Plenty on the line in annual Griffith-Andrean showdown

Updated: October 5, 2011 9:37PM

It’s a series that’s produced some of the area’s best high school football games.

Whenever Griffith and Andrean hook up, it often results in a game for the ages.

“Griffith’s always a big game,’’ 59ers coach Phil Mason said. “I don’t know if there’s ultimate hatred there for each other. I think both teams really respect each other. It’s just a great rivalry game. It’s a lot of fun. Both teams want to get out there and prove to each other who’s the best team.

“The fans like to put a lot of emphasis on it. The kids seem to put a lot of emphasis on it. It’s just a war. For some reason, the kids just like to go out there and get after each other.’’

A lot will be at stake for the 59ers (7-0, 4-0) when they host the Panthers (5-2, 4-1) in a Northwest Crossroads Conference matchup Friday night.

“We’ve never won the conference title, so it would be nice to win it,’’ Mason said. “We’re just trying to strive to stay on track, but we’ve got our eyes on a bigger prize.’’

The Panthers must find a way to beat Andrean if they still entertain hopes of winning at least a share of the league title.

A win by the 59ers would force a potential showdown for the NCC crown next week against Lowell, provided of course, the Red Devils don’t lose this week at Munster.

“Andrean-Griffith, it’s just a good battle,’’ Griffith coach Russ Radtke said. “It’s been a fun, good aggressive ball game for a long time. There are usually a lot of good hits and it usually goes right down to the wire. The last few years it’s kind of been back and forth.’’

Radtke is right about this being a good game most of the time.

The Panthers have won 10 of the last 17 meetings with nine of the 17 games decided by four points or less. Four of the games went into at least one overtime and three other games were decided by a single point.

“Our kids are looking forward to playing Andrean,’’ Radtke said. “We have an opportunity, we’ll see what we’re able to do with it, because playing Andrean is just a war.

“They’re a very good team speed-wise and they have good quickness on defense. I don’t see a weakness. We’ll keep searching to try and find something where we’re better. I can’t find it right now. We’re going to have to do some exceptional things to win. We’ll see what happens. I think field position, ball possession and special teams are really going to be the keys.’’

Even though he has a great defense — one which has allowed only 1.8 yards per carry and just 377 yards rushing in seven games — Mason is concerned about defending against Griffith’s wishbone, which is engineered by talented quarterback Austin Brown.

Brown has rushed for over 1,000 yards already this season. He rushed for 227 and four scores in Griffith’s 49-14 win over Highland last week.

“I thought (former Panthers quarterback Calvin) Bonewits was really good, but Brown has been really good himself,’’ Mason said. “He’s pretty elusive and he’s quick.’’

Meanwhile, Griffith’s defense must contend with Andrean’s stable of backs, including leading rusher Mason Zurek, who’s rushed for just under 1,000 yards himself (970) and has scored 19 TDs.

Shamir Johnson (543, nine TDs) and Ricky Johnston (483, five TDs) provide sophomore quarterback Matt Desomer, who’s thrown for over 600 yards and five TDs, with plenty of options.

Munster seeks big win: The Mustangs (3-4, 2-2) look to even their record at .500 when they host Lowell (5-2, 4-0) in a Northwest Crossroads Conference game Friday night.

A win over the Red Devils, who have won five straight games since losing their first two games this season, would go a long way toward helping coach Leroy Marsh’s team finish the regular season with a winning record (Munster plays at Kankakee Valley next week).

“I think it’s a typical Lowell football team in that it has a good, hard-nosed defense that likes to fly to the ball, and a pounding, bruising offense,’’ Marsh said. “They like to control the ball and if you don’t stop them, you’ll never get your hands on the ball. I think the key will be trying to stop their running game. We’re going to have to force them to punt, so that we have the chance for some opportunities to score.’’

Marsh said the Mustangs seem to be improving.

“We are playing a little bit better, I think,’’ he said. “We’ve struggled for most of the season. We’ve struggled with injuries and shooting ourselves in the foot. Last Friday (in a 41-6 win over Hobart), we didn’t hurt ourselves too many times. We were able to cut down on our turnovers and miscues, so from that point, it was a good ball game for us. I think it was the most complete game we’ve played all season.’’

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