10-30-2010

Friday, October 29, 2010,  45 degrees, Class 5A, Sectional 1 Semifinal in MUNSTER, IN

1st Qtr: CROWN POINT (7-0) Tyler Kral, 12-yard pass from Joe Hopman (16th TD pass). 80-yard drive, 9 plays. Brett Bayer kick. 7:15 left.
MUNSTER (7-7) Nick Brajack, 8-yard pass from Mark Strbjak. 46-yard drive, 7 plays. Jake Smith kick. 3:55 left.
2nd Qtr: CROWN POINT (14-7) Cody Bacon, 14-yard run. (12th TD run). 59-yard drive, 6 plays. Brett Bayer kick. 8:22 left.
3rd Qtr: MUNSTER (10-14) Jake Smith, 23-yard field goal. 67-yard drive, 10 plays. 6:43 left.
4th Qtr: CROWN POINT (21-10) Cody Bacon, 39-yard run (13th TD) Brett Bayer kick. 10:40 left.
CROWN POINT (28-10) Cody Bacon 5-yard run (14th TD). 8-yard drive, 2 plays after 62-yard punt return by Austin Atherton. Brett Bayer kick. 5:15 left.
 

GAME STATISTICS

RUSHING:
CROWN POINT (39 carries, 252 yards one fumble, 3 TDs) Cody Bacon (HB) 26 carries, 175 yards (unofficial: 234 carries, 1,444 yards);

Joe Hopman (QB) 8-48 yards; Pete Parks (FB) 4-27 yards; Tristan Peterson (HB) 1-2 yards;

MUNSTER (21 carries, 72 yards, TD) Mark Strbjak (QB) 10 carries, 9 yards (4 sacks/minus-24 yards); Christian Leonakis (FB) 6-25 yards;

Nate Eagan (HB) 2-30 yards; Lukas Nossem (FB) 1-5 yards; Nick Brajack (HB) 2-3 yards.

PASSING:

CROWN POINT: Joe Hopman (QB) 10-19, 161 yards, TD, 2 interceptions;

MUNSTER: Mark Strbjak (QB) 6 of 14, 45 yards, TD, interception.

RECEIVING:

CROWN POINT: Austin Atherton (WR) 6-91 yards (unofficial: 56 catches, 1,078 yards); Jordan Jurasevich (TE) 1-24 yards; Travis Woosley (WR) 1-22 yards;

Tyler Wells (WR) 1-12 yards; Tyler Kral (TE) 1-12 yards, TD.

MUNSTER: Nick Brajak (WR) 1-8 yards, TD; Matt Collison (WR) 2-11 yards; Nate Eagan (WR) 1-9 yards; Kyle Wargo (WR) 2-17 yards.

TOTAL YARDS:

CROWN POINT: 413 yards; 16 first downs, 3 turnovers;

MUNSTER: 117 yards, six first downs, one turnover.
 

MUNSTER, IN (10-29-2010) I don't know if Crown Point answered any questions in last Friday's 28-10 victory at Munster, but it's the post-season. The only message you can send is: "See you next week."

Crown Point continued its late season turnover habit, but they never trailed, overpowering Munster 28-10 in a Class 5A Sectional One semifinal. There was no unusual celebrating after the win in 46-degree weather on the new artificial turf at Munster. CP was expected to defeat the smaller school from the smaller conference and the Bulldogs (8-3) are where they want to be. Still playing in November. Across the field from undefeated, fourth-ranked Valparaiso (11-0) in the sectional championship game this Friday at 7 p.m.

"This is what these kids have been shooting for since the start of the year," said coach Chip Pettit. "These kids have come a long way. For not having any real success their sophomore and junior year. They went through a process. We all thought they had some ability and we had a chance to be good. But you've got to learn how to win a game.

"You can phrase that a couple of different ways. Maybe it's keeping your composure. Maybe it's learning how to win. But you have to learn."

Crown Point had to learn how to defeat Munster even though they gained yards all night long.

The Bulldogs took the opening kickoff and drove 80 yards for a TD with quarterback Joe Hopman, who'd thrown four fourth quarter interceptions against Portage seven days earlier, going 3-for-3 for 63 yards. Hopman fired a 12-yard TD pass to junior tight end Tyler Kral to open the scoring.

Munster tied the game quickly after a 52-yard kickoff return by all-purpose star Nate Eagan. Mark Strbjak's 8-yard TD pass to Nick Brajak made it 7-7 with 3:55 left in the first quarter.
CP, which out gained Munster 413-117, took a 14-7 lead in the second quarter after a 59-yard, seven play drive. Cody Bacon's 14-yard run put the Bulldogs ahead 8:22 before halftime.

CP should have led by an insurmountable margin at the half but they committed three turnovers in the final six minutes of the second quarter including two more interceptions of Hopman. Nate Eagan's interception at the Munster 19-yard-line with 20 second left in the half kept the score 14-7 at the half.

Munster took the second half kickoff and drove 64 yards in eight plays to the Crown Point 7-yard-line. But on 3rd-and-goal, Strbjak fumbled the shotgun snap and the Mustangs (7-4) had to settle for a 23-yard field goal by senior Jake Smith.

"That was the big series of the game," said Pettit. "We came up with a stop when we really needed it and offensively we were able to hang in there after some turnovers. We were much better after halftime. We're a little bigger than they are and maybe we wore them down a little."

CP scored on a 39-yard run by Bacon with 10:40 left in the game and a 5-yard run by Bacon with 5:15 to go.

The offensive line of center Alex Zagrocki (6-0, 270), senior guards Mitch Kositzky (6-2, 255) and Andrew Wrecsics (6-4, 265) and junior tackles Eric Huttle (6-0,240) Steve Hutchison (6-0, 240) plus tight ends like Kral, Pete Parks and Jordan Jurasevich helped the Bulldogs gain almost six yards a carry all season.

Despite a late season rash of turnovers, that line gives CP a chance to win the fourth sectional title in 38 years of the state tournament Friday in Valparaiso. There's no pretending this isn't the biggest week of Crown Point high school football in several years.

"We're excited about the chance to play next week," said Pettit after his team qualified for the first sectional final in four years. "And we hope to make the most of it."

SECTIONAL NOTES: Crown Point halfback Jake Lindeman (41 carries, 197 yards) was in street clothes and unable to play after taking a hit on the knee in the Portage game on Sept. 22. He hopes to be in uniform for the Valparaiso game this Friday.

Freshman Tristan Peterson (5-10, 150) was CP's second string halfback against Munster.

Senior Austin Atherton caught six passes for 61 yards and became CP's third 1,000-yard receiver in the state tournament era (1973-present). Munster's Nate Eagan ended his senior season with his eighth interception in the second quarter.

Part of CP's interception problems may have come from tendencies. While 13 different Bulldogs have caught passes from Joe Hopman this season, the only receiver with more than 12 catches is Austin Atherton, who has 56 catches. Hopman has 20 TD and 11 interceptions, but six of those interceptions have come in the last two games.

Crown Point had four quarterback sacks, all in the fourth quarter, which was dominated by the Bulldogs. Atherton's 62-yard punt return in the fourth quarter featured a booming, knockout block by senior Patrick Arnold.

In the earlier meeting between Valparaiso and Crown Point, Valpo won 10-7 but neither side scored in the second half.

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Revised: October 31, 2010 .