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FOOTBALL: 2024 Northwest Crossroads Conference Team Outlook

ANDREAN 59ERS

2023: 3-7, lost at LaVille in first round of sectionals

HEAD COACH: Chris Skinner (69-32, 9th year at Andrean)

KEY PLAYERS: James Finley, Benjamin Novak, Jayden Holmes

KEY GAMES: Week 1 (8/23) at Merrillville, Week 7 (10/4) vs Bishop Chatard, Week 8 (10/11) at Hanover Central

OUTLOOK: Believe it or not, for the first time in now ninth-year Andrean head coach Chris Skinner’s tenure, the Niners had a rebuild-like season. With only three wins last fall, it was their lowest win total in decades. 

The Niners also lose one of its top passers in program history, Scott Ballentine, who will be suiting up for DePauw this fall. Ballentine was also the team’s leader rusher in 2023. That said, while the 59ers arguably graduated one of their top offensive talents from a year ago, the team was riddled with some solid non-senior production that should be back this fall.

Andrean will be led by the Northern Illinois commit, Jimmy Finley IV, who quickly became known as a two-way stud in his first true season at wide receiver. The three-star recruit (24/7) sports started his preps career as a defensive back but quickly stepped up and became the Niners’ top aerial threat last year.

Finley isn’t the only touted college recruit for the Niners, as fellow RSN All-Area 1st Team Member, Benjamin Novak, is shaping up to be one of the top linemen in the state. The 3-star O-lineman (24/7 Sports) has offers from Indiana, Wisconsin, Louisville, Ball State, and others.

The defensive unit also returns some talent, as they will be highlighted by Jayden Holmes, Ethan Reyna, and Landen Murray. Reyna and Murray will both be sophomores this year. 

As always, the schedule does not start kindly for the Niners (at Merrillville, at Valpo, at KV in the first three weeks), but we are interested to see where this upperclassmen talent in addition to the young pieces on their defense can take them. 

HANOVER CENTRAL WILDCATS

2023: 11-1, lost at West Lafayette in Sectional Championship

KEY PLAYERS: Caiden Verrett, Dylan Bowen, Rocco Bartolomeo, Kyron Turner

KEY GAMES: Week 2 (8/30) at Bishop Chatard, Week 7 (10/4) at Hobart, Week 8 (10/11) vs Andrean

OUTLOOK: They came, they saw, and they conquered. This time last year, the main question surrounding Hanover Central was if they could withstand the physicality of their new conference – the NCC. 

Well, they did just that, running through its new competition to win their first outright NCC title in their inaugural year of competition. Now, we are seeing if they can follow suit and do it again.

The main challenge is that the Wildcats graduate arguably the most successful senior class in the program’s history. Pieces like Marian commit Collin Foy, Matt Koontz, and others will certainly be missed. However, the squad may be returning the most electric offensive weapon this fall. 

The All-State nod and RSN First Teamer, Caiden Verrett, took a substantial leap from his sophomore to junior seasons. The two-sport athlete logged 200 carries with nearly 2,000 all-purpose yards in 2023. Although some holes are to be filled in the Hanover Central offense, having a player like Verrett return makes things a bit easier for Coach Parker.

Although the Wildcats have been dominant in the regular season, they are looking to take it a step further in the postseason. Hanover was arguably a few plays away from a Sectional Championship before their heartbreaking defeat to West Lafayette – who overcame a double-digit deficit in the fourth against the NCC winners. 

Speaking of postseason, the ever-growing Hanover Central program will make the jump up to the 4A class, joining Sectional 17 with East Chicago Central, West Side, Highland, Hobart, Kankakee Valley, Lowell, and New Prairie. Despite the jump in class, the Wildcats can immediately be seen as a top contender in that party of eight.

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HIGHLAND TROJANS

2023: 4-7, lost at Culver Academy in the second round of Sectionals

HEAD COACH: Ben Geffert, first year at Highland, 30-16 in 5th year overall

KEY PLAYERS: Semaj Kirk, Kobe Durr, Phil Ignas

KEY GAMES: Week 1 (8/23) at Griffith, Week 5 (9/20) vs Lowell, Week 6 (9/27) vs Munster

OUTLOOK: If there was a season, at least on paper, for Highland to eclipse the four-win mark they have been tied to over its past few campaigns, last year was the one. After a promising 2-0 start to the 2023 season, the Trojans found themselves in familiar territory at year’s end.

Now, in steps first-year Highland head coach, Ben Geffert, who notably turned Griffith around in his four years at as the lead man back in his last stint as a head coach from 2015 to 2018. Geffert went 30-16 in his four seasons with the Panthers, including two sectional championship game appearances.

The team graduates RSN’s first-team All-Area and two-time All-State linebacker, Nick Johnsen, who will be suiting up for the Valparaiso Beacons this fall. The losses in personnel will not exactly end with Johnsen, as the Trojans will also graduate their top passer, top six rushers, top five receivers, and top seven tacklers.

Arguably one of the first duties for Coach Geffert will be plugging the holes left by the previous senior class. It may be the early stages of a rebuild for the Trojans, but having a coach like Geffert on your sideline can get things rolling quicker than usual. Week 1 at Griffith should be a fun one, as Highland’s new head coach will look to get his first win as a Trojan against his alma mater.

HOBART BRICKIES

2023: 7-3, lost at New Prairie in the first round of sectionals

HEAD COACH: Eric Schreiber Jr., first year at Hobart, 8-9 in 3rd year overall

KEY PLAYERS: Willy Shearer, Luke Juris, Andres Castillo, Aleks Tatum

KEY GAMES: Week 2 (8/30) vs Merrillville, Week 7 (10/4) vs Hanover Central, Week 8 (10/11) at Morton

OUTLOOK: As said in last year’s rendition of Hobart’s team preview, 7-3 is a solid record for many programs… but not exactly for the Brickie faithful. 

After an impressive 5-1 start to the regular season, the Brickies’ NCC title hopes slipped away with a close 31-26 loss in a Week 7 slugfest at Hanover Central. Three weeks later, Hobart was bounced in the first round by the eventual sectional champion, New Prairie.

It was the second consecutive season the Brickies fell to the Cougars, as they now have been outscored in the two meetings by a combined score of 98 to 42.

That loss at New Prairie also marked the end of the Craig Osika coaching era. In Osika’s six years at his alma mater, he went 52-20. Now, former Hobart assistant Eric Schreiber Jr. will lead the Brickies this fall. 

Schreiber’s last head coaching gig was at West Side, going 8-9 in his two years at the school. More importantly, in Schreiber’s last season with the Cougars, 2021, he led his squad with a record of 6-3. The program has not dipped under that six-win mark since, as that number was quite difficult to reach before Schreiber took things over for West Side.

Going back to the Brickies, they do graduate a fair amount of next-level talent on both sides of the ball, including Valparaiso commit T.J. Caldwell, Bowling Green commit Jonny Sorensen, and Saint Francis commit Bradley Gibson. However, Willy Shearer took a huge leap at the running back position last year. Andres Castillo and RSN All-Area Second Teamer, Luke Juris, bring back some ferocity in the trenches.

There will be some new faces all over the field for Hobart, but you can never sit back and write them off in the preseason.

 

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KANKAKEE VALLEY KOUGARS

2023: 5-6, lost to New Prairie in the sectional semis

HEAD COACH: Kirk Kennedy, 9-12 in 3rd year at KV, 201-134 in 30th year overall

KEY GAMES: Week 2 (8/30) at Wheeler, Week 4 (9/13) at Hobart, Week 7 (10/4) at Lowell

KEY PLAYERS: Marco Castro, Diego Arroyo, Edward Ritchie

OUTLOOK: Year two of the Kirk Kennedy regime in Kankakee Valley was a promising one. 

For starters, the Kougars handily defeated a school that Kennedy once called home, Lowell, for the first time since 2014. A week after that, KV was victorious over Highland which marked Kennedy’s 200th win as a head coach. Finally, the Kougars were a few plays away from shaking up their sectional entirely, as they suffered a hard-fought overtime loss to the eventual Sectional Champion, New Prairie. Long story short, there was plenty to cheer about for the Kougars in 2023.

Looking onward to this upcoming campaign, Kennedy’s squad features some quality pieces that will be back in action. It starts with the senior running back and defensive back, Marco Castro. The RSN All-Area Honorable Mention makes most of his damage in the offensive backfield, as he nearly doubled his carries, rushing yards, and touchdowns from his sophomore to junior season. He can play a bit of defense too, as he racked up 54 tackles with seven of those for loss last year.

His quarterback, Diego Arroyo, is now a three-year starter who can also cause fits to opposing defenses. He is able to make plays with his arm as well as his legs.

Things are slowly beginning to fall into place for the Kougars and it shall be interesting to see where this strong senior class can take them in 2024. 

LOWELL RED DEVILS

2023: 4-6, lost to Culver Academy in sectional opener

HEAD COACH: Keith Kilmer, 111-54 in 15th year at Lowell

KEY GAMES: Week 1 (8/23) at Crown Point, Week 4 (9/13) Hanover Central, Week 6 (9/27) Hobart

KEY PLAYERS: Colton Scott, Brody Kalwinski, Lincoln Schneider

OUTLOOK: As surprising as this may sound, Lowell’s four wins last season was the program’s least since 1998. 

The Lowell Red Devils have arguably been the most consistent program since the turn of the century, which is why 2023 was a bit of a head scratcher.

The Red Devil’s offense last year was especially predicated on the run game – and do not be surprised if they turn to it again for 2024. RDP brings back its top three rushers from a season ago, all of whom which logged at least 75 carries and 350+ rushing yards in 2023. 

Brody Kalwinski, who was one of those three rushers we mentioned before, got some snaps under center last year in his sophomore season. Colton Crago is another face we could see at the QB position, as the senior led the team in passing.

Expect Colton Scott to the be main bellcow for Lowell this fall. The senior paced the team in carries, rushing yards, and touchdowns.

Things do not start particularly easy for the Red Devils. They open up on the road at Crown Point, then travel to LaPorte, followed by a trip to West Lafayette, before finally opening up at at the new-look Inferno against Hanover Central. For a team that went winless last year in road games, they will have their work cut out for them from the get go.

MUNSTER MUSTANGS

2023: 3-7, lost at Merrillville in first round of sectionals

HEAD COACH: Romison Saint-Louis, first year at Munster, 31-31 in 7th year overall

KEY GAMES: Week 1 (8/23) at Lake Central, Week 4 (9/13) at Andrean, Week 7 (10/4) at Highland

KEY PLAYERS: Henry Adams, Max Lesinski, Anthony Cowins

OUTLOOK: The Mustangs will be the third team in the conference with a new head coach, as Romison Saint-Louis will take over the reigns from the previous frontman: Jason Grunewald.

The Stangs took a few positive steps in the 2023 season, such as a win over a talented Kankakee Valley team which marked Munster’s first NCC win in a few seasons. However, a 3-7 season typically features its fair share of rough patches as well – including a heartbreaking loss to rival Highland which came down to the last play of the game. 

The biggest school in terms of enrollment in the conference is hoping to reinvigorate its football program with a new face at the top. Saint-Louis most notably spent some time at Homewood-Flossmoor as a part of the Craig Buzea coaching tree – which is not a bad one to be associated with. Saint-Louis was also previously the head coach at Elkart and Peru – two programs that also were in the midst of a rebuild.

Munster does lose its program’s top rusher Daniel Asgedom as well as signal caller Matt Opat. Some of the team’s pieces will return, but year one of the Romison Saint-Louis era will call for some new faces to step up.

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