The 2018 football season kicks off across the state of Indiana on Friday night.
The past two days, we’ve had season previews for Columbus North and Columbus East. Here is the outlook for the other five area schools that field football programs:
Jennings County
The Panthers will look to improve on a 2-8 season, including 1-6 in the Hoosier Hills Conference. As part of the conference’s restructured scheduling, they will not play Bedford North Lawrence, which likely is the HHC’s second-best team.
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“We have to get better defensively,” Jennings coach Rick Zimmerman said. “Our offense was decent, but defensively, we really struggled. Hopefully this year with our schedule and our experience, we’ll have a little bit better season.”
Junior Lance Bailey takes over at quarterback. The Panthers received a big break Monday when returning senior running back Brooks Wathen found out the knee he injured in Friday’s scrimmage only was a sprain.
Junior Owen Deaton also will play running back. Juniors Levi Peacock and Justin Brogdon will be the wingbacks, where sophomore Brandon Harris also will play. Junior Jared Corya and senior Dylan Elkins will be the wide receivers.
Senior Brock Ernstes returns at tight end. Junior Nathaniel McDonald is back at right tackle, and senior Hunter Conrad returns at right guard. Junior Kyle Wilson moves from center to left tackle, senior Dalton Grills steps in at left guard and junior Blake Mitchell at center.
Jennings will employ a 3-3 stack on defense after playing a 4-2-5 last year. Harris and junior Logan Forney or freshman Payton Hayden will play defensive end/outside linebacker spots. Ernstes, Conrad, McDonald and Wilson will rotate at the defensive tackle spots, and senior Shon Warner returns at nose tackle.
Three-year starter Brooks Wathen and Deaton return at linebacker, and sophomore Tyler Wathen steps into the middle linebacker spot. Junior Aaron Martin returns at free safety senior Duncan Rowda returns at cornerback, where he will be joined by senior Anthony Wilcox or junior Drew Goins.
Senior Dylan Boswell is entering his third-year as the place-kicker and also may do some punting this year. Martin returns as the punter, but has a hip flexor.
Along with Wathen’s and Martin’s injuries, Rowda has a broken hand and could miss the first four weeks of the season. Wathen is questionable for Friday’s opener at Batesville.
“We have quite a few positions where we have at least two kids compete for the starting positions, so we’re kind of mix and matching groups,” Zimmerman said. “We just have to get healthy.”
Brown County
The Eagles started out strong last season, winning their first two games and three of their first five. But they lost four of their last five to finish 4-6, including 0-5 in the WIC East Division.
“Barring injuries, which hurt us last year, I am looking for us to have an even better year than last year,” Brown County coach Randy Minniear said. “We have a lot of enthusiasm. These kids have really come together as a family.”
Junior Noah Carter returns for his third year as the starting quarterback. Junior Hunter Funkhouser, senior Bryce Denton and freshman Kody Walsh and junior Caleb Popp could see action at running back.
Junior Nick Huls and Javon Oliphant will start at wide receiver, with senior Devin Smith-Harden, Walsh and junior Brandon Fleischman also seeing action. Junior Jordan Oswald and senior Griffin Kelly will be the slot receivers, with Walsh also figuring into the mix.
“I think we’re stronger at the skill positions than we’ve been in the past,” Minniear said. “They all can run. They all can catch. Carter is coming to be a really top-notch quarterback.”
Senior Leyton Mosier returns at tackle, where he will be joined by junior Nick Roman or sophomore John Wietlisbach. Sophomore Dawson Lambert, junior Derek Sears and sophomore Jessee Addington will play guard, and senior Christian Fouts will be at center.
The Eagles run a 4-2-5 defense with Funkhouser and Mosier at end and Lambert, Roman and seniors Jadin Mobley and Brandon Mulryan rotating at tackle. Fouts and Popp will be the linebackers
Senior Evan Fleischman and junior Alex Baker are the corners. Kelly and Denton will be the hybrid safeties/linebackers, with freshman Carter Kelly and Walsh also playing there. Senior Dale Phelps is the Falcon, or safety.
Senior Skylar Fleischman will again handle extra points and short field goals, and junior Caleb Yeager will do long field goals and kickoffs. Yeager or Carter will do the punting.
Minniear was pleased with what he saw in Friday’s scrimmage against Eastern Greene, last year’s Class A state runner-up.
“Our passing game looked pretty good,” Minniear said. “We need to work on the ground game. Defensively, I thought we played really well and swarmed to the ball.”
South Decatur
The Cougars have a new coach in Garry Sauley, a former head coach at North Decatur who as an assistant at that school last season.
Sauley replaces Tony Bell, who led South Decatur to a 5-6 record, including 3-2 in the Mid-Indiana Football Conference.
“We have a lot of learning to do,” Sauley said. “We kind of started behind the 8-ball a little bit with me coming in so late. We have some things we need to work on.”
Sophomore Wyatt Gatewood takes over at quarterback. Juniors Kenny Meadows and Jacobi Shook will play tailback and fullback, with sophomore Clayton McNealy providing depth at both spots.
Senior Trent Nobbe and junior Gage Mings or sophomore Ben Stier will be the receivers. Sophomore Cody Diekoff will play tight end.
Freshman Ian Frensemeier and senior Shaun Walterman will be the tackles. Juniors Brogan Howard and Justin Johnson will be at guard, with senior Nathan Fairchild at center.
Senior Kody Friend will anchor a 5-2 defense at nose tackle. He will be flanked by senior Braden Thompson and Johnson at tackle and Nobbe and either Diekoff or Walterman at end.
Shook and Meadows will be the linebackers. Freshman Hunter Collins and junior Dalton Grider will play corner, with Stier and Gatewood at safety.
“We want to be competitive for the conference, and we want to get better as the season goes on,” Sauley said. “Right now, it’s a learning curve for the players. They’re trying to learn my way of doing things. I think every day, we get a little bit better, so hopefully by the end of the year, we’re where we want to be.”
Edinburgh
The Lancers went winless on the field last season, but in technical terms, they did win one game. They beat Class A state runner-up Eastern Greene by forfeit after it was discovered the Thunderbirds used an ineligible player, to finish 1-9, including 0-5 in the MIFC.
Last year, 17 of the 22 starting positions were filled by first-time varsity players, and Jason Burton was in his first year as head coach.
“I feel like we have the potential to have a lot more success this year,” Burton said. “The kids have the experience this year. The optimism is there. The kids are excited. They believe they can win football games now, which is a much better outlook than we’ve had in the past here.”
Junior Tyson Sackman returns at quarterback. He will be joined by senior running back Bryce Burton, who returns to football after being injured and playing tennis last fall.
Seniors Hunter Dean and Braxton Burton and junior Dakota Balthazor return at receiver and will be joined by sophomore Austin Streeval. Sophomore Jonathan Brown steps in a tight end.
Senior Jordan Myers returns at tackle, where he will be joined by sophomore Corbin Burton. Sophomores Wyatt Williams and Zach Clarkson will be the guards, and senior Ethan Armel is back at center.
Armel and Myers return at the ends in a 4-3 defense, with senior Zach Giles and freshman Conner Douglass stepping in at tackle. Streeval returns at outside linebacker and will be joined by Bryce Burton outside and sophomore Corbin Burton in the middle.
Braxton Burton and Dean return at cornerback. Freshman Riley Palmeter and junior newcomer Darius Bennett take over the safety spots. Sophomore Preston Smith will be the nickel back.
“We were able to get some more kids out than we had in the past, and we have a couple returning to the program,” Jason Burton said. “We got some of those guys who played other sports to come to football, and that’s going to help. We have some depth, which is going to allow for some competition at practice.”
Trinity Lutheran
The Cougars have only 18 players, including just two seniors on the roster.
Trinity once again this season will not compete in the IHSAA postseason tournament. The Cougars instead will play a 10th regular-season game the week the tourney opens.
“We’re young,” Trinity coach Michael Wilson said. “We have sophomores and freshmen everywhere, but we’ll get better as the year goes along.”
Sophomore Tyler Goecker returns at quarterback. Sophomore Lawson Woods and freshman Evan Hunt step in at running back. Sophomore Jack Marksberry and junior Kaiden Bright will be the receivers, with freshmen Mitchell Hackman and Kade Hill providing depth.
The two seniors, Reis McGuire and Gabe Carrizales, will be the tackles. Junior Chris Mau and sophomore Connor Ellis will play guard, and sophomore Jake Mau will be the center.
The Cougars will run a 4-3 defense, with McGuire and freshman Ethan Parsons at end and Carrizales and Chris Mau at tackle. Jake Mau will be the middle linebacker, with Woods and Brayden Murphy at outside linebaker. Bright and Hunt will be the corners, and Marksberry and Goecker will play safety.
Trinity usually goes for a 2-point conversion instead of kicking extra points. Chris Mau will kick off, and Marksberry will do the punting.
The Cougars will look to carry the momentum it gathered at the end of last season. They won their final three games after losing their first five.
“We want to come out strong and compete in the first couple of games and get our feet under us,” Wilson said. “We want to have a winning record this year and even though we’re young, just be competitive.”
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Jennings County
Friday;at Batesville;7 p.m.
Aug. 24;at Brown County;7 p.m.
Aug. 31;New Albany;7 p.m.
Sept. 7;at Columbus East;7 p.m.
Sept. 14;at Madison;7 p.m.
Sept. 21;Connersville;7 p.m.
Sept. 28;at Seymour;7 p.m.
Oct. 5;Floyd Central;7 p.m.
Oct. 12;Jeffersonville;7 p.m.
Brown County
Friday;Edinburgh;7 p.m.
Aug. 24;Jennings County;7 p.m.
Aug. 31;at Cascade;7 p.m.
Sept. 7;at Indian Creek;7 p.m.
Sept. 14;Beech Grove;7 p.m.
Sept. 21;at Cloverdale;7 p.m.
Sept. 28;Edgewood;7 p.m.
Oct. 5;at Owen Valley;7 p.m.
Oct. 12;at WIC placement game;7 p.m.
Edinburgh
Friday;at Brown County;7 p.m.
Aug. 24;at North Decatur;7 p.m.
Aug. 31;at Oldenburg Academy;7 p.m.
Sept. 7;Switzerland County;7 p.m.
Sept. 14;South Decatur;7 p.m.
Sept. 21;Milan;7 p.m.
Sept. 28;at Eastern Greene;7 p.m.
Oct. 5;Wes-Del;7 p.m.
Oct. 12;at Trinity Lutheran;7 p.m.
South Decatur
Friday;North Decatur;7 p.m.
Aug. 25;at Tri-County;2 p.m.
Aug. 31;at Trinity Lutheran;7 p.m.
Sept. 7;Milan;7 p.m.
Sept. 14;at Edinburgh;7 p.m.
Sept. 21;Eastern Hancock;7 p.m.
Sept. 28;at Switzerland County;7 p.m.
Oct. 5;Oldenburg Academy;7 p.m.
Oct. 12;Cambridge City Lincoln;7:30 p.m.
Trinity Lutheran
Friday;Indianapolis Tindley;7 p.m.
Aug. 24;Indiana Deaf;7 p.m.
Aug. 31;South Decatur;7 p.m.
Sept. 7;at Indianapolis Shortridge;7 p.m.
Sept. 14;Indianapolis Lighthouse East;7 p.m.
Sept. 21;at Oldenburg Academy;7 p.m.
Sept. 28;at Indianapolis Manual;7 p.m.
Oct. 5;at Rock Creek Academy;7 p.m.
Oct. 12;Edinburgh;7 p.m.
Oct. 19;Dugger Union;7:30 p.m.
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