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Highland (4-4, 3-3)at Lowell (4-4, 3-3) |
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Week
9 - Football Game of the Week Preview |
Highland (4-4, 3-3)at Lowell (4-4, 3-3) |
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10-12-2005
When:
Friday, October 14, 2005
Where: Lowell High School - Lowell, IN.
Tickets: $5
Kickoff:
7:00 p.m.
Radio-TV:
www.rrsn.com (No over the air radio).
Weather:
Warmer, Low 60s,
upper 50s. Dry. Perfect for players. Fans will need a jacket. But let's not get
greedy.
In mid-October in northern Indiana, this is as good as it will get. Almost
exactly what you want for the homecoming game.
PARKING: It's homecoming so the lot will be full. Highland
may not bring many fans but it's a big night for students.
RIVALRY:
Highland and Lowell are league rivals for the second time after spending 24
years together in the old Lake Suburban Conference. In the late 90s, Lowell and
Highland was the big game in the Lake Athletic Conference. Lowell's 20-17
overtime win at Highland in the sectional quarterfinals in October of 1999
boosted them to the eventual regional title. Highland was powerful in the
1980s, including a state finals run in 1987, a time when Lowell was a second
division team that was not in contention for anything.
Highland has never been a doormat as Lowell was in the 70s and 80s, but they don't have a long history of excellence in any sport with the possible exception of baseball (in the 90s) and girls basketball in the last dozen years. But the 1987 football team is the only Highland team that has ever reached the state finals in any team sport. No Lowell team has ever reached the state finals in any sport. The point is, while these two schools have loyal fan followings, they have no true athletic powerhouses.
Highland got a huge break in the late 90s when their athletic teams were classified as 3A in basketball, baseball and volleyball. Lowell, which is almost exactly the same size as Highland, was classified as 4A. For a four-year span, Highland was by far the largest team in their sectional and it led to many consecutive girls sectional and regional titles and a boys sectional championship.
Girls basketball built a solid foundation that exists to this day. But in this decade, Highland was reclassified as a 4A school and the Trojan athletic program again took a seat in same boat as Lowell.
Football is a big hope for these schools because as 4A teams in basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball, both the Trojans and Devils will continue to be overmatched against schools almost twice their size.
Class 4A in football in Northern Indiana features no private schools and no football superpowers. As ordinary as Highland and Lowell's 2005 record may appear at first glance, both play difficult schedules. Lowell has won three in a row over Highland, including wins by scores of 42-6 and 48-7 last season. But either team on the field Friday night at full strength could conceivably win a sectional and regional title this year. With the QB that Highland has and the senior class that Lowell has, if lightning strikes, it isn't at all impossible that either of these schools could be playing in week 13.
JV GAME: Highland at LOWELL Oct. 15 - 10:00
a.m.
FRESHMAN GAME: Hobart at LOWELL - Thurs, Oct. 13 - 6
p.m.
LOWELL at Highland - Thurs, Oct. 20 - 6 p.m.
Class 4A Lowell
Coach: Kirk Kennedy (108-59, 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 (4-4, 3-3)
8-19 (L) 6-16 5A No. 3 Crown Point (8-0)
8-26 (W) 61-14 at Calumet (2-6)
9-2 (L) 0-21 3A No. 1 Griffith (8-0)
9-9 (L) 13-32 at Morton (5-3)
9-16 (L) 0-7 3A No. 5 ANDREAN (7-1)
9-23 (W) 41-7 HAMMOND (0-8)
9-30 (W) 48-7 at Munster (3-5)
10-7 (W) 14-7 at Hobart (4-4)
10-14 (Fri.) Highland (4-4)
4A Sectional (9) Nine
10-21 (F) at Gary Roosevelt (3-4)
10-28 (F) vs Munster (3-5) or Kankakee Valley (6-2)
Class 4A Highland
Coach: Eric Miller (10-10, 2 years)
Enrollment: 1,131
2004 record: 6-6
Semi-State titles: (1) 1987
Regional titles: (1) 1987
Sectional titles (3) 1982, 1986, 1987
Lost the 4A Sectional nine championship game to Lowell
Highland Trojans (4-4, 3-3)
(W) 41-6 at Wheeler (4-4)
(L) 0-47 at 5A No. 10 Merrillville (6-2)
(W) 22-7 at Munster (3-5)
(L) 0-14 Hobart (4-4)
(W) 14-7 at Hammond (0-8)
(L) 0-71 3A No. 1 Griffith (8-0)
(L) 0-32 3A No. 5 Andrean (7-1)
(L) 31-14 at Morton (6-2)
10-14 at (4A) Lowell (4-4)
4A Sectional (9) Nine playoffs
10-21 (F) Hobart (4-4)
10-28 (F) vs. Wallace (2-6) or Gary West Side (2-6)
HIGHLAND (4-4, 3-3 LAC) at LOWELL (4-4, 3-3 LAC)
Highland - offense: 13.5 ppg; defense: 24.9 ppg
Lowell - offense: 22.9 ppg; defense: 13.8 ppg
Sagarin computer ratings: Lowell by 10
LAC Black Division - 10-14-2005 @ 7:00 p.m. (CDT)
LOWELL - Highland QB Andrew Helmer returned to the lineup after missing four games with a concussion and it showed. The Trojans, who were shutout two weeks in a row, promptly beat Morton 31-14 with Helmer (6-4, 197) running for two TDs and passing for a third. Helmer is the top QB in the Lake Athletic Conference and the Trojans' starting strong safety. He is as valuable to the Trojans as Jeff Clemens is to Lowell. When Lowell didn't have Clemens, they lost 32-13 to a Morton team they should have beaten. Without Andrew Helmer, Highland's offense was running on empty. Now that they have regained the services of their No. 1 player, they are themselves, a player for the sectional title.
The Devils must assign someone to go tackle Helmer on every play. Not just hit him but tackle him. To allow him to stand and throw is to allow him to beat you and he made the Governors look bad running the football last week (Oct. 7).
Helmer will certainly try to throw the ball to Derek Moser (6-4, 181) against the small Lowell defensive backs and they will attempt that 20 times on this night. The passes that Josh Miracle could not get to his wide receivers last week, Helmer, a hard-throwing right-hander, can get to Moser this Friday. All Lowell can do is rush the passer and make sure tackles on the corners. Defensive backs Scott Gray and Steffan Peck are giving up seven and eight inches to Moser, who may be covered by Jeff Clemens (6-2, 185) on obvious passing downs.
The Devils traditionally blitz a lot and they may even start sending Gray, a sprinter who can hit like a linebacker, off the corner to blow up unsuspecting options and rollouts.
The problem for the Trojans will be to balance the passing with running. As teams like Chesterton, Calumet and River Forest, which have thrown the ball 200 times in eight games find out, throwing 30 times a game puts your defense on the field for 40 minutes of a 60 minute game.Highland's task will be to stop the Lowell halfback Scott Gray (176 carries, 1,120 yards, 12 TDs) and keep an eye on multi-purpose back Jeff Clemens (29 carries, 168 yards; 28 catches, 384 yards). The Devils revamped the offensive line at midseason moving Ryan King to center and the running game has picked up. Lowell will pass the 2,000 yard mark in rushing yards early Friday after being held below 100 yards on the ground against Crown Point, Griffith and Andrean.
The Devils will want to diversify the running attack. They cant run 5-foot-8 Scott Gray 37 times a game like they did last week or he'll be 4-foot-8 by November. Lowell might try options and naked bootleg plays for QB Jimmy Ritter (6-1, 172), who has carried only 29 times (mostly sacks and sneaks) all year. Sophomore and future tailback Steffan Peck (5-6, 164) has rolled up a solid 256 yards on 36 carries.
Ritter (45-89, .555 yards, one TD, 3 INTs) has had a capable year throwing the football and you might see him go deep a few times Friday, especially if Helmer (just returned from a concussion) does not play on defense on every down.
Lowell needs to find another receiver other than Clemens, who is drawing double and triple teams. The Devils might subtract some of Gray's runs and make them swing passes to him. It would have the same effect. TE Chris Lampa (8 catches - 130 yards) has decent speed and Lowell will try to get him the ball. But it may be a night where Clemens, who has not been 100% since a rib injury in late August, breaks loose and scores three or four TDs. Clemens scored eight TDs in two games against Highland last year. Scott Gray had a 200-yard game against Highland last October.
Highland HBs Dave Lepucki (5-9, 195) and David Goins (5-10, 188) will try to gain ball-control yards, but Lowell will quickly shut that down and Helmer will start firing. I can see the Trojans leading 7-0 or 14-7 before Lowell begins to move the ball on the ground. That's when we'll know what the final score will be. Lowell gained 800 yards rushing last season while beating Highland 42-6 and 48-7.
Look for a blocked punt to be a big play on this night and Devils' QB Jimmy Ritter may also find the end zone with a couple of roll out passes. If Highland throws 30 times, Lowell will get three or four interceptions. But I think the Trojans are a little slow so Lowell can score some breakaway touchdowns on the ground in the final regular season home game.
This will be an unusually high scoring game as both sides are coming off big wins. I believe Highland can throw for 200 yards on Lowell and I'm confident Lowell can run for 300 yards on Highland. Both teams can strike where the other is weak. That plus good mid-October weather could lead to the highest scoring game of the year.
LOWELL 48, Highland 28
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Revised: October 13, 2005 .