BY FRANK KIELKIPOWSKI
The top teams in the Region flexed their muscles last Friday as many of them were not just victorious, but dominating as well. One reminder that on Sunday, October 13, the pairings for the 52nd annual IHSAA state football tournament, presented by the Indianapolis Colts, will be unveiled. Catch our own Paul Condry, along with Bob Lovell as they breakdown all 64 sectionals starting at 6 p.m. EDT/ 5 p.m. CDT on the IHSAA Champions Network.
REGION TOP 10
- Crown Point (7-0)
- Merrillville (6-1)
- Hanover Central (6-1)
- Valparaiso (4-3)
- North Judson (7-0)
- Chesterton (5-2)
- Griffith (7-0)
- Hobart (5-3)
- Lake Central (3-4)
- Wheeler (5-2)
WEEK SEVEN RECAP
DUNELAND ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Chesterton 17, Lake Central 16: Andrew Goveia scored a pair of touchdowns in the second half as the Trojans rallied from a 16-3 third quarter deficit.
Crown Point 42, LaPorte 0: Noah Ehrlich went 15-for-20 for 220 yards with three touchdowns in the first half as the Bulldogs claimed their state-best 25th regular season game in a row.
Merrillville 35, Valparaiso 7: J.Q. Johnson rushed for 229 yards and scored twice as the Pirates reached the end zone on four of their first five possessions against Valparaiso.
Portage 9, Michigan City 7: Danny Lule’s 38-yard field goal with five minutes left propelled the Indians to their first conference win since 2022. Portage held the Wolves to less than 100 yards of total offense.
NORTHWEST CROSSROADS CONFERENCE
Hanover Central 21, Hobart 14: Caiden Verrett rushed 23 times for 201 yards and a pair of scores, including the game-winner in the fourth quarter, as the Wildcats clinched at least a share of the conference title.
Lowell 27, Kankakee Valley 14: Brody Kalwinski scored twice in the second half as the Red Devils got the best of their rivals from Wheatfield. Diego Arroyo threw two touchdown passes for Kankakee Valley.
Munster 41, Highland 21: The Mustangs reached the 40-point plateau for the second time in the last three games and snapped a six-game losing streak to Highland.
Indianapolis Bishop Chatard 39, Andrean 14: James Finley caught a pair of touchdown passes to give the Niners an early 14-0 lead, but Bishop Chatard scored 39 unanswered points to improve to 6-1.
GREATER SOUTH SHORE CONFERENCE
Boone Grove 47, Whiting 28: Mark Rowland threw for 307 yards with five touchdowns and ran for 84 yards with a score to help the Wolves to their second straight win. Samir Del Rio finished with seven catches for 178 yards and four score for Boone Grove.
Griffith 42, Gary West Side 0: Ryan Buillion threw for 226 yards and four touchdowns as the Panthers registered their fifth shutout.
Lake Station 19, East Chicago Central 6: Kaden McNeil rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown as the Eagles defeated an East Chicago club for the first time since 1985 (EC Washington).
River Forest 35, Hammond Bishop Noll 0: Ayden Silver threw for 190 yards and ran for another 134 yards with three total touchdowns as the Ingots snapped a modest two-game losing streak.
Wheeler 43, Calumet 8: The Warriors led 8-0 in the second quarter before Wheeler rattled off 43 straight points to earn their fifth win in a row, and remained unbeaten in the conference.
GREAT LAKES CONFERENCE
Hammond Morton, 42 Hammond Central 14: Holland Harris threw for 220 yards with two touchdowns and ran for two more scores as the Governors won for the third straight time against their crosstown rival.
HOOSIER NORTH CONFERENCE
North Judson 48, Winamac 6: Brock Benson rushed for 208 yards and two touchdowns for the top-ranked (Class 1A) Bluejays.
North Miami 63, South Central 20: The Warriors jumped out to a 34-14 halftime lead against South Central (1-6).
WEEK EIGHT PREVIEW
DUNELAND CONFERENCE
Chesterton at Crown Point: The Bulldogs can clinch at least a share of their third straight DAC championship and earn their 20th straight DAC victory.
Lake Central at Merrillville: The Indians are looking to snap a seven-game losing streak to Merrillville, which won’t be easy as the Pirates seek their fifth win in a row.
LaPorte at Michigan City: The Slicers lead the all-time series, 23-12, but Michigan City won twice last year, including a 6-5 victory in the Class 5A sectional semifinals.
Portage at Valparaiso: The Vikings are trying to snap a two-game losing streak, while Portage has not beaten Valparaiso since 2016.
NORTHWEST CROSSROADS CONFERENCE
Andrean at Hanover Central: The Wildcats are looking to finish unbeaten NCC champions for the second straight year.
Highland at Kankakee Valley: The Trojans are 16-9 against Kankakee Valley, but the Kougars won 49-12 a year ago.
Lowell at Munster: The Red Devils hope to get back to the .500 mark against a Munster squad that has not defeated Lowell since 2011.
Hobart at Hammond Morton: The Brickies look to rebound against a Hammond Morton club, which they defeated 65-38 in last year’s high scoring affair at the Brickyard.
GREATER SOUTH SHORE CONFERENCE
Boone Grove at Lake Station: The Wolves look for their third straight win, while Lake Station goes for its third win of the season.
Calumet at Griffith: The Warriors look to slow down a Griffith unit, which seeks to go 8-0 for the first time since 2006.
Hammond Bishop Noll at Gary West Side: Bishop Noll has won two of the previous three meetings on the series, but the Cougars earned a convincing 68-8 triumph a season ago.
Whiting at Wheeler: The Bearcats go for their sixth win in a row to set up a winner-take-all contest with Griffith for the GSSC title next week.
River Forest at Rensselaer Central: The Ingots look for their second straight win as they face Rensselaer for the first time since 1997.
GREAT LAKES CONFERENCE
East Chicago Central at Hammond Central: The Wolves have won all three meetings with EC Central, including a 44-6 triumph last year.
HOOSIER NORTH CONFERENCE
Caston at North Judson – The Bluejays will look to remain perfect against a Caston unit they have never lost to in the previous nine meetings.
South Central at Winamac: These two programs meet for the first time since 2020 when the Warriors defeated South Central, 21-14, on the way to their last sectional championship.