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Hammond (0-5)at Lowell (1-4) |
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Week
6 - Football Game of the Week Preview |
Hammond (0-5)at Lowell (1-4) |
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9-21-2005
When:
Friday, September 23, 2005
Where: at Lowell High School - Route 2, Lowell, IN.
Tickets: $5
Kickoff:
7:00 p.m.
Radio-TV:
None. And, with the won-loss records, these two teams are grateful for
some anonymity right now.
Weather: Cool, low-60s, chance of rain.
Parking: Wildcat football has seen better days. Few fans are coming from Hammond. If it rains, you can arrive pretty much whenever you want and park almost where ever you want.
Rivalry: Hammond's 24-20 victory over Lowell on Oct. 31, 1997 may have been the first-ever game between the two schools. They did not meet in the 50s, 60s, 70s or 80s. These schools have come full circle. There was a time when Hammond was a power in football. In 1960 and 1962, the Wildcats were 10-0 and beat powers like Hobart and the East Chicago schools Washington and Roosevelt. That was before the IHSAA state tournament and, while old timers will tell you those teams could've jumped right to the NFL, it's hard to tell how good the 1950s and 60s Hammond teams really were because they rarely left NW Indiana. Hammond also had a strong run in the late 70s and early 80s, going 49-5 in a five-year span including 1978-1981. The Wildcats had 13 consecutive winning seasons from 1977-1989. But as the population of NW Indiana slid south to Munster and Highland, Merrillville and St. John, Hammond fell behind the game. Except for an 11-2 in 1988 and a 10-1 in 1994, Hammond grid success was inconsistent, even as the talent in north Lake County waned overall. A 9-4 in 2000 was the Wildcats' last gasp. In the last five years, the Wildcats are 12-34 and it's not going to get better until the breakup of the Lake Athletic Conference after next year. Hammond is wildly over matched against league rivals Andrean, Hobart, Griffith and Lowell.
The Devils lead the recent series 6-4 and have won the last three games by a combined score of 142-41. There has been an odd companionship between Lowell and Hammond. Lowell boys actually drove to Hammond and cheered for the Wildcats against Griffith in a playoff game four years ago. And I remember Hammond jackets in the stands at some Lowell playoff games in recent years. For markedly different boys (Lowell is all white and Hammond is almost all black) boys who live in markedly different towns (Hammond is very urban and Lowell is half farms) it's good to see. With that said, the Devils don't go easy on Hammond. Lowell has won the last five meetings by a combined score of 205-80, largely because Hammond typically in the last 10-15 years has had just 30 or so players on the roster each season.
In the same way the Bears would win the Super Bowl if they could play Detroit every week, Lowell would be blessed to play a short roster team that throws all the time like Hammond. This truthfully is one of the matchups that will certainly be discontinued when the LAC breaks up next year. After 2006 the next Lowell-Hammond football game occurs after the Hammond schools consolidate and Hammond football becomes a force again.
JV GAME: Hammond at Lowell - Sat.. Sept. 24 - 10 a.m.
Freshmen: Lowell at Andrean - Thurs., Sept. 22 - 6 p.m.
Lowell at Hammond - Thurs. Sept. 29, - 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 (1-4)
8-19 (L) 6-16 5A No. 6 Crown Point (5-0)
8-26 (W) 61-14 at Calumet (1-4)
9-2 (L) 0-21 3A No. 2 Griffith (5-0)
9-9 (L) 13-32 at Morton (3-2)
9-16 (L) 0-7 3A No. 1 ANDREAN (5-0)
9-23 (3A) HAMMOND (0-5)
9-30 (4A) at Munster (2-3)
10-7 (4A) at Hobart (4-1)
10-14 (4A) Highland (3-2)
4A Sectional 9 playoffs
10-21 (F) quarterfinals
10-28 (F) semifinals
11-4 (F) championship
3A Hammond Wildcats
Coach: Bob Delano (12-34) 5th year
Enrollment: 1,141
Sectional tiles (4) 1978, 1983, 1988, 2000
Regional titles (1) 1998
Semistate titles (0)
LAC titles (2) 1994, 1998
2004 record: 2-8
Last year: Lost sectional quarterfinal 56-6 to eventual state champion Andrean.
3A Hammond Wildcats (0-5)
8-19 (L) 12-13 at Gavit (2-3)
8-26 (L) 13-22 Clark (2-3)
9-2 (L) 19-52 at Hobart (4-1)
9-9 (L) 0-34 Andrean (5-0)
9-16 (L) 7-14 Highland (3-2)
9-23 - at (4A) Lowell (1-4)
9-30 - at (3A) Griffith (5-0)
10-7 – (4A) Munster (2-3)
10-14 – (3A) Morton (3-2)
3A Sectional 17
10-21 (F) quarterfinals
10-28 (F) semifinals
11-4 (F) championship
Hammond (0-5, 0-3 LAC) at Lowell (1-4, 0-3 LAC)
LAC Black Division - 9-23-2005 @ 7:00 p.m. (CDT)
LOWELL - At first glance, this is an even game. A 1-4 team against an 0-5 squad. But Hammond has had little chances to win all season while Lowell has blown more opportunities to win in September than the White Sox' Bobby Jenks. Obviously, since the Devils have lost to three undefeated teams, the thinking is that their 1-4 record is a little misleading. Lowell now has four games to prove that theory. Friday's game with winless Hammond is an absolute must game, no matter who is hurt and can't play.
Lowell got strong safety, punter, top receiver and kickoff returner Jeff Clemens back off the injured list last week and it was like getting four players back. The Devils will still go without FB-LB Ethan Winel and WR Joe Wojcik, both of whom might return Sept. 30 at Munster.
Hammond certainly has injury problems that Lowell does not know about. With just a 30-teen roster, the Wildcats have several players who play offense and defense. The Wildcats have not done well against running teams. They have allowed over 1,000 yards rushing in five games. The offense doesn't help. Hammond has thrown an unofficial 151 passes and that just puts the defense back on the field that much quicker. Hammond QB AJ Hudec is 74-of-151 for 799 yards, 6 TDs and eight interceptions. Get ready for 30 or 40 passes into the Lowell secondary that gave up 17 of 25 to Andrean's Jesse Repay last week.
Lowell will work on the run game all week after being held to less than 100 yards rushing for the third time this season. Lowell rushed for 3,000 yards in 2004 and they have been very surprised that the rushing game has been shut down three times in 2005. The two teams Lowell has run on have been Calumet and Morton, to the tune of 700 combined yards. Crown Point, Griffith and Andrean have all kept the Devils under 100 yards rushing and Lowell is not equipped to win a game where they can't run the ball. There may be changes in the Lowell lineup. Other than the game against Calumet, Lowell has not scored in the first half all year. That can't be ignored five games into the season and it won't be. Lowell found a backup runner in sophomore Stephan Peck (5-6, 165) early in the season and they discovered a speedy outside pass rusher in sophomore Kaleb Layman (5-9, 160) last week. They may 'find' some offensive linemen this week because Peck, Clemens and leading rusher Scott Gray (95 carries, 560 yards) have not totaled 1,000 yards through five games. You may see Clemens in the backfield blocking for Gray. His original position was fullback.
I'm still waiting to see back-up QB Josh Kuiper (4-6, 52 yards) throwing to present 1st-string QB Jimmy Ritter (33-67, 394 yards), who played tight end last year. Clemens (19-243 yards) has not been able to catch a deep pass all year, to some extent because Lowell has trailed most of the season and foes were reasonably certain that almost every Lowell pass was going his way. The Devils have to find a way to get the ball to some one like TE Chris Lampa (6-107 yards) consistently. Both QBs, Kuiper and Ritter have struggled and that also may be a product of always trailing.
The Devils usually overlook Hammond somewhat but they cannot afford that this time. A 1-4 record tells the world how good you are. Lowell may get burned early for a TD toss to receiver Jamal Coleman (5-11,170) but that will only create a sense of urgency in front of the home crowd. Look for senior Scott Gray to break a long TD run on the way to a 20-7 halftime lead. A blocked kick will break the game open in the third period. Jimmy Ritter and Josh Kuiper will both lead a couple of TD drives. Hammond will rally on a TD toss to speedy end and they can run behind all-area candidate Dennis Mitchell (6-3, 280).
The Cats are not helpless on offense. Lowell isn't sure if their poor record is a product of injuries, low-rent play or simply facing three undefeated state-ranked foes. They'd like to believe it's the latter and a decisive win over Hammond would make that logic easier to swallow. The Wildcats' QB AJ Hudec (6-1, 185) threw 30 passes against Andrean and Highland (13-32, 177 yards) so this will be a long night time-wise for the Devils defense. Unless it rains, the passes will keep coming for four quarters and the Cats will get on the board. Lowell's secondary does not have much size and everyone will attack them until they play the ball better and make some deflections and interceptions.
Expect Clemens, Gray and Peck to all go home with 100 yards and Lowell's offensive line should celebrate a 400-yard rushing night Friday. Hammond concedes the time of possession battle because they throw so much. If Lowell sticks with power running early they can wear out the Hammond lines. The Devils are a big favorite on this night to with their first home game of the season and start what they hope is a four-game winning streak to get over the .500 mark.
LOWELL 56, Hammond 20
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Revised: September 21, 2005 .