FORT WAYNE – A decade later, the players have changed but the game plans are going to be similar in Bishop Luers vs. Evansville Mater Dei, Part III.
The two schools played memorable Class 2A state finals games in 2000 and 2001, with the Wildcats winning the first matchup 56-10 and the Knights 57-29 the next year.
The rubber match will be tonight at Lucas Oil Stadium, and while the personnel have switched, the styles and systems will be the same under head coaches Matt Lindsay for Luers and Mike Goebel for Mater Dei. The top-ranked Knights will go into the game with as much size and speed as any 2A team in the state, while the Wildcats will run their spread offense that gobbles up yards and points.
Both defenses will be charged with maybe not getting the opposition to come to a full stop, but more of getting the offenses to tap their breaks a bit.
Behind the playmaking ability of senior quarterback James Knapke (1,984 passing yards), junior running back Jaylon Smith (1,189 rushing yards) and junior receiver Michael Rogers (992 receiving yards), the Knights average 41.8 points, while the latest in a long line of talented Wildcat signal-callers, senior Dane Maurer, has thrown for almost 3,000 yards and has his offense clicking at 42.2 points per game.
“They are a very dominant program,” Goebel said of the two-time defending 2A state champion Knights. “They haven’t won the last two years just out of luck. They are very well coached and very athletic. We have a huge task ahead.”
For the Knights, Knapke and Rogers are the school’s most prolific passing combination, while Smith leads the team in rushing and is being recruited by some of the top collegiate programs in the nation.
“It would nice if they just had one playmaker to defend,” Goebel said. “The Luers coaching staff will put them in a position that we will have to defend all of them, and no one has been able to do that. We don’t feel like we are going to be able to stop them, but we want to slow them down a little bit.”
Lindsay said the offense has been led by Smith and has relied on the running game, but in climate-controlled Lucas Oil Stadium, the Knights could unleash Knapke and his SAC record-setting arm.
“We haven’t thrown much lately,” Lindsay said. “Some of that has been weather related, but the running game has been awful potent, too. This week, we go into the game intent on balance. That will be the goal, getting the ball more to your playmakers.”
The Knights were equally as talented 10 years ago with the likes of Kyle Lindsay at quarterback and Anthony Spencer at fullback and defensive tackle.
Luers had to face the Wildcats’ passing attack 10 years ago, but then it was quarterback Jake Schiff, who, despite the loss, set a state championship record of 439 yards on 38 of 53 passing. Schiff still holds the state record with 12,195 career passing yards.
“Bremen piled up some yardage,” Lindsay said, referring to the Knights’ 35-21 win over the Lions in the semistate.
“What we did do against them, which we do need to do again, is get after the quarterback. Ten years ago Jake Schiff set a state passing record but he was picking himself up off the turf the whole game. I know that had an impact on him late in the game. We need to have a good pass rush and tackle when they get the ball, because they are going to have pass and catch, but you don’t want to give up the big play.”
As talented as Luers is on offense, the level of play is also high on the defensive side as some players, like Smith, play both ways. The Knights broke up a close game against Bremen with defensive touchdowns by Kendrick Mullen and Andrew Spencer.
“That defense is tenacious,” Goebel said. “And they are big-play opportunistic. Bremen was putting up quite a fight, but a poised, confident Luers group didn’t get rattled.”
Luers senior offensive lineman Casey Baker said the team will need to bring some nastiness to the field against Mater Dei.
“They are a very physical team, probably the best team we have seen all year,” Baker said. “They compare a lot to us. They can throw and they can run. We will have to play a very physical game.”
