Crown Point strikes first but drops 35-14 decision to Valparaiso

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

9-25-2004

Friday, Sep. 24, 2004,  68 degrees, dry at Valparaiso

1st Q:  Crown Point (7-0) Jon Sertich, 13-yard run (4^th TD). Brad Mallers kick. 10:32 left
VALPARAISO (7-7) Andy Zromkowski (1^st TD), 5-yard TD pass from Jon Moon (12^th TD pass). Doug Lenz, kick – 71-yard drive, 11 plays. 5:31 left.
2nd Q:  VALPARAISO (7-14) Gilbert Allen (4^th TD), 4-yard run. Doug Lenz, kick – 30-yard drive, 9 plays. 11:54 left.
VALPARAISO (7-21) Gilbert Allen (5^th TD), 2-yard run. Doug Lenz kick - 54-yard drive, 13 plays. 4:36 left
CROWN POINT (14-21) Josh Oresko (1^st TD), 2-yard pass from Matt Jansen (7^th TD pass). Brad Mallers kick. 1:24 left.

3rd Q:  VALPARAISO (14-28) Colin McShane (3^rd TD catch), 20-yard pass from Jon Moon (13^th TD pass). Doug Lenz, kick – 68-yard drive, 9 plays. 5:59 left.
4th Q:  VALPARAISO (14-35) Gilbert Allen (6^th TD), 2-yard run. Doug Lenz, kick – 56-yard drive, 12 plays. 5:31 left.

Game Statistics

VALPARAISO (9-24-2004) - There was something a little bit surprising and exciting in each of Crown Point's first five games this season. There was almost nothing surprising and very little exciting about Friday's 35-14 loss at Valparaiso.

Crown Point (2-4, 2-2 DAC) had a couple of moments but Valparaiso had five solid touchdown drives in a game that showed the better team was indeed the better team.

Senior Valparaiso halfback Jeff Brandt gained 144 yards on 23 carries while backfield partner Gilbert Allen added 77 yards on 17 carries in a game that was never a runaway but certainly was never in doubt after the first few minutes of the second half.

Folks pay far too much attention to wins and losses. The Vikings (4-2, 3-1) lost two overtime games and everybody forgot they had 16 returning starters and strong players at almost every position. Friday, the Vikings fumbled the opening kickoff, lost leading tacker Bo Gilliland to injury in the first three minutes and still held Crown Point under 100 total yards and won by 21.

“We have been getting better from week to week,” said Crown Point coach Chip Pettit. “Tonight we just ran into a more physical opponent that played really well. And if you ask them, they'll probably tell you the same thing.”

“They dominated the line of scrimmage.”

This game was not as close as the score indicates. Valparaiso fumbled the opening kickoff, with Nick Ciochina recovering at the Viking 25 yard line. Crown Point was able to cash in five plays later when sophomore halfback Jon Sertich scored on a 13-yard run with less than two minutes gone.

On the kickoff, Valparaiso's Bo Gilliland, the Vikings' leading tackler the last two seasons, had to be helped off the field. He did not return for the rest of the game.

But Valparaiso, the DAC's most experienced team with 16 returning starters, still dominated the game.

“The key to success is getting better every week,” said 28^th year coach Mark Hoffman. “We played pretty well against the No. 2 team in the state when we started the season. We played pretty well against LaPorte (a 27-21 overtime loss) and we just made a lot of mistakes. We didn't have any of those tonight. We gained 450 yards and lost the game. Today, we had drives that were sustained. We answered every call. We didn't have to punt but once.”

In the 18 minutes after Gilliland went to the sidelines, Valpo scores on three long TD drive and they held Crown Point without a first down.

The Vikings went 71 yards in 11 plays with senior quarterback Jon Moon tossing a game-tying five-yard TD pass to Andy Zromkoski. After three CP plays, Valpo's Brent Sever ran back a short punt seven yards to the Bulldog 30-yard line. The green-clad Vikings drove nine plays for the go-ahead score with junior halfback Gilbert Allen scoring on an 'inside' handoff out of the shotgun formation. Allen swept right end to make it 14-7 on the first play of the second quarter.

Again, the VHS defense held Crown Point without a first down. Valparaiso received the Bulldog punt at the VHS 46-yard-line and drove 13 plays for another touchdown with Allen scoring from two yards out for a 21-7 lead with 4:36 left before halftime.

The loss of Gilliland appeared to have no effect against a CP offense that had been averaging almost 330 yards per game.

“For our guys to shake, it takes a lot," said the Vikings' Hoffman. "You have to look at the age and experience of our coaching staff. We're all 25, 30, 35-year guys. We beat a pretty good football team tonight. They (CP) could very easily be 5-0 or they could be 0-5. They beat the best team in our league (Merrillville) and they almost beat the second best team (Portage)."

"Coach Pettit and their staff are going to be a force. That defense they have is a problem. They are so fast. We had to slow their flying around to the ball. We had to go right at them and we had to counter them. A lot of traps. A lot of counters. When you watch a pro or college team fly to the football defensively. That's what Crown Point does. We had to find a way to use that against them.”

Crown Point has been undersized on defense all season but Valparaiso, with tackles Paul Kasperan (6-5, 276) and Brad Diekow (6-1, 274), guards Bryan Carr (6-0, 263) and Nathan Loden (6-0, 247) around center Andrew Whitehead (6-2, 250), Valparaiso was the first team that really exposed that fact.

Lining up in several different formations, Valpo consistently created holes for Allen (6-0, 172) and Jeff Brandt (5-10, 168). The Vikings did not score breakaway touchdowns but the consistency of their gains enabled them to roll up good yardage totals and keep the ball away from Crown Point's offense. The Bulldogs were able to run just 37 offensive plays other than punts in the entire game. Valpo ran 37 plays in the first half and 65 for the game.

Crown Point trailed 21-14 at the half after a nine-play 63-yard drive in the final five minutes of the second quarter. CP quarterback Matt Jansen, who completed only five passes, tossed a perfect 'fade' pattern to the wide side of the field that 6-2 Matt Jansen grabbed away from 6-1 defender Colin McShane for a 36-yard gain to the VHS 2-yard-line with 1:30 left in the half. Jansen's play action pass then found senior Josh Oresko in the left corner of the end zone to make the game close at 21-14 at the half. The Bulldogs had been outplayed by much more than they had been outscored.

“We got on them (CP's players) pretty good at the half about their lack of emotion,” said Pettit. “At times, we did some good things but overall, I don't think we played very well. Physically, we got handled up front. They dictated the tempo of the game."

On a night which began with six Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) teams beginning play with 2-1 league records, Valparaiso, Chesterton and Merrillville beat Crown Point, Portage and LaPorte. 

“This league,” said Hoffman, whose team faces major showdowns at Merrillville (5-1, 3-1) and against Portage (4-2, 2-2) in the next two weeks . “Any of six teams could win on any given night.”

The Bulldogs ended their annual September crusade with a 2-2 record. Since joining the DAC in 1993, Crown Point has never done better than 2-2 in September when they have always met Valparaiso and Portage and, in recent years, have played Merrillville as well. There may be some hangover from this stretch. CP had a half dozen boys in street clothes and three more may have been hurt during the game. Senior defensive end Justin Sprehe (6-3, 210) left the game with an ankle injury. Mike Smith (5-10, 165) re-aggravated a shoulder injury and lineman Will McInerney (6-0, 235) may have a concussion. Sprehe, Smith and defensive end Nick Parkinson are the only senior starters for Crown Point.

Pettit laughed when told that he'll just have to put some of the younger players into the starting lineup because of injuries. “A lot of them are already in there,” he said.

DOG NOTES:  There was significant bad news on the injury front for Crown Point. Sophomore defensive back Nick Rodich (6-1, 165) and senior TE Brian Maloney (6-5, 195) are out for the season with injuries. Maloney, who did not play football as a sophomore or junior, broke his foot, but hopes to be back for the start of the basketball season in two months. Junior Jordan Rhye (5-11, 185), an outside linebacker who started as a sophomore but suffered a pre-season shoulder injury, probably will not be able to return this season. Junior halfback, placekicker Donny Keiser (5-11, 200), who suffered a broken knee cap in the 7-3 win over Merrillville on Sept. 3, said he hopes to return for the Chesterton game on Oct. 8th.  But considering the positions he plays, some feel that is unlikely. Keiser has 204 yards on 39 carries this season. Maloney, who might have a future as a small college football player if he doesn't make it in basketball, caught 10 passes in four games for 123 yards and a TD in his short varsity career.

Sophomore Matt Ernest (6-2, 160) is now playing full time at cornerback and wide receiver, kicking off and running back punts. Soph Jon Sertich (5-9, 160) is playing fulltime at tailback and linebacker plus running back kickoffs. Juniors Jeremy Plummer (5-7, 155) and Pat Coffey (5-10, 150) are now full-time defenders, as small as they are.

Playing a lot of sophomores and juniors (and having four starters with experience coming back off injury) in DAC games now bodes very well for Crown Point in 2005. Trouble is, LaPorte (3-3) and Chesterton (4-2) are next on the 2004 schedule and they're not going to shed any tears for the battered Bulldogs. Especially LaPorte, which lost starting quarterback Lance Juergensen in the second game of the season. The Slicers lost at home 17-7 to Merrillville last week, gaining just 178 total yards.

Valparaiso drew about 3,500 fans for the CP-VHS game with over 500 from Crown Point. Crown Point's fan following gets tested in the next three weeks when the Bulldogs play at LaPorte on Oct. 1 and Michigan City on Oct. 15.

CP's win over Merrillville (5-1) looks better every week but their 27-6 win over Lake Central doesn't. LC (1-5) lost 33-0 last week to perennial DAC doormat Michigan City, giving up 400 total yards.

Oddly, the two nonconference opponents CP lost to are surging. Lowell, which scored two late TDs to beat CP 25-15 on Aug. 20, is now 4-2 after a 47-12 win over Hammond. Hobart, which rallied from an 11-point deficit to beat CP 21-17 on Aug. 27, improved to 5-1 with a 21-7 victory over Class 3A No. 2 Andrean.

CROWN POINT (2-4, 2-2 DAC)

(L) 15-25 Lowell (4-2)

(L) 17-21 at Hobart (5-1)

(W) 7-3 at Merrillville‡ (5-1)

(W) 27-6 Lake Central‡ (1-5)

Sept. 17 – Portage‡ (4-2)

Sept. 24 – at Valparaiso‡ (4-2)

Oct. 1 – at LaPorte‡ (3-3)

Oct. 8 - Chesterton‡ (4-2)

Oct. 15 – at Michigan City‡ (3-3)

VALPARAISO (4-2, 3-1 DAC)

Aug. 20 at Penn (5-1) ot  L 14-17

Aug. 27 at Gary Roosevelt (2-3) W 48-0

Sep. 3 LaPorte‡(3-3) ot  L 21-27

Sep. 10 at Michigan City‡ (3-3) W 38-9

Sep. 17 Chesterton‡ (4-2) W 31-14

Sep. 24 Crown Point‡ (2-4) W 35-14

Oct. 1 at Merrillville‡ (5-1) 7:00 pm

Oct. 8 Portage‡ (4-2) 7:00 pm

Oct. 15 at Lake Central‡ (1-5) 7:00 pm

‡DUNELAND CONFERENCE GAME

Valparaiso 35, Crown Point 14

Game Statistics

TOTAL YARDS: 

Valparaiso – 303, CROWN POINT - 91

PASSING: 

Jon Moon (V) 8-of-15, 83 yards, 2 TDs; Matt Jansen (CP) 5-of-20, 78 yards, TD

RECEIVERS: 

Colin McShane (V) 1-20 yards, TD; Sam Matias (V) 3-32 yards; Brian Lindsey (V) 1-7 yards; Andy Zromkoski (V) 2-15 yards, TD; Jeff Brandt (V) 2-15 yards;  Matt Ernest (CP) 2-43 yards; Mike Smith (CP) 1-11 yards; Chris Rutherford (CP) 1-22 ;  Josh Oresko (CP) 1-2 yards, TD

RUSHING: 

Jeff Brandt (V) 23-144 yards; Gilbert Allen (V) 17-77 yards, 3 TDs,
Jon Sertich (CP) 10-45 yards, TD; Matt Jansen (CP) 6-11 yards

1^st DOWNS: 

Valparaiso – 17, Crown Point - 6

PENALTIES: 

Valpo 1 / 10 yards; 3 /35 yards

TURNOVERS: 

Valparaiso - 1, Crown Point - 0

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Revised: September 25, 2004 .