Bulldogs
scrimmage with Highland reveals new rookie QBA USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith
8-18-2008
Bulldogs
scrimmage with Highland reveals new rookie QB
Crown Point Football
Crown Point football 2008 Pre-Season
Press Release
Head Coach: Chip Pettit
School Fax: (219) 662-5661
email: cpettit@cps.k12.in.us
High School attended: Crown Point
Graduation Year: 1992
College: Valparaiso
Graduation Year: 1996
7 years at CPHS: Record: 49-28
9 years as Head Coach (overall)
Record: 54-34
Stadium : Dog Pound
Website:
www.crownpointfootball.com
Traveling Trophies: Old Leather
Helmet vs. Lowell
County Seat
Trophy vs. Valparaiso
Offensive Scheme: Multiple I
Defensive Scheme: 3-5-3
Offense - Returning
Starters: (3)
Defense - Returning
Starters: (6)
CROWN POINT (8-15-2008) There's no point in
trying to analyze a scrimmage and CP
scrimmaging Highland tells you even less.
The Trojans are the weakest team CP will see
all season. For the first time in four years, Crown
Point's quarterback was not a left-handed
baseball player. It's a state finals wrestler.
"I wasn't nervous. I really wasn't," said
senior rookie Marcus Shrewsbury, a state
finals wrestler who took over for
now-graduated three-year CP starter Blake Mascarello officially at Friday's final 2008
pre-season scrimmage against Highland. "I
don't know why. I just couldn't throw."
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| The CP quarterback is senior rookie Marcus Shrewsbury (10). He will be the first non-lefty Bulldog QB in 4-years. |
 |
| Sophomore defensive end Ben Cottrell (38) breaks through the Highland line. (All photos by Mark Smith.) |
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| The CP defender at the goal line with the moon over his shoulder is Brad Pusateri (49). |
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| Bulldog senior cornerback Nate Haverstock (1) knocks away a pass in Highland scrimmage Aug. 15. |
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| The Highland quarterback is Jordan Graf (7), who threw one TD pass against the Bulldog defense in he Aug. 15 scrimmage. |
Shrewsbury (5-11, 205) threw two TD passes, 35 yards to Nate Haverstock and 10 yards to Steve Muenstermann, in Friday's scrimmage in perfect 70-degree weather. He would have scored on a 10-yard run, but in the scrimmage rules, the QB is downed when he is touched.
"I just want to play my role. Whatever that may be. It's been a long time. I've always been a quarterback. I don't feel pressure (because this is his only varsity year at QB). I just want to get all I can out of high school football. It's not necessarily pressure. I just want to have a good time."
Mascarello, who took over as QB at the start of the 2005 season (Shrewsbury's freshman year), due to an injury to then-starter Matt Jansen, played 30 games and completed 256 of 499 for a career school record of 3,770 yards and 41 TDs. Both Mascarello and Jansen accepted baseball scholarships to Purdue University.
"I wish I had longer, but it is what it is," said Shewsbury. "Blake? He was texting me today. Giving me a hard time. He was on the sidelines tonight. Telling me I better do well. I didn't know Blake was going to play three years, but our record was great. I guess he was the best man for the job."
Shrewsbury threw the ball into the ground a couple of times in the first couple of series against Highland, but he did find his receivers a little better before giving way to backup QBs about halfway through the two-hour scrimmage.
"We've got some good athletes," he said of
his receivers. "We're a big
school. We've got a lot of talent."
It's almost incorrect to call Shrewsbury a
new player. When the Bulldogs host Lowell
Friday, it will be the second time the CP
wrestler has faced them on the varsity
level.
"I didn't start last year (against Lowell),
but I played on the defensive line. I'm
really excited about the year. A lot of the
seniors are playing their first year and
we've been waiting for this day for a long
time. I didn't like it that I couldn't be touched
(under scrimmage rules). That's not really
football. But I'm sure I'll be saying
something different after we play Lowell or
Merrillville. But it takes away from the
game."
"We'll go as Marcus Shrewsbury goes,"
says CP coach Chip Pettit, who moved
Shrewsbury to second string as a freshman in
2005 when Jansen (career: 194 of 347, 2,736
yards, 21 TDs in 17 games) was injured in a
pre-season scrimmage. "If he's good, we'll be good. We're
going to hope to use Marcus' athleticism. I
think that's his greatest strength. His
overall athletic ability. It's hard to tell
anything from the scrimmage. It's so
'vanilla'. We didn't show a lot of things
we'll do during the season and we didn't
want to get anyone hurt."
Marcus Shrewsbury will only be playing
football one more year. He was 41-3 in
wrestling last winter at 189 pounds, losing
the state final match 2-1 to Stephen Stahl
(29-4) of Elkhart Memorial. It was a
memorable day. In the quarterfinals, Marcus
defeated Jimtown's undefeated Ryan Konrath
(46-0) and in the semifinals, Shrewsbury
defeated Columbus East's unbeaten Cory
McGrady (45-0).
The point is, the CP teenager is going to college on a wrestling scholarship. Like Mascarello was always a baseball player, Shrewsbury's best sport is clearly wrestling.
"I might get into the Ivy League," he
said. "I've been talking to Cornell. Michigan State. Hopefully something will
work out."
Shrewsbury knows he's going to be asked
frequently to compare football and
wrestling.
"One of the biggest connections and maybe
the only one I can really make," he said
Friday, "is that the atmosphere is the same.
When I come out here it's my first time as a
starter and it is nerve wracking, of course. As a team we're trying to prove ourselves. But in wrestling, I've been in big
situations. Big matches. It definitely helps
with the composure and it keeps me in
shape."
"Football and wrestling go hand in hand, but
quarterback and wrestling? It's different."
SCRIMMAGE NOTES: Highland enjoyed the artificial turf at Crown Point, especially since their field renovation has been delayed by recent rains.
Looks like it'll be week three," said Highland coach Eric Miller. "That's all right. We'll be road warriors. It's beautiful. Chip says they practice on it every day. The kids go to a lot of camps at places like Portage (which has artificial turf) so it's nothing new to them. I actually forgot they got artificial turf until we got on the bus to come here."
Pettit said that the scrimmage is basically for younger players.
"I really didn't see much," he said of the varsity players. "This is good for the freshmen and sophomores who have never put on the uniforms, gone through the warm ups and come out under the lights on Friday night."
The 'crowd' was about 250 fans total which is understandable since no score was kept and scrimmage rules are always confusing with no punts and kickoffs. CP placekicker Michael Lipton did not even dress for the game.
Highland had perhaps as many as 10 players not dressed, but most will play in the season opener at Wheeler on Aug. 22. QB Jordan Graf threw one 10-yard TD but Highland scored twice all night.
"We've got some kids that we know what they can do," Miller said. "We're trying to see what the others can do. I thought our defense did well. Our offense needs a lot of work."
SCRIMMAGES IMAGES
CROWN POINT - Truthfully, you don't learn much from a scrimmage. CP had three of them this fall and many players sit out the final scrimmage. Many fans sit it out too, because a scrimmage is not real football. There is little or no kicking and kick returns, no score is kept and the QB is down as soon as he is touched. Still, it is the final pre-season 'game' and you can see who is up and running.
QUARTERBACK: Senior Marcus Shrewsbury can't
be evaluated on the Highland scrimmage
because the quarterback was on a 'touch'
basis. Shrewsbury is a roll-out style,
running QB. Once he gets settled in, he will
be an offense unto himself. He will be a good leader because the
other boys know what he's capable of
physically. Marcus is not going to be able
to sit in the pocket and pick apart quality
defenses. But he could be similar to
Merrillville's Dolapo Macarthy in that even
he doesn't know whether he's running or
passing on certain plays. Sophomore Joel Johnson (6-0, 155) is the
backup and he is more a thrower than
runner. There are three freshmen
quarterbacks, but none in the junior class. Clearly, Shrewsbury will play every down
while games are close. Any running QB can
get hurt, but a state class upper weight
wrestler is not a high injury risk.
RUNNING BACK: A very strong position for the Bulldogs. Senior Nick Bruno ran very well in the
pre-season and junior Mason Popovich has
very quick feet. Fullback Mike Kozlowski
(5-11, 225) is an excellent pass catcher
and a big blocker. Junior John Hannon (5-11,
195) is a powerful running fullback and two
sophomore tailbacks Cody Bacon (5-8, 155)
and Victor Childs (5-6, 155) have balance
and speed, if not size. No running back
fumbled in the scrimmage. CP appears ready
to go at this position.
WIDE RECEIVERS: This is also a
strong position with tall Danny Osojnicki
(6-0, 175) and fast Nate Haverstock (5-8,
150). Senior Steve Muenstermann (6-1, 165)
has a chance to play a lot and soph Mike
Kessler (5-10, 150) has very good hands. Nick Bruno may also be split wide in certain
situations. The Bulldogs appear to have what
they need here.
TIGHT END: I didn't see much here.
I'm thinking CP may line up Kozlowski at
tight end in a lot of games because he's big
and he can catch. I don't think a lot of
decisions have been made here.
OFFENSIVE LINE: I'm not going to
evaluate the offensive line in two
scrimmages, but you've got to give this unit
time, even if it's costly time.
Zach Brueckman (6-2, 210) got some playing
time with big John Cooke (6-4, 280), senior
Nick Jones (5-10, 265), tall Chris Lakich
(6-5, 220) and veteran returning starter
Nick Colonna (6-0, 240), but I don't think
there is a set starting lineup at this
point. Many will conclude that CP's offensive
success depends on Shrewsbury and it does,
but CP's backs are so quick, the offensive
line can make this an outstanding team.
LINEBACKERS: CP uses five linebackers so they need new ones to step up every year. Greg Schillo (5-10, 215) didn't play in the last two scrimmages and he figures to start, so CP has two returners there with veteran Lance LaMere (6-0, 205). Sophomore Reed Stofko (5-10, 190) was very good against Highland and he has a chance to start. Kyle Qualizza (5-10, 180) got a lot of time as did Kozlowski, who could be a surprise as a run stopper. Wrestler Mark Myers (5-11, 170) also was not in uniform Friday, and if healthy, he can contribute. Junior Chris Klein (5-10, 170) and soph Jordan Jurasevich (6-2, 200) figure to get some time. CP uses a lot of linebackers, but in the last few years, they settle on starters and don't shuttle them in and out.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: The starters are
corner backs Nate Haverstock and Danny
Osojnicki and safety Nick Bruno. Junior
corners Tommy Renn and Nick Kabella are
backups as is soph safety Travis Woosley. But the three seniors will probably play a
lot. Copyright ©
2008 USA-365.com and Meyer
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CLASS
SECTIONAL
JOHN
HARRELL'S INDIANA HIGH
SCHOOL FOOTBALL
RECENT
SEASONS
5A
1
E-MAIL
CORRECTIONS
MAP TO
SCHOOL
0-0
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
CROWN
POINT
BULLDOGS
Coach: Chip
Pettit, 49-29 in 8th
year at school, 54-36 in
10th year overall
DATE
OPPONENT
CENTRAL
TIME
OA 0.0, DA
0.0
Aug. 22
Lowell
{4A}
7:00 pm
Aug. 29
at
Hobart
{4A}
7:00 pm
Sep. 5
at
Merrillville
{5A}‡
7:00 pm
Sep. 12
Lake
Central
{5A}‡
7:00 pm
Sep. 19
Portage
{5A}‡
7:00 pm
Sep. 26
at
Valparaiso
{5A}‡
7:00 pm
Oct. 3
at
LaPorte
{5A}‡
7:00 pm
Oct. 10
Chesterton
{5A}‡
7:00 pm
Oct. 17
at
Michigan City
{5A}‡
7:00 pm
‡DUNELAND
ATHLETIC CONFERENCE GAME
Revised: August 21, 2008
.