Crown Point captures share of DAC title with 35-21 win over Michigan City

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

10-16-2007

Friday, October 12, 2007,  49 degrees at CROWN POINT, IN

1st Qtr:  CROWN POINT (7-0) Russell Chick, 11-yard run. 83-yard drive, 8 plays.  Michael Lipton kick. 8:31 left.
MICHIGAN CITY (7-7) Derek Devereaux, 26-yard pass from Nathan Scully. 65-yard drive, 7 plays.  Jacob Mallon kick. 5:25 left.
2nd Qtr:  CROWN POINT (14-7) Russell Chick, 7-yard run.  50-yard drive, 4 plays.  Michael Lipton kick.  11:40 left.
MICHIGAN CITY (14-14) Derek Devereaux, 23-yard pass from Nathan Scully.  71-yard drive, 13 plays.  Jacob Mallon kick.  5:14 left.
CROWN POINT (21-14) Danny Osojnicki, 14-yard pass from Blake Mascarello.  59-yard drive, 10 plays.  Michael Lipton kick.  0:32 left.
3rd Qtr:  CROWN POINT (28-14) Russell Chick, 7-yard run. 47-yard drive, 3 plays.  Michael Lipton kick.  10:59 left.
CROWN POINT (35-14) Russell Chick, 1-yard run. Michael Lipton kick.  0:56 left.
4th Qtr:  MICHIGAN CITY (21-35) Jeremy Harris, 7-yard pass from Nathan Scully. 80-yard drive, 16 plays.  Jacob Mallon kick. 5:25 left.

RUSHING:
MICHIGAN CITY (35-164 yards) Jeremy Harris (HB) 22-115 yards; Adam Harmon (HB) 7-40 yards);
Nathan Scully (QB) 4-4; Derek Devereaux (WR) 1-1; Nate Levandoski (WR) 1-4.
CROWN POINT (30-215 yards, TD, fumble) Russell Chick (HB) 26-198 yards, Blake Mascarello (QB)
1-9; Evan Nikrin (FB) -3; Nick Bruno (HB) 1-6, Mike Kozlowski (FB) 1 (-1).

PASSING:
MICHIGAN CITY -  Nathan Scully (QB) 9-18, 115 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs; 
CROWN POINT = Blake Mascarello (QB) 12-15, 155 yards, TD, 0 INTs.

RECEIVING:
MICHIGAN CITY - Derek Devereaux (WR) 4-58 yards; Jeremy Harris (HB) 2-23, Larry Crume (WR) 1-4; Prentice Lee (WR) 2-20; 
CROWN POINT - Zach Cecich (TE) 4-47 yards; Russell Chick (HB) 3-18; Danny Osojnicki (WR) 2-27;
Joe Maginot (TE) 1-23; Nick Bruno (HB) 1-35; Joe Baker (WR) 1-5.

TOTAL YARDS:
MICHIGAN CITY (279 yards, 13 first downs, 0 turnovers)
CROWN POINT (370 yards, 18 1st downs, 1 turnover)

CROWN POINT (10-12-2007) - I'm not sure how much it means to tie for your league title.  To me, 'outright' titles are the only kind that matter.  But when two teams go 6-1 in an eight-team league and one of those teams won the head-to-head match up, and that team is the two-time defending league champion, it's probably okay to call yourself a three-time champion.

Crown Point held off repeated Michigan City rallies Friday night to win for the 20th time in the Bulldogs' last 21 Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) games, by a 35-21 score.

Russell Chick carried 26 times for 198 yards and four TDs while Blake Mascarelo hit 12 of 15 passes to five different receivers with no interceptions.

The CP defense did give up three TD passes to Michigan City junior QB Nathan Scully and 115 yards rushing to MC sophomore halfback Jeremy Harris, but the Wolves (2-7, 0-7 DAC) never led on a 50-degree October night.  Crown Point becomes the fourth DAC school to finish first for three consecutive seasons.  Valparaiso won three undisputed titles from 1974-1976.  Portage won in 1994 and 1995 before splitting the title with Hobart in 1996.  Hobart, of course, won or shared 10 consecutive titles including eight undisputed championships from 1978 to 1985.

CP halfback Russell Chick because the first CP running back to gain 100 yards or more in every game of the regular season.  Chick gained 200 or more yards in each of the final three games.  Brian Parker, a 1998 CPHS graduate, set the CP school rushing record of 1,702 yards on 258 carries with 24 TDs n 1997.

DOG TALES:  Crown Point (7-2, 6-1) splits the DAC championship with Merrillville (8-1, 6-1), which beat Chesterton 38-10 Friday.  CP was 7-0 in the DAC in 2005 and 2006.  Merrillville was the 2004 DAC champion.  The DAC is 38 years (Valpo was the first champ in 1970) old but Crown Point did not join until 1993.

One of the oddities of the Duneland Conference in football is that only three undisputed DAC champions have ever gone on to win state titles.  The 1975 Valparaiso DAC title squad beat Carmel 14-13 for the state title and the 1997 and 1999 Hobart teams won 4A crowns.  No DAC champ has ever won the 5A crown.

Portage won the 1977 state title, but Merrillville was the undefeated DAC champ that year.  Valparaiso was the undisputed DAC champ in 1976, but Merrillville won the state title.

In Hobart's state title season of 1991, Merrillville won the DAC.  In 1993 when Hobart won a fourth title, Hobart and Portage split the DAC crown.