AUDIO: Lawrenceburg, Brownstown Meet Again To Start Postseason Play

By Mike Perleberg Lawrenceburg and Brownstown Central, opponents in the IHSAA 3A semi-state game in 2016, will meet again in the sectional opener on Friday, October 20. Photo by Chuck Folop. (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) – Lawrenceburg and Brownstown Central football teams are building a strong postseason rivalry. The Tigers and Braves meet in a sectional championship game in 2005 that has come to be known as “The Miracle on Elm Street.” Down 27-6 with 6:40 remaining in the final quarter, Lawrenceburg rallied back to win 33-27 in overtime. Last year, the two teams met in the IHSAA 3A Semi-State at The Pit. Lawrenceburg won 41-40 to advance to the state championship game. Then-junior all-state linebacker Mason Parris had 21 tackles in the game, including a goal line stuff on a two-point conversion attempt by Brownstown which would have given the Braves the lead with about a minute remaining. What lies in store for Friday night’s IHSAA 3A State Football Tournament sectional opener? Lawrenceburg comes in ranked 5th with an 8-1 record and Brownstown is ranked 9th with an identical record. The IHSAA tournament randomly draws sectional pairings, unlike other states which seed their tournaments. LISTEN TO BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL AT LAWRENCEBURG IN THE IHSAA 3A FOOTBALL STATE TOURNAMENT SECTIONAL OPENER ON EAGLE COUNTRY 99.3 ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20. PREGAME COVERAGE STARTS AT 6:40 P.M. “We think we have a very good game plan. We learned a lot from last year, some things we think we can do again and some things we know we have to change. Our kids are prepared well, last week with fall break,” says LHS head coach Ryan Knigga. Knigga says Brownstown is a run-heavy team. Tailbacks Caleb Bollinger and Colton Ritz are each averaging better than a first down per carry, but there are a handful of other Braves in the backfield who could get the ball at any time. But Lawrenceburg has the defense designed to limit the Brownstown ground attack. Mason Parris has 85 tackles, including 14 tackles for loss and five sacks, this season. Defensive end Jonah Rolfes has 37 tackles and 18 for a loss. The Tigers defense has recovered 20 fumbles this season. LISTEN TO EAGLE COUNTRY 99.3'S INTERVIEW WITH LHS HEAD COACH RYAN KNIGGA IN THE AUDIO PLAYER BELOW. [audio mp3="https://eaglecountryonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/lawrenceburg-football-knigga-10202017.mp3"][/audio] If the audio player does not appear, click here to listen to the interview. Offensively, the Tigers are much different than they were a year ago, when the team ran a spread offense led by 3,000-yard rusher Austin Bowling and quarterback Reid Strobl. This year, it has been running back by committee with senior bruiser Hunter Privett totaling 908 yards and 19 touchdowns. The Tigers also rotate quarterback duties between freshman Adam Burd and junior Austin Weimer, who will often see a direct snap go to Privett line up beside them. Even Parris will get a carry a few times per game. When the Tigers have to throw, Gavin Yoon is a go-to target with 16 catches for 360 yards and four scores this season. Knigga hopes for a long postseason run for the Tigers, a year after they became the runner-up in class 3A in 2016. “I think the thing we have in our program right now is that our kids just know how to win. They are used to that and that can go a long way,” he believes. Other southeastern Indiana teams will also start their postseason journeys Friday night:   4A Sectional 23 Franklin County (5-4) at Jennings County (2-7) East Central (6-3) at Edgewood (3-6) Scottsburg (3-6) at South Dearborn (2-7)   3A Sectional 31 Charlestown (4-5) at Batesville (6-3) at 7:30 p.m.   2A Sectional 37 Heritage Christian (6-3) at Milan (8-1)   2A Sectional 39 Switzerland County (3-5) at Eastern (Pekin) (2-7)   1A Sectional 46 Oldenburg Academy (2-7) at Tri (4-5)