Lutheran vs. Adams Central for 3rd straight year: 'Might as well just schedule it.'
When you pass for more than 4,000 yards and 55 touchdowns, like Jackson Willis did as a sophomore for Lutheran, defenses tend to take note.
“(Opponents) have been dropping and covering a lot, leaving soft boxes,” Lutheran coach Dave Pasch said. “Interestingly, it probably feeds right into our strength. Our offensive line is big, physical and athletic. I’m not going to say this but everybody else says we looked like a (Class) 6A line.”
Class A top-ranked Lutheran (12-0) will lean on that line as it attempts to win a third consecutive state championship against second-ranked Adams Central (14-0) in the state championship Friday at 11 a.m. at Lucas Oil Stadium. It marks the first time in state finals history two teams have met for the championship in three consecutive seasons, following the Saints' wins over Adams Central in 2021 and ’22.
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There is an odd familiarity about this matchup between programs that had no previous history.
“(Adams Central coach Michael Mosser) and I were talking about how this is almost like a regular-season game,” Pasch said. “We might as well just schedule it.”
If a meeting happens again next year, it will be in the Class 2A state finals as both programs will move up due to the tournament success factor. “I’ll worry about that next year,” Pasch said. Of the six state finals games, though, this one takes the least amount of homework for the two coaching staffs.
“To go into the filing cabinet and pull out the folder that you’ve worked hard to develop the knowledge of what they do, how they approach things (is helpful),” Pasch said. “You have the advantage of knowing their personnel because you’ve watched kids come through their program now for the third year. But you also know what they are: They don’t make mistakes. They’re physical. They’re fast. They’re well coached. They are a high-quality opponent and there will be some things we don’t expect. But most of Friday is going to be exactly what we know they are going to bring to the table. We just have to be better at it.”
The Flying Jets prefer ground transportation. Mosser’s wing-T offense produces 283.6 rushing yards per game for Adams Central with fullback Keegan Bluhm (1,360 yards, 28 TDs) and quarterback Jack Hamilton (1,100 yards, 15 TDs) both over 1,000 yards. Hamilton, in his first year as a starting quarterback, has one of the top tight ends in the state in Trevor Currie (26 catches for 810 yards and 14 TDs).
The 6-3, 195-pound Willis has again been outstanding as a passer for the Saints, completing 66% of his passes for 2,314 yards and 27 TDs. But as defenses gear up against the pass, the Saints can fully take advantage with a starting offensive line of 6-7, 235-pound junior tackle RaiShaun McHaney, 5-11, 270-pound senior guard Dylan Duncan, 6-2, 215-pound junior center Owen Lecher, 6-2, 240-pound senior guard Jack Beard and 6-6, 315-pound senior tackle Taurean Langston.
Big dudes. Creating big holes for senior running back Braydon Hall, who has 1,965 rushing yards and 31 rushing TDs.
“I have two offensive line coaches that are (Jordan Thurman and Nate Filipovich) as good as anybody in Indiana,” Pasch said. “They make changes before I even have to communicate to them. I already know what those changes are going to be.”
Pasch, in his 16th year at Lutheran, points to that continuity of the coaching staff as a major reason for the Saints’ sustained success. He said the same from his time at North Putnam, which was a slow build to back-to-back seasons in 2006 and ’07 with a combined 25-2 record with a regional championship and two sectional titles.
“The core of our staff has been here 16 or 17 years now,” Pasch said. “The new guys we bring in bring a lot of energy and a lot of the same philosophies. We develop coaches now instead of trying to train coaches. Maybe that goes hand-in-hand with trying to develop the young kids in our program with that player development.”
Here is a closer look at the Class A title game:
Matchup: Adams Central (14-0) vs. Lutheran (12-0)
Rankings: Adams Central No. 2; Lutheran No. 1
Kickoff: 11 a.m. Friday, at Lucas Oil Stadium
How to watch: IHSAAtv.org
Championships: Adams Central won a Class A state championship in 2000, defeating Attica 29-21, the only state title in the school’s history in any sport. Lutheran won its first state championship in football in 2021 and repeated last season, beating Adams Central both times. The Saints won the Class A state basketball championship last season and now has six titles overall with three in softball (2003, 2006 and 2018).
Coaches
Adams Central coach Michael Mosser, 49, is in his 15th season at Adams Central, his only head coaching job. Mosser has led the Flying Jets to a 141-48 record. He is a 1993 Adams Central graduate and played quarterback at Anderson University in college. Mosser started out as a middle school coach at Eastbrook and South Adams before working as an assistant at Adams Central from 2006-08.
Lutheran coach Dave Pasch, 53, is in his 16th season at Lutheran and 27th overall with a 215-110 overall record. Pasch, also the track coach and assistant principal, coached 11 seasons at North Putnam prior to Lutheran. He graduated from Brownsburg in 1988 and Ball State in 1993.
A closer look at Adams Central
Adams Central is tied for second in the state in points allowed (5.93 per game), including five shutouts, and fourth in margin of victory (37.0 ppg). The second-ranked Stars knocked off one top-10 team during the state tournament, a 29-0 win over Carroll (Flora) in the regional championship.
The Flying Jets’ wing-T offense produces 283.6 rushing yards per game, led by senior fullback Keegan Bluhm (1,360 rushing yards, 28 TDs). Senior quarterback Jack Hamilton, a starter on defense last season, has stepped in to pass for 1,299 yards and 21 TDs and rush for 1,100 yards and 15 TDs. His primary target is senior tight end Trevor Currie (26 catches, 810 yards, 14 TDs). The defense, which allows just 153.2 yards of offense per game, is led by junior linebacker Max Kaehr (123 tackles, four sacks), linebacker Bluhm (85 tackles, four sacks), junior linebacker Matt Heiser (84 tackles), sophomore defensive end Cam Fravel (58 tackles, seven sacks) and junior defensive back Jarret Smith (52 tackles, five interceptions).
A closer look at Lutheran
Lutheran, the state runner-up in 2019, has won back-to-back state championships with wins over Adams Central in 2021 (34-28) and last season (30-13). The Saints defeated three top-10 teams during the tournament run: No. 6 South Putnam in the sectional semifinal (21-14), No. 4 Providence in the regional championship (14-7) and No. 10 Sheridan in the semistate (56-14). Lutheran has a 42-game winning streak.
Lutheran junior quarterback Jackson Willis does not have the huge numbers from last season but still has 2,314 passing yards and 27 passing TDs with just three interceptions. His top targets are junior DeVuan Jones (26 catches, 524 yards, seven TDs), junior Ja’Varrea Cooper (23 catches, 469 yards, seven TDs) and senior Jeremiah King (24 catches, 403 yards, two TDs). Senior running back Braydon Hall (1,965 yards, 31 TDs) leads the ground game. The defense, which allows just 57 rushing yards per game, is led by senior linebackers Cole Snow (118 tackles, five tackles for loss) and Jonny Hall (105 tackles, seven tackles for loss, two interceptions), sophomore tackle Cameron McHaney (77 tackles, seven tackles for loss) and senior outside linebacker Campbell Richardson (52 tackles, five tackles for loss).
How Adams Central can win
It seems like the same key every year for Adams Central: Run the ball and control the clock. Two years ago, it worked for a half. Last year, Lutheran’s passing attack was too dominant. But the Flying Jets did run for 217 yards, including 157 from the fullback Bluhm. The ground game and a sprinkling of passes — probably from Hamilton to tight end Currie — will tell the tale.
How Lutheran can win
Stop the run on defense and run the ball on offense to set up the pass. Lutheran’s offense, though averaging 41.3 points, has been held down by South Putnam and Providence in the tournament. But Lutheran big offensive line can help the Saints win a third consecutive title.
Prediction
Lutheran 31, Adams Central 18.
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA football state finals: Lutheran goes for third straight title
