Northwest Indiana Top-10

Final 2008 High School 'Renegade' Poll

6-17-2008

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

ST. JOHN (6-17-2008) - The season ended with a rain-marred state finals that took five days. 1A Whiting, 3A New Palestine and 2A Lewis Cass won their second state titles while 4A McCutcheon on its first crown after reaching the finals three times. Indianapolis hotels, malls and restaurants made a little extra money because teams had to stay over with repeated spring rainstorms.

It would be easy to whine about what happened but rain in Marion County in June is not 'Breaking News' and the IHSAA can't stop it.

As I have said here in past years, the format which requires two semifinals beginning at 6:30 EST Friday night prior to Saturday morning and afternoon championship games is very combustible and easily burnt up by a few sprinkles.

One possible answer is to play the semifinals Thursday night. Since the IHSAA plays the softball state finals at large high schools (North Central, Hamilton Southeastern etc.), the state finals sites are always available. A Thursday-Saturday format gives you an entire rain day before the Saturday championship games. My format requires teams to drive to Marion County on Thursday, but the winners can go home after the game Thursday night, if they choose, saving them hotel money. Even at $10 a gallon for gas, travel costs are still less than hotel costs, as schools like Whiting and Tecumseh can tell you after the 2008 finals. A Thursday-Saturday format also allows for only the best playing field to be used if only one field is playable.

The Thursday-Saturday format would not have prevented the finals going to Monday this season (as they did), but it would have prevented them from going to Tuesday because the semifinals would have been completed by the time rain hit Saturday. The present format is going to change anyway if the IHSAA approves a well-intentioned reduction from four to three classes for the 2010 season. That proposal has not been voted on, but with travel costs what they are for the early rounds of the playoffs, three classes should and will pass. Going back to 1997 when class sports began, no one truly asked for four classes. Class sports backers (and I am one) wanted TWO classes and would eagerly approve a move to three now.

There was a steady trend in softball that remained true in 2008. Teams with dominating strikeout pitchers carried their teams to the finals and won whether it was Mel Dumezich at Whiting or Tori Collins, a three-time state finalist, who finally won for McCutcheon. Four of the pitchers at the state finals had 300 or more strikeouts, meaning that most batters did not put the ball in play against them most of the time. It's the nature of the game. The vast majority of girls softball players simply can't hit.

Softball is still treated in a very sexist, childish manner by onlookers. While baseball is probed and scoped out with a vigorous zeal like any other real sport, softball is still treated as an activity where moms and men sit back and smile "Oh, aren't OUR girls wonderful" instead of subjecting it to any significant analysis. There is no sport I know of at any level where what Whiting softball did with their schedule (dropping all strong programs so they could go undefeated) would be overlooked and glorified as a positive competitive move. Imagine Andrean or Griffith baseball saying that they don't have to play 4A teams because they might get beat. Then imagine adults actually supporting that position publicly. I can't. You probably can't, either. But that's where girls sports still is.

But the adults, a problem in every youth sport, are certainly not softball's biggest problem. The game is flawed. High school softball in Indiana exists on a field of smaller playing dimensions that what is used in college and beyond. The distance between the plate and the pitchers' rubber, which is the heart of the game, is the same in 13-year-old Babe Ruth baseball as it is in the major leagues. But high school girls pitchers are three feet closer to the batter than they will be in college softball, and that's why every other high school girl (only a slight exaggeration) strikes out.

Almost every team has a pitcher who strikes out more than a batter an inning. Some coaches have their star pitchers practice at the college distance late in their prep careers so they won't face a rude awakening when they get to the University. Privately, a lot of high school people tell you that they have a conceptual problem with prep softball as a sport because it's is all about the pitcher. It's not enough of a team sport. It's a good point.

To be blunt, high school girls play a Mickey Mouse, Brady Bunch version of softball. There is no other major team sport where the game is dumbed-down for teenagers. Until the game of softball is changed to equate the 'real' distances (the ones used in college), this pitcher dominance, which has existed the last 15-20 years and has reduced the game to a boring pitcher-catcher showcase, will continue. There were three perfect games at the state finals in 2004, one of them by Amanda Wendlinger of Hanover Central. I think even she would say that perfect game had more to do with the opposition (how pitching carries weak-hitting teams to the state finals) than it did her individual greatness.

The good thing is, some younger coaches know this and they want the game to use the college distances. I'm confident the change will happen in the next 10-15 years, but I'm impatient. Softball takes a back seat to baseball, basketball and even volleyball, until the sport treats high school children like high schoolers, and not children.

One other thing that needs to be done is to scrap the 28-game varsity limit as a dinosaur. I would like, as I've said before, to see the Michigan system adopted where a team gets a certain amount of total dates (maybe 10 weeks minus Sundays) where you have maybe 30 dates in which you can play. If you play twice every playing date, you can play 60 games if you can schedule them. If you only play on 15 dates, but play two games each night, you can still play 30. But you must have 30 non-playing dates. Most of those dates will be weather postponements anyway.

Michigan teams routinely play 40 games a season in worse weather than Indiana has. With the expansion of daylight savings time, Indiana teams can play double-headers on every playing date. That isn't a new idea. Colleges play two games on every playing date. Under this concept, more girls could play much more often and there would still be as many off days as there were playing days.

The Andrean model, where you play in a tournament every Saturday, would become very popular and very beneficial. I don't see a real reason not to do this.

The final Top-10 rates your entire schedule against the schedule of the other teams. Remember, it's not all about who you beat. It's about who you play. To roll up 30 wins over lesser teams means less to me than 20-10 against a stronger slate. It has always been that way here.

Let's talk about who should play who.

1. (4A) LAKE CENTRAL (25-7)
2007 (21-6), 2006 (25-8), 2005 (32-1), 2004 (29-3), 2003 (32-3-1)

ST. JOHN: Lake Central is the No. 1 team based on the DAC title and strength of schedule. The Indians faced six of the state's Top 4A teams and they lost to eventual 4A state champ McCutcheon, 2-0. LC lost to state finalist Franklin Central and superpower Avon, but they beat Carmel, Harrison and Illinois power Homewood-Flossmoor. Rachel Weaver (13-4, 1.07 ERA) was voted the DAC MVP for a second consecutive season and right-hander Jessica Dobson was 12-1 as a junior. LC ends the season by sending five seniors to college ball and they defeated everyone they faced in NW Indiana at least once.

LC did not win the 4A sectional for the second year in a row, but they took on all comers and that's what matters. Athletic programs in all sports at all levels must earn greatness by the schedule they play. To sincere non-partisans, that is not disputable. The only team of consistently equal ability that LC does not play is Andrean and there are issues there. LC and Andrean, which draws students from the LC school district, meet in very few sports and that's not an accident. Lake Central is right up there with Center Grove and the other Indianapolis area heavy hitters because that's who they choose to play. You have to pay the cost to be the boss, and while certainly the Munster Mustangs have a claim here, it's not a good enough claim just yet. LC is No. 1.

2. (4A) Munster (27-7)
2007 (24-7), 2006 (22-7), 2005 (25-3-1), 2004 (25-3-1), 2003 (22-7), 2002 (15-12)

MUNSTER: Munster played in the two toughest tournaments in the state (the Center Grove Invitational and the Twin Lakes Invite) and they won a school-record 27 times. Again, greatness is not defined by your record, but by your opponents. Munster seems to understand that. Munster beat neighbor and rival Lake Central to win the school's first sectional in this decade and senior Eleanor Kennedy (19-1, 1.19 ERA, 142 Ks in 140 innings) was undefeated during the regular season. I'm sure they still wonder how they lost 6-5 to LaPorte in the regional semifinals in Elkhart but no team's season can be defined in one game. In the final game Kennedy struck out 14 in 11 innings of relief. No 4A pitcher was a bigger surprise this year. Pheobe Conner (31-81, .383, 20 RBIs) returns as does pitcher Grace Ispas (9-5, 1.99 ERA).

Munster isn't a better team than Lake Central, but they probably did more with what they had than LC did. Seriously, the Lady Ponies may go further in the playoffs in 2009, but they cannot possibly have as a good a year. And again, that schedule was second only to LC's. But, while Munster may not have the immediate future that Lake Central has, Munster has taken LC's path schedule-wise and that's what matters. I don't know of anyone that Munster should play that they don't. Softball is a class, and at LC and Munster, it is an advanced class.

3. (4A) Portage (19-9)
2007 (23-7), 2006 (18-12), 2005 (20-9), 2004 (27-4-3), 2003 (19-9)

PORTAGE: Portage was one of the many teams that was upset by LaPorte on the Slicers 'midnight run' to the state finals. This was a typical Portage year, the final one for coach Jeff Smith (who I believe will be the new AD). They played a difficult schedule and were competitive against everyone. Kristin Helmick is a No. 1 pitcher candidate and core hitter for the Indians, but they clearly need some new recruits for 2009. The future here is in doubt as it always is with coaching changes and the rest of the DAC is improving all around them. Portage plays Penn. They play Lincoln-Way (New Lenox, Ill.). They travel to Michigan for a tourney and they play Indy power Scecina. I'm not sure they need any changes to the schedule. Portage has always had excellent pitching and it's interesting to guess who the next top hurler will be.

4. (4A) Chesterton (17-10)
2007 (20-6), 2006 (30-2), 2005 (27-3-1), 2004 (20-7), 2003 (22-5)

CHESTERTON: The Trojans were upset 2-1 by Crown Point in the 4A Chesterton sectional semifinals. Junior right-hander Catie Armstrong took the loss after another of her many strong efforts. The Trojans didn't have a bad offense, but it failed them in key situations. They could easily have beaten CP and reached the state finals. But you are what your record says you are, and not only did the Trojans not win 20 for the first time in seven years, they only got to play 27 games due to a painful spring weather assault. With a lot of returning players, I think they bounce back to the 20-win plateau in 2009, but they need to break through against LC to take the league crown.

Schedule-wise, here's another team that already takes on a lot of people. I admire them for taking on 2A Hanover Central every year because that's a no-win situation for them. I wouldn't mind seeing Chesterton play at the Twin Lakes Invitational. But they face Munster, Griffith and Lowell and they play at 3A power Pendleton Heights. This is an excellent schedule already.

5. (4A) LOWELL (20-10)
2007 (30-7), 2006 (23-7), 2005 (21-10), 2004 (20-9)

LOWELL: Lowell lost twice to DAC champ Lake Central and twice to 4A Sectional champ Munster. But the Devils also reached the semifinals at the Twin Lakes Invitational with some backup people. Megan Bolanowski was a revelation at shortstop and this team overcame the injury loss of catcher Katherine Allert to still win 20 and post wins over sectional champs Griffith and Andrean. The Devils, like LC, are probably disappointed with the outcome of things in 2008. But wins over Wheeler, Crown Point and Highland and a schedule which included sectional champs Hanover Central and Boone Grove, is very credible. Jacki Fletcher (35-79, .443), Megan Bolanowski (39-96, .409, 9 HRs, 39 RBIs), Nina Iaokimidis (32-88, .364) all return for two more years. There is a core of a half dozen girls who will be juniors in 2009 who can carry this team. I also thought coach Pete Iussig, with two senior pitchers, sacrificed a couple of games by pitching younger girls to get them ready for the next two seasons. Lowell was better than their record and their record will be better in 2009. I'd like to see them travel more, although the economic times may prohibit that. The Devils play West Lafayette and Pioneer going back to a time when those two schools had power programs. Years ago, the Devils played Warsaw and Plymouth. Those four have faded as good teams. Lowell would like to play Whiting but the Oilers insist on that 'Class A schedule'. I'd like to see maybe New Prairie and LaPorte on the schedule, maybe in a one day swing around through LaPorte County.

6. (3A) Griffith (21-8)
2007 (16-14), 2006 (12-19), 2005 (19-15), 2004 (16-15), 2003 (18-14)

GRIFFITH: Griffith never led against Andrean, losing 4-2 in the Twin Lakes Regional semifinals, but the Panthers were 3-3 and they finished at 21-8 so it was a very good season at a school that was 16-15 in 2007. Brittany Bridges (15-8, 1.00 ERA, 212 Ks, in 140 innings) graduates, but I don't see a big drop off in 2009 with lefty Kate Rone (6-1, 1.44 ERA). The Panthers defeated Lowell and Hobart twice and they did beat Andrean once. The Panthers also topped 4As Portage and Crown Point. There won't be many years like this one. I believe the window of opportunity to beat Andrean may have closed though as the Niners' core get much more experienced in 2009. But Griffith has a lot of good athletes in the sophomore class. They'll certainly battle Andrean for the sectional title next season. I don't know where they got 3A power Blackford on the schedule and I'm not sure how much longer they'll make that trip. Here's another team that would benefit greatly from the Twin Lakes Invitational, especially since Twin Lakes is the Class 3A regional site. But the Panthers play a 4A schedule. They play 10 4A schools regularly. There's no downside to that.

7. (3A) ANDREAN (18-10)
2007 (29-3), 2006 (26-4), 2005 (32-3), 2004 (29-5), 2003 (27-2)

MERRILLVILLE: The Niners lost 5-0 to top-ranked Mishawaka Marian (27-5) in the 3A Twin Lakes Regional semifinals and that wasn't an upset. This is a low ranking for the 59ers, but Andrean did not get to play the schedule they wanted to play due to the weather and they never got any consistent play in until the end of the year. The Niners did beat Lowell, Hanover, Griffith and 3A No. 1 Marian, but you can't give a team credit for rained out games. It's like giving Tiger Woods credit for winning tournaments he missed after his knee surgery. We all know he probably would have won them but somebody else DID.

For 2009, core players Allyssa Mosely (28-74, .378) and Audrey Bickel (36-77, .468) both have two more years and the goals are still very high. Anyone who was watching closely saw a decided upturn at the end of the season and through the sectional. With some of the graduation losses at Griffith, Munster and Lowell, the Niners will have one of the more experienced teams in their league in 2009. The 3A regionals are again a possibility, although Marian will again be formidable at that point.

To be specific, Andrean did not play an extremely difficult schedule in 2008 because tournaments in Dowagiac, Michigan, Center Grove and Crown Point were all rained out. The Niners also played in the LaPorte Invitational, the Twin Lakes Invitational and the Bishop's Cup tourney in Mishawaka. To be honest, Andrean was better off when they were an independent. They don't need to play sectional rival Griffith twice during the regular season and the 59ers see Lowell and Munster so often you'd swear the girls were related. But Andrean plays a near-perfect non conference schedule. The Andrean 'World Tour' gives the girls the experience of traveling and playing different teams in different places. That's what high school athletics is about. Every new coach needs a one-year shakedown period when he's playing with someone else's team. It's a very good bet the Niners will win 20-25 in 2009.

8. (4A) CROWN POINT (18-11)
2007 (16-14), 2006 (13-14), 2005 (12-14), 2004 (8-19), 2003 (16-16)

CROWN POINT: Crown Point's comeback second half ended abruptly when LaPorte scored four runs in the late innings to beat CP 4-2 in the 4A Sectional 2 title game. The Lady Bulldogs were 7-9 and finished at 18-11 so this season was very positive, even though they fell one game short of the goal. CP graduated some solid seniors, but they'll regain injured RHP Taylor Perry (4-3) to go with Jackie Beilfuss (12-8) and three position player starters including all-DAC infielder Jessica Martinez (28-71, .394).

The Bulldogs have some hopes in the outfield, but outfielders do not decide girls softball games. The Bulldogs can win the sectional in 2009, but truthfully, they could have won it in 2008. It's not nice to say, but the team had 'success anxiety'. When CP was six outs from the sectional title, they probably choked, not totally because of what LaPorte did to them, but largely because of what they did to themselves. That happens to inexperienced playoff teams. CP should be back in 2009.

Schedule-wise, CP wants to emulate Andrean. They took a bold step by starting their own tournament and facing 2007 state champ Hamilton Southeastern, but the move did not reap maximum benefits when the CP Invitational was rained out. Even though Southeastern did not use their top pitcher (a mistake they probably won't make again) there's no denying that CP benefited from defeating Southeastern since it began a run where they won 11 of their last 14 games. Second baseman Jessica Martinez (.380, 3 HRs, 25 RBIs) made the conversion from shortstop to make way for highly-regarded freshman Jessica Palm.

CP wants to play in the Twin Lakes Invitational and that would give them a chance to take on another 4A superpower McCutcheon. But there's a waiting list for Twin Lakes. Beyond that, I think CP should play Penn in every sport. They are very similar schools even though they may not know it. The Lady Bulldogs could also take on Homewood-Flossmoor like Munster does and since principal Ryan Pitcock is moving from CP to H-F this fall, maybe a connection can be made. It is possible to play too soft a schedule, but it is not possible to play too tough a slate.

9. (2A) HANOVER CENTRAL (20-9)
2007 (20-10), 2006 (16-14), 2005 (26-5-3), 2004 (25-7)

CEDAR LAKE: Hanover lost the LaVille 2A Regional semifinal 3-1 to rival Boone Grove, ending a disappointing season where they could have reached the state finals. HC won the PCC tourney and the Lake Station 2A Sectional but Bremen, which defeated Boone, reached the state championship game so Hanover could have as well. To be honest, HC did not play well the entire second half of the year after a very good start. The Lady Cats are better than this ranking, but they didn't play like it in the last month. Hanover has a lot coming back, including top pitchers Jessica Toth (11-5, 1.34 ERA) and Kelsey Jankowski (8-4, 1.36 ERA), but they need more positive emotion. The difference between the spirit level of Boone and Hanover was striking whenever the two teams played. Toth (26-67, .388) needs to be healthy all year and Jankowski (40-85, .420, 8 HRs, 35 RBIs) just needs to keep improving. Toth, who was voted the PCC MVP (a tie with Boone's Taylor Johnson) for the second year in a row, is HC's best player but Jankowski eventually can be. The strong double play team of Kara Gilbert and Lindsay Thompson has one more year. HC has a major hole at catcher going into next season and they also have a major rival in Boone Grove. But, unless Wheeler rebounds, the Lady Cats are a win over Boone away from the state finals in 2009 and they both know it.

Hanover does not play a 2A schedule. HC added Chesterton and Munster in the early part of the decade and the 4A powers have done nothing but help the Lady Cats. With Lowell and CP, that's four 4A schools that 2A HC faces annually. Hanover also signs up for non-conference games with Whiting, Boone Grove and Illinois superpower Beecher, a two-time state champ. HC plays in the LaVille Invite in early April, but they may be looking for something closer. The Lady Cats joined the roster at the CP Invite last year and that's a perfect nearby fit. The only team Hanover does not play that I'd like to see them play is Lake Central, but to be honest, it's hard to come up with a compelling argument for LC to take that game. Hanover will never have more experience than they will in 2009 with six returning starters, including two four-year starters. I still believe HC has better players than Boone Grove but the gap is not wide. Boone is a better team, in part, because they targeted HC as their biggest foe and motivated themselves for those matchups. Hanover needs to rededicate themselves to beating Boone Grove or their domination of the Porter County Conference (PCC) may end in 2009.

10. (2A) Boone Grove (22-6)
2007 (16-11), 2006 (14-16), 2005 (9-19)

PORTER TOWNSHIP: Boone Grove played badly in a 5-4 loss to 2A state finalist Bremen at the LaVille Regional but 22 wins was a school record and three of the losses were without star pitcher Taylor Johnson. The regional loss was an opportunity missed but the Wolves play in a soft sectional so Boone should be back at the regional in 2009. Boone has speed, pitching and power and the core of the team has two more seasons. First baseman Caitlin Wilcox (.375, 8 HRs, 28 RBIs), sisters Taylor Johnson (15-3, 0.97 ERA, 123 Ks in 109 innngs) and Lauren Johnson (.522, 26 stolen bases) plus gifted Center fielder Katie Runyan, as good an athlete as there is in NW Indiana, gives Boone the intimidation of athleticism. Boone lacked experience at the playoff level this year and it showed up at the regional.

Boone beat HC 2-out-of-3 and they surprised some teams in 2008, but they won't in 2009. The Wolves also need to jack up the schedule to the level of play they hope to attain. The Wolves are not ahead of Hanover in their final poll because HC played a tougher schedule including Beecher, Eastern, Whiting (I suspect Whiting won't play Boone) and Andrean. Boone should play New Prairie and Andrean and a good fit for them would be the Dowagiac Tournament in southwest lower Michigan (actually less than 90 minutes from Boone) or the LaVille Invitational, where they could see Mishawaka Marian.

Lets tell then whole truth. The format of this tournament is likely to change after 2009 (a potential reduction to 3 classes) and Boone could be in the same class as Andrean and Griffith. The road to the finals in 2010 could be longer and much more difficult than it will be in 2009. So, Boone will start 2009 in the 2A Top-10, and with speedy, intense CF Katie Runyon having one more season, it's now or never for the Wolves.

On the outside looking in...

(4A) LaPorte (20-14)
2007 (17-11), 2006 (16-11-1), 2005 (13-16), 2004 (3-21)

LaPORTE: Easily the surprise of the year. Maybe the surprise of the decade. Let's recap: The Slicers trailed CP by two runs in the sectional title game, Munster by two runs in the regional semifinals and Northridge by four runs in the regional championship game as late as the sixth inning, but they won them all. I am almost certain that has never happened in this part of the state in Indiana high school softball tournament play. And you know when state champ McCutcheon led 4-0 in the seventh inning of the finals and LaPorte scored one run in the seventh, even the Mavericks were worried. In sports you want to either win or lose to the champion. LaPorte did the latter.

I don't rank them among the Top-10 in the area because they did lose 14 games, including six in nine days at mid-season. Remember, this is not a ranking of the end of the year or the post-season. This is an entire season ranking. But the Slicers set school records for wins (17 was the previous high) and they became the first LaPorte team to win a regional title. At a school known better for baseball, this is a major step up. They graduate core hitter Tara Buchanan, but right-hander Amanda Jones (13-10) returns for her senior year.

LaPorte should come to Lake County and play Lowell or Hanover Central (maybe both on the same day) and they might ask if Munster would play them. I think that if you would ask them, what upgraded LaPorte in the last two seasons was state superpower Lake Central joining the DAC early in this decade. After getting horsewhipped by LC twice a year, LaPorte decided they needed to step up or step out of the way. I suggest that facing LC twice a year led to LaPorte's state finals run this year because they didn't see anybody (with the possible exception of Munster or McCutcheon) better than LC in the post-season.

I don't know how bright the immediate future (read: 2009) is for the Slicers, because they were a 14-loss team and that's mediocre. Playing .500 ball and charging at the end of the season is not a blue-print, it's a reaction. But the long range future here is very bright because long playoff runs build tradition and tradition gets you more and better players.

(1A) Whiting (34-0)
2007 (26-4), 2006 (33-0), 2005 (11-16), 2004 (28-6), 2003 (21-10)

WHITING: Whiting junior Mel Dumezich (31-0, 486 strikeouts) shut out everyone in the post-season as Whiting won the school's second 1A title in three seasons. Dumezich almost equaled her 2006 record of 32-0 with shutout wins over Frontier 3-0 and Tecumseh 3-0. No one knows how good she is and everybody would like to see her pitch against Lake Central, Chesterton, Munster or Lowell but it has never happened. The Oilers didn't have to beat Indianapolis Lutheran, the 2007 state champ in the state tourney, as Lutheran flunked out 5-0 against Tecumseh in the semifinals.

The Oilers, with catcher Adi Cruz and core hitter Amanda Blackwell (.406, 6 HRs, 44 RBIs) returning, have a good chance to record the elusive back-to-back state championships which have escaped everyone at the small school level (Martinsville has done it in 4A) of the sport. The Oilers spent five days in the Indianapolis area and took two round trips to Indy due to the bad weather. They earned the state finals victory, surviving rain-delayed suspended games and long bus rides.

But, like LaPorte, Whiting isn't in this Top-10. I don't want to sound like Ozzie Guillen but everybody knows how bad Whiting's schedule is, but they're afraid to say it. Anyone who brags about what an achievement it is going undefeated against the Oilers '1A schedule' schedule is lying to themselves and to the Oiler players. Whiting beat Hanover Central 3-0 in May, but Hanover defeated Chesterton and Lowell, and they faced six larger schools the Oilers will not face. Too many people know that Whiting dropped all the quality big school Lake County programs, teams they had played in conference and non conference match-ups for years, from their schedule three years ago. One thing that is almost universal in talking to 4A coaches in NW Indiana is that most will tell you that Whiting won't play them.

Whiting continues to play the '1A card' with their schedule. The stated Oiler argument is that 'we are a 1A team so we play a 1A schedule'. The idea being, those 'big schools' would beat us because they have so many more athletes, so why should we play them? Maybe so Mel Dumezich can be selected as Player-of-the-Year? She probably won't be if there's another strong candidate and if Whiting continues to play their '1A schedule.' But if Whiting believes they have 1A talent, that's got to be the final word. In 20 years, no one will remember that Whiting did not meet the best teams in their own back yard. Only that the 2008 Oilers were undefeated.

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