The RENEGADE 2008 Poll

Week-7: NW Indiana High School Top-10 Football Poll

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

10-02-2008

VALPARAISO (10-02-2008) - Things cleared up in week seven. Unlike the federal budget crisis where nobody has any idea what they're talking about, we finally got the word last year on who is strong in NW Indiana football this year. In week six some teams stepped up and other stepped back and I don't think Uncle Sam is going to come along an bail anybody out here in the last three weeks. The most telling game was probably Valparaiso and Crown Point. Despite offensive problems, CP had stayed with five teams. But not Valpo. The Vikings are not a state contender but Valpo is the class of the DAC. Remember, Valpo was without their starting QB when they lost 12-10 to Chesterton. It is highly unlikely that the Trojans would win a rematch.

The match up of undefeated teams: Lowell and Hobart showed that Lowell was better but that both teams were flawed. The big winner in the Lowell-Hobart game may have been Concord (6-0), which saw a Lowell pass defense they can exploit. Concord is averaging 42 points a game against a schedule that has six winning teams including perennial powers Northwood (5-1), Jimtown (4-2) and Elkhart Memorial (4-2).

And please don't make any more of Wheeler's 75-0 win over River Forest any more than it deserves. River is 5-41 in the last five years. Wheeler could score 70 on Lake Station (0-6) this week, too. But the Bearcats must start preparing (without saying so) for 2A Sectional foe Rensselaer (3-3), which is playing a state class schedule and staying at .500.

The state tournament draw comes up Thursday, Oct. 7 at 6:00 p.m. (CST) and it will usher in a post-season where, in Northwest Indiana, there are no strong favorites. It's hard to argue that this is a good year in Northwest Indiana high school football, but that could make for memorable playoff games.

1.) 5A Valparaiso (5-1)
2007 (6-5), 2006 (3-6), 2005 (5-5), 2004 (6-5), 2003 (5-6)

VALPARAISO: Valparaiso came out strong and bombed Crown Point 38-17 and anyone who doubts they are the top team in NW Indiana hasn't seen them at full strength. QB Zack Livovich (6-6, 215) gave up his first interception of the season, but he also passed for 2 TDs and ran for a 3rd. Valpo has two good small running backs, including Nick Thompson, who ran for 100 yards last week. The line, with senior Conner Snapp (6-8, 290), is not, according to them, at full potential yet. I get the distinct impression that a lot of our Lake County media have not see Valparaiso and that's why they keep saying there's no really good DAC teams. Again. Livovich didn't play in the 12-10 loss to Chesterton (5-1). The Vikings have allowed just 52 points all year, but that total may go up at Merrillville (3-3) this Friday.

2.) 4A Lowell (6-0)
2007 (13-2), 2006 (7-6), 2005 (11-4), 2004 (9-4), 2003 (11-2)

LOWELL: The Devils dropped a three quarter bomb on Hobart last week, leading 28-3 and 35-11 before they had their pass defense exposed in a 35-32 victory. Everybody loves Lowell, but the pass defense, which actually showed some leaks in week two against Morton, is a serious problem. Star halfback Brandon Grubbe, who gained 238 yards on 38 carries against a good Hobart defense, may have to give up some carries so he can play in the secondary. But three fourth quarter turnovers was shocking. Lowell ran up 23 first downs on Hobart, despite three turnovers. But what worries me is that everybody is judging Lowell on the state finals' team they had last year. The Devils are a very good team in a very good sectional. They have three weeks to improve or the season will end against Concord (6-0). How much more plainly can I say that? It's odd how Lowell plays better on the road than they do at home. That's bad news for Hammond (4-2) this week.

3.) 5A Merrillville (3-3)
2007 (12-2), 2006 (7-5), 2005 (11-3), 2003 (5-6), 2004 (6-5)

MERRILLVILLE: Merrillville showed distinct improvement on offense, rolling up 440 yards at LaPorte in a 35-21 win. What's scary is the 290 rushing yards and 21 first downs allowed by the Pirate defense, even though the Pirates did lead 21-0 in the second quarter. You keep waiting for the Pirates to play a complete game and they're 0-for-6 in that respect. Young soph Denzel Pierce (5-8, 162) is the wave of the future at tailback and he scored three times last week, two on pass catches from senior QB Dolapo Macarthy. There are some offensive and defensive line problems here and they may be exposed at home against Valparaiso (5-1). If the Pirates win their final three games, they can still tie Chesterton for the DAC title if the Trojans lose at LC or Crown Point. Anybody can beat anybody in this year's DAC.

4.) 5A Chesterton (5-1)
2007 (6-4), 2006 (5-6), 2005 (3-8), 2004 (5-5), 2003 (7-4)

CHESTERTON: The Trojans rolled over an injury-riddled Portage team 37-14 last week with workhouse Aaron Knight carrying 22 times for 145 yards. Chesterton did not throw a pass and they did not have to as Portage fumbled five times. The Trojans can win only their second undisputed DAC title with three more wins. But is it going to happen? Chesterton beat Valpo, which was playing without its QB. They beat Portage, which is playing without a half dozen people. I'm not sold. Knight makes the Trojans mistake-free. It's hard to turn it over when the QB runs the ball 25 times. But they need to watch out, playing on the road at an underachieving Lake Central team this week. Remember, this year, anybody can beat anybody.

5.) 5A Portage (4-2)
2007 (5-5), 2006 (6-5), 2005 (2-8), 2004 (8-4), 2003 (11-2)

PORTAGE: The Indians fumbled five times in a 37-14 loss to Chesterton. The week before, they lost four turnovers in a 21-6 loss at Crown Point. They are not giving themselves a chance of winning. But the injury situation is the key here. Halfback Ryan Cherry could be back this week (although I know I said that last week, too). Highly-regarded soph Zack Huston may be off injury in two weeks. Here's another team with some offensive line issues. At full strength I think they're fifth best and they could be at full strength soon. But playing Michigan City (2-4) right now is no fun.

6.) 4A Hobart (5-1)
2007 (8-4), 2006 (10-2), 2005 (6-6), 2004 (9-2), 2003 (5-7)

HOBART: Hobart moves up because they showed the passing attack they haven't needed all year in the 35-32 loss to Lowell. The Brickie defense gave up 425 total yards to Lowell, but this was the first time Hobart had seen an experienced QB and a state-caliber running back. Matt Barras was 16 of 27 for 250 yards in a big game. You ride your QB on offense and Barras has shoulders big enough for a saddle these days. Hobart folks can say all the right things. But this game was a warm-up, a class room session for a rematch in the regional. The Brickies don't want to beat Lowell in September. They know that's worth about as much as New York Mets playoff tickets. Hobart is too strong to lose at Munster (5-1) this week.

7.) 5A Lake Central (3-3)
2007 (7-5), 2006 (4-6), 2005 (2-8), 2004 (1-9), 2003 (1-9)

ST. JOHN: LC lost 10-7 at a fired-up Michigan City team. That shows how even the DAC is. There are major doubts here. The Indians are down to 14 points a game on offense. It's funny. When teams are beating each other 35-32, everybody thinks that league is good. When teams are beating each other 10-7. Everybody thinks that league is down. It's all about points. That's why they have scoreboards. I'm stubborn about LC. There's no excuses for them. They're in the same boat with Crown Point. Good defense. No offense. Did LC really throw 43 passes in a 10-7 game last week? Something's wrong. You've got to run the ball.

8.) 5A CROWN POINT (2-4)
2007 (8-3), 2006 (12-1), 2005 (11-1), 2004 (4-7), 2003 (5-5)

CROWN POINT: CP's house of cards fell down last week. It's a miracle they were 2-1 in the DAC averaging 10 points a game. Valparaiso got early turnovers in the first and third quarters and cashed them in for a 38-17 rout of the Bulldogs. CP again could not run the ball and even though QB Marcus Shrewsbury has five TD passes in the last two weeks, that's not going to win in 5A Sectional One. You've got to run. CP has no rushing touchdowns this season. None. The Bulldogs probably aren't going to repeat as DAC champs now so they can dedicate the last three weeks to finding a running game. CP needs to play a really bad team so they can gain a few hundred yards on the ground, but they don't face any really bad teams.

9. 5A Michigan City (2-4)
2007 (2-8), 2006 (1-9), 2005 (6-5), 2004 (4-6), 2003 (3-7)

MICHIGAN CITY: A big victory 10-7 over Lake Central last week after a tough 17-14 loss to Merrillville. The Wolves are on the rise again after some internal problems. MC rolled up 350 total yards on LC and they overcame four turnovers to win. Senior passer Nate Scully gives them a chance in every game. Look closely at the four teams that have beaten Michigan City: (SB) Washington (5-1), Valparaiso (5-1), Chesterton (5-1) and Merrillville (3-3). Quietly, the defense has allowed just 19 points a game. And that's 19 points allowed in the DAC, not some smaller league.

10.) 4A Griffith (2-4)
2007 (9-4), 2006 (12-2), 2005 (12-1), 2004 (9-3), 2003 (7-5)

GRIFFITH: I can't give up on them, but there's a problem when Griffith is held to 61 yards rushing in a 17-14 loss to Munster. It's okay for the Panthers to lose, but it's not okay for them not to be able to run the ball. That's like dogs and cats living together. It's just wrong. I fully expect the Panthers to win their final three games, but I don't like to see them throwing 15-20 passes a game. That's an indication they can't run block and I don't know why that is. In answer to your question, yes, I still think Griffith is better than Munster.

On the outside looking in...

5A Munster (5-1)
2007 (3-7), 2006 (5-5), 2005 (3-7), 2004 (4-6), 2003 (8-3)

MUNSTER: Here's another team that needs a big win. The 17-14 victory over Griffith was a feel-good moment, but Griffith's losing to everybody right now. The Mustangs have won two games on fourth quarter rallies and two others over winless 0-6 teams. It beats losing, but I don't know if it beats Hobart (5-1) this Friday or anybody in 5A Sectional One. Six wins would be the most since 2003, but with Hobart and Lowell (6-0) remaining, hard times are ahead here.