BY FRANK KIELPIKOWSKI
The leaves are changing colors on the trees in Northwest Indiana, and high school football is changing as well. The regular season comes to a close this Friday and the postseason tournament begins next week. In case you missed the pairings on Sunday, here are the matchups for the first round of the sectionals involving Region schools:
Class 6A: Sectional 1: Portage at Lake Central and Lafayette Jeff at Crown Point (games on October 27).
Class 5A: Sectional 9: Munster at Merrillville and Hammond Morton at Hammond Central (games on October 27)
Class 5A: Sectional 10: Michigan City at LaPorte and Valparaiso at Chesterton (games on October 27).
Class 4A: Sectional 17: Hobart at New Prairie, Gary West at Kankakee Valley. East Chicago Central at Highland, and Culver Academy at Lowell (games on October 20).
Class 3A: Sectional 25: Twin Lakes at Boone Grove, Calumet at Hanover Central, River Forest at West Lafayette, and Rensselaer at Griffith (games on October 20).
Class 2A: Sectional 33: Bremen at Hammond Bishop Noll, Andrean at LaVille, Lake Station at Whiting (games on October 20) Wheeler at Bremen-Hammond Bishop Noll winner on October 27.
Class 1A: Sectional 41: Bowman Academy at South Newton, Pioneer at North Judson Triton at North Newton, and Culver at South Central (games on October 20).
Here is my top 10 for this week.
FRANK’S TOP 10
- Crown Point (8-0)
- Valparaiso (6-2)
- Merrillville (6-2)
- Hanover Central (8-0)
- Hobart (6-2)
- Michigan City (5-3)
- Lake Central (4-4)
- Wheeler (5-3)
- Andrean (3-5)
- Hammond Morton (3-4)
WEEK EIGHT RECAP
DUNELAND CONFERENCE
Crown Point 21, Chesterton 7: The Trojans gave Crown Point all they could handle for three quarters before the Bulldogs finally put them away in the fourth quarter to move one step closer to a second straight undefeated DAC championship.
Merrillville 38, Lake Central 9: The Indians struggled for the second straight game without star running back Xavier Williams, while Merrillville got three scores from quarterback Dontae Pope to improve to 6-2.
Michigan City 35, LaPorte 0: Jalen Hart rushed for 100 yards and a pair of scores, while Michael Crawford’s 80-yard fumble return for a touchdown helped the Wolves’ defense to a solid victory.
Valparaiso 42, Portage 6: Andrew Alcorn threw for 141 yards and a pair of scores as the Vikings remained a game behind Crown Point in the DAC race.
NORTHWEST CROSSROADS CONFERENCE
Hanover Central 33. Andrean 9: Matt Koontz ran for three touchdowns and threw for another score as the Wildcats claimed their 23rd consecutive regular season win as well as the NCC title.
Kankakee Valley 49, Highland 12: The Kougars breezed to a victory and rewarded Kirk Kennedy with his 200th career win in the process.
Lowell 56, Munster 28: Brody Kalwinski rushed for 103 yards and three touchdowns and Colton Scott added 118 yards on the ground as the Red Devils cruised past Munster.
GREATER SOUTH SHORE CONFERENCE
Boone Grove 63, Lake Station 6: Mark Rowland threw for 258 yards as the Wolves guaranteed their first winning season since 2019.
Calumet 26, Griffith 15: The Warriors won for just the second time this season and also earned their second straight triumph over Griffith.
River Forest 29, South Central 8: The Ingots improved to 5-3 and earned their fifth consecutive winning season in the process.
Wheeler 35, Whiting 0: The Bearcats continued to roll as they notched their fifth consecutive victory with a shutout over Whiting.
NON-CONFERENCE
Gary West 68, Hammond Bishop Noll 8: The Cougars hammered Bishop Noll to earn their fourth victory in their last five contests.
Hammond Central 44, East Chicago Central 6: The Wolves snapped a three-game losing streak with the victory over EC Central and assured themselves of a second consecutive winning season.
Hobart 65, Hammond Morton 38: The Brickies trailed 20-3 after the first quarter, but exploded offensively over the next two quarters as Willy Shearer scored four touchdowns and gained 525 total yards against Hammond Morton.
Tri-County 60, Bowman Academy 0: The Cavaliers won their third straight game, while Bowman dropped its third contest in a row.
WEEK NINE PREVIEW
DUNELAND CONFERENCE
Chesterton at Merrillville: Last year, the Trojans stunned Merrillville with a 35-10 win at the “Field of Troy”, so the Pirates are seeking to avenge that loss and earn their fifth win in their last six games.
Lake Central at Valparaiso: The Vikings can still claim a share of the DAC title with a victory over Lake Central and a Crown Point loss. The Indians hope to have Xavier Williams back on the field,
Michigan City at Crown Point: The Bulldogs can make it back-to-back DAC championships with a victory over Michigan City. The last time Crown Point earned two straight crowns was in 2005 and 2006.
Portage at LaPorte: Both teams come in hungry for a win as the Indians and LaPorte each seek their first DAC triumph.
NORTHWEST CROSSROADS CONFERENCE
Andrean at Lowell: The 59ers and Lowell both come into this matchup with uncharacteristic 3-5 records so the winner is looking for a little momentum heading into the post-season tournament.
Highland at Hobart: The Brickies have totally dominated Highland over the years, having won all 25 meetings in the series.
Munster at Kankakee Valley: The Kougars can earn their first winning regular season since 2014 with a victory over Munster.
GREATER SOUTH SHORE CONFERENCE
Calumet at Gary West: The Cougars come in playing well and can finish the regular season on a high note with a win over Calumet, who has defeated Gary West in the two previous meetings.
Griffith at Wheeler: The Bearcats can not only notch their sixth straight win with a victory over Griffith, but cab also capture the GSSC’s South Division championship as well.
Bishop Noll at Boone Grove: It will be an historic night at Boone Grove as it plays its first game on campus at its brand-new field. The Wolves can also claim the GSSC’s North Division title with a win over Bishop Noll.
Lake Station at River Forest: These longtime Region rivals face off at Madden Field with the Ingots looking to improve on their 19-17 edge in this series over Lake Station.
NON-CONFERENCE
Hammond Central at Hanover Central: The Wildcats, who have the state’s third longest regular season winning streak, look to make it back-to-back undefeated regular seasons win a win over Hammond Central in Cedar Lake.
Hammond Morton at East Chicago Central: The Governors look to bounce back and finish the regular season at .500 as they travel to nearby East Chicago to battle the struggling Cardinals.
Bowman Academy at Benton Central: The Eagles make the trek south to take on Benton Central, who like Bowman have just one win this season.
