BY FRANK KIELKIPOWSKI
Football is in full swing now as we hit the halfway point of the regular season (already) this coming week.
Last Friday saw some surprises as well as some dominating performances.
We are starting to see some separation between “the contenders and the pretenders.”. but there is still plenty at stake and some big games are coming up in the Region over the next few weeks.
Here’s my new Top 10 for this week.
- Crown Point (4-0)
- Valparaiso (3-1)
- Merrillville (3-1)
- Hanover Central (4-0)
- Michigan City (2-2)
- Lake Central (2-2)
- Hobart (3-1)
- Hammond Central (4-0)
- Andrean (2-2)
- Boone Grove (3-1)
WEEK FOUR RECAP
DUNELAND CONFERENCE
Chesterton 28, LaPorte 7: The Trojans got in the win column as the offense finally got on track with their highest scoring output of the season so far.
Crown Point 38, Lake Central 12: The Bulldogs improved to 4-0 and have outscored their opponents 168-32.
Merrillville 17, Portage 7: Dontae Pope scored on a 30-yard touchdown run as the Pirates bounced back from their setback to Crown Point.
Valparaiso 31, Michigan City 7: Travis Davis rushed for 178 yards and scored three touchdowns as the Vikings made it three in a row. Tyler Bush threw for 338 yards and a score for the Wolves.
NORTHWEST CROSSROADS CONFERENCE
Andrean 21, Munster 14: The Mustangs made it close in the fourth quarter, but Andrean managed to hang on to get back to the .500 mark.
Hanover Central 35, Lowell 0: Caiden Verrett rushed for 135 yards and three touchdowns, while Matt Koontz was 23-of-29 for 173 yards and a score to help the Wildcats remain unbeaten.
Hobart 53, Kankakee Valley 48: In the highest scoring contest in the history of Hobart football, the Brickies held on for the victory, despite Marco Castro’s 164 yards rushing and three touchdowns for the Kougars,
GREATER SOUTH SHORE CONFERENCE
Boone Grove 35, South Central 14: The Wolves continue to impress in capturing their third consecutive victory.
Griffith 41, Whiting 13: Phil Mason earned his first win at Griffith as the Panthers dominated Whiting in the GSSC opener for both schools.
NON-CONFERENCE
East Chicago Central 48, Bowman Academy 8: The Cardinals had no trouble with Bowman to earn their first win.
Gary West 38, River Forest 20: The Cougars used a nice performance to even their mark at 2-2 and handed River Forest its first loss in the process.
Hammond Central 21, Highland 15 (OT): The Wolves remained perfect by claiming a thrilling road triumph.
Indianapolis Washington 36, Lake Station 0: The Continentals evened their record with their highest offensive output in two years.
Penn 35, Hammond Morton 0: The Governors would like to forget their first trip to Osceola as Penn sent them to their third straight setback.
South Bend Washington 30, Calumet 6: The Warriors endured their share of struggles as Washington picked up its first triumph,
Wheeler 46, Hammond Bishop Noll 0: The Bearcats had no trouble giving Nick Testa his first win with Wheeler.
WEEK FIVE PREVIEW
DUNELAND CONFERENCE
Crown Point at Portage: The Bulldogs have won six straight against Portage, including twice a year ago.
Lake Central at LaPorte: The Slicers have a 13-7 edge in the series since Lake Central joined the DAC, but the Indians were victorious 21-7 a year ago in St. John.
Merrillville at Michigan City: The Pirates have won 23 of the 28 previous meetings, including the last three contests dating back to 2019.
Valparaiso at Chesterton: These rivals met twice in 2022 with the Vikings coming away with a pair of narrow victories, including a including a 14-7 decision for the Class 5A sectional championship.
NORTHWEST CROSSROADS
Highland at Lowell: Could this be the year the Trojans break the streak? Lowell has won 25 straight games in this series since a 23-13 loss in 2002
Hobart at Andrean: Hobart had a long winning streak over the Niners during the Don Howell era, but Andrean has turned the tables recently in this rivalry with eight wins in the last 10 meetings.
Kankakee Valley at Hanover Central: In the first meeting between these two programs, the Wildcats are in search of their 20th consecutive regular season victory.
GREATER SOUTH SHORE CONFERENCE
South Central at Hammond Bishop Noll: The Satellites have won 13 of the previous 15 meetings against Bishop Noll, which is looking for its first victory in this series in a decade.
Whiting at Gary West: Saturday’s matchup will be the first between the two squads with the winner moving over the .500 plateau.
NON-CONFERENCE
Boone Grove at Wheeler: The Bearcats look for back-to-back wins as they try to cool off a Boine Grove unit seeking its fourth win in a row.
Bowman Academy at Lake Station: This battle of the Eagles went to Bowman with a 28-26 overtime victory a season ago.
Calumet at Hammond Morton: Although both teams are 1-3, the Governors have played a tough schedule to this point. This is the first meeting since 2002.
Hammond Central at Pioneer: The Wolves and Pioneer have split their previous two meetings with Hammond Centra; coming away with a 46-22 home triumph a year ago.
Munster at East Chicago Central: As both schools look for their second win, the Mustangs are looking to replicate their 38-18 win over ECC a season ago.
River Forest at Griffith: The Ingots look to get back in the win column against a Griffith unit that has won the previous three matchups in the series.
