Week 7 - Football Game of the Week Preview

LaPorte (4-2) at Crown Point (2-4)

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

09-30-2009

When:  7:00 p.m. on Friday, October 2, 2009

Tickets:  $5 
TV/Radio/Internet:  No live over-the-air radio.  Radio updates on WLPR (89.1) FM.  Live Internet coverage on www.USA-365.com.
Highlights on Lakeshore Public Television (Comcast Cable Ch. 17) at 10:30 p.m.

JV game:  Saturday, Oct. 3 at LaPORTE - 10:00 a.m.

Freshmen:  Thursday, Oct. 8 at CROWN POINT - 6:00 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 10 - BOONE GROVE at CROWN POINT - 8:00 a.m.

Numbers:  Crown Point:  Class 5A, enrollment 2,446;  LaPorte - 5A enrollment - 2,021

Tickets: $5  This is the Crown Point homecoming so there will be a significant crowd. But with colder weather moving in there wont be any kind of kid-mob like you see at the warm-weather games. LaPorte fans usually follow their teams on the road so, unless it rain all day, Friday should be a lively event.

Weather:  The winds of change have moved in. Get your winter coat if you're coming to Crown Point Friday.  Daytime temperatures in the low 60s could fall into the upper 40s by the second half.  There is a chance of rain although that's hard to predict exactly (as we found out last week when 40% chance turned into game-long sprinkles) when rain rolls in. Also, for those of you coming from LaPorte who may not know, the new CPHS field is like a wind tunnel behind the school. It will be cold Friday night. Not crisp, brisk or a tad chilly, but cold. 

Parking:  The Homecoming parade is an early Friday deal that begins at the Wheeler middle school (the site of the old CPHS) and is over by 6 p.m.. For CP folks, they're going to block off the downtown square Friday at about 5 p.m. or so. There's plenty of time if you wish to be on the square to see the parade and then get to the football game.

Last year:  Last year, CP scored a season-high 35 points in a 35-28 victory over the Slicers. It was  game that featured 800 total yards. Now-graduated QB Marcus Shrewsbury scored on a 7-yard run with 2:10 to play.  CP gave up 328 yards rushing and they rallied from a 7-point deficit three times.  It was the final victory of the CP season last year.

LaPorte leads the series 14-6.

FAST FOOTBALL FACT:  LaPorte's only sectional championship in school history came with a 28-21 overtime victory over Crown Point on Nov. 10, 2006.

LaPORTE -- LaPorte is Crown Point's most distant league foe and it feels like it.  It's always like you're facing a faraway team from some place else.  For years, Lake County newspapers and radio stations didn't even recognize that LaPorte was in Northwest Indiana.  In truth, some old-schoolers don't recognize any school east of Hobart.  But even now, you'll hear or read about a 'region' team facing LaPorte in a big game when LaPorte, in 21st Century reality, is a region school.

The Slicers' football program always seems to be 'looking for respect', which is telling, because basketball (27 sectional championships), baseball (8 state titles) and even volleyball (4th ranked in the state) never talk like that.  Truthfully, LaPorte football has been good in this decade.  They were 45-21 from 2001 through 2006.  After a 3-7 (2007) and a 4-8 (2008), the Slicers look to be back on the winning track this season, although Friday night's game is pivotal.

LaPorte and Crown Point are both somewhat outsiders where it comes to the Duneland Athletic Conference, which began with just Valparaiso, Chesterton, Portage, Hobart and Valparaiso as charter members in 1970.  Michigan City (then Rogers) joined in 1971 and Merrillville came in for the 1975 season.  LaPorte came aboard in 1976 and CP in 1992.  That's why these two schools, which both played football throughout the 20th Century, have met so seldom.  They would not meet now if they weren't in the same league.

I've always thought that LaPorte was a better fit for the Northern Indiana Conference, which has Mishawaka, Penn, Marian and the big South Bend and Elkhart schools.  LaPorte vs. Lake Central seems like an odd league match up. But the Slicers most significant rival is Michigan City and they wont go anywhere MC does not play.

The Slicers (LaPorte's original name was the Orangemen) are welcome in the DAC because they usually bring fans, dressed up in the schools black and orange Halloween colors.  We're going to put that fan support to the test Friday night because it's a long drive for Slicers followers for the second week in a row (they lost at Merrillville last week).  This is a key game for LaPorte because they have the final two games at home.  There is every possibility that they could go 7-2 if they defeat Crown Point and that would be real proof that the Slicers are back in the top half of DAC squads.

5A LaPorte (4-2)
Coach: Bob Schellinger, 87-81 (16 years)
Enrollment: 2035
2008 record:  4-8
Sectional tiles: 2006
Regional titles: 2006


LaPorte Slicers (4-2, 1-2 DAC)
   8-21 (W)  42-16 New Prairie (3-3)
8-28 (W) 47-25 at Elkhart Central (1-5)
9-4 (W) 28-21 VALPARAISO (3-3)
9-11 (L) 14-38 at CHESTERTON (4-2)
9-18 (W) 49-13 LAKE CENTRAL (1-5)
9-25 (L) at MERRILLVILLE (5-1)
10-2 (Fri.) at CROWN POINT (2-4)
10-9 (Fri) MICHIGAN CITY (5-1)
10-16 (Fri.) PORTAGE (3-3)

Class 5A, Sectional 2
Oct. 23 (F) with Michigan City (5-1), Penn (6-0), Mishawaka (6-0), Elkhart Memorial (4-2), Elkhart Central (1-5), Adams (1-5) and Goshen (1-5).


Crown Point Bulldogs (2-4)
Coach Chip Pettit - 53-38 (9 years)
Enrollment: 2,441
2008 record: 3-7
Sectional titles  (3)  1988, 1991, 2006
Regional titles:  (1)   1998
Semi state titles (0) State titles (0)

5A Crown Point Bulldogs (2-4, 1-3)
Coach: Chip Pettit, 53-38 (9th year)
Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) games in CAPS  -    all games are Friday  at 7:00 p.m.
Aug. 21 (L) 19-0 at Lowell (6-0)       
Aug. 28 (W) 14-7 Hobart (1-5)   
Sep. 4 (L) 14-38 MERRILLVILLE (5-1) 
Sep. 11 (W) 23-21 at LAKE CENTRAL (1-5)    
Sep. 18 (L) 22-43 at PORTAGE (3-3)
Sep. 25 (L) 21-56 VALPARAISO (3-3)
Oct. 2 LaPORTE (4-2)      
Oct. 9 at CHESTERTON (4-2)
Oct. 16 MICHIGAN CITY (5-1)

Class 5A, Sectional 1
Oct. 23 (F) with Portage, Valparaiso, Chesterton, Lake Central, Munster, East Chicago and MERRILLVILLE

THREE KEY FACTORS

1. Can anybody stop the run?

LaPorte has one glaring flaw as a team.  They gave up 197 yards rushing against New Prairie, 129 more against Elkhart Central, 180 yards against Valparaiso, 433 against Chesterton, 137 against Lake Central and 299 against Merrillville.  I'll do the math for you.  That's an unofficial 1,475 yards rushing allowed (241 yards per game) in six games.  That's just a painful total.  But CP has allowed 1,414 yards.  If you've given up a lot of passing yards, there's a lot of changes you can make.  The weather and the wind can help you.  But if you give up a lot of rushing yards, I assume you already have switched up some of your linemen looking for help.  You probably already have secondary people 'cheating' up towards the line of scrimmage to help.  What I'm saying is:  At this point, I don't know what these two teams can do to stop the run.

2. Who is Nick Latchford?

Crown Point gets to find out Friday night.  Latchford (5-11, 180) is a junior rookie who has carried an unofficial 109 times for 740 yards (6.7 yards per carry) plus nine rushing TDs.  Latchford, who scored five TDs against Elkhart Central on Aug. 28, ran a kick-off back 87 yards for a TD against Valparaiso.  Latchford, who was held to 62 yards on 14 carries last week in a 31-0 loss at Merrillville, may want to redeem himself this Friday and his offensive line may agree with that sentiment.  QB Dustin DeMuth, who was 5-of-20 last week, may feel the same way.  But I bet Latchford gets the ball on the first play of the game Friday.  CP has to make someone else beat them.

3. It's time to call on pride

Crown Point is not going to win the DAC.  But it's not about that.  The Bulldogs have allowed 99 points in the last two weeks against Portage and Valparaiso.  I know they've faced some star talent and I know the Bulldogs are young and lack experience and speed.  I also know that LaPorte averages 30 points a game, even after they were shut out last week.  It's going to be cold and windy Friday.  It may rain.  Some time Friday night when it really matters, CP has to stop the Slicers on downs and get their offense off the field.  It may not happen immediately, but the Bulldogs have to be able to draw a line on the artificial turf and make some important tackles.

CP has averaged 22 points a game the last three weeks and they should get as many or more this Friday.  But after the last two weeks, it's not so much about the CP offense or their opponent.  This figures to be a high-scoring game.  Does the defense have enough left to make some key stops and win in front of the Homecoming crowd?  That question will be asked and answered at CP Friday.

The Bottom Line...

Sagarin computer ratings: LaPORTE by 8.

CROWN POINT - The computer likes LaPorte, too.

The Slicers are rated 49th in the state (Merrillville is 12th, Valparaiso is 24th) on the Sagarin computer and a lot of that is the DAC schedule.

LaPorte's going to come out looking for redemption after getting shut out last week.  QB Dustin DeMuth (52 of 110, 719 yards, 7 TDs, 4 interceptions) will lead the Slicers to TDs on the first two possession as LaPorte jumps to a 14-0 lead.  But senior halfback Mason Popovich (49 caries, 254 yards, 3 TDs) figures to get some chances after a 100-yard game (17 carries, 112 yards) last week and he'll have a big night, scoring the opening TD to cut the lead to seven points.

Nick Santana, who's made his last 13 extra points in a row, will boot his first field goal of the season to up the Slicer lead to 17-7 but a kick return TD for a TD by Brian Holloway will start a big Bulldog rally.  CP and QB Joe Hopman will lead the Bulldogs to a big third quarter, running for one TD and throwing for a couple more.

LaPorte's Nick Latchford will close the lead to 35-24 with a long TD run and DeMuth will throw a TD pass to cut the lead to four.  But CP will stop the Slicers' final two possessions and  run out the clock.

CP isn't as bad defensively as it would appear, because everybody in the DAC (except maybe LC) can score.  If this game's at LaPorte, the Slicers almost certainly win.  But the Bulldogs will have the Homecoming crowd behind them and they will come out of this with a much-needed win.

CROWN POINT 35, LaPorte 31

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Revised: September 30, 2009 .