BY FRANK KIELPIKOWSKI
The calendar has turned to November, which means we are in the homestretch of the 2025 football season. On Friday, 48 sectional championship trophies will be handed out across the state of Indiana. Before that, though, we take a look at what happened last week and preview the title games involving the Region schools.
REGION TOP 10 (BOLDEN TEAMS SEASON IS COMPLETE)
- Crown Point (10-0)
- Merrillville (8-2)
- Andrean (9-1)
- Lowell (9-2)
- Michigan City (7-3)
- Hobart (9-2)
- Griffith (9-2)
- Hammond Morton (6-4)
- Wheeler (8-2)
- Chesterton (5-5)
SECTIONAL SEMIFINALS RECAP
CLASS 6A SECTIONAL 1
Crown Point 35, Lake Central 7: Max Gurnic ran for a pair of touchdowns as the Bulldogs coasted to a 35-0 halftime lead against Lake Central (3-7).
Penn 55, Portage 7: The Kingsmen recorded a pair of interceptions returned for touchdowns to open the game against Portage (0-10).
CLASS 5A SECTIONAL 9
Munster 46, Hammond Central 12: The Mustangs earned just their second post-season win in the last nine seasons to reach the sectional final for the first time since 2016. Hammond Central closes at 0-10.
Merrillville 28, Hammond Morton 7: Michael Hill threw for 170 yards and two touchdowns and the tandem of JQ Johnson and Cam Jordan combined for 216 yards on the ground as the Pirates outlasted Morton in Hessville.
CLASS 5A SECTIONAL 10
Michigan City, 35 Valparaiso 7: Trinaston Hart threw for 214 yards with a touchdown and ran for three more scores as the Wolves ended Valparaiso’s (2-8) seven-year run as sectional champions.
LaPorte 20, Chesterton 17: Reed Raymond ran for 223 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown with under one minute left to give the Slicers (4-6) their first tournament victory since 2020.
CLASS 4A SECTIONAL 17
Lowell 35, East Chicago Central 0: Brody Kalwinski ran for 140 yards and two touchdowns and threw for a third score as the Red Devils reached the sectional title game for the first time since 2021. EC Central bows out at 4-7.
Hobart 43, Kankakee Valley 6: Max Pickett ran for 240 yards and three scores as the Brickies coasted to a 29-0 halftime lead and eliminated Kankakee Valley (2-9).
CLASS 3A SECTIONAL 25
Mishawaka Marian 43, Calumet 8: The Knights raced out to a 28-8 halftime lead and ended Calumet’s season at 6-5.
Knox 50, Griffith 35: On a night when Myles McLaughlin broke the state’s all-time rushing yardage record, the Panthers could not recover from a 36-14 halftime deficit and were eliminated by Knox for the second straight season.
CLASS 2A SECTIONAL 33
Andrean 28, Wheeler 6: Junior Brady Stovall ran for 105 yards and a touchdown as the Niners knocked Wheeler out of the tournament for the second straight year.
Rensselaer Central 17, Bremen 12: The Bombers earned their sixth consecutive victory to advance to the sectional finals for the first time since 2020.
CLASS 1A SECTIONAL 41
Laville 24, North Judson 22: The Lancers withstood a second-half comeback attempt to avenge an earlier loss to defending state runner-up North Judson (8-3).
West Central 54, Bowman Academy 20:The Trojans rolled up 293 yards on the ground on the way to their 10th win and end Bowman Academy’s best season since 2017 at 6-5.
SECTIONAL FINAL MATCHUPS
CLASS 6A SECTIONAL 1
Crown Point (10-0) at Penn (10-0): The Bulldogs have eliminated Penn from the post-season the past two campaigns at Everwise Freed Field, including a 35-0 decision in last year’s finale.
CLASS 5A SECTIONAL 9
Munster (4-6) at Merrillville (8-2): The Pirates are seeking their seventh consecutive sectional title, which is second longest in the state. Munster has dropped the previous four tournament meetings.
CLASS 5A SECTIONAL 10
Michigan City (7-3) at LaPorte (4-6): In an all-LaPorte County finale, the Wolves seek to duplicate their 20-6 victory over LaPorte four weeks ago. The Slicers have not won a sectional since their magical run a to Class 5A state runner-up finish in 2014.
CLASS 4A SECTIONAL 17
Lowell (9-2) at Hobart (9-2): These two clubs are no strangers to each other as they face off for the 10th time in the playoffs for either a sectional or regional championship. The Red Devils used a game-ending field goal in week six to escape with a 20-17 win over Hobart.
CLASS 3A SECTIONAL 25
Mishawaka Marian (4-7) at Knox (11-0): The Redskins seek their fourth straight sectional title in a rematch of last year’s finale in which Knox blanked the Knights, 12-0.
CLASS 2A SECTIONAL 33
Andrean (9-1) at Rensselaer Central (9-2): The Niners are 4-0 all-time against Rensselaer Central, including a 44-34 win in the 2019 sectional championship. Andrean and Hobart are tops in the Region with 22 sectional crowns apiece.
CLASS 1A SECTIONAL 41
West Central (10-1) at LaVille (7-4): The Lancers are 4-0 all-time against West Central, which is 0-4 in sectional finals since its last championship in 2005.
