5A No. 3 Crown Point (7-0, 5-0)

at Chesterton (2-5, 2-3)

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

Where: Chesterton High School, 2125 S. 11th Street (1/8-mile WEST of US 49 bypass at 1100 South turnoff), Chesterton, IN.

Note: For fans coming from LaPorte who may not have been to CP in several years, this is the 'new' Crown Point high school directly 1/2 mile south of the downtown square. The old school directly west of the downtown square has been demolished.

Weather: Still looking for real football weather and it could come on this night. The forecast (which was way off last week) is for low 50s at kickoff and upper 40s by the second half. We're talking cold here. Tough for fans. Great for players.

PARKING: Chesterton has a lot of parking south and east of the field and it won't be that long a walk.

THE RIVALRY: As is the case with half of the DAC, Crown Point has no real rivalry with Chesterton. Some of it's about 25 miles in distance and neither side has ever done much in the state tournament. Truthfully, neither side has ever been very good in football for an extended period of time.

The 17-14 CP victory in 2004 evened the 20-game series with Chesterton at 10-10. The most memorable game was won by the Trojans 56-28 in 1999 in the final game at the old Chesterton high school. The Trojans sat around on the field as a fireworks display marked the passing of the old school into history. Ironically, the final game at the old CPHS was a Bulldog victory over Chesterton in October of 2003. Oddly, before CP joined the DAC in 1993, these teams did not meet for 16 years. Chesterton won the first-ever meeting 18-12 at CP on Nov. 8, 1963.

Former Chesterton football coach Bill Dorulla is presently one of CP's two athletic directors, but there aren't really any other connections between the two schools. A few parts of the new CPHS resemble the new CHS because Crown Point's AD Jerry Caravana visited Chesterton during its construction knowing a new CPHS was being planned. But I'm reaching. It would be hard to find two league rivals who have less of a rivalry in any sports as CP and Chesterton.

JUNIOR VARSITY: Chesterton at CP - Sat.. Oct. 8 - 10 a.m.
FRESHMEN: LaPorte at CP - Thurs, Oct. 6 - 6 p.m.

8-19 (W) 16-6 at Lowell (3-4)
8-26 (W) 26-0 Hobart (5-2)
9-2 (W) 13-0 Merrillville (5-2)
9-9 (W) 23-0 at Lake Central (2-5)
9-16 (W) 31-21 at Portage (3-4)
9-23 (5A) 13-10 Valparaiso (3-4)
9-30 (5A) LaPorte (6-1)
10-7 at (5A) Chesterton (2-5)
10-14 - (5A) Michigan City (5-2)

5A Sectional 1 playoffs
10-21 (F) at Valparaiso (3-4)
10-28 (F) vs. Portage (2-5) or Chesterton (2-5)

Coach: John Snyder (5th year - 24-20)
Enrollment: 1,833
Sectional titles (0)
2004 record: 5-5
Lost the 5A Sectional one quarterfinal 35-28 to Portage in 2004.

Chesterton (2-5, 2-3)
8-19 (L)14-17 at Andrean (7-0)
8-26 (L) 6-56 Griffith (7-0)
9-2 (L) 35-49 at Michigan City (5-2)
9-9 (L) 27-38 LaPorte (6-1)
9-16 (L) 21-35 Valparaiso (3-4)
9-23 (W) 28-14 at Portage (2-5)
9-30 (W) 31-6 Lake Central (2-5)
10-7 - Crown Point (7-0)
10-14 - at Merrillville (5-2)

5A Sectional 1 playoffs
10-21 (F) vs. Portage (2-5)
10-28 (F) at Crown Point (7-0) or at Valparaiso (3-4)

CHESTERTON (10-7-2005) This is a much bigger game for Chesterton than it is for CP. The Trojans are 2-0 after an 0-5 start. This is their homecoming game and they have the offense to score on most teams, including the top-ranked scoring defense of CP.

QB Adam Beierwalter has thrown more passes than anyone else (90-159 for 1,221 yards) in the DAC but that's a mixed blessing. On this night, the Trojans can't run to win. Chesterton has allowed over 375 yards per game and over 200 yards a game rushing. The Trojans' quick strike attack often actually works against their defense, which is forever on the field. But that's their game. They've got to control the ball with the pass and they need to have a great offensive night.

Beierwalter was 15 of 20 last week for 179 yards, but the game was decided by Adam Hutnick and Kyle Yelton who intercepted passes and ran them back for TDs in a 31-6 win that might not have been as decisive as the score indicated.

With the playoffs looming and this game being on the road, CP needs to manufacture a reason to get as excited as the Trojans will be about playing this game. It's not about playing with emotion. Everybody does. The trick is to meet the emotional level of your opponent, or he'll start beating you.

That may occur the first time Beierwalter (6-1, 175) fires a quick pass to Adam Hutnick (6-1, 170), Travis Anderson (5-11, 170) or Adam Nallenweg (6-1, 165). Hutnick, a junior, caught four passes last week for 43 yards along with his TD interception, Hutnick's second interception for a TD in two weeks. Hutnick is Chesterton's top threat. Kyle Yelton, who is the son of Merrillville head coach Jeff Yelton, booted a 34-yard field goal last week and reportedly, he's good from 45 yards in. The Trojans have some inexperienced people in the lines and that is ominous on this night because CP is stronger up front than on the perimeter on both sides of the ball.

The Bulldogs can run the ball here. Hutnick leads the Trojans with 60 tackles and that tells you something. This could be the biggest night of the year for Jon Sertich (101 carries, 577 yards, 4 TDs), who has a chance to get 150-200 yards this week. And if Sertich does well, change of pace back Donny Keiser (92 carries, 580 yards, 5TDs) will also find open spaces.

Senior QB Matt Jansen #7 returned from a left knee injury to lead CP to a 35-14 win over LaPorte, 9-30-2005.

Junior RB Jon Sertich #27 rushed 16 times for 144 yards and one TD against LaPorte, 9-30-2005.

QB Matt Jansen (8-of-13, 102 yards, one TD) appeared to come out of his first start of the season healthy but it will again be noted how well he's moving after a knee injury which cost him six early games.

CP misses game-breaking receiver Matt Ernest, but I would be surprised if he plays this week. I would guess that tall junior would test his broken collarbone (August 26) next week against Michigan City to see if he can go in the state tournament, which starts on Oct. 21. To go any distance in the state tournamnet, the Bulldogs need Ernest. He is one of the few puzzle pieces that CP still lacks. They have no game-breaking wide receiver who can draw a double team and go high to snatch the ball away from defenders. Ernest, who caught more passes last season (47) than the entire Bulldog team has this year (36) is that player if he can get healthy in time.

Chesterton can hurt CP on the corners with Hutnick, who is a game breaker. If I'm Chesterton, I use three and four wide receivers and throw the ball a lot on first down, short and long. The only success anyone has had against the Bulldogs is with short quick slants and three-step tosses to the receivers, who try to beat the corners. If they can pull the corners up close, they try their big shots behind the single safety. You have to believe your wide receivers can beat the CP linebackers. If they can't, you're just going to be a loser. Yelton would have to hit three or four field goals to salvage stalled drives. Runs can only be clock-killers or surprise shots. This will be an entertaining game because there will be points up on the board.

But Sertich and Keiser should both break 100 yards on the ground. And off play action passes, I like Zach Cecich to have a big night with a half dozen catches. Cecich (6-2, 210) against any Trojan defensive back is the matchup that CP wants. But this won't be an air war. Chesterton has allowed 1,700 rushing yards in seven games and they've held no one under 100 yards. The Bulldogs average 5.5 yards a carry. That matchup is going to roll for CP like a freight train going downhill.

The teams that beat the Bulldogs will have big lines and power runners. That's just not Chesterton. The Bulldogs have to lack intensity to lose on this night because they have the better, more experienced team. CP takes the lead in the second quarter and scores five rushing TDs to go 8-0 for the first time in 18 years.

5A No. 3 Crown Point (7-0, 5-0)

at Chesterton (2-5, 2-3)

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

Copyright © 2004 USA-365.com and Meyer Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp. All rights reserved. Revised: October 07, 2005 .

Copyright © 2004 USA-365.com and Meyer Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp. All rights reserved.
Revised: October 07, 2005 .