Kickoff:
Friday, Nov. 1 - 7 or 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $5
Radio-TV: None
The Series: Andrean dominated Noll 42-0 in August and the 59ers
have won the last six meetings since the Warriors won 44-31 at Andrean on Sept.
6, 1996.
Weather: Cold, mid- 30s with snow flurries.
8-23-2002:
6-20
at Kankakee Valley (4-6) How did Noll lose this one?
8-30-2002: 0-42 at Andrean (10-0) Noll punted eight
times.
9-6-2002: 19-0 at Gavit (3-7) Gavit gained only 130 yards.
9-13-2002: 50-6 Calumet (1-9) A season high 488 yards for
Noll.
9-20-2002: 14-0 at Clark (4-6) Noll held Clark to 139 yards.
9-27-2002: 31-10 Wheeler (4-6) Noll's best game of the year,
317 rushing yards.
10-4-2002: 26-27 Morton (9-1) Noll missed a 2-point conversion or
they'd have won.
10-11-2002: 21-35 Whiting (8-2) Bishop Noll should always beat
Whiting.
10-18-2002: 17-3 at Lake Station (1-9) Noll turned
it over 3 times.
10-25-2002: 28-8 at Calumet (1-9) Noll rushed for 306 yards
NOLL UPDATE: Bishop
Noll is a hard team to figure. They lost 27-26 to Morton (9-1) but they only
beat Calumet (1-9) by a 28-6 score. QB Bobby Kimp ran for two TDs
last week and passed 43 yards to Ben Faulkner for a third. Kimp (5-6, 140)
leads an inconsistent option Noll attack that's got to be operating near 100%
efficiency this week. The Warriors gained 650 yards rushing in two games against
Calumet and 317 ground yards on Wheeler. Outside linebacker Jim Darden
(5-10, 197) leads a defense that has shut out Clark and Gavit plus holding
Wheeler to 10 points. But Noll was outgained 370-122 in the Aug. 30
meeting with Andrean, the only really good team they've played.
ANDREAN UPDATE: The 59ers were in peak form in a 54-16 rout
of Wirt last week, leading 54-0 at the half. QB Brett Goins threw his 17th
touchdown against just one interception and halfback Derrell Tinner's three TDs
gave him 13 for the year.
The 59ers played everybody on the roster last week, which helps next year's team and they didn't run up the score (3 teams downstate scored 70 or more points) on Wirt. Roco Marcinak sat out with an injury and he may be on the sidelines again this Friday.
Andrean
won't say it but they have to think 'long run' . They do not have to play
injured players against overmatched foes in bad weather.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN? On a warm night, it's probably 42-0 again.
But on a 35-degree night at Noll, the Warriors will give Andrean a game.
This will be a tough game for the 59ers, who are more of a perimeter warm
weather team this season. Andrean gave up almost 200 rushing yards to Lowell and
almost 250 to Griffith. That's the way to attack them. Kimp is a very
quick player who will get in the end zone in the first quarter to excite the
home fans, if any show up. The 59ers will answer with short passes to Derrell
Tinner and Aaron Babb and runs by Rob Caldwell.
I see a couple of turnovers for the 59ers keeping the contest close. I'm guessing that Andrean will have trouble digging up as much emotion as Noll will. The Warriors like to beat Andrean more than Andrean needs to beat Bishop Noll so the home team will get excited at two or three points. Andrean has drawn 78 penalties for 643 yards but Noll has drawn 60 flags, costing them 525 yards.
But
the 59ers are not a slow team and they will eventually slow down the Noll
'wishbone' attack. Andrean has the region's top offense and they'll muster up
enough emotion to move the ball in the second half. Noll has improved and
they'll challenge Andrean for the sectional 17 title some day but 'some day' is
not this Friday.
Caldwell makes 20 tackles, Goins throws for three touchdowns, Andrean gains 350
yards and leads the entire second half to win their 11th game in a row.
NINER
NOTES: Andrean has outscored the opposition 374-69 in 10 games, the
widest margin of victory in northwest Indiana. Since the start of the 1997
season, (not counting the 59ers' IHSAA-driven forfeit) Andrean is 59-16.
Andrean's undersized offensive line continues to amaze as the 59ers rushed for
six TDs last week. Aaron Baab's 60-yard interception return is just the
59ers' third defensive TD this season.
Andrean
has outscord the opposition 158-7 in the first quarter this season. Andrean has
won 20 of their last 26 playoff games. Junior Jeremy Robinson and senior Jon
Stamate scored their first career TDs in the second quarter.
Benton Central (8-2), considered a possible regional foe for Andrean, lost 23-21
last week to West Lafayette (3-7). Defending state champion and Andrean
nemesis Bishop Chatard (10-0) hosts 7th-rated West Vigo (10-0) this week but
West Vigo plays a very weak schedule and will get bombed. A bigger test for
Chatard is next week when they most likely will have to play at undefeated
Danville (10-0).