As Merrillville quarterback Aahric Whitehead took the field with two minutes remaining and his team trailing by a point, he wasn’t worried.
Because the 5-foot-11, 175-pound junior had been there before.
“Every Tuesday, we do a two-minute drill,” Whitehead said. “And every time we do that drill, we’re good.”
Whitehead guided the Pirates offense on a six-play, 60-yard drive that produced the winning touchdown in a frantic fourth quarter during Merrillville’s 26-21 win at home over Duneland Athletic Conference rival Crown Point.
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Merrillville coach Brad Seiss said his quarterback’s comfort on that crucial drive was no accident.
“Nothing can mimic a true game,” Seiss said. “We try to prepare our kids for any situation that might come up during a game. If you’ve done it before against our defense, at least nothing is new.”
The game was continued Saturday after weather forced a delay with 4:11 remaining in the first quarter with the score tied 0-0.
Merrillville (2-1, 1-0) started the decisive drive at its own 40 after a kickoff by Crown Point (1-2, 0-1) rolled out of bounds. Whitehead, who split time with classmate Peter Rodriguez, hit sophomore Armani Glass for a 30-yard pass on the first play. Boosted by a pass interference penalty, the Pirates reached the Crown Point 3-yard line in five plays.
Then, the call from the sidelines was for junior running back Darius Schultz to make his 27th carry of the game, and he had one thing in mind.
“Score,” Schultz said. “Just make sure you score.”
Schultz did, erasing a 21-20 deficit and picking up his second touchdown of the night to go with 88 rushing yards.
Merrillville’s winning drive came after Crown Point nearly escaped Demaree Stadium with the win. Trailing 20-7 in the middle of the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs scored two TDs in 76 seconds, recovering an onside kick between drives.
After a slow start, sophomore quarterback Will Pettit caught fire, going 9-for-11 for 91 yards and two TDs on those two possessions.
“We put ourselves in a tough situation,” Crown Point coach Kevin Enright said. “I’m glad our group hung in there and battled through that adversity. None of those guys (on offense) had played in a game like that before. We learned a lot today.”
Crown Point did have one last chance to salvage the victory, taking over at its own 30 with 56.8 seconds remaining. But three incomplete passes and a sack by Merrillville senior Justen Ramsey — a Ball State commit — preserved the Pirates’ win.
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.