BY FRANK KIELPIKOWSKI
Where has the regular season gone? We are already into October and the final two weeks of the regular season are upon us. Before we get to the poll and what happened last week, I wanted to take this opportunity to let my Region readers know that the pairings show for the 51st annual IHSAA state football tournament will be on the IHSAA Champions Network (IHSAAtv.org) on Sunday, October 8 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. CDT (6 p.m. to 8 p.m. EDT). RRSN’s own Paul Condry will be co-hosting this event with Bob Lovell for the 17th consecutive year and will have the best breakdown and analysis for the upcoming tournament.
Now, it’s back to football and my top 10 for this week.
FRANK’S TOP 10
- Crown Point (7-0)
- Valparaiso (5-2)
- Merrillville (5-2)
- Hanover Central (7-0)
- Hobart (5-2)
- Michigan City (4-3)
- Lake Central (4-3)
- Hammond Morton (3-3)
- Andrean (3-4)
- Wheeler (4-3)
WEEK SEVEN RECAP
DUNELAND ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Crown Point 42, LaPorte 0: Noah Ehrlich ran for two scores as the Bulldogs continued to roll by earning their 16th consecutive regular-season victory.
Lake Central 20, Chesterton 14: L.J. Richardson scored twice for the Indians, who improved to 4-3 on the campaign.
Michigan City 21, Portage 8: Tyler Bush passed for two scores and Jaden Hart scored the other touchdowns as the Wolves got over the .500 mark and kept Portage winless.
Valparaiso 26, Merrillville 24: Thomas Burda rushed for 146 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Julian Stokes put the Vikings ahead for good with an 82-yard kickoff return for a score.
NORTHWEST CROSSROADS CONFERENCE
Hanover Central 31, Hobart 26: Caiden Verrett rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns as the Wildcats took a huge step toward winning the conference championship in their inaugural season. Willy Shearer rushed for 144 yards in a losing effort for Hobart.
Highland 28, Munster 27 (OT): The Trojans won the “Battle of the Bridge” for the sixth consecutive season, but needed overtime to improve to 3-4.
Kankakee Valley 38, Lowell 14: The Kougars raced out to a 24-0 in the first half to earn just their third victory over Lowell in the last 30 meetings.
GREATER SOUTH SHORE CONFERENCE
Gary West 14, Griffith 13: Omarion Youghbor and Kiowa Burrell each scored as the Cougars downed Griffith for the first time in program history.
River Forest 49, Hammond Bishop Noll 0: The Ingots snapped a three-game losing streak with their most dominating victory of the season to improve to 4-3 overall.
South Central 61, Lake Station 8: Aaron Hogan broke the school record by scoring eight touchdowns for the Satellites.
Wheeler 38, Calumet 8: The Bearcats coasted to a 28-0 first-half lead enroute to their fourth consecutive victory.
NON-CONFERENCE
Indianapolis Bishop Chatard 41, Andrean 0: The Trojans remained unbeaten as they handily defeated Andrean in the first regular season matchup between these programs.
Boone Grove 56, Whiting 7: Mark Rowland threw for 268 yards and combined for five passing and rushing touchdowns passing as the Wolves picked up their fifth win of the campaign,
Parkway Christian (Illinois) 22, East Chicago Central 20: The Cardinals fell to 1-6 with the narrow loss last Saturday afternoon.
Hammond Morton 56, Hammond Central 3: A huge performance from Dontell Harris Jr propelled the Governors to even their record at 3-3.
WEEK EIGHT PREVIEW
DUNELAND CONFERENCE
Crown Point at Chesterton: The Bulldogs can clinch at least a share of the DAC championship with a victory over Chesterton.
Merrillville at Lake Central: The Pirates won 24-10 a year ago at Demaree Stadium, but Lake Central would like to avenge this setback at the Burial Grounds and jump into third place in the league.
Michigan City at LaPorte: The “Battle of LaPorte County” is always pretty competitive with four of the last five meetings having been decided by 10 points or less.
Valparaiso at Portage: The Vikings’ faint hopes for at least a share of DAC title depends on a victory over a Portage squad hungry for its first win of the season.
NORTHWEST CROSSROADS CONFERENCE
Hanover Central at Andrean: The Wildcats can win the outright NCC championship in their first year with a victory over Andrean at 5959 Broadway.
Kankakee Valley at Highland: Both programs are looking to build off the momentum of last week’s victories in what should be a tightly contested contest.
Munster at Lowell: The Red Devils won 20-6 a year ago as both teams look to rebound after difficult losses last Friday.
GREATER SOUTH SHORE CONFERENCE
Griffith at Calumet: The Panthers have won 12 of the last 14 meetings in this series, but Calumet was a 19-18 winner a season ago.
Lake Station at Boone Grove: The Wolves have gotten excellent quarterback play from Mark Rowland all season long.
River Forest at South Central: The Ingots crushed South Central, 63-6, last season.
Wheeler at Whiting: The Bearcats seek their fifth straight win against Whiting, which owns a slim 10-9 advantage in this series.
NON-CONFERENCE
Bowman Academy at Tri-County: The Eagles get back into action after a two=week hiatus against Tri-County for the first time.
Hammond Bishop Noll at Gary West: The Cougars seek their fourth win over Bishop Noll in the last fi games between the two clubs.
Hammond Central at East Chicago Central: With both programs struggling, a victory will be a welcome sight. The Wolves downed EC Central, 48-6, last season in Hammond.
Hammond Morton at Hobart: The Brickies look to rebound as they host Dontell Harris Jr and Hammond Morton.
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