When East Noble coach Luke Amstutz got the first sniff that the SAC was going to revamp its format to include non-conference games, you just know he was immediately contacting coaches.
Amstutz is not afraid to schedule whoever, wherever. Going to Warsaw, playing Plymouth at its height, inviting Cathedral to Kendallville in 2016, among others.
The Knights took on Northrop for awhile, but that was it when it came to the SAC.
So you can imagine how excited Amstutz, his program and the entire East Noble fan base was when storied SAC programs Bishop Luers and Snider were locked in to visit Kendallville for the first two weeks of this season.
How would it go?
Well, one down, one to go.
East Noble thoroughly trounced Bishop Luers on Friday to open the 2023 campaign, rolling 45-7 to make a statement from the jump of the newly-returned non-conference opportunities for the SAC.
East Noble will not only play anybody in the SAC, it is capable of beating teams in the league as well.
The teams traded touchdowns early on, but Coach Amstutz’s squad instilled its will beginning early in the second quarter with a 10-play, 51-yard drive capped by a three-yard touchdown run by Michael Mosley. All 10 plays were runs, with East Noble speeding up the tempo between plays to wear out Bishop Luers.
It was the key to the rest of the game. While Bishop Luers’ defense never truly broke, it was ground down by the incessant push that East Noble was able to get up front – led by the four-year starter Zack Leighty.
East Noble finished the game with an astounding 63 rushing plays, gaining 305 yards in the process. Tyson Reinbold was the primary beneficiary accounting for 120 yards and two scores on 23 carries.
Bishop Luers never truly got a break defensively. East Noble attempted, and converted, three onside kicks. All were clutch plays by kicker Alex Sprague – one of the traditional kind where he booted and recovered and two in which he pooched it hard at the front line of the Luers kickoff team, with the ball caroming off players two different times for recoveries by East Noble.
All told, East Noble had the ball for 31 minutes and 44 seconds, compared to just 12:36 for Bishop Luers.
It all added up for an exhausted and defeated visiting squad, one that was thankful to leave Kendallville behind on Friday night.
For East Noble, it felt like a crowning achievement. There was no trophy. No championship of any kind. But this was a program that has long dealt with the “yeah, but what would they do against SAC teams” talk from SAC homers.
It was just one night, but it was the perfect answer to years of questioning just how GOOD Coach Amstutz’s program was and continues to be.
But it’s just one part of the story. Next week, a bigger challenge – a Snider team that went down to Indianapolis and walloped Warren Central. There will be no grinding down the Panthers. No taking advantage of superior depth by speeding up the tempo and wearing out an outmanned defense.
It will be a different type of challenge next week in Kendallville.
Coach Amstutz wouldn’t have it any other way.
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