Week 8 Picks:  2006 NW Indiana High School Football

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

October 04, 2006

WEEK (7) SEVEN RECAP:   The surprise last week wasn't so much in the victories, but the margin of victory.  In honor of the Chicago Cubs, everybody was fired.  Fired up.  There were outrageous point totals.  63 by Chesterton, 68 by Lafayette Catholic.  That's not football.  What we need is a massive snowstorm that will bring back the 9-6 games we all ('yawn') love.  I'd like to make excuses for all the picks I didn't miss.  Not much was unpredictable.  Chesterton-LC WAS high scoring.  Andrean, KV, New Prairie and Hobart DID win decisively.  Valpo and Portage ARE on the rise.  Lowell DID win a close one and Crown Point DID score 42 points.  Okay, I did miss Covert,  Michigan against River Forest.  My Michigan pass has been revoked.

BIGGEST WINNER - WEEK SEVEN:  After a 1-4 start and the expected win over winless Hammond, the Red Devils badly needed a win over a winning team and they were trailing 14-6 in the final quarter.  This is largely a rookie team and they had never won a varsity game like this before, looking defeat in the eye and going home a winner. You can't 'save' your season in a regular season game, but there's no question Lowell is headed in the right direction.

RUNNER UP:  Valparaiso.  There isn't really an excuse for Valparaiso to not have beaten anyone with a winning record.  The strong offense and experienced defense and special teams the Vikings were supposed to have showed up on the road last week.  I've said all along that there is no visible reason for Valparaiso to be losing and that means they won't be losing much longer.  This won't be the Vikings last win this season.

WEEK 7 (2006) PIX recap

WEEK 1:  9 of 13 = 69.1%
WEEK 2:  10 of 15 = 66.7%
WEEK 3:  11 of 13 = 84.6%
WEEK 4:  11 of 14 = 78.6%
WEEK 5:  9 of 12 = 75.0%
WEEK 6:  11 of 12 = 91.7%
2006 Season to date:  71 of 92 = 77.2% 
2005 (final) OVERALL:  170 of 233 = 72.9%

Northwest Indiana
WEEK 8 (EIGHT) PICKS, 10-06-2006

(10-06-2006)  WEEK (8) EIGHT -   I'm writing this before the pairings come out so we get a real analysis of week eight.  Actually that's a lie and a half.  I'm writing this before the pairings come out because the silly IHSAA pairings show wasn't scheduled until Tuesday evening of the eighth week.  Why isn't it on Sunday like it used to be so the coaches can start preparing for playoff games?  I was home watching the Yankees and the Tigers Tuesday night.  I wasn't listening to anybody's pairings show.  Actually, that's another lie.  I was watching Emmett Smith on 'Dancing with the Stars'.  As bad as last week's matchups were, this week's look that good.  The match between Andrean (6-1) and Griffith (7-0) is part two of LAC three-way 'pool play'.  Hobart's already beaten Andrean and Hobart gets a shot at Griffith on Oct. 13.  Chesterton takes their high powered pass attack to Crown Point (7-0) and Whiting takes their high-powered pass attack all the way across 119th Street to Hammond to face Clark.  Two teams on the rebound meet when Portage slides over to Valparaiso.

the best games might be at Wheeler, where the Bearcats will defend the home ground against streaking Kankakee Valley, and at Lowell where the Red Devils find their comeback trail blocked by 4A No. 10 Hobart.  State-wide, I cannot be responsible for the final score when the Terre Haute South Braves (0-7) courageously motor up to Indianapolis to take on three-time defending state champion Warren Central (7-0).

The annual Summit Athletic Conference (SAC) collision of 5A Snider (5-2) and 4A Bishop Dwenger (7-0) is an annual feature of week eight.  And this year in suburban Fort Wayne, 3A Norwell (7-0) is going to find out what it's all about at 5A Homestead (7-0).  The state's highlight game may be in Lafayette where multi-cultural, multi-national Culver Academy (7-0) comes in to face 1A superpower Lafayette Catholic (7-0).

IN THE CLOSET:  As always, there are a few games whose details will obviously be better left unsaid.  So let's speak no evil about River Forest-North Judson, Sheridan-Rensselaer, LaPorte-Michigan City or Hammond-Munster.  Let the winners win, the losers send job applications up to Chicago to replace Dusty Baker and we'll see you for the regular season finale on Oct. 13.


Whiting (6-1) 35, Clark (3-4) 14

HAMMOND - Clark has some defensive issues that may hurt them here.  Both teams like to throw it around, but the Oilers have displayed a quick defense.  I know the Lake Athletic Conference (LAC) Blue Division is one of the state's weakest leagues.  But Whiting has allowed only three TDs in the last six games and they have not trailed in a game since opening night.  How many years in a row has 3A Clark lost to 1A Whiting? Four?


Gavit (1-6) 28, Lake Station (1-6) 0

HAMMOND - I think Lake Station is so low on personnel that they may be through for the year.  Both teams are 1-6 but it's a different 1-6.  Lake Station has not scored a point since Aug. 18, and that does not happen unless you are simply out of players.  Gavit has been competitive in some games, but the long-suffering Eagles' program may be on life support once again.  Lake Station badly needs the LAC to break up so they can create a schedule that suits a struggling 1A school.


Kankakee Valley (6-1) 42, Wheeler (4-3) 35

UNION TOWNSHIP - Kankakee Valley has to crush everybody in the LAC Blue Division to even hope to have any chance in the 4A playoffs.  They won't crush Wheeler.  KV has outscored seven foes 80-14 in the first quarter.  But Wheeler, obviously a bunch of counter-punchers, has outscored teams 59-7 in the third quarter.  KV wins but it'll be close.  Wheeler will feel good coming out of this one.


Morton (3-4) 28, Highland (2-5) 26

HIGHLAND - Traditionally, you pick against the Hammond teams as the year goes on because of a lack of strength in the lines.  But I'm going to ignore the fact that Morton hasn't stopped anybody on the ground.  In a rare October good weather night, Morton's perimeter speed will save this game in the fourth quarter.


East Chicago (1-6) 42, Wirt (3-4) 34

EAST CHICAGO - Wirt has displayed outside speed and they'll need it against East Chicago, which badly needs this game.  The Cardinals probably aren't gong to beat Kankakee, Illinois in week nine and there's nobody in 5A Sectional One that they can beat either.  This is EC's last chance for a win this season and it's important because EC will drop to 4A next season and it'll be a whole new ball game.


North Newton (1-6) 28, West Central (2-5) 20

MOROCCO - There are fewer games more difficult to fix than this one.  I'm still trying to figure out how a North Newton team, which allows 50 points a game, beat River Forest by 5 TDs.  West Central lost almost all of their team and their coaching staff from the last 3 very successful (30-9) seasons.  Four of the five teams they've lost to have winning records.  But I still can't explain that lone NN blowout.  Maybe they've got more than E-85 down there.  When in doubt, late in the regular season, go with the home team.  This would be an upset.


Gary Roosevelt (2-4) 40, Gary West Side (2-4) 26

GARY - The quintessential Gary match up sends West Side east to 25th Street in Gary to take on the Panthers in what I believe is (and should be) a Saturday afternoon game.  I'm intrigued by Roosevelt and a 23-points a game offense against a schedule with two 5A schools.  West Side has played a schedule I can judge.  If the 'Side' wins, there's a three-way tie for the city title.  Roosevelt wins the Gary championship outright with a win at home.


Valparaiso (2-4) 16, Portage (3-4) 14

VALPARAISO  - An NFL-style defensive game here.  Portage does not have one of the state top-ranked defenses.  But if you've seen them play, you know they do have one of this part of the state's top group of defenders.  The Indians have allowed just 93 points all year and that's with a weak offense consistently punting the ball away. But Valpo is born-again behind 1,000-yard halfback Hollis Ballard and some experienced play makers.  4 weeks ago, this was the "Game-of-the weak."  Now, its the "Game of the Week."


Merrillville (4-3) 34, Lake Central (4-3) 17

MERRILLVILLE - Merrillville has allowed 40 points in consecutive games for the first time in their long football history and there may be some position changes for week eight.  LC was shelled last week by Chesterton and they really have not defeated a team of Merrillville's caliber.  Step back and look at this one for a second.  This is clearly the wrong week to be playing the Pirates.


Hobart (6-1) 31, Lowell (3-4) 21

LOWELL - Few teams have journeyed to the 'Land of the Giants' more often than Lowell, which is playing its fourth Top-10 team.  This is the biggest game of the season for Hobart, but it is also Lowell's Homecoming, and the Devils are coming off a come-from-behind 15-14 win over Munster.  The matchup of Lowell's speedy junior-dominated defense against Hobart's 40-points-a-game multi-faceted offense is a technical dream.

Crown Point (7-0) 49, Chesterton (3-4) 28

CROWN POINT - We're about to find out if an all-passing attack can win week-after-week in big school competition.  The Trojans rolled up 63 points on Lake Central, but they'll have trouble getting half that against CP's undefeated defense.  Any arrogance or over-confidence CP may have had evaporated in their narrow 42-41 win at LaPorte.  When QB Blake Mascarello is confident, as he appears right now, CP has more lethal weapons than the Taliban and the Bulldogs' light-but-quick '35' (five linebacker) defense is well-suited to play Chesterton.


Griffith (7-0) 33, Andrean (6-1) 17

GRIFFITH - This is a match up of Andrean's top-caliber run defense (588 yards allowed) in seven games against Griffith's top-notch run attack (1,800 yards gained) in seven games is the feature here.  Griffith won't win big because their schedule has been so soft in the last few weeks.  This is the first of two meetings so the Niners don't need this win as much as they need to compete.

Copyright © 2006 USA-365.com and Meyer Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp.  All rights reserved.
Revised: October 04, 2006 .