Pirates ignited by Sparks
Senior left tackle gets Merrillville offense rolling against Hobart
The first time Merrillville’s Theodore Sparks entered a varsity game, he didn’t have much time to be worried.
It was the middle of the game, and the left tackle had to fill in for Martes Lewis, who now plays at Minnesota.
“At first I was nervous,” Sparks said. “But once I got out there, I warmed up to it pretty quick. It was a role I was ready to take on. I just didn’t know it yet.”
Sparks, a 6-foot-3, 255-pound senior, is in a much different headspace these days as the calm, confident leader of a line that helps Merrillville’s explosive offense take flight — just as it did in a 41-14 win against visiting Hobart on Friday night.
Now in his second season as a varsity starter, Sparks benefits from a diverse sports background. He was a semistate qualifier as a wrestler in the winter and was a thrower for the track team in the spring.
That wide-ranging ability is part of what made Sparks so effective when he became the full-time starter last season after Lewis graduated in 2020.
“He’s really physical and works so hard,” Merrillville coach Brad Seiss said. “He had a big responsibility last year of having to step in for Martes at left tackle and did a great job of it. Now the expectation is for him to be the guy out there.”
With Sparks and the rest of the offensive line keeping Hobart’s defense in check, Merrillville lit up the scoreboard Friday, led by senior quarterback Angel Nelson’s 269 passing yards — all in the first half.
Merrillville scored on four of its first five possessions, opening a 28-7 lead by the 3-minute, 46-second mark of the second quarter. Each drive featured a big play, with Merrillville displaying its vast arsenal of offensive talent by involving a slew of players.
Senior Tyrese Frazier had a 32-yard reception on the first play of the initial possession. Senior Jakar Ward capped the second drive with a 34-yard catch-andrun. Frazier found the end zone with a 48-yard catch to open the second quarter, and senior Silas Mathis scored from 34 yards out after having a 58-yarder nullified by a penalty.
In the second half, junior Justin Marshall continued the offensive barrage with a 58-yard TD run and a 64-yard TD catch.
Seiss raved about those skill-position players, who still are learning how to navigate the game at the varsity level.
“A lot of them were JV kids last year,” Seiss said. “They’re doing a nice job of making something happen after the quarterback gets them the ball. We’ve been lucky to have good speed on our team the last few years because of how hard these guys work in the offseason.
“They all run track. They waited their turn, and now they’re cashing in on their opportunities.”
Hobart didn’t recover from that early deficit as the 2020 Class 4A state runner-up faced a 6A team for the second week in a row after a 20-14 loss to Chesterton in the season opener. Junior Trey Gibson had a 1-yard TD plunge, and junior Cody Johnston hauled in a 19-yard TD pass to account for the Brickies’ scoring.
But Hobart coach Craig Osika remained upbeat after facing a pair of tough opponents to start the season.
“We’re watching these young guys grow,” he said. “We still have a lot of guys who just played in their second varsity game. Now we know what we have to work on.
“We’ve got eight more weeks before the playoffs, and we have to make sure we get it done.”