Indiana Preps NWI Top 10’s
By Paul Honeycutt
Top 10 Preseason Teams
- Crown Point – Crown Point will be Crown Point until the Bulldogs say otherwise. They lost Trevor Gibbs, but they return a healthy number of starters, including four on the offensive line, QB Tyce Custy and both of their running backs in Brayden Schutt and Max Gurnic.
- Merrillville – Having appeared in the Northern semistate in either 5A or 6A in six of the last seven seasons, the Pirates finally broke through with a state title appearance in 2025. This year, Merrillville coach Brad Seiss and Co. again don’t expect any differently, as two of the top players in the state in QB Michael Hill and RB/WR Cam Jordan return to lead an offense that scored over 35 PPG.
- Andrean – The 59ers are coming off a 7-0 win in the 2A state finals over Brownstown Central and while star QB Brady Elish is gone, junior QB Dylan Gore played significant varsity time and Brady Stovall and Tyler Vo are back offensively while the defense that allowed just over 11 points per game a year ago returns five of its top seven leading tacklers. While Andrean moves back up to 3A, the Niners move right back into the conversation for state title contenders in the class.
- Hobart – After a narrow playoff loss to New Prairie to end 2024, the Brickies came back in a massive way in 2025 by avenging a regular season loss to Lowell with a 20-point win on their way to a sectional title. Senior QB Aleks Tatum returns as one of the top offensive dual threats in Class 4A while five of Hobart’s eight leading tacklers are also back. Once again, the Brickies defense will be anchored by three players who recorded three or more interceptions.
- Lowell – Coach Casey McKim’s first year at Lowell was a successful campaign after a second-place finish in the Northwest Crossroads Conference and an appearance in the sectional title game. Big game Tym James and his 1,300 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns are back for the Red Devils. They are a huge favorite to be a sectional title contender once again this year.
- Griffith – The Panthers are going to not only be the most dangerous offenses in the Region, but with QB Ryan Bullion, RB Desmond Neylon, and WRs Jason Quillin and Davon Thomaston all returning for Griffith, it looks to be one of the most potent in Class 3A. If and when this team runs into Andrean in the postseason, that matchup has the potential to be one of the most highly anticipated matchups in quite some time.
- Wheeler – The Bearcats are going to be an interesting team to watch under first-year coach Josh Wissing. Gone are coach Nick Testa and do-it-all senior Tyne Vettickal, but Wheeler boasts one of the Region’s most potent rushing duos in junior Levi Murray and sophomore Andrew Bizzieri, who combined for over 2,300 rushing yards. Junior linebacker Noah Helmer brings back 100 tackles and five sacks to anchor a defense that allowed just under 12 points a game. With Andrean moving up to 3A and Knox moving back down to 2A, the Bearcats could potentially have a deep postseason run.
- Morton – The Governors bring back quite possibly the best passing attack NWI has to offer in sophomore QB Amari Price and his 134.4 rating with 17 TD passes, NWI’s most electric WR Corderro Bennett, Jr. and the sure-handed Ameer Daniels. While losing Davion Terry will hurt, the Governors could use a short, quick passing game to absorb some of the carries vacated by Terry.
- Michigan City – The Wolves broke through with a sectional title before getting upended in Regionals by eventual state finalist Merrillville. The most explosive passing combo of Trinaston Hart and Zaire McKinney are gone and Charles Salary takes over the program after a successful stint at Calumet. Michigan City is never short on athletes.
- Rensselaer Central – The Bombers found themselves on the losing end to eventual 2A champion Andrean and they lost a ton of talent on both sides of the ball, but they bring back five of their leading tacklers and Landen Musch’s 767 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Rensselaer has lost its QB and two leading rushers, but if there’s one thing for sure with the Bombers, the cupboard has never been emptied of effective rushers in the 27 years Chris Meeks has been at the helm.
Top 11 Offensive Players
Corderro Bennett, WR, Jr., Morton
Ryan Bullion, QB, Sr., Griffith
Gavin Edwards, OL, Sr., Griffith
Michael Hill, QB, Sr., Merrillville
Tymothy James, RB, Jr., Lowell
Jeremiah Jones, OL, Sr., Michigan City
Cam Jordan, RB, Sr., Merrillville
Sal Montes, QB, Jr., Boone Grove
Levi Murray, RB, Jr., Wheeler
Desmond Neylon, RB, Sr., Griffith
Tyler Vo, WR, Sr., Andrean
Top 11 Defensive Players
Terry Earvin, CB, Jr., Hobart
Amarie Eller, LB, Sr., Merrillville
Vontrell Jones, MLB, Sr., Hobart
Javier McCoy, OLB, Jr., Andrean
Landen Murray, DE/OLB, Sr., Andrean
Mitchell Myers, OLB, Sr., Andrean
Brody Ramirez, LB/RB, Sr., Lake Central
Ethan Reyna, LB/RB, Sr., Andrean
Justin Slaven, FS, Sr., Highland
Bryce Tolliver, CB/WR, Sr., Hobart
Conner Welch, OLB, Sr., Wheeler
Top 10 Games
Merrillville at Andrean, Aug. 21 – The two state finalists will once again lock horns in Week 1, as Andrean will bring its potentially historic defense against one of the best QBs in recent memory with Michael Hill.
Pike at Crown Point, Aug. 28 – In order to compete against some of the Indy-area powerhouses, this game will give the Bulldogs a good idea of what to expect. While it’s in Week 2, it’s still a big one.
Merrillville at Lafayette Jeff, Aug. 28 – The Pirates move back up to 6A this year and scheduling a dangerous Bronchos team was a great idea, as this could be an indication of what the tougher competition is going to be like at the 6A level.
Andrean at Fort Wayne Luers, Aug. 28 – Andrean faces its second-straight state finalist in Week 2, basically maximizing the difficulty of the schedule in preparation for hopefully another deep postseason run.
Crown Point at Merrillville, Sep. 4 – As long as I’m writing and if these two staffs stay in place, this game will always be on the list of must-watch football.
Griffith at Rensselaer Central, Sep. 25 – Following other powerful teams in NWI, Griffith will be traveling a little further to face perhaps its toughest test of the regular season with a consistent Bombers team.
Lowell at Hobart, Sep. 25 – These two have battled in the postseason the last two seasons, which did not disappoint Region football fans, and this one will undoubtedly be one of the preeminent games in 2026.
Morton at Sterling (IL), Sep. 25 – Yet another reason why the Governors should be in a bigger conference, they must travel over two hours to north central Illinois to face a Golden Warriors team who has most of its offensive starters back.
Wheeler at Calumet, Oct. 2 – Nick Testa hosts his former school in a key Greater South Shore matchup, with three of the best running backs the Region has to offer in Calumet’s Bryce Brandon and Wheeler’s Levi Murray and Andrew Bizzieri.
Wheeler at Griffith, Oct. 16 – This could potentially be for all the marbles in the Greater South Shore, as Griffith returns most its production in the backfield while Wheeler’s rushing attack could be hitting on all cylinders right before sectional time.