BY FRANK KIELPIKOWSKI
The IHSAA state football tournament is under way. This week, everyone will be in action as both Class 5A and Class 6A begin their quests for state championships. After this Friday, only 96 schools will be left statewide in search of sectional championships.
Here’s my top 10 poll this week.
- Crown Point (9-0)
- Valparaiso (7-2)
- Merrillville (7-2)
- Hanover Central (10-0)
- Michigan City (5-4)
- Lake Central (4-5)
- Hobart (7-3) (SEASON COMPLETE)
- Wheeler (6-3)
- Hammond Morton (4-4)
- Boone Grove (8-2)
SECTIONAL QUARTERFINAL RECAP
CLASS 4A
New Prairie 49, Hobart 14: After spotting Hobart an early 7-0 lead, the Cougars scored 42 unanswered points on their way to a second straight victory over Brickies. New Prairie rushed for 372 yards and averaged over 11 yards per carry.
Kankakee Valley 37, Gary West 22: Marco Castro rushed for 183 yards and two touchdowns as the Kougars broke a 22-22 tie in the fourth quarter to pick up the victory.
Highland 56, East Chicago Central 6: Joshua Hubbard rushed for two touchdowns as the Trojans rolled to a 42-0 first-half lead.
Culver Academy 17, Lowell 7: The Eagles sent Lowell home early after the first round for the first time since 2013.
CLASS 3A
Boone Grove 26, Twin Lakes 13: The Wolves’ offense came to life in the second half to pull away from Twin Lakes. Corey Noonan was a key defensively with a pair of interceptions as Boone Grove earned its fifth consecutive victory.
Hanover Central 48, Calumet 16: Rocco Bartolomeo scored a touchdown on offense and added an interception on defense to help the Wildcats remain unbeaten.
West Lafayette 42, River Forest 13: The Ingots kept it close in the first half, but West Lafayette pulled away after halftime to eliminate River Forest.
Rensselaer Central 42, Griffith 13: The Bombers defeated Griffith for the first time and advance to meet Hoosier Conference rival West Lafayette in the semifinal round.
CLASS 2A
Bremen 42, Hammond Bishop Noll 7: The Lions cruised past Bishop Noll and now host Wheeler in the semifinals. The Warriors ended with a 2-8 record.
LaVille 25, Andrean 23: Lucas Plummer scored a touchdown, a two-point conversion, and a field goal to help the Lancers hold off two-time defending state finalist Andrean and avenge two straight losses to the Niners.
Whiting 40, Lake Station 0: The Oilers not only posted their first shutout of the season, but also earned back-to-back victories for the first time in 2023.
CLASS 1A
South Newton 64, Bowman Academy 6: The Rebels snapped a five-game losing streak with their highest offensive output since 2007 and ended Bowman season at 1-6.
North Judson 40, Pioneer 14: The Bluejays improved to 6-4 by knocking off Pioneer for the second consecutive week.
Triton 71, North Newton 6: The Trojans won for the fifth time in the last six games and matched last year’s win total of seven victories.
Culver 40, South Central 15: The Cavaliers picked up their first win of 2023 and avenged an earlier 44-22 loss to South Central.
SECTIONAL SEMIFINAL PREVIEWS
CLASS 6A SECTIONAL 1
Portage at Lake Central: An earlier 21-20 loss to Lake Central was as close as the Indians got to experiencing the thrill of victory this fall.
Lafayette Jeff at Crown Point: The Bulldogs are looking to avenge last year’s 38-28 loss to Lafayette Jeff in the sectional finale.
CLASS 5A SECTIONAL 9
Munster at Merrillville: The Pirates downed Munster, 55-20, in last year’s sectional semifinal.
Hammond Morton at Hammond Central: The Wolves have beaten Hammond Morton in two of three meetings since the consolidation, but the Governors hammered Central, 56-3, earlier this fall.
CLASS 5A SECTIONAL 10
Michigan City at LaPorte: This is round two of the battle of LaPorte County schools with the Wolves posting a decisive 35-0 win over LaPorte at Kiwanis Field three weeks ago.
Valparaiso at Chesterton: Valpo has found a second home of sorts lately at the Field of Troy, having edged the Trojans, 14-7, in last year’s sectional final as wells as a 28-14 win in Duneland Conference play earlier this season.
CLASS 4A SECTIONAL 17
New Prairie at Kankakee Valley: The Kougars look to slow down New Prairie and avenge last year’s season-ending 47-6 loss to the Cougars in the sectional opener.
Highland at Culver Academy: The Trojans have won both previous meetings against Culver Academy, the last coming in 2004. Highland seeks their first trip to the sectional finals since 2012.
CLASS 3A SECTIONAL 25
Boone Grove at Hanover Central: The Wolves put their five-game winning streak to its strictest test against their former Greater South Shore Conference rival Hanover Central, which is looking for its fourth straight trip to the sectional finals.
West Lafayette at Rensselaer Central: Two Hoosier Conference foes square off for the second time this year, with the Red Devils having prevailed, 40-6, over Rensselaer in week five.
CLASS 2A SECTIONAL 33
Wheeler at Bremen: Hopefully the bye week didn’t cool off the Bearcats, who come into this matchup having won six straight games. The Lions have never lost to Wheeler in three previous meetings.
LaVille at Whiting: The Lancers make their first trip to Whiting in a decade, but did eliminate the Oilers at Lancer Field, 51-6, in last year’s sectional opener.
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