DID YOU KNOW: Semi-State Edition

EASTBROOK @ WHITING

• With a win, Whiting will be the only Region program not named Hobart or Andrean to go to the football state finals in back to back years

• At 411 students during the last classification, Whiting is the eighth smallest 2A football team in the state. Should they win on Friday, they will move up to class 3A for the next two seasons due to the success factor rule.

• This is the first ever meeting between these two programs

• This is Eastbrook’s first semi-state appearance since 2004 – that year they went to the state finals but lost 62-21 to Tri-West Hendricks

• Combined, Whiting coach Jeff Cain and Eastbrook coach Jeff Adamson have a combined 51 seasons as the head coach at their respective schools (23 for Cain & 28 for Adamson). This is the only head coaching job for both coaches.

• This is the fifth year Northwest Indiana has hosted a semi-state game. 2012 & 2013 at Andrean, 2014 at Rensselaer Central, and 2015 at Whiting.

NORTHWOOD @ LOWELL

• This is the first ever meeting between the two programs.

• While NorthWood has 10 previous semi-state appearances, this is their first in Class 4A. They made it to the 2A Northern Semi-state in 1980 & 1984 and to the 3A semi-state eight different times. Their last trip to semi-state was in 2008.

• From 2005 to 2009, Lowell appeared in the Class 4A semi-state four out of five years. This is their first since then.

• Lowell has made it to semi-state six times in program history – going 0 for three in semi-states on the road and 3-0 in semi-state games played at “The Inferno”.

• In Indiana state tournament history, only three public schools have won a state title despite having four or more losses in the regular season: Sheridan in 1992 (10-4), Lowell in 2005 (11-4) and NorthWood in 2005 (9-6).

• This will be the third time a Region team has faced NorthWood in the semi-state. So far the Region is -2 in those meetings, as NorthWood defeated Andrean in 1998 by a score of 14-12 at 5959 Broadway, and in 2005, they upset undefeated Griffith 17-10 at home.