Four area football teams which showed improvement last season are hoping to continue that trend.
Jennings County, Brown County, South Decatur and Edinburgh all finished with losing records last season and will try to climb over the .500 mark this year. Here is a look at each.
Jennings County
The Panthers started 3-3 last season before dropping their final four games to finish 3-7, including 1-5 in the Hoosier Hills Conference, in Justun Sharp’s first year at the helm. For the second year in a row, Jennings will not play Columbus East.
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"We definitely have some talent," Sharp said. "It’s just youthful. Anytime you lose 19 seniors, it’s a little bit of inexperience. But they’ve come a long way. It’s just, ‘Can we get that football IQ up to compete in the conference.’"
Junior Peyton Hayden, who played split end last season, takes over at quarterback.
"He has a really strong right arm," Sharp said. "He a baseball player and has a mid-80s fastball, which is not too shabby for a high school kid. He’s come a long way in a short period of time."
Junior Layne Sharp and sophomore Michael Haines will step in at running back. Junior newcomer Colton Ross will be in the slot and sophomores Austin Wells and Cole Marksberry at receiver. Seniors Zane Ortleib and Dakota Beesley and junior Zach Reason could play H-back.
On the offensive line, junior Jake Sturgeon and senior Raul Ruiz return at tackle. Junior Michael Reynolds and senior Caleb Boccia will be at guard, and sophomore Zayden Patton takes over at center.
"Our offense will revolve around Peyton Hayden," Justun Sharp said. "He’s basically like a running back. Our receivers are big possession receivers. Really, where we’re going to hang our hat is our big offensive line."
Jennings runs a 3-3 stack defense. Senior Tyler Wathen will be at one end, with either Boccia, Reynolds or junior Trea Short at the other end. Boccia, Patton and Reynolds could play the nose.
Senior Blake Vaught and sophomore Teagan Trotter will be at outside linebacker. Ortlieb and Beesley will be inside linebackers, with Reason at middle linebacker.
Marksberry and at senior Kolton Bentz will be the corners. Haines and junior Bryce Barnes could split time at free safety.
"On the defensive side, I like our linebacking corps," Justun Sharp said. "Zane Ortlieb is a stud for us."
The Panthers open the season Friday at Covenant Christian before traveling to Brown County in Week 2.
"Hopefully, we get to play," Justun Sharp said. "At the beginning of the week, when the MAC shut their doors and the Big Ten shut their doors, it didn’t look good. But as the week progressed, it looks more and more like we’ll at least start the season."
Brown County
The Eagles went 5-6 last season, with three of their losses coming by a touchdown or less. This year, they’ll have their biggest team in coach Randy Minniear’s five-year tenure with about 50 players on the roster.
"I’m very pleased with the numbers," Minniear said. "I’m pretty pleased with what we’re doing. We’re trying to be extra careful because we’re trying to get the season. We want the kids to be safe. It’s been interesting for everyone."
Junior Seth Oliphant, who played at safety last season, takes over for four-year starter Noah Carter at quarterback.
"We’re very pleased with him," Minniear said. "He’s a good runner. He runs the offense very well. He’s very good in our read-and-go type of things. He’s taking the bull by the horns, and I think he’s going to be really."
Juniors Kody Walsh and Waunblee Roux, return at running back. Senior Hunter Funkhouser, who has started at linebacker the past two years, will be the H-back.
"We have two or three really good running backs," Minniear said. "Walsh and Roux are really solid runners. I think we’re going to be real solid at running back."
Junior Carter Kelly returns in the slot. Juniors Jordan Nash, Ethan Boland and Malachi Nickels and senior newcomer Travis Ely could see action at receiver. Senior Dalton Hedrick and sophomore Brady Roberts can play H-back and tight end.
Senior Dawson Lambert moves from guard to tackle, and senior John Wietlesbach, who was injured last year, returns at tackle. Senior Derek Sears, who started as a sophomore and did not play last year, will be one of the guards. Battling for the other guard and the center spot aresophomores Jackxon Goldsmith, Wyatt Barnett, Braden Hedger, Michael Knaus, Brady Parrish and Wyatt Barnett and junior Andy Weddle. Junior Eli Wilkinson, who was the starting center last year, has been out with an injury, but could return.
"We have some size this year for the first time in a long time," Minniear said. "We’re bigger than we’ve ever been. We have some big boys all vying in there, and they’re doing a good job."
In a 3-5-3 defense, Sears will be the nose, and Lambert and Weitlesbach will be the ends, along with sophomore Ethan Spiece, senior Brandon Phelps and Goldsmith. Barnett could play end or tackle; senior Dillon Lanfair could play end, nose or linebacker and senior Sean Carney could play end or linebacker.
Funkhouser returns at middle linebacker. Hedrick and Kelly will be at inside linebacker. Walsh, Roux and sophomore Blake Grider could play the cobra, which is a hybrid linebacker/defensive back.
Nash, Nickels, sophomore Landon Mullis, senior Austin Bond and junior Porter Richards also could see action at corner. Sophomore Evan Asher and Oliphant could play the free safety position. Boland could play safety or corner.
"We could be very good, but young," Minniear said. "A lot of young fellas are showing they can play. We really have a lot of kids that I think can really help us and play at different spots. It’s a good thing for us this year."
South Decatur
The Cougars will have a small team with only 22 players.
"The kids have worked really hard," said Rick Zimmerman, who went 4-6 in his first year at South Decatur. "Our numbers aren’t the best. You always like to have more kids, but being at a 1A school, it’s hard to get a lot of players."
Senior Wyatt Gatewood is back to run Zimmerman’s Pistol Wing-T offense. Seniors Clayton McNealy and Colton Johannigman and junior Kelbi Shook return in the backfield.
Seniors newcomer Tyler Sporleder, and senior Ben Stier, who played as a sophomore, step in at receiver. Senior Cody Diekhoff returns at tight end.
Senior Hudson Meeker and junior Zach Ralston will be the tackles. Seniors Brian Wittkamper and Layne Skinner will play guard and junior Ryken Winchester will be at center.
"We lost most of offensive and defensive lines," Zimmerman said. "We have all our skill kids back, but we’re looking for linemen. We have some kids that haven’t played the line before that we’re teaching to be linemen."
Ralston and Winchester will be the ends, with Wittkamper and McNealy at tackle in a 4-4 defense. Johannigman and senior Shown Wright will be the inside linebackers, with Stier and Diekhoff at outside linebacker.
Shook will be a three-year starter at corner, where he will be joined by Sporleder at corner. Gatewood is entering his fourth year starting at safety.
"We’re going to have a lot of players going both ways," Zimmerman said.
Edinburgh
The Lancers have 25 players, but had to cancel their scrimmage with Covenant Christian after only 13 were available.
Edinburgh had four in quarantine who are expected to be back at practice on Monday. They won’t have enough practices to play in Friday’s opener against Indianapolis Tindley, but could play in Week 2 at North Decatur.
Junior Riley Palmeter, who took over at quarterback midway through last season, will begin there this year. Senior Austin Streeval returns at running back, where he will be joined by sophomore Jarrett Turner.
Sophomore Caleb Dewey returns at receiver and will be joined by junior newcomer Landon Burton. Junior Colin Richardson and sophomore Braylon Bryant will play in the slot.
"I think we’ll be able to improve," said Tyler DeSpain, who went 1-9 in his first year as head coach. "Obviously, it helps a lot that we were able to use a lot of our young guys last year. Getting Riley a little more time and Caleb Dewey a little more time I think will help."
Senior Joey Leggins and junior Caleb Turner will be the tackles. Senior Zach Clarkson and sophomore Jesse Vandiver will be at guard, with sophomore Mason Calhoun at center.
In a 4-3 defense, junior Joe Ellington and Calhoun will be the ends, and Turner and Leggins the tackles. Streeval, who led Edinburgh with 153 tackles, and Palmeter return at outside linebacker, and junior Travis Bidal will be in the middle.
Braylon Bryant and Landon Burton will be the corners. Richardson and Dewey are the safeties.
"I think it’s a mixture of experience and just improvement in the game," DeSpain said. "That experience definitely helps body- and maturity-wise, and we’re getting more talent out from other sports."
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Football schedules for area teams:
Jennings County
Friday;at Covenant Christian;7 p.m.
Aug. 28;at Brown County;7 p.m.
Sept. 4;Bedford North Lawrence;7 p.m.
Sept. 11;at Seymour;7 p.m.
Sept. 18;at Madison;7 p.m.
Sept. 25;Connersville;7 p.m.
Oct. 2;at Floyd Central;7 p.m.
Oct. 9;Jeffersonville;7 p.m.
Oct. 16;New Albany;7 p.m.
Brown County
Friday;at Pike Central;7 p.m.
Aug. 28;Jennings County;7 p.m.
Sept. 4;at Cloverdale;7 p.m.
Sept. 11;at Indian Creek;7 p.m.
Sept. 18;West Vigo;7 p.m.
Sept. 25;at Greencastle;7 p.m.
Oct. 2;at South Putnam;7 p.m.
Oct. 16;Edgewood;7 p.m.
Edinburgh
Friday;Indianapolis Tindley;7 p.m.
Aug. 28;at North Decatur;7 p.m.
Sept. 4;Oldenburg Academy;7 p.m.
Sept. 11;Switzerland County;7 p.m.
Sept. 18;South Decatur;7 p.m.
Sept. 25;Milan;7 p.m.
Oct. 2;at Traders Point Christian;7 p.m.
Oct. 9;Rock Creek Academy;7 p.m.
Oct. 16;at Dugger Union;7 p.m.
South Decatur
Friday;North Decatur;7 p.m.
Aug. 28;at Indiana Deaf;7 p.m.
Sept. 4;Indianapolis Tindley;7 p.m.
Sept. 11;Milan;7 p.m.
Sept. 18;at Edinburgh;7 p.m.
Sept. 25;Anderson Prep Academy;7 p.m.
Oct. 2;at Switzerland County
Oct. 9;Oldenburg Academy;7 p.m.
Oct. 16;Cambridge City Lincoln;7:30 p.m.
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