By RYAN WALKER
FORT WAYNE—The Bishop Luers Knights (8-5) took the regional championship in a 35-6 rout over Bluffton (8-5) Friday night at home. The Tigers ended their best season since 1988, the last time they won sectional and regional titles.
“Obviously, it’s disappointing,” Brent Kunkel admitted after the game. “All the credit in the world goes to coach (Kyle) Lindsey and Bishop Luers. They’ve got athletes all over the field, and that was kind of evident there.”
Luers had won 17 regional championships in the time between Blufftons’ 1988 season, picking up number 18 on its home field.
Going in the wind on the first possession, the Tigers tried to carry their way on the ground and even picked up a first down through the air with the arm of Braxton Betancourt. The Knights’ defense stopped the drive after a loss on fourth and two.
Luers then ran three plays, all of which were first downs, and got on the board first with a 14-yard carry from senior R.J. Hogue.
Both teams traded punts on their next drives and set up Luers’ second score of the game on a carry from junior Mickey Daring.
The Tigers would stall on their next four drives but did make an adjustment defensively to stop the Knights from picking up a first down on the following possessions. In the final minutes of the second quarter, running back Zamarion Jackson rushed the third touchdown in to go up by three scores.
On Bluffton’s final drive, senior Anthony Cruz was struck to the ground after a three-yard carry and stayed on the field for a moment due to injury. The senior did not return to the game after the hit, ending his career.
Cruz, who carried the Tigers for over 200 yards rushing and two scores in last week’s victory over Eastbrook, was hurt at some point during the game, Kunkel said.
“My heart hurts for Anthony,” he said with a tear in his eye. “I think he broke his collarbone in the Eastbrook game, and he just fought through it. It’s what you want out of a senior, he refused to go down, and he just played till he couldn’t.”
Despite the score, the Tigers had stuffed Luers in the second quarter on back-to-back three-and-outs. But the talent level and experience on the field for the Knights were evident.
Coach Kunkel told his team going into the break that they were just a few plays away from making it a game.
“I told them at the half we were down 21-0, but it was really two of three plays that I think were the difference in that first half. We just can’t simulate their speed, and they gave us some problems along the offensive line with the pressures they were bringing. We were having a hard time picking stuff up because we’re not used to that speed.”
In the opening kickoff in the third quarter, Luers had the ball on the 49 yard-line to begin. Two-straight plays for 14 and 16 yards helped set up Gio Jimenez on a 20-yard carry to make it a 28-0 game.
After Cruz left the game, it was up to freshman backup running back Khamel Moore to take over the duties.
Moore was just shy of 500 yards on the ground in his first season but burst on the scene in this particular opportunity.
Kunkel called for five straight running plays for him, breaking off for 17 on the first one. On his fourth touch, he broke away down the middle of the field for a 55-yard gain and was tackled at the 10-yard line. He then rushed for eight more, setting up a second and goal at the two.
Quarterback Betancourt faked the handoff to Moore and rolled to his left, looking for a receiver in the endzone that had some separation fading towards the left side. The throw was just short, allowing Zamarion Jackson to intercept the pass. Jackson zipped through the Tigers on the return and eventually took it all the way to the endzone. However, two penalties halted the return and had the ball brought back to the 24-yard line.
Luers would end up in enemy territory going for it on fourth down and four on the drive following the turnover but was stopped short on an incomplete pass. Both teams didn’t score for the rest of the quarter.
Still without a running clock, Bluffton began the final quarter on a nine-play scoring drive that included two 20-yard throws from Betancourt to junior receiver Tucker Jenkins and Andrew Hunt. Hunt’s catch was the only Tiger touchdown of the game.
Luers would score one last time to add the running clock on the ensuing possession, and the regional title trophy went back to the Knights for the second time in three years.
Kunkel, even with the loss, wasn’t disappointed in his team after the way they battled all season.
“I’m so, so proud of our kids. Usually, at this time, at the end of the year, I’m an emotional wreck. But it’s hard to be upset,” he said.
The team fought hard, finding bright spots on the defensive side of the ball at times as they forced four Luers’ punts. With Cruz’s injury, the Tigers’ up-and-coming skill positions shone under the bright lights, gaining critical experience for their return next season. In fact, they bring back their quarterback and every running back and wideout outside of Cruz.
As Luers was celebrating at mid-field with a roar of cheers and posing for photos, Kunkel took the opportunity to motivate his team for next year. He stopped his postgame speech and told his team to watch a portion of the celebration.
After the game, he explained what his message was “just because we bring everybody back next year doesn’t mean that we’ll be in this game for sure next year, but I wanted them to watch that celebration because that’s where we want to be in a year.”
When a new season begins, the Bluffton Tigers’ football program will see a monumental shift. They now have something to build off of and new goals to achieve, and Kunkel knows that his team is next in line.
“A year ago at this time, Tipton didn’t know who we were. Eastbrook and Bishop Luers didn’t know who we were. Everybody knows us now,” he said.
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