Red Devils want to be more than average
By Mark Smith msmith@post-trib.com August 7, 2012 2:20PM
Fans pack the Inferno at Lowell high school during a game against Griffith on Friday, September 9, 2011. | Mark Smith~Sun-Times Media
Lowell football
2011 LOWELL (5-5)
Coach Keith Kilmer (11-9, 2 years)
2011: 5-5, 2010: 6-4, 2009: 13-2
Sectional titles (11) 1992, 1994, 1999, 2003-2010
Regionals (6) 1994, 1999, 2005, 2007- 09
Semistates (3) ‘05, ‘07, ‘09
State titles (1) 2005
8-19 (L) 6-27 Crown Point (9-4)
8-27 (L) 6-13 at Morton (11-2)
9- 2 (W) 36-14 at Kankakee Valley (2-8)
9-9 (W) 18-13 Griffith (8-4)
9-16 (W) 45-30 Highland (2-8)
9-23 (W) 19-17 at Hobart (3-8)
9-30 (W) 33-6 Hammond (8-3)
10-7 (L) 8-27 at Munster (5-5)
10-14 (L) 7-35 Andrean (9-1)
10-21 (L) 14-35 Mishawaka (7-5)
2012 Lowell Red Devils
Coach: Keith Kilmer, 11-9 (3rd year)
Northwest Crossroads games in CAPS
Aug. 17 at Crown Point {9-4} 7:00 pm
Aug. 24 Morton {10-2} 7:00 pm
Aug. 31 KANKAKEE VALLEY {2-8) 7:00 pm
Sep. 7 at GRIFFITH {8-4} 7:00 pm
Sep. 14 at HIGHLAND (2-8) 7:00 pm
Sep. 21 HOBART {3-8} 7:00 pm
Sep. 28 at Hammond {7-3} 7:00 pm
Oct. 5 MUNSTER (5-5) 7:00 pm
Oct. 12 at ANDREAN (9-1) 7:00 PM
Class 4A Sectional 10 with South Bend schools Clay,
Riley and Washington plus New Prairie, Kankakee Valley,
Hobart and Mishawaka.
Article Extras
Updated: August 23, 2012 9:58AM
LOWELL — It was a major disappointment. Sure it was.
Lowell football was 5-2 last October after a dominating win over an improved Hammond High squad. There were thoughts of Northwwest Crossroads Conference and Class 4A Sectional 10 championships.
And then quicker than 1-2-3, the Devils season was over with a .500 record (5-5), and they were left wondering what happened.
The Devils headed into games with Munster, Andrean and Mishawaka expecting to compete, but they were outscored 21-6 after the first quarter against Munster, 21-0 after the first period against the 59ers and 21-7 in the second half against Mishawaka in a very short playoff run. It’s like they wore out.
And it surprised many of us just because Lowell was a senior-dominated team that expected to get stronger as the game went on.
A lot of the probelm was clearly on offense, where the Devils avergaed only 19.2 points per game, and only 16 per game in the second half of the season.
Too many dropped balls, missed kicks and mistakes made a sectional champ a .500 team.
“We just have to get better with our turnover ratio,” said coach Keith Kilmer last week as his team prepared for the season opener Aug. 17 at Crown Point.
“We’ve got to get in the plus range. It’s not even turnovers. It’s just mistakes that nullify plays. That’s been our big focus since day one of the off-season.
“We just need some leaders. Our kids are great to be around but we need the senior class to step up. We need the leaders who will step up in tough times. We have lacked some of that the past two years.
“There’s turning points in games and that’s when you need your leaders. We’re in most every game last year but we need those leaders in tough situations.
“That’s been our focus since the end of the Mishawaka (playoff) game last year.”
Lowell comes into the 2012 season as it has in many of the last 20 years. A fairly small — 54-player — roster. They have a good running back, a small but quick defense and questions, at least to start with, on the offensive line.
They have made that outline work before.
Quarterback Bryan Thomas hopes to improve on 34 of 64 passing for 375 yards, but Kilmer says the passing game is going to have to prove itself.
“The boys always want to throw more but I tell them,” said Kilmer, who knows that Lowell is traditionally a run-based team, “show me you can do it and we’ll call it.
“Bryan has worked harder. He’s had a good offseason. We’ve got a returning quarterback but I told Bryan, there is a competition. Little Josh Bottos (5-7, 160) is giving him a run for his money. Bryan has worked on his passing but we’ve got to make first down work. If we make a mistake on first down, we‘re in a whole we can’t get out of. If we find out we can throw, we want to be able to throw on first down when teams are stacked against the run.”
Lowell’s best years usually flow from two things: A ball control offense that keeps their small but speedy defense fresh and good place kicking and punting.
The runnng back in the spotlight this season is junior George Fields (6-0, 175), a breakaway threat, who gained 441 yards on 64 caries last fall, scoring five TDs playing behind now-graduated Nick Hamilton (178 carries, 924 yards, 10 TDs).
Kilmer knows that the fans saw Fields’ sophomore speed in 2011, but he says that Fields just didn’t put in the work to prepare to be the heavy-duty ball carrier he will be this season.
“Nick Hamilton did a great job for us but he just wasn’t a true tailback,” said the third year coach. “You think we didn’t want to give George the ball 20-30 times a game last year? He just wasn’t ready. Now, he is. He’s had a great offseason. He’s working hard. If we can keep him healthy, we’ll be fine. And we have some other talent coming. We’ll be young and we’ll take some limps early. But we’ll be alright.
“Dan Garza will play some fullback. Paul Mauer will play some. We look like we did in 2005 or in 1999. Nate Cleveland was probably the only true fullback we’ve ever had in the time I’ve been here. Other than that, we usually have two halfbacks, not a halfback and a fullback.
“Tyler Hopkins. Dominic Capaletti. They’re young guys who will be behind Fields so they might as well play some fullback so they can get on the field.”
Lowell wasn’t a bad defensive team last year. It gave up 21 points a game but a lot of that was set up by offensive struggles. The Devils will be smaller this season but faster.
“Our strength early will be on defense,” Kilmer said. “Spencer Kersey (6-2, 230), Cameron King (5-9, 210). Ryan Patterson the wrestler. He’ll probably end up going both ways for us. Monster strong. He’s still really learning how to play football.”
The linebackers will feature a long and lean duo.
“‘Peppi LeKrone.’ Mitch Lekrone. He’s almost 6-foot-5. He’ll play about 195-200. I told him I want him up to 210 but I don’t think he’s ever going to be able to put that weight on here (at Lowell). He’ll put the weight on in college. He’s quick. If he stays healthy, he’ll have a monster year.
“Tony Mauer (6-4, 210) will definitely play a lot. Dan Garza will be in the middle. George (Fields) will play some in the middle.
“We’re doing some things to let them react and play. Simplify things. I think they like that.”
Lowell will need some good secondary play in the first few weeks as Crown Pint and Morton figure to throw the ball a lot.
“Josh Bottos (5-9, 165) has had a great camp. Wes Hardin. Eddie Simmons. Capalletti. He’ll blossom into a good player. He’s got our fastest 40 time.”
Junior safety Austin Hamm (6-3, 185) returns for his second year as Lowell’s punter. He avraged 27.8 on 40 boots last year and wil improve on those numbers.
Lowell placekicking was a little hard to watch in 2011.
The Devils were only 10 of 22 on extra points last year and didn’t make any field goals.
But it’s a new year and a new foot has stepped to the front. Kilmer is encouraged that he has a new young kicker in sophomore Colton Wilke (6-3, 180).
“As a freshman, he ran on our 3200 meter team,” said Kilmer, who is also Lowell’s boys track coach. “He’s a competitor. He plays basketball and he’s not much good but you know he’s on the floor because he’s such a hard worker. I just want him to hit the PAT. He’s been working with Adam Hudak (Lowell’s all-area kicker from 2000) and he’s booming 40-yarders in practice. Now, he’s only hitting about one out of five of them but that will get better. He’s got a great leg. He just needs that mentality of a kicker that he can make it every time. He was hitting kickoffs down to the 5-yard-line every time. He just needs consistency.
“We’ll be a lot better on special teams than we were last year.”
Lowell had its largest offensive line in school history last year, but the Devils found out that opponenets could sabotage them with little quick defenders who neutralized them. It’s a new day here, too.
“All new line?” said Kilmer. “Well, we have one guy back. Spencer Kersey at center.
“We’ve got one returning starter and we might move him out to tackle (from center) to utilize his size more. But I’m happy. I like smaller linemen. We were a little stubborn with our blocking scheme last year. Next time we have a big line, which will be in a couple of years, we’ll have more of a zone scheme.
“Every one of the guys we had last year will do well in college because they’ll be pass blocking and things they’re built for.
“A good example is Mike Staniewicz (class of 2007). When he was a sophomore here, he was smaller and quicker and he was good. By the time he’s a senior, we’re yelling at him all the time. Then he goes to Butler and he starts every game for them for four years. When you think big and powerful, you man up on somebody. That’s not typically what our team does. I’m kind of excited about having a smaller, quicker line. In a couple of our championship seasons, we moved fullbacks to center. I like what we have this year.”
Lowell plays the “Oreo” schedule again. Hard and crunchy on both sides and soft in the middle.
Hammond, Hobart and Highland might object being called softies but there’s no question that to open with Crown Point (9-4 in 2011) and Morton (11-2) is not easing your way into the season.
“We’ll be young but we’ll be competitive,” said Kilmer. “Merrillville will be a tough scrimmage because we took it to them a little last year and Zac will have his guys ready when they get here. Crown Point will be tough. They may run more power. Morton. He’ll bring some athletes in. “
DEVIL NOTES: Lowell’s scrimmage with Merrillville will begin at 6 p.m. next Friday, Aug. 10 and the Devils will have the annual hog roast fund raiser before the football beginning at 4 p.m.
Merrillville comes in with a rebuilt defense but they also bring veteran quarterback Jake Raspopovich (173 of 292, 2,057 yards, 12 TDs in 2011) plus halfback and track star Dylon Collins, who was second (:10.83) in the state in the 100 meter dash at the state track finals last June.
“It was good for us to go up there last year,” said Keith Kilmer. “Hopefully, it will be fun for them to come here. We have a good relationship with Zac (Merrillville coach Zac Wells) and those guys.”
