INDIANAPOLIS
Walking toward the north end zone inside Lucas Oil Stadium early Friday evening, Bruce Scifres began to accelerate his pace.
Smiling widely, Scifres, the Rebels’ head coach since 1990, made his way toward the one Rebels’ assistant coach he hadn’t hugged following Roncalli’s 36-22 victory against NorthWood in the Class 4A championship game.
It was an embrace a quarter-century in the making.
Luke Scifres, 25, who grew up on sidelines as a ball boy for his father’s powerhouse teams of the 1990s and early 2000s and later played for Roncalli, is in his second season working with the Rebels’ special teams.
Father and son with matching championship medals. Perhaps even matching championship rings.
And enough stories to last a lifetime.
“It feels even better than I ever imagined,” Luke said. “The team fought hard, gave me a little bit of a scare there, but this is a great team that fought through everything all season.
“There’s nothing quite like winning your first state championship with your dad there. I couldn’t be more proud of him. The love he shows for me, my family and obviously this team. This is all almost surreal.”
None of the four Scifres children were born when Bruce, a Rebels assistant coach himself under Bill Kuntz for three seasons (1980-82), was hired on his 33rd birthday to succeed Bill Sylvester.
Something of an unknown quantity at this juncture of his career coming off seven seasons as an assistant at Lawrence Central (1983-89), Scifres in his 27 years at Roncalli has led the program to seven of its nine state championships.
His surefire Indiana Football Hall of Fame credentials also include 248 victories.
Luke Scifres has been there for most of it.
When Luke turned 4 years old two months prior to the start of the 1995 season, Bruce and his wife, Jackie, began allowing him to stand on the Roncalli sidelines during games as one of the Rebels’ ball boys.
Looking his idols straight in the waist, there was no place he would rather be on autumn Friday nights.
“Ever since the day Luke was born, all he’s known is Roncalli football,” Bruce Scifres said. “I’ve been the coach here 27 years, and Luke has poured his heart and soul into it as a player and now as a coach.
“It’s just a real blessing to coach with him and be part of a championship.”
Luke played running back for his dad during the 2007, 2008 and 2009 seasons, a stretch in which Roncalli teams were a combined 15-16 and unable to make it out of sectional.
He continued his playing career at Marian University, where Scifres was the starting long snapper for the Knights’ 2014 NAIA national championship team.
Presently employed at Urology of Indiana in the Information Technology Department, Luke Scifres is also a valued commodity in all technological aspects of Roncalli football.
Whether Luke elects to eventually follow his father’s footsteps and pursue head coaching opportunities remains to be seen, though for now they have this special season – only the second 15-0 finisher in the rich history of Roncalli High School football.
The first occurred in 1999 when Luke was 8.
He played a much more significant role in the Rebels’ success this time around, all the while working with the man he most idolizes.
“You don’t get where you are without hard work, and my dad is one of the hardest-working coaches I’ve ever seen,” Luke said. “He’s been able to adjust to new times and new technologies, which totally helps with longevity.
“But more than anything it’s his heart. My dad loves Roncalli, he loves the kids and he loves coaching. I’ve seen it firsthand my whole life.”
