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[Southsider2k12]

http://posttrib.suntimes.com/sports/613986...ick-around.html

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.

New football coach at Michigan City. Really excited about the gig. Sees unlimited potential in the “sleeping giant.” Plans to stick around and really build something at Ames Field.

Sound familiar?

Craig Buzea said all that in 2007 when he stunned Portage by leaving for the downtrodden Wolves. After three years and some significant progress, he left for Homewood-Flossmoor, and the program once again was in tatters.

Eric Schreiber said all that last summer when he took over for Buzea. One season and one win later, he left to take the top job at Hammond High.

Enter Michael Karpinski, Michigan City’s new head coach, who was approved last week by the school board. He’s really excited about the gig. He sees unlimited potential in the “sleeping giant.” He plans to stick around and really build something at Ames Field.

And he means it. Honest.

“I’m excited to add some stability,” he said. “I’m not planning on going anywhere. By no means am I looking at this as a stepping stone. I’m looking to build something here. I understand people have heard that before, but you don’t understand — my wife will kill me if we move again.”

Indeed, Karpinski’s no nomad. He’s no football mercenary. Heck, he only went after this job because he lost his teaching job at Franklin Central during a reduction-in-force that gutted the school district. The 43-year-old spent the last eight years coaching at Franklin Central — a former powerhouse that won four state championships between 1980 and 1990, but has fallen on hard times lately. After six years as an assistant, he was the head coach the past two years, going 7-13 with a pair of close losses in sectional openers.

Before that, Karpinski coached for six years at the University of Indianapolis, where he wound up after playing cornerback at Hillsdale College. Hillsdale is about 90 miles from his hometown of Hastings, Mich., where he was a high school quarterback.

Moving to Michigan City brings him much closer to home — and gives him a teaching job and an exciting opportunity.

“I just feel real blessed to be right here,” he said.

The Wolves can only hope he sticks around and helps the moribund program (no conference or sectional titles since Rogers and Elston were consolidated in 1995) realize the potential it briefly showed under Buzea.

After just four practices, Karpinski has been particularly impressed with the enthusiasm the players have for the game, for him and for his new system.

It’s easy to assume that the Wolves would be jaded and cynical while dealing with yet another new coach making the same old promises.

But Karpinski was thrilled to find that they’re not like that at all.

“I sure haven’t noticed it,” he said. “They sure haven’t shown it if that’s the case. They’ve been working their tails off and have done everything I’ve asked of them. I’ve come in with a lot of enthusiasm, and they seem to have responded.”

Karpinski made a good impression with his first practice. Rather than the usual morning workout, he brought his team to Ames Field — probably the coolest football stadium in the region — under the lights on Monday night. And while it took more than a half hour just to teach the kids how to warm up and break the huddle — “baby steps,” Karpinski said — things quickly came together.

He introduced the players to his offense — a traditional power-I. Not as complicated as Buzea’s multiple-set spread offense, not as one-dimensional as Schreiber’s option.

“It’s basic football,” Karpinski said. “In today’s game, it seems like a lot of coaches try to get too cute. We’re going to come out and run the football, be physical, and we’re really going to stress blocking and tackling — shoot, that’s usually what it comes down to. We’re going to play power football, fire off the ball and really be physical out there.”

Karpinski insisted he’s not daunted by the enormity of the task, trying to wake up the sleeping giant. But he’s got his work cut out for him. The football program always has taken a backseat to basketball. And the relentless losing has made it even tougher to convince kids to come out for the team. Karpinski said he’s ready for all of that.

He also said he’s not intimidated by the meatgrinder that is the Duneland Conference, a brutal schedule that makes rebuilding difficult — and painful. He knows the drill; at Franklin Central, he played state powers Lawrence Central, Pike and Columbus North every year.

“I just know it’s an unbelievable conference, and I’m excited,” Karpinski said. “I’m ready for the challenge.”

Heard that before, too, right? Every coach has said that. But the hard truth is nobody in the 16-year history of Michigan City High School has proven to be up to that challenge. Not for any extended period of time, at least.

Will Karpinski be any different? He sure seems to think so. But, of course, it’s too early for anyone to tell.

He won’t really get a feel for how well his new players can handle his system until they put on the pads in August. And the Wolves won’t really get a feel for Karpinski until they sweat their way through those two-a-days.

But Karpinski feels good about what he has. And while he knows these kids and this community have been burned before, he hopes the feeling is mutual.

“Kids are the same all over,” he said. “I think these kids are really looking for someone to step up and lead and fight for them. And I’m that guy.”

[Southsider2k12]

http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/20...d1858429202.txt

FURIOUS RALLY FALLS SHORT

City scores 21 points in five-minute stretch, but can’t get over the hump
By Adam Parkhouse
Staff Writer
Published: Saturday, September 10, 2011 4:42 PM CDT
VALPARAISO, Ind. — With less than six minutes left in the second quarter, things couldn’t be going any worse for Michigan City’s football team.

Less than five minutes later, things couldn’t be going much better.

After a wild flourish in the second quarter, City gave Valparaiso a battle in a game that looked like a certain rout, but the Vikings hung on for a 38-21 win over the Wolves.

“It’s a confidence thing,” City coach Michael Karpinski said. “We’ve gotta find a way to come out and play hard in the first quarter.”

Click here to find out more!
The first quarter-and-a-half was a nightmare for the Wolves (1-3, 0-2 Duneland) as the Vikings (2-2, 2-0 DAC) did whatever they wanted offensively. After one quarter, Valpo had 168 yards from scrimmage and City had just 12 as the Vikings led 14-0.

In the second quarter, the Vikings tacked on two more touchdowns, quarterback Paul Andrie’s second touchdown pass of the game and backup running back Stephen Simms’ second touchdown run. It was 28-0 and the rout was on.

Less than two minutes after Valpo’s fourth touchdown, City lined up to punt from its own 27-yard line on fourth-and-3. But the Wolves ran a fake, with punter Dan Lemon selling it beautifully by acting as though the snap went over his head. As the Valpo players reacted to Lemon, Rashem Bell streaked downfield for a 73-yard touchdown, making it 28-7.

“We knew we had to do something with the fake punt,” Karpinski said, adding that he hoped that play would light a spark in his team. It did just that.

The Wolves’ offense got the ball back after a Valpo field goal and senior quarterback Joel Hirsch marched the team straight downfield after nearly a full half of struggling to move the ball. That drive was capped off when Hirsch found sophomore receiver Donovan Wilson for a 24-yard touchdown strike to make it 31-14.

On the ensuing kickoff, City’s Giorgio Karallas and James Washington converged on Simms during the return, causing him to fumble. Anthony Catchings picked the ball up at the 38-yard line and rumbled to the house. Suddenly, the score was 31-21.

The Wolves weren’t done yet. On the last play of the half, Andrie threw a lame duck up in the middle of the field and City’s Anthony Lemon stepped in front of it. Lemon weaved his way through traffic and appeared to be on his way to a touchdown but he was finally tackled 14 yards shy of the end zone.

During the half, rain came and stayed through most of the second half, making offense difficult.

The only score of the second half came in the final minute of the third quarter on Andrie’s sneak from 1-yard line.

The Wolves largely struggled to move the ball the rest of the way and took the 17-point defeat.

In the loss, Karpinski did continue to be impressed with the play of Karallas, who has developed into a legitimate force on defense.

“He is really becoming the heart and sould of our defense,” Karpinski said. “He’s putting himself in the right spots.”

With next week’s homecoming game with Merrillville marking the halfway point of the season, where do the Wolves stand?

“I’ll tell you next week,” Karpinski said, smiling. “I hate to keep saying it, but we have to play four quarters. We just don’t and I’m not sure what it is.”



Contact Sports Editor Adam Parkhouse at aparkhouse@thenewsdispatch.com or 874-7211, Ext. 461.

VALPARAISO 38, MICHIGAN CITY 21

Michigan City 0 21 0 0 — 21

Valparaiso 14 17 7 0 — 38

First Quarter

V — Simms 3 run (Nix kick), 9:25

V — MarcAllen 12 pass from Andrie (Nix kick), 4:30

Second Quarter

V — MarcAllen 10 pass from Andrie (Nix kick), 11:54

V — Simms 10 run (Nix kick), 7:27

MC — Bell 73 run (Stevenson kick), 5:25

V — Nix 26 field goal, 2:34

MC — Wilson 24 pass from Hirsch (Stevenson kick), 1:22

MC — Catchings 38 fumble return (Stevenson kick), 1:07

Third Quarter

V — Andrie 1 run (Nix kick), :35.4

MC V

First Downs 10 19

Total Yards 218 465

Rushes-Yards 33-132 32-212

Passing Yards 86 253

Comp-Att-Int 6-19-0 16-20-1

Fumbles-Lost 3-0 0-0

Punts-Ave 7-39.0 1-35

Penalties-Yards 1-10 4-45

RUSHING — Michigan City (Bell 13-107, Hirsch 9-10, Karallas 2-8, Taylor 5-7, Washington 1-6, Kaletha 1-2, Martin 2-(minus 8)). Valparaiso (Simms 27-190, Andrie 2-14, Duncan 3-8).

PASSING — Michigan City (Hirsch 6-19-86). Valparaiso (Andrie 16-20-253).

RECEIVING — Michigan City (Wilson 3-58, Kaletha 1-17, Gondeck 1-9, Yarbrough 1-2). Valparaiso (Nix 6-136, MarcAllen 4-73, Simms 3-23, MarkAllen 1-12, Brown 2-9).