BULLISH ON ‘D’
Crown Point preserves one-point lead in fourth, edges Mishawaka,
MISHAWAKA — Crown Point’s defense could have gotten discouraged.
The Bulldogs had just made a big stop on a 2-point conversion to preserve a one-point lead in the fourth quarter Friday against Mishawaka. But the Cavemen responded by recovering an onside kick.
The defense went back out on the field, needing to make a few more plays. And the Bulldogs did just that, holding on for a 35-34 victory.
“We had a hard time with the option football. Trying to prepare for that at Friday night speed is a difficult thing. With all that said, I thought our guys really stepped up when they needed to,” Crown Point coach Kevin Enright said. “They made a play, they made one more play.”
Offensively, quarterback Artie Equihua led the Bulldogs with three rushing touchdowns. Troy Grady also rushed for two scores.
Equihua raced 48 yards for a touchdown to put Crown Point ahead 27-20 with 21.6 seconds left in the third quarter. Mishawaka quarterback Darian Phillips answered with a 1-yard touchdown run. The Cavemen went for two, and Tanner Bradley scored on a run to give Mishawaka a 28-27 lead.
Equihua led the Bulldogs right back down the field. He scored on a 3-yard run with 3:23 to go and then kept the ball again for a successful 2-point conversion.
“The offensive line did a great job. They were pushing them all over the place. I couldn’t ask for more. They were the MVP,” Equihua said.
“We had a lot of success going up the middle, mostly due to our Oline. Our backs were blocking, too. Troy had some great blocks, too. But I just can’t give enough credit to our offensive line. They were unbelievable.”
Mishawaka still had just enough time to make a final charge.
Phillips scored on a 3-yard run with 1:21 left to make it 35-34.
Mishawaka went for two, even after a delay pushed them to the 8. Crown Point stuffed Bradley short of the end zone.
The Cavemen got the conversion, but it didn’t faze the Bulldogs.
“We were so excited (stopping the conversion). And then they got the onside kick. And we still had the energy from the stopped con- version. So we came out and put all that energy on the field,” said defensive lineman Dallas McRae.
McRae made a big sack on second down.
“I knew I had to rush the quarterback and get in there,” McRae said.
Billy Bernhardt intercepted a pass on fourth down to clinch the win.
“There were plays made on both sides,” Enright said. “Mishawaka fought to the end. Our guys didn’t quit either. It was worth the price of admission.”