Week 10 Picks:  2004 NW Indiana High School Football

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

October 20, 2004

WEEK NINE (9) ANALYSIS:

KV and Whiting were tied in the fourth quarter, but Whiting pulled it out against a 4A team on the road. CP led Michigan City in the fourth quarter, but they also let it get away. Portage isn't the same when Antoine Brown doesn't play and the LaPorte win may be evidence of that. Griffith just self-destructed against Hobart. There's still questions on both sides there.

(Week One) 11 of 14, 78.5%

(Week Two) 8 of 13, 61.5%

(Week Three) 8 of 12, 66.7%

(Week Four) 11 of 12, 91.7%

(Week Five) 10 of 12, 83.3%

(Week Six) 7 of 12, 58.3 %

(Week Seven) 8 of 12, 66.7%

(Week Eight) 7 of 12, 58.3%

(Week Nine) 8 of 12, 66.7%

2004 Season to date, 77 of 111, 69.4%

WEEK TEN (10), Round One, Sectional Playoffs: Oct. 21, 2004

Class 1A - Sectional 33

River Forest 28, South Central 21

HOBART TOWNSHIP - I know South Central beat RF just last week but RF led 14-0 early and that game was played in cold and rain. Friday's game will played in warmer weather and RF QB Matt Bigott (107 of 240, 1,884 yards) will lead an upset here.

West Central 35, Lake Station 14

LAKE STATION - This is a step up for Lake Station which has not left the 'region' all season. The Eagles have won 3 of their last four but West Central is looking for a bounce back after a 32-12 loss to undefeated Pioneer. Eagle senior Neal Anderson has 1,100 yards rushing but West Central averages 300 yards rushing per game and the defense is led by Grant Davis, who has 12 QB sacks.

LaVille 42, Culver 0

LAKEVILLE - LaVille beat Culver last week 41-7. LaVille gained 400 total yards and Culver punted six times. This game won't change in a week.

Whiting (9-0) 27, South Newton (1-8) 6

KENTLAND – South Newton is a passing team. Eric Watt hit 17 of 34 last week for 178 yards but the Rebels have no running game and no defense. Whiting may go without Sixto Arredondo (28 TDs) but it won't matter. South Newton had zero yards rushing in a loss to North Newton last week.

Lake Station (3-5) 20, Clark (0-8) 8

Clark has given up at least 40 points three weeks in a row but they get a shot at a Lake Station team that may be worn out, if last week's 38-0 loss to Gavit is any indication.

This is the time of year when it's tough to play but the Eagles have to be prepared for an all-out effort from Gavit in their final chance (Clark opens the playoffs against Gavit) to get a win this season. Lake Station senior Neal Anderson goes for 1,000 yards.

2A - Sectional 25

North Judson (8-1) 56, Knox (0-9) 0

NORTH JUDSON - Knox lost to New Prairie 59-0 last week. Judson has lost only to undefeated Rensselaer overtime. This one is really bad.

Winamac (4-5) 21, Wheeler (2-7) 14

UNION TOWNSHIP – Wheeler is having a hard time mounting any offense while Winamac got 214 yards rushing from halfback Jeff Anspach last week in a 19-7 win over Frontier. At home, the Bearcats will put up an unexpected fight.

Rensselaer (9-0) 52, Bishop Noll (6-3) 21

RENSSELAER – Noll is not ready for the onslaught of 1,000-yard rushers Jacob Kiger and Andrew Malone. This should be a shootout but Rensselaer has played a far tougher schedule in the last few weeks..

A - Sectional 28

Twin Lakes (5-4) 28, Benton Central (3-6) 20

OXFORD - Twin Lakes won this matchup 35-14 earlier and little has changed. TL has lost to Sheridan (8-1), North Judson (8-1), and Tipton (7-2). They are stronger than the record indicates.

Frankfort (5-4) 27, West Lafayette (2-7) 14

FRANKFORT – This is an uneasy pick. WL may have been lifted losing just 28-20 to 1A No. 4 Sheridan last week. West Lafayette has lost five games in a row and that tilts you towards Frankfort.

Hamilton Heights (9-0) 35, Western (4-5) 7

ARCADIA - Hamilton Heights went to the semistate last year. They see Griffith and Andrean stumbling up north and they are planning a victory march to the state finals.

3A - Sectional 17

Morton (3-6) 42, Wirt (0-9) 6

HAMMOND – It will be hard for Wirt to score six.

Griffith (7-2) 56, Calumet (2-7) 0

GRIFFITH – This is not the week to play at Griffith.

ANDREAN (7-2) 49, Hammond (2-7) 6

MERRILLVILLE – Are you sure you want EVERYBODY in the state tournament no matter how bad a season they've had?

Gavit (4-5) 44, Clark (0-9) 12

HAMMOND – There is no way for any of the four games in 3A sectional 17 to be close at all.

4A - Sectional 10

Plymouth (7-2) 28, Northridge (2-7) 14

PLYMOUTH – Plymouth has a diversified attack that will flourish on a warm night.

East Noble (9-0) 35, Angola (7-2) 14

KENDALLVILLE – State's top rusher Konrad Mundon (232 carries, 2,063 yards, 26 TDs) is hard to stop for East Noble, especially with their big offensive line that averages over 260 pounds a man. Angola has had some success but they are not good enough defensively to control this game.

DeKalb (5-4) 20 (SB) Washington (2-7) 7

SOUTH BEND - This may be an all-time bad year for the South Bend city schools. All of them will be eliminated in the first week of the playoffs.

Concord (7-2) 28, Wawasee (8-1) 21

WAWASEE – Both teams have a multiple offense. Concord had 225 yards rushing and 186 yards passing in a 31-19 win over Warsaw. Wawasee had 150 rush yards and 183 pass yards in a 41-10 win over Goshen. I think Concord's played a more difficult schedule.

4A - Sectional 9

Gary West Side (5-4) 28, Gary Roosevelt (4-4) 16

GARY – There will be some drama here as Roosevelt beat West Side in overtime three weeks ago and Roosevelt has never won a state tournament game.

Kankakee Valley (5-4) 21, Highland (4-5) 14

HIGHLAND – I think Highland's beaten down and if Andrew Helmer is injured, they can't win here. KV has been on the rise since mid-season.

Lowell (6-3) 56, Lew Wallace (1-7) 12

GARY – This is another game that should never be played. There's just no need for everybody to make the state tournament.

Hobart (8-1) 17, Munster (4-5) 7

MUNSTER – Hobart has won eight in a row and they beat Munster 33-0 in September. But the Brickies are playing a third straight road game and the Mustangs may get injured FB-LB Prince Kwateng (6-0, 205) back in the lineup. Hobart is having problems moving the ball. Just 300 total yards the last two weeks. This game will stay close.

5A - Sectional 2

Mishawaka (6-3) 28, Elkhart Memorial (3-6) 12

ELKHART – Memorial was 9-0 last year and has been rebuilding. Mishawaka should win by more, but they just got roasted 48-14 last week by Penn.

Clay (5-4) 33, Riley (0-9) 6

SOUTH BEND – Riley is one of the worst teams in the state. Why are they still playing? Please. Start the basketball season. Start the swim season.

Elkhart Central (8-1) 35, LaPorte (6-3) 21

ELKHART – Here's a litmus test for LaPorte which was dominated 28-7 at Elkhart Central in August. Central totally shut down LaPorte's running game which is now flourishing. The Slicers can't stop the varied attack of Central's Blazers.

Penn (8-1) 56, Adams (1-8) 0

OSCEOLA – This is another embarrassment to the sport of football.

5A - Sectional 1

Crown Point (3-6) 42, Lake Central (1-8) 21

CROWN POINT – LC has not come within 19 points of ANYBODY during their eight game losing streak. Crown Point has lost four games in the fourth quarter. This should be an entertaining game but LC can't reinvent themselves this week.

Merrillville (8-1) 51, East Chicago (7-2) 16

MERRILLVILLE – East Chicago has great numbers in HB Sammy Daniels (171 carries, 1,803 yards, 20 TDs) and QB David Rodriguez (103 of 176, 2,198 yards, 28 TDs) but they've been playing weak competition. Merrillville has a seven-game winning streak and the premier defense in the northern part of the state.

Chesterton (6-3) 21, Portage (6-3) 17

CHESTERTON - A rematch of Chesterton's come-from-behind 35-19 victory in September, a game Portage dominated. I don't think HB Antoine Brown (198 carries, 1,237 yards) is going to be able to be a factor. The Trojans should be lifted by a 20-17 loss to Merrillville.

Valparaiso (5-4) 31, Michigan City (4-5) 20

VALPARAISO – Valpo has been devalued because of their record. But they are on the defensive here against a MC team that came from behind to beat Crown point 26-17 last week. The Wolves have a lot of power on the ground but they can't defend Valpo's Jon Moon throwing the ball.

Copyright © 2004 USA-365.com and Meyer Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp.  All rights reserved.
Revised: October 20, 2004 .