BY FRANK KIELPIKOWSKI
As we get ready to wrap up the month of September, it’s hard to believe that the tournament is fast approaching in the distance. Before we get there, though, there’s plenty of football to be played. Let’s look at what happened last weekend and take a peek at what’s ahead this Friday. As we always do, we start with this week’s top 10.
- Crown Point 5-0
- Merrillville 4-1
- Andrean 4-1
- Valparaiso 4-1
- Hobart 4-1
- Griffith 5-0
- Chesterton 3-2
- Wheeler 5-0
- Lowell 3-2
- North Judson 5-0
WEEK FIVE RESULTS
DUNELAND CONFERENCE
Crown Point 55, Portage 12: Tyce Custy threw for 280 yards with two touchdowns and A.J. Summers scored three times and threw a scoring pass as the Bulldogs won their 41st straight regular season game.
Lake Central 41, LaPorte 34: Wes Lalich threw for 173 yards and two scores as the Indians moved to 2-1 in the DAC.
Merrillville 44, Michigan City 20: Michael Hill threw for 279 yards and five touchdowns as the Pirates coasted to a 44-6 halftime lead.
Valparaiso 21, Chesterton 14: Cooper Gear rushed for 180 yards and two touchdowns as the Vikings held off a late Chesterton rally to stay unbeaten in conference play.
NORTHWEST CROSSROADS CONFERENCE
Andrean 28, Hobart 10: Dylan Gore threw three touchdown passes to Stetson Sullivan as the visiting Niners handed Hobart its first loss of the season.
Hanover Central 50, Kankakee Valley 0: Dominic Giglio ran for 97 yards and a touchdown to lead the Wildcats (4-1).
Lowell 48, Highland 0: Gavin Gutierrez threw for 202 yards and four touchdowns for the Red Devils.
GREATE0R SOUTH SHORE CONFERENCE
Calumet 46, Gary West Side 36: The Warriors (4-1) won their fourth straight and handed Gary West (3-1) its first loss of the season.
Griffith 70, River Forest 22: Ryan Bullion threw for 334 yards and a school-record six touchdowns as the Panthers racked up over 600 yards of offense.
Wheeler 37, Boone Grove 0: Levi Murray ran for 206 yards and scored five touchdowns for the Bearcats.
Whiting 50, Lake Station 12: The Oilers (3-2) built a 36-6 halftime cushion.
OTHER CONTESTS
Bowman Academy 36, Illinois Home School 16: The Eagles improved to 3-1 for the first time since 2018.
Culver Academy 44, Hammond Central 6: The Eagles (2-3) led 44-0 at the half and handed Hammond Central (1-3) its third straight setback.
Hammond Bishop Noll 38, Calumet Christian 14: The Warriors (3-2) have already matched their highest win total in the past 13 years.
Hammond Morton 48, Phalen Academy 0: The visiting Governors (2-3) snapped a three-game losing streak in Indianapolis.
Munster 38, East Chicago Central 14: The Mustangs (2-3) also ended a three-game skid against EC Central (0-5).
North Judson 43, Culver 7: The Bluejays (5-0) racked up 428 total yards and built a 43-0 halftime lead.
WEEK SIX CONTESTS
DUNELAND CONFERENCE
Crown Point (5-0, 3-0 DAC) at Valparaiso (4-1, 3-0 DAC): Sole possession of the DAC at Viking Field as Valpo looks to end the Bulldogs’ 31-game conference winning streak.
Lake Central (2-3, 2-1 DAC) at Michigan City (0-5, 0-3 DAC): The Indians seek to get back to the .500 mark at Ames Field against a Michigan City club they haven’t defeated since 2022.
Merrillville (4-1, 2-1 DAC) at LaPorte (1-4, 0-3 DAC): The Pirates have recorded three straight shutouts over LaPorte.
Portage (0-5, 0-3 DAC) at Chesterton (3-2, 2-1 DAC): The Trojans look to rebound, while Portage tries to avoid its 17th straight loss.
NORTHWEST CROSSROADS CONFERENCE
Highland (1-4, 0-2 NCC) at Andrean (4-1, 3-0 NCC): The Niners have won 30 of the previous 32 meetings, including a 52-13 decision last year in Highland.
Hobart (4-1, 2-1 NCC) at Lowell (3-2, 2-0 NCC): This is always a great matchup with these two clubs splitting their two games last year. While Lowell earned a 20-17 decision during the regular season, the Brickies prevailed 35-15 in the Class 4A Sectional 9 title game.
Munster (2-3, 0-2 NCC) at Hanover Central (4-1, 2-1 NCC): The Mustangs not only seek to even their record, but also look to end a five-game losing streak to Hanover Central.
GREATER SOUTH SHORE CONFERENCE
Boone Grove (1-4, 0-0 GSSC) at River Forest (1-4, 0-4 GSSC): The Wolves knocked off River Forest, 42-24, at the Wolves Den last year.
Calumet (4-1, 2-0 GSSC) at Whiting (3-2, 1-1 GSSC): The Warriors won easily last year’s battle over Whiting, 59-7.
Gary West Side (3-1, 1-1 GSSC) at Wheeler (5-0, 1-0 GSSC): The Bearcats have prevailed in the previous three meetings against Gary West.
Lake Station (1-4, 0-1 GSSC) at Hammond Bishop Noll (3-2, 2-0 GSSC) – The Warriors look to continue to be one of the Region’s surprise teams and avenge last year’s 36-31 loss to Lake Station.
OTHER CONTESTS
Calumet Christian (0-3) at East Chicago Central (0-5): In the first meeting between these programs, the Cards look to avoid their first 0-6 start.
Griffith (5-0) at Rensselaer Central (5-0): In this battle of unbeatens, the Panthers have won two of the three previous meetings, but Rensselaer won the last contest in the 2023 Class 3A sectional opener.
Hammond Central (0-5) at Bowman Academy (3-1): The Eagles look to continue their surprising start in the first meeting between the two programs.
Hammond Morton (2-3) at Sterling (Illinois) (4-1): The Governors look to make it two wins in a row as they cross the border to take a successful Sterling squad.
Kankakee Valley (0-5) at Culver Academy (2-3): The Eagles have won five of the last six meetings against KV, including a 14-3 decision in Wheatfield last year.
North Judson (5-0) at Triton (1-4): The Bluejays look to remain unbeaten as they travel to Bourbon.
Pioneer (5-0) at South Central (0-5): The Panthers have won the previous three matchups in this series.
