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Waylon Schenk requires virtually no time to reveal his go-to meal at Froggy’s Restaurant, which is a five-minute drive from his place of employment.
“It’s the pork steak special,” said Schenk, the seventh-year football coach at North Posey, which squares off against Fort Wayne Luers in the Class 2A state championship game on Saturday inside Lucas Oil Stadium.
Asked what side items typically accompany the pork steak special, Schenk, who has so far guided the Vikings to a 13-1 record this season, laughs.
“Whatever you want,” he said. “There are all kind of options.”
Froggy’s might be a social hot spot in the Poseyville area, located just northwest of Evansville, but business might be slow come the 11 a.m. kickoff.
North Posey fans are expected to make the long drive to represent for what will be the program’s second such trip to Indianapolis, joining the 2005 squad that dropped a 35-7 decision to Jimtown in the 2A final played in the since-demolished RCA Dome.
“This has been a community thing from the get-go, and it’s awesome for our kids,” said Schenk. “It’s kind of a surreal feeling for them right now. But, like I said, this has been a thing our community has backed since the beginning of the season.
“It’s awesome to see it play out.”
The Class 2A State Championship featuring Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (11-3) and North Posey (13-1) will stream via PPV on IHSAAtv.org this Saturday at 11 am ET / 10 CT!
From a tradition standpoint, Fort Wayne Luers maintains a sizable advantage over North Posey with 11 state championship trophies of the 2A variety in the school’s display case, and another five that represent Knights’ runner-up teams.
“It’s another opponent for us, and Luers is a really good football team,” Schenk said. “But I don’t think our kids are buying in too much of the “They’ve been here before” type thing.”
North Posey features a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in junior running back Jed Galvin (1,276 yards) and senior quarterback Liam Stone (1,001). Stone has completed 55 of 95 pass attempts this season for 1,082 yards, his top targets being senior tight end Jackson Graff (26 receptions, 513 yards) and Galvin (20-455).
It’s an offense that averages 38.9 points per game.
“The thing that got us here is the physicality from our offensive and defensive lines,” Schenk said. “The guys up front have kind of carried the load for the majority of the season.
“Caige Christie is our center. He’s a three-year starter, and is the guy who makes all the calls. The guy who really makes us go is our right guard, Kalob Egan. He’s just kind of a throwback. An old-school, physical offensive lineman.”
Fort Wayne Luers, too, is accustomed to physical. A member of the 10-team Summit Conference, one of the toughest football leagues in Indiana, it’s not like the Knights have a choice.
“When you make it through the conference schedule healthy, it’s awesome,” said Fort Wayne Luers coach Kyle Lindsay, now in his 11th season. ”You are going to be battle-tested. You see a lot of different schemes both offensively and defensively. A lot of run-heavy teams, and we’ve got some spread teams.
“At the end of the day, you’ve got a hungry group of seniors in one locker room, and a hungry group in the other locker room. That’s what it’s going to boil down to.”
The Knights lost their first two games of the season, outscored by East Noble and New Haven by a combined tally of 81-14. They rebounded, and have won 11 of the last 12 games, outscoring the five postseason opponents, 140-54.
Lindsay’s squad leans more toward the passing game than North Posey, as senior quarterback Kohen McKenzie is 127 of 229 through the air for 1,845 yards and 20 touchdowns. Jaylen White and Isaac Zay have contributed 38 and 36 catches, respectively.
The leading tackler for the Knights is sophomore safety Dee Hogue with 93 and a team-best four interceptions. North Posey’s top tackler is senior inside linebacker Jace Gauer with 120.
