Lockhart plows ahead
Junior QB tries to find rhythm amid fits and starts of highly-ranked Valparaiso’s season
Valparaiso’s Logan Lockhart is honest about the situation.
It hasn’t been the easiest transition to starting quarterback for the junior.
Assuming the Vikings play Lake Central on Friday in the regularseason finale, it will be the first time he’s started two straight weeks.
“It’s been pretty tough not having the reps,” he said. “I just haven’t been able to consistently play. I haven’t found a rhythm yet.”
Lockhart wasn’t Valparaiso’s starter at the beginning of the season. Senior Maximus Grimes, a transfer from Lafayette Jefferson, was the starter. But Grimes was lost for the season after suffering a lower-body injury against Penn in the season opener, according to Valparaiso coach Bill Marshall.
Lockhart came off the bench and led a come-from-behind 17-16 win against the Kingsmen. Lockhart completed 13 of 28 passes for 141 yards in that game.
Since then, the Vikings’ season has been punctuated by a series of stops and starts. Griffith wasn’t ready to play yet in late August because of the coronavirus pandemic. Michigan City canceled its Sept. 11 game against Valparaiso because a coach tested positive for COVID-19. And the Vikings had to cancel games against Crown Point and Merrillville after one of their players tested positive.
The Vikings (4-0), who are ranked No. 3 in Class 5A in the Associated Press poll and the state coaches poll, defeated Portage 41-7 last week.
Lockhart said it hasn’t been easy to practice.
“It’s been a constant struggle to stay focused because we have all these weeks off,” he said. “It’s hard to get some consistency.”
Marshall said the “kids have been a resilient bunch.”
Lockhart falls into the resilient category.
He finished second to Grimes in a four-way competition for the starting job. Other players that were in the mix included Ian Wilson, a sophomore, and Colin Kwiatkowski, a senior who was moved to linebacker.
For six days over a three-week period, the coaches charted pass completions over 20 yards and completion percentages.
Marshall said Lockhart, who also plays baseball, finished slightly below Grimes in the competition. Lockhart was the starting quarterback for the junior varsity.
Marshall said Lockhart is a good student who dissects film and is eager to dig deeper into the offense.
For now, it’s about getting more experience.
“It’s a matter of timing and learning defenses,” Marshall said.
Lockhart possesses a quality that the Vikings haven’t had in a while. Or at least haven’t exploited.
He’s a dual threat. He has carried the ball 11 times for 81 yards. CJ Opperman, their starting quarterback last season, rarely ran.
It’s just enough that defenses have to guard against Lockhart leaving the pocket.
He has been helped by a talented group of skill players and an experienced offensive line.
The Vikings are averaging 271 yards rushing per game. Senior Tommy Burbee is averaging 7.4 yards per carry. Grant Comstock, a 6-foot-5 senior receiver, has caught four passes for 107 yards, and Blake Worthington, a 6-2 senior, has caught six passes for 118 yards.
“I have some really good players,” Lockhart said. “I just have to try to get the ball to them.”
Valparaiso is scheduled to play Michigan City in the first round of the 5A playoffs on Oct. 30.
Another cancellation: Highland announced on Wednesday that its home game against Kankakee