Call it whatever you want, peaking for the playoffs or facing schools smaller in size.
It means the Bishop Luers football team is once again rolling. And backed by state finals experience this time around, the roll is coming with more pace and more points.
The defending Class 2A state champion Knights (12-1) have won this postseason by scores of 63-14, 69-0, 49-14 and 55-14.
Their starters have seen a lot of bench time in the second half as Luers has built big halftime leads.
Not that Luers comes into games expecting to blow teams away, but blessed with talent and the fact they are facing 2A teams and not 3A, 4A and 5A programs in the SAC, the Knights are running up big margins.
“I am not going to lie, it is not as much competition as we have in the SAC, but no matter who our opponent is, we come out and play hard,” senior linebacker Jordan Presley said.
“It says we are well-prepared. The coaches do well and every week we come out and just practice hard and see the results.”
After suffering their only setback of the season, 36-14 to 4A No. 2 Bishop Dwenger in the regular-season finale, the Knights have been a bulldozing bunch.
“The SAC prepares us a lot through the season, and we should be good (in the playoffs),” senior receiver/defensive back Quyuan Mattox said.
“We just try to come out and play 48 minutes of Luers football, and I think that’s what is different between us and other teams.”
Wins against Eastern, Manchester, Madison-Grant and Tipton have come surprisingly easy.
“We know what we are capable of and we know we should come out in every game like it is our last and play hard until the end of the game,” Mattox said.
“We want (close) games but if we blow them out, that’s fine. We look forward to big games.”
It is much the same as last year, but with fewer close games.
The Knights went 4-5 in the 2009 regular season and then went on to win the school’s eighth state championship.
But along the way, there was a 35-22 win over Eastern and a 54-53 double-overtime decision over Lewis Cass.
And despite playing only one game this year that the margin was under double figures (a 16-14 win over Harding), the Knights insist they are ready for a nail-bitter – if and when it comes.
“We condition all week, so we are ready,” Presley said.
“Our timing should be great. Practice is just repetition and striving to be perfect. We just go about our business in practice, and the results will show in the game.”
Top-ranked Rensselaer Central (13-0) travels to Fort Wayne on Saturday one year from the exact date that the Knights beat the Bombers 52-21 in last year’s semistate.
“They are No. 1 for a reason,” Mattox said.
“They are hard-nosed and disciplined. It is going to be a tough fight.”
