Fort Wayne Luers wins third straight 2A football title

INDIANAPOLIS | Fort Wayne Luers coach Matt Lindsay didn't want to consider the possibility of retirement.

He was too busy soaking in another championship moment.

James Knapke passed for 190 yards and two touchdowns to help Luers beat Evansville Mater Dei 41-17 for the Class 2A title Friday night at Lucas Oil Stadium.

With his ninth championship, Lindsay tied Sheridan coach Bud Wright for the most state titles by a coach.

"This one's pretty sweet," Lindsay said. "Three in a row with a great group of young men. I'm not going to do this forever, so this feels really good."

When asked directly about his future, Lindsay was as elusive as his team's talented running backs.

"I'm not going to talk about this today," he said. "This is about these guys."

Even with all the success he's had, Lindsay said this was one of his best teams. The Knights gained 463 total yards against a Mater Dei team that allowed more than 21 points just once all season.

"This particular team has seemed to step up when they needed to and play great football," Lindsay said. "Tonight was maybe our best."

Jaylon Smith ran for 130 yards and two touchdowns and Matthew Williamson added seven catches for 65 yards for Luers (13-1).

Knapke, a Bowling Green commitment, also ran for 24 yards for the Knights.

"To be able to go out your senior year winning state, I'm definitely very blessed to be able to do that," he said as he wore a black Bowling Green headband. "We had playmakers all night."

Luers' 10 titles ties Indianapolis Chatard's record for state championships. Chatard plays Saturday in the 3A final against South Bend St. Joseph's.

It was a tough loss for Mater Dei, which was making its first state finals appearance since 2001.

Coach Mike Goebel was impressed with Luers.

"They're a great team, well coached," he said. "They made big play after big play, and we simply weren't up to the task. I think our kids tried, they didn't quit. I'm sorry that we didn't play better, but I think Luers had a lot to do with that."

The score was tied 7-all in the second quarter after Dane Maurer's 27-yard run, and it looked as though it might be a close game.

Luers scored the next 28 points.

"I really like the way the defense bounced back," Knapke said. "They got us the ball back and the offense came out and we took care of business."

Maurer passed for 126 yards and ran for 79 and Cody Hess added 106 yards rushing for the Wildcats (13-2).

"They've been a joy to coach," Goebel said. "I've been blessed. They work diligently. They've been fun to be on the field with each and every day, not just in games, but in practice too. They'll go down in our history books as one of the best."