Week 7 - Football Game of the Week Preview

Lowell (2-4, 1-3) at Munster (2-4, 0-4)

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

9-28-2005

When: Friday, September 30, 2005

Where:  at Munster High School - 8118 Columbia Ave., Munster, IN.

Tickets:  $5 

Kickoff:    7:00 p.m.
Radio-TV:  WJOB (1230) AM, although this was the original schedule and it may change due to the records of the two teams.

Weather:  Low-50s, dry. Good and cold.

Parking:  Enough. But it's west across Columbia Ave. behind the school, not at the football field. there's going to be room for you. Let's just say this wont be a sellout.

Rivalry: It surprised me to learn that Munster has ALWAYS played Lowell. Munster's first ever varsity game was a 16-0 win over Lowell in 1966. They met 26 years in a row from 1970-1995 and the Mustangs had it all their own way. Munster was 26-0 all-time against Lowell when the Devils won 9-7 in the 4A Sectional title game on Nov. 6, 1992, probably the landmark game in Lowell football history. That was Lowell's first-ever Lowell sectional title and it kicked off the modern era of Lowell football which began in 1993. 

Lowell, which had losing seasons for 25 years in a row before 1993, is 50 games over .500 with three more sectionals and two regional titles since then. Munster and Lowell were also rivals in the old Lake Suburban Conference (1969 to 1992) which was the only other league (they are now in the Lake Athletic Conference) that Munster has ever participated in. Munster is one of the younger schools in northwest Indiana, barely older than Hanover Central. Every other DAC and LAC school (Highland goes back to the 50s, Lake Central used to be Dyer Central but that was more a name change than a consolidation) is older than Munster except for Kankakee Valley, which is a consolidation of schools including DeMotte. 

Some see Michigan City as a new school but that isn't really true. MC is a consolidation of Elston and Rogers in the mid-90s but Elston was the original Michigan City high school, which split in the 60s. Rogers was open from 1971-1995. What was Elston and is now Michigan City actually goes back to World War I. 

Munster, while they resist the stereotype, is the ultimate rich kid school in Lake County. Per capita income is higher than Kate Moss and Lexus sales-people set up recruiting visits on 'College' day. There's no getting away from Munster's vast success in tennis, the ultimate rich kid prodigy sport. Munster is also a dominant swimming power and their recent rise in baseball and softball is not unexpected considering the effect elite high-tuition traveling teams have on those sports. Munster has struggled in recent years in football and the doomsday scenario has them being promoted to Class 5A in 2007 when the IHSAA reclassifies teams. That would put Munster in the same sectional as Portage and Merrillville teams they cannot hang with right now. 

Another school of thought is that Munster moving to Class 5A would be a jolt, requiring them to step up their football program or get smoked on a weekly basis. Munster parents, probably because of their affluence, expect more and are very demanding. If the team is down now, it probably won't last long. Either way, Munster and Lowell, while different in the school and town wealth, are similar in playing styles. Munster uses a lot of wing-T attack while Lowell comes hard with the I formation. If either team throws the ball 20 times, it's because they are losing.  Lowell and Munster have split the last 14 games but Lowell has won the last three, including a 36-7 win in 2004. Munster played within 22-19 against sectional rival Hobart and a win over Lowell would indicate they are a player in the Sectional nine playoffs. But Lowell has come to expect to beat Munster and they feel it's an upset now when they don't.

JV game:  Lowell at Munster: Sat. Oct. 1- 10 a.m. 

Freshmen game: Lowell at Hammond-Thurs. Sept. 29,- 6 p.m. 

Munster at Lowell - Thurs, Oct. 6 - 6 p.m.

Class 4A Lowell 

Coach: Kirk Kennedy (105-58, 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 (2-4, 1-3) 

8-19 (L) 6-16 Crown Point (6-0) 

8-26 (W) 61-14 at Calumet (2-4) 

9-2 (L) 0-21 Griffith (6-0) 

9-9 (L) 13-32 at Morton (4-2) 

9-16 (L) 0-7 ANDREAN (6-0) 

9-23 (W) 41-7 HAMMOND (0-6) 

9-30 (F) at Munster (2-4) 

10-7 (F) at Hobart (4-2) 

10-14 (F) Highland (3-3) 

 

4A Sectional nine 

10-21 (F) quarterfinals 

 

4A Sectional nine: 

Munster, Highland, Gary West Side, Lew Wallace, Gary Roosevelt, Kankakee Valley, Hobart and LOWELL

 

 

Class 4A Munster 

Coach: Leroy Marsh (167-103) 26th year 

Enrollment: 1,416 

Sectional tiles (5) 1985, 1996, 1987, 1993, 1996 

Regional titles (1) 1986 LAC titles (2) 1993, 1996 

2004 record: 4-6 

Last year: Lost sectional 9 quarterfinal 27-10 to Hobart 

 

4A Munster Mustangs (2-4) 

8-19 (W) 28-21 at KV (4-2) 

8-26 (W) 51-8 West Side (2-4) 

9-2 (L) 7-22 Highland (3-3) 

9-9 (L) 0-63 at Griffith (6-0) 

9-16 (L) 19-22 at Hobart (4-2) 

9-23 (L) 20-47 Morton (4-2) 

9-30 (4A) Lowell (2-4) 

10-7 (3A) at Hammond (0-6) 

10-14 (3A) Andrean (6-0) 

 

4A Sectional 9 

10-21 (F) quarterfinals 

4A Sectional nine: 

Munster, Highland, Gary West Side, Lew Wallace, Gary Roosevelt, Kankakee Valley, Hobart and LOWELL

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LOWELL (2-4, 1-3 LAC) at Munster (2-4, 0-4 LAC)

LAC Black Division - 9-30-2005 @ 7:00 p.m. (CDT)

MUNSTER - Lowell's offense improved last week against Hammond, but they face more of a physical defense here on the road. Still, Munster has lost 10 of their last 16 games and they have allowed 1,100 yards rushing in six games this year. The Devils have to attack that with their squadron of running backs that may again include injured Fullback Ethan Winel this Friday. 

Winel has a leg injury that reportedly, can't get worse if he plays. With two months left at the most, he plans to give it a try and Lowell needs him, especially on defense where the Devils have allowed only 16 points a game but lack depth. The Devils' strong right side with Ryan King and Jed Travis should be able to open the door for leading rusher Scott Gray and sophomore rookie Steffan Peck. Here's a night where QB Jimmy Ritter and WR Jeff Clemens can pick up big yards on the option. Word of Gray's 200-yard rushing games (3 in his last 10 games) precede him so Munster's 5-3 defense will throw everything they can at him. 

But Munster has allowed 133 points in the last three weeks against Griffith, Hobart and Morton. You might see Lowell use some four man backfields with Gray, Peck and Clemens, who was originally a fullback. The Devils would like to get the ball into Clemens hands more and they need to find consistent receivers other than Clemens and Chris Lampa. Lowell has done a nice job throwing the football this year but this is not the night for that. The Mustangs have lost four straight so you don't need to give them a chance to get turnovers. Munster QB Jake Ernd, a returning varsity starter, has not had the year he probably hoped for. He was 3-of-17 against Griffith, 2-of-10 against KV and was intercepted four times against Morton last week.

Because of the passing problems, Lowell's task is obvious. Look for the Devils to 'bring the house' (blitzing eight and nine man fronts) and force the Mustangs to throw and throw quickly. You want to run an extra rusher at Ernd to make him move out of the pocket, which is not his specialty. The Devils have seen a lot of passing teams (Andrean, Hammond, Morton) this season and they have done well when they were able force them to go the length of the field. 

I like Lowell to score early on an interception by Clemens. Ritter will find the the goal line on the option for a 14-0 lead in a scenario very similar to last week. Eventually, hard-running Munster halfback Tom Mambourg (5-9, 170) will get into the end zone, but Munster's lines are not as strong as in past years. Munster uses a lot of misdirection of the wings and they have to feel that's their best chance here. Lowell might be a little quicker and the Devils have done well on special teams this season. This will be a traditional Lowell game with 10 runs for every pass. In recent seasons, the Devils have been a good road team since they hog the ball. 

But Lowell's last road game was a competitive nightmare and they probably want to work on being prepared to play after a long bus ride. Lowell can't ease up because Munster is desperate for a win. These teams could draw each other in sectional play when the draw comes out on Sunday (Oct.1) but they don't know that and both need this win too much to hold anything back. I like a blocked punt to lead to a third Lowell score and Gray will gain plenty of yards in second half after being stopped in the first two quarters. I see Lowell as developing some depth defensively, something they must have for the two meetings (assuming an eventual playoff confrontation) with a bigger, stronger Hobart team. But Lowell needs a collective confidence to continue to build in the offensive line. The Devils have not yet had a game where everything was working on offense. Lowell is better than their 2-4 record indicates. Unfortunately, Munster may not be. 

LOWELL 35, Munster 7

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Revised: September 28, 2005 .