2007 Crown Point High School Football Preview

Championships
SECTIONALS (3) 1988, 1991, 2006
REGIONALS (1) 1988

Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) Varsity coach: Chip Pettit (41-26, 6 seasons)

Aug. 17 (F) at Lowell (7-6)
Aug. 24 (F) Hobart (10-2)
Aug. 31 (F) MERRILLVILLE (7-5)
Sep. 7 (F) at LAKE CENTRAL (4-6)
Sep. 14 (F) at Portage (6-5)
Sep. 21 (F) Valparaiso (4-6)
Sep. 28 (F) LaPorte (10-4)
Oct. 5 (F) at Chesterton (5-6)
Oct. 12 (F) Michigan City (1-9)

2006 SEASON (12-1)
Aug. 18 (W) 17-0 Lowell
Aug. 25 (W) 34-20 at Hobart
Sep. 1 (W) 17-2 at Merrillville
Sep. 8 (W) 31-14 Lake Central
Sep. 15 (W) 17-10 Portage
Sep. 22 (W) 35-21 at Valparaiso
Sep. 29 (W) 42-41 at LaPorte
Oct. 6 (W) 41-21 Chesterton
Oct. 13 (W) 45-13 at Michigan City
5A Sectional One
Oct. 20 (W) 49-0 at Lake Central
Oct. 27 (W) 14-13 (OT) Portage
Nov. 3 (W) 28-7 Merrillville
5A Regional championship
Nov. 10 (L) 21-28 (OT) at LaPorte

2005 SEASON (11-1)
Aug. 19 (W) 16-6 at Lowell
Aug. 26 (W) 26-0 Hobart
Sep. 2 (W) 13-0 Merrillville
Sep. 9 (W) 23-0 at Lake Central
Sep. 16 (W) 31-21 at Portage
Sep. 23 (W) 13-10 Valparaiso
Sep. 30 (W) 35-14 LaPorte
Oct. 7 (W) 34-17 at Chesterton
Oct. 14 (W) 47-7 Michigan City
5A Sectional one
Oct. 21 (W) 45-20 at Valparaiso
Oct. 28 (W) 34-0 Chesterton
Nov. 4 (L) 13-16 at Merrillville

CROWN POINT (8-08-2007) The 2007 Crown Point Bulldogs will have new starting running backs, some new wide receivers and a new defensive secondary. But the linemen are much the same. They've been shuffled a bit. They may be in different slots. But Crown Point's 2007 season, as most do, rides on the strength, depth and resulting success of the offensive line and there's a lot to ride on.

Giving CP's skill position players their due, the Bulldogs don't go 23-2 the last two seasons without better than average offensive line play. There's a chance that "better than average" becomes outstanding this year and it'll need to be to protect and serve new folks on the perimeter.

"We're going to have Matt Polus (6-2, 230) and Kurt Wermers (6-5, 270) at right guard and tackle and after that we've got seven guys in the mix to play the other three spots," said CP head coach Chip Pettit.

That isn't as fluid as it sounds. Seniors Zach Brumm (5-11, 220), Cody Blue (6-3, 230), Matt Childress (6-2, 260) all started last year. Jason Hulen (6-2, 255) and Mark Seip (6-0, 245) and Chris Lakich (6-3, 220) give CP plenty of depth. There does not figure to be a game situation this year when CP will be playing linemen who are not upperclassmen they had planned on using there.

Pettit also wants some of his linemen to be able switch to the defensive side of the ball, if needed.

"We're going to put our best athletes on defense," he said, "and go from there. Except for a couple of skill people on offense, we've always tried to do that."

While CP probably won't have linemen going both ways for four quarters, it's no secret they were small on the defensive line last season, although only Portage and LaPorte took advantage of that fact. It was also pretty clear that when Wermers took a part time shift on the defensive line, he evened some of that up. Childress (6-2, 260) may have the same effect.

"I've got good size," Childress said. "I was a little surprised, but wherever they need me, I'll play. They told me (the reason for the switch is) that I've got good size and I'm pretty quick off the line. I can read what they're doing. It's not that big a change."

At running back, CP will look to extend the string of 1,000-yard rushers which began with Donny Keiser in 2005 and continued with Jon Sertich (235 carries, 1,492 yards) in 2006.
Senior Russell Chick (5-9, 180) will get the chance to run behind CP's senior-dominated offensive line.

The Bulldogs have top passer Blake Mascarello (133-225, 2,080 yards) back, but CP's nearly 2-to-1 run-pass ratio (434 rushes - 227 passes) figures to remain the same, even with top tight end Zach Cecich (16 catches, 324 yards, 6 TDs) returning. CP's top two receivers graduated, but Boone Grove-transfer Ron Burton (6-2, 180), veteran Joe Baker (6-4, 180) and No. 2 tight end Joe Maginot (6-3, 220) give CP size at the pass catching positions. Look for juniors Danny Osojnicki (5-11, 170) and Kyle Qualizza (5-11, 165) to get chances because CP figures to continue to use four wide-receiver sets.

Since CP has graduated four of its six starting skill position offensive players, outsiders understandably put question marks on these positions. Those questions may not last very long. Senior Russell Chick has been a running back throughout the CP program and now he'll start opening night at tailback. He's trying to narrow his focus.

"Being in shape," he said of his concerns. "To take the hits. Hold onto the ball. I'm a little nervous, but I'm pumped to be here. I think I can do the job."

Kozlowski and senior Evan Nikrin (5-10, 200) will replace Tommy Parks, who was a big playmaker for the Bulldogs in 2006.

"Russell will get the majority of the carries," says Pettit. "He'll be backed up by a combination of (Nick) Bruno, Brandon Corning (6-0, 180) and Mason Popovich (5-8, 160). Kozlowski and Nikrin can both play fullback and they both will play it along with Cecich at some time or another. He'll be a runner and he'll catch the ball. Tight end and fullback are different, but we've started to group them together in practice."

"It's not too bad," he said of the defensive responsibilities in CP's five linebacker set. "Once you know your stuff, it's mostly just the plays. Reading their keys. At fullback, you know what you're supposed to do all the time. At LB, you're hunting out the football. At team camp, we watch a lot of film. We're getting to adjust to that."

Linebacker will be a strength with Nick Cottrell (77 tackles), Andrew Szymborksi (68 tackles), Lance LaMere (66 tackles) and Tony Conway (51 tackles), to be joined by Stahl, who was in on 48 stops last year at cornerback, and possibly Nikrin, or juniors Mark Myers (5-10, 165), Donny Cocvaciu (5-9, 185) or Greg Schillo (5-10, 205).

Up front, Nick Hladek (70 tackles, 7 sacks) and tight end Zach Cecich (6-3, 230) could be the defensive ends while the tackle position is where the four offensive linemen, Blue, Childress, Brumm and Wermers come in. Back-up quarterback Marcus Shrewsbury (6-0, 210), a state finalist wrestler who has been the backup quarterback for two years, will try his hand at defensive line, taking advantage of those wrestling skills.

"I dont have any regrets about last year," Childress said. "We took it one step at a time and we tried our hardest. This year? I just want to win the sectional, win the conference again. Not so much going undefeated. Just the conference and the sectional."

DOG NOTES: Quarterback Blake Mascarellio (6-0, 200) returns for his third season as a starting QB after completing 133 of 225 passes for 2,080 yards and 26 TDs (8 interceptions)in 2006. Mascarello has started 19 games for the Bulldogs and CP is 18-1 in those games.

Former Crown Point multipurpose player Chris Kutanovski has returned to CPHS as a kicking and punting coach. Kutanovksi, who was a linebacker, running back and defensive end at times for CP, was an all-area punter for the Bulldogs in 2001 and 2002, averaging 36 yards a punt and 45 yards a kickoff his senior season while leading CP with 113 tackles.

Kutanovksi will work with Michael Lipton, who was 49-of-52 on extra points last season, with four field goals and a 39.7 yard average on kickoffs, something Pettit believes will improve this year.

"We couldn't be happier with Michael Lipton," Pettit said. He's always been accurate on his extra points and field goals. He's also the backup punter."

Former varsity assistant Mike Depta will be the new head coach at Wheeler Middle School, where offensive line coach Mark Croell will be the first Wheeler Middle School athletic director. The new school sits on the site of the old Crown Point high school, which closed its doors in 2003. Former CPHS varsity volleyball coach Greg Doane will be the eighth grade coach at Taft Middle School.

Chip Pettit says that he's not concerned with the outrageous totals of boys CP now has in the program.

"I think in a high school that if the boys show up to workouts and make all the practices, that football is a sport where a kid ought to be able to be on the team," he said. "I will always do whatever I can to not cut a kid. If we get up over 200, then maybe we'll just have two junior varsity teams. We already have an 'A' and a 'B' team. You could have a straight sophomore team and then have a JV team with other sophomores on it."

It's hard to argue that wrestling isn't good for football. Linebacker Andrew Szymborksi (38-5) finished fifth at the state finals last winter at 171 pounds. Marcus Shrewsbury (36-7) was seventh in the state at 189 pounds. Tony Conway (35-4) reached the state finals at 145 pounds and lost in the first round. If those three play together at some time in the game at Lowell on Aug. 17, which is a possibility, it will almost certainly be the first time that three state finalist wrestlers been in the same CPHS football lineup.

One key position change will be to move cornerback Anthony Stahl (5-11, 165) to an outside linebacker position in CP's five-linebacker set.

"He told me this year," said Anthony Stahl, "I'm going to be an oversight linebacker. I like it. It's going to give me a chance to get in on a lot more tackles. We've got a little bit of pressure on us because we'd like to hold up that reputation of the last two years. But with who we have, I think we can do it."

Mike Kozlowski (5-11, 210), who could start at fullback and punter this season, may miss the first game of the season, due to baseball. Kozlowski, as he is for CP's baseball team, is a shortstop and pitcher for the Hammond Seminoles, the 16-and-under Babe Ruth League team that is the younger version of the Senior Babe Ruth League Hammond Chiefs traveling team.

"He's getting on a plane Aug. 11 to head for the (Babe Ruth) World Series," noted Pettit. "If they don't do well, he'll be back soon. But if they start winning, he'll miss the first game."

"We've got the World Series coming up," Kozlowski confirms. "He (Coach Chip Pettit) is letting me go. I might miss the first game."

Nick Hladek, CP's staring defensive end and the catcher on the varsity baseball team, is the catcher on the Chiefs, but Hammond was eliminated from national competition, so Nick is on the football field for good.

"They're still playing tournaments," he said. "But we (the Chiefs) didn't make it to the World Series this year, so two-a-days weren't bad. The tournaments they're in now are not national qualifiers so I thought I'd come to football. It's not tiring. I'm used to it. We've just got to take it one day at a time. This week is Highland, next week is Lowell and then we go from there."

Zach Cecich (16 catches - 324 yards, 6 TDs in 2006) is heading into his senior football season as a D-1 or D-II tight end recruit, but he also will be a returning starter on CP's varsity basketball team, which has 10 returning varsity players. His summer time was split between two sports as well.

"Coach Swan and coach Pettit do a good job of making sure that if I'm at one sport, that the other coach knows. I think it's great to play both. I do want to be at the college level," said Cecich, "but I want to play all these high school games first."

The newcomer is senior Ron Burton, who spent 2006 at Boone Grove after playing in 2005 at Andrean. Since he could not play last year, it's easy to forget that Burton caught 36 passes for 434 yards two seasons ago as a 59er sophomore. Pettit is happy with the way Burton has fit in.

"What he's going to do athletically? I don't know," said Pettit, who has probably never seen him in a game. "But that's almost secondary. Ron's pretty mature. He's kept his mouth shut and gone about his business. He hasn't been a divisive force by any stretch. And he hasn't pushed kids away either."

As you might expect from a former star CPHS baseball player, Pettit is OK with his football player playing in national summer baseball tournaments.

"To have a successful football program the best athletes have to play football," Pettit says. "If you start making kids make choices between sports you're going to win some and lose some. That's not good for football and I don't think it's good for the kids. Even at a school of 2400, we need multi-sports athletes."

"What you get is a school full of one sport specialists," noted Pettit. "'Koz' is going to fly out on Saturday, Aug. 11 to play with the Seminoles. If they keep winning, he will miss the first game. He's a heckuva baseball player. We tell kids this is your chance to play. I'd be speaking out of both sides of my mouth if I told him to play, but then told him he couldn't go to the World Series. If it was four games, that might be different but it's one game. 'Koz' has worked real hard in the weight room. He's put in the time with us so we need to work."

Pettit, starting his seventh year, seemed calmly in control on photo day, far removed from the soaring success of the last two undefeated regular seasons.

"We've got a great group of kids," he said quietly standing in the middle of the CPHS gridiron the day before the intra squad scrimmage. "They try to do what we ask and we can't ask for anything more than that. When we're out practicing, we don't have kids not trying and the parents are supportive."

2007 Crown Point Football Preview: Returning QB, linemen to be strengths A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith 8-08-2007

2007 Crown Point Football Preview: Returning QB, linemen to be strengths

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith
8-08-2007