Week 2 Picks:  2004 NW Indiana High School Football

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

August 26, 2004

WEEK ONE (1) ANALYSIS:

Honestly, there were very few surprises. Andrean drove 99 yards in 22 plays to beat Chesterton and Hammond survived Gavit's passing assault to win by two. Highland survived 230 yards rushing by Culver to win. All three could have gone either way. All the other games went the way they were supposed to go although Crown Point and Valparaiso were in position to pull off upsets. It should be noted that the form-chart stability of week one is odd. Usually, you are only guessing about strengths and weaknesses on opening night. You don't really know anything.

2004 (Week One) 11 of 14, 78.5%

WEEK TWO (2): Aug. 26, 2004

There are some very big games state wide, but locally there's a few mismatches. There's just no chance that Munster, Merrillville, Valparaiso, Andrean and Lowell won't beat Wirt, Dunbar, Roosevelt, Bishop Noll and Calumet. If any of the latter teams come within 20 points of the former, it will be a moral victory. The best matchup is probably 3A power Griffith at DAC first division member Chesterton while the most entertaining matchup may be Crown Point and Hobart.

State wide, 5A No.2 Penn (1-0) travels to superpower Ben Davis (1-0), 5A No. 1 Warren Central (1-0) and 4A No. 1 Cathedral (1-0) trade punches in Indianapolis while three-time 3A state champion Bishop Chatard puts their five state titles in seven years on the big yellow bus for a ride to Evansville for a first-time ever meeting with 5A No. 6 Reitz in the 8,000-seat Reitz Bowl.

Hammond (1-0) 24,  Clark (0-1) 20

This could be one of the better games of the week. Clark gave up almost 500 total yards to Morton but Hammond doesn't have that type of attack. Hammond gave up 222 yards passing to Gavit, but Clark can't throw the ball like the Gladiators. Hammond won 14-12 when they knocked away two late passes that could have given Gavit the win. Clark trailed just 25-20 at the half before reality set in. I think Clark is favored in this game, but four turnovers last week is a worry against an athletic Hammond squad. I didn't think that Hammond would win a game this season, but now I've got them going to 2-0. Hammond comes from behind to win on a late turnover.

Wheeler (1-0) 28,  North Newton (0-1) 7

North Newton made a nice debut last week in a 34-25 loss to Rensselaer but the Spartans are up against it here. Wheeler's offensive line including big Ryan Komainaikis (6-2, 250) and even bigger Vic Tinnish (6-1, 270) can control this game. The Bearcats may not roll up the points but North Newton, led by the Scheidt triplets, TE-DE Ryan Scheidt, HB-DB Reid Scheidt (6-2, 175) and quarterback Reich Scheidt (6-2, 180), who was 8-of-15 for 144 yards last week will have a hard time getting the ball away from the home team.

Highland (1-0) 31,  Whiting (1-0) 14

Whiting rolled up 365 yards of total offense last week against River Forest but Highland is another level of play. The Trojans did give up 238 yards on the ground last week but the Trojans have a size advantage on Whiting. New QB Andrew Helmer was 12 of 17 for 207 yards last week and he will prove very difficult for the Oilers to contain, as will 6-3 receiver Derek Moser. Some may pick Whiting in an upset here but there's a difference between 1A and 4A.

LaPorte (1-0) 33,  Elkhart Central (1-0) 30

This will be a shootout. Central rolled up 306 yards to dominate Elkhart rival Memorial 27-12 last week. That is a very big win for the Blazers who got 135 yards on 17 carries AND 15 of 18 for 110 yards passing from quarterback Phil Bernard (6-1, 180). Central runs a spread offense and they run and pass from it. LaPorte has a new weapon in halfback Josh Saylor, who carried 21 times for 132 yards last week in a 24-17 win over New Prairie and also caught a 70-yard TD pass from 1,000-yard (as a soph) QB Lance Jorgensen. There's just no way the defenses dominate this one.

(Wilmette, Ill.) Loyola Academy 28,  Lake Central 14

Loyola Academy is a Catholic school twice the size of Andrean. We have to guess about their 2004 weapons because the Illinois football season has not begun yet. LC dominated South Bend Riley as halfback John Maida gained 202 yards on 24 carries. LC QB Steve Apostol completed 8 of 10 passes for 220 yards. This is a very big game for LC. They are being reminded that they beat Riley last year, too and ended up 1-9.

There are very few teams in Indiana that could stay with Loyola Academy.

Lake Station (0-1) 14,  River Forest (0-1) 12

Lake Station gained 236 yards rushing against Class 1A North White and they may be ready to win what, for them, would be a big one...  the game against arch rival River Forest. The Ingots' QB Matt Bigott was just 7-of-21 last week with five interceptions but he has ace receiver Mike Carver and they need a bounce back. But if Lake Station does not fumble the opening kickoff like they did last week in Monon, I look for them to get back to the .500 mark.

Michigan City (1-0) 34,  Riley (0-1) 20

Michigan City rolled up 362 yards on 49 carries. Halfback Ryan Fics ran 13 times for 129 yards and the Wolves rallied from a 14-12 halftime deficit. But Riley gave up 50 points without ever turning the ball over. Think about that. Riley didn't have any defense at all and they won't be able to find one in a week.

South Central (0-1) 24,  Culver (0-1) 7

You could say that these teams, both 1-9 last year, aren't going anywhere, but we don't know that yet. South Central rolled up 349 total yards in a 29-18 loss to No. 10 (1A) LaVille  last week. The Satellites may be on the launching pad. Culver got spanked 42-7 last week by West Central and they can't stop the run.

Kankakee Valley (0-1) 21,  Rensselaer (0-1) 14
If there's an upset in week 2, here it is. Rensselaer, rated 10^th in the state in 2A, led North Newton just 27-25 in the fourth quarter before winning by nine. KV got smoked by Munster 56-7 last week, allowing almost 600 yards. I just don't think they'll take it lying down. This is the championship of Jasper County (there's only 2 schools there) and the Kougars were planning on a strong season before last week.

Portage (1-0) 42,  East Chicago (0-1) 21

Portage gets ready for the DAC season by trying to contain the passing and running speed of EC. The Indians' quickness will bother EC's offensive line. Portage back Antoine Brown ran for 149 yards and a TD last week and his speed from scrimmage is always a defensive focus. Coach Craig Buzea has to like the zero turnovers in week one. EC is just taking names. They open with Merrillville and Portage and they file that info away because when the state tournament draw comes out, the Cardinals have a good chance of drawing Merrillville or Portage.

Crown Point (0-1) 31,  Hobart (1-0) 28

Easily the best game of the week. A contrast in styles. Crown Point and new QB Matt Jansen (16 of 28, 169 yards last week) can cause major problems for the slower Brickies. There's no way Hobart can cover the 4 and 5 wide receiver sets of CP all night and 6-5 Brian Maloney, 6-2 Matt Ernest and speedy Mike Smith are just a pain to defense. But Lowell gained 260 yards rushing on CP and the Bulldogs are going to need a lot of luck to stop Mark Drobac and TJ Pope behind the big Brickie blockers. And it's awfully hard to get lucky at the line of scrimmage. We're going to see who's in better physical condition. But, on a warm, dry night, take the passing team over the running squad, even on the road, probably with a fourth quarter rally.

Chesterton (0-1) 33,  Griffith (1-0) 21

This game looks better on paper than it does in reality. Griffith is catching Chesterton at the wrong time. The Trojans lost 18-13 on a 99-yard drive by Andrean in the final five minutes last week and they won't start 0-2. Griffith was not challenged in a 57-13 victory over Bishop Noll and they may not be ready for a team of Chesterton's size and skill.

Nobody really stops Griffith but the Panthers' defense is going to have to be mistake free to handle Casey Martin and the offensive skill of Chesterton. A high scoring, entertaining game, but the Trojans can wear down the home team.

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Revised: August 27, 2004 .