Beating the Brick: Earthquakes on Route 2

Lowell 28, Hobart 25 / Class 4A Regional November 11, 1994 Written by Brian Waddell, RSN Correspondent

Some might call it a human earthquake.

Kirk Kennedy will never forget that. Even 30 years later.

“I remember the game film was taken from the top of the press box and on Saturday morning, we were shooting film and when (Lowell running back Mike) Pickett cut off that initial run (80 yards for a touchdown on the first 'play of the game') that camera was shaking so bad because the stands were It had reached its maximum capacity – and perhaps more than that,” recalls the former Red Devils coach.

“Even the people inside the press box commented later that they thought it was going to collapse. All those fans probably had the same mentality as the team. They were going crazy. You still hear stories of people saying how crazy that atmosphere was.”

In that Class 4A regional championship on Nov. 11, 1994, which Lowell retained for life with a 28-25 victory over perennial powerhouse Hobart, it was a back-and-forth contest all night long. Lowell just happened to have a little juice left in the tank to beat the defending Class 4A state champion Brickies.

It was also Lowell's first regional championship.

“If you want a great movie about high school football, that night would be a great subject,” Kennedy said.

Like any epic film, Goliath wasn't going down without a fight. Like a true champion in that contest, after Pickett's big run, Hobart responded with a big run about four plays later to tie the game. In fact, the Brickies scored the last goal of the game and attempted an onside kick late on, but Beckett recovered it and the Red Devils were able to run out the clock and hang on for dear life.

It is still considered one of the greatest games in the region.

“I think that game proved our belief and that we won because it was in Hobart,” Kennedy said, “and I still remember that my biggest concern in that game against a program like theirs was what they had on their chests. We were just trying to establish ourselves and they were in the midst of all their heroics. My thinking was: Are we going to be mentally strong to get there and believe and compete and give ourselves a chance?

Some will say it was the landslide victory that launched the Lowell program. It's a valid point because Hobart has been on the map for decades in the region, the Red Devils didn't have a winning team from 1970 to 1992 and many of those matches were lopsided.

The Brickies won four state championships in 1987, '89, '91 and the season leading up to this epic showdown in 1993. Lowell's monumental victory in 1994 marked the launch of continued success for the Red Devils for decades to come.

“I think that year we kind of put ourselves out there; “They were two different programs, but I know that game really put us in that position to start believing we could compete with them and beat them,” Kennedy said.

Lowell was actually an undefeated rookie team in 1992 when Pickett and a strong class were just getting started. However, the following season, the Red Devils faced the Brickies in the 4A Regional title game and were beaten 35-7. Pickett recalls that as a sophomore he faced the likes of Hobart's villains in the worst place to play in the region when you're an underdog – the Breakie Bowl.

“The whole situation was bigger than us, we were outnumbered and we ran into a buzz saw,” Pickett said. “I think that helped us over the next two years because we finally got it done. I even think the build-up (to the 1994 game) was that we didn't have a chance, and from that perspective it's very honest, because until you win that game nobody's going to give you a chance.”

Beckett remembers the game well. On the first play from scrimmage, take off from left tackle for 80 yards heading south toward the high school (if you can picture that in your mind). Hell broke out. And yes, like many of the stories still told today at local watering holes, the place was electric.

Much like Kennedy said, the press box may have been about to collapse that November evening. This was before the renovation project in Lowell when writers and broadcasters were fighting for space and working side by side in the old press box in Lowell.

“There's no way our field will ever see that many people in the stands and piled around the fence,” said Pickett, who ran for two touchdowns in the '94 victory. “It was a great night for us, our program, our fans and our community. Beating Hobart like that was unbelievable. It was truly a special night.”

Pickett, who was named the Times Player of the Year after the '94 season, rushed for 2,256 yards and 35 TDs that fall. He was Lowell's all-time rushing leader with 4,198 yards in three seasons. Ironically, after graduating from university, Beckett ended up moving to Hobart and training there for several years until his children, Alex and Max, began to get involved in the sport. To add to the competition, Max is a star returning from his junior season with the Brickies.

“In Hobart now, people – when I first came here – were discussing this game and talking about it,” Pickett said. “It's one of those things that stuck, and when I met people in town that was one of the first things they said, and that was 15 or so years after that game.”

That game, even in the aura of area football nostalgia, was the game that most Lowell players will tell you turned things around and put Lowell on the path to greatness. The program had just two losing seasons over the next 17 years and advanced to state three times, topping the 4A state championship in 2005.

“Once you win a game like that (in 1994) and climb the ladder, it makes things possible,” Kennedy said. “I definitely think winning that game put us on another level and put us on a different path towards where we wanted to be.”

Kennedy said the players on the 1994 team were used to winning when they started high school and had the confidence to win that game.

“I still remember the way they walked out to the game that night, and they certainly weren't intimidated,” Kennedy recalled. “I think you have to say when you look at that game, Hobart had a psychological advantage because they've been there and done that. So, you've got to give credit to our kids who were able to overcome that and believe because Hobart has been Hobart and a contender at that time every year.”

Lowell's final score came when Mike Loggins caught a touchdown pass — something the Red Devils first (and last) pulled out of their back pocket.

“We were not known for any traffic; “I don’t think Hobart was worried about it,” said Jim Carlson, Lowell’s offensive coordinator at the time. “We may have surprised them with the late-game pass.”

The 1994 Lowell team had a lot of talent and a lot of leaders. It is still known to this day for the team that featured the “Mike Four” — Mike Pickett, Mike Loggins, Mike Krapf, and Mike Peterson — as the Big Four leaders.

Peterson said several talented teammates were keys to the big win from defensive back Brett Blackmon, to linebacker Derek Thompson, to defensive end John Ostman. He also gave hats off to defensive coordinator Brad Stewart for preparation and effective game plan.

“We studied them, and if you remember they had an offense where they hid the ball and passed it low, so that was the hardest part of trying to defend them because their style of play was so confusing,” said Peterson, a senior. The safety then, ironically, is now a Hobart resident. “It was a tough offense to defend yourself because they had so many options.”

Peterson recalls that all the businesses in town were loud and proud of their Red Devils. From Dairy Queen to Mi Ranchito to Tri Creek Lumber, they all had recordings to support the team. RDP (Red Devil Pride) had not yet been developed, but the entire city was supporting the team.

“It was a great night to live in Lowell and be a football fan,” Peterson said.

Peterson, who spent the night in the emergency room after Hobart's win due to a concussion, recalls that Lowell brought in more bleachers for that game and “the buses kept coming.” “It was a crazy atmosphere. You had Don Howell and Tom Kerr — two true legends — walking onto the field. It was pretty surreal.”

“We were undefeated in eighth grade and junior years, but we knew that to beat Hobart — if you wanted to be the best, if you wanted to be a program — you had to beat Hobart at some point.”

The bottom line is that it was Hobart. The Brickies program was the best in the area, and a program known throughout the state. When I talk about Northwest Indiana football, Hobart is at the top of the conversation.

And during the 1994 regional championship game, Lowell's coaching staff was worried about all those Hobart-related things running through the minds of 16-, 17- and 18-year-olds.

“We talked about it and we were concerned,” said Carlson, who is currently the wide receivers coach at Lowell. “They had 19 straight sectional titles or something, and they did a lot of things that made them a district; that was the program I needed to learn from.”

“We knew at Lowell that we needed to know what they were doing to take this path because these are the kids who walked our district.”

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