Columbus North junior Garrett Long is The Republic Football Player of the Year. He is pictured in boys athletics locker room at Columbus North High School in Columbus, Ind., Friday, Nov. 17, 2023.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
Midway through the football season, Columbus North needed a spark on offense, and coach Logan Haston and linebacker Garrett Long had the same idea.
Long began taking reps at tight end, and the Bull Dog offense picked up steam. Just as he already was on defense and special teams, the junior became a weapon on offense.
“It’s kind of a funny story,” Long said. “I would always joke around with coach, saying, ‘Put me in on offense,’ and I just kept messing with him, and then one of our tight ends, Cameron Kleinhenz, went down. Then (Haston) was like, ‘Well, Garrett, this is your time to show us something,’ and I just did the best that I could to my ability.”
Long’s versatility has earned him this year’s The Republic Football Player of the Year honor.
“We reached a point in the season as a coaching staff where we realized we needed to get our best players on the field,” Haston said. “So as a staff, we looked for ways we could get him more involved, and he was very responsive to it. It was a learning curve for him to learn offense, defense and special teams, but he asked a lot of questions and was eager to learn, and he helped us out in a lot of ways.”
Tight end wasn’t the only new position for Long this season. He switched to outside linebacker after starting at defensive end as a sophomore.
“I liked the switch a lot,” Long said. “I think there’s definitely a lot of stuff I can improve on still.”
Long recorded 48 tackles, including seven for losses, and had two sacks, two interceptions and a forced fumble. On offense, he caught five passes for 84 yards and a touchdown.
“I really like playing offense,” Long said. “I played offense in eighth grade, and to get back on offense was really fun.”
Long also made his presence known on special teams. He blocked three blocked kicks, including a punt that the Bull Dogs recovered for a touchdown in a close loss in the season opener against eventual Class 5A state runner-up Decatur Central.
“I think it was mainly the SAQs (Strength Agility Quickness sessions) I go to in the offseason, working on my speed to get back there quick enough,” Long said. “If I didn’t have that training from coaches, I wouldn’t have been able to get them.”
After playing on all of North’s special teams early in the season, coaches took Long off all but the punt block and field goal block teams after he began playing on offense.
“Garrett is by far one of the most dynamic playmakers we have, and we saw that in all three phases of the game,” Haston added. “He had shown that on defense, and later in the season, he showed that on offense, as well. “I think as we look ahead to his senior year, we definitely expect him to help us in all three phases again.”
Long started playing flag football in kindergarten and first grade and tackle football starting in second grade. He also played baseball through middle school and is playing a key role on this year’s Bull Dog basketball team.
Although Long has grown up a Purdue fan, he realizes his best shot at playing football at the next level would be at a smaller conference or level. He has taken visits to Miami (Ohio) and Northern Illinois and also has drawn interest from Indiana Wesleyan and South Dakota.
Long and the Bull Dogs are hoping for a big season next fall. They return 10 starters on offense (not counting Long) and eight starters on defense from this year’s 5-6 team.
“I think next year, we’re definitely going to be a great team,” Long said. “We have a bunch of guys returning, and we’re going to be good.”
The Republic 2023 All-Area Football team:
OFFENSE
Quarterback — Asher Ratliff, Columbus North: The sophomore completed 127 of 240 passes for 1,368 yards and 18 touchdowns and ran for 549 yards and six scores.
Running back — Gino Prescott, Columbus North: The junior ran for 745 yards and seven touchdowns and caught 23 passes for 229 yards and two scores.
Running back — Branden Braun, Jennings County: The senior ran for 1,512 yards and 24 touchdowns and caught 38 passes for 544 yards and five scores.
Running back — Corbin Johnson, South Decatur: The junior ran for 1,277 yards and 19 touchdowns and recorded 38 tackles and an interception on defense.
Wide receiver — Braylon Thoman, Columbus North: The junior caught 49 passes for 655 yards and six touchdowns and ran for 14 yards and a score.
Wide receiver — Keaton Lawson, Columbus East: The sophomore caught 28 passes for 405 yards and five touchdowns and had three interceptions on defense.
Tight end — Eli Smith, Columbus North: The junior caught four passes for 69 yards and three touchdowns.
Offensive line — Bryce Harriman, Columbus North: The junior helped pave the way for 1,456 rushing and 1,369 passing yards and 35 total touchdowns.
Offensive line — Drew Schiefer, Columbus North: The sophomore helped pave the way for 1,456 rushing and 1,369 passing yards and 35 total touchdowns.
Offensive line — Luke Revell, Columbus North: The senior helped pave the way for 1,456 rushing and 1,369 passing yards and 35 total touchdowns.
Offensive line — Noah Hilderbrand, Columbus East: The junior led a unit that paved the way for 1,605 rushing and 994 passing yards and 24 total touchdowns.
Offensive line — Oliver Bush, Columbus East: The senior junior helped pave the way for 1,605 rushing and 994 passing yards and 24 total touchdowns.
DEFENSE
Defensive line — Keller DeSpain, Columbus North: The senior recorded 73 tackles and led the Bull Dogs with 12 tackles for losses and 5 1/2 sacks.
Defensive line — Dumo Kak, Columbus North: The junior recorded 38 tackles, including eight for losses, and 4 1/2 sacks.
Defensive line — Blake Borkhardt, Columbus East: The senior recorded 40 tackles, including three for losses, one sack and one forced fumble.
Linebacker — Garrett Long, Columbus North: The junior recorded 48 tackles, including seven for losses, and two sacks, two interceptions, a forced fumble and three blocked kicks and caught five passes for 84 yards and a touchdown.
Linebacker — Luke Russell, Columbus North: The junior led the Bull Dogs with 98 tackles, with eight for losses and two sacks, and had one fumble recovery.
Linebacker — Jose Ramirez, Columbus North: The junior recorded 78 tackles, including 11 1/2 for losses, and four sacks.
Linebacker — Caaden Gault, Columbus East: The senior led the Olympians with 98 tackles, including five for losses, and two forced fumbles.
Linebacker — JoJo Hifo, Jennings County: The senior led the Panthers with 107 tackles and three blocked punts and had one fumble recovery.
Defensive back — Jackson Haston, Columbus North: The junior returned two interceptions for touchdowns and had 58 tackles
Defensive back — Sam Perry, Columbus North: The sophomore led the Bull Dogs with three interceptions and had 66 tackles, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble.
Defensive back — Tyrrice DeGraffenried, Columbus North: The senior recorded 38 tackles and blocked a field goal and returned it for a touchdown.
Defensive back — Nate Anderson, Columbus East: The senior recorded 72 tackles and two fumble recoveries.
SPECIALISTS
Kicker — Bryce Luttrell, Columbus North: The senior converted 5 of 6 field goals and 24 of 33 extra points.
Punter — Seth Lankey, Columbus East: The senior averaged 27.9 yards per punt and led the Olympians with five sacks on defense.
Kick returner — Blaine Ison, Jennings County: The senior averaged 30.5 yards per kickoff return and 14.0 yards per punt return and had 78 tackles on defense.
HONORABLE MENTION
Brown County: Noah Lewis, Kody Shugars. Columbus East: Jared Brooks, Kyson Villarreal, Tyler Weller. Columbus North: Anderson Horn. Edinburgh: Jackson Hartwell, Caleb Murphy. Jennings County: Austin Byford, Dylan Harrison, Lane Kirchner. South Decatur: Isaac Gasper, Colby Rathburn.
