(LAPORTE, IN) - Jack Doty kicked a 17-yard field goal with 36.2 seconds left to give La Porte their first win of the season, 24-21 over Chesterton.
The winning drive started with Slicers on their 18-yard line after Chesterton had tied the game 21-21 on a Garrett Lewis 7-yard run and Alex Drewes's extra point with 4:36 remaining in the 4th quarter. La Porte used 11 plays to move 81 yards to the Trojan's one-foot line, where they faced a 4th and goal. Coach Bob James sent the reliable Doty out for the winning field goal.
Things did not start well for the Slicers. La Porte took the opening kickoff and drove to the Chesterton 19-yard line. However, the drive stalled, and Chesterton partially blocked Doty's 37-yard field goal attempt.
On the Trojan's first play from scrimmage, quarterback Brady McCormack threw a lateral pass to Sebastian Boswell, also a quarterback. Boswell threw to a wide-open Garrett Lewis, completing the 80-yard score with 7:08 remaining in the first quarter Alex Drewes kicked the extra point to make it 7-0 Trojans.
After a La Porte 3-and-out, Boswell hit Tyler Peterson on a 15-yard touchdown pass. This capped an 8-play 69-yard drive. Drewes's kick was good, and the score was 14-0 for Chesterton.
Finishing drives has been a problem all season for the Slicers. After moving deep into Chesterton territory, La Porte unveiled a new offensive wrinkle. Quarterback RJ Anglin went under center, and the Slicers lined up with an old-fashioned full-house backfield consisting of defensive players; defensive linemen Sam Pressler, Lucas Del Rio, and linebacker Brennan Balka. Del Rio, a freshman, muscled his way into the end zone from 3 yards out. After Doty's kick, the Slicers trailed 14-7 with 11:04 remaining in the half. This was a 15-play, 78-yard drive.
La Porte tied the game up with 6:34 remaining in the half when Anglin hit Dylan Salisbury with a 25-yard pass capping a 4-play 46-yard drive. Doty hit the extra point, and the score stood 14-14 at halftime.
La Porte had excellent field position through the 3rd quarter but didn't manage to score until the 3:42 mark when Anglin hit Ollie Kring on a 20-yard touchdown pass. Doty's kick made it 21-14, and the Slicers had their first lead of the season.
Chesterton tied the game on Lewis's 4th quarter run and Drewes kick, which set up the LaPorte game-winning drive.
In the final 30 seconds, the Trojans moved the ball to the 50-yard line, but Javelle Broome knocked down Boswell's final hail mary pass at the 5-yard line giving La Porte their first win of the season.
The Slicers played turnover-free football and turned the Trojans over twice.
La Porte improved to 1-3 on the season and 1-1 in the DAC. Chesterton drops to 1-3 and 0-2 in the DAC. The Trojans fell to Michigan City last Friday by an identical 24-21 score, with the Wolves kicking a game-winning field goal in the final minute.
La Porte travels to Lake Central next Friday night with kickoff at 7:00 pm. Chesterton will travel to Valpo.
