Flyingangel Posted June 26, 2025 Posted June 26, 2025 I took this from the region sports network forum. If not allowed please delete. I would love to hear people’s thoughts 2025 Duneland Conference Preview The big dogs of “The Region” are set for another exciting football season this fall. However, many of the top teams in the conference face the challenges of replacing top line talent from one season ago, and, as the postseason rolls into late November, DAC schools are given the tall tasked with going toe-to-toe with the football powers down state. Which DAC school will reign supreme in 2025? 6A Crown Point Bulldogs (13-1; 7-0 1st DAC in 2024; Lost 30-7 to Westfield in 6A Northern Semi-State) HC: Craig Buzea (40-8; 5th season at Crown Point) Key Returners TE/LB - Trevor Gibbs OL - Nolan Cicero TE/DE - Ben Keller Key Departures QB - Noah Ehrlich LB - Lucas Szymborski RB - Larry Ellison Crown Point is quickly turning into a football factory as more than 210 kids showed up to the team’s first summer practice in early June. It clearly doesn’t take much convincing for the top athletes in the school to play football. The Bulldogs will have to replace three top players in 2025, including starting QB, Noah Ehrlich. However, with the returning services of IU-commit Trevor Gibbs, Ball State-commit Nolan Cicero, and the versatile Ben Keller, Crown Point can and should be the favorite in the DAC but not as big as the past few years. It may be tough to replicate the dominance of last season (CP never lost a conference game by fewer than 4 touchdowns), but, a fourth consecutive conference title is at least achievable along with the next team in this list. The question with Crown Point becomes, how far can they go in the State Tournament? They should be favored in their Sectional featuring Portage, Lake Central, and Penn, but the road gets much tougher beyond that. The Bulldogs look to prepare themselves better for the state tournament this year by adding Pike to their non-conference schedule in Week 2. Look for Crown Point to run the gauntlet again with only the next team able to compete and I repeat don’t count them out 5A Merrillville Pirates (11-2; 6-1 2nd DAC; Lost 31-14 to Warsaw in Semi-State) Head Coach: Brad Seiss (83-37 11th season at Merrillville) Key Returners RB - JQ Johnson RB - Cameron Jordan S - Warren Brown III Key Departures DE - Trenton Nixon S - John Peters Entire Offensive Line As far as offensive skill positions go, Merrillville returns over 96% of their production from one year ago. This includes 1000 yard rushers JQ Johnson and Cam Jordan, plus leading tackler Warren Brown III along with a few transfers from other Dunleand schools. However, Brown will be tasked with helping fill the hole left by WMU-bound John Peters, and the entire starting Offensive Line from their Sectional Championship win over Morton has graduated. Merrillville might be the best team equipped to fight with Crown Point for the DAC crown, but they have a lot of ground to make up. They also have an interesting Week 2 test as they play Illinois powerhouse Loyola Academy. The bigger question with the Pirates is the Postseason. They should be favored in their Sectional, which features Hammond Central, Hammond Morton, and Munster. Their Regional, should they get that far, is also easily winnable, as they would play one of the four other 5A DAC programs. However, Semi-State gets tougher for Merrillville as they look to advance to their first State Title game since the 1970s. Will Merrillville capture that elusive semistate title this year? 5A Valparaiso Vikings (8-4; 5-2 3rd DAC; Lost 48-14 to Merrillville in Regional) Head Coach: Bill Marshall (69-18; 8th season at Valparaiso) Key Returners QB - Kaden Hosek LB - Benjamin Fedorchak LB - Brody Wheeler Key Departures RB - Thomas Burda WR - Julian Stokes LB - Brendan Gaghan It will be a fairly new look Valpo offense in 2025 as Kaden Hosek treks into his Senior Season without Tomas Burda and Julian Stokes. The Linebacking corps looks to be strong for Valpo this season with top tacklers Benjamin Fedorchak and Brody Wheeler returning, even with Brendan Gaghan graduating. Valpo is a team that you can never count out, as their 2022 State Championship run proved. However, Valpo was clearly a few steps behind both Crown Point and Merrillville in 2023 & 2024. Like Merrillville, Valpo will also play a top Illinois private school program in Week 2 as they play Brother Rice in what should be a fun measuring stick. While Valpo should be the favorite in their Sectional, featuring LaPorte, Michigan City, and Chesterton, it will not be an easy one. The Vikings won by only one score against Michigan City in the regular season, and Chesterton once again gave the Vikings a scare in the Sectional Championship. Getting over the Crown Point/Merrillville hump will be tough, but even getting to that hump will be a task. However, if any coach is able to prepare his program for a road like this, it’s Bill Marshall. 5A Michigan City Wolves (3-7; 3-4 4th DAC; Lost 28-21 (OT) in Sectional to Chesterton) Head Coach: Cody French (9-12 3rd Season at Michigan City) Key Returners QB - Trinaston Hart WR - Kyron Hart LB - Ethan Buskirk Key Departures HB - Jamorieon Gee S/OLB - Michael Crawford DE/OT - Adrian Holley Michigan City just might be the most intriguing dark horse in the DAC this season. They return almost all of their skill position talent on offense, save for Jamorieon Gee, and they played about as well as a 3-7 team could. Five of their seven losses were by one score, including three to Sectional Champions, Valparaiso, Merrillville, and Lafayette Jefferson. Michigan City proved last year they belong on the field against the top teams of the Region, but, do they have enough to get over the hump? With Trinaston Hart having another year under his belt with a solid receiving corp surrounding him, the lessons learned from one year ago could be enough to get them over that hump. Watch for Michigan City to make an upset or two during the regular season. In the postseason, their sectional is winnable, even if they are not the favorite. The Wolves shut out Chesterton in the regular season before the heartbreaking Sectional loss, and held their own against Valpo in DAC play. The question is, can they play at their best on a consistent basis? 5A Chesterton Trojans (6-5; 3-4 5th DAC; Lost 28-21 in Sectional to Valparaiso) Head Coach: Mark Peterson (58-68; 11th season at Chesterton) Key Returners Andrew Goveia Roberty Guzman Lucas Anderson Key Departures Brady McCormack Owen Elden Jude Palm Chesterton is probably the toughest team to get a read on. In five of the last six seasons, they have lost by one score in Sectionals, and that trend continued last year with a heartbreaking loss to Valparaiso. This year, it looks like Chesterton is firmly in the same, middle of the road status as they have been in recent years. The schedule is exactly the same as it was one year ago, with non-conference games against Hobart and Morton. The Trojans do return a good chunk of talent from one season ago, but they also lose some as well. If Chesterton plays at their best, they just might be able to surprise some people. Keep in mind, this team has never won a Sectional. 6A Lake Central Indians (3-7; 2-5 6th DAC; Lost 35-7 in Sectional to Penn) Head Coach: Pete Koulianos (3-7 2nd Season at Lake Central) Key Returners SS/QB: Cameron Reddick LB/RB: Brody Ramirez DE/OLB: Christian Gavin Key Departures WR/SB/FS: Trevor Kubacki LB: Tyler Bechich FS/SS: Ryder Fernandez Pete Koulianos heads into his second season at Lake Central, and he has his work cut out for him. Not necessarily from a talent standpoint, but from a schedule standpoint. With players like Cameron Reddick on offense and defensive players Brody Ramirez and Christian Gavin returning, Lake Central does have some talent. The Indians were around the “Michigan City/Chesterton” tier in 2024, except with one glaring difference. Lake Central is a 6A, meaning they have to go through Penn and/or Crown Point to win a Sectional. This is what makes the road tough in 2025. However, it is the second season of a head coaching regime. With his culture firmly in place, this will be a big measuring stick season for Koulianos and the Indians. 6A Portage (4-6; 2-5 7th DAC; Lost 42-0 in Sectional to Crown Point) Head Coach: Tony Klimczak (Interim; Roy Richards was let go on May 6) Key Returners QB - Kodie Young WR/CB/RB - Ogbonna Williamson CB/FS - Psymon Marshall Key Departures WR - Jojo Mabon DT/DE - Everett Mcclelland Head Coach - Roy Richards No team has had a more turbulent offseason in this conference, the region, and potentially even the state than Portage has. Roy Richards seemed to be righting the ship as the Indians had their highest win total in six seasons in 2024, until Richards was placed on Administrative Leave in early May and removed from his post one week later. The school has not explained why Richards was shown the door. Now, its’ Tony Klimczak who takes over as interim Head Coach, but nothing has come out of Portage regarding a potential permanent replacement. Klimczak is a brilliant choice as an interim coach, as he previously coached for five years at nearby Wheeler. He led the Bearcats to back-to-back GSSC South titles in 2014 and 2015, and the programs most recent 10-win season in 2014. It could be fun to watch Klimczak at a larger program, albeit under unfortunate circumstances. Portage has a tough road ahead in 2025. Not only do they have the DAC gauntlet, but they are in 6A Sectional 1 alongside Lake Central, Penn, and Crown Point. With uncertainty surrounding the head coach position, it’s tough to envision how Portage will fare. 5A LaPorte Slicers (0-10; 0-8 8th DAC; Lost 35-0 in Sectional to Valparaiso) Head Coach: Austin Epple (2-18; 3rd season at LaPorte) Key Returners Reed Raymond Dawson Shreve Jack Borelli Key Departures R.J. Carnes Vann Warner Keli Hay 2024 was rock bottom for a LaPorte squad that has fallen on hard times in recent years. The Slicers have not had a winning season since 2017, and they have gone through five head coaches in that span. However, as Austin Epple enters his third season at the helm, giving the program some much-needed stability. As far as next season goes, the Slicers need to get the quarterback position figured out as four guys had 18+ passing attempts in 2024 for an offense that averaged 6.7 points per game. However, they did have three guys with 100+ tackles on defense, including returners Dawson Shreve and Jack Borelli. That defense will be the foundation Epple looks to build on in 2025. The goal for LaPorte in 2025 is to regain some respectability. Their schedule starts off with two tough 4As in New Prairie and Lowell before DAC play begins, and getting a good start there will be crucial to building some confidence before being tested against the bigger schools. The DAC figures to be a very competitive conference in 2025. There are schools who are capable of making deep runs in the state tournament, but whether or not they will remains to be seen. 1 Quote
23andCounting Posted June 26, 2025 Posted June 26, 2025 Great write up, thanks for sharing. Looking forward to the "CP is the team to beat from the North" banter...........which I'm guilty of in the past and will probably participate some this season. Tons of respect for the Merrillville and Valpo programs. Would love to see Merrillville get their shot at a state title as long as it's not at the expense of FW North. Valpo will always be good. It seems like every 4 or 5 years, they have a team can compete with the states best. Time will tell. Quote
Flyingangel Posted June 26, 2025 Author Posted June 26, 2025 3 hours ago, 23andCounting said: Great write up, thanks for sharing. Looking forward to the "CP is the team to beat from the North" banter...........which I'm guilty of in the past and will probably participate some this season. Tons of respect for the Merrillville and Valpo programs. Would love to see Merrillville get their shot at a state title as long as it's not at the expense of FW North. Valpo will always be good. It seems like every 4 or 5 years, they have a team can compete with the states best. Time will tell. I don’t know everything going on this offseason, but I have heard Merrillville got a few transfers from portage. Crown point took some more kids from Illinois. And your right valpo is not a team that can be over looked. I’m thinking Merrillville vs Lafayette Jefferson will be the 5A semistate. crown point should have another run in with Westfield that game could go either way. I’ll take the home team. I haven’t heard much chatter outside of the top 3 in DAC this year. And I know absolutely nothing about the fort Wayne area Quote
temptation Posted June 26, 2025 Posted June 26, 2025 4 hours ago, 23andCounting said: Great write up, thanks for sharing. Looking forward to the "CP is the team to beat from the North" banter...........which I'm guilty of in the past and will probably participate some this season. Tons of respect for the Merrillville and Valpo programs. Would love to see Merrillville get their shot at a state title as long as it's not at the expense of FW North. Valpo will always be good. It seems like every 4 or 5 years, they have a team can compete with the states best. Time will tell. We doing this again? Quote
23andCounting Posted June 26, 2025 Posted June 26, 2025 (edited) 2 hours ago, temptation said: We doing this again? I don't see why not, Buzea has put together one of the best programs in the state in four short years. The dude has a resume Temp. Besides, what fun would the regular season be without a team from the North to boast about. Crown Point is just a couple of speed burners from a state title. Edited June 26, 2025 by 23andCounting 1 Quote
23andCounting Posted June 26, 2025 Posted June 26, 2025 2 hours ago, Flyingangel said: And I know absolutely nothing about the fort Wayne area Snider will be 5A championship good, but 6A is a different beast. Carroll has proven over the past several years that they will just reload. Homestead might threaten those two for SAC supremacy, but no way they get out of their sectional. For now, gotta roll with Buzea and company. Quote
temptation Posted June 27, 2025 Posted June 27, 2025 39 minutes ago, 23andCounting said: I don't see why not, Buzea has put together one of the best programs in the state in four short years. The dude has a resume Temp. Besides, what fun would the regular season be without a team from the North to boast about. Crown Point is just a couple of speed burners from a state title. I can save us some time. Crown Point will be the equivalent of a mid-tier HCC team with an inflated record. 2 1 Quote
Bobref Posted June 27, 2025 Posted June 27, 2025 Just now, temptation said: I can save us some time. Crown Point will be the equivalent of a mid-tier HCC team with an inflated record. Aaahhh.. The season can’t be far off. 😂🤣😅 1 Quote
23andCounting Posted June 27, 2025 Posted June 27, 2025 44 minutes ago, temptation said: I can save us some time. Crown Point will be the equivalent of a mid-tier HCC team with an inflated record. Top three..............signed, sealed, delivered. 1 Quote
Boilernation Posted June 27, 2025 Posted June 27, 2025 The Duneland is a Baseball conference. I'll embrace the Baseball State Titles and be OK with acknowledging Crown Point is a 2nd tier HCC School. Start poaching some of Merrillville's D1 skill talent and it's a different story. 2 Quote
23andCounting Posted June 27, 2025 Posted June 27, 2025 (edited) 2 minutes ago, Boilernation said: The Duneland is a Baseball conference. I'll embrace the Baseball State Titles and be OK with acknowledging Crown Point is a 2nd tier HCC School. Start poaching some of Merrillville's D1 skill talent and it's a different story. Title(s)? Presuming Valpo won. Who else? And don't sell CP short. Every HCC team has potential to be "mid tier." It's a compliment. Edited June 27, 2025 by 23andCounting 1 Quote
Boilernation Posted June 27, 2025 Posted June 27, 2025 6 minutes ago, 23andCounting said: Title(s)? Presuming Valpo won. Who else? And don't sell CP short. Every HCC team has potential to be "mid tier." It's a compliment. Lake Central won 4A last year. I'm not selling CP short. Buzea is a great coach. Has a great staff and program. But a majority (if not all) of the HCC has all of those things. It doesn't help Crown Point to play in the DAC while the HCC is sharpening each other. Quote
23andCounting Posted June 27, 2025 Posted June 27, 2025 1 minute ago, Boilernation said: Buzea is a great coach. Has a great staff and program. But a majority (if not all) of the HCC has all of those things. Agree, all on a level playing field 2 minutes ago, Boilernation said: Crown Point to play in the DAC while the HCC is sharpening each other. DT hit the nail on the head. Northern Super Conference. Carroll, Homestead, Snider, Penn, Elkhart, Crown Point, Merrillville, & Valpo. Two open dates for "rest" games. Quote
RegionFBFan Posted June 27, 2025 Posted June 27, 2025 40 minutes ago, Boilernation said: The Duneland is a Baseball conference. I'll embrace the Baseball State Titles and be OK with acknowledging Crown Point is a 2nd tier HCC School. Start poaching some of Merrillville's D1 skill talent and it's a different story. Boiler is correct. CP just doesn’t have the skill guys that Merrillville has every year. CP in the trenches on both sides is solid but at WR and DB they are average at best. Give Buzea some more time with his recruiting Illinois and the Region and he’ll get these needs filled. Quote
temptation Posted June 27, 2025 Posted June 27, 2025 3 minutes ago, RegionFBFan said: Boiler is correct. CP just doesn’t have the skill guys that Merrillville has every year. CP in the trenches on both sides is solid but at WR and DB they are average at best. Give Buzea some more time with his recruiting Illinois and the Region and he’ll get these needs filled. Combine CP and Merrillville and you get Brownsburg. Quote
Justasportsfan Posted June 27, 2025 Posted June 27, 2025 49 minutes ago, 23andCounting said: Agree, all on a level playing field DT hit the nail on the head. Northern Super Conference. Carroll, Homestead, Snider, Penn, Elkhart, Crown Point, Merrillville, & Valpo. Two open dates for "rest" games. Neva..gonna..happen... Quote
Justasportsfan Posted June 27, 2025 Posted June 27, 2025 2 hours ago, temptation said: I can save us some time. Crown Point will be the equivalent of a mid-tier HCC team with an inflated record. Westfield did make them look..mediocre.. cp made Carroll look bad..don't see those gaps closing that fast for either...miracles do happen though..maybe 3 more years 1 Quote
Flyingangel Posted June 27, 2025 Author Posted June 27, 2025 (edited) 4 hours ago, 23andCounting said: I don't see why not, Buzea has put together one of the best programs in the state in four short years. The dude has a resume Temp. Besides, what fun would the regular season be without a team from the North to boast about. Crown Point is just a couple of speed burners from a state title. As bad much as I hate to say this. Imagine the pirates with the crown point staff. Would that mix well? Does anyone see Chesterton winning a sectional anytime soon? Edited June 27, 2025 by Flyingangel Quote
23andCounting Posted June 27, 2025 Posted June 27, 2025 8 hours ago, temptation said: Combine CP and Merrillville and you get Brownsburg. Crown Point + Merrillville = running clock vs Brownsburg. Sorry, that would be lethal. 8 hours ago, Justasportsfan said: Westfield did make them look..mediocre.. cp made Carroll look bad..don't see those gaps closing that fast for either...miracles do happen though..maybe 3 more years No excuses for Carroll. Snider's a 5A program limited by enrollment. Quote
23andCounting Posted June 27, 2025 Posted June 27, 2025 8 hours ago, Justasportsfan said: Neva..gonna..happen... Not saying it will. But I wouldn't be surprised to one day see East Noble and Leo enter the SAC mold. Would love to see Huntington North continue to develop. Maybe see the likes of Adams Central and South Adams add to the SAC small division. 9 hours ago, RegionFBFan said: Boiler is correct. CP just doesn’t have the skill guys that Merrillville has every year. CP in the trenches on both sides is solid but at WR and DB they are average at best. Give Buzea some more time with his recruiting Illinois and the Region and he’ll get these needs filled. As I said...............a speed burner or two away from a state title. They're close. Quote
temptation Posted June 27, 2025 Posted June 27, 2025 1 hour ago, 23andCounting said: Crown Point + Merrillville = running clock vs Brownsburg. Sorry, that would be lethal. No excuses for Carroll. Snider's a 5A program limited by enrollment. We really doing this again? Watching someone you respect suffer from amnesia is tough. 1 Quote
23andCounting Posted June 27, 2025 Posted June 27, 2025 5 minutes ago, temptation said: We really doing this again? Watching someone you respect suffer from amnesia is tough. Literally made me laugh. C'mon Temp, come up with a scenario that's fair to the rest of the state. Like maybe Crown Point + Whiting. If you gave Buzea Merrillville's kids in addition to his own, he'd real off a dynasty like Wright, Dullaghan, or Geesman has never seen. Maybe they wouldn't running clock Brownsburg, but no one in Indy would come withing three touchdowns. Quote
temptation Posted June 27, 2025 Posted June 27, 2025 12 minutes ago, 23andCounting said: Literally made me laugh. C'mon Temp, come up with a scenario that's fair to the rest of the state. Like maybe Crown Point + Whiting. If you gave Buzea Merrillville's kids in addition to his own, he'd real off a dynasty like Wright, Dullaghan, or Geesman has never seen. Maybe they wouldn't running clock Brownsburg, but no one in Indy would come withing three touchdowns. I said what I said. Look, I don’t want to be accused of hijacking another thread. The Duneland is a top 5 conference in the state, maybe better. But the gap after the top two conferences is massive. Lets leave it at that. Quote
Bobref Posted June 27, 2025 Posted June 27, 2025 13 minutes ago, temptation said: The Duneland is a top 5 conference in the state, maybe better. But the gap after the top two conferences is massive. Hard to argue with this. As Bill Parcells famously said, “you are what the record says you are.” 1 Quote
temptation Posted June 27, 2025 Posted June 27, 2025 11 minutes ago, Bobref said: Hard to argue with this. As Bill Parcells famously said, “you are what the record says you are.” The real debate begins with what conference is third. You could make a case for the SAC, Duneland, Mid-State or SIAC and I’d be willing to listen. Quote
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