Mike Dum knew instantly. In the midst of the swirling, chaotic euphoria following the Bishop Chatard High School football team's 14-7 victory over rival Roncalli on Sept. 2, the sophomore linebacker found senior quarterback Mike Lubbers and yelled, "We're going to the Dome." Lubbers didn't believe his youthful teammate . . . yet.

"I was thinking, 'There's no way. We have so far to go,' " Lubbers said. "But going into last week I knew we were going to the Dome."

And a child -- children, actually -- shall lead them.

The Trojans suffered a shattering 13-10 loss to Heritage Hills in the semistate last season that ended a 22-game postseason winning streak and the careers of a senior class that included three Division I-A players. The then-junior class recognized it didn't have the same talent level and would need the underclassmen to play a more prominent role this season to maintain the program's tradition.

Seniors fill just eight of the Trojans' 23 starting roles; by comparison, the 2003 championship team had 15. Sophomores are listed at nine positions on this year's two-deep depth chart and juniors have accounted for more than 75 percent of the team's total offense.

As Dum demonstrated, those young players learned quickly. The leadership provided by the senior class in developing the underclassmen has Bishop Chatard back in the Class 3A state championship for the fourth time in the past five years. The Trojans will face NorthWood (8-6) in the RCA Dome at noon today.

"The (seniors) are not superstars, but they do the same thing every day in practice and the games, and that has helped the young kids to understand that it's not about making the big play or the little play. It's about being consistent all the time," coach Vince Lorenzano said. "We have a wide range of kids (in age) playing and they've gelled as a group pretty well."

From where to store shoulder pads after practice to setting the tone in the weight room, the senior class has encouraged the underclassmen to maintain one of the state's most successful traditions. In a season some labeled a rebuilding year, Bishop Chatard won its 16th sectional title and will be making its eighth state title appearance.

"The seniors are always the leaders of the team but, unlike years past, we've depended on the underclassmen a lot more," said kicker Kevin Ball, the only returning starter from Bishop Chatard's 2003 title team. "We try to be the leaders of the team but we obviously need them and they've stepped up and helped us a lot."

Dum ensured his early-season prediction by tackling Heritage Hills quarterback Jacob McGrew on a two-point conversion attempt in overtime of the semistates. He is one of three sophomores -- with linebacker John Dury and cornerback Dan Kleinschmidt -- that start on a defense that is allowing 15 points per game.

"Ever since the summer workouts, the (seniors) have been telling us it's up to us underclassmen to step up," Dury said. "The (seniors) are leading us all the way. We're just following in their footsteps."