BY FRANK KIELKIPOWSKI
The first round of the playoffs had some great action in Class 1A through Class 4A. This week, play in Class 5A and Class 6A get underway across the Region and the state. Here’s a look at this week’s polls, last week’s sectional quarterfinals, and a preview of this week’s semifinal action:
- Crown Point (9-0)
- Merrillville (8-1)
- Valparaiso (6-3)
- North Judson (10-0)
- Hanover Central (8-2)
- Andrean (6-4)
- Wheeler (8-2)
- Chesterton (5-4)
- Portage (4-5)
- Griffith (9-1)
SECTIONAL QUARTERFINAL RECAP
CLASS 4A SECTIONAL 17
Hanover Central 71, East Chicago Central 30: Caiden Verrett ran for three scores, and quarterback Tommy Bonner threw for a touchdown and ran for another score for the Wildcats.
Kankakee Valley 52, Highland 14; Marco Castro and Nolen Kooistra each ran for two touchdowns as the Kougars improved to 5-5 with their second victory over Highland this season.
New Prairie 60, Gary West Side 14: Reed Robinson ran for 173 yards and five touchdowns as New Prairie won the battle of the Cougars. Guiseppe Moore threw a pair of touchdown passes for West Side.
Hobart 38, Lowell 13: Aiden Leonard caught a pair of touchdown passes and ran for a third score as the Brickies pulled away in the third quarter.
CLASS 3A SECTIONAL 25
Mishawaka Marian 35, Calumet 6; The host Knights exploded with a 28-point second quarter against Calumet, which finished the season with a 5-5 mark.
Knox 48, River Forest 13: The Ingots led 13-8 early in the second quarter, but Knox rallied for 40 unanswered points. Ayden Silver scored on a touchdown run for River Forest, which closed with a 5-5 record.
Griffith 61, Hammond Bishop Noll 0: Colton Strezo and Jaxson Lawson each returned interceptions for touchdowns as the Panthers recorded their sixth shutout of the season.
CLASS 2A SECTIONAL 33
Bremen 61, Lake Station 0: The Lions racked up 388 total yards and seven rushing touchdowns against Lake Station.
Andrean 41, Whiting 0: Brady Stovall ran for a pair of touchdowns in the first quarter as the Niners cruised to their third straight win. Whiting’s season ends with a 2-8 mark.
Wheeler 13, Boone Grove 7 (OT): Bryce Compton’s interception on the first play of overtime thwarted Boone Grove, and three plays later, Jayden Ortiz’s one-yard touchdown run sent the Bearcats to their eighth straight win. Boone Grove’ quarterback Mark Rowland finished 17-of-29 for 234 yards and a touchdown, while Samir Del Rio capped a great senior season with seven catches for 130 yards.
CLASS 1A SECTIONAL 41
North Judson 71, South Newton 20: Brock Benson scored three touchdowns, and Kole Wilcox added two scores as the top-ranked Bluejays ran for 364 yards.
Culver 44, South Central 14: David Hite caught a pair of touchdown passes as the Cavaliers avenged last week’s loss to South Central.
North Newton 46, Bowman Academy 40: The Spartans defeated Bowman (0-10) for the second time this season, albeit much closer in this one.
SECTIONAL SEMIFINALS
CLASS 6A SECTIONAL 1
Portage at Crown Point: The Bulldogs got past Portage, 58-20, in week five and have won three straight sectional games against Portage.
Lake Central at Penn: The Kingsmen are a 5-0 all-time against Lake Central and have beaten them twice in the post-season. Penn won 33-6 in their last meeting in 2013.
CLASS 5A SECTIONAL 9
Hammond Morton at Munster: This is the first post-season meeting between these programs since 2001. Munster is 4-0 all-time against the Governors in the playoffs.
Hammond Central at Merrillville; In their only other meeting, the Pirates defeated Hammond Central, 52-8, to win the 2022 sectional title.
CLASS 5A SECTIONAL 10
Michigan City at Chesterton: The Trojans will look to avenge an earlier 20-0 loss to Michigan City in week 3. Chesterton hasn’t lost a playoff game to the Wolves since 1995, which was the first year after the Michigan City schools’ consolidation.
LaPorte at Valparaiso; The Vikings have won 10 straight games against LaPorte, including a 42-7 decision to open Duneland Conference play earlier this season.
CLASS 4A SECTIONAL 17
Kankakee Valley at Hanover Central: The Wildcats beat KV, 34-20, in week five during Northwest Crossroads Conference play.
New Prairie at Hobart: The Brickies look to avenge last year’s season-ending 49-14 loss to New Prairie, which has won the last three sectional crowns.
CLASS 3A SECTIONAL 25
Jimtown at Mishawaka Marian: The Knights have the historical edge over Jimtown, but the Jimmies enter having won seven of their last eight contests.
Griffith at Knox: Knox boss Russ Radtke faces the team he coached for 18 years for the first time in the post-season. Griffith is looking to reach the sectional finals for the first time since 2017.
CLASS 2A SECTIONAL 33
Rensselaer Central at Bremen: The Bombers are 3-0 against Bremen. This is their first meeting since the 2014 regional final when Rensselaer went on to won the Class 2A state title.
Andrean at Wheeler: The Niners are 3-1 against Wheeler. The Bearcats’ lone win came in 2011.
CLASS 1A SECTIONAL 41
North Judson at Culver: The Bluejays will try to end Culver’s season for the fifth time in the last six seasons. North Judson won 70-0 in week five.
North Newton at LaVille: The Lancers look to make it back to the sectional finals for a second straight year as they face North Newton for the first time in seven years.
