BY FRANK KIELKIPOWSKI
Last week featured several close games and exciting finishes, including a pair of overtime games. Here’s this week’s poll, along with the details of last week’s contests and a preview of this week’s action:
- Crown Point (5-0)
- Merrillville (4-1)
- Valparaiso (4-1)
- Hanover Central (4-1)
- North Judson (5-0)
- Lake Central (3-2)
- Chesterton (3-2)
- Griffith (5-0)
- Hobart (3-2)
- Andrean (2-3)
WEEK FIVE RECAP
DUNELAND CONFERENCE
Crown Point 58, Portage 20: Noah Ehrlich threw for 251 yards and two touchdowns, both going to Jacob Soley, who racked up 175 yards receiving as the Bulldogs tallied 52 points in the first half.
Lake Central 24, LaPorte 12: After trailing at halftime, the Indians scored twice in the second half to improve to 2-1 in the DAC.
Merrillville 14, Michigan City 12: The Pirates used a fourth quarter rally to hold off Michigan City.
Valparaiso 22, Chesterton 21 (OT): Despite being outgained by more than two-to-one in total yards, the Vikings rallied with a game-tying score and conversion run by Thomas Burda. This was followed by an overtime scoring pass to Austin MacKenzie, who then threw a two-point conversion pass to quarterback Kellen Hosek for the win. Andrew Goveia had 42 carries for 248 yards in a valiant effort for Chesterton.
NORTHWEST CROSSROADS CONFERENCE
Hanover Central 34, Kankakee Valley 20: The Kougars hung tough, but Caiden Verrett ran for 169 yards and four touchdowns for Hanover Central. Marco Castro had 147 yards and a pair of scores for Kankakee Valley.
Hobart 27, Andrean 24 (OT): Willy Shearer scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime as the Brickies won their third in a row and stayed unbeaten in the Northwest Crossroads Conference.
Lowell 41, Highland 7: Brody Kalwinski and Caden Thompson each eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark as the Red Devils cruised past Highland.
Munster 47, East Chicago Central 0: The Mustangs got into the win column for the first time by defeating EC Central (1-4) for the fourth straight season.
GREATER SOUTH SHORE CONFERENCE
Gary West Side 54, Whiting 12: The Cougars outscored the Oilers, 30-0, in the second half to improve to 4-1.
Griffith 34, River Forest 31: Jalen Wilson caught a 40-yard touchdown pass with 30 seconds remaining as the Panthers rallied in the fourth quarter to remain perfect. Aiden Silver combined for 245 yards rushing and passing and three total touchdowns for the Ingots.
Hammond Bishop Noll 47, Calumet Christian 0: Antonio Benson rushed for 207 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Warriors (2-3) to their largest margin of victory since 2006.
Lake Station 39, Bowman Academy 12: Oscar Alderson ran for 137 yards and a pair of scores as the Fighting Eagles snapped a nine-game losing streak and handed Bowman (0-5) its 10th straight setback.
Wheeler 38, Boone Grove 20: Bryce Compton caught eight passes for 213 yards and a score as the Bearcats won their third straight. Mark Rowland threw for 222 yards and three touchdowns for the Wolves.
GREAT LAKES CONFERENCE
Culver Academy 41, Hammond Central 34: The Eagles rallied for 10 points in the final four minutes against Hammond Central (2-3).
Hammond Morton 52, Calumet 0: Holland Harris threw for 192 yards with three scores, while Dashawn Woods ran for another 111 yards and a touchdown to guide the Governors (1-4) past Calumet (3-2).
HOOSIER NORTH
Caston 48, South Central 14: The Comets accumulated over 340 yards on the ground with five touchdowns to soundly handle South Central.
North Judson 70, Culver 0: The top-ranked (Class 1A) Bluejays used seven different runners to jump out to a 54-0 halftime lead. Kole Wilcox, who rushed for 150 yards and two scores on just five carries, led the charge for North Judson.
WEEK SIX PREVIEW
DUNELAND CONFERENCE
Crown Point at Valparaiso: The top two teams in the DAC square off at Viking Field. The Bulldogs put both their 23-game regular season win streak and 17-game DAC winning streak on the line against a Valpo squad seeking its fifth straight victory.
Lake Central at Michigan City: The Indians travel to Ames Field hoping to improve to 4-2 as they tried to do a year ago when they dropped a 27-24 home decision to Michigan City.
Merrillville at LaPorte: The Pirates look for their seventh straight triumph over LaPorte (0-5).
Portage at Chesterton: The Trojans look to rebound against a Portage team hoping to snap a three-game losing streak.
NORTHWEST CROSSROADS CONFERENCE
Highland at Andrean: The Niners have won 28 of the 30 previous meetings against Highland, including last year’s 35-6 road victory.
Hobart at Lowell: This game has typically been a tight-knit affair over the past several years. However, last year was an exception as the Brickies dominated Lowell, 51-14, at the Brickyard.
Kankakee Valley at Culver Academy (Thursday): After a strong start, the Kougars look to snap a three-game losing streak. It won’t be easy against a Culver Academy offense which is putting up 37 points per game.
Munster at Hanover Central: The Wildcats have won all three previous meetings with Munster, including a 56-21 victory a season ago.
GREATER SOUTH SHORE CONFERENCE
Boone Grove at River Forest: This should be a close game between a pair of solid offensive units. The Wolves won 28-6 last year to snap a three-game losing streak to River Forest.
Calumet at Whiting: Both teams look to recover from one-sided losses. The Oilers look to get back to the .500 mark against a Calumet club, which is looking to duplicate last year’s 32-0 victory over Whiting.
Gary West Side at Wheeler: This should be a good battle between two schools with winning records. The Bearcats won 42-24 over West Side in the only previous meeting.
Lake Station at Hammond Bishop Noll: The Fighting Eagles are in search of their first two-game winning streak in two years, while Bishop Noll also looks to make it two in a row, and get back to the .500 mark.
Griffith at East Chicago Central: The Panthers look to remain as one of three unbeaten teams left in the Region.
GREAT LAKES CONFERENCE
Hammond Central at Andrew (Illinois): The Wolves look to get back to the .500 mark as they travel across the Illinois border for their first meeting with Andrew.
HOOSIER NORTH CONFERENCE
North Judson at Triton: A battle of ranked Class 1A teams takes place in Bourbon as the top-ranked Bluejays battle No. 6 Triton (4-1).
Pioneer at South Central: Although this is the first regular season meeting between these squads, the Panthers downed South Central, 24-7, in the 1991 Class 1A sectional semifinals.
