Scouting the Class 4A state championship game

Football

State

At Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis

Friday

Class A

Lafayette Central Catholic 14-0) vs. Fountain Central (14-0), 2:30 p.m., midamericabroadcasting.com, sportsjuice.com

Class 2A

Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (9-5) vs. Monrovia (14-0), 6 p.m., midamericabroadcasting.com, sportsjuice.com, WWCA-AM (1270), WGVE-FM (88.7), regionsports.com

Saturday

Class 3A

West Lafayette (14-0) vs. Evansville Memorial (11-3), 11 a.m., midamericabroadcasting.com, sportsjuice.com, WWCA-AM (1270), regionsports.com

Class 4A

Lowell (13-1) vs. Evansville Reitz (14-0), 2:30 p.m., midamericabroadcasting.com, sportsjuice.com, WWCA-AM (1270), WGVE-FM (88.7), regionsports.com

Class 5A

Carmel (13-1) vs. Warren Central (12-2), 6:05 p.m., midamericabroadcasting.com, sportsjuice.com, WWCA-AM (1270), regionsports.com

The Tale of the Tape

L ER

Total points/avg. 470/33.6 549/39.2

Points allowed/avg. 150/10.7 121/8.5

First downs per game 15.4 11.2

Rushing yards/avg. 3,878/277 2,224/158.9

Rushing yards allowed 1,436/102.6 1,251/89.6

Passing yards/avg. 734/52.4 2,348/167.7

Total yards/avg. 4,612/329.4 5,662/404.4

Total yards allowed 2,915/208.2 2,710/193.6

Total punts/avg. 33/33.1 33/34.9

Penalties/yards 48/386 101/899

Scouting Evansville Reitz

Aug. 21 Henderson County (Ky.) 27-0

Aug. 29 at Daviess County (Ky.) 14-2

Sept. 4 at Evansville Harrison 49-7

Sept. 11 Evansville Memorial 28-14

Sept. 18 at Castle 42-7

Sept. 25 at Evansville Central 55-7

Oct. 2 at Evansville North 35-6

Oct. 9 Evansville Bosse 45-27

Oct. 16 Evansville Mater Dei 59-0

Sectional

Oct. 23 Seymour 35-0

Oct. 30 at Evansville Central 35-7

Nov. 6 Jasper 42-6

Regional

Nov. 14 at East Central 52-28

Semistate

Nov. 20 Indianapolis Cathedral 31-10

Rushing leaders -- Matt McIntosh, 187 carries for 1,414 yards and 19 TDs; Alordo Bell, 178 carries for 1,045 yards and 16 TDs; Jeff Hudson, 37 carries for 204 yards and 4 TDs.

Passing leader -- Matt McIntosh, 135-of-204 for 2,048 yards and 24 TDs and 5 interceptions.

Receiving leaders -- Jeff Hudson, 62 catches for 751 yards and 8 TDs; Cuda Dimmett, 33 catches for 619 yards and 5 TDs; Morgan Jones, 25 catches for 474 yards and 7 TDs.

Tackling leaders -- Tony Ewers, 196 tackles, 13 sacks; Brandon Kemp, 184 tackles, 10 sacks; Jeff Fentress, 162 tackles, 11.5 sacks; Shane Woodget, 150 tackles, 10.5 sacks.

Panthers in a minute: Only Jeff Hudson and Tony Ewers were starters two years ago when Reitz beat Lowell 33-14 at the RCA Dome in the state final. But coach Tony Lewis has 20 seniors who were believing their team could get back to Indianapolis and have, beating everybody's favorite, Cathedral, last week in front of 12,000 fans at the Reitz Bowl. "From the start of the season our kids believed we could get here, and our staff believed we could get here," Lewis said. "Their confidence has grown as the season's gone on." Lewis said East Central is the team most like Lowell that the Panthers have played. Despite the 52-28 win in the regional, he said his team was beat up when it was over.

Scouting the Lowell Red Devils

Aug. 21 Crown Point 19-0

Aug. 28 at Morton 34-25

Sept. 4 at Kankakee Valley 40-13

Sept. 11 Griffith 35-19

Sept. 18 Highland 42-0

Sept. 25 at Hobart 35-0

Oct. 2 Hammond 63-0

Oct. 9 at Munster 13-15

Oct. 16 Andrean 25-21

Sectional

Oct. 23 at Plymouth 14-6

Oct. 30 South Bend Washington 24-7

Nov. 6 Concord 60-23

Regional

Nov. 13 at Morton 42-0

Semistate

Nov. 21 Fort Wayne Dwenger 24-21

Rushing leaders -- Brandon Grubbe, 374 carries for 2,243 yards and 36 TDs; Ray Skamay, 84 carries for 452 yards and 6 TDs; Jordan Juarez, 89 carries for 449 yards and 3 TDs.

Passing leader -- Ray Skamay, 43-of-113 for 704 yards, 5 TDs and 8 interceptions.

Receiving leaders -- Cole Midgett, 13 catches for 339 yards and 4 TDs; Joe Bell, 11 catches for 116 yards and 1 TD; Brandon Grubbe, 4 catches for 69 yards.

Tackling leaders -- Michael Sekuloski, 95 tackles; Jordan Juarez, 67 tackles, 10 TFL, 4 sacks; Anthony DeMario, 60 tackles; Joe Bell, 58 tackles, 9 sacks, 7 TFL.

Red Devils in a minute: If the Red Devils want to win their second state title, first since 2005, they will have to keep McIntosh from going off through the air and with his feet. The best defense is likely long, protracted drives that keep the Panthers' offense on the sidelines. "There are no secrets to what we're going to try to do," Lowell coach Kirk Kennedy said. "There never is." Grubbe will need to carry the ball for many first downs and the defense must hold serve like it did against Dwenger. Playing on turf will likely be to Reitz's advantage. Rage from being embarrassed two years ago is certainly in the Red Devils' corner. "Nobody liked what happened two years ago and none of us want to see that happen again," Kennedy said.