HHF/GID Interview with Lawrenceburg Head Coach Ryan Knigga

[Guest DT]

HHF Interview with Lawrenceburg Head Coach Ryan Knigga

 

The Tigers have been climbing the ranks for a decade since Coach Knigga's arrival. With a D1 offensive lineman and a top notch all purpose QB, 2021 should be a special year in L'Burg.

Thanks Coach for spending some time with us at Hoosier High School Football

 

Question 1

Coach, you have had great success at Lawrenceburg, 88-33 heading into your 11th season with numerous sectional, regional and semi state championships. Media coverage, including our own site, is very central Indiana focused and often loses sight of some of the great Indiana high school football programs at the far edges of the state. Has the lack of coverage or recognition of your teams accomplishments ever been a problem or a source of motivation, for you, your staff and your team?

Response

To be honest that is something we dont worry about or focus on. We worry about the things we can control. Is it a problem, yeah, but the one thing we know is if we win and take care of business, sooner than later the media will find you. I will say the Twitter world has been a game changer. It is much easier to promote your program now so it is much easier to get your program on the map. With that being said, you win enough games, play in the big games, the media has no choice to cover you. We get really good coverage from the tri-state area around here, so we dont feel left out.

Question 2

The EIAC is a solid football conference, and since 2013 has been split into big school and small school divisions. Looking at your schedule, you play all 7 of the other schools in the league, but only 3 games against the small school division rivals count in the conference standings. Are you content with the current setup in your conference, does it it prepare you adequately for the post season, and are there any changes you would recommend to put more emphasis on regular season play?

Response

There is no doubt the EIAC is an outstanding conference. It is a football conference with good teams, good players and good coaching. Each week is a challenge and a different challenge as far as what scheme you may see. We do play all schools and we do want to play the larger schools in our conference. I am content with our schedule. I would say based on our track record in the playoffs it definitely prepares us for postseason play. I don't want to see more emphasis on regular season play. No reason to. Let the schools and coaches decide what is best for their program. I don't want regular season play to have an impact on the end of the year tournament playoff seeding, in or out of the tournament. I like our current system and how we do things.

Question 3

Lawrenceburg has had its fair share of big post season games against private schools. What are your thoughts on the Success Factor, do you feel that it has achieved its objective of improving competitive balance, and would you like to see any changes to either the SF or the state tournament format to further improve the quaity of the post season?

Response

When it comes to the tournament, you play who you play. We never look at or tell our kids because our opponent is a private school they have an advantage. That is not our mindset. Football is a game where you try to teach life lessons. In a few years you may be going for a job against a kid who attended a private school, guess what, you need to win. You need to win the game, you need to get the job offer. End of the day, those student/athletes who attend a private school are still 14-18 year old kids. The success factor, to be honest, I really don't like. I know some say that it is helping and it is doing what it is intended to. However, you have a team that is really good for two years. A team where the Jr. & Sr. classes are really good. They win a ton of big games and get their school bumped up after they leave. Who does that impact? The kids left behind get penalized for someone else's success. So I am not a fan. I see no reason for a school with 200 kids to be playing a school with 750 because they were successful a season or two before, just my opinion. So changes, yeah, do away with it. But if we must have, then keep it the same.

Question 4

We are seeing more and more emphasis put on strength and conditioning programs throughout the state as year round player development is in direct correlation to team success. How would you describe your program, and your facilities and staff at Lawrenceburg with regards to the strength and conditionijng of your student athletes?

Response

We have one of the best training facilities in Indiana. We also have one of the best Strength & Conditioning Coaches in Indiana in DeMarco Henry. We are very fortunate to have both. We work on building athletes. Our kids play multiple sports so we must make sure they are functional for all their sports. We are a program that works on injury prevention, speed development and good technique. We have high expectations for all our athletes in the weight room. We have also added a fueling station for athletes to make sure they are getting the proper nutrition after workouts. All of our kids are in the class during the day so this helps us maintain our strength throughout the season and school year.

Question 5

Non conference scheduling is a real key in terms of giving your team an opportunity to see a different style and level of competition. What is your philosophy on scheduling non con opponents, are you somewhat limited due to your location, and have you considered reaching out to Indy area schools to try and create some new challenges for your program.

Response

We are kinda locked in with our schedule. We don't have much room to improvise. We have two games we could look at moving. Now we don't necessarily need to play all the schools on the 4A side of the EIAC, but to me that just seems like a bad plan. Our schedule just has always been set, so no I have not considered reaching out to anyone. If we had more wiggle room, then that may be an option, but at this time I am happy with our schedule. Trust me, the games we have lost in the playoffs or whenever, I would not blame those defeats on our schedule.

Question 6

You have had a nice run of talent at Lawrenceburg over the past several seasons, but none more highly regarded than Senior Offensive Tackle and Rivals 3 Star recruit Ashton Craig, (6-5, 285) who has committed to Notre Dame. The Irish have a long history of sending linemen to the NFL, so Ashton's pro potential is certainly bright. What can you tell us about his summer prep and what are your expectations of him as you look ahead to the upcoming season?

Response

Ashton is an unbelievable kid first and foremost. Ashton is a leader and kid who does everything the right way. He is a great role model for the kids in our program, school and community. His summer prep is going well. He is a player who is very focused on his goals, but also a player who knows we have big team goals. He is doing everything to make sure both parties have a successful season. My expectations of him are simple, do the right thing, play hard, have fun and enjoy the moment.

Question 7

Who are some of the other key players who you will be counting on both offensively and defensively in the 2021 campaign?

Response

Garrett Yoon - One of the best QB's in the state. A dual threat kid. Kid can play. Someone who will take a chance on him at the next level, will not be disappointed.

Dahya Patel - One of the best WR in 3A! He is a playmaker. He is a vertical threat as well as a short route guy who can break tackles.

Jackson Goodall - 6'5" Athletic OL/DL who just transferred in from South Dearborn

Aiden Gilmour - WR / DB - lead the team in INT's

Jayce Bohan, Luke Pierce - Both very talented kids who will play on both sides of the ball.

Jake Pierce - H back - does the dirty work. MLB who can make plays.

Brennan Bushman - DB who is very athletic.

Colton Roth, Micha Foster - OL/DL - both can play.

Question 8

You open again against East Central to kickoff the 2021 season. How do you view this game in terms of program development as the Trojans have dominated the series

Response

It's no secret, East Central has owned us for the past how many years. We know that and understand it. We have had our chances in the past, we just didn't cash in, that's football, they beat us. No doubt we use this game to see what type of team we have. It tells us a lot about our team. We love the challenge, but we also don't put all our chips down on this game. End of the day, it's game one versus a very good opponent. We win, we get back to work on Monday. We lose, we get back to work on Monday. Either way, we take the weekend, get it out of our system and move on. We know the challenge and our kids are ready for that. I think if you were to talk to East Central, they know we are an improved program. We have definitely gotten their attention, but we need to win one sooner than later or that elephant will still be in the room. I love winning the 3A EIAC, 3A Sectional, those are great feelings, but we must knock down this door of beating East Central. It has been long enough!

 

 

Coach, thanks for your participation and best of luck to you and your team this season.

 

Tim Phillips

Hoosier High School Football

[tango]

20 hours ago, DT said:

The success factor, to be honest, I really don't like. I know some say that it is helping and it is doing what it is intended to. However, you have a team that is really good for two years. A team where the Jr. & Sr. classes are really good. They win a ton of big games and get their school bumped up after they leave. Who does that impact? The kids left behind get penalized for someone else's success. So I am not a fan. I see no reason for a school with 200 kids to be playing a school with 750 because they were successful a season or two before, just my opinion.

Kudos to Coach K.  

[temptation]

I’ve always been curious about the pronunciation of this guy’s last name...
 

Anyone?

[Guest DT]

47 minutes ago, temptation said:

I’ve always been curious about the pronunciation of this guy’s last name...
 

Anyone?

 

Listen