Knox Redskins determined to make school history with semi-state victory

STARKE COUNTY, Ind. -- The high school football season has almost run its course in Michiana.

Only three local teams are left in the running: all playing in semi-states Friday fighting to stay alive for a chance at state championships next week in Indianapolis.

Concord travels to Merrillville and both South Bend St. Joseph and Knox travel to Fort Wayne for their semi-state matchups.

ABC57's Game of the Week follows the undefeated Knox team and their national rushing phenom, Myles Mclaughlin, as they go head-to-head with the 8-5 Bishop Luers Knights.

"This is it, you know, you fought thirteen weeks of the regular season. It doesn't matter if you're 13 and 0 or you're 7 and 5. This is the only game that counts right now," says Russ Radtke, Knox Football Head Coach.

It all comes down to this game.

One more win, and this powerhouse of a Knox team will break school history by making a state championship appearance.

Radtke says it's up to his team keeping up their season-long attack against the equally hungry Bishop Luers Knights.

"This is a juggernaut of attack right now that Fort Wayne's going to give us too," Radtke says. "They've been able to come back in two ball games that they were behind to win, to get to this level."

At a point now where pressure can easily set in, that's not the case with this undefeated team.

"They're not nervous," says Radtke. "You gotta feel secure in what you're doing and know when you're on the field that your assignment is being done well."

"Coach Russ has been very intense like usual, and he's been putting us in place and getting our assignments pretty on key," says Easton Minix, Knox tight end and defensive end.

The Redskins will meet their match in Fort Wayne: another team that likes to run the ball.

In their regional championship game last week, the Knights were unstoppable on the ground, rushing for 252 yards.

"They're a run-heavy team and that's what we like, and we can get it done," Minix assures.

Knox's plan, offensively, is obvious.

They'll continue to utilize their record-setting do-it-all superstar Myles Mclaughlin, who can potentially set the new high school rushing record in this game.

Mclaughlin can't do all that without his offensive line, though.

The o-line has been essential in paving the way for all 71 of his touchdowns this season.

Linemen like Keyston Dickson say this game will be no different.

"Stay low, stay on our paths, and stay on our man," says Dickson, Knox offensive and defensive tackle.

Despite the media buzz Mclaughlin and the team have garnered in the last few weeks, Radtke says they never try to drown out the noise.

Instead, they embrace it and try to make the small town of Knox proud in their path to victory.

"We're getting calls from newspapers and so forth all the way from the west coast to the east coast, and so everybody's getting in on this right now," Radtke explains. "It's an exciting part that our area, Starke County, is involved in, and the South Bend, Elkhart area is involved in."

"It's pretty crazy, and not a lot of it has sunk in," admits Minix. "It doesn't even feel real right now but I'm sure it will eventually."

Both Radtke and the players say the twelfth man is going to be important for this game.

That's why the school has a special fan bus taking Redskins fans to and from the game in Fort Wayne free of charge.

Even though fans can stream the game online, the team highly recommend cheering them on in person if possible.