Hobart
(1-2, 0-1) at Hobart
(1-2, 0-1) at Friday,
Sept. 13, 2002 - 7 p.m.
TICKETS:
$5
Radio-TV: None
WEATHER: Cooler, mid-60s
PARKING: There's not much parking at Crown Point when the
team's losing. Now that they're winning, you need to be in the lot by 6 p.m. or
you can forget about a parking space on school grounds. In near-perfect
weather, you're better off walking to the game.
HISTORY:
This is the 53rd meeting of Hobart and Crown Point and the Bulldogs have
some catching up to do. Hobart leads the series 44-6-2 including a 21-10 win
last year. CP last beat the Brickies 41-28 on Sept. 10, 1999.
CROWN POINT - Hobart has come back to the rest of the region in recent years
with 19 wins and 28 losses since the start of the 1998 season. That's not too
good but since the Brickies are playing schools they shouldn't be playing
(schools twice their size), that's actually a pretty good record.
The Brickies (1-2) will come back top power starting next year when they trade Merrillville, Valparaiso and Chesterton (they'll reportedly keep CP and Portage on the schedule) for Highland, Morton and Griffith.
Until then, they suffer. Hobart has scored only 30 points in three games and 20 of those were against Andrean's reserves after the 59ers built a 27-0 lead on Aug. 23.
Quarterback Kyle Meanovich (6-0, 190) a steady senior who gets forced to the air too often Kyle has hit 23 of 56 passes for 391 yards but he had four intercepted last week in a 27-0 shutout loss at home against Hobart.
The Brickies are finding out what Crown Point found out under coach Dave Egofske in the late 90s. You can't be consistently big enough to line up and run the ball in the Duneland Athletic Conference. Almost nobody does it year-in and year-out. Hobart has 302 yards rushing in three games. This is the same school that perennially gained 3,000 yards a year in the late 80s and early 90s.
One of Hobart's four touchdowns was a 14-yard run by Marc Drobac who is the son of the Marc Drobac who played on Hobart's 1987 state championship team. Marc is an accomplished baseball player who led Hobart's Senior Little League (ages 15-16) all stars to the state finals last summer.
The Brickies have capable offensive linemen in Ryan Brinkley (5-11, 240) and Chris Ciesielski (6-2, 235). They can take advantage of other teams mistakes as they did in a 10-0 upset of Griffith but they probably aren't going to drive 60 yards down the field four times to beat you. They don't have that many offensive weapons.
They
may not have the speed to sack Matt Cowan (23 of 42, 432 yards, 7 TDs, one INT)
or cover Bobby Rutherford (13 catches, 260 yards, 5 TDs). Add Sean
O'Drobinak (8 catches - 135 yards) and Dave Swenson (16 rushes - 67 yards) and
CP is a lot to handle right now.
WHAT
WILL HAPPEN? This night is what Crown Point has hoped their
football program would be like for a few years now. A home game with an old
rival where they're bigger, stronger, faster and expected to win. Be
careful what you wish for.
Hobart has nothing to lose here and they may come out throwing against the CP secondary, which has yet to be tested by an all-out passing game. The Bulldogs have allowed 295 passing yards the last two weeks after run-oriented Lowell did not complete a pass in week one. Interception leader Chris Sprehe could get another one here if the CP defensive line can get close to Meanovich. The speed of the CP perimeter defense is better than it may seem and they can cover deep against the Brickies.
The Bulldogs are still riding an emotional high after their first three-game winning steak in five years. Hobart is in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Brickies can stop CP running the ball but on a dry night, CP is superior through the air. Somebody will eventually put the handcuffs on Bobby Rutherford, who has scored a region-high eight TDs but it won't be Hobart. I look for Rutherford to score two TDs and for the Bulldogs to grab three interceptions. The Bulldogs could lose it with three or four fumbles but they won't. The home team never trails and Crown Point goes to 4-0 for the first time since 1987.
CROWN
POINT 27, Hobart 6
CP's Statistic sheet (3 games)
Tackles:
Chris
Kutanovski - 40
Troy Bush - 27
Bobby Rutherford - 24
Brad Wilson - 21
Chris Sprehe - 17
Eric Gulbrandsen - 14
Steve Etter - 13
Riste Jakimoski - 11
Sean O'Drobinak - 10
Punts:
Chris
Kutanovski (8) 34.5 average
Kickoffs:
Chris
Kutanovski (18) 53.4 average
TDS: (15)
Bobby Rutherford - 8
Sean O'Drobinak - 2
Matt Cowan - 2
Dave Swenson - 1
Troy Bush - 1
Adam Hilliard - 1
Kickoff returns
Bobby Rutherford (3) 23.3 avg.
Steve Etter (3) 22.0 avg.
Rushing
Bobby Rutherford (30) 336 yards - 11.2 avg., 3 TDs
Matt Cowan (21) 152 yards - 7.2 avg., 2 TDs
Dave Swenson (16) 67 yards - 4.2 avg.. 1 TD
Jordan Struebig (6) 25 yards - 4.2 avg.
Receiving
Bobby Rutherford (13) 260 yards - 20.0 avg., 5 TDs
Sean O'Drobinak (8) 135 yards - 16.9 avg., 2 TDs
Chris Sprehe (1) 21 yards
Adam Miller (1) 16 yards
Passing
Matt Cowan - 23 of 42, 432 yards, (54.8%) 7 TDs, 1 INT