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player ready...Crown Point’s Vincent Smith was preparing to jump.
Instead, the ball hit the senior defensive end right in the chest.
Smith’s interception set up the go-ahead touchdown Friday night as the Bulldogs topped visiting Merrillville 23-14 in a Class 6A Sectional 1 opener.
Crown Point (6-4) trailed 7-6 when Smith made the play. He cradled the grab and returned the ball 42 yards to the Pirate 1.
“I just went with my instincts and tried to make a play for my team,” Smith said. “It’s a kid’s dream to make a big play.”
Smith also had two sacks in addition to the interception.
“He was probably more surprised than any of us,” Crown Point coach Kevin Enright said of Smith. “They threw it right at him. He did a nice job of catching it and getting down there.
“He had a nice game coming off the edge and pressuring the quarterback.”
After Smith’s pick, senior running back Tyler Gomez scored a 1-yard TD and added a 2-point conversion to give the Bulldogs a 14-7 lead over the Pirates (1-9). Gomez had 166 yards and two TDs on 37 carries.
“It’s really the offensive line,” said Gomez, icing his right hip though expecting to be OK for next week’s sectional final against Portage (5-5). “They’ve done such a phenomenal job.”
Turnovers factored heavily into the outcome.
Crown Point appeared to be in control but Merrillville drew within 17-14.
On the first play after Michael Shell recovered a fumble for the Pirates, Justin Rhodes scored on a 14-yard TD run with 11:33 left.
Merrillville was poised to get the ball back, but Crown Point’s Railaun Cosey recovered a muffed punt at the 40 with 9:49 left. The Bulldogs capitalized, with Ryan Bolda throwing a 27-yard TD pass to Tyler Jones.
Sam Krutz added an interception for Crown Point with 7:47 left.
The Pirates had topped the Bulldogs 34-26 on Sept. 1.
“We didn’t talk about it much at all,” Enright said. “Any time you get into the playoffs, anything can happen. Merrillville’s a tough team. That’s what we stressed more. We didn’t use revenge as a motivating factor.”
Merrillville took a 7-0 lead on Rhodes’ 5-yard TD run with 1:16 left in the first quarter.
Crown Point got on the board with Gomez’s 18-yard TD run. That drive for the Bulldogs included James Priddy’s 23-yard run on a fourth-and-12 from their 42, with the senior turning a potentially botched punt into a big gain.
Crown Point moved ahead on Smith’s interception and Gomez’s TD and conversion.
Ben Fridrich’s 31-yard field goal gave the Bulldogs a 17-7 lead with 5:36 left in the third.
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“We really came together,” Smith said. “Our team has gotten better every game. It’s a process. You can’t be looking back at past games. We’re only moving forward.”
Twitter @MichaelOsipoff