BY FRANK KIELPIKOWSKI
This week begins the fall portion of the football season as the regular campaign quickly begins to wind down.
Here’s my Top 10 entering the final week of September:
- Crown Point (6-0)
- Valparaiso (4-2)
- Merrillville (5-1)
- Hanover Central (6-0)
- Hobart (5-1)
- Michigan City (3-3)
- Lake Central (3-3)
- Andrean (3-3)
- Chesterton (2-4)
- Hammond Central (5-2)
WEEK SIX RECAP
DUNELAND CONFERENCE
Chesterton 35, Portage 31: The Trojans scored midway through the fourth quarter to take the lead for good to keep Portage winless.
Crown Point 19, Valparaiso 14: Larry Ellison accounted for three second-half touchdowns as the Bulldogs overcame a slow start to defeat Valpo and take the driver’s seat towards winning a second straight DAC championship.
Merrillville 40, LaPorte 0: The Pirates’ offense used a breakout performance to post a total team victory to improve to 5-1.
Michigan City 27, Lake Central 24: Tyler Bush’s one-yard run on the final play of the game gave the Wolves a thrilling come from behind victory. Xavier Williams rushed for 156 yards and a score for Lake Central.
NORTHWEST CROSSROADS CONFERENCE
Andrean 35, Highland 6: Scott Ballentine threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score as the 59ers evened their record at 3-3.
Hanover Central 56, Munster 21: Matt Koontz set school records for both passing yardage and touchdowns as the Wildcats won their 21st consecutive regular season game.
Hobart 51, Lowell 14: Jonny Sorensen accumulated 327 total yards rushing and passing with six touchdowns as the Brickies won their fourth consecutive conference game.
GREATER SOUTH SHORE CONFERENCE
Boone Grove 28, River Forest 6: The Wolves scored 28 unanswered points enroute to improving their record to 4-2.
Hammond Bishop Noll 46, Lake Station 0: The Warriors earned their second win and posted their largest margin of victory since 2006 in the process.
NONCONFERENCE
Calumet 32, Whiting 0L The Warriors posted their first shutout of 2023 to improve to 2-4.
Chula Vista Eastlake (California) 27, Hammond Central 21: The visitors from the West Coast rallied for their first win of the season and dropped Hammond Central to 4-2 in the process.
Griffith 58, East Chicago Central 12: Jaxson Lawson rushed for 179 yards and four touchdowns as the Panthers cruised past EC Central to get back to the .500 mark.
Kankakee Valley 17, Culver Academy 14: The Kougars earned their first victory over Culver Academy in their fourth try.
North Judson 56. South Central 24: The Bluejays used a 35-point second quarter outburst to down South Central.
Wheeler 42, Gary West 24: Leading 21-16 at the half, the Bearcats registered three more touchdowns in the second half to claim their third straight win.
WEEK SEVEN PREVIEW
DUNELAND CONFERENCE
Lake Central at Chesterton: The Trojans are looking for back-to-back wins, while Portage tries to halt a seven-game losing streak in the series.
LaPorte at Crown Point: The Bulldogs are in search of their 16th straight regular season triumph, while LaPorte attempts to end a five-game losing streak.
Merrillville at Valparaiso: Winners of three consecutive games, the Pirates will look to avenge last season’s disappointing Class 5A regional loss to Valpo at Viking Field.
Portage at Michigan City: The Indians are still in search of their first victory, while Michigan City attempts to get back over the .500 mark at Ames Field.
NORTHWEST CROSSROADS CONFERENCE
Highland at Munster: The Trojans won last year’s “Battle of the Bridge”, 12-7, against a Munster squad in search of its first conference victory in 2023.
Hobart at Hanover Central: In the first meeting between these two programs, bragging rights for the conference championship are up for grabs. Hobart is on a four-game winning streak, while the Wildcats are looking for their 23rd consecutive regular season victory.
Lowell at Kankakee Valley: The Kougars, who played well against Culver Academy, look to make it two straight wins against rival Lowell, which has won 27 of the last 29 meetings in the series.
GREATER SOUTH SHORE CONFERENCE
Calumet at Wheeler: The Warriors defeated Wheeler, 45-0, a year ago, but the Bearcats have improved as they seek their fourth consecutive victory.
Gary West at Griffith: The Panthers have won the prior two meetings, including a 53-0 decision in the 2018 Class 4A sectional opener.
Hammond Bishop Noll at River Forest: The Ingots look to bounce back after three straight losses, while Bishop Noll is in search of back-to-back victories for the first time in a decade.
Lake Station at South Central: The Eagles won 30-20 a year ago, however South Central owns a 13-4 advantage in this series.
NONCONFERENCE
Andrean at Indianapolis Bishop Chatard: This marks the first regular season meeting between the two programs. Their last matchup resulted in the Trojans claiming the 2002 Class 3A state championship with a 31-12 win over Andrean.
Boone Grove at Whiting: The Oilers won 17-8 in last year’s regular season finale, but Boone Grove comes into this matchup averaging over 35 points per game.
Hammond Central at Hammond Morton: The Wolves have won both matchups against Morton since the Hammond schools consolidated. The Governors look to get back to the .500 mark, while Central is trying to snap a two-game losing streak.
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