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5A No. 6 Crown Point (4-0)at Portage (2-2) |
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Week
5 - Football Game of the Week Preview |
5A No. 6 Crown Point (4-0)at Portage (2-2) |
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9-16-2005
When:
Friday, September 16, 2005.
Where: Portage High School, 6450 East US HWY 6, Portage.
Tickets:
$5 .... Portage seats about 5,000 so there'll be room.
TV/Radio/Internet: www.USA-365.com. No over-the-air coverage for this game. It was not expected to have the magnitude it now has and local AM radio rarely drops Lake County games to pick up Porter County contests.
Weather: Much cooler, Mid-60s and dry. Early week rain has been removed from the forecast. Portage has artificial turf and it is fast even when its a little wet. It should be bone dry Friday.
Parking: This game will draw a very large crowd, but this is a very large school. If the large lot east of the school fills up, there is extra paved parking south of the school. For those who have been to baseball and softball there is also parking southwest of the school near the fields. On a very pleasant weather night, you need to get there early or you will be walking some distance.
JUNIOR VARSITY: Portage at CP Sat.. 9-17-5, 10 a.m.
FRESHMAN GAMES: (2) CP at Portage ... 9-17-5, 10:00 a.m. CP at Portage - Thurs, Sept. 22, 6:00 p.m.
The series: The Indians have beaten Crown Point nine times in a row in the last seven years, not surprising since Portage is the top football school in NW Indiana over the last 13 years (120-39). Andrean and Griffith have done well, but there's a reason they don't play Portage, which has to schedule two distant South Bend schools in the pre-season. The list of teams lining up begging to play Portage is very short because nobody in NW Indiana is in any hurry to get smoked out annually by Porter County's largest school. Portage has not had a losing season since 1992 and they have won 10 or more games four times since 1994.
In a big school league, the Indians have been a big dog under coach Craig Buzea (101-34, 12 years) with DAC titles in 1994, 95, 98, 99 and 2003. It wasn't always that way. Portage was 41-35-7 in the 1950s, and just 36-53-4 in the 60s in the old Calumet Conference. The Indians rose to power in the 1970s (62-39-1) with three 7-3 seasons and a 12-1 state title in 1977 in the early days of the IHSAA state tournament. The 80s were largely mediocre for Portage (56-44) but an 8-4 in 1993 signaled a big turnaround. The back-to-back 1994 (13-1) and 1995 (12-1) teams were one of NW Indiana's all-time best. In this decade, Portage is 42-19 and when you consider who they face in the DAC, that's a state class record. Crown Point, playing many of the same teams, is under .500 in this decade.
Crown Point, which except for a period in the late 80s and early 90s, has no history of sustained football success, would like to be like Portage and this game will suggest how close they have come. The all-time series is 26-14 for Portage and the Bulldogs were 4-0 in 2002 when Portage defeated them 19-15. Rightly or wrongly, it will be a major disappointment to CP if the Bulldogs can't defeat Portage at least once this year (the two teams may meet in sectional play) and they will feel they have not advanced as far as it appears they have.
5A No. 6 Crown Point (3-0, 1-0 DAC)
Coach: Chip
Pettit (22-25, 5th year)
Enrollment:
2,190
Sectional
titles (2) 1981, 88
Regional
titles (1) 1988
2004
record: 4-7
Lost
Sectional 1 semifinal at home 34-19 to eventual
sectional
champion Merrillville.
Crown Point Bulldogs (4-0, 2-0 DAC)
8-19 (W) 16-6 at (4A) Lowell (1-3)
8-26 (W) 26-0 (4A) Hobart (3-1)
9-2 (W) 13-0 (5A) Merrillville (3-1)
9-9 (W) 23-0 at (5A) LC (3-1)
9-16 - at (5A) Portage (2-2)
9-23 - (5A) Valparaiso (2-2)
9-30 - (5A) LaPorte (4-0)
10-7 - at (5A) Chesterton (0-4)
10-14 - (5A) Michigan City (3-1)
5A Sectional 1 playoffs
10-21 (F) quarterfinals
10-28 (F) semifinals
11-4
(F) championship
Class 5A Portage (2-2, 1-1 DAC)
Coach: Craig Buzea (12th year - 101-34)
Enrollment: 2,537
Semi-State titles: (1) 1994
Regional titles: (2) 1977, 94
Sectional titles (4) 1977, 83, 93, 94, 95, 96, 98, 2003
2004 record: 8-4
Lost the 5A Sectional 1 championship game 44-38 at Merrillville in 3 overtimes
Portage Indians (2-2, 1-1 DAC)
8-19 (W) 34-0 at SB Washington (0-4)
8-26 (L) 12-21 St. Joseph's (2-2)
9-2 (W) 33-10 at Lake Central (2-2)
9-9 (L) 13-15 at Merrillville (3-1)
9-16 5A No. 6 CROWN POINT (4-0)
9-23 Chesterton (0-4)
9-30 at Michigan City (3-1)
10-7 Valparaiso (2-2)
10-14 at 5A No. 13 LaPorte (4-0)
5A Sectional 1 playoffs
10-21 (F) quarterfinals
10-28 (F) semifinals
11-4 (F) championship
PORTAGE - Portage's defense has the advantage that they have worked against a multi-faceted, multiple wide receiver offense for years. Many coaches speak of how difficult it is to prepare for Crown Point's three and four wide receiver sets and motion. But Portage uses all of those dance steps themselves, so it will very familiar to the Indians' defense.
The Portage defense has allowed 36 first downs and 46 points all season and is led by the defensive line of ends Chris Longo (6-1, 200) and Phil Wright (6-1, 230) outside tackles Josh Young (5-10, 230) and Trent Bohling (6-1, 230). Everything they do is based on how they are and the Indians will play some of the '35' defense (3 linemen, 5 linebackers) that Crown Point lives with. Justin Smith (5-9, 185) a speedy running back is not a safety, he's a linebacker, which indicates the speed of the defense. You have to use some straight ahead power against them because you probably aren't that much quicker than they are. The secondary was untested but they've allowed only 270 yards against decent passers.
Portage's offensive line is led by center Eric Tharp (5-10, 210), son of Portage wrestling coach Larry Tharp. Quarterback Eric Rhein will throw to Shane Dixon (5-11, 180) who has caught 15 passes for 300 yards and two TDs. Junior halfback Nate Milligan (5-11, 180) shares carries with Smith, who scored three TDs in the 34-0 win over Washington. Milligan ran for two scores in the loss to St. Joseph's. Dixon caught his two TDs last week. You never know what's coming from Portage. The Indians also have not lost a fumble all season. They truthfully should be 4-0.
Crown Point's defense, to be honest, began the year buying time for the offense until injured stars Matt Jansen (133-242, 1,976 yards, 15 TDs, 10 INTs) and Matt Ernest (47 catches, 1,031 yards, 5 TDs, 32 tackles, 5 interceptions) can return. Healthy Crown Point players probably get tired of hearing about the two injured players but it is a back-handed compliment to them. There were people (and I am one of them) who thought that CP could not have a winning season once Jansen and Ernest were out. A CP win over Portage Friday guarantees them a winning regular season. But now, the stakes are clearly higher. A win Friday puts the Bulldogs in position to win the Duneland Athletic Conference for the first time in CP's 13 years in the league. And it takes away the last evidence that CP cannot compete in the biggest league in the northern half of the state.
The Bulldogs have had great success with the trend-setting '35' defense that they began using last year in the 7-3 upset of Merrillville. I think they have hit upon a variation of a defense that will be copied by other schools because most teams don't have the linemen athletic enough or blocking backs quick enough to handle a quick charging, ever-changing front. When teams go to a 3-step (QB) drop or four wide receivers to neutralize the unexpected blitzes, the resulting quick, short throws allow linebackers to be effective pass coverage people. CP, in effect can show a seven or eight-man front and and a seven or eight-man secondary at the same time and they don't give it (which one it really is, if either) away until the ball is snapped. Linebackers Chris Wilson (6-0, 180), Jordan Rhye (6-0, 185), Chris Schillo (6-0,190), Vince Lewis (6-1, 220) and leading tackler Nick Ciochina (6-0, 205 and ironically, No. 35) have spearheaded three consecutive Bulldog shutouts, the first time in at least 55 years (records don't go back further than that) a Crown Point team has blanked three teams in a row.
Rhye, who has 19 tackles including four sacks and an interception, is a good example of how the defense works. When he lines up, you are not sure of whether he is a linebacker, a pass coverage back or a blitzer. The defense often does not huddle and simply reacts to the formation the offense lines up in. It's something that only an experienced group could do without mistakes and the Bulldogs have eight seniors (end Mike Damjanovioc, corner Ryan Forney and safety Jon Sertich are juniors) on the field.
Two other players are key. Nose tackle Nick Conway (5-10, 265) has been able to come up with the consistent effort that forces a double team block and gives everyone else an edge. And senior kicker Donny Keiser averages 56 yards a kickoff, 35 yards a punts and has booted a school record eight field goals. The Bulldog offense has those eight field goals and eight TDs but the 4-0 record is intact. Soph QB Blake Mascarello probably didn't expect to play much this season but he is 18 of 36 (50%) for 309 yards, one TD and two interceptions, fine numbers for a beginner.
Keiser (56 carries, 342 yards, 3 TDs) and Sertich (67 carries, 314 yards, 2 TDs) compliment each other as alternating tailbacks, often with junior Tommy Parks (8 carries, 35 yards, 6 catches 56 yards as a fullback or 'H' back.
CP has two sophomores on the offensive line in tackle Zach Brumm (5-10, 220) and tackle/tight end Zach Cecich (6-2, 210) and they have worked well with senior guards Brian Gertsch (6-3, 240) and Marcus Robinson (6-3, 280) and junior center Andrew Krumweid (6-5, 215). The Bulldogs' weakness is that the line and QB are a new group. CP has not trailed at any time this year and it is a different game when you are trailing, especially for young players. The Bulldogs also are not a quick-strike team that can scare defenses without Jansen and Ernest. They must stay conservative while Mascarello and the line gain experience. This is a landmark game for the Bulldogs who beat Portage about as often as Reese Witherspoon makes a good movie.
Portage will attack the corner backs that Lake Central threw successfully against last week. I would suspect that Portage has a no-huddle attack ready for CP to limit the time they have to read the offense. The Indians will attack soph QB Blake Mascarello like he was the Bears' Kyle Orton. They will certainly disguise a stack of eight men close to the line and dare CP to throw. Portage HB Justin Smith (46 carries, 222 yards) did not play in the Indians' 15-13 loss to Merrillville last week and I'm assuming he'll be back. That means a school-record fourth shutout is unlikely. The Bulldog defense is going to have to win this game with a blocked kick or a fumble recovery near the goal line.
CP won't be able to run consistently on the Portage defense and the Bulldogs will not (and should not) fire up 20-25 passes. But this is not a hugely talented Portage offense. QB Erik Rhein (10-15, 117 yards last week) doesn't have the experience or the receivers to pick apart the CP defense, although he may toss 20 balls trying. Everything points to two defenses dominating here in front of a crowd that may number upwards of 4,000 on the first good football weather night of the fall. The Bulldogs will not get the attack untracked but CP's kicking and defense will give Portage very few chances.
This game could see more offensive mistakes than hurricane weekend at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. There will be a National Football League Sunday afternoon feel to a hard-hitting multiple turnover show and there could be two somewhat unhappy coaching staffs at the end. But Crown Point rides the happy bus back to Lake County with their fifth straight win and a real chance to win the DAC.
CROWN POINT 16, Portage 10