NDIANAPOLIS - It's already week three of the IHSAA football regular season. After a rough time a week ago against state-ranked North Judson-San Pierre, LaVille is set to hit the road for a battle with Class 3A No.1 Evansville Mater Dei. With there being some 300+ miles and one-way trip of over five hours on the road, the schools found neutral turf for this first-ever meeting. Kick is scheduled for September 5 at 1:30 PM at Cardinal Stadium on the campus of Southport High School, approximately 10 miles south of Indianapolis. This highly anticipated neutral-site matchup pits perennial power Mater Dei against a LaVille football team that has worked to turn around the program. Matt Thacker, the first-year LaVille skipper, added the powerhouse from the south to the schedule this year as a "measuring stick" for his program. Mater Dei enters the game on a hot streak after a comeback win against Castle. The duo of Knox Simmons and Teo Mallory are key players for the Wildcat offense. We had a chance to chat with Coach Thacker about the latest challenge. "Mater Dei is a perennial state power in 2A-3A," said Thacker. "It will be a great experience for us as we head into conference play." According to the Lancer boss, Coach Cody Hess's club is a threat to run and pass. "Offensively they can run when they want to and have the capability to throw the football all over the field. I would not be surprised if they looked to establish the run soon and often. Hopefully, we can adjust to their physicality and match it. That will be the key. "Defensively, they are very fast, physical and aggressive," continued Thacker. "Hopefully, we can use their aggressiveness against them with how we run our offense." The Wildcats have won two state championships, the last in 2022. They have played in the state finals seven times. Mater Dei ranks among the top 10 all-time in Indiana for sectional championships (24), and they are consistently in the Class 2A top-10 rankings. We also asked Coach Thacker about keys to success Saturday. "Control what we can control. Play to the whistle and have a next play mentality." This one might be a Saturday afternoon kick-off, but Thacker has communicated that, "We have to treat it like another road game. Yes, they are talented, but so are we and we can't worry about their past successes. We need to focus on ourselves." According to Thacker, top players for Mater Dei include, "(Knox Simmons) #9 their quarterback can make every throw. (Edwin Rainey) #6 Their running back is a physical runner who we will need to get to the ground in a hurry. (Matteo Mallory) #4 may be their best player and they will look to get him involved in the passing game with screens and also will take shots with him down the field. He has very good speed." On defense, Thacker says the Lancers have to keep an eye on, "(Eli Wargel) #34 their rush DE will be a factor if we allow him to dictate our reads in the run game. (Isaac File) #14 OLB is also a very good player that covers a lot of ground. (Nolan Reising) #52 and (Nash Stratman) #55 upfront could be problems as well, but we have to get after them." As the clock ticks down to game time, Thacker knows that, “... whenever you get an opportunity to play a program like Evansville Mater Dei or any great program, it naturally provides a measuring stick of where we are or where we think we are. It provides a great challenge in every facet of the game for us with what they do offensively, defensively, their depth, tradition. If we want to get to where we want to go, we have to be willing to embrace challenges like playing a program like Mater Dei.” GAMEDAY Teams: LaVille (1-1) v Evansville Mater Dei (2-0) Site: Cardinal Stadium | Southport High School Coaches: Matt Thacker, 1-1 in 1st year at LaVille, 33-51 in 9th year overall. Cody Hess, 8-6 in 2nd year at Mater Dei Last Outing: LaVille lost to North Judson-San Pierre, 55-12. Mater Dei def. Castle, 20-19 All-Time Series: No Meetings Live-Stream: https://www.ihsaatv.org/?B=4308504