Class 3A, Sectional 17 Championship Preview: 

New Prairie (8-3) at ANDREAN (11-0) 

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

Kickoff:  Friday, Nov. 8, 2002  -  7 p.m.
Radio-TV:     None.   Local media assumes that Andrean wins their sectional so they don't cover the 59ers until the regional.
Weather:  Low 50s and dry. As good as you can expect in November in Lake County.
Parking:  Andrean doesn't have much parking but the question is how many people from the Rolling Prairie-New Carlisle area will come. Let's be honest. How many people are coming from the Rolling Prairie-New Carlisle area?
History:   To my knowledge, the 21-0 Andrean victory at New Prairie last year was the first meeting between the two schools.

New Prairie's (8-3) Road to the Playoffs

Coach Bart Curtis (40-23, 6th year), 

7-4 Record in 2001, School Enrollment: 792

8-23-2002:  0-20 LaPorte (6-4)
8-30-2002:  28-9 at South Bend Washington (3-7)
9-6-2002:  7-17 Bremen (5-5)
9-13-2002:  42-14 Culver (2-8)
9-20-2002:  7-17 Jimtown (8-2)
9-27-2002:  45-0 at Triton (2-8)
10-4-2002:  40-12 John Glenn (8-3)
10-11-2002:  42-7 LaVille (8-3)
10-18-2002:  42-20 Knox (5-6)

3A Sectional 17
10-25-2002:  42-7 Clark (4-6)
11-1-2002:  13-12 at Gavit (3-8) 2 OTs

NEW PRAIRIE Update:  New Prairie is a dangerous team because they run a 'freak' offense, a type of a double wing veer attack.  Junior fullback Tyler Roberts is a 160-pound fullback but he's running wild with over 1,000 yards and 14 TDs. Halfback Heath Jones (5-8, 155) is over 700 yards and alternating QBs Jacob Koziel and Jacob Findley are also decent runners.

Neither one of them can throw a lick. New Prairie has completed only 22 passes all season. Gavit is not a strong team. It is a giant sized red flag that New Prairie, which has scored 40 or more four times, had to limp out of town with an embarrassing 13-12 victory at Gavit last week.

With that said, it would be dangerous to underestimate New Prairie. You'll note that no one has scored more than 20 points on the Cougars all season.  They have powerful linemen in Josh Ekovich (6-1, 250) and Matt Sobecki (6-1, 235) and they can roll out Eli Stevens (6-3, 300) on short yardage situations. But they aren't that big overall and they'll benefit on a cold, dry windy night which is what could happen. Part of the relatively close 21-0 win for Andrean at New Prairie last November was a 30-40 mile-an-hour wind that night. The Cougars should be able to rush the passer well even though they have not faced a lot of throwing teams. The Cougars have scored two defensive touchdowns and Joe Sosinski has run back two kicks for touchdowns this season. They have outscored the opposition 96-27 in the first quarter and 93-27 in the third period. That indicates that they are a team that relies on quickness that wears down late in the second and fourth quarters.  They do not play any Class 4A schools while Andrean faces six in Griffith, Munster, Hobart, Lowell, Hammond and KV. Roberts epitomizes the team. Small but quick.

ANDREAN Update:   QB Brett Goins (91 of 141, 1,525 yards, 19 TDs, 3 INTs) threw his first two interceptions since midseason last week against Bishop Noll but he bounced back to hit two TD tosses to fast-rising 6-foot-3 receiver Ty Harangody. Senior halfback Derrell Tinner (121 carries, 877 yards - 10 games) is approaching 1,000 yards and big linebacker Rob Caldwell (6-2, 210) has been a powerhouse since his return from injury three games ago.  The 59er defense held Bishop Noll to a minus-5 yards last week. Only Griffith and Lowell have rushed for over 100 yards as a team against the 59ers.

Andrean has outscored the opposition 165-7 in the first quarter and has not trailed at the half all season.  The 59ers have out scored the opposition 409-96 but they have faced only two teams with a record of better than 6-5 and one of them (Griffith) took Andrean to overtime. 

WHAT WILL HAPPEN?  New Prairie will score early and the 59ers may be in a 7-7 tie as they were last week at Bishop Noll. This is the Super Bowl to New Prairie. The 59ers eliminated them last year and they have earned a second shot. You've got to run misdirection against Andrean to get Caldwell going in the wrong direction. New Prairie will throw Roberts into the line 20 times during the night but beware of a deep pass early to go against tendencies, for which the 59ers have been working on all week. When you face a superior team, you come up with a couple of plays you have not run all year.  New Prairie knows they cannot blow Andrean off the line of scrimmage until they hurt them outside or in the air.  Defensively, they'll send everybody at the passer. They are not a tentative team by nature and they'll fly to the ball and try to force turnovers.

Andrean will pitch wide to Tinner to slow the New Prairie rush. Goins will accept the challenge of a blitz and try to find Tommy Finn and Ty Harangody, whom New Prairie will not be able to cover. The 59ers will push to a 21-7 lead by halftime but New Prairie will stay in the game with the help of kick returns by Joe Sosinski and the home teams' problem with penalties.  Tinner gets 150 yards and three TDs and Goins throws three more TDs.  New Prairie doesn't have the athletes to cover Andrean all night. With a decent weather night, the 59ers will become the first team to score 20 or more on the Cougers all year.  In fact, they'll score 40.

ANDREAN 49, New Prairie 21

NINER NOTES:  Andrean has only 10 turnovers (seven fumbles and three interceptions) all season but they committed four of them last week. Last week was the 8th time that Andrean rushed for 200 or more yards this season. It was another bad week for 59ers and the yellow flag.  With 11 penalties for 105 yards against Noll, Andrean has committed 89 boo-boos this year for 748 yards. Officiating gets better as the state tournament goes on so it will be interesting to see if the Niners have been victims of bad 'zebras' or just the devil inside themselves.

The 59ers are 60-16 over the last six seasons.  Even if you count the bogus Andrean forfeit to Horace Mann, Andrean's win last week gave the 59ers 10 wins for the fourth time in six seasons. New Prairie has never won a sectional title and has only won nine playoff games in school history.  Andrean is trying to defend their 2001 sectional title and this victory would be the 59ers' eighth sectional crown in 13 years.  Predicted warm weather for Friday night will greatly favor the 59ers who have a state-class offense.

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Revised: July 10, 2004 .