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Hobart (1-0) atCrown Point (0-1) |
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Week
2 - Football Game of the Week Preview |
Hobart (1-0) atCrown Point (0-1) |
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8-24-2007
When:
Rescheduled from Friday, August 24 to Saturday, August 25, 2007 (due to
Thunderstorms predicted all day Friday)
Where: 1500 S. Main, Crown Point (about 1-mile south of the square)
Tickets: $5
TV/Radio/Internet: WEFM (95.9) FM, WWCA (1270) AM, WWLO (89.1) FM, www.RRSN.com, www.USA-365.com
Weather: Low 70s, rains should have ended with partly cloudy skies by the new Saturday night kick-of time, though the field may be wet.
Parking: Hobart usually brings a large crowd. Not nearly the 2000, 3000 per game they traveled with in the 70s and 80s, but better than most schools. CP has 5,000 seats and a parking lot that should handle this crowd. Be patient. There is still only one entrance and exit at Crown Point High School. As always, you are asked not to park in the lot of St Matthias church west of the school. But you will be forgiven. Reminder to fans: the new CPHS field sits next to a large water retention pond. Bring bug spray. The mosquitoes are not nearly as forgiving as the church is.
The series: Hobart has totally dominated this series. They lead CP 45-10 all-time. But CP has won the last two meetings, 21-17 (in 2005) and 26-0 (in 2006). Hobart has not yet won at the new Crown Point high school, which is beginning its fifth year of existence. The Brickies are the gold standard in Northwest Indiana high school football. Although Hammond high actually does have more all-time wins, Hobart is 538-244-18 in 80 seasons and they have won four state titles, the most of any NW Indiana school. Coaching legends Russ Deal (115-48-6) and Don Howell (314-73) produced Brickie teams for a combined 50 years and kept the Hobart name on the top of Northwest Indiana sports pages in the second half of the 20th Century.
Here's another friendly rivalry for CP for the same reason they can't get too angry at Lowell. The Bulldogs play Hobart once a year and they'll never see them in the post-season due to the disparity in the enrollments. One of CP's biggest games ever was the 1984 battle with Hobart in Crown Point when both teams were undefeated at 10-0. There are CP old-timers who believe that team, coached by Brad Smith, was CP's best team ever and the 20-7 Hobart victory on Nov. 2, 1984 might have denied the Bulldogs a state title.
Hobart is the unintended poster child for class sports. The Brickies, who were always the smallest school in the eight-team Duneland Conference, never won a state championship or the big school state title (there was no 5A state title until 1985) before they were slotted into a class with teams their own. Hobart dominated NW Indiana play in the 70s and 80s but they only began to win state championships in 1987, 1989, 1991 and 1993.
Hobart lost three 3A state title games (1979, 1981 and 1982) before Class 4A began in 1983. Hobart also lost a 4A state title game (1984) before Class 5A came in in 1985. After '85, Hobart, playing for the first time with a larger class above them to remove the giant schools (Ben Davis, Warren Central) from their path, was 4-2 in state championship games.
The Brickies, who were a school of 1200 facing schools of 2000 and 3000 before the classes expanded, might never have won a state championship if the classes hadn't expanded to be fair to them. When you look at the history of Hobart football, and what the four state titles mean to the town and how they earned them, you wonder why there is such resistance to class playoffs in other sports. Hobart football has not been diminished one bit by the fact that they didn't win titles in the largest available football class.
History may repeat itself somewhat in the next decade. There are 316 Indiana football playing schools. The state tournament has five enrollment classes divided evenly in number. That format allows for 320 teams or 64 in each class for six weeks of playoffs. Several more schools are planning to start football. Many are small 'charter schools' that are springing up in urban areas. As soon as the number of football playing teams hits 321 (probably in 2009), the present IHSAA format must change.
You could give 16 teams in each class (80 total) a first round bye and allow just 32 teams (160 total) play a first round game for the other 16 second round berths. That would eliminate about 100 losing teams that could be dropped would not be missed in post-season play.
But this is Indiana. And we've always had this archaic ideal that everyone, even 0-9 teams should make the post-season and get beat again. The only way to do that is to go to six classes of playoffs, expanding the 64-team-per-class 'grid' to accommodate as many as 384 schools. That's probably what we'll have in 2009. That would slide 4As like Hobart, Morton and Lowell onto an even more level playing field and increase their statewide chances.
This is all speculation, but again, the present format only works for two more years. There will be change. And 4A schools like Hobart (and small 5As like Munster and Chesterton) will be the big beneficiaries because they will not have to lock up with Penn, Ben Davis and even Portage (2800) and Crown Point (2400) in the post-season.
After the glory years, Hobart was 25-42 in a six-year span from 1998-2003 as the other Duneland Athletic Conference schools grew to twice Hobart's size. But the switch to a conference with teams in the Brickies' same enrollment neighborhood brought back the glory days. The Northwest Crossroads Conference (NWCC) with no school larger than Munster (1500) makes Hobart a title contender every year.
There may come a day when CP gets to be so large a school that Hobart will
not wish to play them anymore. But it is highly unlikely that the
Bulldogs would ever drop Hobart because the school is synonymous with NW
Indiana football success. The 68-year old Brickie Bowl may close next
year as Hobart moves into a new multi-million dollar high school. But
with a 26-10 record since 2003, the prospect of a more evenly matched Class
4A in 2009 and a new school with state-of-the-art training facilities set to
open in 2009, the dawn of a new day of Brickie football dominance may be on
the horizon.
Junior varsity: Crown Point at Hobart - Sat. Aug. 25, 10 a.m.
Freshmen: Hobart at Crown Point - Thursday, Aug. 30 - 6 p.m.
Class 4A Hobart (1-0)
Coach: Wally McCormack (31-17, 6th year)
Enrollment: 1,234
2006 record: 10-2*
Sectional titles: (19) last in
1997
Regional titles: (15) last in 1996
Semistate titles: (9) last in
1996
State titles: (4) 1987, 1989, 1991 and
1993.
*Lost 31-28 to Lowell in the 4A
sectional nine championship game last
season.
Hobart Brickies (1-0)
8-17 (W) 63-0 West Side (0-1)
8-25 at Crown Point (0-1)
8-31 at Griffith (1-0)
9-7 Kankakee Valley (1-0)
9-14 at Andrean (0-1)
9-21 LOWELL (1-0)
9-28 MUNSTER (0-1)
10-5 at Morton (0-1)
10-12 at Highland (0-1)
4A Sectional 9 playoffs
10-19 (F) vs. Morton, Highland, Munster,
East Chicago, Gary West Side, Griffith
or Hobart.
Schedule analysis: This is a strong schedule after week one. Griffith, Lowell, Andrean and Morton are exactly the teams Hobart should play. The only team missing from this schedule is Merrillville, Hobart's arch-rival in the 70s and 80s. I can see a day when Hobart might want to drop Crown Point to play Merrillville. But I cant see a day when Hobart would play CP and Merrillville. CP and Merrillville are going to be 3,000-kid schools in the next decade. Hobart's schedule is stronger than their sectional, which is the way you want it.
Class 5A Crown Point (0-1)
Coach: Chip Pettit (42-25, 7th year at
CP)
Enrollment: 2,400
2006 record: 12-1*
Sectional titles: (3) 1981, 1988, 2006
Regional titles: (1) 1988
Semistate titles: (0)
State titles: (0)
*Lost 28-21 (OT) at LaPorte in the
regional championship game
Crown Point Bulldogs
8-17 (L) 14-23 at Lowell (1-0)
8-24 (F) Hobart (1-0)
8-31 (F) Merrrillville (1-0)
9-7 (F) at LC (1-0)
9-14 (F) at Portage (1-0)
9-21 (F) Valparaiso (0-1)
9-28 (F) LaPorte (1-0)
10-5 (F) at Chesterton (1-0)
10-12 (F) Michigan City (1-0)
5A Sectional (1) One
Oct. 19: vs. Valparaiso, Portage,
Chesterton, Lake Central, Michigan City,
Munster or Merrillville
Schedule analysis: Crown Point has a near perfect schedule. They open with two smaller schools who have top flight programs in Lowell and Hobart. Those schools also have good fan bases which helps at the box office. CP plays in the DAC which has four smaller schools and two larger ones in Portage and Lake Central. Three of CP's foes (LC, Lowell and Merrillville) are next door neighbors (you'd be surprised how many schools have less than three bordering schools on the schedule), which increases rivalry and interest in the program. CP's schedule is not tougher than its sectional because six of the seven sectional foes are the same. The only non-DAC team in Sectional One is Munster, which is probably the first school they might consider playing if they had a 10th regular season game.
Hobart (1-0) at CROWN POINT (0-1)
Sagarin ratings: CP by 10
Hobart's skill position players are the envy of all NW Indiana teams. Junior Bobby James (6-3, 215) caught 41 passes for 736 yards and 10 TDs in 2006 after catching 47 passes for 651 yards and six TDs in 2005. He will graduate as Hobart's all-time leading receiver if he isn't already. Tailback Andrew Jackson (6-2, 235) gained 1,704 yards on 303 carries in 2006. If he duplicates that season, the senior will end his career as Hobart's all-time leading rusher. They are both Division I caliber and nobody in NW Indiana this year has two players like that.
In charge of this wealth of yardage gainers is Matt Barras (5-10, 165) a junior who led the JV to a 16-2 record the last two seasons. Barras is a good runner and he can also toss it to halfback Jeremy Coons (5-10, 185) and Greg Glover (6-0, 175). But it will be the line with Roy Hall (6-0, 245), Kyle Johnson (6-4, 275) and Kevin Koselke (6-4, 250) that will have to make plays work. Everyone's going to stack the line and force Barras to throw. Everyone's also going to double cover James on passing downs. Hobart has to decide how much they want to throw to James on early downs as opposed to staying on the ground with Jackson. A lot of that will depend on the conditions and the opposition.
The Brickie defense should be good with linebacker Andrew Zimmer (6-3 215) who was credited with 120 tackles last year. In the secondary, Jeremy Lenson (6-0, 175), Chris Fussel (5-10, 160) and James should be strong. Defensive end Andrew Walsdorf (6-3, 215) can get to the passer. With new kicker Michael Josifovski (7 of 7 last week in his debut), this looks like a very complete team. They may lack a little speed overall, but the only really inexperienced key slot is quarterback. Barras played against Gary West Side but that doesn't count. This will be his first real varsity game.
Crown Point is trying to bounce back after losing to Lowell for a sixth time in nine years. I still can't swear to you conclusively why CP lost after leading 14-3 at the half. The Bulldogs ran just 34 offensive plays (22 runs), but when you're ahead 14-3 and you get the ball to start the second half, you are one TD away from icing the game.
The Bulldogs switched two offensive line players, Cody Blue (6-3, 230) and Matt Childress (6-2, 260), to the defensive line to strengthen that unit. While Blue and Childress played and defensive end Nick Hladek looked good at times, the offensive line could not pass block the Red Devil rushers. I can't say I saw a consistent failure in run blocking because CP simply didn't have that many second half running plays. But Lowell's Jeff Barker had 3 1/2 sacks against CP and Hobart DE Andrew Walsdorf certainly took notice.
Some of the problem may also have been the backs not picking up the rushers. It's hard to say off one game. I don't think you'll see a replay of such blocking failures this week.
CP QB Blake Mascarello was 3-of-10 for 73 yards but it wasn't all his fault. The Bulldogs need to find a pass catching halfback to limit what linebackers can do against them and I think Russell Chick (21 carries, 116 yards, 2 TDs, no fumbles) is that man. Chick (5-9, 180) may have had the best statistical debut of a CP runner in his first varsity start in recent years and nobody notched.
Senior Ron Burton caught one pass
but he just didn't have many thrown to
him. Senior Justin Cope couldn't hang
onto to a long third quarter bomb that
also would have changed the game. I
still expect Joe Maginot (6-3, 220) to
be a big pass catching factor out of CP's double tight end sets with
all-state candidate Zach Cecich (6-3,
230). I'm certain Maginot will get his
chances.
Hladek had 12 tackles against Lowell and
linebacker Andrew Szymborksi had five
solo tackles. But the 66-yard go-ahead
TD run by Lowell's Brandon Grubbe, a
play where the CP defense appeared to be
caught with the safety tucked up close
on a wide receiver, changed the course
of the game.
Lowell only attempted four passes, so it was difficult to judge free safety Nick Bruno or the new secondary people. I thought the new wide-side outside linebacker, Anthony Stahl, was OK in his debut in the pass rush, pass coverage run-stop role that CP requires of its fifth linebacker in the 3-5-3 set.
I saw two major breakdowns in CP's defense (Grubbe's run and a play action pass to Barker in the fourth quarter) and that's not bad considering how long they were on the field.
Place-kicker Michael Lipton averaged 30 yards on six punts, but junior punter Mike Kozlowski will take over that role. Kozlowski, who is also a co-starter at fullback, was in Mississippi with the Hammond Seminoles Babe Ruth baseball all-star team that finished third in the nation. Kozlowski will make a difference at two positions.
Crown Point has a ton of depth and you always improve most from week one to week two. Especially with a sense of urgency brought on by an opening night loss.
What Will
Happen...
CROWN POINT - A big crowd will see a
high-scoring contest Friday as neither
side wants to be conservative here
because both have a lot to prove.
Hobart is bigger than Lowell defensively,
but not as quick so CP will again
establish halfback Russell Chick and go
to the air early. But Hobart should also
be able to run the ball with Andrew
Jackson (6-1, 235), who carried eight
times for 119 yards last week, behind a
good sized line led by Roy Hall (6-0,
240).
As good as Hobart's junior wide receiver Bobby James (6-3, 215) is, CP will give up 1-on-1 coverage against him to stop Jackson. The Bulldogs will dare new Hobart QB Matt Barras to beat them and that means bringing eight men to the ball against Jackson. CP threw only 12 passes last week against Lowell, but they only had 36 offensive plays total (Lowell had 53). The Bulldogs will get 50-60 plays this week because, while Hobart can score quickly, the CP front simply won't allow Jackson to gain first down after first down. If Hobart wants to throw 20-30 times they will be welcomed to do that, but that would lead to some mistakes that CP can turn around for scores.
Look for Chick to post his second consecutive 100-yard game in a contest that may be tied at 14-14 at halftime. I think Joe Maginot catches four or five passes in key slots. Hobart's James caught 10 passes against CP last season and he will certainly be effective again. But once the Brickies fall behind, they will get away from Jackson in an effort to rally.
Hobart does not have the pass rush Lowell did. They cannot take the passing game down as the Devils did last week. Hobart's Barras will be the focus of this game. If he can go mistake-free, Hobart will win. But that's not going to happen. CP gets two interceptions and two fumbles and pulls away in the second half. I'm certain Hobart was hoping for a Crown Point win at Lowell last week. CP's upset loss turns up the urgency level for this week's contest and I think they want the challenge of trying to stop Jackson. I don't think Hobart can throw the ball on Crown Point and they will be forced to if they are to win this game. If CP gets more than 34 offensive plays, they'll find the end zone five times this week.
The Bulldogs have not lost a home game since 2004 and they will show they have as much or more firepower as Hobart does. The Brickies could beat CP later in the year, but coming off a 'scrimmage' against West Side, they aren't quite ready to do that Friday.
CROWN POINT 35, Hobart 17