(Lowell, IN) - By the end of Friday night’s 4A regional championship game at Lowell, the pulverized turf more resembled a battlefield than a football gridiron. According to New Prairie head coach Casey McKim, it was appropriate for what transpired. “It was really a battle in the trenches, no question,” McKim said following his team’s 28-14 victory. “Just dominating the line of scrimmage; that’s what took place.” For a team that typically relies on the field generalship of sophomore quarterback Marshall Kmiecik, Friday’s contest was a battle of wills between offensive lines. “Our quarterback made some good decisions,” McKim said, “but it all got done in the trenches.”
In week three of the regular season, New Prairie hosted Lowell. The Cougars jumped out to an early lead and didn’t look back. On Friday, New Prairie scored first but was answered by two straight second-quarter Lowell touchdowns. The second came on a goal-line run as time expired in the first half.
New Prairie received the second-half kickoff and rattled off 21 unanswered points. Most of the action occurred between the hash marks, but the Cougars’ success hinged on two big fourth-quarter plays. First, Marshall Kmiecik threw a long ball to senior receiver Ben Fronk with under nine minutes to play. When a Raider defender slipped and fell, Fronk hauled in the pass and scampered in for a 53-yard score. Then, when a third-and-long passing play broke down a few minutes later, Kmiecik scrambled 68 yards for another touchdown. Kmiecik finished with 185 rushing yards on 29 carries.
Junior Jacob Mrozinski led the Cougars with nine tackles. Senior Hunter Groves recovered a fourth-quarter fumble that thwarted Lowell’s chance at a comeback.
New Prairie briefly celebrated their regional trophy on the frozen field before loading up for a long ride home. The team busses enjoyed a police escort along the final stretch of US 20.
New Prairie now prepares for a rematch of a different sort against Northridge, a school the Cougars defeated at semi-state seven years ago. On Friday, that game will be played at Amzie Miller Field in New Carlisle.
