Renegade 2008 Week-3 NW Indiana High School Football Poll

MERRILLVILLE (9-05-2008) The non-conference schedule continued to show no trends and 2008 appears to be a year of confusion in Northwest Indiana high school football. What's the top team? What week is it? It may get worse in the future. I don't know if anything has been signed, but Valparaiso is said to be replacing defenseless Gary Roosevelt, a team they beat 60-8 last week, with state superpower Carmel in week two of 2009. Also, Merrillville will not play Griffith in 2009 in week two; they will face crosstown rival Andrean. The lesson of week 2 in 2008 is not to be a knee jerk. After Indianapolis' 4,000-teen monster Warren Central bombed Merrillville 42-0 in week one, many said the Pirates, thought to be a Northwest Indiana power, must not be that good.

The words got out of their mouths just days before Merrillville walked into 4A No. 10 Griffith without their starting quarterback and beat the Panthers 24-15. But after six Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) teams won in week one, only four were victorious in week two. Thee is a thought that Lowell could be the top-ranked team, but keep in mind, Lowell (2-0) has defeated Crown Point (0-2) and Morton (0-2), two respected but winless squads. Ranking Lowell ahead of Merrillville insists that Lowell would beat Merrillville and everyone involved in NW Indiana football knows there is very little chance of that happening with both teams at full strength.

Merrillville fans might be interested in hearing that Warren Central left the state Saturday to win at Middletown Ohio 39-35.

Another chameleon is Andrean, which got smoked out 40-7 by Portage in week one and then mowed down Bishop Noll 50-7 in week two. Granted, there is a world of difference between 5A Portage, a mid-level DAC team and 2A private school Noll. But to believe that there is 76 points difference is to believe that that poor little Republican mom from Alaska is qualified to be president.

MERRILLVILLE: Welcome back on the Merrillville bandwagon. Those who jumped when Merrillville lost 42-0 to 5A No. 3 Warren Central, jumped back when a short-handed Pirate team won at 3A No. 10 Griffith by nine last Friday (8-29-2008). Senior defensive back Keith Dockery grabbed an interception and recovered a fumble as the Pirates won without starting quarterback Dolapo Macarthy, who was injured. Soph halfback Denzell Pierce (5-8, 165) may be the answer at halfback after an 86-yard first quarter TD run. Everyone should have known that a loss to Warren Central in Indianapolis game is the norm, not any kind of an upset. Griffith, which was coming off a 400-yard rushing game against Morton, ran for 210 yards against the Pirates but committed 10 penalties and did not run for a TD on their home field. Macarthy may miss the next two games but Merrillville goes home now and it's a lot easier to play with the backup QB (soph Zach Raspopovich who was 6-of-15 for 42 yards) at home. The 'Times' Saturday headline had it right: "Merrillville showed it is still the team to beat in the Region". But the Pirates must beware of arch rival Crown Point (0-2) this week in the home opener.

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

LOWELL: The Devils put on a happy face in the home opener, rushing for 300 yards and passing for 180 more in a 57-20 romp over Morton. I talked here about what happens to Lowell's offense if they throw more than five passes (last year's total) to speedy halfback Brandon Grubbe. The Lowell tailback, who will pass the 2,000-yard mark rushing in the third game of his junior year this week against Kankakee Valley, caught TD passes of 24 and 51 yards from QB Kurt Monix who was 6-of-8 for 180 yards and four TDs. Grubbe (157 yards on 16 carries) is the key offensive player for the Devils, but while I'm sure it has happened because Lowell's played football for over 100 years, I cannot find any record of a Lowell QB throwing for four TDs in the same game. Lowell wasn't perfect against Morton. They allowed 20 points and Lowell just can't give up a kick return TD with the speed they have on their team. They just can't. If Lowell fans want a reality check, check sectional rival Concord's scores in the first two games this season so far. The Devils wouldn't be heavily-favored to beat Concord if the game was played this Friday. Lowell plays KV (0-2) this week and you have to be aware of a next door neighbor and rival who has nothing to lose.

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

GRIFFITH: I know Russ Radtke would disagree, but it's not a bad loss to fall to a much larger school in a non-conference game. I put no more stock in Griffith's 24-15 home loss to Merrillville than I did to Merrillville's 42-0 loss at Warren Central the week before. They certainly don't drop in this poll. It was a positive that Griffith gained 400 total yards against Merrillville and they should look at it that way because they won't see a comparable defense to Merrillville's all year. QB Greg Joyce was 10-of-19 for 202 yards in week two and he's off to a good start at QB. When Griffith scheduled Merrillville, it showed they cared more about the post-season than the regular season. They knew they wouldn't beat Merrillville, but they also knew the Pirates would be the most athletic team they'd see. The Panthers fumbled four times (six fumbles now in 2 games) and that's a traditional problem with them. A tradition that needs to end before they get to Hobart (2-0) this Friday.

4.) 5A Lake Central (2-0)
2007 (7-5), 2006 (4-6), 2005 (2-8), 2004 (1-9), 2003 (1-9)

ST. JOHN: When I looked at the box scored for Lake Central's 42-0 win at east Chicago, I focused on one line: Yards rushing. LC - 302. That's what they needed after being held to less than 100 yards by Munster in LC's season opening 20-19 win. Senior halfback Dillon Jamroz carried 21 times for 129 yards and three TDs. New Kicker Erik Bisson was 6-of-6 in conversions. But East Chicago is not a strong team this season. These were two 'must' win games for LC and they are now set up to equal last season's 7-5 season. But the DAC will be tough starting with Portage (2-0) this week. I'm still very uneasy with LC being rated fourth here, but a little less so after 300 yards rushing. LC cannot win shootouts. Teams in the smaller leagues can get lifted by the first two non conference games. But DAC teams do not know the real facts of life until week three.

5.) 5A Portage (2-0)
2007 (5-5), 2006 (6-5), 2005 (2-8), 2004 (8-4), 2003 (11-2)

PORTAGE: Portage romped over Highland 41-6, but Highland is not competitive at this point for several reasons. The Trojans won't be right until late in the year when their injury and home field situations get squared away. Eric Melcic was 7-of-10 for 171 yards and Eric Cherry (20 carries, 138 yards) ran for three second half TDs. But like LC, Portage knows nothing about their team until they start the DAC season. Melcic probably isn't looking over his shoulder. Original 2008 starting QB Jason Melcic and soph Zack Huston both were unavailable for last week's game. All DAC teams except Valparaiso and Merrillville play SMALLER schools in the non-conference weeks. It doesn't give you a good read on the real season. Both Portage and LC look promising and are undefeated, but one of them goes home a loser this week.

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

MICHIGAN CITY: I'm going to hope that South Bend Washington is vastly improved (there are indications they are) because last week's 21-20 loss at Washington is a game MC should have won. Washington (2-0) has revamped their attack with a college-style spread offense and they broke a 12-game losing streak this year, but MC needed this one. You had to know that coach Craig Buzea would go for two points in the final minutes when Rodney Washington's 48-yard catch from QB Nate Scully cut the lead to 21-20. That's the second consecutive one-point win for Washington, so lets give MC a reprieve. But now the DAC starts and there has to be a sense of urgency if they really think (as I do ) that they've improved.

7.) 5A CROWN POINT (0-2)
2007 (8-3), 2006 (12-1), 2005 (11-1), 2004 (4-7), 2003 (5-5)

CROWN POINT: Here's the second hardest team in the region to read. True, after losses 7-0 and 13-7, CP is two plays away from being 2-0. But that's highly misleading. The Bulldogs have looked bad on offense for two weeks and with five new O-line starters and a new QB, that is not a big surprise. I expect the offense to kick into high gear this year, but I can't tell you if it will be week three or week eight. Defensively, they've allowed just 20 points in two games against Hobart (2-0) and Lowell (2-0) but that's misleading, too. I'm not sure they're quite that good. CP has some injuries on defense, but they are healthy on offense, as far as I know. The Bulldogs just want to hold each for under 20 points and wait for the offense to come around. There will be some desperation this week. The Bulldogs don't want to be the best 0-3 team in Northwest Indiana.

8.) 3A ANDREAN (1-1)
2007 (9-4), 2006 (8-3), 2005 (8-2), 2004 (13-2), 2003 (12-1)

MERRILLVILLE: Here's the toughest team to read so far this year. They lost 40-7 in week one and won 50-7 in week two. Halfback Kyle Kovach carried 23 times for 213 yards last week against Noll and soph QB Demetri Blanco passed for his first two varsity TDs. Andrean only gave up 179 total yards against Portage and they only allowed 150 against Noll. The Niners head to East Chicago this week and EC has also been two-faced, losing 42-0 to LC after winning 28-0 over Hammond. Andrean seems to have some team speed on defense and an explosive backfield. They still have Lowell, Hobart and Griffith to play, so we don't know much yet. Depth is always a key at Andrean and I don't know how much they have. But you look down the road and it's a 3A road. Nobody really cares (or should care) about the Northwest Crossroads Conference title. Andrean just has to stay competitive and stay healthy.

9.) 5A LaPorte (1-1)
2007 (3-7), 2006 (10-4), 2005 (9-2), 2004 (7-4), 2003 (6-4)

LaPORTE: The Slicers gave up a fourth quarter TD and lost 23-20 at Mishawaka (2-0), a bad loss only because the Slicers led 14-0 at the half. With 335 total yards and 22 first downs, I don't know how the Slicers lost this one. But LaPorte's previews this year said: Good offense. Bad defense. Mishawaka, led by the old New Prairie coach Bart Curtis, slapped that option offense on LaPorte for 283 rushing yards and 16 fourth quarter points. Note: LaPorte had to forfeit their season opening win over New Prairie due to an ineligible player, who was not a factor in the victory. That forfeit will not be recognized here. This poll isn't about some paperwork screw up. It's about what you do on the field. On the field, LaPorte beat New Prairie and that's the way it will be noted. New Prairie should be embarrassed to get the win, but then again, MSNBC and FOX should be embarrassed to be News Channels.

10.) 5A Valparaiso (2-0)
2007 (6-5), 2006 (3-6), 2005 (5-5), 2004 (6-5), 2003 (5-6)

VALPARAISO: Valpo coasted to an embarrassing 57-0 win in what hopefully was the last-ever match up with Gary Roosevelt. I almost dropped them out of the poll for playing Roosevelt, a team that's never won a sectional (I think they've only won one game) in football. The news (if it's true) that Valpo will begin a series with 2007 5A state champ Carmel next year is very welcome. There's going to be a Class 6A in 2009 and you can't help yourself for Class 6A by playing a team that can't even get helmets most of the summer. It's a monetary decision too. If you're going to beat somebody 57-0, your fans will start staying home on Friday night and watching 'Monk'. Carmel's tough, but it's a jungle out there.

CHESTERTON: Okay, they went to West Ottawa, Michigan and lost 28-7. The Trojans gave up 330 yards and 20 first downs and they fumbled three times. Among my questions about this game is: WHY WAS IT EVER PLAYED? Why does Chesterton play West Ottawa? How can you play after traveling 2-1/2 hours on a Friday? Ask Merrillville about that. Nobody in the entire state of Indiana will play them. Maybe I've listened to too many Obama speeches, but change is coming here. I think they waste a week (and a lot of gas) by doing this. Seriously, New Prairie won't play Chesterton?

The RENEGADE 2008 Poll

Week-3: NW Indiana High School Top-10 Football Poll