Football
Reggie Hayes: Bishop Luers delivers reminder of its big-play postseason potential
It’s a measure of the depth of Bishop Luers’ receiving corps that quarterback Norman Knapke could throw for 285 yards and five scores in a half and not target Jordan Presley.
And it’s a message to the rest of Class 3A Sectional 28: When the Knights are on, they’re darn-near impossible to stop.
In a 63-24 win over Heritage on Friday at Luers, Knapke threw scoring passes of 58 yards to Nate Moore, 59 yards to Jamic Johnson, 73 yards to Justin Gaston, 54 yards to Moore for a second score and 35 yards to Josh Dippold. Knapke was 6-of-9, and five of those completions finished in the end zone.
“It’s easy to read, honestly,” Knapke said. “The hard part is sharing the wealth. We have great receivers and they put in the time. They’re great athletes. I’m just getting them the ball and letting them work.”
Presley, incidentally, didn’t feel too left out. After all, he carried 11 times for 177 yards and touchdown runs of 23, 33 and 70 yards. Again, this was all in one half.
Over the years, Luers has taken its Summit Athletic Conference preparation of playing against bigger schools and used it to overwhelm other 3A schools in the postseason. There’s every reason to believe the Knights could be set up to do that again this season.
The savvy of Knapke, combined with the receiving speed of Johnson, Moore, Gaston (and soon to return from injury Cam Hedgecock) and the big-play threat of Presley, is more than enough to give defensive coordinators headaches.
Luers (6-4) will travel to West Noble (8-2) for a semifinal game next week. Concordia (5-5) will host Bellmont (1-9).
“Having Justin back from injury helped us greatly,” Presley said. “Jamic’s speed and Norm with his arm, we just have it all, I guess. That’s a good thing.”
The various offensive pieces wouldn’t necessarily work if the team chemistry wasn’t there, and both Presley and Knapke say that intangible can be pivotal in the postseason.
Luers was 2-2 over the final month of season, with losses to SAC champ Bishop Dwenger and 6A power Snider. Again, those types of games typically give Luers the extra edge other 3A teams can’t match.
“We’re family,” Presley said. “When I transferred here (from Homestead), I knew it from day one. We’re family and we’re going to work each other, each and every day, and we’re going to hold each other accountable. I love this team.”
Knapke said the team lost some of its offensive edge during the homestretch of the regular season, but it returned Friday.
“We’d been losing our mo-mo and this week we really focused on getting our swag back,” Knapke said. “Our defense played great. It was a great team win.”
Luers coach Kyle Lindsay credited his players afterward for following through on a strong week of practice.
“We talked about flying out of the gates,” Lindsay said. “New season, new start, you’re 0-0. The kids wanted to send a message to the rest of the sectional. We talked about that this week. Defense, offense, special teams – it was all very good.”
Luers was so dominate, it led 55-6 at halftime and Lindsay used his backup players entirely the second half. Every Luers player in uniform played int the game, Lindsay said.
The performance in the first half showed what Luers is capable of doing.
“You have a kid like Norm who can throw it, knows the offense so well and knows where to put the ball,” Lindsay said. “He’s very knowledgeable of down and distances. He’s a football head. You got him taking snaps and then you have No. 2 (Presley). That’s a good place to start.
“The guys up front did a good job, gave Norm time to throw and opened up some massive holes at times. When this offense rolls and everybody’s involved, it’s a lot of fun to watch.”
When Luers rolls like it did Friday, it’s going to take a special defense to slow it down.
CONCORDIA 28, LAKELAND 13
Amir Drew rushed 16 times for 123 yards and two touchdowns to help pave the way for the Cadets to advance in their first round Class 3A Sectional 28 game.
A three-yard run by Jake Byrd put Concordia up 7-0 and Drew’s first touchdown made it 14-0 in the second quarter before Lakeland’s Austin Collins’ rushing touchdown cut the lead in half. Bird stretched the lead back to 14 points with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Kamari Anderson-Drew.
Adam Kreider’s one-yard run cut Concordia’s lead to 21-13 in the fourth quarter before Drew’s second score secured the win.
Byrd was 12 of 23 passing for 167 yards. Anderson-Drew caught four passes for 49 yards. Liam Fletcher led the Cadets with nine tackles. Anderson-Drew had an interception.
Lakeland’s Kreider carried 27 times for 131 yards, but the Lakers’ passing game of AJ Poe was held to 3-of-15 passing for 18 yards.
CLASS 4A SECTIONAL 20
WAYNE 50, SOUTH SIDE 12
The Generals’ first score of the night came via its defense, as Darius Alexander forced a fumble and Craig Young recovered it for a touchdown. Then, the offense went to work.
Brandan Young hit Craig Young for a touchdown, Devonair Kelsaw rushed for three scores and KeShaun Fields powered in for another to make it 38-0 heading into the fourth quarter en route to a Class 4A Sectional 20 win.
Kelsaw rushed 16 times for 100 yards to lead the offensive attack. Tristan Pernell had seven tackles to pace the defense.
Wayne (8-2) plays New Haven (5-5) in the sectional semifinal. Bishop Dwenger (9-1) will play Leo (7-3) in the other semifinal.
South Side’s Dashard Dunbar rushed eight times for 75 yards and Omar Jackson returned a kickoff 89 yards for a score. Tahj Alford led the team with seven tackles. South Side finished 0-10.
BISHOP DWENGER 42, LOGANSPORT 14
The Saints blocked a field-goal attempt late in the first quarter and Jake Chapala returned it for a touchdown to get on the board first. Dwenger then dominated much of the game, which touchdown runs by Hayden Ellinger and T.J. Tippmann and a touchdown pass from Brenden Lytle to Patrick O’Keefe. Connor Christman had a pick-six.
CLASS 5A
ELKHART CENTRAL 46, NORTH SIDE 22
North Side’s season ends at 2-8.
Photos of Nate Moore and Jordan Presley by Reggie Hayes
