BY FRANK KIELPIKOWSKI
Fall weather is upon us and with it comes exciting October football in the Region. The IHSAA tournament kicks off in two weeks and in fact, the pairings will be unveiled on Sunday (October 12) with my boss, Paul Condry, Brendan King, and Bob Lovell, airing on the IHSAA Champions Network at 6 p.m. EDT – 5 p.m. CDT.
REGION TOP 10
- Crown Point (7-0)
- Merrillville (5-2)
- Andrean (6-1)
- Michigan City (5-2)
- Lowell (6-1)
- Chesterton (5-2)
- Hobart (5-2)
- Morton (5-2)
- Griffith (6-1)
- Wheeler (6-0)
WEEK SEVEN RESULTS
DUNELAND ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Chesterton 27, Lake Central 6: Senior Louis Raffin caught seven passes for 169 yards with a score as the Trojans won their fourth straight.
Crown Point 42, LaPorte 7: The Bulldogs rolled up 318 passing yards in the first half to build a 35-0 cushion and cruise to their 34th straight regular season victory.
Merrillville 48, Valparaiso 21: Michael Hill threw for 301 yards with four touchdowns and ran for an additional 228 yards with two scores as the Pirates defeated Valparaiso for the fourth straight time.
Michigan City 43, Portage 3: Trinaston Hart threw for 319 yards with five scores and ran for another 78 yards with a touchdown as the Wolves won for the fourth time in their last five games.
NORTHWEST CROSSROADS CONFERENCE
Andrean 35, Angola 7: The Niners ran for 159 yards with four touchdowns to earn their sixth straight win.
Hobart 42, Hanover Central 23: Aleks Tatum threw for 157 yards and ran for 105 yards with four combined touchdowns as the Brickies snapped a two-game losing streak and downed Hanover Central for the first time.
Lowell 56, Kankakee Valley 14: Tymothy James ran for 172 yards and a pair of scores as the Red Devils earned their sixth straight victory.
Munster 35, Highland 0 – The Mustangs captured “The Battle of the Bridge” with their most impressive win over Highland since 2016.
GREATER SOUTH SHORE CONFERENCE
Boone Grove 28, Whiting 16: Sal Montes ran 32 times for 268 yards and six touchdowns to help the Wolves get back to the .500 mark.
East Chicago Central 58, Lake Station 20: Freshman Jaden Campbell completed 11-of-14 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns as the Cardinals improved to 5-1.
Griffith 49, Gary West Side 12: Desmond Neylon raced 99 yards for a touchdown to help the Panthers build a 41-0 halftime cushion.
River Forest 29, Hammond Bishop Noll 6: Senior Oscar Alderson raced for 225 yards and classmate David Parker added 140 yards on the ground as the Fighting Eagles notched their fifth win of the season.
Wheeler 21, Calumet 16: Levi Murray ran for 248 yards and four touchdowns as the Bearcats remained one of two unbeaten clubs in the Region.
OTHER GAMES
Hammond Morton 76, Hammond Central 0: The Governors racked up 400 yards of total offense to keep Hammond Central winless.
Bowman Academy 40, North Newton 14: The Eagles snapped a three-game losing streak to get back over the .500 mark.
North Judson 56 Winamac 14: The Bluejays soared to their sixth straight triumph.
North Miami 53 South Central 6 – The Warriors racked up over 430 total yards against winless South Central.
WEEK EIGHT MATCHUPS
DUNELAND CONFERENCE
Crown Point (7-0, 5-0 DAC) at Chesterton (5-2, 4-1 DAC): The Trojans will try and halt Crown Point’s 26-game DAC winning streak.
Merrillville (5-2, 4-1 DAC) at Lake Central (2-5, 1-4 DAC): The Pirates are going for their ninth straight win over Lake Central.
Michigan City (5-2, 4-1 DAC) at LaPorte (2-5, 1-4 DAC): The Slicers will try and halt a three-game losing streak against Michigan City.
Valparaiso (1-6, 1-4 DAC) at Portage (0-7, 0-5 DAC) – The Vikings have captured the last eight meetings against Portage.
NORTHWEST CROSSROADS CONFERENCE
Hammond Morton (5-2) at Hobart (5-2): The Governors prevailed in a high-scoring affair, 61-58, over Hobart a year ago.
Hanover Central (3-4, 3-2 NCC) at Andrean (6-1, 4-0 NCC): The Niners have won five of six against the Hanover Central, including last year’s 3-0 victory in Cedar Lake.
Kankakee Valley (0-7, 0-4 NCC) at Highland (2-5, 0-4 NCC): The Kougars won both meetings against Highland a season ago by counts of 57-0 and 52-14.
Munster (2-5, 1-3 NCC) at Lowell (6-1, 4-0 NCC): The Red Devils have won the last 14 meetings against Munster dating back to 2012.
GREATER SOUTH SHORE CONFERENCE
Gary West Side (2-4) at Hammond Bishop Noll (2-5): The Warriors have won five of the previous seven meetings in the series, but West Side prevailed 34-20 last year.
Griffith (6-1, 2-0 GSSC) at Calumet (5-2, 1-1 GSSC): The Panthers seek to remain unbeaten in conference play to set up a showdown with Wheeler for the GSSC South title next week.
Lake Station (5-2, 2-0 GSSC) at Boone Grove (3-3, 1-0 GSSC): The Fighting Eagles hope to end an eight-game losing streak to Boone Grove.
Rensselaer Central (5-2) at River Forest (3-4): In the first meeting between the two clubs since 1997, the Bombers prevailed 42-21 at home over River Forest last year.
Wheeler (6-0) at Whiting (2-5): The Bearcats have won four of the last five meetings against Whiting, including a 49-6 victory at home last season.
OTHER GAMES
Bowman Academy (4-3) at Tri-County (1-6): The Eagles can clinch their first winning season since 2018 with a victory.
Hammond Central (0-7) at East Chicago Central (2-5): The Wolves have won the previous four contests with EC Central, including a 66-21 decision a year ago.
North Judson (6-1) at Caston (2-5): The Bluejays seek their 11th straight victory over Caston.
