BY FRANK KIELPIKOWSKI
The IHSAA state football tournament is under way, so teams hope to continue competing for sectional championship trophies and avoid putting the pads away for 2025. This week, action begins for Class 5A and Class 6A. Before looking ahead, though, let’s look at what happened in the lower four classes.
REGION TOP 10
- Crown Point (9-0)
- Merrillville (7-2)
- Andrean (8-1)
- Lowell (8-2)
- Michigan City (6-3)
- Hobart (8-2)
- Griffith (9-1)
- Morton (6-3)
- Chesterton (5-4)
- Wheeler (8-1)
SECTIONAL QUARTERFINALS
CLASS 4A SECTIONAL 17
Lowell 56, Hanover Central 21: Brody Kalwinkski and Tymothy James combined for 320 yards rushing and six touchdowns as the Red Devils broke it open in the fourth quarter.
East Chicago Central 58, Highland 56 (3 OT): Derion Morris ran for 258 yards and six touchdowns as the Cardinals survived and advanced.
Kankakee Valley 15, Gary West Side 6: Jaidyn Anderson’s three-yard touchdown late in the first half put the Kougars ahead for good.
Hobart 50, New Prairie 14: The Brickies scored on six of their first seven possessions to end New Prairie’s four-year sectional championship run.
CLASS 3A SECTIONAL 25
Calumet 42, John Glenn 23: Bryce Brandon rushed for 210 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Warriors.
Mishawaka Marian 56, River Forest 14: The Knights racked up 363 yards of total offense and held River Forest scoreless over the final three quarters.
Griffith 62, Hammond Bishop Noll 8: The Panthers cruised to a 55-0 halftime lead.
Knox 50, Jimtown 21: Myles McLaughin rushed for 469 yards and seven touchdowns and became the state’s single-season rushing leader in the process.
CLASS 2A SECTIONAL 33
Wheeler 70, Lake Station 7: Freshman Andrew Bizzieri ran for 301 yards and six touchdowns as the Bearcats built a 50-7 halftime cushion.
Rensselaer Central 57, Boone Grove 0: The Bombers piled up 426 yards on the ground to end Boone Grove’s season at 4-5.
Bremen 34, Whiting 0: The Lions took advantage of five Whiting (2-8) turnovers.
CLASS 1A SECTIONAL 41
North Judson 59, South Central 6: Logan Pradke ran for 142 yards and a pair of scores for the defending state runner-up Bluejays.
LaVille 35, Culver 0: Cole Stafford’s 153 yards and three scores were more than enough for the Lancers.
West Central 74, South Newton 12: The Trojans racked up 427 total yards and had five different runners score touchdowns.
Bowman Academy 36, North Newton 30: The Eagles’ defense limited North Newton to just 20 yards on the ground to earn their first post-season victory since 2014.
SECTIONAL SEMIFINAL MATCHUPS
CLASS 6A SECTIONAL 1
Lake Central (3-6) at Crown Point (9-0): The Bulldogs have won the last three post-season meetings with Lake Central, which has lost 11 of its last 12 tournament games since 2014.
Penn (9-0) at Portage (0-9): The Kingsmen are a perfect 7-0 against Portage in the post-season.
CLASS 5A SECTIONAL 9
Munster (3-6) at Hammond Central (0-9): The Mustangs blanked Hammond Central, 23-0, four years ago in their only previous tournament meeting.
Merrillville (7-3) at Hammond Morton (6-3): The Pirates have defeated Morton for the sectional crown the past two seasons.
CLASS 5A SECTIONAL 10
Michigan City (6-3) at Valparaiso (2-7): The Wolves beat Valparaiso, 20-14, at Viking Field in week four, but the Vikings own a 3-1 edge in post-season matchups.
LaPorte (3-6) at Chesterton (5-4): This is first post-season meeting between the two clubs in nine years. The host Trojans were a 34-14 winner over LaPorte in week four.
CLASS 4A SECTIONAL 17
Lowell (8-2) at East Chicago Central (4-6): In their only previous meeting, the Red Devils conquered EC Central, 34-16, in the 2015 sectional finale.
Hobart (8-2) at Kankakee Valley (2-8): The Brickies are 4-0 in the post-season against Kankakee Valley and own a 19-4 overall advantage in the series.
CLASS 3A SECTIONAL 25
Calumet (6-4) at Mishawaka Marian (3-7): The Knights have won all four meetings with Calumet, including 35-6 victory in last season’s sectional opener.
Griffith (9-1) at Knox (10-0): In a rematch from last year’s semifinal in which the Redskins posted a 66-28 win, Knox’s Myles McLaughlin needs just 271 yards to become Indiana’s all-time state rushing yardage leader.
CLASS 2A SECTIONAL 33
Andrean (8-1) at Wheeler (8-1): The Niners shut out Wheeler, 19-0, in last year’s semifinal showdown.
Rensselaer Central (8-2) at Bremen (6-4): Although the Lions roared to a 38-7 win over Rensselaer Central in last year’s semifinal, the Bombers had captured the previous three other battles.
CLASS 1A SECTIONAL 41
LaVille (6-4) at North Judson (8-2): The Bluejays defeated LaVille, 21-14, in week two in their home opener.
Bowman Academy (6-4) at West Central (9-1): In the first contest between the two clubs, the red-hot Trojans comes in averaging nearly 48 points per game.
