SAM’S CLUB
Krutz helps Bulldogs reach sectional final and sets up family feud vs. Merrillville
Thanksgiving dinner for the Krutz family is pretty black and white, like an old painting of the Pilgrims sitting at the table.
Sam Krutz, a senior safety for Crown Point, confirmed the obvious.
No team colors allowed.
“We don’t talk about it very much,” Krutz said Friday night with a bright smile after his Bulldogs beat Portage 12-7 in a Class 6A Sectional 1 opener. “We just don’t.”
In next Friday’s sectional championship game at Demaree Stadium, Krutz will battle Merrillville, where his uncle, Mike, is the principal.
And if Valparaiso beats Penn in the Sectional 2 final, there will be another Krutz family get-together; his cousin Peyton plays for the Vikings.
Sam’s father, Chris, played at Merrillville with his brothers. And it doesn’t end there.
“I hardly ever went to Crown Point games when I was little,” Sam Krutz said. “Me and Peyton were ball boys at Merrillville.”
It’s quite possible that Friday’s family feud wouldn’t have happened if not for Sam Krutz, a three-year starter for Crown Point (4-6).
Portage (4-6) had the ball on the Bulldogs 4-yard line when a pitch was misdirected. Krutz picked it up after a scrum and ran 78 yards for the game’s first touchdown.
“I was gassed,” Krutz said of the long run. “I don’t know how I made it.”
Portage won the regular-season game against Crown Point 14-12. The Bulldogs, holding a 12-7 lead, had a field goal blocked and returned for the winning TD in the defensive battle.
The rematch was no different. Little offense. Intense defense.
Scott Hansen scored on a 13-yard run at 11:53 of the second quarter to give Portage a 7-6 lead. Scott Mills scored on a 2-yard run at 6:15 of the third quarter to put Crown Point ahead 12-6.
“Our defense, all year long, they fly around,” Crown Point coach Kevin Enright said. “When we needed a play, our seniors stepped up.”
The Bulldogs forced four turnovers. Merrillville beat Crown Point 26-21 in Week 3. Last year, the Pirates earned their only win of the season in the regular season against the Bulldogs. Crown Point then got payback in the postseason to win its second straight sectional title.
“Our defense has to play all out and give our offense a chance,” Krutz said of the rematch. “It’s going to be big — it’s Crown Point and Merrillville. It always is.”
Then, win or lose, Krutz will get a hug from his uncle. That’s guaranteed.
“We always talk after games,” Krutz said. “That makes it pretty special.”
Steve Hanlon is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.