News
Luers rolls to first state championship since 2012
INDIANAPOLIS – At Fort Wayne Bishop Luers, 11 years is a long time.
Some would say an eternity. Others make it sound as though the program’s latest bridge separating state championships could reach from one side of the Mississippi River to the other.
Whatever the case, the Knights made the wait worth it on Saturday with a dominant 40-3 victory over North Posey in the Class 2A state championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium.
It marks the 12th title in program history – every one of them 2A – since 1985, and first since 2012. Fort Wayne Luers’ previous so-called longest dry spell between championships endured a total of seven football seasons (1992-1999).
“It’s a monkey off my back,” said 11th-year Knights’ head coach Kyle Lindsay, a member of the 1999 and 2001 title squads, as well as the program’s runner-up squad in 2000, laughing. “I know the community . . . the amount of good-luck messages in the last week or so has just been overwhelming, truthfully.
“I know a lot of people are pulling for this team. A lot of people shooting me personal messages, and I told the kids, I do this for them. That’s every adult who does this. I want them to experience the same feeling I had when I was their age. To see 62 kids get that experience, it’s a special feeling.”
Class 2A State Championship
Fort Wayne Bishop Luers 40, North Posey 3
Box Score
Fort Wayne Luers (11-3) led the entire game. It was North Posey’s second trip to the finals – it lost to Jimtown in the RCA Dome in 2005 – and first loss of the season after coming to Indy with a 13-0 record.
The game was unusual in that North Posey actually finished with a lopsided advantage in time of possession, 32:15 to 15:45. The Vikings also managed a 15-14 upper hand in first downs.
The Knights’ 14-3 halftime advantage was, in large part, a product of the special teams play, which allowed the offense to construct scoring drives of 27 and 14 yards.
The first touchdown, a 1-yard burst from senior running back Mickey Daring at 7:08 of the opening period, was set up when Luers’ defensive end Damiun Jackson partially blocked the punt of North Posey’s Matt Stump on the ensuing series.
Quarterback Kohen McKenzie’s 26-yard pass over the middle to tight end Wes Javins on first down immediately had the Knights on the doorstep of the game’s first points.
North Posey eventually got on the board thanks to a 30-yard field goal from left hash mark courtesy of senior Kaleb Herke at 7:45 of the second quarter. Herke’s kickoff that followed was returned 81 yards to the Vikings’ 14 by sophomore Daveon Surry.
Three plays later, Daring was back in the end zone after bulling forward from six yards out at with 6:02 remaining before halftime.
Fort Wayne Luers proceeded to widen the gap in the third stanza, taking any suspense on the outcome out of the equation on beautifully delivered timing passes from McKenzie covering 26 and 40 yards to Jaylen White and Isaac Zay, respectively.
White actually set up his own score by intercepting Vikings’ quarterback Liam Stone, who was attempting to throw deep on third-and-nine from his own 3-yard line.
This made it a 27-3 ballgame with North Posey’s run-dominant offense not built to make up the point differential in a short period of time. On the second play of the final period, Knights’ senior back Gio Jimenez skirted the left side for a 12-yard scoring run to push the lead to 34-3.
Fort Wayne Luers cashed in one final time with 5:38 to play on McKenzie’s 11-yard TD pass to Javins.
The Knights accumulated 264 yards of offense to 179 for North Posey. Jackson and soph defensive back Dee Hogue had eight tackles apiece to lead the Luers’ defense, while junior linebacker Trace Martin’s seven topped North Posey.
McKenzie, who completed 7 of 10 pass attempts for 126 yards and the three scores, was, like his coach, both relieved and ecstatic to see Fort Wayne Luers become a state champion for the first time inside Lucas Oil Stadium.
“I mean, we just plug away,” said McKenzie. “This group got together before the year and said that we have to bring the winning tradition back to Luers. It’s been one heck of a year. We grinded it out, and came out with the win. We did our job.
“Luers is built on a winning tradition. I know the other teams plugged away and plugged away, but they didn’t have the grit that our team has. But they made the path so that we could do this.”
Game Records
Team
34 offensive plays allowed by North Posey vs. Fort Wayne Bishop Luers, ties Mishawaka Marian vs. Greenfield-Central in 1975 for fewest offensive plays allowed.
North Posey’s Jackson Graff named recipient of Ress Mental Attitude Award
During the awards ceremony, Jackson Graff of North Posey High School was announced by the IHSAA Executive Committee as the recipient of the Blake Ress Mental Attitude Award in Class 2A Football.
The award is annually presented to a senior who is nominated by his principal and coach, and has demonstrated excellence in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership, and athletic ability during his four years of high school.
Graff is a four-year member of the football team and will play his fourth year of basketball this winter. In football, he’s served as team captain the last two seasons and is a three-time all-conference player.
The senior is on track to graduate first in his class with a perfect 4.0 GPA. He was elected Vice President of the Class of 2024, volunteers with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and is a member of the National Honor Society, SADD, Spanish Club and Varsity Club.
He is the son of Carl and Amy Graff of Wadesville, IN. He intends to enroll at Indiana University next fall and is interested in studying Entrepreneurship and Corporate Innovation.
The award is named in honor of Commissioner Emeritus Blake Ress, who served as the IHSAA’s seventh commissioner from 2000-11.
The Indianapolis Colts, the presenting sponsor of the state tournament, presented a $1,000 scholarship to North Posey High School’s general scholarship fund in the name of Jackson Graff.
