10-08-2011

Friday, October 7, 2011,  75 degrees, clear skies, Duneland Athletic Conference at CHESTERTON, IN.

1st Qtr: CROWN POINT (7-0) Tristan Peterson, 2-yard run. 70 yard drive, 11 plays. Brett Bayer kick. 2:42 left.
2nd Qtr: CROWN POINT (14-0) Tristan Peterson, 21-yard run. 59-yard drive, 5 plays. Brett Bayer kick. 10:13 left
CROWN POINT (21-0) Joe Hopman, 5-yard run. 24-yard drive, 5 plays after fumble recovery by Tyler Smith. Brett Bayer kick. 8:05 left.
3rd Qtr: CHESTERTON (6-21) Cole Teal, 1-yard run. 40-yard drive, 8 plays. Bad snap. No extra point attempt. 5:10 left.
CROWN POINT (28-6) Zach Plesac, 24-yard pass from Joe Hopman. 80-yard drive, 8 plays. Brett Bayer kick. 0:00 left (last play of 3rd quarter).
4th Qtr:  No scoring.

RUSHING:
CROWN POINT (40 carries, 222 yards, 3 TDs) Tristan Peterson (HB) 31-142 yards, 2 TDs; Joe Hopman (QB) 5 carries, 56 yards; Pete Parks (FB) 1-4 yards; Tyler Wells (WR) 2-11 yards; Tyler Smith (WR) 1-9 yards.

CHESTERTON (33 caries, 104 yards, TD, fumble) Cole Teal (QB) 13-19 yards (3 sacks, minus-15 yards), fumble; Joe Troop (HB) 11-27 yards; Zac Jenks (FB) 6-35 yards; Adam Lara (WB) 3-23 yards.

PASSING:
CROWN POINT: Joe Hopman (QB) 4-6, 52 yards, TD;
CHESTERTON (QB) 8-12, 61 yards, interception.

RECEIVING:
CROWN POINT: Zac Plesac (WR) 3-48 yards, TD; Tyler Wells (WR) 1-4 yards;
CHESTERTON: Adam Lara (WB) 3-25 yards; Joe Troop (WR) 3-4 yards; Zac Jenks (FB) 6-35 yards; Ryan Knightly (WR) 1-5 yards.

CHESTERTON (10-07-2011) Maybe the 2-steps forward, one step back nature of the 2011 Crown Point Bulldogs has more to do with the Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) than it does with CP. But we can't ignore who has what and when. When Crown Point lost to Merrillville (5-3), Lake Central (7-1) and Valparaiso (4-4), all three opposing QBs played and played very well. When CP faced Chesterton last Friday, not only was Chesterton QB Chris Katsafaros out, but CP's Joe Hopman and halfback Tristan Peterson were not.

About 3,000 fans watched in 70-degree weather as sophomore halfback Tristan Peterson carried the ball 31 times for 142 yards and two first half TDs, while Hopman ran a mistake-free offense as CP got back to the .500 mark in Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) play.

"I was really pleased with our defensive effort," said CP coach Chip Pettit, after the Bulldogs held a fifth opponent to seven points or less. "We did a good job of defending everything. I was really pleased with how we mentally approached the game. We had our eyes in the right spots. You know that when you play Chesterton sometimes you see that fullback run up the middle untouched sometimes. That didn't happen tonight."

It wasn't the first time this year that CP had dominated, even if the coaches and players wish it was all time, every time. In five victories, Crown Point (5-3) has out scored five foes by a combined score of 184-18. But narrow home losses to Valparaiso and Merrillville knocked the Bulldogs out of any DAC title chances, leaving CP just hoping to extend the season beyond this month (after Friday's season-finale against Michigan City) in search of any championship.

"The coaches just talk to us about getting on a roll," said senior guard Stephen Hutchison. "Getting the seniors collectively to help us play better. We have to be more consistent in our game."

CP has gotten a lift from Peterson, a top prospect who was pushed into the starting lineup two weeks ago after starting senior halfback Jake Lindeman was injured. A sprinter off the track team, the sophomore rookie recorded a second consecutive 100-yard game.  Hutchison says the line is taking a lot of pride in the continuing success of the ground attack.

"It's great seeing a sophomore out there scoring touchdowns and breaking tackles," he said. "It's exciting because we're opening holes for him."

After two long drive and TDs by Peterson, Chesterton donated a third score after backup Chesterton QB Cole Teal fumbled and Tyler Smith recovered at the Trojan 24-yard-line. Four running plays later, Hopman scored on a five-yard run to give the visitors a 21-0 lead at 8:05 before halftime. The Bulldogs used a lot of three wide receiver formations but they only ended up throwing just six passes. Crown Point did not give up a fumble or an interception. They have lost only seven turnovers total in eight games.

Teal led the home team on a short 40-yard TD drive in the third quarter, scoring on a one-yard option run. It was just the third second half TD scored against Crown Point all season and the first second half rushing TD against Crown Point all year. Lake Central scored on a third quarter pass interception against CP on Sept. 9 and Merrillville scored a game-winning TD pass in their 21-20 win at CP on Sept. 2. Hutchison would like a rematch with all the three teams that defeated CP this year.

"I would really like to play LC again," he added, "because they beat us badly (26-7) the first time and we really think we can beat them if we get another chance. I think we're a contender because the DAC is wide open this year."

DOG NOTES: The CP defense contained the Chesterton option attack and sacked backup QB Cole Teal (6-3, 180) four times. Since starting QB Chris Katsafaros was injured on Sept. 23 against Portage, Chesterton is winless and they have been outscored 66-13 in their last 2 games, both at home. CP, which is tied for fourth in the eight-team DAC, has won five games by 21 points or more this year. In the last 2 seasons, CP Is 0-3 against Valparaiso, 0-2 against Merrillville and 13-2 against everyone else.

Chesterton defeated CP last season 45-21 in Crown Point.

"It was embarrassing," admitted CP coach Chip Pettit. "But there's a whole different group of seniors now. Some of these kids didn't play in that game. I think sometimes the adults have more difficulty forgetting about things like that than the kids do."

Senior halfback Jake Lindeman still had his foot in a 'walking boot' last Friday after being injured two weeks ago. He said his foot got rolled on by a friendly lineman during a practice tackle.

"I hope I can come back for the sectional," said Lindeman, who said he was injured in practice. Lindeman, a starter on CP's baseball team, moved into the starting role as halfback this fall and carried 93 times for 384 yards in the Bulldogs' first five games.

Crown Point has a remote chance at an unheard of sectional sweep of all fall sports. CP girls won the Bishop Noll Sectional golf championship and boys won the CP tennis sectional title.
Crown Point won both the boys soccer and girls soccer sectional titles Saturday and they were favored to win both boys and girls sectional cross country meets Tuesday.

Sectional volleyball starts next week in LaPorte and the defending champion Slicers are not the overwhelming favorite they have been in past seasons. Then CP begins the 5A Sectional 1 football playoffs. No school in Northwest Indiana has ever won a sectional in all eight fall sports in the same year.

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Revised: October 08, 2011 .