Lowell’s Jordan Jusevitch doesn’t get many opportunities to handle the ball on offense these days.
“I love having the ball in my hands,” Jusevitch said. “But doing whatever I can to help this team win is the main goal.”
The 6-0, 205-pound senior has spent more time at safety in recent weeks, but that didn’t stop the Indiana recruit from making a play with the ball in his hands Friday night
Just before halftime, Jusevitch picked off a pass and returned it 67 yards for a touchdown, helping Lowell pull away for a 28-9 Northwest Crossroads Conference win over host Munster.
“We needed that,” Lowell coach Keith Kilmer said. “That’s what playmakers and leaders are supposed to do. He has natural instincts and he was in the place he was supposed to be.”
That touchdown gave Lowell (7-0, 3-0) a 21-3 halftime lead, and the Devils kept Munster (2-5, 1-2) well out of reach on the scoreboard for the rest of the game.
Lowell’s first two TDs came in the first six minutes, capitalizing on a pair of early Munster fumbles to grab a quick 14-0 lead.
Senior Jaeger Gill provided the points, scoring on a 43-yard TD reception and a one-yard TD run — two of his three TDs. But the Red Devils struggled to extend the lead in the first half prior to Jusevitch’s score.
“The first 16 minutes were good football,” Kilmer said. “We got off to that fast start, but I think we rested on our laurels and made it an ugly game. We have to fix those problems if we want to go anywhere in the playoffs or finish off this conference.”
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The Red Devils were on the verge of 21-0 lead on their next possession, driving to the Mustangs’ 5-yard line but facing a fourth-and-3.
Ethan Igras’ pass intended for Gill fell incomplete, and the Mustangs took over on downs. Munster would drive into the red zone before its drive ended with a turnover on downs.
Lowell’s next two possessions ended in fumbles. The first fumble set up the Mustangs at the 20, with senior Vince Ivetich kicking a 30-yard field goal for Munster’s first points of the game.
The second fumble gave possession to the Mustangs near midfield, but Jusevitch nullified that field position with his pick-six on the third play of Munster’s possession.
Munster got a late TD on a 1-yard run by senior quarterback Vince Bravo, but committed five turnovers in the loss.
“You can’t give away 21 points and think you’re going to come back,” Munster coach Leroy Marsh said.
Dave Melton is a freelance writer for the Post-Tribune.