What A Year For Lancers
As the final seconds ticked off the LaVille High School scoreboard Friday night, sure there was disappointment and heartbreak on the Lancer sideline and amongst the standing room only crowd. However, this team, program and its supporters had nothing whatsoever to hang their heads about.
It was a magical season for Coach Will Howstrawser’s second-ranked Lancers, who finished 10-1.
Sure, LaVille’s undefeated season ended in the Sectional semifinals, but that didn’t diminish all that the Big Blue accomplished.
There’s no shame in losing to defending state champion Andrean, who might just win it all again later this month.
Andrean is a perennial powerhouse, which is exactly what you would expect a private school to be.
One look at each team’s sideline and you could see the discrepancy. It looked like Andrean had at least twice as many players on its roster than LaVille despite both being Class 2A schools.
Lets be real, it’s time the Indiana High School Athletic Association has a private school division.
I’m from central Indiana and I strongly believe that. It will never happen, though, because the central Indiana teams can compete with their private school counterparts in that region of the state. I guarantee you, however, if the day ever came when the likes of Carmel were losing to private schools on a consistent basis, the IHSAA would immediately change things (I went to Indianapolis North Central, which is right in the shadows of the IHSAA headquarters, so I know what I’m talking about).
I’ll make one more point about the private schools vs. public school … go and count how many private school state champions there have been in all IHSAA sports vs. public school and get back to me.
I know, too, that schools don’t have boundaries anymore in terms of this kid in this county has to go to this school, and the argument can be made that everyone can recruit.
True, and it’s obvious Andrean does.
I mean how many 2A schools have a 6-foot-2, 230-pound running back/linebacker who is headed to Notre Dame on a full scholarship?
Or how many 2A schools have a 340-pound nose tackle, who can actually move? In fact, I said – off-the-air of course – where did Andrean get that nose tackle? The Chicago Bears practice squad?
With that said, LaVille, whose program has been resurrected and then some by Howstrawser, more than held its own against the 59ers.
It was an 8-6 game midway through the fourth quarter when a couple breaks went in the direction of the visitors and credit them, they took full advantage and ended up winning 28-6 to advance to face Bremen in the Sectional championship Friday night (a game we will broadcast on MAX 98.3 FM beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET).
Yes, LaVille didn’t win its Sectional, like it did last year because it had to play the No. 3 team in the state, but it did win the Hoosier North with a perfect 7-0 record.
How dominate were the Lancers? Just two of their 10 wins were decided by a touchdown or less. Their other eight victories were by 36 points or more!
This was a team who could dominate you on D and/or light up the scoreboard with ease.
It was a defense that held seven of its opponents to eight points or less.
Running back Paul DeWitt was magnificent – if 1,500 yards and 20-plus scores isn’t first-team all-state worthy I don’t know what is. Receiver Owen Smith could take it to the house every time he touched the ball and quarterback Lucas Plummer really zipped it as his 14 TDs would attest. It’s too bad Plummer got hurt in the North Judson game.
The D was led by Noah Richard and his 7-plus tackles per game and Collin Czarnecki led them with five interceptions and filled in admirably under center when Plummer went down.
No doubt the Lancers will miss DeWitt, Smith, Richhart and the rest of their seniors.
But fear not Lancer Nation, Howstrawser, whose record now stands at 79-33 in 10 seasons in Lakeville, will reload and come next fall his Lancers will be a tough out in the state playoffs. Book it!
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