1. 2000 3A State Finals Heritage Hills vs. Zionsville

The game I refer to as the "Cutler Game", the Patriots ran out to a big first half lead, but the Eagles came storming back in the second half to tie the game, and had a chance to win at the end of regulation, but missed a field goal, sending the game into OT. Zionsville managed a field goal on their possession, then on second down, QB Jay Cutler fired a pass to wideout Cole Siefrig behind the line of scrimmage, who then rolled out & threw back to a wide open Cutler who scored the winning TD for a thrilling 27-24 victory.

2. 2002 Penn vs. Valparaiso regional final

This one is definitely in my top 2-3 games. Penn was unbeaten, and #1 in the state coming in. Penn moved the ball quite well in this one, but the Valpo defense was tough when they had to be, and held the Kingsmen to multiple field goal tries. The Valpo offense scratched & clawed behind standouts Jason Renn & Jeff Samardzija, and midway through the fourth quarter, got into field goal range for kicker Carl Gioia, who nailed a 46-yarder to give the Vikings a 16-15 lead. Penn had one final chance but failed to score and the Vikings, for the second consecutive year, had knocked Penn out of the playoffs. Great atmosphere at Viking Field added to the experience.

3. 2004 Merrillville vs. Portage, sectional final

These two schools were no stranger to tight battles, nor were they strangers to overtime games, having played a 4-OT game in the 90's. This game featured two of the premier backs in the area with Merrillville's James Aldridge and Portage's Antoine Brown. Once again, 48 minutes were not enough to decide this one, so into OT it went, and a second as well, finally in the third OT the Pirates scored, then held off the Tribe for a thrilling 44-38 victory and the sectional championship.

4. 2004 Andrean vs. New Prairie, semistate championship

The weather wasn't too kind for this one, but perhaps the best Andrean team was up to the task, as Tommy Finn put on one of his many memorable performances on the 59ers' way to the 3A state championship. Finn threw for over 250 yards and ran for over 100 yards as they outlasted the upstart Cougars 34-21.

5. 2005 Lowell vs. Roncalli, 4A state championship

Kirk Kennedy's Red Devils were making their first state finals appearance. Roncalli had won three straight state titles, and were looking to make history. On paper, it appeared to be a mismatch, but Lowell had other ideas. Trailing 27-14 going into the fourth quarter, Jeff Clemons and company rallied to take a 28-27 lead with about four minutes left. Roncalli couldn't get past midfield on their final possession, and Lowell, like NorthWood had done just hours before, had shocked the world by capturing the state championship.

6. 2006 Lowell vs. Hobart, sectional final

Great matchup at Brickie Bowl, and this one was a back & forth game with a contrast of styles. Hobart was a pass-first team, while the Red Devils did it with the ground attack. Hobart led 28-21 in the fourth quarter when the Red Devils tied it up with just about two minutes left. The Bricks tried to drive into field goal range, but an interception gave the ball back to the Red Devils with less than a minute left. A couple of runs and a pass later, and they got into range where David Lang booted the game-winning field goal as time expired to give Lowell the sectional championship.

7. 2006 Crown Point vs. LaPorte, regional final

A game that had to be stopped partway through due to lightning, turned into a barnburner. LaPorte dominated before the delay, but the unbeaten Bulldogs came "storming" back behind QB Matt Jansen to tie the game at 21-all. Crown Point got deep into Slicer territory late in the game, but missed a potential game-winning field goal to send the game into OT. LaPorte scored first in the extra session, then held on to capture the school's first ever regional championship.

8. 2007 Crown Point vs. Merrillville

Crown Point was able to keep their streak of DAC victories alive, but just barely, as they trailed 14-0 in the fourth quarter, and had managed little offensively. But they came alive late behind Blake Mascarello to tie the game & send it into OT. The Bucs kicked a field goal on their possession, but the Dawgs won it on the first play as Mascarello scampered in from 10 yards out. Great win for Crown Point against one of the best defenses in recent memory in the Region.

9. 2007 Penn at Merrillville, regional final

This probably is my favorite game in the Region of the past decade. Penn ran wild over the Bucs' defense in the first half, and led 20-7. But Merrillville would recover, both offensively and defensively. QB Dilapo McCarthy scored on a long TD scamper in the third quarter to put the Bucs ahead 21-20, and the Pirates' defense made it stand up, as the Kingsmen failed to complete a pass in the contest. It was Zac Wells' first regional title as coach of the Bucs in just his second season at the helm.

10. 2008 Carmel vs. Center Grove 5A state championship

Definitely my number 1 favorite game of the decade. Morgan Newton and the Greyhounds ran roughshod over highly touted Center Grove early and often, and when they scored late in the third quarter, took a 33-14 lead. Center Grove still trailed by 19 when they got the ball back with just over 8 minutes left. The Trojans then proceeded to score to cut the lead to 33-21, then recover an onside kick, and score again with about four minutes left to cut the margin to five. The Trojans then recovered an unheard of second straight onside kick, and when Luke Swift scored with 50 seconds left, the greatest comeback in state finals' history was complete as Center Grove won it 36-33.

Thanks for a great decade of high school football, and I'm sure there will be bigger & better things to come both in 2010 & in the next decade as well. Have a Happy New Year and may God bless you in the new year!!!