Westfield @ Crown Point Semi-State Preview

<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Westfield @ Crown Point</h2>   This should be one of the best games of the week as both teams are fairly evenly matched and have similar strengths and weaknesses. Crown Point is undefeated on the season and averages 3 more PPG at home than on the road. They've put up 42 points on average at home this year. Westfield comes into the game 4-1 on the road this year and has won a few low-scoring defensive slugfest which may help them this week if the situation arises. Their 1 loss on the road was @ Brownsburg 17-13.   With Crown Point being at home, averaging more PPG, and having a better defense statistically, I think this game will come down to a few key plays. Westfield isn't going to roll over and they will come out swinging.   The Pressure is on:   Crown Point    Anytime you're the Quarterback all eyes are on you, but this year is different for Ehrlich. Not only is every game potentially his last, but he's reached a new level of laser-focused this year. This team hasn't missed a beat because he's been as steady and consistent as anyone in the state. He's gone from an erratic quarterback with potential to a poised veteran in this offense, which everyone looks to when the live bullets start flying. If Crown Point wins this game, it's going to come down to Ehrlich's right arm.     Crown Point's offense has been elite all year due to the protection the line gives Ehrlich and the lanes they open in the running game. That line has quickly taken shape and Cicero leads the line up front. He's violent, strong, and can properly set his feet in the passing game. Westfield has a good defensive line and they're going to come after the o-line with everything they have. If the line gets beat, it could be a long day for the offense because Westfield has speed on defense.     If there's 1 player who has really come on for Crown Point this season it's been Vatichelt and what he offers the defense. He's the energizer. He's the backend defense. He's attacking the running game and playing downhill. He has a nose for the ball and is seemingly always around and either making the tackle or right there for backup. He's a great athlete who can bend, turn, flip his hips, and run with ease. He likes to hit and isn't afraid of hard contact which I love to see.    Westfield   Westfield is as deep and as loaded as anyone, but these are my key players for Friday:    It may sound obvious to say this team goes as Melvin does, but it truly does. The games he's not been at his best were the game struggled. They need him to extend some of the plays he does and keep a drive alive here and there with his legs. He's run a bunch more this year than ever before and it's helped open throwing and running lanes. His 292 yards and 9 TDs on the ground are more than triple his previous career highs. He's also completing a career-high 65% of his passes and has only thrown 4 interceptions all year. Crown Point has dominated games this year by being efficient and taking advantage of the other team's mistakes, so Melvin needs to play clean ball again on Friday to get the win.     While we just covered King on a piece this week highlighting his performance in Regionals, he's going to need to duplicate to help the Shamrocks on Friday. He's become such a reliable 2-way player for them but as of lately has just dominated in the running game. In the first 6 games of the year, he only averaged 70 yards per game and averaged 5.4 YPC during that span. Over the last 6 games, he's averaged 131 yards per game and averaged 7.6 YPC. The flip has switched for King as a back and he continues to get better as he plays and gets more reps.     A year after tearing his ACL, Williams has been back on the field in all but 1 game this year and looks like himself again. His first action this year he put up 8 tackles and showed no hesitation with his knee. Since then, he's only regained more confidence and strength in his knee. While he doesn't have the biggest numbers, still putting up 71 tackles and 4 TFLs is still a fairly good year. He's helped shore up their run defense because last year there was a noticeable difference without him in the middle. This game is going to be a good one and the defenses will be the ones who decide it.