BY FRANK KIELPIKOWSKI
The Region went 2-for-2 last Friday as Andrean and Merrillville, separated by just 1.6 miles, both secured home semistate victories to advance to the state finals at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Before I go into detail of both the semistate and state finals, I want to personally thank both Paul Condry and Matt Kopsea for the opportunity to do “Around the Region” for the third straight year. I also want to thank my Lord Jesus Christ for this blessing as well.
Best wishes to both teams from the town of Merrillville. A reminder that you can hear these games as well as all six state final games on rrsn.com starting at 11 a.m. EST-10 a.m. CST this coming Friday.
FINAL REGION TOP 10
Bolded teams still playing
- Merrillville (11-2)
- Crown Point (10-1)
- Andrean (12-1)
- Michigan City (8-4)
- Hobart (10-3)
- Lowell (9-3)
- Griffith (9-2)
- Hammond Morton (6-4)
- Wheeler (8-2)
- Chesterton (5-5)
SEMISTATE FINALS WRAPUP
CLASS 5A
Merrillville 34, Concord 14: JQ Johnson rushed for 214 yards and Cam Jordan added 178 yards on the ground with four touchdowns as the Pirates won their first semistate title and advanced to the state finals for the first time since winning the Class 3A crown in 1976. The victory marked the third different Duneland Athletic Conference team to make the state finals in the past four years. (Valparaiso won the Class 5A crown in 2022 and Crown Point was Class 6A state runner-up in 2023).
CLASS 2A
Andrean 24, Adams Central 19: Sophomore Bruce Moorhouse scooped up a blocked punt and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown, which turned out to be the key play as the Niners snapped the defending state champion Flying Jets’ state-best 27-game winning streak. Andrean advances to its ninth state championship game and third contest in the past five years.
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEWS
CLASS 5A
Merrillville (11-2) vs. New Palestine (13-0) (6 p.m. CST, Friday): The Pirates make their first trip to Lucas Oil Stadium against a powerful Dragons unit which has won four state championships since 2014, including the Class 4A crown a year ago. New Palestine now holds the state lead with 27 consecutive victories . This is a classic battle of offense against defense as Merrillville is averaging well over 400 yards and 37 points per game, while New Pal has surrendered only 4.6 points per game and hasn’t allowed more than 15 points in any contest this season.
CLASS 2A
Andrean (12-1) vs. Brownstown Central (14-0) (10 a.m. CST, Saturday): The Niners will try and win their fourth state championship against Brownstown Central, which is making its first appearance in the state title game under long-time leader Reed May, who is eighth all-time with 326 victories. Andrean will try and slow down a Braves’ squad which is averaging a state-best 54.8 points per game.
