Lowell junior John Alessia fielded the punt over his shoulder, with his back to the action. He did an about-face, raced down the right sideline and cut to the middle.
Alessia’s 51-yard punt return for a touchdown in Friday night’s season opener was a key part of the Red Devils’ 17-7 win at Crown Point.
That play gave Lowell (1-0) that two-score lead with 58.9 seconds left in the third quarter.
“I have to give it to the blocking,” Alessia said. “They waved me around to that side and it was wide open — there it was.”
In a game the defenses controlled, Lowell coach Keith Kilmer was happy to see Alessia’s play on special teams.
“He’s the breakout player in the Region, in my opinion,” Kilmer said of Alessia. “He’s the kid nobody knows at the beginning of the season, but everyone is going to know at the end of the season.”
After Crown Point (0-1) punted to open the first quarter, Lowell scored on its first possession via Tyler Wildman’s 5-yard TD run with 7:04 left in the first quarter.
The Bulldogs tied the score with 40.4 seconds left in the first half, capitalizing on a botched punt by the Red Devils. On the first play after the miscue, Scott Mills converted a 5-yard TD run.
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Nathan Gard’s 28-yard field goal gave Lowell a 10-7 lead with 8:05 left in the third.
In the game for the Old Leather Helmet, the state’s oldest rivalry, Lowell ended a four-game losing streak at Crown Point.
The last time the Red Devils, who graduated most of their top players from last season’s Class 4A state runner-up, had won on the road in the series was 2008.
“It’s a great way to start the season,” Alessia said. “It showed what the new guys have, it showed what the team has. We have a lot of grit and a lot of toughness.”
