Tickets:
$5
Weather: Low 60s, chance of rain, wet field
Directions: This is one of the best game-day drives in this
part of the state. Take Route 30 East to Route 2 (the bypass is a mile east of
Valparaiso University). Take the 49/2 bypass north and almost immediately turn
onto Route 2 East. Route 2 East winds through rural Porter and LaPorte
County all the way to LaPorte. Route 2 becomes Lincoln-Way Ave. inside
LaPorte. Turn right (south) at 6th Street and LaPorte high school is four blocks
down. The trip takes about 45 minutes and, on a sunny day at sunset, is
sometimes better than the game. LaPorte and Crown Point are very similar
in that there is very little parking for a varsity football game. You'll
be parking on the side streets and walking through the neighborhood like you do
in Hobart.
The
series: These teams are not truly rivals and rarely met until CP
joined the Duneland Conference 10 years ago. This is only the 13th meeting of
the two squads with LaPorte holding a 10-2 lead. The Slicers have won four in a
row since a 25-7 CP win over LaPorte in 1997.
LaPORTE - The Slicers might be the third best team in the
Duneland Conference. Their 21-20 loss to Chesterton is very controversial. A
disputed fumble took away LaPorte's chance to win in regulation time. The
Slicers have gotten solid play out of Kevin Brandy (6-1, 165), their new junior
quarterback this year. Brandy was knocked unconscious in LaPorte's 23-0 loss at
Valparaiso on Sept. 6 but he has been excellent in the other five games
completing 34 of 66 passes for 553 yards and six TDs.
Brandy is complimented by senior halfback RJ Pate, a 175 pound tailback who has carried 97 times for 507 yards. Wide receiver Jerome Vann (6-4, 190) is a future star with 324 yards gained on just 19 catches. Vann, who lines up in the slot, is also a dangerous runner. Last week against Merrillville, Vann ran for a 24-yard TD and caught a pass for a 40-yard score.
The Slicers have scored just 116 points in six games, which indicates that their young offensive line, led by senior tight end Nick Topa (6-2, 230) has been a problem. The Slicers needed a fumble recovery TD runback to beat Hobart (2-4) and they only scored 20 points against Class 3A New Prairie.
LaPorte
lives on defense. They have shut out New Prairie, Kankakee Valley and
Merrillville and they held DAC front-runner Valparaiso to just two TDs and 23
points.
The Slicers' will line up in several different defensive formations and they
will rush anyone. LaPorte calls it the 'Bears' defense or the '46' defense,
referring to the mid-80s Chicago Bears who went to the Super Bowl with an
all-out blitzing style, attacked the passer or ball carrier from all angles and
all positions, including the safety, number '46' Doug Plank.
This defense is designed to rattle inexperienced quarterbacks like Merrillville backup James Reitz, who was forced to start (by injury to starter Adam Tegtman) in last week's LaPorte-Merrillville game. The outcome was predictable.
Key
bad boys on the LaPorte defense include linebacker Scott Reider (6-0, 210) and
defensive end Chuck Bridgegroom (5-11, 195), tackle Nick Senne (6-2, 265), and
corner Shaun Dickt (5-11, 150). But you're not playing players as much as
you're playing a scheme. You have to detect when LaPorte is gambling and
find the open spaces in the line or the secondary.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN: At the start of the season, Crown Point basically
knew they wouldn't beat Portage and Valparaiso so their 4-2 record is the
best-case scenario for 2002, something they were being reminded of this week.
The Bulldogs missed fullback-defensive end Troy Bush against Portage and they
played without tailback-defensive end Dave Swenson against Valparaiso.
Bush returned to action last week and Swenson hopefully will have been cleared
to play by the time you read this.
Three consecutive teams have thrown for over 150 yards against the Bulldogs, who have allowed six TD passes in their last three games. Crown Point has to control games like this on offense because they don't really match up with people like Jerome Vann. But LaPorte traditionally doesn't throw a lot on first down. They trust their defense so they play conservatively. CP can get into five and six back situations on third down and the CP pass rush should hurry Brandy, who is also a capable runner. RJ Pate will get 75-100 yards but I think the Bulldogs can keep LaPorte in the center of the field.
Crown Point's Matt Cowan played in last year's 10-7 home loss to LaPorte so he knows the kind of chaos the Slicers try to create. I say a lot of the same thing every week but tight end Sean O'Drobinak is a key player. LaPorte does a lot of man-to-man coverage because they blitz so much. I don't think they have anybody who can keep O'Drobinak from caching the ball 1-on-1. Defenses have read all the stories about Bobby Rutherford and they're all over him. Look out for Adam Miller (6-0, 160), who caught a season-high four passes last week.
I've always seen CP as a power team with Swenson running behind Bush and big Mark McInerney (6-2, 290). If it rains, as expected this week, and the field is wet, look for the Bulldogs to get back to that in LaPorte County. I like CP to hit some key play-action passes but to run for three touchdowns and hold on beating LaPorte.
CROWN POINT 21, LaPORTE 17
DOG NOTES: LaPorte fumbled three times last week and CP has recovered six fumbles is six games. Nine different CP players caught passes against Valparaiso including Adam (4) and Aaron (3) Miller. Craig Lozanovski caught his first three passes of the season. Dave Metsch, Steve Etter and Adam Hilliard all caught their first tosses of the year. This is of value if CP has some one-time-only trick plays to a surprise receiver. Freshman QB Matt Jansen hit 4-of-7 passes and broke loose on a 37-yard run in the fourth quarter. Crown Point averages 302 total yards per game but they have allowed 89 first downs. Chris Kutanovski's field goal was his second of the season; both have been from 36 yards.
CP STAT SHEET
RUSHING
Bobby Rutherford 45-375, 3 TDs
Matt Cowan 64-313, 4 TDs
Dave Swenson 32-120, 2 TDs
Troy Bush 11-32, 1 TD
RECEIVING
Bobby Rutherford 23-393, 5 TDs
Sean O'Drobinak 20-240, 3 TDs
Chris Kutanovski 5-37, 1 TD
Adam Miller 5-36
PASSING
Matt Cowan 62 of 106 yards, 9 TDs, 2 INTs (58.5%)
Matt Jansen 3 of 7, 28 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs
Field
goals - Extra points
Chris Kutanovski 18/21 (XPs), 2/3 (FGs)
TACKLES & INTs
Chris Kutanovski - 67 tackles, 1 sack
Bobby Rutherford - 42 tackles
Troy Bush - 37 tackles
Brad Wilson - 36 tackles, 2 sacks
Chris Sprehe - 3 interceptions
Steve Etter - 28 tackles, 1 INT
Eric Gulbrandsen - 25 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 INTs
Sean O'Drobinak - 19 tackles, 4 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries
Riste Jakimoski - 17 tackles, 1 INT
Adam Hilliard - 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery