Week 4 - Football Game of the Week Preview

Crown Point (0-3)
at

Lake Central (2-1)

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

9-10-2015
 

When CP gets to Lake Central Friday, they will see an all new football stadium and
a fresh artificial turf surface, a far cry from the old home of Lake Central football.
(Photo by Mark Smith)

When: Friday, September 11, 2015;  Kick-off:  7:00 p.m.

Where: Lake Central High School, 8400 Wicker Avenue | Saint John, IN 46373.  Approx. 1.6-miles south of US Rt. 30 and US Rt. 41.

Tickets$6

TV/Radio/Internet: Live updates of all local scores all night on WLPR (89.1) FM. Live Internet audio stream on www.USA-365.com. Highlights on Lake Shore Public TV (Comcast Ch. 17) at Friday at 10:30 p.m. CDT.


Enrollment: Crown Point - 2,677; Lake Central: 3,217.

WEATHER: Get ready for the rise of the fall. After about 10 days so hot and humid that dogs didn’t have the strength to bark, true football (and human being) weather moved in with livable temperatures and good football playing conditions. I thought the crowd was noticeably smaller last week for CP-Merrillville due to the heat. But that’s all over for this year and, if it doesn't rain (there is a chance of light rain Friday), temperatures in the low 60s will make conditions good for fans and perfect for players.

PARKING: While LC appears to have more parking than they used to, Lake Central has never had enough parking for a school of 3,200 and probably never will. The reason is: Lake Central wasn’t supposed to be a 3,200-teen school. In 1985, Lake Central had 2,000 students. The school renovation and the new football field doesn’t change the amount of parking for a football game. It may not matter on this night if CP doesn't bring a big crowd. The fall back position for parking at Lake Central is always east across US 41 in the strip mall. That's where I always end up. But you are on your own crossing the highway. The best option is to arrive for the game about 6:30 p.m. This night is unlikely to be standing room only.

 

WHAT's AT STAKE: Lake Central wants to win the Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC). Crown Point just wants to win a game. The Indians, the defending DAC champs, opened the league season with a 38-28 win over Portage last week and they have every reason to believe they will do it again. Not only does LC have a quality team, but they will benefit from their massive three-year school renovation. Due to construction, LC played five of seven DAC games on the road last year. That means they will play 5-of-7 league games at home this fall. Contenders Chesterton (2-1) and LaPorte (3-0) are the road trips so LC probably needs to win all DAC home games to take the title. Lake Central has won nine league games in a row.

 

The HISTORY:

 

Lake Central high school in St. John opened in 1967, but it was a bigger, better version of Dyer Central, which opened in 1927 where Kahler Middle School is now. LC has students from Schererville, Dyer, St. John and a little bit of Crown Point. Yes, there is a small portion of the LC school district which is technically in Crown Point. Dyer Central played football from 1947 to 1965 and they were a rival of Crown Point in the days before Andrean, Munster and Hanover Central even existed.

 

Schererville is and has always been considered the crossroads. In the 1800s, many trails and roads intersected here heading west, north and south. Today major roads US 30 and US 41 intersect in Schererville. I-80 and I-65 are moments away and Illinois Route 394 in Illinois, which takes residents into Chicago is also very close. That’s probably why Schererville has grown the way it has.

 

There probably should be a Schererville high school, but the size of the town may have sneaked up on folks. Route 394 was built in the late 1950s. Superhighway I-65 was built in the 1960s. Schererville had 3,600 residents in 1970, 13,000 in 1980, 19,000 in 1990 and almost 30,000 in 2010. Schererville now has about as many residents as Crown Point does.

 

The ongoing multi-million dollar three-year Lake Central high school renovation, which you will see evidence of Friday night, was long overdue and it figures to increase LC’s enrollment going forward. If you’re moving to a new area, the first thing you look at is the schools. When you drive up to Lake Central on US 41 Friday night, if you haven't been there in awhile, you will be impressed. Much of the school has been rebuilt and the football stadium is new. The Dyer Central days have long since been forgotten.

 

1965 - Dyer Central (6-2-2, 5-1-1 Calumet Conference)
Coach John Tennant
-----------------------------------------------
Sep 04 (L) 7-27 VALPARAISO.....
Sep 10 (W) 12-0 RIVER FOREST........
Sep 17 (W) 21-7 *at Highland............
Sep 24 (W) 13-0 *PORTAGE...............
Oct 01 (W) 13-0 *CROWN POINT.......
Oct 08 (W) 20-0 *at Lowell..............
Oct 16 (Tie) 13-13 at Gavit.......
Oct 23 (W) 13-7 *at Calumet............
Oct 29 (Tie) 7-7 *GRIFFITH..............
Nov 05 (L) 7-13 *at Merrillville........
• Calumet Conference games

Calumet Conference - 1965 Conference Standings

North Division-Overall Points
W L T W L T For Opp
Chesterton.......... 7 0 0 8 2 0 267-173
Gary Wirt........... 5 2 0 6 2 0 186-71
Calumet............. 5 2 0 5 4 0 157-177
East Gary........... 4 3 0 4 5 0 70-151
Gary Edison......... 2 5 0 4 5 0 142-176
Portage............. 0 7 0 0 9 0 46-186

South Division-Overall Points
W L T W L T For Opp

Dyer Central...... 5 1 1 6 2 2 126-74
Merrillville........ 5 1 1 6 3 1 172-117 v
Griffith............ 4 2 1 4 4 1 113-101
Crown Point....... 2 4 1 2 5 2 90-127
Highland............ 1 6 0 1 9 0 45-205
Lowell.............. 0 7 0 0 10 0 43-200

Final playoff
--------------------
Chesterton 13, Merrillville 6 (11-12-65 - Calumet Conference Championship)

 

DYER - Dyer Central, which, like Lake Central, also played on a bad field down the street from the Dyer Little League on US 30, never won the old Calumet Conference. But 50 years ago, a 6-point loss to Merrillville on the last day of the season denied them the title game match with Chesterton. When you look at the schedule, remember that Munster didn’t open until 1966. River Forest, which opened in 1958, Gavit, which opened in 1962 and Calumet, which opened in 1956, were strong schools back then.

 

The next season (1966), Dyer Central had closed and Lake Central had opened. John Tennant continued as head coach, but LC would go 10-23-3 in its first four football seasons. LC had a little more than 1,000 students in 1965. The school that hosts Crown Point this Friday night has over 3,200 students and is 36-11 in the last five seasons.


LAKE CENTRAL Update:

LAKE CENTRAL
– Lake Central should be 3-0. They outgained Munster in the season opener on Aug. 23, but lost 20-19 at arch-rival Munster. In past years, I didn’t know how fast Lake Central was because they played key post-season games in a field so muddy it would suck the shoes off your feet if you didn’t tie them tightly. Now, LC boys can step clear of the defense and go all the way without worrying about slipping on the St. John mud quicksand.

 

LC’s flaw is also their future. This team has just 18 seniors. Seven juniors start on offense and two sophomores start on defense. Junior Michael Taylor (6-2, 245), a highly-rated defensive end, has been hurt, has not played all year and will not play this Friday. Lake Central is a young team, but they are a very good young team and they have a senior quarterback.

Linebacker – Ethan Darter (6-foot-5, 215) Sr.
Nobody has better numbers in this part of the state than quarterback Ethan Darter, a three-year varsity player for LC. Darter unofficially has completed an outrageous 56 of 68 passes for 767 yards for eight touchdowns and just two interceptions. Last week against an outmanned Portage team, Darter hit on 24 of 27 passes for 341 yards in three quarters of play. A tall boy who can see over the pass rush, Darter was 91 of 161 for 1,010 yards and 12 TDs last season, but he’s going to double all those numbers this fall.

Wide Receiver – Austin Atkins (6-2, 195) Jr.
No one has truly covered Austin Atkins yet this year. In LC’s 54-14 victory over East Chicago on Aug. 23, Atkins grabbed just three passes for 49 yards and a touchdown, sitting out half the game because it was 41-6 at the half. Against Munster, Atkins grabbed 11 passes for 159 yards in a 20-19 loss. Last week, the varsity basketball regular caught 11 more balls for 173 yards and four touchdowns. Quick and sure-handed, here’s a player who the brand new artificial turf field at LC has to be helping. In football the mud is the 12th defender. Foes are finding they need 12 men on the field to stop Ethan Darter throwing to Austin Atkins.

Halfback Anthony Giles (5-9, 190) Jr.
The kind of breakaway runner who is probably also boosted by the new LC stadiums’ brand new carpet. Giles has carried 32 times for an unofficial 273 yards and six TDs in three games. At Munster, he broke loose for TD journeys of 56 and 68 yards. Giles is an excellent change of direction runner with quick feet. LC lines up with two wide receivers and a tight end and a wing back in motion and challenges you to stop it all. A lot of times the wide out boys are just for show and the ball is going straight ahead to Giles. It works for them.


CROWN POINT Update:

CROWN POINT
- Okay, the first three weeks of the season have been forgettable. Crown Point has scored only seven points in three games and there’s no way to win anything with that scoring. The Bulldogs have to remember that how well this season goes for them will be decided next month and they’ve got time to improve. But they need a win to gain some confidence. Positive statistics so far? CP’s defense has not been scored upon in the first quarter all season. Thomas Jones did run a kickoff back for a TD last week, but the Bulldogs have not allowed a TD from scrimmage in the first period. CP has blocked three kicks in three games: Two by senior Keaton Kaiser. Three blocks against three good teams in three weeks is more than luck. Backup punter Aaron John is averaging a credible 34 yards a boot. That’s a solid contribution by special teams defense.

Those of us who watch CP understand that the Bulldogs lack of success so far must be tempered by the fact that they have faced three excellent teams so far. The problem is: The team CP faces this Friday might be better than the three they just lost to.

Linebacker – Donald Schuch (6-2, 215) Jr.
Donald Schuch had his best game of the season against Merrillville, taking part in 15 tackles including 10 solo stops and breaking up two passes. For the season, Schuch, who did not play on the varsity in 2014, has 35 tackles including 21 solos. In a 40-0 loss last Friday, Crown Point still held Merrillville under 300 total yards. Schuch is one of the new wave of CP linebackers who have made the defense respectable so far this season.

Linebacker - Chase Ferree (6-0, 200) Sr.
Chase Ferree made 12 tackles last week, including eight solo stops. For the season, he is the Bulldogs' leading tackler with 38 tackles including 22 solos. Another player who played little in 2014, Ferree has recorded double digit tackle totals in each of the first three games. CP’s defense will be in the spotlight Friday against the high-powered LC attack.

WR-DB-KR – Trent Schoenborn (5-11, 165) Sr.
Trent doesn’t leave the field much for the Bulldogs these days. For the season, he has 17 tackles at cornerback and three catches for 49 yards at wide receiver. Obviously, Lake Central makes a lot of plays throwing the football, but they give your side a chance to make plays in the secondary. The Bulldogs haven’t had many chances in the kick return game. Schoenborn has run a kickoff back 40 yards and a punt back 20 yards. CP will need something like that this week.


CROWN POINT (0-3, 0-1 DAC) at 6A LAKE CENTRAL (2-1, 1-0 DAC)
at Lake Central Stadium - capacity: 5,000
Sagarin computer ratings:  Lake Central by
13

 

ST. JOHN
No explanation is really necessary here. CP hasn’t won any games. Lake Central has two wins over East Chicago (0-3) and Portage (0-3), but CP hasn’t won any games. 6A LC has lost to 5A Munster but it doesnt matter because CP hasn’t won any games. I’m a little surprised the spread isn’t higher, to be honest with you.

 

WHAT WILL HAPPEN:

 
ST. JOHN (09-11-2015)
The Bulldogs will obviously attempt to shorten this game by running the ball and the clock. Not knowing who is available on offense, it's hard to predict much, but I think CP gets on the board first in this game. Once the home team gets the ball, the Lake Central pass-catch duo of Ethan Darter and Austin Atkins is going to prove very difficult to defend. Two TD passes from Darter will give the Indians a 14-7 halftime lead.

 

After an evenly played third period, Anthony Giles scores for a two-TD edge. CP gets a TD pass from Grayson Lynk to Shane McCormack to close the gap, but LC scores late on another run by Giles. The Bulldogs need to be able to run effectively to upset LC on this night and they haven’t done that yet this season. Lake Central has a lot of offense to stop.
 

 

LAKE CENTRAL 28, CROWN POINT 14


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Revised: September 10, 2015.