9-23-2012

QB Jake Jatis (7) rolls out against Valparaiso. Jatis was 9 of 17 passing for 111 yards. (All Photos by Mark Smith.)

The CP student section showed up to make noise and saw CP rally to win.

Bulldogs Coach Kevin Enright talks to his offense as Valpo took the early lead.

Valpo's Andrew Kittridge ran for 100 yards as the Vikings were tied 21-21 with CP in the fourth quarter.

CP's Luke Polus (28) scores in the first quarter to cut the Valpo lead to 7-6.

Tyler Smith (6) scored 3 TDs, one on a 95-yard kickoff return as CP won at Valparaiso 28-21 Friday. (All Photos by Mark Smith.)

Team	1	2	3	4	F
CROWN POINT (4-2, 2-2 DAC)	6	0	7	15	28
Valparaiso (2-4, 2-2 DAC)	7	0	0	14	21

Friday, September 21, 2012,  55 degrees, Duneland Athletic Conference game at VALPARAISO, IN

1st Qtr: VALPARAISO (7-0) Alec Judy 36-yard interception return. Caleb Dawson kick. 11:48 left.
CROWN POINT (6-7) Luke Polus, 2-yard run. 76-yard drive, 16 plays. Kick wide. 5:52 left.
2nd Qtr: No scoring.
3rd Qtr: CROWN POINT (13-7) Tyler Smith, 34-yard run. 56-yard drive, 7 plays. Zach Sneiderwine kick. 7:29 left.
4th Qtr: VALPARAISO (14-13) Andrew Kittridge, 1-yard run. 45-yard drive 11 plays. 10:45 left.
CROWN POINT (21-14) Tyler Smith, 95-yard kickoff return. 10:30 left.
VALPARAISO (21-21) Stephen Simms, 13-yard run. 36-yard drive, 7 plays after 60-yard kickoff return by Stephen Simms. Caleb Dawson kick. 6:59 left.
CROWN POINT (28-21) Tyler Smith, 44-yard run. 64-yard drive. 5 plays. Zach Sneiderwine kick. 5:30 left.
 

GAME STATISTICS

RUSHING:
CROWN POINT (41 carries, 243 yards, 3 TDs, no fumbles) Tyler Smith (HB) 23-190 yards, 2 TDs; Jake Jatis (QB) 11-25 yards; Luke Polus (HB) 7-28 yards, TD.
VALPO (39 carries, 185 yards, 2 TDs, fumble) Andrew Kittridge (FB) 19 carries, 111 yards, TD, fumble; Stephen Simms (HB) 16-90 yards, TD; David Hittinger (QB) 4 carries (minus-16 yards) 2 sacks, minus-15.

PASSING:
CP: Jake Jatis (QB) 9-17, 111 yards, 0 TDs, one interception;
Valpo: David Hittinger (QB) 5-6, 30 yards.

RECEIVING:
CP: Braxton Rice (WR) 5 catches, 48 yards; Jake Kocher (WR) 1-40 yards, Tyler Smith (WR) 2-15 yards; Zach Plesac (WR) 1-0 yards;
VALPO: Stephen Simms (HB) 2 catches, 8 yards; Andrew Kittridge (FB) 1-7 yards, Michael Rastovic (WR) 1-5 yards, Zach Steiner (WR) 1-10 yards.

KICKING:
Zach Sneiderwine (PK) 3 of 4 extra points; 1-of-4 touchbacks;
Caleb Dawson (PK) 3 of 3 extra points; 1-of-4 touchbacks.

VALPARAISO (9-21-2012) When the final story of Crown Point's 2012 football season is told, the week six game at Valparaiso will be one of the highlights. Trailing 7-0 after 12 seconds in a place where they rarely win and short two of their starting offensive players, Crown Point came back to win the night, out-gaining the Vikings 354-215 in a come-from-behind 28-21 victory.

Senior Tyler Smith had a career game with 190 yards rushing and a 95-yard kickoff return leading CP to a win that could be a turning point in their entire football year.

Moving from slot receiver to halfback to sub for team leading rusher and scorer Tristan Peterson, Smith was a dominating offensive player, finally scoring the tie-breaking, game-winning TD on a 44-yard, multiple cutback run with just 5:30 to go in the fourth quarter.

"He's an outstanding football player for us on both sides of the ball," said coach Kevin Enright. "He's on offense. He's on defense. We asked him to play in the backfield for us tonight and he did it. He accepted his role. And the performance speaks for itself."

The game was a turning point for the Bulldogs, who won on the road in the DAC for the first time and were potent on offense (they punted only once) for the second consecutive week.

Crown Point appeared to be in trouble when junior quarterback Jake Jatis under-threw a pass on the first play of the game and Valpo senior linebacker Alec Judy made a leaping catch and ran it back 36 yards for a touchdown.

But playing without top running back Tristan Peterson and wingback Tyler Downing, CP (4-2, 2-2 Duneland Athletic Conference) responded with a 16-play, 76-yard drive that finished with sophomore halfback Luke Polus scoring on a two-yard run to cut the lead to 7-6.

The Bulldogs were never really stopped in the first half. A 15-play drive ended on downs at the Valpo 26 yard line and a late second quarter 48-yard drive ended on a failed QB sneak (the snap was mishandled ) at the Valpo 2-yard line.

In front of a small crowd on a damp, 55-degree night, both teams put on an offensive show in the final two quarters.

CP scored on the first possession of the second half when Smith broke loose on a 34-yard TD run. A short punt set Valpo up for a 45-yard TD drive with senior track star Andrew Kittridge (6-1, 200) making it 14-13 with 10:45 left in the game.

Kittridge ran the same play most of the night. A power run behind Valpo's big left side of the line, senior Paul Runyan (6-2, 290) and junior Blake Biesen (6-4, 284). Simms ran a counter play over the right side but he cut it back all over the place.

But Smith, who has made a series of big plays in all kinds of ways all season for CP, took the kickoff back 95 yards through the center of the Valparaiso defense to give the Bulldogs the lead 19-14. Zach Plesac made a leaping, one-handed catch of a two-point conversion pass from Jatis to make the score 21-14.

Both defenses seemed to be tiring as Valparaiso quickly tied the game. Simms, who was injured a week earlier against Chesterton and questionable to even play, ran the kickoff back 62 yards to the Crown Point 36. Six plays later Simms (5-6, 160) scored on a 13-yard cutback run to tie the game 21-21 with 6:59 left.

With the game tied late in the evening, Jatis hit Smith with a 10-yard pass to the CP 46 and scrambled for a first down to the Vaparaiso 44-yard line. Smith then broke off left tackle and picking up a couple of push blocks down field from senior Braxton Rice, twisted and turned 44 yards to the end zone with 5:30 to go.

Smith stepped in like he was born to play tailback, and with the help of an improvng offensive line, averaged over eight yards a carry and broke two long second half TD runs. He didn't feel like too much of a hero before the game.

"I was having some trouble breathing before the game," said Smith, who did not score a TD and played almost exclusively on defense in 2011. "But I got out there and the line was blocking really well. They were opening up the holes and it felt good."

There's no doubt the Vikings (2-4, 2-2 DAC) have lost only to good teams, falling to Carmel (6-0), Chesterton (6-0), Penn (5-1) and now CP (4-2). With wins over Michigan City (2-4) and LaPorte (0-6), it's very hard to say exactly how good the Vikings are. The issue might be clarified if Valpo and CP meet again in 5A Sectional 1, which a very good possibility. Valpo and CP split two games in 2011.

Though he did not speak to that, it was a big win for new coach Kevin Enright. CP's season now very much resembles the 2010 (8-4) and 2011 (9-4) seasons, years the Bulldogs were quite happy with. With LaPorte (next week at LaPorte), Chesterton and Michigan City left to play, the Bulldogs look set to finish the regular season on the rise.

"We seem to start games so badly," said Enright, "and I don't know why. Lake Central was the same thing. Adversity helps a team come together. I don't particularly like starting games that way. It's not the plan. But we'll work through it."

DOG NOTES: Crown Point's Tyler Smith continues an odd-but-true senior year. The senior multi-position player has scored eight touchdowns in six games, four running from scrimmage, one on a pass reception, one on a fumble recovery, one on a kickoff return and one on a 99-yard interception. In football, there are only seven ways to actually score a touchdown. The only thing Smith has not done yet is return a blocked kick for a score and run a punt back for a TD. It's hard to find anyone in the last 20 years who has scored in all seven ways in the same season in Northwest Indiana high school football.

"I've still got to throw a touchdown pass, too," Smith smiled after his three-TD game Friday.

Smith (5-11, 170) had carried the ball only four times this season, all on wingback or slot receiver reverses. And it's no wonder. Regular starter Tristan Peterson, who gained 983 yards on 197 carries in 2011, had 633 yards on 109 carries this season. But Peterson was unavailable Friday, possibly serving a suspension (he was not injured last week when he gained 200 yards against Portage) for undisclosed reasons.

Coach Kevin Enright did not want to comment on the situation and could not say when or if Peterson would return.

Starter Tyler Downing may have an ankle injury and he's also out indefinitely. CP's football future got on the field as sophomore Jake Kocher caught a 40-yard pass and sophomore Luke Polus ran for a short TD. CP starts four juniors and sophomore safety Troy Grady on defense.

Copyright © 2012 USA-365.com and Meyer Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp.  All rights reserved.
Revised: September 23, 2012 .