Week 8 Football Picks

WEEK 7, 2007 Football Picks in Review: Wrong - 0; Right - 10 = 100.0%
The Pick	The Result
Hobart 31, Munster 21	Correct... Hobart 41-7
New Prairie 34, John Glenn 20	Correct... New Prairie 28-27 (OT)
Whiting 51, Calumet 20	Correct... Whiting 53-26
Clark 44, Gavit 16	Correct... Clark 57-0
Lowell 38, Hammond 7	Correct... Lowell 24-0
Portage 21, Michigan City 14	Correct... Portage 27-13
North Judson 36, Winamac 12	Correct... North Judson 27-3
Crown Point 30, LaPorte 17	Correct... Crown Point 35-21
Chesterton 35, Lake Central 17	Correct... Chesterton 31-24
Merrillville 27, Valparaiso 23	Correct... Merrillville 55-13

'Dog days' - WEEK 7 (Seven) recap - 9-28-2007: To be brutally honest, none of outcomes of the 10 games listed above could be considered 'breaking news' and you could have correctly picked another half dozen mismatches. As I said last week, there simply were not that many close games in week seven. I just can't pick games involving winless teams unless they are facing other winless teams. It's way too easy. Best pick of the week: None. I can't lie to you. The 10 games I selected here went the way they were supposed to go. There were no upsets. Sometimes it happens.

2007 (Week 1) 8 of 13   = 66.7%
2007 (Week 2) 8 of 11   = 72.7%
2007 (Week 3) 8 of 12   = 66.7%
2007 (Week 4) 10 of 11   = 90.9%
2007 (Week 5) 6 of 10 = 60.0%
2007 (Week 6) 6 of 10 = 60.0%
2007 (Week 7) 10 of 10 = 100.0%
2007 (Overall) 56 of 77   = 72.7%
2006 (final) OVERALL : 166 of 217 = 76.4%
2005 (final) OVERALL: 170 of 233 = 72.9%

Northwest Indiana
WEEK 8 (EIGHT) PICKS, 10-05-2007

MERRILLVILLE (10-05-2007) - There are multiple first place ties in the Northwest Crossroads Conference (NWCC) and the Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) with two weeks left, but the NWCC can't break their logjam. Andrean, Lowell, Hobart and Griffith all have one loss and only Andrean has control, facing Hobart and Lowell in the final two weeks. Hobart (5-2, 4-1) has only winless Highland (0-7, 0-4) left in league play so the Brickies will likely share the title, which incidentally is their second consecutive crown.

Andrean will share the title if they beat BOTH Griffith and Lowell. Griffith will share it if they beat Andraen and the 59ers then beat Lowell. Hobart wins an undisputed crown if Lowell loses to Munster, Griffith loses to Andrean and Andrean then beats Lowell. Half-shares of league titles are like second place ribbons in track and cross country. Nice to have something to commemorate the fact that you didn't really win.

In the DAC, Chesterton is in the driver's seat, but the car could fly off the road at any time. The Trojans can win just their second outright league title by beating Crown Point (5-2, 4-1) and Merrillville (6-1, 4-1) in the next two weeks. Merrillville can win the DAC if they beat Lake Central and Chesterton in the final two weeks, while Chesterton defeats CP. Crown Point needs to beat Chesterton and then watch Chesterton turn around and beat Merrillville. Lake Central and Valparaiso can still win a half or third share of a league title, but again, a split title, especially with two losses, is like having a dog that can't bark.

Let's throw out the easy ones: With respect and hope for better days, I'll pass on Highland-KV, Rensselaer at 1A No. 1 Sheridan (7-0), Lew Wallace at 4A No. 1 Cathedral (6-1), East Chicago at Jay County (5-2), LaVille (1-6) at New Prairie (5-2), Wirt (1-6) and River Forest (0-7) and Hammond (6-1) at Gavit (2-5).

Week eight has some very good matchups that could go either way. By the end of the week, the only real shocker will still be crazy, old Lou Pinella pulling ace pitcher Carlos Zambrano with the score tied 1-1 in the sixth inning of a the most important game of the season.

Clark (5-2) at Whiting (6-1)

WHITING - Arch rivals going head-to-head and that's what you want late in the year. I think that Clark has to throw the ball and increase possessions to win and that's playing into Whiting's hands. The Oilers average 40 points a game and while Clark has been very good defensively, that blows up Friday.

Whiting 42, Clark 28

Lowell (6-1) at Munster (2-5)

MUNSTER - Lowell is well-suited to rush the Mustang passer Joe Gill, and unless Munster can make the running game work, they have no offensive answers here. Lowell has played well enough offensively, but don't confuse that to mean they are playing well. Championship teams average a lot more than 23 points a game. This game will be close into the third quarter.

Lowell 28, Munster 0

Hobart (6-1) at Morton (3-4)

HAMMOND - A close game here. Morton wants Hobart to throw the ball. They can deal with that. The Brickies need to be conservative here and control the clock. Morton needs about four turnovers to win. Hobart also needs to find motivation for a nonconference game on the road late in the year and eventually, they will.

Hobart 21, Morton 13

North Newton (1-6) at Lake Station (1-6)

LAKE STATION - River Forest is the only victim for both of these Greater South Shore Conference (GSSC) rivals, but I'm surprised LS does not have another win or two. Both teams are a little short on manpower, but I think the Eagles have a semblance of a balanced offense. They can make enough plays to pull this one out.

Lake Station 26, North Newton 12

Wheeler (6-1) at Bishop Noll (3-4)

HAMMOND - Noll's two-game winning streak is in peril here and the Bearcats roll in with halfback Harold Branch who scored five TDs last week. But it was against Lake Station. Noll's Tony Hollingsworth scored 4 TDs last week. But it was against River Forest. Lake Station is a lot better than River Forest.

Wheeler 35, Bishop Noll 14

Michigan City (2-5) at LaPorte (2-5)

LaPORTE - LaPorte County's annual big school showdown matches two teams on losing streaks. But MC has lost three offensive players to season-ending injuries, including two starting running backs. LaPorte is improving on offense, despite four losses in a row. They should actually have a winning record. Warm up the scoreboard.

LaPorte 42, Michigan City 28

Valparaiso (4-3) at Portage (3-4)

PORTAGE - The second toughest game on the board to pick. Valparaiso's 1200-yard passer Alex Sarkisian faces Portage's solid, veteran defense, while the weak Viking run defense faces Portage's Albert Evans. I think Portage is rallying the troops and they'll be inspired in the final home game. Portage does not score any points but Valpo allows over 30 per game. Flip a coin.

Portage 21, Valparaiso 20

Merrillville (6-1) at Lake Central (5-2)

St. JOHN - LC has allowed 111 points in the last four weeks and it could simply be that they are now facing tougher teams. That is certainly the case here as the Pirates have allowed 98 points all season against NW Indiana's toughest schedule. LC is still looking for that one big win, but Merrillville has the speed on defense to turn off whatever LC can plan in the final home game. This isn't that close.

Merrillville 37, Lake Central 14

Griffith (5-2) at Andrean (5-2)

MERRILLVILLE - Andrean has an excellent passing game while Griffith excels on the ground. The Niners are tough against the run, but Griffith may be a bigger steer than they can rope. The Panthers, who have only lost to Hobart and Merrillville, have scored 40 points a game in the last three weeks and they can share the first NWCC title with a win. Andrean does not run the ball as well as they need to to win a big-on-big game like this.

Griffith 29, Andrean 21

Crown Point (5-2) at Chesterton (6-1)

CHESTERTON - The toughest game on the board. Chesterton has top QB Alex Beierwalter coming off a 15-of-25 for 295-yard game against LC. But CP has beaten Chesterton five times in a row and the Bulldogs scored a season-best 35 points last week vs. LaPorte. CP has a top line and running back and the Chesterton run defense is weak. The Trojans have a D-1 passer and the CP pass defense has not been good. Chesterton wins when they stop a late two-point conversion.

Chesterton 28, Crown Point 26