INDIANAPOLIS - Bishop Luers High School football coach Matt Lindsay will go along with the idea that this is his youngest football team in his 23 years as the Luers boss.

But being young isn't necessarily a deterrent.

“Ten years ago, that '99 team was pretty young when (Anthony) Spencer and (Kyle) Lindsay and those kids were sophomores,” Lindsay said. “But they were a bit more ready at that age than these sophomores. And this team has five freshmen that play. That's really young. But those are the best we have, so that's where it's at.”

Luers' youth - and relative inexperience even among the junior and senior class - led to some well-documented tough lessons/losses along the way. Consider those lessons learned as the young Knights (9-5) prepare to play Monrovia (14-0) for the Class 2A state title at 7 p.m. Friday in Lucas Oil Stadium.

In a media session on Monday, Lindsay was asked most about his team's playoff drive after a 4-5 regular-season record, and that discussion led to a dissecting the roster. Of Luers' 22 offensive and defensive starters, only four are seniors: left tackle Tyler Burns, center/defensive lineman Tim Kawiecki, defensive end Joe Goodwin and defensive lineman Courtney Mitchell.

Ten juniors start, along with one sophomore (quarterback James Knapke) and two freshmen. At one point in the semistate game, Lindsay had four freshmen on defense: defensive back Michael Rogers, defensive end Jaylon Smith and linemen Dan Beckman and Tyler Green.

“We knew there would be some (struggles), especially with a young quarterback,” Lindsay said. “He's not perfect. He makes some mistakes and misreads, and when you misread in (the Summit Athletic Conference), you get picked off. That's just the way it is. Kids in the SAC are extremely athletic. We knew there would be some growing pains. There wasn't any way around it.”

The path through those growing pains was the simple process of playing time, Lindsay said.

“With our kids upfront, in particular, we had the most inexperience,” Lindsay said. “Friday nights in the SAC it showed. We got manhandled by some people. Other nights, we didn't.”

Lindsay credits much of the young team's growth to assistant coaches on his staff - Kyle Lindsay (quarterbacks coach), Brent Egts (line coach) and Matt Millhouse (defensive backs coach).

The younger Lindsay - the head coach's son - was particularly helpful in the grooming of Knapke. While Knapke had rough games at times, he grew as the season progressed. He has completed 118 of 222 passes (53.1 percent) for 1,451 yards, 17 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

Matt Lindsay said he would deliver some old-school yelling at Knapke, and his son would follow through with translation.

“He has a quarterback mentality,” Lindsay said. “He'll say, ‘It's OK, listen to what the old man says and we'll walk down here and talk.'”

The young Luers team of 1999 won the first of three consecutive state championships. This team has yet to win its first, but the foundation for continued success should be well in place.

Most of the so-called skilled players will return next season: Knapke, junior dynamo Ken Mullen (1,028 yards rushing, 24 touchdowns), freshman wide receiver Rogers (17.2 yards per reception) and versatile junior receiver/return man Quyuan Mattox (seven touchdowns, five interceptions).

Smith, who is also a running back, has come on strong of late, too. Smith, already 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, is the younger brother of Harding's Rod Smith, the SAC's all-time leading rusher.

“He's just an awesome kid,” Lindsay said. “He made a run over at Cass where he ran over a couple guys and we were watching film and we said, ‘…that was like Rod Smith.' He's got some of that in him.

“We could line him up at tailback if we want and pound away, and I know he'd love that,” Lindsay continued. “That day will come, but not right now. For as young as he is, what an athlete.”

Mullen and Mattox were two players who had some significant playing time last season, but even they have matured over the course of this season into players who can make big plays at the biggest times.

Mullen is a touchdown waiting to happen. Mattox made the tackle on the two-point conversion that sealed a double-overtime regional win over Cass.

“Kenny and Q are two of the four of five kids who did play last year, and they've come around even more so this year,” Lindsay said.

It's accurate to still call Luers a young team. But inexperience has faded away at this point. Now the Knights have the opportunity to mark their maturation with a state title.