‘Brotherhood’ legacy continues as Bishop Chatard football team wins state title
The football team of Bishop Chatard High School in Indianapolis celebrates its Class 3A state championship victory on Nov. 26 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis after defeating the team from Lawrenceburg High School 34-14. (Submitted photo)
By John Shaughnessy
On the day before this year’s Class 3A state championship game on Nov. 26, head coach Rob Doyle added an extra touch to the usual pre-game dinner for the football team of Bishop Chatard High School in Indianapolis.
He shared a video that showed players from the school’s previous state championship football teams encouraging the 2022 teammates, wishing them well as they tried to extend Bishop Chatard’s state record of 15 state championships in the sport.
In sharing the video, Doyle once again wanted to drive home a point about the legacy that has been established in the football program at Bishop Chatard—a legacy that, for Doyle, extends beyond the winning of state championships.
For Doyle, that legacy is summed up in one word, “Brotherhood.” He constantly stresses the theme, “You play for your brothers.” And while this year’s team has embraced that theme, the head coach wanted to add another layer to it.
“I wanted to give them a sense that the Brotherhood was there before them,” Doyle says. “Just to give them a better sense of the tradition that we’re carrying on and to have that connection with the past teams.
“The big point is that your high school football experience needs to be beyond wins and losses, that you’re going to do more in life when you bring others along with you. That’s the legacy we’re carrying into Lucas Oil Stadium.”
Coming out of Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis a day later, Bishop Chatard’s football team also carried out another state championship trophy. The team earned the Class 3A title of the Indiana High School Athletic Association with a 34-14 win over the squad from Lawrenceburg High School.
As convincing as the final score seems, the victory didn’t come without that theme of Brotherhood being tested. At halftime, the Trojans trailed 14-10.
“The biggest shock to them was that Lawrenceburg was a little better than our kids thought they were,” Doyle says.
During halftime, Bishop Chatard’s coaches made adjustments in strategy. The players made their own adjustments, bringing to the surface once again the one quality that, Doyle says, defines this team—resilience.
“No matter what happened this season, they kept fighting,” the head coach says. “We had multiple serious injuries during the season, but no matter who played, they all played well and kept fighting.”
That was the message Doyle shared with the team at halftime: “We’ve been here before. We’re going to keep grinding and wear them down.
“The boys played great in the second half. I was confident they would.”
Doyle never lost confidence in his team that finished its regular season with a record of five wins and four losses. In fact, his confidence about winning a state championship grew after a close loss to end the regular season—21-16 to a powerhouse Archbishop Elder High School team in Cincinnati.
“That’s one of the best teams in Ohio, and we played with them toe-to-toe,” Doyle says. “It was fun to see our kids play at that level. I was confident going into the playoffs, and that’s what happened.”
In the post-season tournament, the Trojans blitzed through their six games, with the lowest margin of victory being 18 points. Doyle credits much of the team’s success to its 24 seniors.
“Senior leadership is critical, and this group is as good as we’ve ever had. We spend a lot of time on leadership. In the summer, we talked about our schedule being as tough as any that Chatard has ever had. Our message was, ‘There are going to be times when their leadership would be challenged, when their confidence would be challenged, but we’ll be ready when it happens.’ And it was true. We had our tough losses, but they kept the faith, and they kept grinding.”
They also kept the legacy going in two defining ways. In the past 26 years, Bishop Chatard football teams have played in 15 state championship games, winning 14 of them. And this year’s championship extends the school’s state record to 16 in the sport overall.
Still, Doyle insists that the legacy of Brotherhood looms even larger.
“Love your brother. Play for them. That’s the greatest lesson in life I can give you,” he told the team before the state championship game.
A few days after the game, Doyle was equally reflective about being a part of that legacy.
“I’m lucky to be a part of it. Great group of kids and great families. The best part of coaching at Chatard is undoubtedly the chance to be with the kids and the coaches. I love football, don’t get me wrong. But to see the kids grow from the time we get them to the time they leave, it can be an amazing transformation. It’s fun to be a part of it.
“When you love people up, good things are going to happen.” †
