The Indian Lake football team is looking for some deja vu.
For the second straight season, the Lakers earned a high seed in the postseason, going from #5 in 2024 to a #2 seed this year.
That seeding earned them a first-round bye this season, with the playoff field having been reduced from 16 to 12 teams per region.
In 2024, Indian Lake opened with a win over Versailles.
The next step was quite similar, as they got a win over Preble Shawnee in the quarterfinals. The Lakers won 28-14 a year ago, and held on for a 17-14 win last Friday.
That puts them in the semifinals. A season ago, they topped Greeneview 28-13 on the road to reach the regional final against West Liberty-Salem. The other semifinalists were seeded 1, 2 and 3.
This year’s results have been a bit more chaotic. The Lakers are the highest seed remaining. They will face #11 Mariemont, which has beaten #12 North College Hill (31-12) and then blanked Three Rivers Conference champion Miami East, the third seed, 30-0 last week.
In the other half of the bracket, #8 North Union dominated top seed Williamsburg 47-14, and #5 Carlisle followed up a win over WL-S in the first round with a 42-41 shootout over #4 Graham.
Should Indian Lake return to the regional final, they will face either the Wildcats or the Indians at a neutral site.
But first Coach Jonn Rapp and his squad will have to take down the Warriors. Mariemont was 4-3 in the Cincinnati Hills League.
They are 8-4 overall, and have the longest winning streak in the league besides undefeated league champ Indian Hill (11-0).
The Warriors won their first two games, beating Clermont Northeastern 30-6 and Norwood 36-0.
That was followed by a winless September, as they were defeated by Williamsburg (32-14); Taylor (20-14), Indian Hill (36-0) and Wyoming (49-24).
The rebound started with a 23-21 win over Deer Park, followed by W’s against Reading (31-0), Finneytown (28-7) and Madeira (24-14), then the two playoff contests.
Coach Rapp said that Mariemont “is a very well rounded, and balanced teams.” He noted that at this point in the season, all the teams left are playing well. “It gets harder to find weaknesses. It’s going to force us to be well rounded to beat them.”
Another factor is the experience that the Lakers gained in last year’s playoff run. Rapp, who is a history teacher, said experience and data are useful in learning what plays and schemes are most effective, and also how to best set up the practice schedules. “It helps the players and coaches be more effective,” Rapp said.
Mariemont quarterback Zachary Maier, a senior, has completed 106 of 217 passes for 1,431 yards on the season. He has thrown for 24 touchdowns and had six passes intercepted.
He is also the second leading rusher, with 62 carries for 244 yards and two scores.
Senior Max Duckwall is the top running back, with 209 carries for 776 yards (3.7 average) and eight TDs. Junior Owen Dunning has helped out with 33 carries for 145 yards.
Maier’s main receiving targets have been senior Jack Simpson, with 32 catches for 535 yards and nine touchdowns; senior Lincoln Griesmer with 27 grabs for 374 yards and three scores; and junior Evan List, who has 14 receptions for 266 yards and six touchdowns.
The Warriors’ defense is led by Griesmer at linebacker with 143 total tackles (37 solo), two sacks and two fumble recoveries. Simpson, who is part of the line, had 111 tackles and 17 sacks.
Others to watch out for are junior linebacker Ryan Kreutz (99 tackles); junior lineman Rain Qin (61) and junior linebacker Owen Dunning (60).
Mariemont has recovered eight fumbles and snared nine interceptions.
On special teams, junior Will Shteiwi has made eight of 11 field goals attempts and 30 of 31 PATs. His longest field goal measured 38 yards.
Sophomore Carsen Hatch is the punter, with an average of 34 yards and nine landing inside the 20 yard line.
Senior Luke Robinson has handled the most kickoff returns and all the punt returns for the season.
Last week against the Arrows, IL quarterback Brady Golliday was 18 of 26 for 154 yards, with two touchdowns. For the season, he is 174 of 258 (2,046 yards) with 21 TDs.
Golliday ran 18 times for 65 yards last week, and gave it to Noah Shirk 18 times, with Shirk picking up 72 yards. Shirk has 948 yards and Golliday 521 on the year.
Brodey Reisinger’s seven catches for 87 yards versus the Arrows put him over 1,000 yards on the season, at 1,036.
Colin Bendler had seven receptions for 36 yards, one a touchdown as Golliday used the short and medium passing attack to march the Lakers up and down the field.
Rapp said that he focuses on the run game, while assistant coach Larry Cascioli views it through the lens of passing, which makes for a good combination.
He said that the Lakers are willing to take quick passes and set up in short-yardage situations for second and third down.
Avery Pequignot made a 32 yard field goal that proved to be the winning margin. He has made 7 of 9 on the year, and his longest was from 36 yards. His punting average is 38.7 yards.
The Lakers defense had an interception last week, and held Preble Shawnee to 112 yards passing.
Indian Lake was also disciplined with just two penalties for 15 yards, while the Arrows had seven for 59 yards.
