"Greatest night" gives Bulldogs 35-21 Homecoming win, knocks Chesterton out of DAC race
A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

Friday, Oct. 11, 2002   64 degrees,  light 2nd half fog, in Crown Point

Scoring Summary:

1st Q:  CROWN POINT (7-0)   Dave Swenson, 6-yard run (3rd TD)  Chris Kutanovski kick.  (61 yards, 5 plays including a 39-yard pass from Matt Cowan to Sean O'Drobinak) 7:30 left.  

2nd Q:  CROWN POINT (14-0) Dave Swenson, 3-yard run (4th TD). Chris Kutanovski kick.  (57 yards, 11 plays including a 24-yard pass from Matt Cowan to Sean O'Drobinak)  9:14 left.
CHESTERTON (14-7) E.J. Neier, 94-yard kickoff return. Steve Joyce kick. 9:02 left.
CROWN POINT (21-7) Bobby Rutherford, 94-yard kickoff return. Chris Kutanovski kick.  8:47
CROWN POINT (28-7) Aaron Miller (1st TD), 17-yard pass from Matt Cowan (11th TD pass).  Chris Kutanovski kick.  (49 yards, 5 plays)  :58 left.

3rd Q: CHESTERTON (28-14) Jim Sosnowski, 20-yard run. Steve Joyce kick. (41 yards, 4 plays after an 18-yard punt return by Jon Schwoegler) :57 left.
CROWN POINT (35-14) Bobby Rutherford, 94-yard kickoff return. Chris Kutanovski kick.  :44 left.

4th Q: CHESTERTON (35-21) Jim Sosnowski, 2-yard run. Steve Joyce kick (16 yards, 6 plays after Chesterton LB Billy Wicks intercepted CP's Matt Cowan and ran it back to the Bulldog 16-yard-line.)  7:51 left.

CROWN POINT (10-11-2002)  It wasn't the biggest night in the history of the Crown Point football program and  it wasn't Crown Point's football's greatest victory. But it may have been the football program's greatest night. And the team came through.

In front of a sellout crowd including alumni spanning almost 70 seasons, the Bulldogs shook down some thunder on cue and upset 10th-ranked Chesterton 35-21 in the final regular season home game ever at the old Crown Point high school.

With one chance and one chance only to win their final homecoming, facing a bigger, stronger team with a better record, the Bulldogs led all the way, beating a team that had been dominant most of the season.

"This was awesome, " said senior Bobby Rutherford, who ran two kickoffs back for touchdowns to lead the offense. "Coming out in front of the crowd tonight was the biggest rush ever. To see 3,000, 4,000 people. Maybe more. It was unbelievable."

"This was the greatest," said senior Troy Bush, who lived through an 0-10 season on the varsity two years ago. "We were so pumped for this game. We knew everybody was coming. There was even somebody (a CP alum) coming in from Florida . We've never won a homecoming."

"I never played on this field," said CP defensive coordinator and former Hobart star Ryan Turley. "I was telling (Chris) Kutanovski today in school that this game meant a lot to me because I want to win them all. But it meant a lot more to a lot of other people who played here for almost 50 years."

Crown Point, which clinched their first winning season since 1997, attacked the bigger Trojans through the air, with Matt Cowan completing 10 of 17 first half passes. Sean O'Drobinak grabbed a short pass and used a block by Rutherford to break free for 39 yards on the seventh play of the game.

Two plays later, 220-pound junior Dave Swenson scored from the six yard line for a 7-0 lead. Chesterton, which relies on QB Ryan Kelley running a triple option attack with fullback Jim Sosnowski and 200-pound power halfback Nick Johnson, was stopped on three plays on each of their first four possessions.

"We brought in an extra tackle," explained Bush, "and we lined him up over the center." Turley added, "We played a 6-1 defense and a little 'monster' (combination linebacker-safety) look, which is the Bears' (the mid-80s Chicago Bears 6-1-4 defense) defense. They are going to see what we did on film and adjust (for the state tournament rematch on Oct. 25). The main thing was we asked our kids to make tackles and they did. Last week (at LaPorte) we had a good defensive game but we didn't wrap up very well. Tonight we were tackling the fullback and tackling the quarterback. Our kids rose to the challenge."

Leading 14-0 after Swenson's second TD, Chesterton struck back with a 94-yard kickoff return by E.J. Neier. For the first time all night, the visitors stands were drowning out the packed home side.

But not for long. On the ensuing kickoff, Rutherford, CP's 100 and 200-meter track starter, grabbed the ball on the six and brought the capacity crowd to its feet, racing straight down the middle of the field for a 94-yard kickoff return and a 21-7 lead.

Rutherford ran back three kickoffs for 221 yards as Chesterton surprisingly kicked the ball to him all night long. Trailing 28-14 in the third quarter, the Trojans again kicked the ball deep to Rutherford, who took off between the hashmarks, cut right to the visitors sidelines and rambled 94-yards again for his second coast-to-coast TD of the night.

"The first time was a breakdown in the coverage," said Trojan coach Jim Snyder. "They opened up a huge hole. The second one, we kicked it right back to the same guy. Don't kick it to him. That would solve that problem. Plain and simple. We got beat tonight by a better team. Coaching-wise, they had a better game plan. You've got to give all credit to them tonight."

You could've seen this coming. In Chesterton's 42-40 upset of then-undefeated Portage earlier this month, what escaped notice was Portage's 400-plus yards passing.

"We could not defend the spread offense against Portage," said Snyder, "and we had problems again tonight."

Chesterton first attempted to single cover 6-foot-4 Sean O'Drobinak (4 catches - 97 yards) when CP used four wide receivers. Cowan hit two long ones to O'Drobinak and missed on a couple of others. Later, when the Trojans dropped back two safeties to help deep, CP answered with short tosses to Aaron Miller (3 catches - 33 yards) and Rutherford (3 catches - 36 yards). Coach Chip Pettit didn't want to spotlight the offense, which gained 290 yards but sputtered in the second half. "The defense was the story tonight."

Not really. The story was the wonderful scene at the old Bulldog Field, an event unlike any in this region over the last few years. It's not that CP has had dozens of championship seasons of bred future NFL players. The school has no true winning tradition in football. It was the field that was being celebrated. The view from the concrete home grandstand, facing the giant courthouse after dark with the lighted clock tower, will fade into memory after this season (there is the home playoff game on Oct. 25) and it made Crown Point football unique. To see CP take the crowning jewel in their comeback season on the final scheduled night of their picture perfect prep stage was something you wished all region football fans could've seen.

"This was a great win for the community," said Pettit, standing with his father, CP graduate Jack Pettit on the field 20 minutes after the game. "But this is not the end."  

Valparaiso won their second consecutive DAC title with a 31-7 rout of 5A No. 7 Portage. Valparaiso (7-1, 6-0) leads Portage, CP and Chesterton by two full games with only one game left.


DOG NOTES: In at last 16 years of CP football, no player has ever returned two kickoffs for a TD in the same game. Brad Stone returned three kickoffs for TDs in 1998 but no more than one of the scores came in the same game. Jeff Svhira, son of CP's present assistant AD Rich Svhira, returned the opening kickoff for a TD twice during the 1997 season. Nick Byrd ran two kickoffs and a punt back for TDs during the 1987 season.

Chesterton's 290-pound junior had two QB sacks and drew two holding penalties. Chesterton, which came in averaging almost 300 yards rushing per game, was held to an unofficial 139 yards. Matt Cowan's interception on a 3rd-and-15 play in the fourth quarter, was only his third of the season in 155 attempts. Trojan QB Ryan Kelley was just 1-of-11 for 2 yards.  Kelley is just 30-of-56 this season in eight games. Several members of the 1954 Crown Point football team were introduced to the crowd at halftime. As many as 30 former homecoming queens were introduced to the crowd as well.

Softball regular Ashley Amodeo was named homecoming queen, breaking a three-year streak. The last three Bulldog homecoming queens had been soccer players including 2001 queen Shannon Morfin.

The victory evened the all-time series between Chesterton and CP at 8-8.  It would be very difficult for CP to get two more home games. If they beat Chesterton (in CP) on October 25, they would face the winner of the Portage (6-2) and East Chicago (2-6). If Portage wins, that game will be at Portage.

The only scenario which would have Valparaiso playing in Crown Point in the 5A Sectional one championship game would be if Lake Central won a quarterfinal match over Merrillville and then lost a semifinal match at Valparaiso. The Vikings would then play at the winner of CP-Portage on Nov. 8.

Linebacker Brad Wilson sat out the Chesterton game with a chronic bad shoulder. He probably will also sit out the season finale at Michigan City to be ready for the playoffs.

Kevin Kasch, (5-11,185) who filled in for Eric Gulbrandsen in the win at LaPorte, filled in for Wilson last week in situations where they used three linebackers. Against Chesterton's option attack, sometimes Chris Kutanovski was the only linebacker. Defensive coach Ryan Turley named Kasch 'the defensive player of the week' against LaPorte.

GRID GRADES

OFFENSE (C)

A great first half and a so-so second half. The Bulldogs still have a tough time running the ball, gaining 59 yards on 18 carries. The Trojans proved very tough to move, especially tackle Spencer West (6-2, 295) and Mark Fekete (6-1, 265). CP has to be able to run the ball in the state tournament. Their pass protection in the shotgun attack was good and Bobby Rutherford has regained his full speed after an injury against Hobart slowed him for three weeks. Tight end Sean O'Drobinak continues to make big plays at tight end and Aaron Miller (6-0, 160) stepped up to give the Bulldogs a third wide threat. The Bulldogs used no trick plays but there are a couple that are obviously available after a relatively simple (24 passes and 18 runs to Dave Swenson) attack last Friday. Matt Cowan could've thrown for 300 yards had he been more accurate. CP drew eight penalties for 54 yards, most of them on offense and they once had only 10 men on the field on offense.

DEFENSE (B+)

Chesterton was held to 139 yards rushing which was the largest reason that CP won. The Trojans never fooled the Bulldogs with surprise passes and a fake Trojan punt failed as well.

The Bulldogs defenders ran down tailback Nick Johnson (8 carries, 27 yards) who broke no option pitch plays. The Dogs wore down in the second half but some of that was the heavy pass attack used by the offense in the first half. Linemen like Swenson, Troy Bush, Riste Jakimoski and Mark McInerney, outweighed by 30-40 pounds in the line at times (except for the new part-time D-lineman McInerney), held their own on a dry field.  Like most teams, the Bulldogs' defense clearly plays better at home with the crowd urging them on.