Merrillville’s Anthony Swims stood near midfield with the “Takeaway Belt” around his waist.
The championship-style belt is a weekly award for Merrillville players who register takeaways, and the junior defensive back gladly accepted after picking off a pair of passes in a 34-26 Duneland Athletic Conference victory at Crown Point.
But those two interceptions weren’t the decisive plays Friday night — not even the one he returned for a touchdown.
With Crown Point facing a fourth-and-goal from the Pirates’ 1-yard line, Swims darted in from the right side and dropped Bulldogs running back Scott Mills shy of the end zone.
That late stand helped the Merrillville (1-2, 1-0) hang on for the win.
“The first time, they weren’t blocking me, so I kept shooting the gap because they weren’t touching me,” Swims said. The Bulldogs had pounded the ball inside for no gain on second and third downs prior to that fourth down stop.
“Our philosophy on ‘D’ has always been that, if you give us a place to stand, we’ll make a play,” Merrillville coach Brad Seiss said. “We were giving up the line of scrimmage a lot of the game, but we did a great job when we only had 1 yard.”
Crown Point (1-2, 0-1) did get the ball back after forcing Merrillville to punt on the ensuing possession, but four straight incomplete passes from the Pirates’ 35 ended the Bulldogs’ comeback bid.
Swims made his first big play to open the second quarter, stepping in front of Ryan Bolda’s pass and racing 80 yards for a TD and the game’s first points.
“We knew that play was going to come eventually,” Swims said. “I just stayed patient, read the quarterback and took it.”
A 73-yard TD run by senior Justin Rhodes helped Merrillville grab a 14-6 halftime lead, and the Pirates stayed ahead in the second half after a 39-yard TD run by Tray’Shawn McMorris.
But Crown Point kept pace thanks in large part to its ground game. Senior Tyler Gomez had 179 yards and two TDs on 33 carries, while Bolda finished with 197 yards passing.
Merrillville nearly ran away with the game in the second half, when Swims’ second interception set up the offense with possession at the Crown Point 40. Six plays later, junior quarterback Cameron Wright scored from 10 yards out to put the Pirates ahead 34-19.
Crown Point rallied late, though, scoring on its next drive and recovering a Merrillville fumble near midfield with over six minutes remaining. But that was the possession that Swims ended at the 1.
Dave Melton is a freelance writer for the Post-Tribune.
