Big Plays by Indians too much for Crown Point, Bulldogs lose 43-22

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

9-21-2009

Friday, September 18, 2009,  66 degrees at PORTAGE, IN

1st Qtr:  PORTAGE (7-0) Alvin Best, 72-yard pass from Zach Huston. 70-yard drive, 3 plays.  Carlos Guitterriez kick.  10:10 left
CROWN POINT (7-7) Joe Hopman, 4-yard run. 70-yard drive, 13 plays.  Brett Bayer kick.  2:38 left.
2nd Qtr:  PORTAGE (14-7) Fred Milledge, 52-yard reverse. 81 yard drive, 9 plays.  Guitterriez kick.  4:50 left.
PORTAGE (16-7) Safety. CP snapped punt over the head of punter Spencer Rapchak. 0:49 left.
3rd Qtr:  PORTAGE (23-7) Drew Keil, 44-yard return of fumble by CP's Cody Bacon.  Guitterriez kick.  7:40 left.
CROWN POINT (14-23) Mason Popovich, 1-yard run.  59-yard drive, 5 plays.  Bayer kick.  4:21 left.
PORTAGE (30-14) Zach Huston, 78-yard run. 78-yard drive, 1 play.  Guittrriez kick.  3:40 left.
4th Qtr:  CROWN POINT (22-30) Chris Klein, 10-yard run. 81-yard drive, 9 plays.  2-point pass Joe Hopman to Tyler Kral.  8:46 left.
PORTAGE (36-22) Justin Rhein, 57-yard run.  59-yard drive, 2 plays.  Bad snap on conversion.  2:31 left.
PORTAGE (43-22) Jake Dixon, 6-yard run.  30-yard drive, 3 plays.  Guitterriez kick.  1:02 left.

RUSHING:
CROWN POINT (27 carries, 130 yards, 2 TDs, one fumble) Chris Klein (HB) 11-68 yards, TD; Joe Hopman (QB) 7-31 yards, TD; Mason Popovich (HB) 6-35 yards, TD;
Peter Parks (FB) 1-3; Travis Woosley (WR) 1 (-7 yards), Cody Bacon (HB) 1-1, fumble.
PORTAGE (35 carries, 335 yards, 4 TDs) Zach Huston (QB) 17 carries, 143 yards, TD); Justin Rhein (FB) 2-67 yards, TD; Jake Dixon (HB) 12-62 yards, TD;
Fred Milledge (WR) 1-52 yards, TD; Marcus Jones (FB) 3-11 yards.

PASSING:
CROWN POINT: Joe Hopman (QB) 9-15, 128 yards, one interception:
PORTAGE: Zach Huston (QB) 3-8, 92 yards, one TD; Jake Dixon (HB) 1-1, 10 yards.

RECEIVING:
CROWN POINT: Austin Atherton (WR) 3-74 yards; Travis Woosley (WR) 2-18 yards; Peter Parks (FB) 1-5 yards; Tyler Kral (TE) 2-20 yards.
PORTAGE: Drew Keil (WR) 2-19 yards; Vince Fischer (TE) 1-11 yards; Alvin Best (WR) 1-72 yards, TD.

TOTAL YARDS:
CROWN POINT: 388 yards, 3 TDs, 3 turnovers (one fumble, 4th down snap out of end zone);
PORTAGE: 437 yards, 5 TDs, one turnover.
 

PORTAGE (9-18-2009) It was not an outstanding game and it wasn't close in the end.  But, from a pure entertainment standpoint, Friday's match between Portage and Crown Point was fast-moving and fun to watch.  Probably a lot more so for the crowd of 3,000, most of them from Porter County.  Portage never trailed and scored five TDs of 40 yards or more, holding off repeated Crown Point rallies for a 43-22 victory in a pivotal Duneland Athletic Conference game Friday.

The Indians (3-2, 2-1 DAC) made big plays all over the artificial turf, rolling up 430 total yards and remaining one game behind first place Merrillville in league play with four weeks left in the regular season.

Crown Point (2-3, 1-2) displayed a defense that was spirited, but overmatched against Portage play makers Zach Huston and Jake Dixon and an offense that alternated between high production and a touch of confusion.  Simply. Portage, as expected, was more confident and experienced.

"We're not going to be able to go on the road and play a good team," said Crown Pont coach Chip Pettit. "Have a fumble returned for a touchdown. Snap the ball over the punter's head for a safety.  You can't do that."

Portage, which had score 20 or more in its first four games, scored immediately when QB Zach Huston attempted a long third down pass on the Indians' first possession.  The ball was under thrown and CP defender Scott Hannon leaped to intercept it.  But the ball tipped off Hannon's hands behind him and Portage sophomore Alvin Best caught the ball running away to the end zone for a 72-yard TD just 110 seconds into the game.

The Bulldogs immediately tied the game going 70 yards in 13 plays.  Sophomore QB Joe Hopman scored on a four yard scramble to tie the game with 2:46 left in the first quarter.  Portage took the lead in the middle of the second quarter.  Indian QB Zach Huston had run the option several times with fullback Marcus Jones and halfback Jake Dixon.  On a second down play from the Portage 48, the Indians appeared to be running the option to the home side of the field when Huston pitched the ball to senior wide receiver Fred Milledge, who was circling in the opposite direction.  Milledge turned the corner and beat the Bulldog defense down the visitors' sideline for a 52-yard TD and a 14-7 lead.

What could have been a 7-7 halftime tie became a 16-7 Indians' lead when Crown Point snapped the ball far over the head of punter Spencer Rapchak just 41 seconds left in the half. Rapchak ran back to recover the ball in the end zone and smartly downed it for a two-point safety.

The visitors pulled to with 23-14 and 30-22 in the second half, but the first half points were too much to overcome, even on a night when CP held Dixon, the DAC's second leading scorer (behind LaPorte halfback Nick Latchford - 10 TDs) largely in check.

"We got a horrible break on the deflected ball for a screen right a way," said Pettit.  "In spots, we were Okay tonight.  But the offense is maddeningly inconsistent.  You can see that there's some good things happening.  To their (Portage's) credit, Dixon is a heckuva player.  He draws a lot of attention.  He's special.  There's no question abut that."

Dixon (6-1, 180), a significant college prospect who had eight TDs in four games against a much tougher schedule than LaPorte plays, lines up at tailback and his first movement draws a vivid defensive response.  That sets up everything Portage does and it's why speedy QB Zach Huston (5-10, 175) gained 143 yards on 17 carries against CP.  Huston (86 carries, 632 yards) and Dixon (67 carries, 468 yards) both seem headed for 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

Crown Point is clearly going young and, the lineup has changed since the start of the season.  At times, sophomore Tyler Kral (6-2, 200) is the tight end with sophomore Peter Parks ((6-1 215) at fullback for sophomore quarterback Joe Hopman and sophomore kicker Brett Bayer.  There are three juniors in the offensive line and top receivers Travis Woosley and Austin Atherton are both juniors.

"I thought our kids competed," said Pettit.  "We gave up nine points that were of our own doing.  But we have the ball down eight with four minutes to play.  We liked that."

On that last chance series, Hopman was stopped on a one yard scramble and he tossed two incompletions, although one was a crossing pattern over the middle that Atherton dropped at the CP 40-yard-line.  Dixon, a Portage defensive back, was in the area to chase the CP junior, but Atherton might have scored had he caught that pass with four minutes remaining.

Portage scored late when senior Justin Rhein took the fullback position off the option 57 yards to the end zone with 2:31 to go to give Portage a 36-22 lead.  Then, after Drew Keil intercepted CP's Hopman and returned the ball to the Bulldog 30-yard-line with 2:16 left, the Indians left their number one offense on the field and drove for a final TD with 1:02 to go.

DOG NOTES:  The Portage win broke a five-game CP winning streak against the Indians going back to 2004.  Crown Point's 22 points (after scoring 23 last week against Lake Central) marked the first time they'd scored 20 or more points in consecutive games since the 2007 season.

Receiver Travis Woosley was injured on the final series and he had to be helped off the field afterwards.  The CP junior may have had a rib cage problem.  It was not a leg or head injury.