KNOX - The Road To Lucas OIl Stadium begins tonight as the LaVille Lancers travel to Knox for its IHSAA Class 2A Sectional encounter in high school football Friday night. The 2A Sectional 33 semifinal is scheduled to kick off at 8:00 PM EDT from Community Field. There will be no live-stream for the October 30 game. You can follow along on X by typing in @LVAthletics LHS is 3-6 overall after a 27-14 victory over Osceola Grace two weeks ago in the regular season finale at Lancer Field. Knox improved to 4-6 overall afte the victory over Whiting last week. Friday, October 30th is actually the second round of the IHSAA sectional as LaVille drew a bye in week one. Last week, Knox dismantled Whiting, 40-14.  Ashton Walker threw for a pair touchdowns, and ran for another, while Maddex Olejniczak rushed for two scores.  Jaydin Fisher ran for 118 yards on 12 carries and a score. This week - Indiana Northern State Conference foes LaVille and Knox - will renew their rivalry at Community Field.  Kick is scheduled for 8:00 PM EDT. Both these teams are familiar with each other, being INSC rivals and all. The two met a little over a month ago in Knox.  The Lancers led 7-6 midway through the fourth quarter until the Redskins claimed a 20-7 victory. KHS leads the series with LaVille, 22-21, and has won the last four straight in the series. We asked LaVille head coach Matt Thacker if he feels there is a familiarity between the two schools. "I guess there is familiarity, but not sure how much that plays into anything," said the first-year Lancer skipper. "Yes, we both know what each is going to do, but I'm sure they have tweaked their offense and defense to something we have not seen, but we'll see. "It's tournament time and you have to be ready for everything." Thacker and his Lancer club know it will be a war. "They are physical and will not stop until the final whistle blows," said Thacker of Friday's opponent.  "To be honest they play football the right way and we have a ton of respect for their team and their coaching staff.  They run the football and in the tournament that is what you have to do in order to be successful." Due to the IHSAA blind draw a couple weeks back, LaVille was the ping pong ball in the bucket, therefore earning the bye. We asked Thacker about the bye and not playing versus playing. "Honestly, I think there is more advantage to playing last week," Thacker explained.  "Everybody talks about having the bye, but in the grand scheme of things, I don't think it matters a ton.  You haven't played in two weeks when you are used to playing.  How are we going to respond when we play again? "Yes (the bye) gives you a chance to heal to an extent, but some of our guys need a little longer to heal.  It also allowed us to focus on us and work on more of the details of what we are trying to accomplish." We asked Coach Thacker about the regular season game on September 30, and what he felt his squad learned from that game. "We have to be able to finish games and take advantage of scoring points when we have those opportunities.  Knox gives you nothing and when you have a chance to put points on the board you have to get that done."   According to Thacker, keys to advancing to the next round of playoffs against Knox Friday? "Physical, Selfless & Relentless." Game on ... GAMEDAY IHSAA FOOTBALL STATE TOURNAMENT Class 2A Sectional 33 LaVille (3-6) at Knox (4-6) Kick: 8:00 PM EDT Coaches: Matt Thacker, 3-6 in 1st year at LaVille, 35-56 in 9th year overall. Russ Radtke, 59-28 in 7th year at Knox, 430-165 in 50th year overall. Last Outing: LaVille defeated Osceola Grace, 27-14. Knox defeated Whiting, 40-14. Series: Knox leads LaVille, 22-21 Last Meeting: Knox def. LaVille, 20-7, Sept 25, 2026 All-Time Tournament Series: First Meeting