Ficken's kickin': Griffith coach Russ Radtke still can't believe what he saw during last Friday's 34-21 home loss to Valparaiso.

"They got a guy (Sam Ficken) kicking a 52-yard field goal -- without a tee! And on grass or weeds or whatever we got there!" Radtke said. "What are you going to do about that?

"I think this is his first year of ever kicking a football. What a franchise. The kid's for real. He gets the kick up fast. I don't know how you can even think of blocking it.

"It would've been good for over 60 yards!"

Ficken actually kicked for the Vikings last season after switching over from soccer and has been a huge weapon. The boot was a school record, which is impressive considering Valpo's strong history at the position. The mark of 48 was held by three kickers, including former Notre Damer Carl Gioia.

QB A-OK for LP: One of LaPorte's many question marks coming into the season was how Kyle Hartson would do at quarterback with the graduation of three-year starter Dustin DeMuth.

In two games, Hartson is 15-of-21 passing for 253 yards and two touchdowns.

"He's done a tremendous job coming in," coach Bob Schellinger said. "He's running the offense very well."

Hartson's production takes a little of the edge off running back Nick Latchford, who has 304 yards and eight touchdowns rushing to go with another 103 and one score receiving.

"We're up to close to 800 yards, which is pretty good," Schellinger said. "I don't care who you're playing."

Northwest Crossroads Conference

Back in the saddle again: Lowell's come-from-behind 40-26 win over Morton last week was the first for coach Keith Kilmer. And the Red Devils' offense didn't get running until Cole Midgett went to quarterback in the fourth quarter.

But Kilmer said he hasn't given up on Jeremy Crocker or Chris Sekuloski at QB.

"Cole is a senior and when he got back there there was a sense of calmness," Kilmer said. "For us to be good down the road we need (Midgett) at the tailback or wide receiver position. I'd like to see one of the other guys step up and start moving our offense.

"But it's nice to know we have Cole if we need him."

League trophy: Munster coach Leroy Marsh is excited about the Highland game for reasons beyond a great rivalry. Munster shared the NCC title last year with Lowell. Winning that meant a lot to his program.

"The conference is pretty balanced so it's going to be week to week this year," Marsh said. "So we want to stay a leg up on everyone else. We don't want to lose our first (league) game."

Friday marks the 45th Bridge Game against Highland. Munster has won the last four games by a combined score of 167-13. The Trojans have not scored in the last three games against Munster.

"Ken Bye's doing a great job over there, and they are going to win their fair share of games this year," Marsh said. "The rivalry will have more meaning since both teams are competitive now."

Great Lakes Athletic Conference

QB No. 2: Morton quarterback Chris McCormack will be on the sideline when the Govs take on Clark on Friday. That means Andrew Glidewell will take all the snaps instead of the usual rotation.

McCormack suffered a concussion against Lowell last week.

"It's bounce-back week for us," Morton coach Roy Richards said. "We need to improve. This game means more than the Griffith, Lowell games. This is a big city rival. This is their game of the year. We need to make sure it's every bit as important to us as it is to them." -- Steve Hanlon

Wake-up call: Clark got a slap in the face in Week 1 when Whiting spanked its neighborhood rival 23-0. But a 22-12 win over Calumet got the ball rolling in the right direction.

"Our kids thought they were better than they were against Whiting," Pioneers coach Dave Verta said. "But I think it's good to get smacked in the mouth early. It woke us up."

Verta credited his offensive line of Josh Tapper (LT), Dominic Williams (LG), Matt Yates (C), Enrique Zomora (RG) and Andy Pelk (RT) for being physical against Calumet.

"They gave holes for Cameron Copeland and Marquis Ramirez to run through," Verta said. "Against Morton we're going to have to limit our mistakes, play physical and play perfect. They are a great team and they do so many things on offense it's hard to prepare for."

Greater South Shore Conference

Wheeler cranks up the D: The Bearcats regrouped from a shaky debut against Highland by hanging a zero on Kankakee Valley, a first in Wheeler's history with the Kougars.

"K.V. moved the ball early, but we adjusted a couple things and I was pleased the way we responded," coach Dan Klimczak said. "We were much more intense as opposed to week one. Your scheme can be the best in the world, but if you don't tackle well, it won't work.  It took us five, six plays to get there. We have to do it starting from the first play this week."

Slot back Adam Abrell bolstered the depleted running game with 54 yards on seven carries.

"I was very excited with the way he played," Klimczak said. "He ran the ball hard and got some tough yards right up the gut."

-- Times sportswriters Al Hamnik, Steve Hanlon and Jim Peters contributed to this report.