Grubbe breaks records as Lowell defeats South Bend Washington, 24-7 to win Sectional Semifinal

RUSHING:
SB Washington (7 carries, 23 yards) Phil Hobbs (HB) 10-13 yards; Pat Borlik (QB) 3-2 yards; Nolan Dieter (QB) 3-8 yards;

LOWELL (53 carries, 279 yards, 3 TDs) Jordan Juarez (FB) 8-24 yards, Cole Midgett (WR) 3-11 yards, Nate Cleveland (FB) 4-15 yards; Brandon Grubbe (HB) 53 carries, 279 yards, 3 TDs)

PASSING:
SB Washington (13-36, 176 yards, one interception) Pat Borlik (QB) 7-18, 111 yards, Nolan Dieter (QB) 6-18, 71 yards, TD.
LOWELL: 3-7, 23 yards.

RECEIVING:
SB Washington: Eric Woods (WR) 4-29 yards; Gehrig Dieter (WR) 3-86 yards; Collin Skodinski (WR) 2-26 yards; Phil Hobbs (WR) 3-32 yards. Darius Hardin (WR) 1-1.

LOWELL: Nate Cleveland (FB) 1-4 yards; Cole Midgett (WR) 1-11 yards; Joe Bell (TE) 1-8 yards.

1. Scott Gray (2005) 323 carries, 2,336 yards
2. Michael Pickett (1994) 339 carries, 2,256 yards
3. Toby Goetz (2004) 276 carries, 1,939 yards
4. Brandon Grubbe (2008) 316 caries, 1,831 yards*
5. Matt Pernick (1996) 229 carries, 1,827 yards
6. Michael Pickett (1993) 273 carries, 1,687 yards
7. Brandon Grubbe (2007) 281 caries, 1,675 yards*
8. Brandon Grubbe (2009) 277 carries, 1,658 yards*
9. Justin Henley (2002) 1467 carries, 1,552 yards
10. Justin Henley (2003) 227 carries, 1,413 yards
11. Mike French (2000) 220 carries, 1,382 yards
12. Matt Pernick (1995) 175 carries, 1,349 yards
13. Max Znika (2006) 224 carries, 1,302 yards
14. Mike French (1999) 226 carries, 1,280 yards
15. Sean Anderson (2001) 242 carries, 1.048 yards
16. Nick Holley (1997) 131 carries, 1,014 yards
17. Steffan Peck (2006) 198 carries, 995 yards
18. Chris Goult (1999) 156 carries, 949 yards


NW Indiana all-time leading rushers:

1. Brandon Grubbe - LOWELL - 2007-2009 - 5,164 yards
2. Mike Barsich - Whiting - 1991-94 - 5,062
3. Paul Strabavy - Whiting - 1995-1998 - 5,024
4. Matt Handlon - Valpo - 1998-2000 - 4,600
5. Andrew Patten - Wheeler - 2002-2004 - 4,497
6. Tyler Radtke - Griffith -1999-2001 - 4,428
7. Airrence Shark - LaPorte - 2004-2007 - 4,215
8. Michael Pickett - LOWELL- 1992-1994 - 4,198
 

LOWELL (10-30-2009) Sometimes when a player breaks a sports record it comes on a night when he does not play well or does not play that much.  That will never be said of Lowell halfback Brandon Grubbe.  On the night when he passed 5,000 yards and became the all-time leading rusher in Northwest Indiana high school football, the breaking of the record was not Grubbe's biggest achievement.

On a night when seventh-ranked Lowell needed almost every thick, muddy yard, Grubbe ran the ball an incredible 54 times for an unofficial 279 yards to lead Lowell to a 24-7 win over ninth-ranked South Bend Washington.  Before the Devils begin preparation for their seventh consecutive sectional championship game next Friday against Concord (8-3), the team truly seemed to bask in the glow of what the senior halfback had accomplished.

The 279 yards not only pushed Grubbe past the 5,000-yard mark for his three-year varsity career.  The three-sport star also surpassed 1999 Whiting graduate Paul Strabavy (5,024 yards) and 1994 Whiting graduate Mike Barsich (5,062 yards) to become the all-time leading rusher in the history of the six-county area (Lake, Portage, LaPorte, Jasper, Newton and Starke) generally referred to as NW Indiana.  Grubbe's 873 carries for 5,149 yards are landmark numbers and the rushing record is probably the Heisman Trophy for high school football at a school which has had 10 different 1,000-yard rushers in the last 20 years.  But everybody wanted to talk about 54 carries for 279 yards.

"The amount of carries he got," said Lowell coach Kirk Kennedy. "And it's not like we sneak up on anybody.  We all know who's going to get he ball.  They game plan to stop it.  But we were able to control the ball and keep the clock running.  But to give the ball to a young man that many times and to have him keep coming back for more.  The guys up front are working hard, but he (Grubbe) was great.  And he played defense, too.  And defense against a team where you have to run all over the field and extend yourself on every play.  You just can't say enough about him.  It's a team game, but he certainly stands out."

"I just don't feel the record is about me," Grubbe said, obviously a little uncomfortable with the attention his numbers have drawn.  "It's for the whole team.  I can't do anything without the line.  The backs, the ends.  I think it's more about them than me.  I just run.  I have the easy job.  Coach said leave things as well as you found them.  I followed all those guys footsteps and I hope somebody comes along after me, picks up the rock and keeps running with it."

It didn't look easy.  Lowell even pulled Grubbe for a couple of plays in the fourth quarter when it appeared he needed a break in the action.  There was some concern for Grubbe's physical well-being as South Bend Washington knew he was coming on every play and the Panthers brought 10 men to within five yards of the line of scrimmage to stop him.

This was a game when the hitting was so hard you worried about the welfare of many of the players on both sides.  The Panthers used an 'empty backfield' (5 wide receivers and no blocking back) most of the night.  Lowell had only four sacks, but SBW quarterbacks got hit on almost every play.

No one had gained more than 140 yards on Washington's defense in any game this season and it was easy to see why with players like senior linebacker Adam Kovacs (6-0, 235) and defensive end Michael Carter (6-2, 240).  Lowell was limited on a bad field because it took away the outside speed of quarterback Ray Skamay at quarterback and Cole Midgett running counter plays.  So the Devils, using a 'full house' backfield including Skamay, Grubbe, Nate Cleveland and Jordan Juarez, ran the ball 68 times at a Panther defense that shut down 5A schools like Penn and Mishawaka.  The confrontation created some violent collisions.

Lowell scored on the Devils second possession after Jay Trappani and Nate Cleveland sacked SBW quarterback Pat Borlik at the Washington 4-yard-line on third down.  A very short punt set up Lowell (10-1) for a 34-yard touchdown drive, which ended when Grubbe ran into the end zone from the 10-yard-line midway through the first quarter.

On Lowell's next possession, the Devils mounted a 13-play drive that was shut down when Washington's defense stopped Grubbe for no gain on consecutive plays at the Panther 20-yard-line.  Late in the second quarter with Lowell still seemingly in control, the Devils mounted a 16-play drive.  But one of many illegal procedure penalties stalled that drive and Kovacs hurried Lowell QB Ray Skamay into an incomplete pass on 4th-and 6 from the Washington 27-yard line with 1:11 left before halftime.

The Panthers, who alternated QBs Borlik and Nolan Dieter all night, drove 73 yards in seven plays and tied the game with Borlik's 5-yard pass to Collin Skodinski just 18 seconds before halftime.  The small group of Washington fans who made the two-hour drive to Lowell gave their boys a standing ovation when they left the field tied with the favored Devils.

In the second half, Lowell's firs possession went 16 plays, but the hard-hitting Panthers stopped Lowell at the 4-yard-line.  Boge Pejoski, who missed the win at Plymouth because he was ill and could not practice during the week, turned the tide towards Lowell with a 21-yard field goal with 2:40 left in the third quarter.

Washington's Pat Borlik completed a 36-yard pass-run play to Gehrig Dieter, who entered the game with over 1,000 yards receiving.  But the Lowell pass rush forced three consecutive incompletions and Washington had to kick the ball away.

Lowell then drove 75 yards through the tiring Panthers for the decisive score.  Grubbe carried 12 times in a 16-play, 75-yard drive that charged up the fans in the home grandstand and wore down the muddy visitors.  The eight-yard TD with 2:19 left in the third period made the score 17-7 with 6:50 remaining in the game.

Washington seemed to lose spirit at that point. They did not gain a first down in their final three possessions and, when defensive end Nate Cleveland led a charge of Devils who sacked Pat Borlik at the 1-yard line on fourth down, Grubbe scored the final TD one play later with 2:19 left in the game.

Lowell gained an impressive 352 total yards, but they have to get into the end zone more for the season to last much longer.  Part of it is facing four good defensive teams Munster (7-3), Andrean (8-3), 4th-ranked Plymouth (9-1) and 9th-rated Washington (8-3) in succession.  Part of it is playing on muddy fields for four weeks in a row.  But Lowell has only scored 10 touchdowns in the last four games and, as well as their defense has been (only 106 points allowed in 11 games) that offensive bottom line must improve.  There was serious concern about Lowell's playoff shelf life when Friday's game was tied 7-7 at the half.  Grubbe's 93 carries aside, Lowell's defense has won the first two playoff games over Top-10 teams.

"We shot ourselves the whole time in the first half," said Grubbe.  "We knew that if we could come out in the second half and play our game, we'd win.  We were gaining six yards a crack.  We were beating ourselves."

Lowell hasn't played a complete game offensively and defensively against a good team yet this season and they know it.  They also know that now is the time.

"I think we're finally realizing that everything's at stake here," said Grubbe.  "If we can't execute, we're done.  I think were finally starting to get that mentality."

Lowell, at home, played with the urgency they lacked sometimes earlier this season when they were blowing out overmatched teams.

"We got good pressure on the quarterback," said Kennedy.  "I think our defensive backs are getting better, but the biggest improvement tonight was pressure on the quarterback.  Not letting him get comfortable.  Get his feet set."

Despite their pass rushing ability, the Devils seem to enjoy opposing teams that try to overpower them (like Plymouth) as opposed to 'spread' offense passing attacks.

"There's a lot of different kinds of spread attacks," said Kennedy.  "What made these guys dangerous is that their quarterback was a runner, too.  Against a team like Washington, the quarterback takes one, if not two guys out of your pass defense."

"But coach (defensive coordinator Brad) Stewart had a great plan.  We had two or three different answers to what they do and give all the credit to the kids for executing them."

There's been some pressure on Lowell.  Everybody knows they have won six sectional titles in a row and the hope they could win the sectional every season has been replaced by the expectation that they will.  That makes the sectional quarterfinal and semifinal games hurdles to clear with little reward for the Devils.

Now, they play a game with a trophy on the line.  In truth, the first championship game of the season.

"I cant wait till next week," said Grubbe.

DEVIL NOTES:  Lowell has now won 20 consecutive sectional playoff games over seven seasons.  Only Hobart, who won 18 consecutive sectional title from 1979 to 1997 has a longer streak among Northwest Indiana teams.

Brandon Grubbe's totals almost certainly faced slight adjustment when the official school numbers came out Monday.  In the thick, smelly mud, it was hard to tell exactly what yards were gained on each play.  The next landmark for Grubbe would be to break into the Top-25 rushers all time in the entire state.

Josh Martini gained 5,349 yards for Southern Indiana's East Central high school from 1991-1994 and he is 25th all-time in the state.  The all-time career state rushing record is an almost unreachable 7,560 yards by Otis Shannon of Indianapolis Cathedral (2001).  Observers found it amazing that anyone could run in the thick mud at Lowell.

But Grubbe said the Devils' practice field (to the east of the varsity gridiron) is in the same shape.

"We've started to go practice on the soccer field," he said.  "Our field is just like this."

South Bend Washington lined up in field goal formation with place kicker Jesus Mercado when they needed to punt the ball.  Mercado got outstanding distance on his kick/punts and Lowell was unable to block any of them.

"They took advantage of the rules," said Kennedy, with some admiration.  "In high school ball, the rules for punts are exactly the same as a the rules for place kicks.  Obviously, his place kicker was getting better distance than his punter.

Copyright © 2009 USA-365.com and Meyer Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp.  All rights reserved.
Revised: November 04, 2009 .