Week 10 - 2009 H.S. Football Sectional Quarterfinal Preview: Lowell at Plymouth

Where: Plymouth High School, 1 Big Red Drive, Plymouth, IN. Plymouth, Indiana. 3 blocks east of US 17, 1/4 mile south of US 30.
TV/Radio: WWCA (1270) AM, WTMK (88.5) FM (live play-by-play); Updates: WLPR(89.1) FM in NW Indiana, WTCO (1050) AM (live play-by-play) in Marshall County.
Highlights: Lakeshore TV football recap show, 10:30 - 11:00 p.m. Comcast Cable Ch. 17; Highlights on the South Bend area 10 p.m. news at 10:20 on WSBT (Ch. 22 TV) and WNDU (Ch. 16) TV.

Tickets: $5
To be safe, you should buy your tickets before 12 noon at Lowell. Due to the weather, I believe you will be able to get in Friday night no matter when you show up. Hopes for a standing-room only crowd evaporated with day-long rain. Lowell and Plymouth fans are very loyal, but some of us old folks just can't stand in the rain for two hours for any reason.
Tickets will be available at the gate.

Enrollment: Plymouth - 4A, 1,042; LOWELL - 4A enrollment - 1,224

To the winner: Lowell will either host South Bend Washington (8-2) or play on the road at South Bend Clay (3-7). Plymouth would play on the road at either Washington or Clay.

Weather: Not good. It rained all day Thursday and it is forecast to rain all day Friday with this one tiny scrap of relief. Some forecasts (the Thursday night South Bend TV news) say the rain will stop in Plymouth between 6 and 7 p.m. which would allow the 8 p.m. (Eastern time) game to be played under clear skies. But those who were at the Lowell-Plymouth game two years ago remember how muddy the field was that night. That may pale in comparison to the sea of goo that these boys will play in Friday night. This probably favors neither side since both teams need to have the threat of running outside the hash marks and a river of mud eliminates that threat.

Lowell's backs including Nate Cleveland (6-4, 215), Justin Juarez (6-0, 197) and Brandon Grubbe (6-1, 195) are big enough to be power runners on this night. Plymouth's QB Gordy Holloway (6-2, 185) has some lean forward weight to him, but halfbacks Trent Keyser (5-7, 154), Spencer Schalliol (5-8, 151) and Houston Hodges (5-8, 153) are not power runners. But the Rockies can utilize Brock Smith (6-0, 175). I would not be surprised to see Plymouth pull all-state tight end Leniel Himes (6-0, 250) into the backfield and simply hand him the ball.

The field conditions may limit scoring, but these teams have played in the mud all month and, if the rain stops, weather and field conditions should not be the decisive factor. As a fan, bring every bit of rain wear you own. I can't promise you the rain will stop. Let's talk footwear, too.

Parking: The parking situation at Plymouth may be a problem. You need to get there early. This is a school of about 1000 kids in a cute little neighborhood. The entire school complex is not that large. To my knowledge, there's no open field where you can park cars like there is at Lowell. If you do not arrive early, you may have to park blocks from the school and face a significant walk.

Look for people to help you park. Plymouth officials know how many Lowell fans might show up for a playoff game. No matter how many Lowell people do show up, Plymouth will not be surprised. Be patient. They can find room for everyone.

FAST FOOTBALL FACT: Plymouth has won a state football title (1977), three state basketball titles (boys: 1982, 2007 and girls: 2008) and 23 sectional baseball championships.

PLYMOUTH: Plymouth is a 136-year-old city of about 10,000 in southwest Marshall County and it is one of the jewels of Northwestern Indiana. Plymouth is suburban South Bend but far enough (20 miles) away where no one would call it that. Most towns grow by accident, but Plymouth is not one of them. In 1826, the US Government negotiated a plot of land from the Pottowatomi Indians for a road from the Ohio River at the bottom of the state of Indiana to Lake Michigan. Michigan Street in downtown Plymouth is that road. The town of Plymouth became a city in 1873.

Except for the downtown square, there's a lot of Lowell in Plymouth. A very quiet, peaceful town whose beauty is lost on most of its residents. It was laughable when NW Indiana writers accused Plymouth of being a racist town after a controversial basketball game with all-black Bowman Academy this year. That's funny because for 10 years now, Plymouth has hosted the annual Latino Festival the third weekend of every June. The Plymouth basketball summer league is also well know throughout the South Bend area.

Plymouth and Lowell did meet in a home-and-home series just after the Great Depression. Lowell won 7-6 at Plymouth on Oct. 8, 1932 and Plymouth won 12-0 at Plymouth on Sept. 9 (the season opener back then) in 1933. I can't swear to what happened after that but my guess is that both sides agreed they were insane to be traveling 60 miles for a high school football game, even if there was a new highway. What we now utilize as US 30 was paved and opened in 1929. Before that, the old Lincoln Highway was Route 30. In fact, if you take a little turn south of the present Route 30 in Marshall County, you will see a two-lane road that is labeled 'Old Route 30'. That's the forerunner of the present road that travels the 150 miles from the Illinois to the Ohio state line across the top of Indiana.

These teams should meet every year. They are perfect nonconference rivals and it would be a great event, drawing capacity crowds. Especially if they played the game in August when it didn't rain. Since Lowell and Plymouth have met two years in a row, Lowell followers know that Plymouth rooters are every bit as much into their team as Lowell is into the Devils.

Plymouth QB Gordy Holloway handing off to HB Brock Smith (2) in last year's playoff game in Lowell. Plymouth runs the ball 95% of the time.

That's Nate Ivy (10) shaking hands after Lowell's 20-17 win in 2008. Ivy may be a key player in the defensive secondary for the Rockies if Lowell goes to the air this Friday night. (Photos by Mark Smith)

4A No. 5 Plymouth (9-0)
Coach: John Barron (51-16) 9th season
Enrollment: 1,049
2008 record: 10-1*
Sectional titles (4) 1977, 1998, 2000 and 2001
Regional titles: (4) 1977, 1998, 2000 and 2001
Semistate titles: (0) none
State Titles (1) 1997
*lost the 4A Sectional 10 semifinals 20-17 in overtime at Lowell on Oct. 31, 2008

Plymouth Rockies (9-0)
8-21 (W) 48-6 at Bremen (1-8)
8-28 (W) 42-7 Rochester (8-1)
9-4 (W) 41-7 at Warsaw (4-5)
9-11 (W) 27-16 Northridge (5-4)
9-18 (W) 28-10 at Elkhart Memorial (5-4)
9-25 (W) 48-7 at Wawasee (3-6)
10-2 (W) 41-27 Concord (7-2)
10-9 (W) 50-2 Goshen (1-8)
10-16 (W) 35-14 at Northwood (5-4)

Class 4A Sectional (10)
Oct. 23 (F) Lowell (8-1)
Oct. 30 (F) at Washington (7-2) or at Clay (3-6)

4A No. 7 LOWELL (8-1)
Coach: Kirk Kennedy (152-68 years) 19 years
Enrollment: 1,224
2008 record: 13-1*
Sectional titles: (9) 1992, 1994, 1999, 2003-2008
Regional titles: (5) 1994, 1999, 2005, 2007, 2008
Semi state titles: (2) 2005, 2007
State titles:   (1) 2005
Lost 4A Northern Semi state 38-22 at Bishop Dwenger in 2008

LOWELL Red Devils (8-1)
Northwest Crossroads Conference (NCC) games in CAPS - all 7:00 p.m. kickoffs
8-21 (W) 19-0 Crown Point (3-6)
8-28 (W) 34-25 at Morton (8-1)
9-4 (W) 40-13 at KV (3-6)
9-11 (W) 35-19 GRIFFITH (5-4)
9-18 (W) 42-0 HIGHLAND (1-8)
9-25 (W) 35-0 at HOBART (2-7)
Oct. 2 (W) 63-0 Hammond (6-3)
Oct. 9 (L) 13-15 at MUNSTER (7-2)
Oct. 16 (W) 25-21 ANDREAN (6-3)

Class 4A Sectional 10
Oct. 23 (F) at Plymouth (9-0) 8 p.m. (EDT)
Oct. 30 (F) at Clay (3-7) or Washington (8-2)

1. Plymouth is a lot like Griffith

For those who did not see Lowell's battles with Plymouth the past two years, they were very much like Lowell's struggles with arch-rival Griffith. QB Gordy Holloway (6-2, 186) will throw some passes to star tight end Leniel Himes (6-0, 255), but they have rushed for over 200 yards in every game this season (3,459 yards rushing in nine games), largely because Himes acts as a sixth lineman in tandem with boys like Damon Howe (6-3, 285), Skylar Evans (6-2, 295) and center Tyler Vermillion (6-3, 220).

The Rockies have only allowed 102 first downs and 96 points all season. Lowell has faced Plymouth in each of the last two seasons, so they won't listen to the usual NW Indiana suspects who claim that anything that isn't done in Lake County isn't really that good. Outside of Merrillville, there's nobody in Lake County that's better than Plymouth and it's not close.

2. Let's just survive the first quarter

Plymouth has won 20 of their last 22 and both losses were to Lowell. You think most about the team that eliminated you from the state tournament last year. Plymouth senior football players have been eliminated by Lowell the last two years. They will be ready to play this game and the Devils must match that emotion.

The Rockies have outscored the opposition 90-9 in the first period this season. (For the record, Lowell has outscored nine foes 55-16 in the first period. Morton scored both TDs) and they are the bigger, stronger team. A 0-0 tie after one quarter is an advantage for Lowell.

3. Fire up the Red Devil Air Force

No one has rushed for over 130 yards on Plymouth all season. Defensive tackle Brian Boswell (6-2, 311) may have something to do with that. Lowell's going to run the ball most of the time. They have to gamble passing. Enough to win, but not so much that they throw incompletions and keep giving the ball back to that Plymouth rushing attack.

Lowell star Brandon Grubbe has gained 1,178 yards this season. Plymouth has allowed 913 rushing yards all season. I would be shocked if Grubbe ran all over Plymouth. But I think that Brandon's college position is wide receiver and the Devils may have tipped their hand when they lined up Grubbe in the slot a few times last week. Grubbe could easily be the type of wide receiver multi-purpose player that Golden Tate is at Notre Dame. If Lowell puts Grubbe in the slot and successfully throws the ball to him, Plymouth has a problem. If they split Grubbe wide and Plymouth double covers him and the slot man (Cole Midgett) runs by a lone defender, Plymouth may have a bigger problem.

4. 4th down is when it will all go down

It's hard to cover punts and kickoffs in the mud. Lowell has their two fastest players in Brandon Grubbe and Cole Midgett running back kicks. Andrean chose not to kick to Grubbe and Midgett. I would not be shocked to see Ray Skamay, who is a state class hurdler, inserted among the blockers so if Plymouth kicks short, Lowell will still have a speedy player to return the boot.

Also, Plymouth has not kicked a field goal all season and they will not start Friday on a bad field in a winner-take-all game. Plymouth is going to go for the first down on every 4th-and-short situation. Lowell knows that and those 4th down confrontations WILL decide this game. Plymouth has completed just 40 passes all season. Lowell truthfully can bring 10 men to the front against Plymouth on fourth down because tight end Leniel Himes is almost certainly the only person they would throw to with the game on the line.

Lowell, on the other hand, may unleash the weapon they've had in the closet all year long. Brandon Grubbe, their all-time leading rusher and a varsity baseball pitcher, is the punter. You can imagine the possibilities.

5. The fans have to show up

Lowell has never lacked for fan support. I have few doubts about how many Lowell fans will travel 75 miles in the rain to see the Devils in the biggest game of the year. But they must come Friday because Plymouth will almost certainly have a roaring crowd. They have to believe they have a state finalist team if they can simply get past Lowell. This is the game they've waited 12 months for. Lowell people just need to do what they've done throughout this decade. Show up and cheer on the Devils.

This is the toughest road game I can ever remember Lowell playing. This isn't Bishop Dwenger in 28 degree weather where everybody was just trying to stay warm. This also isn't Griffith where Lowell boys play almost every year. This is like the 1999 game in Goshen where Lowell faced a wall of fans 100 miles from home. This is a young team that largely has not been through this before. Lowell needs the fans.

Sagarin computer ratings: Plymouth by 5.

The computer ratings are pretty accurate at this time of the year. Lowell has had come-from-behind wins against Andrean (6-3) and Morton (8-1). Plymouth does not have any come-from-behind wins because they haven't been behind. Plymouth has not trailed by so much as one point at any time this season.

PLYMOUTH: The Devils want to use their speed, especially on special teams, but Plymouth will not kick the ball deep. The Rockies are going to get to the lead on a run by the QB and Himes will grab a TD pass after a long drive to build a 13-0 lead. Plymouth is not a sure thing on extra points.

Grubbe will score on a punt return, but Holloway will lead a third scoring drive in the third quarter. In the mud, the physical size of the Rockies will wear on the smaller Devil defenders. Plymouth has fumbled only five times all season, but they will lose the ball in the third quarter setting up a Lowell TD drive. Ray Skamay will score in the fourth quarter, but Lowell's second two-point conversion (the field may make it difficult for anyone to kick the extra point) will fail.

The Rockies will keep things simple with the big QB Holloway running the football. Lowell will never be out of the game, but the Rockies will never trail. Plymouth has waited two years for this night and 4,000 will bear witness. Lowell needs three turnovers to create the upset and I just don't see it happening.

4A No. 7 Lowell (8-1) at No. 6 Plymouth (9-0)

Copyright © 2009 USA-365.com and Meyer Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp. All rights reserved.
Revised: October 23, 2009 .

4A No. 7 Lowell (8-1) at No. 6 Plymouth (9-0)

Copyright © 2009 USA-365.com and Meyer Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp. All rights reserved. Revised: October 23, 2009 .

Copyright © 2009 USA-365.com and Meyer Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp. All rights reserved.
Revised: October 23, 2009 .