Eastside at Bishop Luers Sectional Championship Game Preview

All season long, in Class 3A, it has been heavily anticipated that the Eastside Blazers and the Bishop Luers Knights would square-off in the postseason. Those expectations have turned into reaity, as two of the top teams in the class go head-to-head in Fort Wayne with a ticket to Regionals up for grabs. This matchup features two of the premiere quarterbacks in the Hoosier state, but the talent pool in this contest goes far beyond that. Both teams possess the firepower, in all three phases, necessary to go all the way this year. Today, we will preview a matchup between two state championship-caliber squads that is being given to us on the first Friday of November. Eastside Blazers Eastside has been impressive all year long. Their ability to put up points has aided that effort tremendously. A big catalyst for their offensive success is their star quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="98073" first="Laban" last="Davis"]. Davis does it all as he is not just a dynamic passer but he also leads the team in rushing yards. Davis can pick apart a defense through the air. He makes good reads and finds the open receiver. But his ability to run the football makes life difficult for the defense. Bishop Luers’ defenders will have to keep their eyes on him on pass plays, because if he escapes the pocket, they could be in serious trouble. When he does throw the ball, Davis has a plethora of receivers he can get it to. Gavin Wallace, Carson Jacobs and Dylan Bredemeyer are big-play receivers who can make a huge difference. When it is not Davis running the football, they have a very reliable running back in [player_tooltip player_id="185538" first="Dax" last="Holman"]. Holman can help keep the offense on the field and get the Bishop Luers defense fatigued. On the Eastside defense, without question, one of their biggest strengths is their pass rush. The Blazers have three players who have amassed at least four sacks this campaign. Bobby Davis, Kyler Bibbie and Brady Lauds are going to need to get after [player_tooltip player_id="98092" first="Carson" last="Clark"]. If Clark has time to throw, it usually spells bad things for the opposing defense. However, if the pass rush can get to Clark, that would go a long toward slowing down the high-powered offense that the Knights have. Bishop Luers Knights Like Eastside, Bishop Luers has one of the best in the state at the game’s most important position. [player_tooltip player_id="98092" first="Carson" last="Clark"] has had a phenomenal career at Bishop Luers- one which he will be hoping to extend for at least another week. Clark is very composed in the pocket. He does a great job reading the defense and he is not somebody who will put the ball in harm’s way. It certainly helps that Clark can count on the support of two of the best in the state at their respective positions. Clark’s big-time receiver is [player_tooltip player_id="175710" first="Brody" last="Glenn"]. Glenn can make big receptions in key moments in the game. Look for him to try to stretch the Eastside defense. On the ground, the Knights can count on the services of Sir Hale, who has already crossed the 1,000-rushing yard threshold this year. On defense, Bishop Luers is particularly strong on the back end. [player_tooltip player_id="107236" first="Da’Von" last="Doughty"] and [player_tooltip player_id="107234" first="Nick" last="Thompson"] have both come away with four interceptions this year. A turnover in this game against the potent offense that the Blazers have could be a huge moment in the game. Undoubtedly, the Knights’ secondary will be tested often by the outstanding arm of Davis. But throughout the course of the season, they have proven that they can hold-up.