The Chesterton Trojans hosted the Laporte Slicers in their second conference football game of the season. Chesterton was going into the game 0-3 and hoping to snap their losing streak at their homecoming game. Some fans were uneasy, however, because senior quarterback Sebastian Boswell was not dressing due to a knee injury suffered in their game vs. Michigan City. Despite the setbacks, the team trusted junior quarterback Brady McCormack to fill the pocket just fine.
Senior receiver Alex Santucci said, “We felt very confident that Brady would step up and he did exactly that.”
Chesterton fans were packed into the CHS football stadium in hopes of seeing the Trojans get their first win of the season. The first quarter was uneventful with both teams having slow offensive drives. After 10 minutes, the buzzer sounded and the scoreboard still read 0-0.
The first three minutes of the second quarter were just as quiet as the last, but then senior runningback Garrett Lewis absolutely dismantled the Slicer defense and weaved his way 55 yards to the end zone. After a short drive by Laporte, Chesterton got the ball back with plenty of time left in the first half. The Trojans drove down the field and in a game mostly centered around the run, McCormack rifled a 30-yard pass right into Santucci’s chest to extend the lead to 14-0. Going into halftime, Chesterton fans’ morale was high. Even though they were up 14, the team knew that a lead at halftime didn’t guarantee a win.
“We all had a definite sense of confidence, but we all knew being up 14 meant nothing,” Santucci said, “Our first three drives were punts and we knew we had to execute better.”
The third quarter started with a Slicer kickoff and Chesterton fans roaring. After a quick drive, McCormack forced his way inside for a 1-yard rushing TD. After their explosive display of offense, the Trojans slowed down; the third quarter ended with Chesterton up 21. The Laporte side of the stadium was almost silent and with their team being held scoreless hopes were dwindling. However, the Slicers drove down the field, and sophomore quarterback Aiden Penziol topped the drive with a 1-yard TD pass. Even though the Trojans were still up 14 with the game nearing over, they didn’t let off the gas. They picked apart Laporte’s DBs and after a meticulous drive, Lewis ran 4 yards for his second TD of the game. The clock expired and the score read 28-7 in favor of Chesterton, and the team and fans were both elated.
Santucci said, “The emotions were priceless, the celebration and happiness were unmatched, but we knew that we could feel like this every game. This was our game that everything clicked.”
McCormack finished with 110 passing yards and 47 rushing yards; Lewis had 17 receiving yards and ran for 86; Santucci ended the game with 72 receiving yards. The defense also had a great game, only allowing 120 total yards and 1 third down conversion.
The Trojans are taking on their rivals from Valparaiso this Friday at home. Make sure to show up in all black at 7 p.m. at the CHS football field! Go Trojans!
