FOOTBALL: RSN Top 10 – Week #10

ON THE EDGE: Calumet (6-2)

KO’D: Highland (4-5)

#10.
BOONE GROVE WOLVES
7-2/5-2

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LAST WEEK: NR

The Wolves sneak back into the rankings in the final Top 10 of the season, thanks to winning their final three games down the stretch by a combined 90 points. The BG offense is right up there with the best of the Region, averaging 38.8 points per game, the fourth highest mark and only one point fewer than the second highest scoring team. There’s no reason to think the offense is going to slow down now that the post-season is here.

9.
MORTON GOVERNORS
7-2/5-0

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LAST WEEK: #9

How much did Morton enjoy the GLAC portion of the schedule? Not only did the Govs go 5-0 in conference play, they outscored the competition 226-21 during that span. Wow. The top half of Class 4A Sectional #17 is all GLAC teams (Morton, Gavit, EC Central and Hammond High) so needless to say, the boys from Hessville are the favorites to advance to the sectional title game.

#8.
HOBART BRICKIES
7-2/3-2

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LAST WEEK: #6

It didn’t take too long into last week’s game against Lowell to see that the Brickies were out of sync and that it could be a long night. While the regular season didn’t end the way they wanted, Hobart still enters the post-season with an impressive 7-2 mark, only the third time since 2010 they’ve had a seven win regular season. They have a tough one with Mishawaka coming to the Brickyard on Friday, but Hobart responded very well after their first loss of the season – we’ll see how they come back from the second defeat.

#7.
GRIFFITH PANTHERS
7-2/7-0

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LAST WEEK: #8

Prior to last Friday’s 21-19 win over Hanover Central, the last time the Panthers played in a game that was decided by single digits was way back in Week #1 of the 2017 campaign. Griffith had been beating GSSC opponents by an average of 40.5 points per game before last week, so while they didn’t have the breathing room at the end they are accustomed to, it may be a good sign moving forward that this group can win tight games.

#6.
MERRILLVILLE PIRATES
6-3/5-2

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LAST WEEK: #7

The turnaround team of the year. After last season’s dreadful 1-9 mark, the Pirates had a great 2018 season with a 6-3 mark with their only losses to powerhouses Valpo, Michigan City and Penn. With wins against all three potential sectional opponents, there’s no doubt that Merrillville is the favorite in Sectional #1 as they look to win their first post-season title since 2015.

#5.
LOWELL RED DEVILS
7-2/4-1

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LAST WEEK: #5

Not great news for the rest of the Sectional #17 field – Lowell just turned in their most impressive performance of the 2018 season with their 34-7 shellacking of Hobart in Week #9. The Red Devil offense is back at full strength and we all know what that defense can do, surrendering just 8.8 points per game. Lowell has won four consecutive sectional titles and if they continue to play as well as they did last week, the fifth straight is just a few weeks away.

#4. 
MICHIGAN CITY WOLVES
7-2/6-1

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LAST WEEK: #4

Another week, another dominating performance for Michigan City. This time it was a 48-0 shutout of Crown Point to propel the Wolves to 7-2 overall, their best regular season record ever. Now comes the important time of year. City broke through last year with a semi-state run, so inexperience won’t be an issue in 2018. Can the Wolves make another trip to semi-state or beyond? Don’t bet against it.

#3.
WHITING OILERS
9-0/6-0

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LAST WEEK: #3

It was an amazing regular season for the Oilers, as they led the Region in points per game (43.2) and points against per game (5.0) while also picking up victories against two teams that are currently in the Top 10. Whiting is only a couple years removed from an appearance in the 2A state championship game – don’t be surprised if they are back once again this year.

#2.
ANDREAN 59ERS
8-1/5-0

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LAST WEEK: #2

With dominating wins pretty much every week, the Week #1 loss to Merrillville seems like a couple of years ago, not just nine weeks. The Niners hit the road to take on winless Benton Central to open up the tournament, so Andrean’s run of not losing in the first round since 2011 should continue, and thanks to playing the opener on the road, they’ll get home field advantage in the semi-finals when they’ll face either Wheeler or Hanover Central.

#1. 
VALPARAISO VIKINGS
7-2/7-0

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LAST WEEK: #1

The Vikings close out the Top 10 season at the number one spot thanks to a seven game winning streak that saw them go undefeated in DAC play, capturing their second straight conference title. Valpo’s got their eyes on more than just regular season glory though, as this team has the potential to make some noise in the tournament. With the way they play defense combined with a solid running game, they very well could make a rare 6A run from the Region.