Page 6 - 2009-10 Football State Finals Program

Tournament Preview

By RICH TORRES
VYPE High School Sports Magazine, Central Indiana
How will it end? Which team is destined to bring home the championship
trophy? When the 37th Annual IHSAA State Football State Finals conclude this
weekend, our questions will answered.
Will victory and history find coach Matt Lindsay and his Class 2A Fort Wayne Bishop Luers
Knights, or will unbeaten Monrovia’s Cinderella season end with a perfect 15-0. Is this the
year for Class 3A repeat contender Evansville Memorial? How will the state finals rematches
between Class 4A Lowell and Evansville Reitz or Class 5A Carmel and Warren Central
punctuate the 2009 high school football season?
History is destined to be made inside Lucas Oil Stadium this weekend. Are you ready for
some football?
Class A Championship Class 2A girls volleyball team in 2001 and the 1914
boys basketball team.
Lafayette Central Catholic (14-0) vs. • A state championship would be the seventh for coach
Fountain Central (14-0), 3:30 p.m. (ET) Lindsay, the third-most for a coach in state history.
Together, Lafayette Central Catholic and Fountain Central • Monrovia, the West Central Conference champion,
have made six state finals appearances, share a total of is the first school from Morgan County to play in a
three state titles and are two of five unbeaten teams in this football state finals.
weekend’s state finals. The top-ranked Lafayette Central • Luers’ 54-53 double overtime regional win over Lewis
Catholic Knights are playing in their first state finals since Cass was the fifth-most points scored by two teams in
winning it all in 1999. The Fountain Central Mustangs are state tournament history.
playing in their first state finals since its 1983 state champi- • Monrovia knocked off top-ranked Cardinal Ritter to
onship season. win its first regional and No. 2 Paoli to capture its first
semi-state crown.
Fast Facts
• Lafayette Central Catholic leads the state in points Class 3A Championship
per game (52.4), points allowed (3.2) and margin of
victory (49.2). West Lafayette (14-0) vs. TEXT to WIN!
• The winner of this game will become the fourth con- Evansville Memorial (11-3), Noon (ET)
secutive team to win the Class A title with a perfect The second-ranked West Lafayette Red Devils are looking
15-0 record and fifth team in six years to accomplish to become the first team since Indianapolis Bishop Chatard
the same feat. in 2003 to clinch the Class 3A title with a perfect 15-0 1&:50/ ."//*/(
• Knights’ quarterback Chris Mills ranks fifth in state record. Playing in its first state finals since 1993 in 2A, West "650(3"1)&% '005#"--
history in career passing with 9,265 yards. Lafayette captured the Hoosier Conference this season. '3*%": /07&.#&3 5)
• Fountain Central has scored 40 or more points in 10 Ranked eighth in the Associated Press poll, Evansville
of 14 games this season. Memorial is vying for the 3A crown for a second consecu- Follow the directions to WIN a prize.
• Lafayette Central Catholic is ranked No. 1 in the tive season.
Associated Press poll and No. 2 in the Coaches Poll. On Friday, win an autographed Peyton
Fountain Central is ranked third in both polls. Fast Facts
• Evansville Memorial quarterback Grant Gribbins leads Manning football. On Saturday, win an
Class 2A Championship the state in passing yards with 3,240. He has 8,592
passing yards in his career for eighth-best in state autographed Peyton Manning jersey.
Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (9-5) vs. history.
Monrovia (14-0), 7 p.m. (ET) • The West Lafayette Red Devils own the state’s best "XBSEFE BU IBMGUJNF PG Winners will be notified via text to claim
Both programs have rewritten history this season. Unranked record over the last two seasons at 25-1 (.962) and " $IBNQJPOTIJQ
Bishop Luers is playing in a state-record 12th state final and third-best over a three-year span at 33-3 (.917). their prize each evening!
is seeking its eighth championship overall and fourth this • Coach John Hurley has led Evansville Memorial to 1&:50/ ."//*/(
decade. Monrovia set a school record for wins and is mak- the state championship game in each of his first two "650(3"1)&% "65)&/5*$ +&34&: only standard text messaging rates apply
ing its first state finals appearance after capturing its first seasons. The Tigers were runner-up to Bellmont last 4"563%": /07&.#&3 5) *
regional and semi-state titles. The second-ranked Bulldogs year. 1SPVE 1BSUOFST
captured their first sectional title in 20 years. • This is the first time two teams from Tippecanoe
County have played in the state finals in the same
Fast Facts year (Lafayette Central Catholic and West Lafayette).
• Bishop Luers’ coach Matt Lindsay ranks among the • This is the first time two Evansville teams have played
state’s winningest active coaches with a 199-95 (.677) in the state finals in the same year (Evansville Reitz
record. and Evansville Memorial).
• Monrovia’s other most recent state finalists were the
"XBSEFE BU IBMGUJNF PG
6 37th Annual IHSAA State Football Tournament is proudly presented by the INDIANAPOLIS COLTS. " $IBNQJPOTIJQ