KNOX, IN. - It is week six of the Indiana High School Athletic Association football regular season. And after a 63-6 Hoosier North Athletic Conference victory against Caston a week ago, LaVille will travel to Knox for a crucial HNAC contest this week. The LaVille at Knox football game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. kick at Community Field at Knox High School. LaVille continues its quest for its first-ever Hoosier North Athletic Conference championship in football as the season moves past the midway point. The Lancers are 7-7 in games played at Knox since 1994. Knox leads the series, 18-17 since 1986. LaVille picked up a 7-6 victory on September 24, 2021 at Lancer Field. A year ago, when the chips were down and a play needed to be made, the LaVille defense stood tall and made a goal line stand late to pick up the one-point victory. The Lancers made a late first quarter touchdown run by Noah Richhart and what would have been a crucial point after by Lucas Plummer stand up in a defensive battle. Knox, after eight possessions of scoreless football, put together a 14-play 92-yard drive that ended up with Gunnar Krause finding the end zone from eight yards out to make the score LaVille 7, Knox 6. The Redskins were going for two and the lead with under two minutes remaining. After three consecutive timeouts - two by Knox and one by LaVille - KHS lined up for the go-ahead two-point conversion. Krause was handed the ball, but ran right into the middle of the LaVille defensive line, inching his way toward pay dirt before the whistles blew and Krause was ruled short of the line to gain and the score remained 7-6 LaVille with 1:55 left in the fourth quarter. That LaVille defensive line, led by Collin Allen, Erik Bedock, Mason Stepp, Justin Brown, AJ Bedock, and Levi Stafford put up a brick wall, keeping Krause from breaking the plane of the goal line and all but securing a Lancer victory. Knox would attempt an on-side kick, but LaVille’s Cody Allen pounced on the ball to secure the final possession of the game for LaVille. The last Knox victory at Community Field was on September 21, 2018, following a 14-7 decision over LaVille. We had a chance to talk with LaVille Head Coach Will Hostrawser about the Caston game and the upcoming HNAC game at Knox. Let’s tie up the performance against Caston. Many positives from the game against the Comets. Could you please talk about a couple guys you felt played well and are worth mentioning for their efforts either on offense or defense. COACH: "Offensively - both Paul DeWitt and Noah Richhart did a nice job running the ball. Both scored a couple TDs. Defensively - Justin Brown really stepped up for us - he played a variety of positions - Nose Guard, Outside Linebacker and defensive back - and played well at all three spots." Talk about what impressed you about your team - defensively and offensively - following the Caston game. COACH: "I felt we came out with an edge and played a solid first half not letting up on either side of the ball." What will the Redskins bring offensively and who are a couple of Knox players to watch? COACH: "Knox plays extremely fast and physical. They have a very strong rushing attack and are capable of scoring a lot of points. They have a great QB - in Cohen Watson who is very athletic. They also have a fast freshman RB in Myles Mclaughlin who has break away speed. Their offensive line is very big and physical and they play together very well." What will Knox bring defensively and who are a couple of defensive players to watch? COACH: "Defensively, Knox plays a 4-3 - and they play it very well. They have a stout run defense in the box and all their defensive backs are quite athletic. DE Alex Wakal stands out on film as a real good edge rusher. Middle linebacker Kadon Risner has a nose for the football and always seems to be in on the tackle." What concerns you about this Knox football team Friday? COACH: "They are almost totally 2 platooned - so our guys will have to be in shape and ready to play all 4 quarters - something we have not had to do to date. This will be a real test for us." What do you feel are important factors in deciding Friday's game against Knox? COACH: "Our ability to play 4 quarters of football is paramount. We will find out what we are made of this Friday night." G A M E D A Y Teams: Class 2A #4 LaVille (5-0) at Knox (3-2) Kick: 7:30 p.m. ET, Community Field Coaches: Will Hostrawser (75-31 in 10th year at LaVille). Russ Radtke (14-14 in third year at Knox, 3821-154 in 46th year overall) Last Outing: LaVille defeated Caston, 63-6. Knox defeated John Glenn, 42-21 Series Last 35 years: Knox leads LaVille, 18-17 Last Meeting: LaVille defeated Knox, 7-6, September 24, 2021 HOOSIER NORTH ATHLETIC CONFERENCE ALL TIMES EASTERN CONFERENCE ALL GAMES W-L Pts OP W-L Pts OP Streak LaVille 4-0 207 28 5-0 249 28 Won 5 North Judson 4-0 164 20 5-0 226 20 Won 5 Triton 2-1 102 62 4-1 202 72 Won 3 Knox 2-1 113 59 3-2 201 128 Won 1 Pioneer 2-1 96 61 2-3 118 123 Lost 1 Culver 0-3 26 146 2-3 76 162 Lost 1 Winamac 0-4 19 174 1-4 52 181 Lost 2 Caston 0-4 34 211 0-5 42 237 Lost 9 Friday, Sep. 16 Hammond Central 46,Pioneer 22 Knox 42,Glenn 21 LaVille 63,Caston 6© North Judson 41, Winamac0© Triton42, Culver 0© Friday, Sep. 23 Culver Academy at North Judson, 7:30 pm LaVille at Knox©, 7:30 pm North White at Caston, 7 pm Pioneer at Triton©, 7 pm Winamac at Culver©, 7 pm