MISHAWAKA, Indiana — Crown Point’s Jacob Jones might not have run that fast before.

That’s because the senior wide receiver was running like his football career depended on it.

“This wasn’t going to be my last game playing,” he said. “I knew I had some room, so I just took off.”

Those were the thoughts racing through Jones’ mind as he turned a screen pass into a 75-yard touchdown during a Class 6A regional championship game on Friday night.

Jones’ big play was part of his team-high 112 receiving yards in Crown Point’s dramatic 34-33 win against Penn.

The Bulldogs (12-0) won their second regional title — their first was in 1988 — and will host Westfield (11-1) in a semistate championship game.

The 5-foot-8, 165-pound Jones said he had his eyes open for all three of his receptions. That wasn’t the case for senior defensive lineman Seamus Malaski on what proved to be a decisive moment — his block of an extra-point attempt.

Crown Point led 34-20 in the fourth quarter, but Penn rallied to make it a one-point game with 5:42 left. On the PAT kick, Malaski got his left forearm on the ball to preserve the lead. He gave credit to sophomore linebacker Trevor Gibbs and sophomore defensive lineman Mark Gonzales.

“They pushed the line back for me, so I was able to get a couple of extra yards before I jumped,” Malaski said. “I just put my arms up, and it went off my arm. It’s probably not how they taught me to do it, but I had my eyes closed. I didn’t even see it happen.”

That might not have been textbook technique, but the attention paid to special teams was a focus at Crown Point’s practices, coach Craig Buzea said.

“We told our players all week long that Penn’s special teams are probably the best in the country, and we all talked about how important special teams were going to be,” Buzea said. “We said it would come down to something like returning a punt or blocking a kick, and with all of the crazy stuff that went on in that game, it ended up being true.”

Crown Point led 20-6 in the second quarter before Penn tied the game early in the third. A fumble recovery by junior linebacker Niko Pavlou broke that momentum, and the Bulldogs’ second scoring drive of the second half was boosted by a 26-yard pass from junior quarterback Noah Ehrlich to Jones on third down.

That play was the direct result of post-practice routines involving Ehrlich, who threw for 224 yards and two TDs on 11-of-17 passing, and his receivers.

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“Whenever practice ends, I always have four or five guys who are willing to stay and run routes so that we can get our chemistry down,” Ehrlich said. “That’s a huge part of it, just building that bond on and off the field.”

Ehrlich left the pocket on that pivotal third-down play, which set up one of junior running back Larry Ellison’s three TDs.

“I saw Noah scramble out of the pocket, so I knew I had to do something about it,” Jones said. “We spend a lot of time together, practicing before and after school. He knows I’m going to get open, just like the rest of our receivers are.”

Ellison finished with 149 yards on 36 carries. After his last TD, freshman kicker Oliver Brewer provided the game’s winning point with the PAT.

Penn had a chance to win down the stretch, driving to Crown Point’s 27-yard line with 13 seconds left, but missed a 44-yard field-goal attempt. That gave Buzea a reason to smile.

“Life is good right now,” he said.

Dave Melton is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.