From the beginning of the season, Isaac VanCuren has been entrenched as the starting tight end for Columbus East.
But after defensive end Matt Romig tore an ACL two weeks into the season, the Olympians needed help on defense. So VanCuren began working at defensive end and now is part of the defensive line rotation.
“We make sure on Mondays, we condition every week,” said, VanCuren, who also is a middle distance runner on the East track team. “If I’m not conditioned, then I’ll just go extra hard on our conditioning days to make sure that I’m in shape for it.”
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound senior played defensive end as a freshman. He moved to tight end as a sophomore.
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Last year, VanCuren was one of two starting tight ends and caught five passes for 87 yards and a touchdown. He has five catches for 102 yards and three scores this season, including a 39-yard score in Friday’s Hoosier Hills Conference title-clinching 58-48 win at Bedford North Lawrence.
“It’s definitely helped coming back in the second year (as a starter), because I understand the dynamics of our offense and how it’s supposed to work,” VanCuren said.
That offense, as usually is the case at East, is run-first. That means VanCuren, along with fellow tight ends Julian Greenwell and Nash Murphy, are blockers more than they are pass receivers.
VanCuren has helped lead an offensive line that helped the Olympians score more than 40 points per game.
“I think at the beginning of the year, we struggled to work together as a team, but I think we’ve gotten a lot better at it,” VanCuren said. “I feel like we’ve been doing a really good job, especially lately, just communicating and everything and how we’ve been able to move the ball efficiently.”
East coach Bob Gaddis lauded VanCuren’s work ethic and versatility.
“His play is really a product of how hard he’s worked,” Gaddis said. “He came in here as a young player and has worked extremely hard in the offseason. He’s very coachable. He’s in a really important position in our offense as the tight end. He’s quick and pretty physical. When Matt Romig went out, we had to get somebody else over on that side of the ball, so he’s been getting reps ever since.”
Since opening the season with losses to Whiteland and Columbus North, the Olympians have run off seven consecutive wins. Now, it’s on to attempt to defend their Class 5A state championship.
East opens sectional play Friday at New Albany.
“I feel like we have the potential to be just as good as we were last year,” VanCuren said.
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Name: Isaac VanCuren
High school: Columbus East
Year: Senior
Sports: Football, track and field
Football position: Tight end/defensive end
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 200
Key stats: Five receptions for 102 yards and three touchdowns
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