Bulldogs play well, still lose sectional quarterfinal, 24-14 to Portage

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Portage (9-1)	7	7	3	7	24
CROWN POINT (5-5)	0	7	0	7	14

Friday, Oct. 24, 2003, 58 degrees, dry in Crown Point

1st Q: PORTAGE (7-0) Antoine Brown, 7-yard run (26th TD). Mike Hutchins kick. 63 yard drive, 6 plays. 5:51 left.
2nd Q: PORTAGE (14-0) John Huston, 2-yard run. Mike Hutchins kick. 58 yard drive, 12 plays. 4:39 left.
CROWN POINT (14-7) Matt Cowan, 5-yard run (6th TD). Donny Keiser kick 78-yard drive, 12 plays. 0:48 left.
3rd Q: No scoring.
4th Q: PORTAGE (17-7) Mike Hutchins (2nd FG), 38-yard field goal. 60 yard drive, 8 plays. 11:54 left.
CROWN POINT (17-14) Aaron Miller, 4-yard pass (9th TD) from Matt Cowan (15th TD pass). 78 yard drive, 7 plays. Donny Keiser kick. 8:24 left.
PORTAGE (24-14) John Huston, 11-yard TD pass from Chuckie Severs. 77 yards, 11 plays. Mike Hutchins kick. 2:37 left.

CROWN POINT (10-24-2003) - Sometimes you play about as well as you can and sometimes you lose. Sometimes you play about as well as you can and still lose.

That's pretty much what happened Friday in the Class 5A Sectional one quarterfinal game. The Bulldogs (5-5), losers by the embarrassingly complete score of 56-0 on Sept. 19, trailed just 17-14 with eight minutes left before losing to Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) co-champion Portage 24-14.

A trick play, a halfback pass from senior Chuckie Severs back to quarterback John Huston, scored an 11-yard TD that iced the game with 2:37 left after the smaller home team had scrambled to stay close for 3 1/2 quarters.

"That's a play we have," said Portage coach Craig Buzea. "It's not like we just drew it up. We have that in. It's a great play unless it gets intercepted and then its a four-point game their way. We didn't want a field goal there."

Crown Point was that close to reversing a 56-point loss. The Bulldogs changed strategy a little bit but it was changes in their confidence level that turned a rout into a close game in five weeks.

"I thought our kids really stepped up after being embarrassed earlier in the year," said CP coach Chip Pettit. They felt they had something to prove. By no means are we happy with the loss. We came here to win. But I'm proud of them."

"They were hitting us with the fullback trap," said Pettit. "But they didn't do anything different other than throw the ball to (Danny) Paulsen. They started to get into a more vertical passing game which we have some problems with. I think we were right there all night. We never had a lead but we were right there. When it was 17-14, we needed a big play and they made them. They held onto the ball and that was the difference."

The game was played in front of a small, quiet crowd, a little over 1000 fans and maybe only 400 from Crown Point. But the Bulldogs, after trailing 14-0, jumped into the game on a 78-yard drive at the end of the second quarter. Cowan hit senior wide receiver Aaron Miller, who made a spectacular leaping catch at the Bulldog 5-yard line. Cowan then scrambled in from five yards out and it was 14-7 at the half.

The Bulldogs controlled Portage halfback Antoine Brown, who might not have been 100% healthy. Brown gained 91 yards on 22 carries but he was on the sidelines during key plays and did not run back kicks at all. The Bulldogs used extra linebacker formations, some 3-4-4 sets and some 3-5-3 sets to limit the breakaway potential of the visitors. The Indians, who were undefeated until a 22-21 loss last week at LaPorte, did collect 410 total yards and did not commit a turnover.

Eight penalties slowed the Indians but Crown Point played a lot better than on Sept.19 when they trailed 49-0 at the half.

Coach Craig Buzea and his players knew that while the outcome of the 56-0 game was no fluke, the final score was.

"They're a good team," said Buzea. "They've beaten good people. That first game wasn't anything like it should have been. It's Duneland Conference football. They played hard. We played hard. We knew they weren't going to do the same things."

"We worked at it pretty hard. We tried to cover everything. We showed them (the players) every defense we could imagine and every offense we could imagine. We didn't see everything but we saw a lot of things and I don't blame them. When the first game went the way it did, you change things."

The Bulldogs, who had thrown 196 passes in nine games, came out running the option, springing Cowan for runs of 14 and 23 yards. Portage, which has now beaten CP four times in two seasons, scored on their first possession, a five-yard run by Brown after a 41-yard pass play from Huston to senior wide receiver Dan Paulsen.

A fumble by new fullback Will McInerney set Portage loose on a 58-yard scoring drive in the second quarter. Huston's two-yard sneak made it 14-0.

The Bulldogs rallied before half-time, sparked by a 17-yard run from Cowan. Miller, who finished the season with 924 yards on a school-record 60 catches, made an outstanding stretching catch on a 23-yard, 4th-and-5 pass barely getting his toes in bounds at the Portage six-yard line. Cowan scored two plays later and it was a competitive 14-7 at the half.

Cowan hit 10 of 20 passes for 137 yards and rushed for 149 yards on 19 carries inside a 304 yards total offense.

"I thought Matt Cowan played phenomenal," said Pettit. "He's the best high school football player I've had the chance to coach. He did everything you could do to win this game. He was very good on defense. I thought our kids stepped up."

Pettit said that he wasn't sure what the competitive bounce-back game would mean to his underclassmen.

"These seniors are the ones who went 1-9 when they were sophomores," said Pettit. "And they turned it around as juniors. We're not where we want to be. But I think we're making progress every year. This group of seniors deserves a lot of credit."

DOG NOTES: Friday's CP-Portage game was played in front of the smallest home Crown Point crowd in many years. It rained early in the afternoon, but the sky dried up an hour before kickoff and it didn't rain again until afterwards. On a 55-degree night, the CP home attendance, about 400, was a shock. Portage showed up with 750-1,000 fans. Crown Point drew 1,000 fans a game during their 0-10 season in 1999. The consensus was that the earlier 56-0 win and the early afternoon rain persuaded the home folks to stay home.

The Buzea didn't think Huston needed to bounce back from the 22-21 loss to LaPorte last week.

"I didn't think John had a bad game last week (in a 22-21 upset loss at Michigan City)," the veteran coach said. "He's a good quarterback and I wouldn't trade him for anyone in the world. The only guy I might trade him for is that number '16' over there. That Matt Cowan. He's a great athlete and a heckuva competitor. I have tremendous admiration for that kid as a player. When he makes a play like he did in the fourth quarter, you have to wonder if it's your night."

Portage outgained CP 418-303 and had 20 first downs to CP's 12. No team has held Portage under 21 points all season. Portage also eliminated Crown Point from the state tournament last season, beating them 40-3. Paulsen caught nine passes for 192 yards, giving him 31 catches for 537 yards.

Elsewhere, Rensselaer upset undefeated Wheeler 21-14 in the 2A playoffs. Wheeler star Andrew Patten suffered a seperated shoulder in the first quarter and, while he finished the game, he gained just 76 yards on 22 carries.
Griffith rushed for 428 yards in a 56-0 win over Clark and Lowell rushed for 411 yards in a 58-21 win over Lew Wallace.

In Class 2A, No. 2 Lewis Cass beat No. 6 Heritage 33-30 in overtime.

In Class 1A, undefeated Pioneer barely got past Lafayette Central Catholic 18-14.

In South Bend, winless Riley beat Adams 21-7 in 5A Sectional 2.

Defending 2A state champ Bishop Luers made their debut as a Class 3A school and beat Maconaquah 20-12.

Two-time 3A champ Bishop Chatard leveled Danville 40-0.

Sectional Semifinals Schedule - Friday, Oct. 31

CLASS 5A
SECTIONAL 1
Valparaiso [5-5] at Portage [9-1]
Chesterton [7-3] at MERRILLVILLE [6-4]

SECTIONAL 2
Elkhart Memorial [10-0] at South Bend Riley [1-9]
Elkhart Central [7-3] at Penn [9-1]

SECTIONAL 3
Homestead [7-3] at Huntington North [7-3]
Fort Wayne Northrop [8-2] at Fort Wayne Snider [9-1]

SECTIONAL 4
Carmel [6-3] at Noblesville [3-7]
Lafayette Jeff [10-0] at Hamilton Southeastern [7-3]

SECTIONAL 5
Franklin Central [7-3] at North Central (Indianapolis) [4-6]
Warren Central [8-2] at Lawrence North [8-2]

SECTIONAL 6
Indianapolis Manual [3-7] at Ben Davis [9-1]
Perry Meridian or Indianapolis Northwest at Southport [3-7]

SECTIONAL 7
Bloomington South [5-5] at Brownsburg [8-2]
Terre Haute North [5-5] at Center Grove [8-2]

SECTIONAL 8
Evansville Harrison [4-5] at New Albany [6-4]
Evansville Reitz [10-0] at Evansville North [9-1]