By Craig Adkins
Contributing Writer
INDIANAPOLIS – Experience is a great thing when it comes to the state finals, especially in football. In the Class 3A state finals Nov. 24, Indianapolis Chatard coach Vince Lorenzano was coaching in his fourth championship game in only five seasons.
That sideline experience, plus injuries to South Bend St. Joseph’s top two running backs, were key as Lorenzano’s third-ranked Trojans dominated the No. 2 Indians in a 31-7 victory at the RCA Dome.
On Saturday afternoon, winning his second straight state title at Chatard – and the school’s record-tying ninth overall, the last seven of which have come in 3A – was not really first and foremost in Lorenzano’s mind, however.
“You know what? They’re all great,” said Lorenzano, who improved to 3-1 in finals contests. “But it’s not about the title – it’s really about the kids. I really still believe that it’s all about those kids reaching your potential.
“You’ve got to remember that they’re high school kids, and just them getting here is a heck of an accomplishment.”
Chatard (12-3) benefited tremendously from not having to completely deal with the vaunted 1-2 rushing attack of St. Joseph’s senior Jordan Taylor (25 touchdowns, 8.1 yards per carry) and junior Dustin White (1,011 rushing yards, 18 TDs). Although both played, neither Taylor – whose 2,339 rushing yards were 350 more than any other running back in this weekend’s state finals – nor White were anywhere close to full strength.
“Taylor was a little injured and that caused them problems, so we were able to stop them,” Lorenzano said of the 6’1”, 215-pounder who injured his hamstring in last week’s semistate win over Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran.
The first quarter of the first of three championship games Saturday was a stalemate as punting the ball became old hat for both clubs. But midway through the second quarter, Chatard put together an eight-play scoring drive that covered 54 yards in just under four minutes.
Senior running back Dan Kleinschmidt dove into the end zone from three yards out, and sophomore Cody Dickson’s extra-point kick gave the Trojans a 7-0 lead.
Following another punt by St. Joseph’s (12-3), Chatard struck again. This time it was sophomore running back Ari Pappas bolting across the goal line for paydirt, with Dickson’s PAT leaving the Indians down two TDs at 14-0.
The Indians’ next drive came to a screeching halt when Chatard senior cornerback Kyle Dietrick intercepted a pass from junior Joe Hecklinski and returned it 36 yards. The touchdown with 18 seconds left before the half was Chatard’s third of the second quarter and gave the Trojans a commanding 21-0 halftime lead.
“We’ve been a good defense all year – that’s not surprising,” said Lorenzano, whose team limited St. Joseph’s to just 36 total yards in the first half and 133 for the game. “We’ve played the best of the best this year (including losses to defending 4A state champ Indianapolis Cathedral and nationally ranked Cincinnati St. Xavier).
St. Joseph’s appeared to be on the bounceback to start the second half, mounting a 15-play, 54 yard drive that lasted almost seven minutes. But the Indians turned the ball over on downs at the Chatard 21, and that was about it for the South Bend contingent.
Chatard senior quarterback Rob Doyle & Co. went back to work, driving down to the St. Joe’s 24 before Doyle completed a touchdown pass to junior tight end Steve Webster. The kick made it 28-0 with 3:24 left in the third, and Dickson put this one completely out of reach with a 34-yard field goal just into the fourth quarter for a 31-0 cushion.
St. Joseph’s finally got on the board midway through the fourth quarter when junior defensive back Zach Matthews forced a fumble by Chatard junior Braylon Parham, picked it up and returned it 37 yards for the score. Senior Jay Dobson tacked on the extra point to put this one to bed, 31-7.
Despite being hampered with injury, Taylor managed 38 yards on 15 carries while White ran 11 times for 32 yards. Hecklinski, meanwhile, was limited to 9-of-15 passing for 41 yards and two interceptions (both by Dietrick) for the Indians, who committed 12 penalties for 104 yards.
“It would have been nice to showcase (Taylor and White’s) talents in a state championship game because they are great playmakers,” said St. Joseph’s coach Kevin Downey. “There weren’t a whole lot of plays that we could call – it was the first time all year that we came across someone who could stop our run game.
“We ran into a better team. They were very physical and did a great job of dominating the line of scrimmage and scoring points.”
For the victorious Trojans, Pappas led the way with 19 carries for 82 yards and one touchdown. Doyle finished his career with in stellar fashion, going 10 of his 12 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown.
Reitz’s Kissel named mental attitude award winner
Following the contest, Evansville Reitz’s Zak Kissel was named the winner of the Phil N. Eskew Mental Attitude Award in Class 3A football by members of the IHSAA Executive Committee. Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, the IHSAA’s corporate partner, presented a $1,000 scholarship to Evansville Reitz in the name of Kissel.
He is the second student-athlete from Reitz to earn an IHSAA mental attitude award (Bob Stephenson, 3A football in 1977). Kissel maintains a 3.8 GPA, ranks 40th in his senior class of 317 students, and is a member of the National Honor Society. He gives back to the community through several volunteering efforts, mission trips, and church activities.
The son of Rick and Jody Kissel of Evansville intends to study engineering at either Purdue University or Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Kissel is a three-year varsity letterwinner in football and has been an Academic All-City honoree each of those three years. He also has played basketball for the Panthers, earning two varsity letters in the sport and being selected his team’s mental attitude award the last two years.
The award is presented annually to a senior participant in the state finals who was nominated by his principal and coach and has demonstrated excellence in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership, and athletic ability. It is named in honor of the IHSAA’s third commissioner, who served the association from 1962-76 and helped initiate the state tournament in 1973.
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