LC proves too strong for CP again
By Mark SmiTh msmith@post-trib.com September 11, 2012 3:08PM
Crown Point's Jake Jatis is rushed by Lake Central's Gelon Robinson during a game on Friday, September 7, 2012, in Crown Point. | Mark Smith~Sun-Times Media
LC 27, Crown Point 7
LAKE CENTRAL (4-0) 14 - 0 - 7 - 6 == 27
CROWN POINT (2-2) 7 - 0 - 0 - 0 == 7
9-7-12, 67 degrees at CP
1st quarter
LC (7-0) David Yancey, 23-yard TD run (10th TD).
74-yard drive, 4 plays. Tim Ritchie kick. 10:32
LC (14-0) David Yancey, 2-yard run (11th TD). 33-yard drive, 6 plays. Tim Ritchie kick. 6:17
CP (14-7) Tristan Peterson, 6-yard run. 80-yard drive, 13 plays. Zach Sneiderwine kick. :48 left.
3rd quarter
LC (21-7) Alec Olund, 7-yard run. 46-yard drive, 4 plays.
Tim Ritchie kick. 8:29 left
4th quarter
LC (27-7) David Yancey, 32-yard run (12th TD). 48-yard run, 5 plays. Kick wide. 7:55 left.
RUSHING: LC (41 carries, 353 yards , 4 TDs, 0 fumbles) David Yancey (HB) 25-264 yards, 3 TDs; Riley Arvanitis (FB) 3-23 yards; Brandon Scott (HB) 1-12; Alec Olund (QB) 9-55 (1 sack minus-9)
CP (32 carries, 108 yards, one TD, no fumbles) Tristan Peterson (HB) 22 carries, 81 yards, TD,Jake Jatis (QB) 7-10 (one sack minus-12) Luke Polus (HB) 3-17.
PASSING: LC: Alec Olund (QB) 3-6, 24 yards; CP Jake Jatis (QB) 9-22, 105 yards, one interception.
RECEIVING: LAKE CENTRAL: Michael Goin (WR) 1-15 yards; David Yancey (HB) 1-4; Antwan Davis (WR) 1-5 yards.
CROWN POINT: Zach Plesac (WR) 6-90 yards; Tyler Downing 1-8 yards; Tyler Smith (WR) 2-9 yards.
KICKING: Tim Ritchie (LC) 3-for-4 extra points, 4-for-5 touchbacks;
Zach Sneiderwine (CP) 1-for-1 extra points; 0-for-2 touchbacks.
Article Extras
Updated: September 11, 2012 3:08PM
CROWN POINT — When Lake Central defeated Crown Point 26-7 last September at LC, some of us later concluded that it wasn’t an accurate representation of the two teams’ strength.
Lake Central went 8-1 but lost the opening Class 5A Sectional playoff game to Merrillville. Crown Point went 6-3 on the regular season and then defeated Merrillville for the sectional 1 championship.
So when CP and LC met again Friday in Crown Point, we were prepared for a game which would say a lot more about the realistic difference between the two big neighbor schools’ football teams.
We did. The final score was 27-7 for Lake Central. The 10th-ranked Indians are the better team. That margin of victory is about right.
I’m not sure Crown Point is as weak defensively as it looked giving up an unofficial 353 yards rushing to LC, 264 on 25 carries to senior David Yancey, but Lake Central has this “we line up and run over you” act polished. At mid-season, a Lake Central team which averaged 35 points per game (never scoring less than 24) last year is averaging 39 points a game.
The Indians were fired up when they came on the field. The LC players ran to the center of the field and celebrated on the cartoon Bulldog drawn on the artificial turf. Crown Point’s players running on the field, obviously, also ran through the center of the field.
There was a little pushing and shoving until both teams were sent to the sidelines but nothing serious and, while everyone in authority would like to avoid that kind of thing, it seemed to add to the excitement of the matchup.
When the game started, LC scored two touchdowns in less than six minutes. After the opening kickoff, LC (4-0, 2-0 DAC) gave the ball to Yancey four consecutive times and the speedy senior gained 12, 33, 16 and 23 yards to give the Indians a 7-0 led just 88 seconds into the game
Crown Point drew an illegal procedure penalty on the first play and could not make a first down, punting into the wind out of bounds at the Crown Point 33-yard line.
LC scored again in five plays, the final one a two-yard run by Yancey (5-10, 205) to make it 14-0 with 6:12 left in the quarter.
The game played out somewhat similar to last season’s 26-7 LC win over Crown Point, when the Indians jumped out to a 20-0 lead in the first 17 minutes.
“In the first three games this season, we started slow,” said LC coach Brett St. Germain. “We came out in the second half and got off to a good start. We’ve got a young offensive line and every week they’ve gotten better. There’s four guys who are on the field (starting) for the first time on Friday nights. It’s been some rough days in practice going aganst a pretty good defnsive line. I’m proud of their progress.”
Crown Point (2-2 0-2 DAC) only got the ball three times in the first half and they scored on the secon posesion going 80 yards in 13 plays, which included two LC personal foul penalties.
CP converted a 4th-and-4 pass for 10 yards from junior quarterback Jake Jatis to senior Zach Plesac to the 16 yard line and Tristan Peterson caried three consecutive times to the goal line to cut the lead to 14-7 in the final minute of the first quarter.
Three more LC penalties stopped an Indians drive at the CP 32 and Crown Point had a chance to tie the game before halftime.
A 14-yard Jatis to Plesac pass moved the ball to the LC 42-yard-line, but three consecutive illegal procedure penalties on Crown Point eventually stopped CP after a fourth down incomplete pass at the LC 37 with 49 seconds left in the second quarter.
After halftime, CP had major problems at the line of scrimmage, some due to LC linebacker/defensive end hybrid Gelon Robinson (6-1, 235) who was almost unblockable.
Crown Point took the second half kickoff but gained nothing in three plays and could only punt into the 15-mile per hour wind to the CP 46.
Lake Central then, as they did to start the game, scored in four plays, including a 31-yard run by Yancey, who gained 1,200 yards in 2011.
A seven-yard option run by Alec Olund pushed the scorer to 21-7 with 8:29 left in the thrid quarter.
Crown Point’s last chance to stay in the game came when two Jatis to Plesac passes moved the ball to the LC 47 on the first two plays of the fourth quarter.
But LC heavily rushed a 4th-and-2 roll-out pass into an incompletion at the LC 39 and the Indians went 61 yards in five plays with Yancey’s 32-yard run end ing the scoring with 7:55 left.
“Our defensive coordinators have done a great job,” said St. Germain. “They put in an endless amount of hours. It’s a testament to our coaches.”
DOG NOTES: Some heavy Friday afternoon rain held down the crowd to about 3,000 on Senior Night at Crown Point. It did not rain during the game, however ,and the weather had no effect on the outcome.
Crown Point could have tied the game before halftime when it picked up a first down at the Lake Central 42-yard line trailing 14-7. But the CP offensive line drew three consecutive five yard illegal procedure penalties to kill that drive in the final minute of the half.
The Bulldogs also drew an illegal procedure penalty on the first play of their first possession in the first quarter.
With Lake Central’s David Yancey a fast and shifty runner, he obviously could play defense as well.
And star defender Gelon Robinson (6-1, 235) would clearly be a powerhouse fullback or tight end, if LC coach Brett St. Germain wanted it that way.
“Yancey is so valuable on offense,” he said. “We just don’t want him to get hurt. But we do have some packages (defensive formations), where David plays defense. We just haven’t used them yet.
“We tried Gelon on offense as a tight end during the summer and we found it took away from his defense. Tight end is such a demanding position and we want him at full strength on defense. We’ve got some sets where he’s a tight end.”
The problem blocking Robinson is that he lines up at linebacker or at defensive end.
“That’s our defensive coaches” says St. Germain. “It’s just the call on defense that dictates where he goes.”
St. Germain admits he’s taken pride in LC’s success but he certanly remembers last season where a 7-0 LC team finished 8-2.
“We know there’s a long way to go,” he said. “We finish the season with with Chesteron, Merrillville and Valpo.
“Not to say that all the other teams aren’t as good but those are three of the upper echelon, so we’ll find out how good we are.”
