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Hammond (6-0) at 4A, No. 7 Lowell (5-1) |
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Week
7 - Football Game of the Week Preview|
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Hammond (6-0) at 4A, No. 7 Lowell (5-1) |
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A
USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith
09-27-2007
When:
Friday, September 28, 2007
Where: Lowell High School - 2051 E. Commercial AVE (Route 2), Lowell, IN.
Tickets: $5 - (for everybody).
Kickoff:
7:00 p.m.
Radio-TV:
None. But that may change now that Hammond is 6-0.
Weather: Low
60s, dry field. A little cool for fans but good for the players.
With no rain expected late in the week, the field will be fast, which favors
Hammond.
Junior Varsity:
Lowell at Hammond - Saturday, Sept. 29, 10:00 a.m.
Freshmen: Hammond at Lowell - Thursday, Oct. 2 - 6:00
p.m.
Parking: This is Lowell's Homecoming game, which means
the home crowd will be large. I'm guessing that a decent crowd will come from
Hammond high, although that has never previously been the case. This is
the best start for Hammond high football in 20 years and, with good weather
expected, I am confident Hammond will back their team this time.
The series: Hammond did defeat Lowell 7-0 in a playoff game in 2001, but Lowell has won every year since that time. Last week, Lowell played Hobart, which had a storied history. This week, they take one of the few teams in the state with more victories than Hobart. Hobart is 561-253-16 all-time while Hammond high is 563-334-44. Hammond high is the original Hammond high school and they played football in 1905, long before most schools in NW Indiana were even conceived. There is a record of Hammond winning a football game 23-0 in Lowell on Nov. 20, 1909. But amazingly, they did not meet again in the 20th Century until 1997. It's ironic that some at Hammond talk about how the 'football' schools like Lowell wouldn't play them. Hammond didn't play Lowell for almost 100 years and didn't miss them.
The Wildcats' history states that they are state champions in 1960 and 1962, two years when they went 10-0. The truth is, they are state champs because folks who watched them said they were. There was no Indiana high school state tournament until the early 1970s, so the state champ was voted on by the state media. State media which, as is the case today, never saw most of the teams they were voting on. But Hammond was also the center of Northwest Indiana media so they were "the best team in the state."
But Hammond has a far superior history of football success than Lowell does. During Lowell's time in the football dungeon, the 1928-1992 period when they could not field a winning team, Hammond ruled the world. In the 1970s, Hammond was 71-30 under coaches Bernie Krueger and George Hall. In the 1930s, Hammond was also a tower of power going 62-24-6, including a 10-0 season in 1937. Hammond high has always been the cornerstone of football in the city. The 15th longest continuous football series in northern Indiana is Hammond vs. Morton, which has been played every year for 53 consecutive years. The fifth longest series is Hammond vs. Clark, 70 consecutive years. Hammond played Hammond Tech 56 years in a row from 1924 to 1979. What happened to Hammond is no secret. The population of Hammond, Gary and East Chicago has dropped. Lots of families who used to live in north Lake County now live in south Lake County. It's that simple.
That's why Merrillville, Crown Point and Lake Central are all closing in on enrollments (LC is already at 3,000) of 3,000 or more. Hammond high used to be twice the size it is now. Football is an enrollment-based game, any way you look at it. In recent history, until last season, Hammond was in a league and a state tournament bracket that pitted them against larger, more wealthy and better equipped schools. They suffered in many sports and will continue to suffer until there is school consolidation.
If you combined Hammond and Gavit into a new school building, as has been proposed, add quality coaches, and Hammond high immediately returns to athletic prominence in almost every sport. It's just that simple. Lowell and Hammond have very little real history, but in 2000, Hammond came to Lowell and defeated the Devils 7-0 when Lowell was playing without star halfback Mike French. Lowell defeated the Wildcat the next six years in a row as Hammond football went through a six-year slump, winning 15 times and losing 49 games.
The present resurgence of Hammond football is somewhat of an illusion, because with the breakup of the Lake Athletic Conference, Hammond was finally forced to stop playing programs they could not consistently beat like Munster, Griffith and Andrean. What they are doing now is smart, even if it wasn't intentional. Hammond is playing teams they can beat. They will build up their numbers and fan base (hopefully) until the consolidation and then they can bring the long lost glorious past of Hammond high back.
The biggest intrigue this Friday from a Lowell standpoint will not necessarily be on the field. Lowell kept Hammond on the schedule, even though they are not conference foes anymore. One of the reasons the Lake Athletic Conference broke up was because the Hammond schools didn't bring any fans to help their conference brothers pay their bills. Lowell would bring 500 fans to Hammond. Hammond would bring 55 to Lowell. Now, Hammond is 6-0. Does the school care as much as old timers who recall the glory days? We'll see at the gate Friday night.
Class 4A Lowell (5-1)
Coach: Kirk Kennedy (126-65, 16 years)
Enrollment: 1,247
2006 record: 7-6*
Sectional titles: (7) 1992, 1994, 1999, 2003, 04, 05, 06
Regional titles: (3) 1994, 1999, 2005
Semistate titles: (1) 2005
State titles: (1) 2005
*Lost 33-14 to 4A state finalist Concord in the regional championship game
Lowell Red Devils
(W) 23-14 CP (4-2)
(W) 3-0 at Morton (2-4)
(W) 38-0 at KV (2-4)
(L) 28-29 (OT) GRIFFITH (4-2)
(W) 39-0 HIGHLAND (0-6)
(W) 10-7 at HOBART (4-2)
9-28 (F) Hammond (6-0)
10-5 (F) at MUNSTER (2-4)
10-12 (F) ANDREAN (4-2)
4A Sectional 10 Playoffs
10-20 (F) vs. Northridge, Concord, Clay, (SB) Washington, Logansport, Kankakee
Valley or Plymouth.
SECTIONAL WATCH: With Lowell being banished to Sectional 10, Lowell folks have eyes to three counties to the east. Eye-opening last week was 2A No. 1 Jimtown (6-0) crushing 4A Concord 35-14. Jimtown is very similar to Lowell in size of players and style of play. It looks like Logansport (5-1) is going to go 8-1 if they beat Kokomo and Logansport is a big threat to Lowell because they play three 5A schools and 4As like Marion and New Castle. Northridge (2-4) isn't good and has never won a sectional title. Plymouth (2-4) is getting whipped more often than a slow pony. Clay is 3-3 and tradition-rich South Bend Washington (0-6) is channeling Notre Dame this season. What does Lowell want when the pairings are announced in two weeks? Simple. They want Logansport (5-1) to draw Concord (4-2).
Class 4A Hammond (6-0)
Coach: Robert Robinson (1st season)
Enrollment: 1,080
2006 record: 2-10*
Sectional titles: (4) 1978 1983, 1988, 2000
Regional titles: (1) 1988
Semistate titles: (0)
State titles: (0)
*Lost 56-20 to Griffith in the 3A Sectional 17 championship game
Hammond Wildcats (6-0)
(W) 32-19 at East Chicago (3-3)
(W) 42-24 at Gary West Side (2-4)
(W) 42-0 Kenwood (0-5)
(W) 52-30 at Gary Roosevelt (2-4)
(W) 56-0 at Wirt (2-4)
(L) 14-13 Morton (2-4)
Sep 28 at Lowell (5-1)
Oct 05 at Gavit (3-3)
Oct 12 CLARK (4-2)
4A Sectional (9) Nine
Oct. 19: vs. Griffith, Morton, East Chicago, Hobart, Highland, Lew Wallace, or
Gary West Side.
SCHEDULE ANALYSIS: This is not a strong schedule, but it is the schedule they should be playing. You don't build a wining programs by going 0-9 every year against good teams. You win by winning and you must schedule teams you can beat. Hammond plays other Hammond, Gary and East Chicago schools. Teams that are in the same boat they are in. Hammond is not playing a schedule that will prepare them for the state tournament, but the Wildcats are playing the teams that will enable them to become a winning program again. Fans come out. Numbers go up. Then you schedule tougher teams.
HAMMOND (6-0) at
4A, No. 7 LOWELL (5-1)
Sagarin
computer ratings: Lowell by
16
LOWELL
(09-28-2007) -
This
computer spread is very, very low considering the scores of this matchup in 2006
(35-12), 2005 (41-6), 2004 (47-14) and 2003 (53-6), all games won by Lowell.
It's a testament to what positive thinking can do. I'm not sure Hammond is
better than they were in recent years, but they are more excited and more
confident. That may be worth two or three TDs.
Hammond is led by halfback/defensive back David Moore (5-6, 160), who has over 600 yards and 11 TDs on 59 carries this season and 182 carries for 1,247 yards last year. His 80-yard run helped beat Morton last Friday. No doubt he'll be the focus of the Lowell defense tonight and the perimeter Devils especially need to be ready to run because Hammond likes to get the ball between the hashmarks and the sidelines.
The Hammond quarterback is Moore's cousin, Louis Willis (6-1 175), who stated four games last season. If Willis can get time to throw (a major question), he has the arm to strike deep down the field. But the Cats will run the option and they want you to pit your best athletes against theirs. Receiver Darin Houston (6-4, 198) is a home run hitter with sprinter's speeds. Moore can and will catch the ball and fullback Artis Haley (6-1, 193) is a hard-runner who doesn't get that many chances. Senior Melvin Williams (6-3, 285) leads the offensive line with Angelo Arnold (6-0, 260) and Deonte Lee (5-10, 180). No one handled them until last week against Morton. The purple boys gave up 300 yards to East Chicago, 300 more to Gary Roosevelt and 390 yards and 21 first downs against Morton.
Linebacker Matt Richardson (5-10, 175) had an impressive 119 tackles last year and Arnold is an anchor at defensive end. This is a speed-based team. They want you to throw the ball because they have a chance to steal it and go to town. Hammond's Josh Sandoval has made his last six extra points, and while he has not kicked a field goal in 2007, I think he's good from 30 yards in. The Wildcats have to work on punt block protection this week. They haven't punted very much this season and that has traditionally been a problem for Hammond in the past.
Moore is a top flight punt returner and the Cats have scored three defensive TDs, including a 98-yard game-changing fumble runback by Deonte Lee last week. It's not like the Wildcats have romped through their games. They trailed East Chicago 19-6 at the half before a 37-yard punt return by Moore and a 52-yard interception runback by Willis rallied them. The Cats gave up 30 points to Roosevelt and 24 to West Side. Hammond victims Kenwood Academy and Wirt hardly field teams. It is absolutely no surprise that Hammond went 5-0 against the first five teams on this schedule. Those five schools were that weak. But it is a surprise they are 6-0. Hammond Morton was thought to have a superior team to Hammond. And when you win, especially over a rival, good feelings soar and the 14-13 victory over rival Morton has to have lifted a team that had lost 25 consecutive regular season games in the last three seasons.
Lowell is led by a defense that has allowed just 42 points all season. That statistic is deceptive because eight of the points were cheap 'overtime' points where the opposition gets a start on your 10-yard-line. Kankakee Valley, Highland and Morton were shutout by Lowell. Crown Point scored 14 in the first quarter and was then shut out. Hobart scored seven in the second quarter after a Lowell fumble at the Red Devil 24 yard line. The Brickies were also then shut out. Only Griffith has moved the ball consistently on Lowell.
The front eight is led by senior defensive end Jeff Barker (6-4, 205), the Devils' top pass rusher and a track sprinter who can simply run around the offensive tackle on pass plays if he doesn't get help. The linebackers have been very good. Junior outside linebacker Bryan DeSomer (5-11, 175) has 38 tackles in six games. Senior outside linebacker Ben Rigby (6-0, 170) has 34 tackles, two fumble recoveries and an interception.
The inside linebackers Justin Juarez (6-2, 220) and David Eastling (6-0, 200) back up big junior tackle Nick Schultz (5-11, 238) and senior Gene Wentworth (6-2, 240). Junior Trevor Kersey (6-2, 216) has been playing in place of senior sack leader Joe Carlson (6-0, 205), but Carlson (21 tackles, 4 sacks - 4 games) is expected back for the Hammond game.
Lowell wants you to throw the ball. Safety Lukas Palmer (6-0, 160) is an all-area player as is cornerback TJ Lukaski (5-8, 165). Soph Brandon Grubbe adds good speed on the corner, but the Devil defense may have found a new cornerback last week when linebacker Danny Remboski (6-0, 190) was called on to cover Hobart all-stater Bobby James and helped hold him to two catches.
Lowell's defense is very hard to attack because several boys are chameleons. In reality, Barker is a very fast outside linebacker playing defensive end. Rigby is a linebacker who can cover like a safety. Remboski, at times now, is a linebacker playing the corner. Lowell plays a 4-4 defense and dares you to throw over it, but you have to run the ball on their relatively small perimeter people. Throwing 20-25 times is not the way to go at them.
Kicker David Lang has four field goals, including fourth quarter game winners against Morton and Hobart. The Devils have not run back kicks as well as they have in past years and they have not yet blocked a kick.
On offense, the Devils found a player they didn't know they had at the stat of the year in sophomore halfback Brandon Grubbe (5-10, 170) who has rushed 71 times for 556 yards. Coming back off the disabled list this week is senior halfback Steffan Peck who has carried 107 times for 456 yards. QB Kurt Monix (23 of 41, 440 yards) is coming off a season best 5-of-6 for 172 yards last week. If he throws more than a dozen passes in a game, Lowell is losing. Monix needs to run the ball more because that appears to be available to him.
The offensive line, led by Wentworth, David Lang (6-0, 205) and junior Brian DeMario (6-3, 225) has been okay, but not great. There have been too many penalties so far this season calling back positive plays. The offense as a whole needs to perform with fewer mistakes. Lowell has lost 10 fumbles in six weeks and that's a total for a losing team. Lowell has hopes that are a lot higher than beating Hobart or Hammond or winning the Northwest Crossroads Conference. They'd like to return to the 4A state title game. And to reach that goal, the Red Devils have to get an awful lot better offensively than they now are.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN...
LOWELL - Lowell may not be able to find a burning reason to win this one.
This is not a Northwest Crossroads Conference game and Hammond is no longer a
sectional rival. This is Lowell's Homecoming and the boys may be a little
bit distracted. Hammond is fired up and will play the "no respect" card to
the hilt. Hammond must be very aggressive early in the game. They
cant wait until 3rd-and-long to throw the ball and they will throw long on first
down to Darin Houston against the smaller Lowell defensive backs. An early
interception will stymie those efforts.
Hammond, which has a roll out, run wide option attack, will also find severe resistance from Lowell's front eight defenders. The Devils will score on a blocked punt early in the game. The Wildcats simply have not punted much this season. Lowell will mount a long second quarter drive that will stall into a David Lang field goal, making it 10-0 at the half. There will be chances for Lukas Palmer to make an interception and he will grab one early in the third quarter, leading to a rushing TD for Brandon Grubbe. After a Hammond fumble, Kurt Monix will find Jeff Barker for a TD pass and run play of over 50 yards to make it 24-0.
Hammond QB Louis Willis will hit David Moore on a pass-and-run for a long TD. But the Wildcats cannot protect the passer consistently and another interception by Palmer will be run back for a fourth quarter score. Steffan Peck will also score on a punt return as the Devils pull away. Even though they won, Hammond was out-gained 389-140 last week by Morton. It won't be any different this week, except that Lowell will score more.
Hammond has a lot of reasons to win this game, but while Hammond is 6-0, they have not stopped the run much and all Lowell does is run the ball. Lowell wants to keep the ball between the hashmarks and wear down the smaller Cats. It will be a successful strategy if they hold onto the ball.
It would be nice if Hammond could come close here, but it's wishful thinking. Hammond hasn't beaten a non-Hammond, Gary or East Chicago team from Northwest Indiana in seven years. Lowell has won six regular season games in a row from Hammond by a combined score of 246-54 and this is one of Lowell's better teams. The biggest question Friday night won't be who will win.
It will be: How many Hammond fans show up to watch an undefeated Hammond high team?
Lowell 38, Hammond 7