Crown Point’s Brayden Schutt knows who he is.
So the work continues for the junior running back.
“I can get to the second level,” Schutt said. “I try to make people miss. I definitely have stuff to work on, and I’ll be working on it throughout the season. There’s a lot of stuff I can get better at.”
But the 5-foot-8, 185-pound Schutt has also produced. On Friday night, he rushed for a career-high 159 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries as Crown Point topped visiting Merrillville 35-21 in the Duneland Athletic Conference opener for both teams.
The Bulldogs (3-0, 1-0), who are ranked No. 4 in the Class 6A coaches poll, have won 30 straight regular-season games.
“I never would’ve thought that in a million years,” Crown Point coach Craig Buzea said. “I don’t know if anybody’s ever done that. We’re going to keep it going. We have a lot of improvement to make.”
Schutt’s latest effort for the Bulldogs, who relied on running back Larry Ellison in the past two seasons, came after he ran for 126 yards and three TDs against Lowell in the season opener and then ran for 155 yards and three TDs against Indianapolis Pike last week.
“He’s just a program guy who’s worked his way up all the way through,” Buzea said of Schutt. “He’s a benefactor of what we do offensively. He’s not Larry. But that’s who he is.
“Max Gurnic, the other back, has tremendous talent. We just have to bring him along. They’re really taking their first varsity snaps.”
Indeed, Schutt was a junior varsity player last season.
“Ever since I came into high school, I wanted to play varsity,” he said. “Throughout last summer and throughout the whole offseason, me and my guys Carson Cavalcante and Connor Cavalcante, we grinded at 6 a.m. every morning. We really want to be out here and win, and we’re all doing it now.”
The Bulldogs received an array of contributions. Gurnic, a sophomore, ran for 97 yards and a TD on 13 carries and also had two catches for 50 yards. Meanwhile, Crown Point, which no longer has 2024 player of the year Noah Ehrlich at quarterback, used multiple players at the position. Junior Tyce Custy, who started, and junior Cooper Malaski each threw passes. Star senior tight end Trevor Gibbs, an Indiana recruit, and freshman AJ Summers also took direct snaps, and Gibbs rushed for 55 yards and a TD on eight carries.
Buzea said at this point in Crown Point’s offensive development, it has to “just sort of line up and play smashmouth football.”
“I love being creative,” Buzea said. “We have some weapons. We do have quarterbacks who can throw the ball. But we have to get better at that. We have to get better at protecting. We knew this game we had to keep those guys off the field. I don’t know how many guys took snaps — a lot of them. But we have to be creative and ground it out and keep them off the field.
“It’s enjoyable. But on the other hand, I did like Noah too. It’s something we have to do. It’s where we are right now. We throw a lot of different formations, a lot of different things, and it’s hard to defend.”
Malaski, who completed 3 of 4 passes for 82 yards and also had a 13-yard reception as a tight end, credited Schutt and the offensive line.
“We have an amazing O-line, and it’s nice to have a guy who’s just a real downhill runner,” Malaski said of Schutt. “He doesn’t bounce outside, just knows the schemes, and he’s just fast — really fast. Having the best O-line we’ve had in a long time and just a dude like that running behind them, it’s tough.”
Junior quarterback Michael Hill Jr. threw for 373 yards and three TDs for the Pirates (1-2, 0-1), who are ranked No. 5 in 5A. Senior wide receiver Mikel Smoot had 10 catches for 165 yards and two TDs, including a 37-yarder.
“It’s a project,” Buzea said. “We’re getting there. Thankfully we have a top, great defense. The score doesn’t indicate with those last couple of scores, but to hold those guys to seven points for most of the time was huge.”
Succeeding Ellison is huge for Schutt.
“He was a great player,” Schutt said. “There’s definitely some big shoes to fill, and I’m just doing my best, along with anyone else who’s in the backfield. … He definitely helped me out, mentored me. We have to move on from that and just keep filling those shoes that were definitely so big.
“We want to keep fresh legs out there. We all want to get the ball. We all want to win. We’ll do whatever it takes to win. If that’s Trevor getting the ball, if that’s Max Gurnic getting the ball, if that’s me getting the ball, that’s fine. We just want to put points on the board and win.”