BY FRANK KIELPIKOWSKI
High school football has returned for the 2023 season at long last, and Regional Radio Sports will be covering it like a blanket.
I have the honor of beginning a new feature on the RRSN website, which will be a weekly wrapup, as well as a preview for upcoming games, with a focus on teams in the Region, as it’s commonly called in Northwest Indiana.
DUNELAND CONFERENCE
Chesterton (5-6 overall, 3-4 DAC in 2022): The Trojans will look to pre-season all-state running back Garrett Lewis on the offensive side, while defensive back Hayden DeMarco anchors the other side of the ball.
Crown Point (10-1, 7-0 DAC): Last year’s regular season champions have a lot of starters to replace, including at quarterback JJ Johnson. However, the Bulldogs hope Hobart transfer Noah Ehrlich can step in and succeed under center. Paul Clark returns for his third year in the trenches, while Will Clark provides stability at linebacker.
Lake Central (4-6, 3-4 DAC): The Indians showed signs of improvement last year, and could be even better behind senior running back Xavier Williams (1,511 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns).
LaPorte (2-8, 2-5 DAC): New Slicers’ boss Austin Epple has a solid athlete back to lead the charge in senior quarterback Dylan Salisbury. His favorite target should be wide receiver Ollie Kring, who earned all-DAC accolades a year ago.
Merrillville (9-3, 5-2 DAC): The Pirates will look to bounce back after a disappointing loss to eventual Class 5A state champion Valparaiso in the regional round with new quarterback Dontae Pope at the helm. The defense should be solid with all-state candidates Trey Stephens and Roshaun McGee.
Michigan City (2-8, 2-5 DAC): Cody French takes over for Phil Mason on the sidelines for the new-look Wolves. Leading the way are Indiana Football Digest Prime Time 25 member Jaden Hart at running back as well as third-year starting quarterback Tyler Bush.
Portage (2-8, 1-6 DAC): A familiar face returns on the sidelines as Roy Richards comes from a successful stint at defensive coordination at Michigan City. Adam Korba should be a fixture on the Indians’ defense.
Valparaiso (11-3, 5-2 DAC): The Vikings capped an incredible and unexpected post-season run with a thrilling 35-31 win over Whiteland to capture the Class 5A state championship, which was the first by a DAC school in nearly 30 years. Quarterback Justin Clark, running back Travis Davis, and Toledo-bound offensive lineman Matt Hofer lead a large group of returning seniors who hope to defend that state title.
NORTHWEST CROSSROADS CONFERENCE
Andrean (10-4 overall, 4-1 NWC): The 59ers came up short against Evansville Mater Dei in the quest to repeat as Class 2A state champion last fall. If they are going to make a third straight appearance at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, they need solid performances from quarterback Scott Ballentine and all-state defensive back James Finley.
Hanover Central (11-1): The Wildcats move from the Greater South Shore Conference and could be competitive right away behind four-year starting quarterback Matt Koontz. Goof protection in the trenches comes from all-state lineman Collin Foy.
Highland (4-7, 2-3 NWC): The Trojans are coming off their sixth straight four-win season, but will look to all-state linebacker Nick Johnson to improve on their win total. All-NWC running back Jason Lawrence should be relied upon for a lot more production.
Hobart (8-4, 4-1 NWC): The Brickies will have a lot of changes on the offensive side with the biggest being Calumet transfer TJ Caldwell at wide receiver. Linebacker Brad Gibson is a pre=season all-state choice, having racked up over 100 tackles, including eight for losses.
Kankakee Valley (4-6, 1-4 NWC): The Kougars hope to advance to the next level behind quarterback Diego Arroyo and running back Marco Castro.
Lowell (7-4, 4-1 NWC): The Red Devis earned a share of the NWC title a year ago and hope to do even more behind the duo of running backs Malachi James and Owen Thiele.
Munster (3-7, 0-5 NWC): The Mustangs should be improved with three of their five starters on the offensive line returning, including three-year regular George Dovellos. Their task will be protecting new starting quarterback Matt Opat.
GREATER SOUTH SHORE CONFERENCE
Boone Grove (3-7): Junior quarterback Mark Rowland returns for the Wolves as does his favorite target in wide out Josh Oglesby, who had 10 touchdown receptions a year ago.
Calumet (9-2): Former LaPorte standout Charles Salary takes over for the Warriors and will look to all-state linebacker Alex Ponce (131 tackles) and defensive back Quentin Falls (44 tackles and three interceptions) for production.
Gary West (7-3): The Cougars enter the GSSC fresh off a season where they won seven games in a row for the first time in program history. Quarterback Guiseppe Moore returns along with running back Omarian Youghbor, who averaged nearly eight yards per carry and scored nine times in a limited role as a junior.
Griffith (5-6): Phil Mason takes over and hopes to raise the Panthers’ expectations after successful stints at Michigan City and Andrean. Senior lineman Kris Smith returns for his third season, along with linebacker Hunter Smith.
Hammond Bishop Noll (0-9): 2013 Lowell graduate Tyler Milby takes over control of the Warriors. Quarterback Andrew Peters is back for his senior season and will get help from four-year starting guard Caleb Lacefield and second-year tackle Dylan Baldner.
Lake Station (4-7): The Fighting Eagles are coming off their best finish since 2016. Leading the way are three-year starting center Aaron Padilla and two-way lineman Jamar Lomax.
River Forest (6-4): Mark Hidalgo, who coached East Chicago Central between 1998 and 2005, returns to the sidelines with an Ingots’ unit that has registered four straight winning seasons. Quarterback Kaleb Short returns for his third season as does third-year two-way lineman Jose Loza.
South Central (3-8): The Satellites will look to several experienced underclassmen, including a pair of all-GSSC selections in senior quarterback Zach Hanchar and junior running back-wide receiver Clayton Strauch.
Wheeler (3-7): Nick Testa returns to the sidelines for the Bearcats this season. Sophomore quarterback Keegan Kuehl looks to be one of the offensive leaders, while linebacker Xavier Harolovich leads the way defensively.
Whiting (4-5): The Oilers are looking for their underclassmen to step up with senor quarterback Nick Davenport leading the way after throwing for 1,035 yards. Junior wide out Shawn Donaldson may be someone to watch after catching 21 passes for 191 yards and rushing for 112 yards on just 16 carries.
GREAT LAKES CONFERENCE
East Chicago Central (2-8): New boss Corey Bailey hopes to turn things around for the Cardinals, who have struggled for wins over the last couple of years. They will look to rebound behind senior quarterback Yamauree Wallace and sophomore running back Derion Morris.
Hammond Central (8-3): The Wolves recorded a winning record in just their second season and will look to continue stacking up wins behind junior quarterback Brandon Burney and an experienced offensive line. led by three-year starting center Chris Rambo.
Hammond Morton (1-9): The Governors should show some improvement as all-area running back Dontell Haris Jr (1,136 yards and 10 touchdowns) returns for his senior year. Defensively, all-area choice Freddy Brown (63.5 tackles and two fumble recoveries) is a fixture in the secondary.
INDEPENDENT
Bowman Academy (3-6): The Eagles, who snapped a 13-game losing streak dating back to 2021, showed signs of improvement and will look to do even better behind returning senior quarterback Derrick Santiago. Junior running back Jalen Branham and sophomore wide out Brian Nichols also showed a lot of promise and hope to continue this fall.
WEEK ONE MATCHUPS:
Andrean at Merrillville: The Pirates have won the last five matchups in the “Battle of Broadway”.
Boone Grove at Glenn: The Falcons have won three straight openers over Boone Grove and four of the six meetings overall.
Calumet at Plymouth: First ever meeting between the Warriors and Plymouth, which has lost 21 straight contests.
Chesterton at Hobart: Although the Trojans won 35-20 a year ago, Hobart has won 13 of the last 20 meetings.
Crown Point at Lowell: The Bulldogs have won the last two matchups after Lowell had taken the previous four contests.
East Chicago Central at River Forest: New Ingots’ leader Mark Hidalgo was 41-42 in eight seasons at East Chicago Central.
Griffith at Highland: The Trojans’ lone win over Griffith since 2004 was a 38-21 decision in the 2020 Class 4A sectional opener.
Hammond Bishop Noll at South Bend Clay: First contest between the Warriors, who have lost 16 games in a row, and Clay, which has dropped a state-leading 28 consecutive contests.
Hanover Central at Wheeler: The Wildcats blanked Wheeler, 47-0, in their final meeting as GSSC foes.
Kankakee Valley at Rensselaer Central: The Bombers have won five of the last six contests in the series against Kankakee Valley, including a 19-0 shut out last year.
Lake Central at Munster: The Indians’ 47-0 win over Munster a year ago was their largest margin of victory since 2011.
Lake Station at South Newton: The Rebels have won four of the five meetings with Lake Station, including a 54-36 shootout in week four last year.
New Prairie at LaPorte: The defending Class 4A state runner-up Cougars blanked LaPorte, a year ago.
Osceola Grace at Whiting: This is the first get together between the Eagles and Whiting, which opened the 2022 campaign with a 41-8 triumph over Frontier.
Penn at Valparaiso: The Kingsmen dominated defending Class 5A state champion Valparaiso, 35-6, in last year’s opener at TCU Freed Field.
Portage at Hammond Morton: Indians’ coach Roy Richards returns to Hessville, where he went 124-70, and won four sectionals and a regional title in 16 seasons at Hammond Morton.
South Bend Riley at Gary West: The Wildcats have won both meetings with Gary West, including an 18-14 squeaker at TCY School Field a season ago.
South Bend Washington at Hammond Central: The Panthers and Hammond Central have split their two contests, with the Wolves claiming a 30-win in last year’s opener.
South Central at Triton: The Trojans have won six of the previous seven meetings with South Central, including a 49-0 whitewash in last year’s opener.
Warsaw at Michigan City: The Tigers have had seven straight winning seasons, with the last five coming under Indiana Football Hall of Famer Bart Curtis. The Wolved are looking to make amends for a 35-7 setback in last year’s opening night game.
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