1999 IHSAA FOOTBALL STATE FINALS

Class 2A

November 26, 1999

RCA Dome, Indianapolis

 

FORT WAYNE BISHOP LUERS CLAIMS CLASS 2A CROWN

Running back Michael Ledo scored two touchdowns on the ground and Jovan Witherspoon caught two more through the air as Fort Wayne Bishop Luers claimed a 38-6 victory in the IHSAA Class 2A state championship.

Ledo ran in a 21-yarder in the first quarter to get Luers on the board, and later added a 7-yard run late in the third quarter to give Luers a commanding 31-6 lead. Ledo finished with 19 carries for 127 yards. Witherspoon's first touchdown reception came on a 7-yard toss from Kyle Lindsay with 19 seconds left in the first half. His second catch was a 5-yard reception from Lindsay at the 7:13 mark of the third quarter. Witherspoon finished with seven receptions for 108 yards.

The Bishop Luers defense held Danville to just 118 yards of offense, 109 of it coming on the ground. Bryan Bourcier registered 12 tackles for the Knights and Patrick Ayelle added 10.

It was the fourth state championship for sixth-ranked Fort Wayne Luers (13-2) adding to its trophies from 1985, 1989 and 1992. All four have come in Class 2A. It was the third state championship for the Knights under coach Matt Lindsay (1989, 1992).

Top-ranked Danville, coached by Bob Copeland, ended its season 14-1.

Jeremiah (J.D.) Lane, a senior running back at Danville, was selected by the IHSAA Executive Committee as the 1999 recipient of the Phil N. Eskew Award for Mental Attitude in Class 2A football. Farm Bureau Insurance, corporate partner of the IHSAA, presented a $1,000 scholarship in Lane's name to Danville High School.

Attendance for Friday's two-game session was 13,035.

Fort Wayne Luers (13-2)

7

10

14

7

--

38

Danville (14-1)

6

0

0

0

--

6

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

Danville -- Himsel 8 run (kick failed), 9:03.

Scoring Drive -- 3 plays, 21 yards, 0:43.

Fort Wayne Luers -- Ledo 21 run (Lindsay), 6:33.

Scoring Drive -- 7 plays, 70 yards, 2:30.

2nd Quarter

Fort Wayne Luers -- Lindsay 45 field goal, 7:13.

Scoring Drive -- 10 plays, 23 yards, 4:39.

Fort Wayne Luers -- Witherspoon 7 pass from Lindsay (Lindsay kick), 0:19.

Scoring Drive -- 10 plays, 85 yards, 5:27.

3rd Quarter

Fort Wayne Luers -- Witherspoon 5 pass from Lindsay (Lindsay kick), 7:13.

Scoring Drive -- 6 plays, 45 yards, 2:09.

Fort Wayne Luers -- Ledo 7 run (Lindsay kick), 2:34.

Scoring Drive -- 2 plays, 18 yards, 0:30.

4th Quarter

Fort Wayne Luers -- Johnson 4 run (Lindsay kick), 10:15.

Scoring Drive -- 4 plays, 64 yards, 1:29.

Team Statistics

Fort Wayne Luers

 

Danville

20

First Downs

8

39/235

Rushes/Yards

44/109

147

Passing Yards

9

8/19/1

Passing Comp./Att./Int.

1/2/0

58/382

Plays/Total Net Yards

46/118

37

Return Yards

138

1/47.0

Punts/Avg.

5/39.8

4/30

Penalties/Yards

7/77

3/3

Fumbles/Lost

3/3

25:16

Time of Possession

22:44

Individual Statistics

Rushing

Fort Wayne Luers -- Ledo 19-127; Lindsay 10-82; Johnson 3-16; Witherspoon 3-11; Schindler 1-2; Spencer 2-0; Millhouse 1-minus 3.

Danville -- Himsel 19-30; Scott 2-27; Powers 5-24; Wright 7-14; Campbell 9-12; Je. Lane 1-1; A. Freimanis 1-1.

Passing

Fort Wayne Luers -- Lindsay 7-16-108-2-1; Schindler 1-2-39-0-0; Witherspoon 0-1-0-0-0.

Danville -- Himsel 1-2-9-0-0.

Receiving

Fort Wayne Luers -- Witherspoon 7-108; Ledo 1-39.

Danville -- Campbell 1-9.

Tackles

Fort Wayne Luers -- Bourcier 12; Ayelle 10; Kohrman 4; Griffith 4; Custard 2.

Danville -- Wright 9; Dugan 7; Flanagan 6; Latshaw 4; Miller 3; Moore 3; Tucker 3.

Sacks

Fort Wayne Luers -- Ayelle 2; Bourcier 1.

Danville -- None.

Interceptions

Fort Wayne Luers -- None.

Danville -- Scott 1.

Fumble Recoveries

Fort Wayne Luers -- Custard 1; Belschner 1; Kohrman 1.

Danville -- Scott 1; Wright 1; Still 1.

 

CLASS 2A GAME NOTES

LUERS' FOURTH FOOTBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

Fort Wayne Luers captured its fourth state championship and second this decade with the victory. The Knights had previously won the championship in 1985, 1989 and 1992, each of which came in Class 2A.

RECORD PUNT

Danville's Matt Scott boomed a record punt in the first half of the Class 2A game. His 57-yarder was the longest in a Class 2A state championship game, bettering West Lafayette's Dale Housley's 55-yarder in the 1993 game against Providence.

THREE STRAIGHT UPSETS

Fort Wayne Luers upset three consecutive higher-ranked opponents on its way to the Class 2A state championship. The Knights won at No. 2-ranked Jimtown 7-0 in the regional, eliminated No. 4-ranked host Eastbrook 35-8, and then top-ranked Danville 38-6 in the state championship game.

WITHERSPOON MOVES INTO 15TH ON STATE SEASON RECEIVING CHART

Jovan Witherspoon caught seven passes for 108 yards and moved into 15th place on the 1999 state receiving list. Witherspoon's numbers for the season were 69 receptions for 1,140 yards and 11 touchdowns in 15 games for a 76.0 yards per game average.

 

 

 

 

CLASS 2A QUOTES

Fort Wayne Bishop Luers Coach Matt Lindsay

"We're delighted to be here and we're in awe of our kids' performance tonight. I'd seen Danville on film and to blow them off the field the way we did just leaves me in awe."

"As soon as we adjusted to their option, we had this thing pretty much in control…Our defensive game plan was outstanding…I saw on the film from Evansville Mater Dei that they (Danville) weren't as athletic as we were."

(On the touchdown right before halftime) "That was a big score. We knew they weren't going to pass effectively, so to build on the lead was big."

"It's been a long time since August. We've had a lot of adversity. But we started with 38 kids and we finished with 38 kids."

Fort Wayne Bishop Luers' Michael Ledo

"Kyle Lindsay played the game of his life tonight. Not only did he play well, but he brought out the best in everyone else."

Fort Wayne Bishop Luers' Jovan Witherspoon

"I think we have the best conference (Summit Athletic Conference) in the state. It's a battle every week but it gets you ready to play in the tournament."

Danville Coach Bob Copeland

"We got beat by a better football team tonight. We played the wrong team at the wrong time."

"We did not match up with them with their height and quickness. We really got stuffed at the line of scrimmage. Their defensive line really dominated us and that surprised us. Everything kind of domino-ed from there."

"When we got that fumble and gave it right back to them that really hurt us."

"We were concerned about having to play on (last) Saturday night (a 54-47 semi-state win over Evansville Mater Dei). That was kind of a draining game for us. We kind of got out of our routine the last two weeks by playing on Saturday and turning around and just having three days of school. The last two weeks were difficult for us."

Danville's J.D. Lane

"It was exciting to make it this far in the tournament. I just try real hard and that might have helped winning (the Mental Attitude Award)."