Andrew Goveia hammers Portage for 200 rushing yards and three touchdowns in 36-16 road victory that pushes Trojans' record to 4-2

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

Before Friday night’s game at Portage, Chesterton head football coach Mark Peterson, perhaps because he wanted to hear it just so that he could envision it even more clearly, asked senior running back Andrew Goveia: “Can you give me 30 tonight?”
As in 30 carries.
That would be like asking a Trappist Monk if he can be silent during the duration of Mass, like wondering if the family dog will greet you with a touchdown dance the moment you walk through the door after a tough day of work, making all your stress melt away.
Naturally, Goveia answered in the affirmative and then spent the night dominating the Portage defense, with the modern equivalent of 3 yards and a cloud of dust: 4 yards and a cloud of crumb rubber pellets, all the way to a 36-16 road victory over winless Portage.
On his final of 32 carries, Goveia battered his way 2 yards into the end zone for his third rushing touchdown on a balmy Friday night, pushing his yardage total to 200 yards.
That wasn’t the only milestone he achieved. Goveia also surpassed 2,000 yards for his career, pushing his total to 2,178 yards and giving him 393 yards in the past two weeks.
“I feel good still,” he said after the game. “I feel good. I can run 30 more.”
Initiating contact, whether with a stiff arm or a brush of the shoulder, helps him to stay fresh.
“Coaches always say be the hammer not the nail, so that’s the mentality I go in with,” Goveia said.
Peterson knows he can count on Goveia for consistent production but never takes him for granted.
“Andrew Goveia is running as hard as anybody that I’ve seen in Chesterton maroon-and-gold in a long time and doing a really great job,” Peterson said.
The combination of a healthy offensive line, left to right: Tyler Nevious, Carlos Leon, Jack Gearhart, Braxton Ozug and Kameron Elliott and Goveia keeping his legs churning overpowered a Portage defense that has had trouble stopping all of its opponents.
Goveia looked and sounded fresh enough to keep right on slithering his way to first downs.
“During the week, we play it smart,” Goveia said. “We still go at each other, but we don’t do anything dirty. We play it smart the whole week and recover, and then onto the next week.”
So, they don’t beat the vinegar out of each other at practice, which is a good thing because if set free, Goveia might stiff arm teammates all the way into street clothes for the next game.
No. 13 accounted for 13 first downs, one on a reception. He had three rushing touchdowns, covering 1, 4 and 2 yards. His longest runs went for 39 and 11 yards.
How did he do it?
“The guys up front of course, always have to credit all five of them and then (Mike) Rone and (Patrick) Mochen and Dylan (Bradford),” he said of the tight ends and fullbacks. “It was open all night.”
Chesterton takes a 4-2 overall record and 3-1 DAC mark into Friday’s home contest vs. Lake Central.
Most would not have predicted as much success from a team that had just three returning starters on defense and a sophomore at quarterback.
“All of us we’ve worked so hard in the offseason,” Goveia said. “All of us are family. We’ve been together forever now, and we put a few underclassmen in, and it’s been rolling.”
Goveia’s consistent production can entrance defenses into becoming so obsessed with stopping him that they stop seeing the big picture and stray from their assignments.
For example, on second-and-7 on Chesterton’s second drive and first that ended in points, everyone on the Portage defense and in the stands on both sides, braced for another Goveia run. Sophomore quarterback Hunter Boyd appeared to hand it to the offense’s meal ticket and as Goveia ran right, Boyd deftly hid the football behind his back and rolled left. The defense went with Goveia, and nobody accounted for Rone, who was all alone for Boyd to hit. Rone could have walked the ball into the end zone on his 16-yard touchdown. The extra point was blocked.
Portage fumbled away the ball on the next play and took over at the hosts 22. Seven running plays later, the last six by Goveia, Chesterton had a 12-0 lead with 57.3 seconds left in the first quarter and the conversion run failed.
Senior Kodie Young, Portage’s third-year starter at quarterback, never let Chesterton run away and hide until the fourth quarter because he had exposed the Trojans’ tendency, especially in the passing game, of allowing big plays.
Young’s first big play was a 55-yard run that led Tyler Giangiulio to cut into the lead with a 36-yard field goal.
Before the night was over, Young’s speedy receivers would burn the Trojans for receptions of 37, 83 and 46 yards.
Portage drew within 12-9 on a 15-yard Young touchdown pass to Devin Fadely. Earlier in the drive, Young and Jamari Duff connected on a 37-yard reception. After a low snap, Gianguilio’s rushed extra point missed, hitting the left upright to keep the Trojans’ lead at 12-9.
Goveia’s 4-yard touchdown run came with 20.5 seconds remaining and he was quick to point to Rone for the biggest play for his extra effort three plays before that. The tight end broke five tackles until he finally was brought down after a 14-yard gain to the 6.
Goveia’s conversion run gave the Trojans a 20-9 lead at halftime.
On the opening drive of the second half, Goveia’s runs of 8 and 39 yards pushed the ball to the 19. Gus Wisch (three receptions, 48 yards, strong work returning kicks) added to his expanding highlight reel with a jet weep for a touchdown on which he showcased his speed running down the right sideline and Chesterton went up, 27-9.
Young wasn’t done yet though and threw a pass to Jordan McClatchey, who turned it into an 83-yard touchdown spring that drew the hosts within 27-16 with 9:08 left in the third quarter. From that point, other than a 46-yard completion from Young to tight end Hunter Cole, the Trojans’ defense completely shut down Portage and Goveia went to work, compiling first downs, eating clock, doing what he does. Mace Redman kicked a 32-yard field goal, on a drive in which Louis Raffin caught two passes for 29 yards,
and Goveia’s final touchdown came with 4:04 left. His night was over and senior Bobby Spencer replaced him, rushing for 18 yards on three carries.