Chesterton junior Bryce Pickering finally had his chance to play.
“This was my opening day,” Pickering said. “It got me excited, got me hyped up. I knew I was going to get the ball, but I never thought I’d get three touchdowns.”
In his first game of the season, the 5-foot-8, 165-pound wide receiver totaled 108 yards and three TDs in Chesterton’s 31-0 victory over Munster.
Chesterton coach Mark Peterson had been expecting Pickering to break out like that since his rookie season.
“As a freshman, he was practicing with us,” Peterson said. “That’s the guy we’ve been waiting two years for.”
But on the first day of practice this season, Pickering suffered a high ankle sprain in his left leg, an injury that cost him two weeks and forced him to miss Chesterton’s season opener against Hobart.
Pickering was all over the field for Chesterton (1-1) against Munster (0-2), lining up at multiple receiver positions and in the backfield.
His first touchdown came early in the second quarter on a 6-yard reception with Chesterton facing fourth-and-goal.
Just before halftime, Pickering struck again with a 5-yard TD reception on a bubble screen, capping a 78-yard drive by the Trojans in the final minute of the second quarter that made it 21-0.
Then, on the third play of the third quarter, Pickering took an option handoff and raced 56 yards untouched through Munster’s defense.
“We usually only get a hole like that during our walk-throughs at practice,” Pickering said. “That’s how it’s supposed to be. The offensive line did its job perfectly.”
Pickering was the biggest star of the game, but he was not the only skill player to come up big for the Trojans.
Junior wide receiver Jake Warren had a 26-yard catch on that crucial drive late in the second quarter and senior Bryce Norton outjumped a Munster defender for a 15-yard TD reception to open the scoring.
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Peterson said his team will need to have multiple players contributing on offense if the Trojans are to continue their winning ways.
“I don’t think we were nearly as predictable as we’ve been in the past,” Peterson said. “When you have other guys who can make plays, you feel comfortable about sharing the ball. And that’s going to be a big factor for us down the stretch.”
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.