Bulldogs QB Jansen injured at Highland football scrimmage, could be out for season

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

8-14-2005

HIGHLAND (8-12-2005) - What do the Bears and the Bulldogs have in common?

I hope it's that they're both members of the animal kingdom after both Chicago Bears quarterback Rex Grossman and CP QB Matt Jansen went down with what appeared to be serious leg injuries in meaningless exhibition competition Friday night.

Grossman is out for three months with a broken ankle. Jansen? Crown Point was to find out the truth over the weekend and it didn't look good.

Suffice it to say that from a visual observation of the play on which Jansen was pulled down from behind by a Highland pass-rusher Friday night, it would take a minor miracle for Jansen to be able to play in the season opener Aug. 26 in Lowell.

“I did feel something pop,” said the CP senior after the game, leaning on crutches on the sidelines. “I was just thinking about getting up, I tried to get up and I couldn't. I don't know. I've never had a serious injury. I hope to be back next Friday.”

“I really feel bad for the kid,” said Highland coach Doug Miller, who was upset about the situation. “I don't want to see anybody get hurt like that. But there's a large gray area there. You can't tell a kid not to play hard. And we don't want our kids going half speed. That's how you get hurt.”

Coach Chip Pettit didn't want to go overboard about the situation even if the worse case scenario turns out to be fact.

“We could stand here and go on and on about this,” the fifth year coach said, “You feel bad for Matt but I think everybody understands in athletic competition that this can happen. But there were 90 other players here tonight and I thought we did pretty well. I'd like to see us run to the ball a little better but I thought our defense played pretty well.”

True enough. Crown Point's first team outscored Highland 5-2 in touchdowns in the scrimmage format which has teams attempting to score with driveS that began at the 35 yard line and the 10 yard line. Near the end of the long, humid evening, the Bulldog's second string scored six times in eight plays from the 10-yard-line.

But this final flurry was made significant because it marked the first significant varsity action for sophomore Bulldog quarterback Blake Mascarello, the oldest back-up to Jansen at the quarterback position.

“We have a lot of confidence in both of these kids (freshman Marcus Shrewsbury is the other one),” said Pettit. “Our No. 2 team got the best of their No. 2 team but that's what should happen considering the size of the rosters and the size of the schools.”

Statistics and game highlights of a scrimmage have limited value but after Highland scored their final TD on a five-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Adam Musielak to soph Neil Wolski, CP scored on six 10-yard plays. The scores were two 10-yard runs by halfback Russell Chick (5-8, 160), a 10-yard run from soph Andrew Corning and three TDs produced by Mascarello, a 10-yard pass to 6-foot-5 sophomore Joe Baker and two well-executed play-action QB keepers.

Mascarello (5-11, 180), who has spent much of the last three weeks in state and national competition with the 16-and-under Hammond Seminoles babe Ruth baseball team, would figure to get at least the first shot at replacing Jansen simply because Shrewsbury (5-11, 185) is a true freshman who hasn't even begun high school yet.

“We can sit here and feel sorry for yourself for about five minutes but we're still going to play Lowell next week," added Petit. That game is still scheduled.”

SCRIMMAGE NOTES: Unconfirmed reports Saturday afternoon said that Jansen, who completed 133 of 242 passes for 1,976 yards, would miss the entire season.

CP does not have a senior player who was a quarterback early in his varsity career. Junior Matt Ernest is a former quarterback but he hasn't played the position for at least two years and the value of taking an all-area receiver and putting him at quarterback is highly debatable.

“I like how we got after them defensively,” said Miller of his Highland team. “But we didn't move the ball like we hoped. We'd have liked to have seen our second string play a little better. But when our first team's offense was out there we got stuffed a little.”

“We thought our line was a strength. So, we've got to work on that. They've got a good defense but I thought we'd do better.”

In the week before the scrimmage, Pettit said that either Shrewsbury or Mascarello would be the QB in 2006 and that both were athletic and talented.

Chris Schillo and Brian Forney both made finger-tip catches on Jansen TD passes early in Friday's scrimmage.

There was not punting or place-kicking in the scrimmage, which took two hours and was played in front of a crowd of about 250.

CROWN POINT (2005)

Coach Petit (18-25, 4 seasons)

Enrollment: 2,190 - Class 5A - all games - 7 p.m.

*2004 Record: 4-7 (lost Sectional 1 semifinal at home 34-19 to eventual sectional champion Merrillville)

Crown Point 2005 Schedule

8-19 (F) at Lowell (WWCA-AM 1270)

8-26 (F) Hobart (WWCA-AM 1270, WEFM 95.9 FM)

9-2 (F) MERRILLVILLE (WJOB-AM 1230)

9-9 (F) at LAKE CENTRAL

9-16 (F) at PORTAGE

9-23 (F) VALPARAISO

9-30 (F) LaPORTE

10-7 (F) at CHESTERTON

10-14 (F) MICHIGAN CITY

Crown Point 2004 Record (4-7)

8-20 (L) 15-25 Lowell (9-4)

8-27 (L) 17-21 at Hobart (9-2)

9-3 (W) 7-3 at Merrillville (11-2)

9-10 (W) 27-6 Lake Central (1-9)

9-17 (L) 17-24 Portage (8-4)

9-24 (L) 14-35 at Valparaiso (6-5)

10-1 L) 23-37 at LaPorte (7-4)

10-8 (W) 17-14 Chesterton (5-5)

10-15 (L) 17-26 at Michigan City (4-6)

5A, Sectional 1

10-22 (W) 46-3 Lake Central (1-9)

10-29 (L) 19-34 Merrillville (11-2)

*Key losses from 2004: OG - Steve Ellingsen (1st-team all-area); DB-WR Mike Smith - 20 catches-261 yards; 12 KO returns-18.3; 11 punt returns-10.8, 57 tackles; DE-Justin Sprehe - 61 tackles, 5.5 sacks; P-Nick Soltis - 33 punts - 31.3 avg.

*Key returning players for 2005: Matt Jansen (QB) 133-242, 1,976 yards receiving, 15 TDs, 10 interceptions; (all-time CP records in completions, attempts and total yards). Matt Ernest (WR) 47 catches, 1,031 yards receiving, 5TDs, 52 tackles, 5 interceptions (2nd all-time at CP in receptions and yardage); Jon Sertich (TB-S) 119 carries, 695 yards rushing , 5 TDs, 62 tackles, 4 sacks; Donny Keiser (RB-PK-P) 71-401 yards, 4-of-6 FGs (long-43), 10 punts (45.7); Vince Lewis (LB) 94 tackles; two-year starter Matt Schillo (LB) 72 tackles; Nick Ciochina (LB) 57 tackles; Jeremy Plummer (DB) 44 tackles; Marcus Robinson (OG) started 11 games; Nick Conway (DT) 49 tackles, 2 sacks; Brad Mallers (PK) 13-17 XPs, 3-of-3 field goals.