Luers Falls Short of First 3A State Championship – Today’s Catholic

INDIANAPOLIS – As his players lined up in numerical order waiting to receive their runner-up medals at midfield after losing the Class 3A state championship game to an overpowering Heritage Hills team on Saturday, November 30, Bishop Luers head football coach Kyle Lindsay walked down the line and greeted his players one by one, offering hugs and handshakes that consoled some more than others.

The bad news was frozen on the scoreboard above him inside Lucas Oil Stadium: Heritage Hills 38, Bishop Luers 15. The score only told the end of the story, though. The Patriots’ backfield duo of junior quarterback Jett Goldsberry and senior running back Hunter Meredith wrote the rest, as they combined to pound the Knights for 318 yards rushing and a record-tying five touchdowns to spoil Bishop Luers’ 18th state finals appearance.

The Knights won the Class 2A title last season – the program’s 12th state championship, and first since 2012 – but the IHSAA elevated Luers to 3A because of its sustained success on the field.

Moving up a class was a challenge the Knights were clearly up for – and one Lindsay said he welcomed heading into the season. After finishing the regular season at 5-4 and winning each of their first two sectional games by more than 30 points, Luers knocked off three previously undefeated teams to win the sectional, regional, and semistate titles on their way to clinching the program’s first Class 3A championship game appearance.

At Lucas Oil Stadium, though, Heritage Hills went and spoiled their fun.

The Patriots, who hail from Lincoln City in Spencer County, quickly set the tone against the Knights. On a third and 1 on their second drive of the game, Goldsberry executed a quarterback keeper for a massive 73-yard run, securing the game’s first score. Shortly after, Meredith added a 33-yard touchdown run to give the Patriots a 14-0 lead with just two minutes remaining in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Bishop Luers junior wide receiver Dee Hogue began to close the gap with a 10-yard touchdown catch from junior quarterback Jayce White, but Goldsberry retaliated just three plays later with his second touchdown of the game. Heritage Hills capped the half with a field goal, leaving the score at 24-7.

Despite hopes of mounting a comeback in the second half, the Knights found themselves further behind as Goldsberry and Meredith each rushed for additional touchdowns, pushing Heritage Hills to a 38-7 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Bishop Luers junior quarterback Devin Patterson, who took over for White midway through the third quarter, rushed in for an 11-yard touchdown to finalize the scoring for the Knights.

“The resilience amongst the team, keeping their heads up in this adversity – there were several moments this year, particularly in the regular season, where it didn’t look like [playing for a state title] would be a possibility,” Lindsay reflected. “Between some bad losses and games we felt we gave away, I’m just awfully proud that we made it to this point. Our ultimate goal was to win a Class 3A championship, but the process speaks volumes of the character of these kids.”

As they queued for their runner-up medals, Lindsay shared a special message with the junior class: he understood their pain and encouraged them to use it as motivation for the next season. Drawing on his own experience, he noted the striking similarities between their situation and his own back in the day. Like the current juniors at Bishop Luers, Lindsay had tasted victory as a sophomore only to suffer a heavy loss in the subsequent year to a southern Indiana team.

“As I walked through the line, I said, ‘Remember this, look at that scoreboard, remember that score, because that should be your motivator for this offseason,'” he told the players. “In the year 2000, our scoreboard said 56-10 when we lost to Evansville Mater Dei. But our small senior class used that memory every day as a motivational factor to improve. That’s going to be the goal this offseason.”

Following the game, Hogue and 6-foot-5, 306-pound offensive lineman Zack Wall expressed optimism for the next season, sharing an unwavering prediction for the future.

“We’re coming back here in 3A and winning it all,” Hogue declared confidently.

“We’ll finish it next year,” added Wall. “There’s no doubt.”