Slicers Respond on the Road, Defeat Chesterton Freshman vs Chesterton High School (27-15) Win The La Porte Slicers traveled to Chesterton tonight to take on the Trojans in their second Duneland Athletic Conference matchup of the season, and after falling behind early, the Slicers responded in a big way. Chesterton struck first, finding the end zone on its opening drive to take an early 7-0 lead. La Porte answered. With 52.9 seconds remaining in the first quarter, #21 Logan Wiesemann connected with #5 Landen Marshall on a 30-yard touchdown pass. #28 Austin Aguilar converted the PAT to even the game at 7-7. Then the Slicer defense started taking the football away. In the second quarter, #24 Owen Travis picked off the Trojans and gave the La Porte offense another opportunity. The Slicers capitalized when #23 Kason Sheblosky broke loose for a 40-yard rushing touchdown. Aguilar added the PAT to put La Porte ahead 14-7. The special teams unit quickly created another opportunity. Aguilar executed a well-placed pooch kick, and #42 Hank Travis made a heads-up play to recover it for the Slicers. The game continued to go back and forth, but La Porte’s defense kept finding ways to create opportunities. #5 Landen Marshall came up with another huge play for the Slicers, intercepting the Trojans deep in their own territory and giving the offense another chance. Then, with a little over a minute remaining before halftime, #31 Landen Lopez-Staples recorded La Porte’s third interception of the half and returned it to the Slicer 35-yard line. With 47 seconds remaining before halftime, Sheblosky found the end zone for the second time, this time on a 5-yard rushing touchdown, helping La Porte take a 27-7 advantage into the break. The second half turned into a defensive battle as both teams fought for field position and possessions. With approximately 1:30 remaining in the game, #2 Drake Lidgard put an exclamation point on an outstanding night for the Slicer defense. Lidgard recorded La Porte’s fourth interception of the game and returned it deep into Slicer territory. The offense took advantage one final time, with #7 Brantly Mannella finding the end zone on the ground to put the final nail in the coffin and secure the road victory. While the turnovers and touchdowns filled the highlight reel, the game was won in the trenches. The Slicer offensive and defensive lines took control up front, protecting when it mattered, creating running lanes, disrupting the Chesterton offense, and maintaining their gaps defensively. #14 Nick Dubbs also came down with several big catches throughout the night, helping the Slicers move the chains when they needed it most. It was a complete team response after last week’s loss and another example of what this group can accomplish when all three phases work together. Four interceptions. A recovered pooch kick. Big plays through the air and on the ground. And a DAC road victory. Your La Porte Slicers improve to 3-1 overall and 1-1 in conference play. The Slicers return home next week when the Lake Central Indians come to Kiwanis Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m. Protect the home field. Go Slicers!