Connect with us

Football

FOOTBALL: Home Improvement Top 10 Week 8 10/8/24

With playoffs now around the corner, here are how the top teams in the area are shaping out!

10. BOONE GROVE WOLVES (4-3)

LAST WEEK’S RANKING: Outside looking in

WEEK 7: 47-28 win over Whiting

THIS WEEK: at Lake Station (2-5)

PLAYER TO HIGHLIGHT: Mark Rowland, senior, quarterback

It was a smooth day at the office for the senior QB against the Oilers. We shall start with the passing stats, as Rowland went 20-29 for 307 yards and five scores. If that was not enough, he ran the ball five times for 84 yards and a score, raising his single game total to six. Samir Del Rio, who has been outstanding for BG caught four of those touchdown passes.

Now in a two-game winning streak, ignited by the overtime victory against River Forest two Fridays ago – Boone Grove has their sights set on a GSSC North Division title.

The Wolves conclude their regular season with Lake Station and Bishop Noll, as they sit alone at the top of the division with a 1-0 record. If they do their job these next two weeks, the title is theirs. Expect Rowland to keep up this performance – as he has turned it on since divisional play kicked off two weeks ago.

 

9. ANDREAN 59ERS (3-4)

LAST WEEK’S RANKING: #8

WEEK 7: 39-14 loss to Bishop Chatard

THIS WEEK: at #2 Hanover Central (6-1)

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK?: Another prime example of Andrean testing themselves in preparation for the long haul… and more so showing that they can compete with the best of the best.

The adage goes… “2A school, not a 2A schedule.” We saw it once again last Friday hosted state powerhouse Bishop Chatard, which was the second consecutive season the two teams have met. 

To many people’s surprise, Andrean struck first and turned some heads after their quick start against the Trojans. Although the game did not go in Andrean’s favor the rest of the way – these games where the Niners are playing up in competition are solely to prepare the squad for the postseason.

Look at Andrean’s three non-conference opponents this year: Merrillville, Valparaiso, and Bishop Chatard. It does not get much better than that. This shows why Andrean’s 3-4 record does not paint the full picture of this team.

The Niners will be tested once again this upcoming Friday – this time within their conference as they will travel to Hanover Central. Andrean has a chance to shake up the NCC standings, as a win for Hanover would clinch them the outright crown.

 

8. HOBART BRICKIES (4-3)

LAST WEEK’S RANKING: #7

WEEK 6: lost 21-14 against #2 Hanover Central

THIS WEEK: at Morton (2-4)

SEVEN WEEKS IN, WHAT’S TO SAY?: Another promising season, but a conference trophy slips away again to the Wildcats.

After an 0-2 start to the season, not many people knew what to expect moving forward for the Hobart Brickies. Although it is not an easy start for any team playing up to Duneland schools, there was much room to improve for Hobart. 

Four weeks later, the Brickies were one of two teams undefeated in the conference now playing in a meaningful game that would determine the NCC’s winner.

It has certainly been a year of growth for Hobart. Although they fell short to Hanover Central for the second straight year, this group of Brickies have shown that there is plenty to look forward to for the rest of the year and beyond. This year’s Brickies squad, although has some solid senior leaders like Willy Shearer, Luke Juris, Jaelen Williams, Aidan Leonard, and more, this team is still quite young.

First, they are quarterbacked by sophomore Aleks Tatum. Tatum and Max Pickett, a junior, both have over 300 rushing yards so far. Defensively, three of the their top four tacklers are sophomores in Nicholas Dozier, Stephen Miller, and Aiden Kasch. Bryce Tolliver has been solid in the defensive backfield as well, as he has the team lead with four interceptions. He is only a sophomore.

Yes, the standard at Hobart may not be reaching without a conference title… but there is still some hope come playoff time and furthermore. Hobart cannot dwell on the loss much – as they now must focus on traveling to Morton.

7. CHESTERTON TROJANS (5-2)

LAST WEEK’S RANKING: #10

WEEK 7: won 17-16 at Lake Central

THIS WEEK: at Crown Point (7-0)

PLAYER TO NOTE: Andrew Goveia, junior, running back

If you are looking for the definition of a work-horse running back, it just might be Chesterton’s Andrew Goveia. He does it ALL for the Trojans, especially when he is needed most. 

Chesterton fell behind Lake Central 16-3 early in the third quarter. It was looking bleak for the Trojans – who struggled to finish or even sustain drives in the first half. Well, good thing the Trojans have a player like Goveia, as he has been an integral part in Chesterton’s 5-2 start, especially this past contest.

Goveia’s number was called well over 30 times this past Friday, with a lot of the damage coming out of the Wildcat formation in the second half. The Trojans didn’t do it by chunk plays, but moreso by gaining 3 to 4 yards on every tote.

Even with drives that took some time off the clock, Goveia found the end zone twice in Chesterton’s 13-point comeback to spoil homecoming night for the Indians.

This seven game start for the Trojans has been a bit on the surprising side, as this is a team that only had two wins in 2023. Next up is a more difficult stretch for Chesterton (at CP, Merrillville), but we know that they can run the ball and wear teams out – which may come into play as the weather gets colder and colder come playoff time.

 

6. VALPARAISO VIKINGS (4-3)

LAST WEEK’S RANKING: #4

WEEK 7: lost 35-7 at Merrillville

THIS WEEK: Portage (3-4)

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK?: A case of deja vu.

To address this potential discourse, we know that Valparaiso can stand toe-to-toe with some of the teams ranked right above them. The schools that Valparaiso may hypothetically have their way with are ranked above them because of what those said teams are doing at their respective class sizes/competition level. 

That said, Valparaiso’s performance last week against a potential 5A regional championship opponent in Merrillville did not do them any favors for their spot on this list.

After a relatively neck-and-neck first quarter, things slipped away quickly from Valparaiso. In what was a rough week against Crown Point two Fridays ago… things looked to follow suit for the Vikings in what was slotted to be a potential bounce-back game.

Some elements from that CP game trickled into their meeting against the Pirates, such as not being able to contain the rushing attack and not much going offensively. 

The hope for Valparaiso is to bounce back this week and find some momentum before sectional play starts. Portage will come into town, who is coming off of a relatively surprising win against Michigan City.

5. WHEELER BEARCATS (5-2)

LAST WEEK’S RANKING: #6

WEEK 7: 43-8 victory at Calumet

THIS WEEK: Whiting (2-5)

SEVEN WEEKS IN, WHAT IS TO SAY?: Also another case of deja vu.

Looking back at the run Wheeler had in 2023, this is the period in the season where things really began to click – and we are seeing that happen once again. However, this team might be more dangerous than last year’s.

Multiple pieces of the puzzle now have a year under their belt in the Nick Testa era – including Nick Testa. The expectations of this squad depended on the play of some key returners like Tyne Vettickal, Jayden Ortiz, Bryce Compton, Mitch Krolikowski, and Caleb Klimczak. They have been great, but some other names have taken a leap as well. Charlie Casper and Dylan Knezevich have improved in their senior years, while sophomores Koltin Kingery and Conner Welch are promising pieces for the future.

The goal for Wheeler is to keep up this momentum until the playoffs, and more so giving themselves a chance at a second straight division title. A team ranked above them on this list will await them in week nine, but Whiting must come first for the Bearcats.

4. GRIFFITH PANTHERS (7-0)

LAST WEEK’S RANKING: #5

WEEK 7: won 42-0 at West Side

THIS WEEK: Calumet (4-3)

STATISTICS TO NOTE?: 44.7, 6.4.

There are two unbeatens in the area – Griffith and Crown Point. It may be seen as good company for the Panther faithful, but it is rightfully deserved.

Griffith has shut out five of their opponents through seven weeks, including the last two games. Last week’s shutout performance in particular was against a solid West Side program. It was discussed in last week’s list that Griffith, although they have nearly dominated everyone thus far, their late-season schedule was set to be more challenging – starting with West Side. But right now, it seems that we are still awaiting that test. Griffith has now outscored the two division opponents they have played by a combined score of 97 to nothing.

By the way, those two numbers listed above? Griffith’s points scored and points allowed on a per-game average. It is simply too difficult to not give them their flowers. A large chunk of those points allowed were from the Panthers’ week five matchup at River Forest, which has been the only game so far for Griffith within single digits.

The Panthers will finish up their regular season with back-to-back home games starting with Calumet. If the Panthers can continue this dominance come Friday, it could set up a winner-take-all matchup with the Wheeler Bearcats for the division title.

3. MERRILLVILLE PIRATES (6-1)

LAST WEEK’S RANKING: #3

WEEK 7: 35-7 win over #6 Valparaiso

THIS WEEK: Lake Central (3-4)

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK?: A statement game from the Pirates.

It was quite the day for the Merrillville Pirates – who first off celebrated their Homecoming game last Friday against Valpo. In a game that was expected to be similar to those prior – close and hard fought – the hope for the Merrillville faithful was that the festivities surrounding the week would not throw them off for the task at hand. Heck, even ABC7 News kicked off last Friday’s gameday as they took a trip to Demaree Stadium.

Well, Merrillville rode all of that momentum into arguably their best win of the season.

After a quick start that knotted the game up at seven-a-side, the Pirates kicked the doors open with 28 unanswered. Junior QB, Jordan Sanders, arguably had his best game of the season. As solid as the run game for Merrillville has been, Sanders was able to give the young Valpo defense some fits through the air – which only makes that Merrillville offense stronger.

The Pirate defense, as usual, forced turnovers and added insult to injury.

Merrillville will remain at home this Friday against Lake Central. Although Merrillville may need some outside help to capture a conference title, their performance against Valparaiso could prove that the Pirates are in line for what is hopefully a nice playoff run in the 5A class.

2. HANOVER CENTRAL WILDCATS (6-1)

LAST WEEK’S RANKING: #2

WEEK 7: 21-14 win at #8 Hobart

THIS WEEK: #9 Andrean (3-4)

STATISTIC TO NOTE?: Two years, two conference championships.

It was quite the jump heading into the 2023 season for the Hanover Central Wildcats – a team that spent years dominating the GSSC now were making the transition to the Northwest Crossroads Conference. Many wondered if Hanover Central was able to adjust to the jump in competition in their new conference.

But nearly two seasons after those claims, it looks like that same competition now has some catching up to do.

It was not pretty, but Hanover Central clinched a share of the conference title last week with a 21-14 victory at the Brickyard. Caiden Verrett, as he has done since the Wildcats joined the NCC last season, made things tough for opposing defenses. The senior ran for 194 yards and two scores. Defensively, Dylan Bowen is continuing to shine in his junior campaign, once again leading the Wildcats in tackles with 14 and capped off the night with a game-sealing interception.

It has been a magical run for Brian Parker and his crew – but they are anything but finished. Next up, the plan is to clinch the outright title against Andrean next week, who is a talented team that is hoping to play spoiler. Hanover, as they have done so far, is hoping to take care of business and gear up for their first season in the 4A playoffs.

 

1. CROWN POINT BULLDOGS (7-0)

LAST WEEK’S RANKING: #1

WEEK 7: won 42-0 at LaPorte

THIS WEEK: #7 Chesterton (5-2)

7-0, WHAT IS TO SAY?: It has been a storybook season so far, now it is time to finish the job and gear up for the postseason.

It was another dominant performance for the Dogs this past Friday, once again led by an early barrage of points with a stifling effort defensively. With now two games to go in the conference season, CP is a win away from clinching at least a share of the Duneland title – which would be their third conference trophy in a row.

A topic of discussion is if this Crown Point team is better suited for a postseason run than last year’s squad – and so far that claim may hold up. It has been an impressive stretch of play by the Bulldogs and there is no way to dance around that. We have not seen the Bulldogs play a full four quarters with their starters. They have simply become to the team to catch in the area, as the expectations come playoff time will only get higher and higher. 

We can only see if they are ready for it, but something tells us they will be.

Next up for CP is Chesterton, a team that did make things surprisingly close for the Bulldogs standards in 2023. Although CP’s defense has been superb, their run defense specifically will be tested against the run-heavy Trojans.

 

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

RIVER FOREST INGOTS

MORTON GOVERNORS

PORTAGE INDIANS

Related Topics

More in Football