Mt. Vernon’s Keagan LaBelle runs past a Greenfield-Central defender during their sectional semifinal game on Friday, Oct. 29, 2021.
Tom Russo | Daily Reporter
FORTVILLE — Coach Vince Lidy will have plenty more Friday nights under the lights, but it will be the last one for Keagan LaBelle and Gehrig Slunaker.
The Mt. Vernon trio that helped lead the Marauders to their first football state championship in the fall are getting together for a final time. They will be part of the South All-Stars in tonight’s 56th Annual Murat Shrine North/South Football All-Star Classic.
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Ben Davis High School.
Lidy played in the game in 1995, representing Castle High School. He was an assistant coach in 2007 when he was on staff at Hamilton Southeastern. This is his first time as an all-star head coach.
Last season was his first as the head coach at Mt. Vernon. His team went 14-1, winning its final 14 games, including the Class 4A state title.
“For a high school player in Indiana, for football, it’s kind of like the icing on the cake or the cherry on top of the sundae,” Lidy said of being part of the all-star game. “It’s your last chance to put on a high school uniform. You’ll have your school colors on your helmet.”
“These guys are going to play at the next level,” Lidy added. “For them, it’s a stepping stone, but it’s also the last time for the high school environment with some of the best players in the state.”
LaBelle and Slunaker were key contributors to Mt. Vernon’s state championship.
LaBelle doubled as a star on offense and defense. He was named to the Indiana Football Coaches Association Top 50 All-State team as a linebacker. He’ll play running back tonight and on Saturday’s this fall at Marian University.
As a Mt. Vernon running back, LaBelle had 26 rushing touchdowns, seven 100-plus yards rushing games and averaged over 10 yards per carry. He rushed 154 times for 1,594 yards and caught five passes for 193 yards. Three of the receptions were for touchdowns. The Marian-bound back led the Mt. Vernon defense with 107 total tackles and had 11 tackles for loss. He had four sacks and a caused fumble.
“It’s an exciting experience and good to be around the people I know best,” LaBelle said of playing with a teammate and for his high school head coach. “It makes me more comfortable to be around the people you’ve been around the past couple of years.”
Slunaker spent the last three seasons as Mt. Vernon’s quarterback.
He capped off the Marauders state tourney run by winning the Class 4A Eskew Mental Attitude Award.
He’s headed to Georgetown College, located in Georgetown, Ky.
Slunaker threw for 3,028 yards and 34 touchdowns. He averaged 201.9 yards per game and rushed for five scores.
In the 45-14 win over Northridge in the state championship game, LaBelle had two rushing touchdowns, including the team’s initial score just over two minutes into action. Slunaker threw for three touchdowns.
For the game, Slunaker was 12 of 18 for 235 yards. LaBelle rushed 11 times for 76 yards.
“The whole (Mt. Vernon) team got one last game when we won the state championship,” Slunaker said. “To get one more with Keagan, it’s going to be special.”
The talented tandem graduated from Mt. Vernon High School in the spring.
Tonight, they’ll have another form of graduation, their last high school football Friday before four years of college Saturdays.
“It is going to be special to have one last time under the lights on a Friday night,” Slunaker added. “I’m just going to try to take it all in, enjoy it as much as I can and make the most of it. After Friday night we’ll be playing on Saturday’s and in the sun. We want to make the most out of our last Friday night.”
“Friday night football is what you dream of as a little kid,” LaBelle said. “You play in the backyard and then you get to high school and it hits you, you’re in your last game. Gehrig and I have one more chance. It’s a great opportunity to have one more great time with the people you love and the people you’re friends with.”
