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Class
5A Sectional 1 Championship
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Week
12 - Football Game of the Week Preview |
Class
5A Sectional 1 Championship
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11-4-2005
When:
Friday, November 4, 2005.
Where: Merrillville High School, 276 E. 68th PL, Merrillville, IN.
Tickets: $5
There
will be some available. Merrillville can seat 8,000
TV/RADIO: WEFM (95.9) FM, WWCA (1270) AM, www.USA-365.com
WEATHER: Mid 50s, dry at kickoff. Rain has been dropped from the
forecast. Don't be fooled by upper 60s during the day. The temperature
drops dramatically this time of year. It could be 45 degrees by the end of
the game.
PARKING: Merrillville has more parking than they need
for any event imaginable. There are empty spots at the Merrillville wrestling
semistate. You would think a game of this magnitude would fill the parking
lot but there's a lot of space there. You will walk some, but parking will
not be a problem.
THE SERIES This is one of the best rivalries in this part of
the state and its largely ignored because CP has not been a power in footballI.
the 58 games played, Merrillville had a record of 29-28-1 and that's after
CP has won four of the last five. I do not known how many Indiana public school
rivalries there are where you live in one town and play for the other town's
team. The far north end of Crown Point near Route 30 is in the
Merrillville school district so CP residents (HB James Aldridge is one) play for
Merrillville.
The stereotype of this series has always been the strength and passing ability of CP against the athletic ability and speed of Merrillville. But these two teams blur those lines. I'm not sure if CP or Merrillville has the faster defense overall and, except for Aldridge (6-2, 220), the athletic ability on offense is fairly even.
There's no question that Merrillville has had football players. Former Nebraska linebacker and NFL player Jamal Williams (1992) played his first varsity game against Crown Point. NFL star Eugene Wilson (1999) played a dozen football and basketball games against Crown Point. The Bulldogs have players at Bowling Green (TE - Sean O'Drobinak) and Western Michigan (OG - Steve Ellingsen) but Merrillville has Michael Neal (DE - 2004) at Purdue and Brandon Mosely (2003 - Indiana).. Even with the problems at those two schools, they are Big-10. That's the difference in these two talent bases.
Both schools are growing dramatically. I have seen public comments that indicate that Merrillville could have 2,500 students in the next decade. Crown Point may have 2,500 by the end of this decade. Barring the much-needed consolidation in Hammond and Gary (and none is planned at this point) CP, LC and Merrillville will be by far the largest high schools in Lake County for the foreseeable future.
Twenty years ago. Merrillville was an almost all-white school but as black people migrated south out of Gary , Merrillville became very multi-cultural. In NW Indiana, where most towns are 95% white or 95% minority, there is no high school I know of which is as diverse racially as Merrillville. Crown Point will almost certainly become what Merrillville is now, somewhat of a melting pot. The future of Crown Point is something that needs to be discussed publicly. There are suggestions that Crown Point could have 50,000 residents in another 25 years. I know how this sounds but this school potentially is Carmel, a consistent state contender in a half dozen sports. And Merrillville could be CP's Warren Central, in that Indianapolis parallel.
CP's 1980s squads and coach Brad Smith's strong CP teams in the late 80s and early 90s had problems with Merrillville. CP won in 1984 and 87, when the Bulldogs were 10-1. But Merrillville beat CP in 1985 and 86 and the Pirates shut out CP in 1990, and 1991. Coach Dave Egofske's 1995 CP squad is the only Bulldog team to beat the Pirates twice. That was a 7-4 season where CP lost to Portage twice. The Pirates blasted CP 53-13 in 1998 starting a four-game win streak in the series but CP's come-from-behind 34-27 win on Sept. 6, 2002 started four consecutive CP regular season upsets of the Pirates. In the 2004 playoffs, however, Merrillville won at CP 34-19.
So Friday's game is not just another step in a single-elimination tournament.
Will the Pirates figure out what Chip Pettit's team are doing to them
consistently and reverse the earlier defeat, to springboard them on what could
be a state finals run? Or will CP's best-ever team through 11 games
break through coach Jeff Yelton's dominating (No. 2 scorind 'D' state wide)
defense and prove themselves a state contender by winning the biggest game of
the season on the road?
That's why we've got 8,000 people coming to Merrillville Friday night.
Crown
Point - Coach: Chip Pettit (29-24, 5th year)
Enrollment:
2,190
Sectional titles (3) 1981, 1988, 1991
Regional titles (1) 1988
2004 record: 4-7
Lost Sectional 1 semifinal at home 34-19 to eventual
sectional champion Merrillville.
Crown Point Bulldogs (11-0, 7-0 DAC)
8-19 (W) 16-6 at Lowell (7-4)
8-26 (W) 26-0 Hobart (6-5)
9-2 (W) 13-0 5A No. 10 Merrillville (9-2)
9-9 (W) 23-0 at Lake Central (2-8)
9-16 (W) 31-21 at Portage (3-7)
9-23 (W) 13-10 Valparaiso (5-5)
9-30 (W) 35-7 5A No. 9 LaPorte (9-2)
10-7 (W) 34-17 at Chesterton (3-8)
10-14 (W) 47-7 Michigan City (6-5)
5A Sectional 1 playoffs
10-21 (W) 45-20 at Valparaiso (5-5)
10-28 (W) 34-0 Chesterton (3-8)
11-4 (Fri) at Merrillville (9-2)
5A Regional playoffs
11-11 (Fri) Penn (9-2)
Class
5A Merrillville Coach: Jeff Yelton (9th year - 66-33)
Enrollment:
2,173
Sectional titles (4) 1976, 1985, 1992 and 2004
Regional titles (2) 1976, 1992
State titles (1) 1976
2004 record: 11-2
Lost the 5A Regional 31-0 at Penn in 2004
Merrillville Pirates (9-2, 5-2)
8-19 (W) 82-0 East Chicago (3-7)
8-26 (W) 47-0 at Highland (4-6)
9-2 (L) 0-13 at No. 2 Crown Point (11-0)
9-9 (W) 15-13 Portage (2-8)
9-16 (W) 42-7 at Michigan City (6-5)
9-23 (L) 35-38 (OT) No. 9 LaPorte (9-2)
9-30 (W) 30-0 at Valparaiso (5-5)
10-7 (W) 28-0 at Lake Central (2-8)
10-14 (W) 35-25 Chesterton (3-8)
5A Sectional 1 playoffs
10-21 (W) 42-7 at Lake Central (2-8)
10-28 (W) 49-12 at Michigan City (6-5)
11-4
(Fri) No.2 Crown Point (11-0)
5A Regional playoffs
11-11 (Fri) at No. 7 Penn (9-2)
MERRILLVILLE:
Offense 36.7 ppg; Defense 9.9 ppg.
CROWN POINT: Offense: 28.8 ppg; Defense: 8.6 ppg.
Sagarin Computer rankings: Crown Point by 9
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| Junior RB Jon Sertich #27 rushed 6 times for 33 yards and one TD and returned a punt 32 yards against Michigan City, 10-14-2005. |
MERRILLVILLE (11-4-2005) This is what figured to happen after Crown Point beat Merrillville 13-0 in early September. There was going to be a rematch and this is the latest date it could come.
There
isn't much doubt that these are the two top teams in NW Indiana when you
consider the schedule they play and the size, speed, depth and skill they both
have.
Unless it rains (which is a little rain in the forecast) the first sellout crowd
in 14 years (since the 1991 Hobart-Merrillville game where both sides were
ranked No. 1) may fill Merrillville's 8,000-seat Demaree Stadium.
While the matchup of the CP offense (Coach Chip Pettit is a former QB and QB coach) and the Pirates' defense (Pirate coach Jeff Yelton was a longtime defensive co-ordinator for outstanding teams in the 90s) is a highlight, the game will swing on whether CP's '35' defense the three linemen/five linebacker set can stop the athletic Pirates, based on shifty QB Evan Parker and 1,200-yard rusher James Aldridge.
What Merrillville needs to do (and they probably wont) is line up with two tight ends and run off tackle. The Pirates use a shotgun and four wide receivers and it leaves Aldridge a little naked against a quick defense like CP's. The Bulldogs have to be ready for a seven-man CP front and I-formation.
The Pirates also didn't not run a reverse the first time these teams met and that almost certainly will change Friday. In the 13-0 loss, Merrillville was impatient. After gaining 16 yards on the first play of the game, Parker threw into coverage and was intercepted.
Merrillville's line was made up of center Randy Laster (5-11, 215), guards Giancarlo Macapagal (6-0, 295) and Doug Spencer (5-11, 230) and tackles Cordero Arce (6-3, 265) and Brandon Jordan (6-5, 300). That line begs you to slap on a two tight ends to prevent quick penetration and run power off tackle plays against an eight man front with only one players heavier than 220 pounds. The Bulldogs must be ready for that even if they never see it.
If the Pirate go with a five man line, CP linebackers Vince Lewis (6-2, 220) ands Jordan Rhye (5-11, 185) step up and run by the tackles to harass Parker and Aldridge, who have no lead blocker. Merrillville has no answer for that. The Pirates like to option Parker outside with Aldridge but they have to be perfect with the execution because CP has two outside linebackers on each side. If Merrillville gets a one-on-one outside the hash marks and Aldridge breaks a tackle, its a touchdown. That's what they have the Crown Point doesn't.
What the Merrillville shot gun does do is it allows Parker to see the rush and make better decisions running the ball. Parker likes to go deep and good play-action will freeze the front eight and get single coverage on the sidelines. In the September game, Parker faked to two crossing backs and fired along completion down the middle. On that play, two Pirate receivers also streaked down the sidelines to spread the defense. Nobody has to tell CP they will see that play Friday. But Parker is not a good deep passer. The ball hangs. It gets back to patience and waiting for the perfect shot. And to be honest, I expect top defensive back Matt Ernest to play on defense late in this game. Ernest has played only on offense for three weeks but if they need him to cover someone like Chad Dawson (27 catches, 640 yards), he'll go out there on passing downs.
What's scary about the earlier CP-Merrillville game is that Aldridge did not seem to be running well. Reports are that he is running much better now. But running against Michigan City and running against CP are two different things. These schools are neighbors so there's no secrets. The Bulldogs are one of the few teams that quietly believe they can handle Aldridge, who ran for 170 yards in Merrillville's 34-19 win at CP in October of 2004. But if you double team the noseguard (Nick Conway) and run off tackle, there is a size mismatch there against ends Chris Rutherford (6-0, 200) and Mike Damjanovic (6-0, 190). Merrillville's goal is to either break a big play inside or occupy all eight front defenders consistently so Parker can throw the ball downfield. CP's deep backs are not as fast as Merrillville's receivers.
Crown Point was stopped in the game last October when Jansen was sacked seven times by the Pirate rush. But Michael Neal (now at Purdue) has graduated and he was the end you had to double-team on the Merrillville front. Defensive ends Vince Gidley (6-3, 215) and John Stoddard (5-11, 240) have a combined 19 sacks but they cant get there anywhere near as fast as Neal. Jansen (53 of 79, 760 yards, 5 TDs, one INT) figures to have more time and he'll find 6-foot-2 junior Matt Ernest 15 catches, 276 yards) and speedy Ryan Forney (24-435 yards).
The Pirates know they wont see then same CP offense. the Bulldogs averaged 20 points a game before Jansen came off the disabled list and they have averaged 40 per game since. Matt Ernest and Ryan Forney can cross deep into the Merrillville secondary after play action and, if there is no rush, the Pirate backs aren't good enough on handle that. But CP may not know that they'll see a different Merrillville.
The Pirates had just come off ridiculous routs of East Chicago 82-0 and Highland 47-0 when they met Crown Point before. Except for Larimore, they were about as tough as a plate of sugar cookies. Four turnovers. Backs falling down on kick returns. Semi-tough hits that were brushed off by a hungry Bulldog team. It was like the Houston Astros getting wiped out by the White Sox. They got behind with blunders and choked up late. By that time, the winning team was on a roll and felt unbeatable. Not only did Merrillville drop two first quarter interceptions that would have changed the game but they played without any sense of urgency and deserved to get spanked a lot worse than 13-0.
This
isn't September, though. This time its Crown Point that has to be mentally
tough. The Bulldogs didn't get tested against Chesterton and the last three
games were routs in the second half. Crown Point needs to find
a way to match the emotion of Merrillville, which will be considerable.
Boys think they know what its like to play in a championship game in front of a
sellout crowd, They truly believe it's no different from regular season games.
Somewhere in the night, they find out they are wrong. Merrillville played a
couple of these games last year. they played a three-overtime sectional
championship against Portage. The Pirates played in the regional at Penn. They
know what its like on the big stage. Crown Point thinks they know. That
will matter Friday night.
The Bulldogs will throw a couple of screen passes and patiently set up the run
with big 1,000-yard halfback Donny Keiser (6-0, 205) , who has rushed for 1,009
yards, the first Bulldog 1,000-yard man in eight years. But CP did not block the
Pirates 5-2 front well in the earlier game and they will see a swarming defense
early on this night. Another key will be when the Pirates
blitz Jansen. Can the speedy Pirate backers like Rayshon Richardson (5-11, 180),
who has 80 tackles and seven sacks, get to Jansen before he can bail out to pass
catching backs Jon Sertich (13-152 yards) and Tommy Parks (15 catches, 184
yards). The Bulldog attack is geared up to burn the blitz.
I
see a lot of points going up on the board Friday. There's far too much offense
here. CP has not faced a potent backfield combo like Parker (71 of 1220, 1,231
yards, 12 TDs, 7 INTs) and a healthy Aldridge (117 carries, 1,183 yards, 19 TDs)
. Merrillville gave up four TD passes to Lance Juergensen in September,
probably due to lack of a pass rush. Jansen is better than Juergensen and CP's
offensive line is stronger and more athletic than LaPorte's.
CP will get down inside the 20 on their first possession and Donny Keiser's
state record 17th field goal will make it 3-0. But the Bulldogs focus on
Aldridge will back fire when Parker runs a QB draw against a blitz and cuts up
field for a long run setting up the 7-3 score. Merrillville will come up
with some creative pass rushes against Jansen but a CP staple, w ide receiver
screen pass to Forney will break for a TD and a 10-7 Bulldog lead.
Warm weather, in theory, favors CP's passing and '35' defense but it also
allows for pure defensive speed and quick running back starts which favor
Merrillville. I look for the Pirates to utilize what they have the most
of. Five defensive backs on early downs to get to thrown balls and get some
deflections. Maybe a 5-1-5 set with Richardson as the lone linebacker.
You can't play a conventional defense against CP and just hope it works.
Aldridge is going to get some chances and CP will find him a step quicker than he was in September. The Pirates may pass on early down to set up the run and a short pass to Aldridge will turn into a 50-yard gain as the PIrates go ahead 14-10 at the half. In the third quarter, here comes the Merrillville power offense. they run Aldridge four or five time in succession before Parker steps back and fires a quick slant to Chad Dawson behind the linebackers for a pass-and run score and a 21-10 lead.
CP will start the third quarter with their best drive of the night and the Bulldogs will go 80 yards with the help of short passes to Parks and Sertich. A wide side fade pattern to Matt Ernest over the Pirates' Bo McClendon cuts the lead to 21-17 in the third period but it comes down to tackling Parker and Aldridge and, unlike the game in September, the Pirate offense will hear it from the big crowd and be motivated on this night to grind it out. Merrillville's flaw is that they do not truly attack inside the tackles because they don't line up and go there. That may chance on this night. The Pirates might even go with a 'jumbo' back, a big offensive lineman in the backfield to help clear the path for Aldridge and Parker.
CP
linebackers have to respect Merrillville's deep speed and which means that the
first tackle has to be made at the line of scrimmage. In the fourth quarter,
against a line that averages almost 250 pounds per man, CP cant stop the Pirates
from gaining four yards a carry.
With Parker and Aldridge (plus sub Eric Williams) carrying exclusively,
Merrillville drives and scores on a Parker run to make it 28-17. In the
second half of the final period, Jansen will hit five or six passes to move the
Bulldogs down the field for a QB TD run. Jansen will spin a two-point pass
to Sertich to make it 28-25 in the late going.
But Merrillville will run out the clock by running the ball. Offensive lines win games and O-lines want to run the ball. Merrillville needs to shorten the game by running the ball. They will stick to that game plan and pull of what, at the start of the year, would not have been considered an upset.
The winner of this game has a 50-50 chance (a very high percentage in 5A from this distance) to reach the finals and that winner win will be Merrillville.
MERRILLVILLE 28, CROWN POINT 25
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Revised: November 04, 2005
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