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3A No. 5 Griffith (2-0)at Lowell (1-1) |
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Week
3 - Football Game of the Week Preview |
3A No. 5 Griffith (2-0)at Lowell (1-1) |
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9-1-2005
When:
Friday, September 2, 2005
Where: Lowell High School, Route 2, Lowell, IN
Tickets: $5 - This game will be a standing room only and you need to arrive early or you may not like where you're standing. This is a highly-touted Griffith team and the small visitors side of Lowell's stands will be filled.
Kickoff:
7:00 p.m.
Radio-TV: WWCA
(1270), www.rrsn.com
Weather:
Near perfect - Low-70s, dry. Light winds. After a very dry week, the field
will be in peak condition.
Parking: Arrive early. Remember, there are now paved parking spots
in front of the school. Those spaces were available 15 minutes before kickoff
against Crown Point on Aug. 19. (Don't ask me how I know.).
Rivalry: These teams have played every year for the last 70 years,
the second longest continuous rivalry in NW Indiana. I think these two teams
enjoy playing each other because they play similar styles of aggressive,
blitzing defenses and ground-oriented dominating running offenses. In the last
15 years, these two have had almost mirror-image success except for one year. In
1997, Griffith won the semistate title on their third try and took the state
crown. Lowell has reached the semistate twice and got beat both times.
Lowell and Griffith were league rivals in the old Lake Suburban Conference
(1970-1992) and in the even older Calumet Conference, which disbanded in
1969. There is no real connection between these two towns other than high
school football, but residents in both places would be a little surprised to
find out how similar the two places are. While Munster, Highland and Crown
Point can be a little upper crust and snobby-suburban, Griffith, like Lowell, is
much more small-town Indiana. The high schools used to be the same size (Lowell
is growing) and the two best sports in each school are football and wrestling,
the tough-boy sports.
There are a lot of similarities between Griffith's Russ Radtke and Lowell's Kirk Kennedy, two old-school coaches who believe that 'trips' formations and field goals are sacrilegious. Both would run the ball 67 times in a row if they could.
One
big difference in the two philosophies. Griffith likes
to platoon, 22 players if they can. They drift away from that
as the season progresses but they try to start with
two separate platoons. Lowell encourages boys to play
both ways and they'll have at least seven boys on both sides of
the ball.
Last year, Griffith rallied from a 14-point first half deficit
to beat Lowell 21-20 in Griffith and the Panthers won 42-3 at Lowell in 2001.
Two of the last six games have ended with the score of 21-20. Griffith was 10-0
against Lowell in the 1980s and 8-2 in the 90s. Lowell won a spectacular 39-36
game at Griffith five years ago and they bombed Griffith 33-0 two years ago in
Lowell.
This Griffith team is much better than that one but Lowell is at a peak. That's what makes Friday's game so intriguing.
JV game: Griffith at Lowell
- Sat.. Sept. 3 - 10 a.m.
Freshmen game: Lowell at Griffith -Thursday, Sept. 8 - 6 p.m.
Class 4A Lowell
Coach: Kirk Kennedy (105-56, 15 years)
Enrollment: 1,150
Sectional titles: (5) 1992, 94, 99, 2003, 2004
Regional titles: (2) 1994, 99
2004 record: 9-4
Lost the regional championship game at home 28-21 to eventual state Class 4A runner-up Wawasee.
Lowell Red Devils (1-1)
8-19 (L) 6-16 CP (2-0)
8-26 (W) 61-14 Calumet (0-2)
9-2 (F) Griffith (2-0)
9-9 (F) Morton (2-0)
9-16 (F) ANDREAN (2-0)
9-23 (F) HAMMOND (0-2)
9-30 (F) at Munster (2-0)
10-7 (F) at Hobart (1-1)
10-14 (F) Highland (1-1)
4A Sectional 9 playoffs
10-21 (F) quarterfinals
10-28 (F) semifinals
11-4 (F) championship
3A No. 5 Griffith
Coach: Russ Radtke (111-40) 13th year
Enrollment: 902
Sectional tiles: 11 (1981, 1984, 1990, 91, 92, 94, 95, 97, 98 2001, 2002)
Regional titles: 3 ('91, 94 ,97)
Semistate titles : 1 (1997)
State titles: 1 (1997)
2004 record: 9-3
Last year: Lost 3A Sectional 17 championship game 36-35 to eventual state champ Andrean.
3A Griffith Panthers (2-0)
8-19 (W) 50-13 (SB) Riley (0-2)
8-26 (W) 56-7 at Chesterton (0-2)
9-2 - at 4A Lowell (1-1)
9-9 - 4A Munster (2-0)
9-16 - 4A Morton (2-0)
9-23 - at 4A Highland (1-1)
9-30 - 3A Hammond (0-2)
10-7 - at 3A Andrean (2-0)
10-14 - at 4A Hobart (1-1)
3A Sectional 17
10-21 (F) quarterfinals
10-28 (F) semifinals
11-4 (F) championship
LOWELL
- Griffith blew out two 5A teams in the first two weeks, routing South Bend
Riley 50-13 and smoking Chesterton 56-7. They were not
challenged in either game. The Panthers totaled 545
yards rushing in two games and QB Matt Nelleman (6-3, 195) is 13-of-20 for 288
yards and 4 TDs.
Nelleman is a new QB and then again he isn't. Nelleman played QB as a sophomore and was switched to fullback as a junior. A tall accurate thrower, Nelleman has thrown effectively so far, but he has not trailed in any game yet. You don't know anything about a quarterback until his team falls behind. Halfback Drew Rogowski (5-11, 181) has already scored four TDs on three runs and an 80-yard pass. Drew is not big but he is as elusive a broke field runner as there is in NW Indiana and he is coming off a near-1,000 yard (971) season in 2004.
Big sophomore fullback Doug Ashenbaugh (6-3, 185) has rushed for four short TDs so far and the panthers option is based on the fullback being able to gain four or five yards at will. These boys run behind returning starters Andrew Nashkoff (6-3, 225), Eric Andree (5-11, 221) and and Rob Buehler (6-1, 221). The Panthers have nice receivers but with a running unit like this, Griffith does the opposition a favor when they pass the ball.
Defensively, big DE Ben Geffert (6-5, 245) has to anchor the line that must force opposition teams to throw. The Panthers can and will get beat through the air, but they can outscore a lot of teams. What would kill them is a ball control offense that kept their big weapons on the sidelines.
The Panthers have not seen speed like Lowell possesses in halfback Scott Gray, who ran for 3 TDs against Calumet and WR-KR Jeff Clemens, who has already caught nine passes for 134 yards. Lowell's offense is based on running the ball with quick-hitting timing runs. Gray ((5-8, 181) is an accomplished sprinter and fullback Ethan Winel (5-10, 191) is a state finalist heavyweight wrestler. Clemens (6-2, 185) is the premier player in the LAC. He will line up at wide receiver or fullback. He is the hardest hitting safety in NW Indiana and one of the regions top punters and kick returners. What was not reported in Lowell's 16-6 loss to 5A No. 10 Crown Point was that all-NW Indiana guard Jed Travis (5-11, 250) did not play. Travis is the leader of Lowell's offensive line and he probably will be back against Griffith. Travis is a dominant drive blocker and Lowell has a loaded backfield behind him.
QB Jimmy Ritter has run for two TDs and back-up Josh Kuiper was 3-for-3 in relief against Calumet. Soph kicker Doug Lang has 35-40 yard field goal potential. Lowell is loaded offensively when everybody gets on the field. Defensively, the Devils are very fast with Clemens, who had 10 solo tackles against Crown Point, backing everybody up. Jimmy Ritter (6-1, 172), Ryan King (5-11, 202) and Chris Lampa (6-0, 180), who had 12 tackles against CP, are a strong linebacker corps. Winel is a very strong defensive lineman and Mike Staniewicz (6-5, 253) can get in the passer's face. The Panthers are small on the corner with Gray and Mike Dowling (5-9, 150) but they hope to be (They haven't been truly tested yet) better than 2004. Lowell's entire pass defense (rush and coverage) is still the team's biggest question mark. Last week's results suggest a high-scoring game but I don't think so. The Panthers will bring eight men to the front to slow halfback Scott Gray and fullback Ethan Winel, but Lowell will gain ground on exchanges of punts with Jeff Clemens kicking.
Lowell's sees the Griffith option every year and the can cause turnovers from new Panther QB Matt Nelleman on Griffith's option handoffs. Griffith's option is unstoppable when they execute it perfectly and stick with it. But nobody executes perfectly at Lowell. Both teams will turn in a special teams TD as speedy boys Scott Gray and Drew Rogowski both going coast-to-coast. Lowell will be conservative early but they will test the suspect Panther secondary (Chesterton was 23-30 for 210 yards last week) with Jeff Clemens going deep.
The Panthers have also thrown the ball more in the last two seasons that they typically do but the Devils would welcome that Friday. I don't think Griffith can protect the passer well enough to hurt Lowell consistently. Griffith hasn't faced anyone who can run the ball yet and Lowell, if the offensive line is at full strength (they were not against CP), can control the clock here. Emotionally, Lowell needs to make up for a bad home show on Aug. 19 and the lettermen remember the 21-20 loss at Griffith last year. Griffith is rated No. 1 in 3A this week in computer rankings and that helps Lowell, too. This senior class is Lowell's undefeated (9-0) freshman team that has won all the way up the ladder. And Lowell players point to the Griffith game every year. Good teams like to go on the road so the Panthers will be very excited to invade Lowell.
This game is very interesting because folks who have seen Griffith (but not Lowell), think the Panthers will win decisively. Lowell boys have heard and read that all week. That will come as a surprise to the Devils who think they have the better team, player for player. Lowell can defend Griffith's option fairly well and even if they give up a couple of passing-related TDs, I like Gray, Winel and Jimmy Ritter to score TDs as the Devils reject their arch rivals. Watch for both sides to score a kick return TD but Lowell can run the ball on Griffith and that will decide a game that won't be that close in the end.
Lowell 27, Griffith 14