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Regardless of the winner this Friday morning, the third time will be the charm inside Lucas Oil Stadium following the Indiana High School Athletic Association Class A football state finals.
For a third straight year, both defending state champion Indianapolis Lutheran (12-0) and Adams Central (14-0) will meet to settle the title in downtown Indianapolis over Thanksgiving weekend.
Marking the first time in state finals history that two teams have clashed in the state championship game in three consecutive years, both programs have already made history.
However, for top-ranked Indianapolis Lutheran, another victory would be legendary.
Lutheran has won back-to-back state titles and two in three appearances over the past five years. Another triumph would add to their on-going 42-game winning streak and 16th straight overall tournament game run.
A third straight state championship would put the Saints in exclusive company as the first Class A team to win three state titles in a row since Lafayette Central Catholic won its third of four consecutive in 2011.
If the Saints stick to their formula for success, it could equate to an undefeated finale for a third time.
“I hear guys every week on TV talk about this, and I know it’s cliché, but for us and it always has been, we have nine weeks to get better. Each week you have an opportunity to win each game. I’m not good enough to win any two games in one week. Let’s do what we have to do to win one, and this is what we do,” Lutheran head coach Dave Pasch said.
“Once you hit week 10 in Indiana, if you’re not at your best and you don’t win, then it’s over. All you’re trying to do is win one more. So, everything from week 10 on for us is about playing one more. If you do that and you stay true to the formula, then I think it really gives you an opportunity to stay focused on what is at hand.”
That emphasis has the Saints riding the fourth-longest winning streak in state history behind a state-record 60 set by Bloomington South (1967-73), 48 amassed by Lafayette Central Catholic (2009-12) and 44 by Sheridan (2005-08).
Unbeaten since 2021, Indianapolis Lutheran has kept its dominance intact this season behind a prolific offense that’s averaging 41.33 points per game, a stingy defense which carries a slim 10.92 points allowed while collectively winning by a 30.42 average margin of victory.
“We can’t make mistakes, and we have to execute,” Pasch said. “They’re coaching staff is very high quality, and I’m sure they’re going to have wrinkles and things that they’re going to try to take advantage of, but there’s a lot of comfort in knowing we can pull out the folder with all the knowledge that you’ve worked and developed about your opponent. It’s comforting to some degree to have that knowledge base going into this.”
In their first state championship meeting, the Saints beat the Adams Central Flying Jets for the 2021 title 34-28. In the rematch, the Saints prevailed 30-13 to claim the 2022 state championship.
Offensively, the Saints will aim to attack with senior running back Braydon Hall, who has rushed for 1,965 yards on 236 carries for 31 touchdowns. If the Flying Jets force the Saints into passing situations, junior quarterback Jackson Willis can take over. Willis has completed 123 passes in 187 attempts for 27 touchdowns and 2,314 yards.
Defensively, the Saints are led by junior safety DeVuan Jones, who paces the group with 118 tackles, followed by senior inside linebacker Jonny Hall with 105 tackles and two interceptions.
“We have to go in there with the mindset of knowing they’re talented, but it’s no mistake that we’re here either,” Adams Central head coach Michael Mosser said. “We’ve proven ourselves, so we have to overcome that and say, OK, what can we do, what can we exploit in order to beat them? That’s what we’re working on this week, and we’ll see if we can get it done.”
The Class 1A State Championship featuring Adams Central (14-0) and Indianapolis Lutheran (12-0) will stream via PPV on IHSAAtv.org this Friday at 11 am ET / 10 CT!
The second-ranked Flying Jets have captured one state title in program history, winning in their first appearance in 2000. Twenty-three years later, Adams Central is looking to finish the job with an unprecedented third straight opportunity.
“It’s a bit surreal because it doesn’t happen all the time. It’s a rare occasion, and we’re very proud of what we’ve been able to do. We’re proud of our accomplishments. We’re excited to be here,” Mosser said. “It’s something we’ve striven to do, and we have still yet to achieve a state championship with this group, so we feel there is some unfinished business that we need to take care of. But we also know nothing comes easy. Nothing is granted.”
At 14-0, the Flying Jets entered last year’s state finals with the same record, but they’ve yet to reach that elusive 15th win in a single season.
“We know it’s hard to get to this position. And it’s hard to win it,” Mosser said. “It’s going to take everything in our power as coaches and as players to be able to do it, but we hope we can.”
The Flying Jets limited their five postseason opponents to a combined 38 points. Offensively, Adams Central is a dual threat, averaging 42.9 points per contest.
Senior running back Keegan Bluhm leads the Flying Jets with 28 rushing touchdowns and 1,360 yards on 200 carries. Senior quarterback Jack Hamilton gives the Flying Jets another playmaker with 1,100 yards rushing on 107 carries and 15 touchdowns. Junior Aaron Hirschy has rushed for 10 touchdowns and 564 yards.
Hamilton has passed for 1,299 yards and 21 touchdowns behind 52 completions in 81 attempts.
Defensively, the Flying Jets rank second in the state in points allowed (5.93), have posted five shutouts this season for second best and fourth overall in margin of victory (37.0).
“This is a big deal because we don’t know if we’ll be back. We lose a ton of seniors. Even the first year we were here, we never thought we’d be here again and be here again,” Mosser said. “It’s definitely something you have to put into perspective. For us for being here three years in a row, we know this may be one of our last shots for a while.”
The game kicks off at 11 a.m. on Friday to open the IHSAA’s state championship weekend.
“You don’t know what the future holds, so you have to give everything you can this time to get it accomplished, and we’ll see if we can,” Mosser said. “It’s a daunting task for sure. They’re so solid, so well coached and have great kids. We respect them a lot.”
