5-11, 216). QB Scott Schulz tossed a 61-yard TD pass to receiver Jeff Clemens. Lowell shut out Calumet 42-0 last year and the Warriors called up and canceled the JV game, probably due to lack of players. Lowell may have to consider another foe for the second week of the year. Early in the season especially, your program needs freshman and JV opponents and you can't risk cancellations.

Lowell gained 400 yards rushing against Calumet but they won't gain 400 yards rushing on Griffith this week. The TD connection from Schulz to Clemens is big because the Devils need to show future foes that they can pass. They don't actually have to do it all night. They just have to convince the other side they can do it.

Lowell had trouble kicking extra points in week one, but Clemens was 4-for-5 last week. On paper, Friday's game at Griffith, a team the Devils beat 33-0 last year, is the second toughest on Lowell's schedule. The trip to state-ranked Andrean on Sept. 17 is obviously the toughest. Games with Crown Point, Griffith and Andrean are fun for Lowell, but as a 4A school, the must keep their eyes on Munster (2-0) and faraway East Noble (2-0).

5.) ANDREAN (2-0)

Head Coach: Brett St Germain (1 year, 12-1)

MERRILLVILLE - Andrean was shocked on the opening kickoff last week when Bishop Noll's Benny Jones grabbed it and ran 72 yards for a TD. But the 59ers then scored 41 consecutive points and won their 28^th consecutive regular season game 41-7. I'm told that no matter how many times and how badly Andrean beats Bishop Noll, this series will not end. You really have to talk to the highest officials if you want to change this schedule.

Andrean had a beautifully balanced attack with 264 yards rushing and 228 yards passing. 59er QB Tommy Finn was 14 of 21 for 228 yards and is 34 of 57 for 460 yards and 5 TDs this season. Andrean has 44 first downs in two games and 850 total yards. The 59ers travel to Morton this week where the Governors have scored 93 points in their first two games.

It's hard to tell how good Andrean is yet. The problem with the 59ers is that they do not face anyone of equal ability after the opener with Chesterton. A road game against an undefeated foe is a good test.

6.) Chesterton (1-1)

Head Coach: John Snyder (19-14 - 3 years)

CHESTERTON - Chesterton showed a lot of offense (331 total yards) in a 34-21 win at Griffith. The Trojans play northwest Indiana's toughest schedule with perennial 3A powers Griffith and Andrean followed by seven 5A DAC schools. QB Casey Martin (6-4, 215) is 19 of 38 for 226 yards and no interceptions. The Trojans have given up 40 first downs and 900 yards in two games and that has to be a source of concern. QBs Tommy Finn and Rich Lehmann have both run and passed for over 100 yards against them.

But Chesterton is one defensive stop away from being 2-0 and Michigan City's going to have to roll up 400 more yards to outscore the Trojans this Friday. If the offensive line continues to improve, this is a offensive powerhouse.

7.) Griffith (1-1)

Head Coach: Russ Radtke (100-37, 11 years)

GRIFFITH - Griffith beat Bishop Noll 57-3. No big deal. The Panthers then lost 34-21 to 5A Chesterton. Again, no big deal. I think the Panthers have received what they wanted out of the pre-conference season with 400 yards gained in each contest. But there are trouble signs. 190 penalty yards in the Noll game and five turnovers in the Chesterton game. The biggest change is QB Rich Lehmann, who has completed 17 of 33 passes for 186 yards. There have been entire seasons when Griffith didn't throw 32 passes. I'm still not buying it. If Griffith throws 16 passes against Lowell, they will lose. They'll run that triple option with Lehman, who had 180 yards on 23 carries last week. The only team that can stop Griffith's offense is Griffith, but four fumbles in two games is too many. The Panthers want to stand tall Friday after Lowell beat them 33-0 last season. I don't know why LB Nick Lam Chi is not playing but his absence won't cause Griffith to lose to Lowell; fumbles and penalties will.

8.) CROWN POINT (0-2)

Head Coach: Chip Pettit (14-17, 3 Years)

CROWN POINT - Crown Point lost another tough game, falling 21-17 at Hobart despite outgaining the Brickies 385-224. The combination of junior Matt Jansen and sophomore Matt Ernest has hooked up 13 times already for 150 yards. CP's defense has been roughed up for 480 rushing yards by the ground troops of Lowell and Hobart. Help is on the way as three linebackers who have not played all season return to active duty Friday at Merrillville. The good news is that the new boys come in this Friday. The bad news is that it's at Merrillville, one of the favorites for the Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) title.

The CP passing offense works fine and halfback Donny Kaiser ran for 100 yards last week. CP looked a lot better in this game than they did in the 25-15 loss to Lowell on Aug. 20. The Bulldogs are a difficult team to prepare for. But do they have the line strength to win four or five DAC games. Can they hold up just playing seven DAC games in a row? They did not prove that one way or another in August.

9.) Hobart (1-1)

Head Coach: Wally McCormack (5-7, 1 year)

HOBART - Hobart gave up a lot of yards, but rallied from an 11-point deficit to beat Crown Point 21-17. The Brickies need help against good passing teams. The good news is, other than Andrean, there are no good passing teams in the Lake Athletic Conference (LAC) Black Division where Hobart plays. If senior LB Josh Fuller (concussion), only misses a game or two and Marc Drobac (helped off the field at the end of last week's game) isn't hurt seriously, the Brickies will win more than they lose from this point on. They are physically bigger and stronger than anyone they will see from this point on. Kyle Gonzalez (0-for-9 passing last week) is better than that and it will start to show.

10.) LaPorte (1-1)

Head Coach: Bob Schellinger (55-54, 6 years)

LaPORTE - Elkhart Central dominated LaPorte worse than the score might indicate Friday, holding the talented Slicer offense to just 78 total yards. Elkhart was too quick for the blockers up front and junior QB Lance Juergensen (2-13, 21 yards) had little success. Tailback's Airrance Shark (8-28 yards) and Josh Salary (8-26) were shut down.

The question is, is LaPorte that bad or is Elkhart Central that good? You can't know in the second week of the year. Elkhart Central blasted Elkhart Memorial by three touchdowns the week before.

LaPorte has to rebound immediately, on the road at Valparaiso this week. They are near a cliff where they could take several losses in a row if there is any hangover. I know that New Prairie (2-0) and Elkhart Central are tough but Portage (2-0), Chesterton (1-1), Valparaiso (1-1) and Merrillville (2-0) are even tougher.

11.) Munster (2-0)

Leroy Marsh (163-97, 21 years)

MUNSTER - Munster clearly wasn't that motivated against Wirt, scoring 14 in the final quarter to win 35-6. Here's the soft second game theory at work again, but Munster also had a soft opening game and, frankly, doesn't have a very difficult looking third game in Highland. Fullback Prince Kwateng (5-11, 205) gained 130 yards on just 15 carries, but 4-of-12 passing against a very weak team is a concern. The Mustangs also fumbled three times. Without a passing attack, they appear to be Lowell and Griffith without the overall quickness. But that could be just appearance. Wirt was no challenge.

Out of town scoreboard...

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Penn (1-1)	0	7	0	0	7
Ben Davis (2-0)	0	6	8	7	21

INDIANAPOLIS - The pecking order is still in place. Penn is a notch above northwest Indiana teams and Ben Davis or Warren Central is a notch up on Penn. The Giants held Penn to just 42 yards rushing on 21 carries. Soph QB Nick Heim got his first start and was 11 of 30 for 185 yards with three QB sacks and two interceptions against the speedy Ben Davis defense. Obviously, Penn doesn't play a tough game in week one and then a soft one in week two to position themselves for the Northern Indiana Conference. Since they are twice the size of anyone else in the NIC, they load up on nonconference games (Valparaiso – Ben Davis) because they know they're going to sweep their league.

Ben Davis tailback Demetrius Jefferson carried the ball 31 times for 229 yards. BD has switched to the wing-T offense this year with the retirement of veteran coach Dick Dullaghan. But leading just 7-6, BD went back to Dullaghan's I-formation and finished with 237 yards on 38 carries.

How good is Ben Davis? Check back after this Friday's game (Sept. 3) with defending state champion Warren Central.