Crown Point Bulldogs surprise Red Devils with trick play en route to 27-6 season opening win

Jordan Krajci (31) and Brendyn McKinnon (47) chase Lowell's Bryan Thomas (12) on an option play in the 2nd quarter.

Lowell wide receiver Danny Reyes (5) takes a break on the sidelines in the 80-degree temperatures on opening night. (All photos by Mark Smith.)

"The Inferno" in Lowell saw a standing room only crowd for the match between South Lake County rivals CP and Lowell.

Bryan THomas (12) rolls out away from a sea of red-shirted Crown Point fans. Lowell never led as CP won 27-6. (All photos by Mark Smith.)

Nick Hamilton (31) tumbles into the end zone after a 6-yard, 2nd quarter runfor Lowell's only TD of the game.

CP quarterback Joe Hopman (12) gets away from linebacker Tyler Kristoff (7) in first half action. Hopman has started the last three Lowell-CP games and he is 2-1 for the Bulldogs.

Lowell's Tyler Wright (66) watches from the Lowell sidelines in the second quarter. Wright started and played most of the game in his return to football after a knee injury cost him 3/4 of the 2010 season.

You can't see much of him, but that's Zach Brueckman (11) running all by himself to complete a 63-yard pass play after a reverse handoff by CP Junior end Zach Plesac threw the TD which put CP ahead 14-6.

The Lowell High School band waits near the football scoreboard to march onto the field as the final seconds of the first half shows CP up 14-6. The Bulldogs won 27-6.

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

8-20-2011

Friday, August 19, 2011 -  86 degrees, season opener at LOWELL, IN
 

1st Qtr: CROWN POINT (7-0) Jake Lindeman, 28-yard run. 67 yard drive, 6 plays, 2:06 min. time of possession (TOP). Brett Bayer kick. 7:59 left.
2nd Qtr: LOWELL (6-7) Nick Hamilton, 6-yard run. Kick wide. 90-yard drive, 15 plays, 7:38 min TOP. 6:22 left
CROWN POINT (14-6) Zach Brueckman, 63-yard wide receiver reverse pass from Zach Plesac. 63 yards, one play (0:12 sec. TOP) after after Nick Langbehn recovered a fumble at the CP 37 yard line. Brett Bayer kick.
3rd Qtr: CROWN POINT (17-6) Brett Bayer, 44 -yard field goal. -3-yard drive, 5 plays, 1:00 min TOP following interception by Logan McRae at Lowell 24-yard line. 8:44 left.
4th Qtr: CROWN POINT (24-6) Austin Stanley, 40-yard interception runback. Brett Bayer kick. 10:06 left.
CROWN POINT (27-6) Brett Bayer, 23-yard field goal. 43-yard drive, 8 plays, 4:43 min. TOP.  4:50 left.
 

RUSHING:
CROWN POINT (32 carries, 120 yards, one TD) Joe Hopman (QB) 6-17 yards; Jake Lindeman (HB) 26-103 yards, TD.

LOWELL (31 carries, 132 yards, one TD. 4 fumbles) Bryan Thomas (QB) 8-16 yards 9 (2 sacks minus -10); Zach Wolfe (HB) 7-27 yards fumble), Nick Hamilton (HB) 11-59 yards; Jeremy Crocker (FB) 3-22 yards; Clark Mikesell (FB) 2-8 yards.

PASSING:
CROWN POINT (8-18, 174 yards, TD) Joe Hopman (QB) 7-16, 111 yards; Zach Plesac (WR) 1-1, 63 yards, TD: Jake Jatis (WR) 0-1;

LOWELL (4-6, 33 yards) Bryan Thomas (QB) 4-6, 33 yards, 2 interceptions.

RECEIVING:
CROWN POINT: Zach Brueckman (TE) 1-63 yards; Braxton Rice (WR) 2-46 yards. Tyler Wells (WR) 3-51 yards; Tyler Kral (TE) 1-16 yards; Peter Parks (FB) 1-0.

LOWELL: Nick Kijurna (TE) 2-16; Jeremy Crocker (FB) 1-9 yards; Danny Reyes (WR) 1-8 yards.

TURNOVERS:
CROWN POINT (0); LOWELL (6) 4 fumbles.

PUNTS:
CROWN POINT: Brett Bayer 3-89 (29.7);
LOWELL: Aaron Hamm 4-131 (32.7).
 

LOWELL (8-19-2011) I don't know if Crown Point played a great game offensively or defensively in the 2011 season opener Friday night at Lowell. And I'm not sure Lowell defense was sub-par in a 27-6 loss to the Bulldogs. They had some good moments. But Lowell's offense was really bad. Shockingly bad.

The Devils turned the ball over six times and Crown Point had no turnovers whatsoever as the visitors won by 21 points in front of a standing room only crowd in Lowell.

CP's senior Jake Lindeman ran 23 times for 104 yards and a touchdown and Bulldog soccer player Brett Bayer booted three extra points plus field goal of 23 and 44 yards. But Lowell, a noisy place on football night, was rather quiet Friday as the hometown Devils lost four fumbles and threw two interceptions to a very grateful Crown Point team.

"It's a big rivalry," said CP coach Chip Pettit. "Does it make or break your season if you lose. Absolutely not. But to say this isn't a big deal for the kids on both sides, you're kidding yourselves. It is the opener. Nine months to play. You're playing for the Leather Helmet. It's a big deal."

The CP-Lowell series may be reverting to the natural order. Lowell, with an enrollment of less than 1,400, should not beat Crown Point, a school of over 2,600 in football eight times in 13 years. Lowell's success over the past 20 years (166-68) has been remarkable and they repeatedly have bounced back after an opening loss. In fact, Lowell won state (2005) in a year they lost badly to Crown Point. In truth, 4A public schools don't defeat 5A schools twice their size.

"The numbers are six and nine," said Kilmer. "Six turnovers and nine guys going both ways. This is not to be said in any way as an excuse. They played Lowell football. They ran the ball and wore us down. They controlled the line of scrimmage and wore us down."

The better team won on a very warm night, but the margin of victory was Lowell's doing. Trailing 14-6 at the half, the Devils gave up five second half turnovers to set up CP for three second half scores that put the Devils out of business on this night.

But it was back-to-back plays late in the second quarter that sent the winners in their way.

Lindeman (5-10, 190) broke two tackles on a 28-yard touchdown run with 7:59 left in the first quarter to give CP a 7-0 lead. On Lowell's third possession, they constructed a 90-yard, 15-play drive that ended in a six-yard run by Nick Hamilton. Sebastian Zagarena's kick was wide to the right and the score was 7-6 with 6:22 left in the half.

Lowell then forced a CP punt which Hamilton returned 42 yards to the Crown Point 37. At that moment, it appeared the home team would move in and take the lead. But on the first play, Lowell QB Bryan Thomas and halfback Clark Mikesell had a disconnection on an attempted handoff and CP's Nick Langbehn recovered at the CP 33-yard line.

On the very next play CP QB Joe Hopman handed the ball to Tyler Wells on what appeared to be a sweep play by the senior wide receiver. Wells then handed the ball to the other wide reciver, varsity baseball pitcher Zach Plesac, running laterally back towards the center of the field. Lowell fell for the trick. Plesac lifted a long pass downfield finding tight end Drew Brueckman all by himself at the Lowell 40-yard line. Brueckman caught the ball and ran free into the end zone for his first career TD and a 14-6 Crown Point lead.

"Zach likes to play quarterback in practice," said Lindeman, a teammate of Plesac's on coach Steve Strayer's varsity baseball team. "He's always grabbing a ball before practice and throwing it. He's a great baseball pitcher. We've got a couple of plays like that. We ran this one in practice a couple of times and it got the defense every time. It's a nice play."

The Bulldogs clinched the game early in the fourth quarter when Thomas overthrew a receiver down the middle and CP senior Austin Stanley intercepted at the Lowell 40. Stanley ran untouched down the home sidelines into the end zone to give the Bulldogs the game-clinching touchdown, a dream scenario for a defensive back.

"That's exactly right," Stanley would say later. "We work on that when we get an interception that everybody turns and blocks and that's exactly what all my teammates did. I saw all green grass and I saw the pylon (at the goal line) and I knew I was getting there."

"We knew that they do run a lot and they expect you to go to sleep on the pass down the middle," added Stanley "We kept reminding each other to look out for that pass and I just happened to be the one there."

Crown Point didn't score as many points as they actually could have with six turnovers. Pettit said he had to look at the film to see who actually played well.

"I thought Jake was a very steady," said Pettit of Lindeman. "There were a lot of people in the box once we got ahead. His ball security was great. His touchdown run was dynamite. He kept his legs churning and broke away."

"Bayer is a three year starter. If you asked him, he missed a few tonight. But any time the ball is inside the 25 on a still night, we feel we have a good chance."

"Logan McRae played well. Austin Stanley did very well. Obviously, he got the interception, but his eyes were in the right place all night and consequently, he was in the the right place."

The Bulldogs appeared much-improved over a scrimmage against Andrean seven days earlier where they gave up significant rushing yardage.

"I'm not sure we're there yet, but we came along tonight," Pettit said, before adding, "in terms of the scrimmage, there's a reason they call it a scrimmage."

It's hard to tell how good Lowell's offense could be because they simply didn't hold onto the ball. Thomas completed all six of his passes. Four to Lowell boys and two to CP players Stanley and Logan McRae. In the second half, Lowell ran 15 plays and gave the ball ways on six (five turnovers and a punt) of them. Kilmer asked the Lowell fans to stay with the team.

"We're not going to throw the season way on one game," he said. "We knew they would be tough. I'm disappointed. We had one first down (in the first half); in the second half two first downs. They controlled the line of scrimmage. We had some defensive stops, but six turnovers. You can't win any games like that."

DEVIL-DOG NOTES: The crowd was slow to gather Friday at Lowell. At kickoff time, the stands were full but there seemed to be seating for everybody. By halftime, folks were standing all around the fences that ringed the Lowell stadium.

The weather Friday night was miserable. It was 86 degrees at game time with no wind and significant humidity. The crowd was noticeably quiet most of the night. The CP fans, including kids dressed and made up (painted-on freckles and pigtails for girls) like farmers, to make fun of their South Lake County cousins, cheered the victory, but the game lacked excitement as Lowell was totally ineffective on offense after halftime.

Jake Lindeman batted .351 (32 of 91) with 20 RBIs in 29 games for the CP baseball team. He was 2-2 (3.09 ERA) in 23 innings as a pitcher. Zach Plesac hit .396 (25 of 63) and was 1-3 (2.02 ERA) in 20 innings as a pitcher.

Sophomore Aaron Hamm (6-3, 180) made his debut as Lowell's punter averaging 32.7 yards a boot. Sophomore Sebastian Zagarena (5-8, 177) made his debut as Lowell's place kicker, slicing his only extra point attempt wide in the second quarter.

It was difficult to tell who recovered the four Lowell fumbles but senior linebacker Adam Kutemeier appeared to get two of them.