Guest DT Posted June 30, 2021 Share Posted June 30, 2021 HHF Interview with Bob Potosky, Region Sports Analyst and Voice of The Griffith Panthers Hello Bob, and welcome to Hoosier High School Football Question 1 : It's been a while since we caught up. Tell us a little about your media background, and what are you currently working on as it relates to high school football? BP: In the words of Jerry Garcia, what a long strange trip its been. Previously I was assistant managing editor for the Indiana Football Guide, as well as the author of the Potosky Power 25 Rankings that people seemed to enjoy back in the day. After the company that produced the aforementioned Guide went under, I went into the world of retail, but kept my foot in the media door. A group of us founded Mid America Broadcasting LLC in 2009, and we've been webcasting under that banner ever since. Since 2016, we have been the home of Griffith Panther football. We still do some other schools in NW Indiana, but the last few years it's been mostly GHS. (Speaking of the Power 25, I have had some thoughts about resurrecting it. I need get up to speed on my downstate knowledge. It's not as it once was when trying to keep track of over 300+ football programs in the state was a major component of my job. 2. Question 2 : Probably the biggest news in Northwest Indiana is the consolidation of the Hammond schools and the opening of the new Hammond Central High School. With Gavit and Clark now closed, Morton and Central will open the season as Class 5A schools. What are your thoughts on how this all played out, and what are your expectations for both programs? BP: It's interesting to see how the landscape of Northern Lake County Football has drastically changed just within the last couple of decades. Remember when Gary had Roosevelt, Lew Wallace, Wirt and Horace Mann? Now it's just West SIde and a couple of charter schools. Comparing the schedules of the Hammond schools, Central will be tested by Valparaiso and Pioneer. Morton picked up Hobart, Elkhart, Cathedral and Bloomington South. Morton has carried the banner for Hammond football for the better part of the last decade plus. I think Central hiring Adam Hudak away from Wheeler to guide their program is a very good hire. I think initially Morton may be the more successful of the two programs at the onset, but both will be very competitive I feel in the NW 5A sectional. 3. Question 3 : The other big news coming out of The Region is the return of Craig Buzea to Indiana, where he takes over as new Head Coach at Crown Point. This was a shocker to everybody who watches high school football in the area, especially given Coach Buzea's well documented health issues. What are you looking for out of the CP program, both in the near short term , as well as a long term outlook for the Bulldogs. BP: Former coach Kevin Enright did a rock solid job with the Bulldogs, being one of the better defensive teams in NWI during his tenure. The hiring of Craig Buzea I think is a home run. The City of Crown Point has been investing in youth sports faciiities for well over the last decade, and they are very impressive. CPHS is starting to reap the benefits from that investment. If you look at some of the other sports over the last decade, Crown Point has won state titles in softball, boys and girls soccer, and reached the volleyball finals. Their girls basketball program, long one of the benchmarks of programs in Indiana, returned to the top this past year in winning a 4A championship. It is only a matter of time I see the football and basketball programs at Crown Point making sustained tournament runs. WIth Buzeas hiring, and the staff he's putting in place, its almost as if it's the football version of the Perfect Storm. I look at the potential of Crown Point, and between the facilities and youth sports infrastructure in place, I see a northern version of Center Grove. I feel if a NWI 6A program can break trhough against the likes of Carmel, Warren Central and the MIC powers, it will be the Bulldogs. Maybe not this year, but surely within the VERY near future. Question 4: It's been reported that Hanover Central will be joining the Northwest Crossroads conference in 2023. HC has some solid programs, but conference affiliation at the high school level is foremost about football and basketball. Do you see this as a good fit, and how do you see the Wildcats competing in the NCC as the smallest school in the conference? BP: As a lifelong Region Rat, I'm not surprised considering how South Lake County has been booming with people moving to Crown Point, Cedar Lake, Lowell and etc. I think with the Wildcats moving up into the NCC, they automatically gain a new rival in Lowell, and I tell you both athletic departments will love those gate receipts from those games. The non-revenue sports that Hanover offers I feel will be very competitive with the rest of the NCC. I think it's a win-win for both involved. Question 5: You are very close to the Griffith program. Was it the right choice, in your view, for the school to bolt the NCC and join the GSSC? Enrollment appears to be in rapid decline, and surely the Griffith administration saw this coming when they made the decision to move. From a competitive standpoint, does it still make sense, or should GTown try to make a push for re entrance into the NCC? BP: Looking back I would say yes. As an alum, when the announcement was made that Griffith was leaving the NCC for the GSSC, I felt like a lot of Hobart alums when they left the DAC in the early 2000's. From a competition standpoint, Griffith I think captured only 3 NCC titles across all sports during their time in the conference. Baseball, softball, wrestling and girls basketball have been competitive, but in the end, its a numbers game. Griffith being a landlocked community has ran out of room to try to expand their borders. In the sectional last fall versus Highland, Griffith had more players on the field than on the sideline. Football-wise, Griffith has always identified as a football school especially during the Les Thornton and Russ Radtke eras, but in the last decade, basketball and wrestling have made their marks. While I don't ever see a return to the NCC, I do applaude the current athletic administration for trying to bring back the rivalries on the gridiron. Griffith resumes their series with Highland to open the season (it was supposed to happen last year bur Covid took care of that.) Hobart and Lowell continues to be mainstays on the schedule. And Munster comes back on in '22. As far as competition, i look for the GSSC to continue to improve, despite Hanover's imminent departure. Question 6: At some point, it appears that Andrean will be building a new school just off of 65 and near Crown Point. If and when this happens, how do you see this having an impact on the competitive landscape in NWI? Its been long taken for granted that Andrean impacts the roster of Lake Central probably more than any other school in The Region. Could that change, to LCs benefit, if Andrean makes the move? BP: Again as I wrote above, South Lake County is booming. It's like Walter O'Malley when he moved the Dodgers out of Brooklyn to Los Angeles, he was just following the crowd and the post WWII westward migration. Andrean's base has always been South Lake County, I don't forsee that changing anytime soon. Obviously Ive heard the possibility of a new building off I 65, I've also heard there a lot of space by the Diocesan Center thats on the Merrillville - Crown Point border. Speaking of Lake Central, I'm anxious to see how Rich Good does as he takes over in Tri-Town. Good did a phenominal job at Calumet where he captured the school's first ever sectional championship. He's got a tall task at Lake Central, but if he can pull off what he did at Calumet, look for the Indians to be competitive in the near future. Question 7: Hobart took a real beating in the 4A championship game last November against a monster Roncalli team that completely dominated the game. How do you see the Brickies bouncing back from that loss, and do they have kids in the pipeline to replace their heavy graduation losses? BP: Living in Hobart these days, it's good to see the Brickie Pride back (That doesn't seem right that a Griffith alum just typed that...LOL!) The Brickies have been steadlily building, first under former coaches Wally McCormack and Ryan Turley. Craig Osika has been there the last couple of years and the results speak for themselves. The Brickies took some graduation hits, but they still have the pieces in place and in the pipeline to compete for a NCC title, and be a factor again in getting through the Northern bracket of 4A to get to Lucas Oil Stadium. Once there, anything can happen. Obviously Roncalli was a incredible team a year ago and figures to be the favorite down South, but lets play the games and see what happens. Question 8 : It looks like a wide open season in the DAC, as there is no clear cut favorite heading into the 2021 campaign. What are your thoughts on the coming Duneland season, and do you see an opportunity for any DAC schools to make some big noise in the tournament? BP: The DAC has always been one of the premier conferences in Indiana, but it's been a while since their last football champion. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the last DAC school to win is no longer in the conference (Hobart 1993-4A). Obviously Valparaiso and Portage have been to the big stage since, and Merrillville has been knocking on the state finals door the last few years. Going into 2021, it figures to be as you said wide open. I see maybe 4-6 teams that can finish in the top half of the conference. Valpo loses a bit to graduation as does Merrillville. I've written above about Crown Point and Buzea's impact there. Michigan City and Chesterton are not easy matchups week in and week out. Lake Central enters a new era with Good at the reins. That leaves LaPorte and Portage, and again two schools that provide matchup challenges week in and week out. The Slicers have a new coach in former Portage star WR David Ortiz and Portage got a late start last year with Terry Chestovich, who took over after Radtke jumped to Knox before ever coaching a game and was very respectable. I think the DAC has the potential of doing some damage up North in 5A and 6A. Thanks Bob, and have a great season with your Griffith Panthers Tim Phillips Hoosier High School Football The Gridiron Digest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.