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Munster (5-2) at Lowell (7-0) |
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Week 8 - Football Game of the Week Preview
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Munster (5-2) at Lowell (7-0) |
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10-8-2008
When:
Friday, October 10, 2008
Where:
Lowell High School - Route 2 (Commercial Ave.) & Holtz Road, Lowell, IN
Tickets:
$5
Kickoff:
7:00 p.m.
Radio-TV: WKIF (92.7) FM, WTMK (88.5) FM
JV GAME: Saturday, Oct. 11 - LOWELL at Munster - 10:00 a.m.
FRESHMAN: Thursday, Oct. 16 -
Munster at LOWELL - 6:00 p.m.
ENROLLMENT: Munster
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Class 4A, enrollment - 1,670;
LOWELL - Class 4A, enrollment
- 1,254
PARKING: I don't know how many fans
will come south from Munster for
this game. The Mustangs are
winning this year, but Munster
football crowds have been small
in this decade and the Mustangs'
loss last week probably cooled
everyone's desire to ride
south. I would not expect
anywhere near the crowd Hobart
brought to Lowell on Sept. 26.
WEATHER: Good. Daytime
temperatures are set for the low
70s Friday, but darkness falls
early now and it should be in
the low 60s by kickoff time and
the mid 50s by the fourth
quarter. There is no rain
predicted. You can't ask for any
more than this in October.
The SERIES: Lowell and Munster were rivals
in the old, Lake Suburban
Conference (1970-1992) in the
80s and 90s and Lowell never
defeated them in a league game.
Lowell was the first school
Munster ever played when they
began varsity football 41 years
ago and the Mustangs had a
25-game, 26-year winning streak
against the Red Devils when
Lowell scored a 9-7 victory in
the 1992 sectional championship
game.
In the 1970s, Munster ruled the
Lake County, Indiana portion of
the high school football world
with 78 wins and 22 losses and
in the early days of the state
football tournament
(1973-to-present) the wild
horses got quite a reputation
for hard-running, hard-hitting
play.
Munster is growing slowly. This
school had 1200 students 20
years ago and 1400 5-10 years
ago. I don't know how much
bigger the town of Munster can
get because I don't know of any
open land in town. But the glory
days of Munster football will
return when the IHSAA goes to
six classes (probably for the
2009-2010 season) because the
Mustangs will no longer have to
beat the giant 6A schools in the
playoffs.
Munster isn't going to win
Class 5A Sectional One. They
drew Lake Central in the first
round and that's a rematch of LC's 20-19 win in August. Lake
Central is the sixth place team
in the DAC and the other five
teams are in 5A Sectional One.
Munster's problem is: They
play 3A and 4A schools all year
and then compete in the 5A
playoffs. That dog won't hunt.
So, the regular season is their
goal. If Munster defeats Lowell
they can tie for the Northwest
Crossroads Conference title and
this season would be a glorious
success.
Munster's situation is about
to change. If the IHSAA goes to
Class 6A in football for the
2009 or 2010 season as is being
discussed, Munster will stay 5A
but the 32 largest schools in
the state will go to 6A making
Munster a real player in the
post-season. That's a day the
Mustangs are very much looking
forward to.
Munster runs a Wing-T
offense that dates back to the
1950s but it's a good high school
offense because it uses a lot of
misdirection and can break down
undisciplined teams.
Coach Leroy Marsh is
synonymous with Munster football
and there is no question that he
runs a sportsmanlike program. While there is no talk of this,
Marsh certainly will retire soon
and this season could still be a
platform for him to go out on.
The Mustangs have had dramatic
come-from-behind victories over
Morton and Griffith and are
still in the running for the
league championship, something
he Mustangs have not won since
the old Lake Suburban Conference
days of the 70s and 80s.
To beat a team ranked as highly
as Lowell currently is would
make the entire season for
Munster Friday night.
Lowell Red
Devils (7-0)
Coach Kirk Kennedy (142-67, 18 years)
8-22 (W) 7-0
at Crown Point (3-4)
8-29 (W) 47-20 Morton (4-3)
9- 5 (W) 42-0 Kankakee Valley
(2-5)
9-12 (W) 27-12 at GRIFFITH (3-4)
9-19 (W) 55-7 at HIGHLAND (0-7)
9-26 (W) 35-32 HOBART (6-1)
10-3 (W) 63-0 at Hammond (4-3)
10-10 (F) MUNSTER (5-2)
10-17 (F) at ANDREAN (3-4)
Sectional 10 Quarterfinals
Munster
Mustangs (5-2)
| Last Year's Game: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| LOWELL (7-1) | 10 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 37 |
| MUNSTER (2-6) | 0 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 19 |
LOWELL (9-28-2007) Munster's Joe Gill threw for three touchdowns, but Lowell's Kurt Monix threw for two TDs himself in a 37-19 victory over Munster. Steffan Peck and Brandon Grubbe both ran for TDs as Lowell improved to 7-1 on the season. The win was the sixth consecutive victory for Lowell over Munster.
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| Lowell's Jake Belt (8) catching the first of 2 TD passes last week in Hammond. Belt has 13 catches for 339 yards (26.1 per catch) and 4 TDs. (All photos by Mark Smith) |
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| Brandon Grube has plenty to smile about, including 815 yards on 137 carries this year (1,675 yards on 281 carries in 2007) and 2,490 yards on 418 career carries. Grubbe needs 15 yards for 2,500 and 185 yards for 1,000 for the second consecutive season. (All photos by Mark Smith) |
4A Munster
Mustangs (5-2)
Coach Leroy Marsh (176-120) 29
years
Enrollment: 1,650
Sectional titles: (4) 1985,
1986, 1987, 1993, 1994
Regional titles: (1) 1986
Semistate titles: (0) none
State titles: (0) none
MUNSTER (10-10-2008)
Munster's
left-handed quarterback is
playing his third season and
that has a lot to do with the
record they have this week.
Gill (65-of-121, 1,089 yards 13
TDs) was 10-of-23 last week for
212 yards and he will certainly
attack the secondary, which is
said to be Lowell's weak area.
But Munster gained just 82 yards
rushing against Hobart last week
and they need more.
Gill (6-4, 218) fired two TD
passes last week to Aaron
Estrada (5-10, 176), but his main
receiver is his younger brother
Justin Gill (6-4, 178) who they
will certainly go to near the
goal line.
The line is led by Kevin Nossem
(6-3, 208), a veteran two-way
starter and the defense is keyed
by Joe Torres (5-10, 190), who
has four QB sacks.
Kicker Jeff Lucas booted a 32-yarder last week to put the Mustangs ahead 23-21 before Hobart's Mike Josifovski won the game with a last second boot.
Munster physically is small for a 5A school, but they are about the same size as Lowell and 17 passes per game speaks for itself.
4A Lowell Red Devils (7-0)
Enrollment: 1,254
2007 record: 13-2
4A Sectional titles: (9) 1992,
1994, 1999, 2003, 04, 05, 06,
07, 08
4A Regional titles: (4) 1994,
1999, 2005, 2007
4A Semi state titles: (2) 2005,
2007
4A State Titles (1) 2005
LOWELL (10-3-2008) Lowell has a better offense than they had last year, led by QB Kurt Monix (6-1, 165) who has completed 40 of 64 passes for 907 yards with eight TDs and no interceptions. Balancing that with junior halfback Brandon Grubbe (6-1, 175) who needs 185 yards Friday to reach the 1,000-yard mark for the second consecutive season, and Lowell has enough firepower to average 40 points per game.
The Red Devil offensive line of center Ryan Russnak (6-3, 175) with Justin Juarez (6-3, 227), Brian DeMario (6-3, 232), Nick Schultz (6-0, 238), and David Eastling (6-0, 213) has been surprisingly good as fullback Bryan DeSomer (38 carries, 194 yards, 5 TDs) and halfback Deron Johnson (47 carries, 279 yards, 5 TDs) have also found running room.
The biggest surprise on
offense has been receiver Jake
Belt (5-8, 160) who has caught
13 passes for an outrageous 339
yards and four TDs.
When you think about it, 40
completions for 907 yards is
22.6 yards a catch and that's a
product of running the ball
effectively so receivers get
single coverage and a chance to
go all the way.
Linebackers Justin Juarez (41
tackles, 2 interceptions), Bryan
DeSomer (26 tackles, 2
interceptions) and cornerback
Cody Midgett (25 tackles, 3
interceptions) lead a defense
that has allowed 10 points a
game.
Soccer player Matt Berkos is 35 of 40 in extra points including 14 in a row. Lowell's regulars played less than three quarters last week, so everybody's in pretty good shape going into the final two weeks of the regular season.
Munster
(5-2) at 4A, No. 3 LOWELL (7-0)
at 'The Inferno' -
capacity - 3,000; Sagarin ratings: Lowell by 15
LOWELL
(10-10-2008) -
Munster lost last week to Hobart, but with the draw matching them with rival and neighbor Lake Central, whether they beat Lowell is no longer such a big deal. Munster's Joe Gill, who threw three TD passes last year against Lowell, will come out throwing Friday as only passing teams have scored anything on the Devils.
Gill will open the scoring with a short pass to his 6-foot-4 sophomore brother Justin Gill (21 catches, 370 yards), a big target near the goal line. Lowell will rally on a long pass-and-run play from Kurt Monix to Brandon Grubbe and I'm looking for an interception by the Red Devils' Ryan Russnak (6-3, 179) whose size will be used against Muster's tall receivers.
Munster will rally on a TD pass to Aaron Estrada (17 catches, 300 yards, 7 TDs) as the Mustangs will use their misdirection Wing-T running plays only to slow down the Lowell rush. Gill will throw 30 times in this game but he will struggle to stay confident in the face of Lowell's pass rush. A sack by Joe Bell will cause a fumble leading to a Matt Berkos field goal and a 24-14 lead.
But Gill will rally his side to within 24-21 on a QB keeper late in the third, entering the final quarter. The Devils may have tired in the fourth quarter against Hobart two weeks ago, and if Munster commits to throwing repeatedly, they will have success late.
But the passing will give Lowell more possessions and a late TD run by Bryan DeSomer will create the final score.
Lowell won't be happy with allowing 21 points, but they need all the practice against passing teams they can get before the playoffs begin. This will not be an impressive win, but the Devils will go to 8-0 for the first time in 15 years.
LOWELL 31, Munster 21