This past Friday the Chesterton Trojans took on the Tigers from Warsaw in a non conference game. It was also Chesterton’s senior night, honoring 28 football players, 5 cheerleaders, and 6 members of the dance team.
While seniors were being announced, Trojan fans were shaken to see that senior running back Garrett Lewis was not in pads. Lewis, who has battled a recurring ankle injury, would not be playing against the Tigers. Without their star running back Chesterton would most likely need to shift to a pass-heavy offense. Despite this, the Trojans started the game off with a run to junior running back Brady McCormack which was shut down immediately. With the realization that rushing would be less effective without Lewis, all eyes were on senior quarterback Sebastian Boswell.
Overall, the game was a defensive battle as both offenses struggled to put points on the board. Throughout the first half, the two teams would exchange drives down the field but would ultimately come up short every time. At the end of an uneventful first half, the score was tied at 0.
This game was truly a show of defensive force from both sides, and early in the 3rd quarter after being pinned at the one yard line, the Trojans gave up a safety to the Tigers, putting Warsaw up 2-0. The rest of the third was uneventful with both defenses continuing their domination, ensuring the other team did not score.
The fourth quarter had a completely different feeling than the quarters prior. Boswell lofted a pass downfield and after what felt like an eternity to everyone in the stands, the ball fell right into senior receiver Alex Santucci’s hands for a 45 yard gain. The very next play Boswell found Santucci open in the end zone and hit him right in the chest for a 16 yard touchdown. Once again, however, Warsaw’s defense showed off by blocking the PAT attempt.
With the scoreboard reading 6-2 in favor of the Trojans, Warsaw had only 9 minutes left to try and create some offense. After a 5 minute drive, the Tigers settled for a 28 yard field goal to cut the Trojan lead to just one. With 4 minutes left, it seemed all Chesterton would have to do is run out the clock. The clock, however, had other ideas. With about 3 minutes left in the game, the power went out for half of the CHS football stadium, including the scoreboard. After a brief pause, the game resumed and fans were left guessing how much time was left. The power outage proved to be much more exciting than Chesterton’s offense after the Trojans were stopped with little difficulty by the Tigers.
With fans left in the dark, both literally and figuratively, nobody knew how long Warsaw had to score. They worked their way into Chesterton territory and on 4th down, they lined up for a field goal. WIth the ball set at the 29 yard line, junior kicker Mason Smythe had a 39 yard FG attempt in front of him. Chesterton fans were roaring, doing everything in their power to rattle the kicker. Despite the noise, Smythe drilled the kick through the uprights, silencing Trojan fans. After a rushed offensive possession by Chesterton, the officials blew the game dead, ending the game 8-6 with Warsaw taking the W.
Even though the Trojans lost, a few player performances stood out. Boswell finished with 158 passing yards and a touchdown; Santucci racked up 100 receiving yards and a touchdown; senior Hayden Demarco had 6 tackles and assisted on 11 others; junior linebacker Josh Davis also finished with 6 tackles, assisting on 4 more as well as forcing a fumble.
Coming off 2 losses, the Trojans are traveling to Michigan City for their first conference game of the season this Friday. The theme is white out and the game starts at 7 pm. Just a reminder, Michigan City’s football field is NOT connected to the actual school and is located at 2501 Franklin St, Michigan City, IN 46360. Come out and support the Trojans as they hope to get their first win of the season!
