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4A No. 4 Lowellat5A Crown Point |
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Week
1 - Football Game of the Week Preview |
4A No. 4 Lowellat5A Crown Point |
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8-15-2010
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When:
7:00 p.m., CDT on Friday, August 20, 2010
Where: Crown Point High School, 1500 S Main St, Crown Point, IN
TV/Radio/Internet: WWCA (1270)
FM, WGVE (88.5) FM, live updates of all local scores all night on WLPR (89.1) FM.
Live Internet audio stream on www.USA-365.com.
Tickets: $5
Enrollment: CROWN POINT - 2,512; LOWELL - 1,224 (2009
numbers)
WEATHER: Low 80s in the late afternoon. Maybe mid-70s
at kickoff. Great for fans. A little warm for players. But
nothing like the dangerous (for football) heat wave conditions of last Friday.
A very good night to go to the game. But visitors might want to remember
one thing. There is a large water retention pond behind the home stands.
It's heaven for mosquitoes. If you don't bring some kinds of bug spray or
something with long sleeves, you'll wish you had.
PARKING: There's a ton of parking at CPHS. It's a big
school. You'll have to walk a little bit from the north end of the parking
lot, but there's room for you. If you don't mind a $1 donation to St.
Matthias church, you can park on church property west of the school.
Lowell folks may not know that there is a second parking lot on the east side of
the tennis courts.
No matter where you park, it's a good, long walk to your seat. That's just
the way it is at a school the size of CPHS, which has a college-size campus.
Even Lowell fans will have to go some to fill the visitors stands at CP, which
can hold 1,000.
WHAT's AT STAKE: The wonderful 'Leather Helmet Trophy,'
which is a beaten up old World War I piece of leather headgear mounted on a
wooden base. The idea is that the Lowell-Crown Point football rivalry goes
back to when leather helmets were in use. To be honest, I think the
Lowell-CP series goes back before helmets were used at all.
The HISTORY: The Lowell-CP games go back at least to 1903
and it may date back before that; there just aren't records. In the years
I've been writing previews I've run into a lot of situations where the history
is contradictory. The Northern Indiana Football web site says that Crown
Point first began playing football in 1924. But it also says that Lowell
played CP in 1903 so my conclusion is that no one is sure. The oldest
final score listed is CP defeating Lowell 71-0 in 1904, 106 years ago. CP
played Hammond twice in 1906 and LaPorte in 1904 so they clearly played football
before 1924. But lots of schools like Kentland (the forerunner of South
Newton) and Morocco, the predecessor of North newton, played eight-man football
going back before World War I, so they almost certainly played Lowell in those
days. There wasn't much of anybody else.
What makes Lowell vs. CP unique is that they played a home-and-home series for
almost 20 years from 1934 to 1952. What intrigues me is that, in the 30s
and 40s, Lowell and CP were the only Lake County schools south of Griffith.
There was no Munster, Highland, Merrillville, Andrean or Lake Central.
This was clearly the biggest rivalry in South Lake County because it was the
ONLY high school football rivalry in South Lake County.
I would love to hear from people who remember the days of the Lowell-CP home-and home era. I've heard stories of difficult trips through the south end of the county (there was no I-65 highway before the 1960s) from one school to the other. But it's my understand that crowds were always good, even though neither school was often a football power. The other tie that Lowell and CP have is the Lake County Fair, an August staple every year that has always brought hundreds of people from Lowell to visit Crown Point. In the early days, the high school football season didn't begin until after Labor Day. But in recent years, the end of the fair and the start of the season have grown closer.
I personally have not heard of any confrontations between Lowell and Crown Point boys, but both coaching staffs discuss it with their players. There are stories of early season rivals who thought they had to say something to a member of the other team at the fairgrounds.
Back in the 40s and 50s, Crown Point and Lowell were both pretty much rural communities. But as CP has become 'citified' in recent decades, CP kids have been known to make fun of their country 'cousins' from Lowell.
It's easy to say that Lowell wants to beat CP more than Crown Point needs to beat Lowell and, with Merrillville looming for CP in week three, you sense that everything CP does points towards Merrillville. There's also a theory that CP is bigger and stronger (they usually are) while Lowell is faster and quicker. Former Lowell coach Kirk Kennedy even suggested that if this matchup came later in the season, CP would fare better.
CP and Lowell haven't been in the same conference for almost 20 years and they have never met in the IHSAA state tournament. So this game is a one-night-only special just for fun. It's hard for Lowell and Crown Point to get too angry at each other. Lowell assistant principal Mike Chelap sent all his kids to Crown Point. Lowell assistant softball coach Ginger Britton attended Lowell and now she's going back as the new softball coach. Lowell's new girls soccer coach Jorie Arnold attended CP and her sister is on the soccer team there. No matter what the outcome, Lowell and CP say goodbye to each other Friday night and don't concern themselves with the other again until 2011.
4A No. 4 LOWELL (0-0)
Coach: Keith Kilmer (0-0 years) 1st-year
Enrollment: 1,224
2009 record: 13-2
Sectional titles: (11) 1992, 1994, 1999, 2003-2010
Regional titles: (6) 1994, 1999, 2005, 2007- 09
Semistate titles: (3) 2005, 2007, 2009
State titles: (1) 2005
*Lost 4A state championship game 23-9 to Reitz
LOWELL Red Devils (13-2)
8-21 (W) 19-0 Crown Point (3-7)
8-28 (W) 34-25 at Morton (11-2)
9-4 (W) 40-13 at Kankakee Valley (3-7)
9-11 (W) 35-19 Griffith (6-5)
9-18 (W) 42-0 Highland (1-9)
9-25 (W) 35-0 at Hobart (4-7)
10-2 (W) 63-0 Hammond (6-5)
10-9 (L) 13-15 at Munster (7-3)
10-16 (W) 25-21 Andrean (9-4)
4A Sectional 10
10-23 (W) 14-6 at Plymouth (9-1)
10-30 (W) 24-7 (SB) Washington (8-3)
11-6 (W) 60-23 Concord (8-3)
Class 4A Regional
11-13 (W) 42-0 at Morton (11-2)
Class 4A Northern Semistate
11-21 (W) 24-21 Bishop Dwenger (13-1)
Class 4A State Championship
11-28 (L) 9-23 Evansville Reitz (15-0)
CROWN POINT (0-0)
Coach: Chip Pettit - 52-39, 9 seasons)
Enrollment: 2,426
2009 record: 3-7
Sectional titles (3) 1998, 1991, 2006
Regional titles: (1) 1991
Lost sectional quarterfinal game 16-13 to Chesterton
Crown Point Bulldogs (3-7)
Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) games in CAPS
8-21 (L) 0-19 at Lowell (13-2)
8-28 (W) 14-7 Hobart (2-8)
9-4 (L) 14-38 MERRILLVILLE (12-2)
9-11 (W) 23-21 at LAKE CENTRAL (2-9)
9-18 (L) 22-43 at PORTAGE (6-5)
9-25 (L) 21-52 VALPARAISO (5-5)
10-2 (W) 27-17 LaPORTE (6-4)
10-9 (L) 3-14 at CHESTERTON (7-4)
10-16 (L) 3-35 MICHIGAN CITY (6-4)
Class 5A Sectional (1) One
Oct. 23 (L) 16-13 Chesterton (7-4)
LOWELL UPDATE: How many returning starters a team has is always a number you can shape to suit your talking point. Only four of the boys who stared for Lowell against CP last year on offense and defense return. But that is very deceptive. Justin Juarez wasn't officially a starter on offense in 2009, but he played and ran for almost 500 yards. Mike Sekuloski wasn't a starter on the offensive line in game one last year but he played there near the end of the season. There's a difference between returning starters (of which Lowell had eight) and returning regulars, of which Lowell probably has 13.
A key new offensive player may be senior quarterback Chris Sekuloski (6-3, 178), Mike's twin brother. Chris Sekuloski is no where near the runner that track star Ray Skamay was last year, but he's a decent runner and a better passer.
Here's where there is some mystery. Anyone familiar with Lowell knows that the Devils don't throw the ball much. Lowell ran for 3,500 yards last season and they are primed for another big ground-gaining season with returning runners Juarez (6-1, 197) and Cole Midgett (5-9, 157), a member of Lowell's state finalist 1,600-meter relay team.
New coach Keith Kilmer hints that Midgett may end up at quarterback. During last Friday's scrimmage, he carried 11 times for 143 yards and four TDs. Some of those carries were out of the QB position. Midgett isn't a great passer, but that's not going to disqualify him from being Lowell's QB.
What is exciting about the Devils is the return of four offensive linemen. Seniors Mike Sekuloski (6-3, 178) and Dominic Rebesco (6-0, 250) plus juniors Luke Mitrisin (6-3, 291) and Tyler Wright (6-4, 243) should join with new center Tim McInnis (5-10, 200) to form a top offensive line.
Trying to guess who Lowell's top pass catchers
will be is like trying to judge who the best hitter on the Cubs is. It
often doesn't make a whole lot of difference.
But basketball player Jason Parker (5-11, 148)
might have a few TDs in him as might tight end James Szafranski (6-1, 198).
Lowell's defense will be a strength with Wright (6-4, 243) and heavyweight wrestler Jay Trappani (6-2, 220) at the ends. Lowell will rotate several people at tackle, especially early in the year. Mike Sekuloski and Justin Juarez return at linebacker and will be joined by junior Jeremy Crocker (6-2, 212), who missed all of 2009 with a series of foot problems and maybe Szafranski or Alex McCracken (6-0, 182).
Juarez, who intercepted two passes for TDs against
Morton last year, will play linebacker, but he'll also drop into pass coverage
with Parker, Midgett and possibly sophomore Joey Gruszkowski (5-10, 154).
Chris Sekuloski (6-3,178) might be the free safety, especially if Midgett is the
QB. Crocker will be the long snapper and Midgett will kick, punt and
return kicks.
The Devils have just 47 players this season so
they can't afford any injuries. But everyone who plays Lowell is going to
have to deal with that offensive line or the rest of their plans will fall
through.
CROWN POINT: The Bulldogs have not been a good offensive
team for two seasons, but that should change beginning Friday night. The
offensive line that began last week's scrimmage is big and experienced with 2009
junior all-stater Andrew Wrecsics (6-4, 265), and senior Mitch Kositzky (6-0,
255) at guards around center Alex Zagrocki (6-0, 275) and between junior tackles
Eric Huttle (6-0, 245) and Stephen Hutchinson (5-10, 260). The tight end,
junior wrestling star Tyler Kral (6-2, 215) is another powerful player who is a
threat to catch the ball as well.
The Bulldogs have two powerful players capable of
playing fullback in junior Peter Parks (6-2, 240) and senior Jordan Jurasevich
(6-3, 210). Jurasevich is the better pass catcher and he may also line up
at tight end. When CP wants a speedy halfback, senior Cody Bacon (5-8,
175) figures to get the call.
But CP will have two faces. They should be
able to run with power or throw short and long with senior receivers Austin
Atherton (5-11, 160) and Travis Woosley (5-10, 155) and pass catching tight end
Billy Brown (6-5, 190).
The quarterback is junior Joe Hopman (5-11, 185)
who started all 10 games in 2009 and showed high potential.
Hopman won't be asked to throw 20-30 times, but he has plenty of receivers, and,
he has the receivers to make big plays. Hopman is also a capable runner
with fairly good speed. Junior soccer midfielder Brett Bayer returns as the
place-kicker for an offense that should score more than the 14 points a game
they've averaged the past two years.
CP's defense should be strong with linebackers
Jurasevich (6-3, 210), Reed Stofko (5-10, 190) and JT Rotroff (6-0, 210).
The three-man line could have big Cameron Tanner (6-1, 270), powerful Peter
Parks (6-1, 240) or small, but quick Evan Wilson (5-7, 180) at nose guard.
Kral will be one of the defensive ends while Atherton, Woosley and Joel Johnson
(6-0, 170) could be the defensive back trio.
LOWELL (13-2) at CROWN POINT (3-7)
Sagarin Rankings: Not
available. These ratings truly do not apply until each team has played a
game. For the record, Lowell would have ben a 30-point favorite over CP at the
end of last season but the personnel on both sides has changed and the boys
themselves have changed since 2009.
WHAT
WILL HAPPEN: Lowell has shut out Crown Point for 11 quarters in a
row going back to the 2007 game, won by the Devils 23-14 after trailing 14-0.
The last two games have been wins 19-0 and 7-0 by Lowell.
There is almost no chance of Lowell shutting out
Crown Point Friday night. Lowell's defense remain strong, but the
Bulldogs, for the first time in three years, are not starting a rookie QB. But
as good as CP's defense projects to be, it's unlikely they'll just crumble
Lowell's offensive line, which may be one of the state's best in 4A.
CP is going to hear all week about how they
haven't scored on Lowell since George Bush was president and they'll score on
the first possession, a run by Joe Hopman. Lowell will run the ball well
most of the night, especially to the outside with Cole Midgett, who will tie the
score on a long run.
I see Lowell having major problems against CP's
passing attack. They are fast enough to rush Hopman and Lowell doesn't
have enough depth in the secondary to handle some of CP's 4-reciver sets.
The Bulldogs will lead 21-7 in the third quarter
as Hopman throws for 200 yards. But the Bulldogs are going to have
problems stopping Lowell on the ground. Everybdy is. Justin Juarez
will become a bigger factor as the night goes on, scoring two TDs behind the
Devils experienced line.
With the game tied 21-21 tie, CP will stop Lowell
on fourth down in the fourth quarter in CP territory. A pass from Hopman
to Jordan Jurasevich will fuel a late drive setting up a Brett Bayer field goal.
Lowell has won eight of the past 11 from Crown
Point including the last three in a row. But this time, CP has the
experienced QB, the home field and a large group of seniors who have never
beaten Lowell.
The recent tradition of this series says this will be a low-scoring game,
probably won by Lowell. I think that in perfect conditions on the
artificial turf, this will probably be a high-scoring game, won by Crown Point.
CROWN POINT 24, LOWELL 21