Linebacker Lucas Anderson returns a fumble for one touchdown, an interception for another, makes five tackles behind the line, two for sacks to lead Chesterton past LaPorte, 34-14, on homecoming night

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

Chesterton senior linebacker Lucas Anderson carved himself a nice start to the season with his play in the first three games.
Nice doesn’t do justice to what Anderson did Friday night in Chesterton’s 34-14 victory over LaPorte on homecoming.
More like nasty.
Anderson packed a season’s worth of highlights into one night, doing thrilling things many defensive players go a career without ever experiencing. He returned a fumble for a touchdown, returned an interception for another, had 10 solo tackles and one assist, and made five tackles for loss, two of them sacks.
When the star of a game scans his memory for the last time he had such a big day, it’s common for him to say, “Not since Pop Warner.” Not even then for Anderson.
“For sure, any level, this is the best thing I’ve ever done,” Anderson said.
In Pop Warner, he began as an offensive lineman and switched to fullback. He was a running back on the freshman team. But he said he never scored two touchdowns in a game and never had more than three in a season.
He sent a crowd already in a festive, homecoming mood to greater heights.
The third-year varsity players first big moment came when he reached down and picked up a fumble at the 32, shed a potential tackler and sprinted for a touchdown to put Chesterton on top, 12-0, with 9:15 left in the first quarter. Standing facemask-to-facemask with him, Penziol had his hands on Anderson’s shoulder pads, but Anderson shed him and sprinted to the endzone.
Anderson intercepted a pass for the first time in last week’s loss to Michigan City. He topped himself against the DAC’s only other school from LaPorte County by not only intercepting a pass but returning it 25 yards for a touchdown, his second of the night to give the Trojans a 27-14 lead with 6:31 left in the third quarter.
Anderson said that he felt he needed to take on extra responsibility in the game because “my best friend,” Roberto Stabolito was not in pads because of an injury, so although it doesn’t show in the statistics, part of what Anderson brought to the game was keeping sophomore linebacker Mauro Semidei in the right place, pointing him out when he wasn’t, and lifting him back up.
What got into Anderson for him to have such a remarkable game, the game of his life?
“The spirit of the guys, the crowd, everybody,” he said. “They were coming into our house. We knew they were going to try to punch us in the mouth and we had to do our thing.”
On a night the Trojans needed to make big plays because they didn’t play a clean game, turning it over three times, Anderson wasn’t the only playmaker to deliver, just the most prolific.
Junior Bradley Robinson had his second interception, and before he talked about it, without being prompted, he mentioned his teammate’s monster game.
“Lucas, oh my goodness, crazy game,” Robinson said. “Robert Stabolito was out, and he stepped up, he stepped up big.”
Chesterton took a 19-14 lead into halftime and after Robinson’s big kick return took over at the LaPorte 49 and drove to the 27, only to turn it over on downs, falling inches short of a first down.
Slicers quarterback Aiden Penziol, undermined by drops all night, rolled out on second down and threw a pass.
“He rolled out a lot in the game, so he rolled out, I was watching his eyes again, saw him throw it, he threw it over the receiver’s head, and I went and got it,” Robinson said.
Chesterton gave it right back on a fumble, and senior Colin Kellogg dropped Penziol for a sack, one of his two on the night, and Anderson gave the big crowd another reason to pump up the volume, returning an interception 25 yards for a score. Goveia’s two-point conversion run made the lead 27-14.
The Trojans’ two senior big-play threats Gus Wisch and Louis Raffin were lined up right next to each other which seemed to puzzle the defense because it wasn’t something anyone had seen on film. A couple of defenders went with Wisch, and Raffin was all by himself. Sophomore Hunter Boyd tossed it to him and Raffin sprinted into the end zone for a 35-yard touchdown reception, his second of the season.
Raffin’s speed played big in the run game and passing game against the Slicers (1-3). In a three-play span in the second half, Raffin rushed for gains of 21 and 10 yards on jet sweeps.
Wisch, who missed the Michigan City game with an injury, returned to the lineup with a big night. He burned behind the defense on a play-action pass and Boyd threw a perfect ball to him for a 40-yard touchdown, Wisch’s second TD catch of the year.
Tight end Mike Rone, who had two big games to start the season, was sidelined by injury for the second week in a row and senior Dylan Bradford played well in place of him, a 12-yard catch among his productive plays. Alos, Patrick Mochen had two catches for 17 yards.
“We had a bunch of guys touching the ball and that’s a huge difference-maker,” head coach/offensive coordinator Mark Peterson said. “Lucas played a really, really good game tonight and I thought our defense did some good things. They gave up a couple of things, but when you’re on the field as much as they were, that makes it difficult.”
Anderson sent credit to the players in front of him for freeing him to get into the backfield so regularly.
“I would like to say it’s all myself, but the D-line, they’re creating those holes for me, they’re letting me get back there,” Anderson said. “I’ve got to thank them.”
Gabe Vaiola had a sack and sophomore Christian Melton again made his presence felt behind the line of scrimmage.
“He played a great game, too,” Anderson said of Melton.
The win evened the Trojans’ record at 2-2 overall and 1-1 in the DAC.
Chief rival Valparaiso (1-3 overall, 1-1 in the DAC), coming off a 27-21 home loss to Michigan City, visits Chesterton on Friday.
“This game is over,” Anderson said. “I don’t care about this game anymore. All I’m thinking about is Valpo.”