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INDIANAPOLIS - For the Adams Central Flying Jets and Linton-Stockton Miners, Friday’s IHSAA state finals opening contest between 2A schools at Lucas Oil Stadium will be a test of experience.
With a 40-28 win over No. 3 Indianapolis Lutheran on Nov. 22, the Miners punched their ticket to the school’s first state finals since 2016.
“[Our players] are really responding well, they’re really looking forward to this,” Linton-Stockton head coach Brian Oliver said. “They dreamed about it because they were little kids during the 2016 team… and now it’s their opportunity.”
That matchup against Indianapolis Lutheran was the third of three top-10 ranked opponents in four games for the Miners, a challenge they’ve met each time. Of those games, their tightest victory came by just one point on Nov. 15 vs. No. 2 Brownstown Central.
Brownstown was the leading scoring team in 2A, with Indianapolis Lutheran trailing for the second-highest average margin of victory this season.
“It definitely builds you a little bit of confidence there, knowing that we’ve been able to battle through some of the Brownstowns and [Indianapolis] Lutherans and come out with quality wins,” Oliver said.” We’ve been punched in the mouth at different times with these schools, and we’ve been able to respond and still be able to grind out and get a tough win against some very quality programs.”
Meanwhile, the Flying Jets – the Indianapolis Lutheran’s finals opponent for the past three consecutive years in 1A – will become the ninth different school to play in four straight state championship games.
“I think it’s very big on our confidence,” Adams Central head coach Michael Mosser said. “These seniors have been here, all throughout their high school career they have been here, and they know what to expect. They aren’t going to be wowed by the lights or the size. That part, I think may be to our advantage in that it’s not going to be a big show. For these guys, it’s another game. We are coming down here to win a football game. It’s business, and that’s the way… I’m expecting them to play come Friday.”
The Class 2A State Championship featuring Adams Central (13-1) and Linton-Stockton (12-2) will stream via PPV on IHSAAtv.org this Friday at 11 am ET / 10 CT!
And their path to get to the finals game includes a 13-game win streak, rebounding from a 20-7 season-opening loss at Garrett to run the table through semi-state.
Throughout that stretch, the Flying Jets racked up a 25.93 average margin of victory, good for 23rd-best in the state and fifth-best in 2A. They were held to their fewest points since that Aug. 23 loss in semi-state vs. Andrean, exiting with a 20-13 win for their first one-score victory all season.
Of Adams Central’s 14 opponents, none were ranked.
“We don’t look at things like [rankings],” Mosser said. “We played some really good teams to get here. We played some really good teams throughout the season, all teams that I think are physical and bigger than we were, faster than we were. It doesn’t change what we’re going to do, we’re going to play our game.”
The key for both teams will be defense. Adams Central has held opponents to an average of 9.9 points per game this season, while Linton-Stockton has given up an average of 23.8 points per game.
“You’ve got to win the battle up front on both sides of the ball. When you get into these kids of games, that’s what it comes down to – take care of the football,” Oliver said. “The last thing is controlling the momentum of the game. We’ve got to keep the momentum.”
The Miners rely heavily on their passing game, with quarterback Braylon McBride throwing for 1758 yards (126 yards per game), 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions across 14 games. Wide receiver Paul Oliver and running back Jesse Voigtschield are the main offensive play makers, combining for 22 total touchdowns.
The Flying Jets’ bread and butter is the run game, with running backs Matt Heiser, Aaron Hirschy and Jamison Roach combining for 50 touchdowns in 14 games this season.
“When I look at [Linton-Stockton], I kind of see us in a lot of ways,” Mosser said. “They’re a public school, they’ve got kids that play extremely hard [and] they play fast. You’re going to see two teams that are going to really play physical.
“In all honesty, it’s about who is going to be more physical, who is going to eliminate mistakes and who wants it more. It’s going to be whether or not we show up and want to win a ballgame.”