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4A No. 7 Lowell (6-1) at Munster (2-5) |
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Week
8 - Football Game of the Week Preview|
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4A No. 7 Lowell (6-1) at Munster (2-5) |
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10-04-2007
When:
Friday, October 5, 2007
Where: Munster High School, 8118 Columbia AVE, Munster, IN.
Tickets: $5 - (for everybody).
Kickoff:
7:00 p.m.
Radio-TV: WTMK
(88.5) FM.
Weather:
Mid-70s, dry field. A late summer heat wave may test the conditioning of
players on this night. The boys need to start drinking water sometime
Thursday. Warm weather helps Munster because they need to pass to upset
Lowell.
Junior Varsity: Munster at Lowell, Saturday, Oct. 6 - 10:00
a.m.
Freshmen: Lowell at Munster, Thursday, Oct. 11 - 6:00 p.m.
Parking: The football field at Munster is east of Columbia
Avenue and the high school is west of Columbia. There's plenty of room to
park south and west of the school for a game of this magnitude. Keep your head
up crossing the street and you'll be fine.
The Series: Munster used to be the standard that Lowell was judged by. Lowell and Munster were conference buddies in the old, Lake Suburban Conference in the 80s and 90s and Lowell never defeated them. Lowell was the first school Munster ever played when they began varsity football 41 years ago and the Mustangs won that first game 16-0 on Sept. 3, 1966. The Mustangs had a 25-game, 26-year winning streak against the Red Devils when Lowell scored a 9-7 victory in the 1992 sectional championship game. That upset in 35-degree weather on Nov. 6, 1992 in Lowell was perhaps the pivotal game in recent Red Devil football history.
Since that night 15 years ago, Lowell has had just one losing season, has won six more sectionals, three regionals and the 2005 Class 4A state title. The Red Devils have always considered the Munster game something not to be taken lightly.
Munster football is going through as down period. They are 14-23 since the start
of the 2004 season and they've lost four games by seven points or less this
season. That's especially frustrating because the Mustangs could have thought of
this season a a return-to-glory campaign.
Before 2004, Munster was 32-17 in the five-year span from 1999 through 2003.
The Mustangs are a relatively young school, which in a football context, is an
oddity because they were a success from day one.
Munster was 8-2 in the debut season of 1966 and 26-9-3 in their first four
nonconference years.
The record shows that when Munster joined the old Lake Suburban Conference in
1970, they were 25-2-1 in league play over the first four seasons, a level of
excellence that is almost never achieved by a new school in a league.
In the 1970s, Munster ruled the Lake County, Indiana portion of the high school football world with 78 wins and 22 losses and in the early days of the state football tournament (1973-to-present) the wild horses got quite a reputation for hard-running, hard-hitting play. The Mustangs were 71-37 in the 1980s, but they almost always could never get past the regional level. After being eliminated by Hobart in 1979, 1983 and 1985, Munster won perhaps the school's greatest win on the night of Nov. 14, 1986 when they edged Hobart 24-21 in two overtimes before a standing room only crowd at Munster to take what, to this day, is the school's only regional championship.
The Mustangs were banished to faraway DeKalb (about 15 miles from the Ohio state line) for a semistate game played in a light snowstorm. On a Saturday night in the school's first-ever game played outside Northwest Indiana, Munster battled to the end, losing 14-6, thereby ending a 9-4 season. Whiting can certainly argue the point, but Munster is probably the best football playing school in Northwest Indiana never to reach the state finals.
Munster is perhaps the premier community in Lake County. To say it is an affluent town is akin to saying that Isaiah Thomas puts his foot in his mouth occasionally. I've never gotten a consensus on the reason. Some say it's because of the large hospital and others say Munster simply became a suburban home for steel executives in the middle of the 20th century. Like most places in Indiana, 'the land of the Indians', Munster was Indian territory until the early 1800s when the US government moved the Pottawatomi Indians off the mid Lake County area and sent them to Oklahoma. What is now Munster was called Strathmore on early railroad maps because it took 'one strath more' (a railroad term) to get there.
A fellow from the Netherlands named Jacob Monster (Americanized as 'Munster') settled in the area and opened a general store on a road by a sandy ridge area that later became what is now Ridge Road. In the pioneer days, there were no post offices, so mail was delivered to the postal depot in the local general store. So, to send mail to Lake County - Ridge Road area, you had to sent it to Munster's General Store. You sent the mail to Munster. When the town was incorporated in 1907, the name Munster was officially in honor of a working man who ran the general store and gave folks their mail in the early days. Of all the reason why towns got their name, that is perhaps the best one I have found.
The average family income in the town of 21,000 is higher in Munster than it is in any other place in Lake County and noticeably so. It's near $75,000, according to the latest census. They've got bucks. Adjoining towns like Griffith and Highland have average family incomes of about $50,000. Munster is the 'gold coast' of Northwest Indiana. Some residents are sensitive about that reputation, but I would guess the kids don't care. It's always better to have bucks.
It's also better to have Leroy Marsh as head coach. In an era when leadership matters, Marsh has carried himself with class through winning and losing seasons for 27 years. There will be no on-the-field incidents or behind the scene scandals when Munster plays and Leroy Marsh is the reason why.
Munster needs this game with Lowell because they have been elevated from the 4A playoffs to the 5A bracket and must play in powerhouse Sectional One with big teams like Crown Point and Merrillville. Since Lowell did defeat CP, Munster could use a win over Lowell tomorrow to convince themselves that they, too, could knock off a big scary 5A monster.
Class 4A Lowell (6-1)
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 (6-1, 3-1)
(W) 23-14 Crown Point (5-2)
(W) 3-0 at Morton (3-4)
(W) 38-0 at Kankakee Valley (2-5)
(L) 28-29 (OT) GRIFFITH (5-2)
(W) 39-0 HIGHLAND (0-7)
(W) 10-7 at HOBART (5-2)
(W) 24-0 Hammond (6-1)
Oct 05 (F) at MUNSTER (2-5)
Oct 12 (F) ANDREAN (5-2)
4A Sectional 10 Playoffs
10-20 (F) vs. Northridge, Concord, Clay, (SB) Washington, Logansport, Kankakee
Valley or Plymouth.
SECTIONAL WATCH: Lowell's schedule is one of the tougher ones in the state this year because of the fine years being had by nonconference foes Morton (3-4), Crown Point (5-2) and Hammond (6-1). But there is uncertainty because the IHSAA has drop-kicked Lowell from Lake County-dominated Sectional Nine to Sectional 10, which features teams in St. Joseph's and Elkhart Counties.
Of the teams Lowell could draw as a first round sectional foe next Tuesday, Logansport (6-1) is the one to avoid. The Berries average 35 points a game against a schedule that includes four 5A schools. Everybody else in Sectional 10 is struggling, including perennial power Plymouth (3-4), which has allowed more points (22.7 per game) than they have scored (19.1). But Plymouth did beat Concord (4-3) 16-10 in overtime last week so the Rockies may be on the rise. Concord is a spread-offense passing team that has played three 5A schools plus 2A No. 1 Jimtown. I cannot honestly tell you if playing the nine teams Lowell plays prepares them to face an almost totally different set of teams two counties away. But if Lowell does not draw Logansport, Concord or Plymouth in the Sectional 10 opener, they got a good draw.
Class 4A Munster (2-5)
Coach: Leroy Marsh (27th season)
Enrollment: 1,582
2006 record: 5-5
Sectional titles: (5) 1985, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1996
Regional titles: (1) 1986
Semistate titles: (0)
State titles: (0)
*Lost 56-20 to Griffith in the 3A Sectional 17 championship game
Munster Mustangs (2-5, 1-4)
(L) 10-14 Lake Central (5-2)
(W) 42-8 Wirt (0-7)
(W) 49-0 HIGHLAND (0-7)
(L) 28-31 ANDREAN (5-2)
(L) 14-21 at Morton (3-4)
(L) 29-34 at Griffith (5-2)
(L) 7-41 at Hobart (5-2)
Oct. 05 LOWELL (6-1)
Oct. 12 at Kankakee Valley (2-5)
5A Sectional (1) One
Oct. 19: vs. Merrillville, Chesterton, Valparaiso, Crown Point, Portage,
Lake Central or Michigan City.
SCHEDULE ANALYSIS: Munster is in a tough spot schedule-wise. They are now a 5A school playing largely a 4A schedule and that dog won't hunt. The Mustangs did add 5A Lake Central this year and that's a plus. If Munster is to remain 5A (and there is some question about that - IHSAA football classifications are only for 2 years) , they need to schedule all 5A nonconference games. Its very hard to finish the season with Kankakee Valley and then play Merrillville in the post-season.
4A No. 7 LOWELL (6-1) at
MUNSTER
(2-5)
Sagarin
computer ratings: Lowell by 23
MUNSTER
(10-05-2007) -
The large margin of this spread is certainly due to Lowell's success against teams
(Hobart and Morton) that have defeated Munster. It should probably be recalled that Lowell was a 16-point computer
favorite last week and they won by 24 with a fourth quarter TD. Munster should be better than 2-5 and they can break through any day.
The Mustang offense is led by Joe Gill, a 6-foot-4 junior left-hander, who has a very strong arm, but he has been erratic. The Mustangs have also had some trouble protecting him. I have always thought Gill (67-of-134, 696 yards, 2 TDs 6 INTs) is potentially a great passer in a running offense. Gill was 13 of 23 for 109 yards and two interceptions last week and Lowell has to mount a pass rush in hopes to keep him right at that plateau this coming Friday. Gills' best game was against Morton in a 21-14 loss on Sept. 14, when he was 18-of-31 for 212 yards. On a dry night, he can be a major problem. A passer is like a baseball pitcher and you never know when he's going to have a game where he can't miss the strike zone.
Junior Dan Gardner (6-3, 176) is a big target and Aaron Estrada (5-9, 165) is
also a good pass catcher. But the all-junior trio is still young and they
haven't hooked up as much as they might have hoped.
Munster's offensive line, including senior Max Trater (6-6, 235) and Mitch
LaRock (6-0, 238) leads the way for senior halfback Gilroy Vasquez (5-8, 170) who
has three rushing TDs and John Jurkash (5-9, 190), who has scored 7 times on
the ground. Matthew Shacklett (5-10, 161) has come off the bench to score two
rushing TDs.
Junior Jason Han (5-8, 160) has three rushing TDs. The Mustangs traditionally run
misdirection Wing-T style plays to the wingback.
Senior kicker Billy Haase has booted only two field goals, but the Mustangs have trailed in most games and he may not have had many chances. Hasse (6-0, 178), a four-year varsity player, an outstanding punter and a soccer goalie, is said the have 40-45-yard range. Munster has not done well defensively, allowing 127 points (31.6) in the last four games.
The Mustangs gave up 240 yards passing last week to Hobart QB Matt Barras and they allowed 320 yards rushing the week before to Griffith, led by QB Derek Hitt. The Mustangs are clearly having trouble controlling the line of scrimmage and they have to be careful not to overcompensate by bringing more defenders up close. Hitt completed six passes in the Griffith game, two for TDs.
Lowell is playing very well defensively with four shutouts in seven games. The Devils' only bad game was against the option running attack of Griffith, which totaled 29 points and 368 yards. Lowell has allowed just 50 points and 1100 total yards all season and they are giving up less than 100 yards rushing per game, even including 240 the yards against Griffith.
Last week, senior defensive end Joe Carlson (6-0, 205), who leads the team with five QB sacks, came back to full time duty after missing much of two games with a leg injury. Junior cornerback Cody Midgett got his first extended play making three tackles.
Lowell has as much depth on defense as they have had in the last 10 years. With the possible exception of safety Lukas Palmer, who had two interceptions against Hammond, the Devils have an extra player or two at linebacker, in the secondary and along the defensive line. After facing predominantly rushing teams in Hobart and Hammond, the Devils now need to rev up the pass rush against Munster which throws more than they have in the past.
Kicker David Lang has five field goals including a school-record 46-yarder.
Brandon Grubbe will probably break all of Lowell's rushing records for
sophomores. The speedy halfback, who got his chance when senior Stefan Peck went
down twice with injuries, already has carried 102 times for 705 yards. The
Devils also have Peck, a three-year starter, who has 499 yards on 130 carries
after gaining 995 yards in 2006 on 198 carries. Lowell has never had two
1,000-yard rushers in the same season. But if they go deep into the post-season,
there is that possibility.
Lowell's future is almost as bright as their present. The Devils have some very
promising junior linemen on both sides of the ball in Brian DeMario (6-3, 222),
Logan Wright (5-10, 250), Nick Schultz (5-11, 230) and Trevor Kersey (6-1 216).
I still think the Devils need to be able to complete a half dozen passes a game,
if only short play-action tosses to someone like Peck to spread the defense. The
Devils have decent speed in receivers Eric Roadruck and Jacob Belt plus tight
end Jeff Barker (6-4, 210) that they truthfully haven't utilized very often this
year.
But there would be no reason to show a lot of perimeter offense or
misdirection plays in the last two weeks of the regular season when they can
spring them on teams that have never seen them in Sectional 10 later this month.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN...
MUNSTER - Munster will always bring eight men to the front and dare you to beat
them through the air and Lowell is not the type of team that's going to go a
'Peyton Manning' on people and throw 10 passes in the first half. But the Devils would like a little passing success in the games prior to the
playoffs. Early on, the Mustangs will have some success stopping Lowell's
running backs, Steffan Peck and Brandon Grubbe.
But a quick pass to senior Eric Roadruck will break away into a long touchdown
and the Devils will take an early lead.
Munster's Joe Gill will be under a heavy rush early and TJ Lukasik will grab an interception, leading to a TD run on a QB sneak by Kurt Monix. The Mustangs want to play their ball control game and run misdirection plays out of their double wing attack. But they have not shown they can hit passes consistently enough to beat Lowell's defense. A long Munster drive will be turned away on a fourth down stop late in the second quarter. The Mustangs will gain almost 200 yards on this night, but scores will not come easy.
Monix will toss a short pass to Brandon Grubbe, who will score his first TD of the night to make it 21-0 Lowell in the third quarter. Munster's Joe Gill will complete a series of passes to lead the Mustangs into Lowell territory, but back-to-back sacks by Joe Carlson and Jeff Barker will end that drive on downs. The final TD will be scored by the Devil defense as Ben Rigby picks up a fumble and runs it over the goal line. Munster has to pass to move the ball on Lowell and the Devils are well suited to attack passing teams after a couple of series.
I don't believe that Munster can block Lowell well enough to protect Joe Gill, who should be sacked at least six times. The Mustangs will make three or four trips deep into Lowell territory, but they will not break the goal line. Lowell isn't likely to produce an offensive showcase on this night and they may not play with that sense of urgency yet. If Lowell doesn't fumble three times, it'll be just another shutout.
Lowell 28, Munster 0