Not long ago, a sectional semifinal matchup against Paoli was cause for celebration.
Facing the Rams meant an easy week and an easy victory.
That is clearly no longer the case.
In just three years, Paoli coach Brian Balsmeyer has turned the Rams into the class of Class 2A. Balsmeyer has the Rams 10-0 and ranked No. 2 and in the sectional semifinal for the third straight season.
On Friday, Providence has the tall task of keeping Paoli out of its second straight sectional championship game.
“Coach Balsmeyer and his coaching staff have done an excellent job and turned that program around,” long-time Providence coach Gene Sartini said. “They’re second in the state and they deserve it. They’re 10-0, so they have to be pretty good.”
The Rams were 0-10 just three seasons ago, for the third time in four years. Still, Balsmeyer said being 10-0 and winning the Patoka Lake Conference is far from the Rams’ ultimate goal.
“We expect to go the distance (to a state championship),” said Balsmeyer, who is 26-17 in his fourth year at Paoli. “Our kids have prepared themselves physically and mentally. We must go out and execute on every play and catch some breaks along the way for this to be a reality.
“The regular season was good to us and our program, however good teams are measured by what they do in the tournament. We believed (winning in the playoffs) was a great possibility. It was a goal of ours from day one.”
Paoli is averaging nearly 45 points per game behind fourth-year starting quarterback Logan Laswell. The All-State candidate has rushed and passed for more than 1,000 yards this season.
“He’s good, but he’s not the only one that’s good,” Sartini said. “We’ve got to watch out for him, but they’ve got the whole package.”
“Offensively, we have many options, and they all start with (Laswell),” Balsmeyer said.
Despite the difference in records neither coach expects the outcome to be typical of a 10-0 squad vs. a 6-4 team. The Pioneers are 6-4, despite playing three 5A schools and a 4A, while the Rams haven’t played anyone over 3A and most of their games have been against Class 2A and Class A programs.
“They have played a brutal regular season for a 2A school,” Balsmeyer acknowledged. “They will be ... dangerous. Providence is a well-coached team with very good players, (and) they will be very physical.”
“We have a tough schedule, but we’ve lost (four times),” Sartini said. “If we had beaten the bigger schools, I’d be really, really confident (about Friday). We’re on a par with them, I believe.”
Sartini said the key to victory is staying mistake-free.
“We’ve had too many turnovers, too many mental mistakes,” Sartini said. “If we want to have a chance to win, we’ve got to cut that down. We’re not a bad football team, but we’re a terrible team when we have all of those mental mistakes.”
Mistakes have not been an issue to the Rams this season. In fact, Balsmeyer said, his team’s mental toughness has been the key to its success.
“All of our kids haves taken on a lineman's mentality. A lineman does not care who touches the ball or who makes the tackles,” he said. “They just want to be successful. Our kids have been very unselfish, (and) they enjoy playing for one another.”
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