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FOOTBALL: Home Improvement Week Three Top 10 – 9/2/25

Check out our Home Improvement Week Three Top Ten! This list is presented by Eenigenburg Exteriors.

10. MORTON GOVERNORS (1-1)

LAST WEEK: 20-19 loss at Chesterton

PREVIOUS RANKING: #9

NEXT WEEK: vs. Shepard (0-1)

WHY ARE THEY HERE?: The Governors fought the length of the game against a solid DAC team.

The Govs stay in our top ten as they took the Chesterton Trojans to the limit, which was quite the contrast in comparison to last year’s 36-23 loss at the Mansion. Morton had a chance to do some damage late before the freshman QB Amari Price was ruled short on a fourth-down scramble. The signal caller had another solid game to add to his first varsity campaign, as he threw two touchdown passes. Despite the close loss, this has been a much more promising start in comparison to 2024’s 0-4 stretch.

A developing story in the wake of the week two loss is the injury of senior OL Cameron Miller Jr., who went down with a knee injury in the early parts of the game, sidelining him for the rest of the contest. Having a Kentucky commit up front makes things a bit easier going forward.

Morton will head back home this week against the Shepard Astros from Illinois, a team that made the playoffs in the 6A class last season.

 

9. MICHIGAN CITY WOLVES (1-1)

LAST WEEK: lost 46-29 at Lafayette Jefferson

PREVIOUS RANKING: #7

NEXT WEEK: vs. #6 Chesterton (1-1)

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK?: After a shutdown performance from City’s defense in the opener, things were a bit different in week two.

Coming off a five-takeaway performance against Hanover Central, which resulted in a shutout win, that has become an afterthought in the wake of Lafayette Jefferson’s performance against that same unit. The Bronchos had over 400 yards of total offense and were only forced into one turnover. The game got away from the Wolves early after a whopping 24-0 deficit at the end of the first quarter.

The offense did show some flashes, but a lot of these numbers were potentially inflated due to how the game played after that first quarter. Trinaston Hart completed 21 of 29 passes for 233 yards and three scores. The Bronchos forced two turnovers and a blocked punt.

The Wolves will hope to emulate their opening-week performance, as they now face the Chesterton Trojans in a top-ten game. These two teams split last year’s season, with a more recent 28-21 overtime loss to the Trojans in sectionals.

8. WHEELER BEARCATS (2-0)

LAST WEEK: 33-7 win at Kankakee Valley

PREVIOUS RANKING: #10

NEXT WEEK: River Forest (1-1)

TWO WEEKS IN, WHAT IS TO SAY?: Despite the new faces at some spots, a start to remember in the early stages of the 2025 season.

A game of interest was Wheeler’s week two matchup against KV, due to this game being one-sided in the other direction last year. The Bearcats avenged that loss and now have their first 2-0 start since 2018. Junior QB Logan Fox was efficient yet again, going 13 of 16 with 213 yards and four scores. Two of those were to Tyne Vettickal, with another coming to sophomore tailback Levi Murray. Murray added 161 yards on the ground and a second score. 

Wheeler’s defense, a unit that contains some experience dating back to that successful 2024 campaign, is starting to see some new pieces join them. Noah Helmer, a sophomore LB, had a team-high 11 tackles in the win over the Kougars. This unit has only given up seven points in its first two games of the season.

The Bearcats plan to continue their trek to some more conference hardware, as they take on River Forest for their first home game of the season.

7. VALPARAISO VIKINGS (0-2)

LAST WEEK: lost 43-19 at Brother Rice

PREVIOUS RANKING: #6

NEXT WEEK: at LaPorte (1-1)

STATISTIC TO NOTE: This is Valparaiso’s first 0-2 start since 2018.

The Vikings’ out-of-conference schedule in 2025 has been a challenging one. After a close loss to Penn, Valpo took on a tough Brother Rice team that got the best of them since the opening kick. After a 7-7 first frame, things got away from them in the second quarter with a 28-7 halftime deficit. Now, despite the 0-2 record, we still believe that the Vikings cannot get bumped out of the top ten list just yet.

Success has been the norm at Valparaiso, and oftentimes those successful seasons were started well. While it has been a rough stretch opponent-wise, a new season begins in the DAC that historically starts on the friendlier side for the Vikings. Bill Marshall and company hope to get in the win column for the first time this season against LaPorte, a team they have beaten the last 12 times.

6. CHESTERTON TROJANS (1-1)

LAST WEEK: 20-19 win vs. Morton

PREVIOUS RANKING: #8

NEXT WEEK: at #9 Michigan City (1-1)

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK?: An example of what happens with Plan A works.

From what we saw last year, the senior Trojan RB Andrew Goveia often takes the term “carrying the load” literally. That was no different in week two, which saw a much more productive Chesterton rushing attack. The senior tailback toted the rock over 35 times for 150+ yards and a score. This was quite the improvement from last week’s loss to Hobart, which featured only 43 yards on the ground for Goveia.

Kicker Mace Redman was the difference late in the ballgame, netting the game-winning kick from 33 yards out that may have been good from 40. It propelled the Trojans to a one-point lead, one that they did not let go of.

The ability to run the ball relieves some of the duties of the sophomore QB, Hunter Boyd, who is still improving on a week-to-week basis. Boyd threw a touchdown pass to Max Redman. Duneland play starts next week, which will feature a top-ten matchup between the Trojans and the host Michigan City Wolves.

5. GRIFFITH PANTHERS (2-0)

LAST WEEK: 58-20 win vs. Munster

PREVIOUS RANKING: #5

NEXT WEEK: vs. Lowell (1-1)

TWO WEEKS IN, WHAT IS TO SAY?: Pound-for-pound, it may be the most exciting offensive unit in the area.

While we have seen Griffith offenses of previous years score points at this rate, none in the fashion that these Panthers do. In the new-age era of offensive schemes, the unit does its damage much more through the air to still complement a respectable rushing attack. It almost becomes a problem that there is only one football to throw around, as the talent is so strong at both the running back and wide receiver positions.

All of that is once again led by junior QB Ryan Buillon, who is picking up where he left off his stellar sophomore season in 2024. Buillon, as well as others, however, now have a bit more hunger leading into this campaign, given how last year ended. Knowing that means that there may be plenty more points to be scored for this Griffith offense. 

They will take on their third straight NCC opponent in what will be a very exciting matchup at the Boneyard against Lowell. This may be the biggest test of the season for Griffith, which should set them up very well once GSSC play gets underway, not long after.

4. ANDREAN 59ERS (1-1)

LAST WEEK: 13-0 vs. Fort Wayne Luers (Saturday)

PREVIOUS RANKING: #4

NEXT WEEK: vs. Kankakee Valley (0-2)

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK?: A slugfest on Broadway between two teams that often meet when the lights are the brightest.

The Andrean offensive unit, which features some solid returners both young and old, has struggled a bit to begin the fall. However, that is also a group that historically faces tough defenses out of the gate year in and year out. It must be noted that more often than not, defenses start faster than offenses, and that may be the case at Andrean heading into this campaign.

Lake Central transfer Christian Gavin had his best game at Andrean, racking up a team-high nine tackles with three of them coming for a loss. Junior defensive end Landen Murray matched Gavin’s TFL total and added six total tackles. Sophomore linebacker Vinny Zsuppon spent the majority of the game in the Luers backfield with a team-high five tackles for loss. Ethan Reyna, while adding production from his usual LB spot, found the end zone twice for both of Andrean’s scores.

Now, after what has been another strong out-of-conference schedule, these are the weeks where Andrean typically begins to pick up its stride against its conference foes. They open up NCC play against the Kankakee Valley Kougars, a team they have not lost to since 2007.

3. HOBART BRICKIES (2-0)

LAST WEEK: 52-21 win at Portage

PREVIOUS RANKING: #3

NEXT WEEK: vs. Munster (0-2)

STATISTIC TO NOTE: This is Hobart’s first 2-0 start since 2018.

Granted, it does help that Merrillville is off the schedule in what was always that difficult second week matchup, but this Hobart team has lived up to the billing in its first eight quarters of the 2025 season against two DAC opponents. The Brickies have scored 72 points in their first two games of the year, besting their same-span total of nine in the last campaign.

After what was a shaky start to the game defensively against Portage, the unit took the ball away five times, outscoring the Indians 30 to nothing from the second to the third quarter. Aiden Kasch scored three times on the offensive side. Aleks Tatum had another efficient day under center, completing 10 of 12 passes for 216 yards and four total TDs. Senior RB Max Pickett crossed the century mark on the ground with a score of his own. Three different receivers found the end zone, all of whom happen to be juniors, like the aforementioned Tatum.

The sights are set high for the previous co-NCC champs. They will begin their quest for what is hoped to be an outright conference title as they take on Munster back at the Brickyard.

2. MERRILLVILLE PIRATES (1-1)

 LAST WEEK: lost 21-14 to Loyola Academy

PREVIOUS RANKING: #2

NEXT WEEK: at #1 Crown Point (2-0)

HOW DOES MERRILLVILLE STAY AT #2 AFTER A LOSS?: Despite a few teams behind the Pirates winning their respective games, Merrillville took one of the best teams in the Midwest Region to the limit. If not for a last-minute score by Loyola to regain the lead and walk out of the Purple Palace with the win, Merrillville may have ended up in our top spot. Long story short, this is as much of a quality loss as you could have.

The unit to highlight was the Merrillville defense, a group that saw some big-time production from a few of its top players. Seniors Warren Brown, Greg Hughes, and Keith Edwards all had double-digit tackles. Junior Amarie Eller was also a part of that double-digit tackle club last Friday. Stanley Freeman led the Pirates with three tackles for loss, while Quran Moore forced the lone takeaway with an interception.

It is safe to say that Merrillville has tested itself leading up to the always highly anticipated week three matchup against the Crown Point Bulldogs. In a conference dominated by the Bulldogs, the Pirates have a chance to control their own destiny for the rest of the season in the DAC with a win this Friday.

1. CROWN POINT BULLDOGS (2-0)

LAST WEEK: 21-0 win at Pike

PREVIOUS RANKING: #1

NEXT WEEK: #2 Merrillville (1-1)

PLAYER TO HIGHLIGHT: Brayden Schutt, junior, running back

The now-former Crown Point Bulldog running back, Larry Ellison left some big shoes to fill for the future tailback. However, after two games in the role, Brayden Schutt has done well after a 155-yard 3-score performance against Pike. The offensive line for the Bulldogs is also worth mentioning, as they have played a big part in the instant impact of Schutt.

The more experienced unit enterting into 2025 was the defense, a group that has shut down its first two opponents and set up its younger offense with turnovers. That group forced three this past Friday at Pike, which is hoped to not be CP’s last bus ride down I-65 this fall.

Conference play begins with a bang, as the Bulldogs will have their home opener this Friday against a very strong Merrillville Pirate team. Although this has been a matchup that has gone CP’s way, there is never a Friday off in the DAC.

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

CALUMET WARRIORS (2-0)

WEST SIDE COUGARS (1-0)

LOWELL RED DEVILS (1-1)

HANOVER CENTRAL WILDCATS (0-2)

LAKE CENTRAL INDIANS (1-1)

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