Four area football teams who won a combined eight games last season will look for major improvements this fall.
Here is a look at those squads:
Jennings County
The Panthers have a new coach in Justun Sharp, a former Jennings player who was the defensive coordinator at Cathedral. Sharp takes over following a 2-8 season.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
“We’re building a culture, and we’re building from the ground up,” Sharp said. “We have systemic steps and methods that we’re taking. We’ve done our due dilligence, and I’ve recruited my butt off within the community. Our goals are to fight through adversity.”
Senior Lance Bailey returns at quarterback. He has ins leading receiver back in senior Jared Corya, who will be joined by senior newcomer Eric Jordan and junior newcomer Zane Ortleib.
Sophomore Peyton Hayden also could play some quarterback and H-back, while senior Levi Peacock and junior Branden Harris could play H-back. Senior Owen Miller, who is back after sitting out last season, and senior Owen Deaton will be at running back.
Senior Blake Mitchell and sophomore Sturgeon will be the tackles. Seniors Jacob Cofffman and Nathaniel McDonald are the guards, and junior Raul Ruiz takes over at center.
Sharp runs a multiple defense, with odd and even fronts. Seniors Brantley White and Logan Askew will be at defensive end and McDonald at nose tackle.
Junior Tyler Wathen will be the middle linebacker, and senior Gunnar Wright will be at outside linebacker. Peacock will be a hybrid outside linebacker/defensive back. Junior Ryan Leonard and Harris or sophomore Layne Sharp will be at corner. Deaton is the strong safety, and senior Justin Brogdon will be a hybrid free safety/linebacker.
Senior Jaydan Vanosdol takes over as the kicker.
“They’re doing fantastic,” Sharp said. “Our leadership has been really good. We have about 18 good seniors, and it’s always a good thing to have a group of good seniors.”
Brown County
The Eagles will look to improve on a 2-8 season.
“I would be really disappointed if we don’t make some real good improvements this year,” Brown County coach Randy Minniear said. “We have some good speed, we have some nice young players. I’m very excited about what I see so far this year.”
Back to lead the Eagles is senior quarterback Noah Carter A four-year starter, Carter threw for more than 2,000 yards and 21 touchdowns last season.
“He has a very strong arm,” Minniear said. “He’s done a great job for us in the past, and I’m sure he’s going to do a great job this year.”
Carter will have most of his top targets back. Seniors Nick Huls, Jordan Oswald, Jayvan Oliphant and Brandon Fleischman all return at receiver.
Sophomore Cody Walsh was the team’s leading rusher last season. Senior Caleb Popp will play some running back and H-back, and junior Hunter Funkhouser and sophomore newcomer Weunblee Roux will see action at running back.
Junior John Wietlisbach and senior Nick Roman will be at tackle. Junior Dawson Lambert returns at guard and will be joined by sophomore Brian Umphres or freshman Sam Allen. Sophomore Eli Wilkinson steps in at center.
In a 3-5-3 defense, Wietlisbach returns at nose tackle and Lambert is back at end. Roman could be the other end, while Funkhouser and freshman Wyatt Barnett also could play end, and Allen could play end or nose tackle.
Popp returns at middle linebacker. Funkhouser and junior Carter Kelly, will be at inside linebacker. Huls and senior Alex Baker will play the corners, and Oswald also could see action at corner.
Walsh will be the Falcon/strong safety. Fleischman will be a hybrid strong safety/outside linebacker, with Roux also possibly seeing action. Oliphant and sophomore newcomer Dalton Hedrick could play hybrid or corner, and sophomore Aiden Vaught could play hybrid or linebacker.
“We had a real good offseason lifting, and we had real good summer workouts,” Minniear said. “The first couple weeks here have been good. I think we’re going to have a very quality ballclub, and I’m anxious to get going.”
South Decatur
Rick Zimmerman, who has spent the past four years and 11 overall at Jennings County, took over the South Decatur job a few months after retiring after last season. He takes over a team that went 3-7.
“We still have a lot of work to do, but for the most part, I’ve been pretty pleased,” Zimmerman said. “Our numbers aren’t very big because we didn’t have a JV team or a middle school team last year, so I’ve been trying to recruit kids.”
Junior Wyatt Gatewood returns at quarterback and will run a pistol Wing-T offense. Senior Kenny Meadows returns at halfback and will be joined by junior Clayton McNealy.
Senior Gage Mings and junior Colton Johannigman will play the wingback spots. Sophomore Kelby Shook returns at receiver, where he will be joined by junior Hunter Collins and senior Zach Luttell. Junior Cody Diekhoff is the tight end.
Senior Jacobi Shook moves from running back to right tackle, and four-year starter Bryce Murphy is the left tackle. Justin Johnson returns at right guard, while senior Brogan Howard will be the left guard. Senior Charlie Frensmeier moves from guard to center.
“They won three games last year, and they only threw 24 passes the whole season, so people just loaded the box,” Zimmerman said. “The key for our offense is to be able to throw the ball and be balanced. Then defensively, we have to tackle.”
Zimmerman will employ a 4-4 defense. Jacobi Shook returns at end and will be joined by Johannigman, Diekhoff or sophomore Ryken Winchester. Junior Brian Wittkamper will be at tackle, along with Frensmeier or Johnson.
McNealy returns at inside linebacker and will be joined by junior Kayden Pearl. Mings and senior Dalton Grider will be at outside linebacker.
Kelby Shook and junior Shawn Wright return at corner, where senior Rhett Mings also will see action. Gatewood will play free safety, with Collins also seeing action.
Johnson or Gage Mings will be the kicker. Murphy is the punter.
Edinburgh
Tyler DeSpain, a former assistant under Bill Unsworth and the Lancers’ defensive coordinator under Jason Burton the past two years, takes over the head coaching job following a 1-9 season.
DeSpain has a solid quarterback returning in four-year starter Tyson Sackman, who threw for 1,605 yards and 12 touchdowns last season.
“Knowing that he knows some of the stuff we used last year with Jason, he’s adapted to the playbook and the new stuff I’ve brought in,” DeSpain said. “He’s really taken the time to learn the playbook, and he’s really teaching the young kids how to do things the right way.”
Junior Austin Streeval returns at running back and will be joined by sophomore Lennon DeLoach and senior Thorne Ross, a transfer from Columbus East. Senior Darius Bennett is back at wingback and could play some receiver. Sophomore Riley Palmeter returns at receiver and will be joined by freshman Caleb Dewey.
Senior Anthony Noe and junior Bailey Clarkson return at tackle. Sophomores Caleb Turner and Joe Ellington, a transfer from Columbus North, step in at guard. Freshman Mason Calhoun takes over at center
In a 4-3 defense, Noe returns at end, where he will be joined by Ellington. Clarkson returns at tackle and will be joined by Calhoun.
Streeval and DeLoach return at outside linebacker. Ross takes over at middle linebacker.
Palmeter moves from corner to strong safety, and Bennett returns at free safety. Sackman and Dewey will play the corner spots.
“Our philosophy this year is, ‘Put our best 11 athletes on the field at all times,’” DeSpain said.
Senior Cooper Gitcheff, a transfer from Southwestern (Shelby), will be the kicker.
“Our goal basically is just to build this program from the ground up,” DeSpain said. “We just want to go one game at a time and see how it goes. I tell the kids to practice hard, and hopefully we’ll be able to surprise some people and start a new tradition of Edinburgh winning some games.”
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”If you go” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
The 2019 football schedules for area schools:
Jennings County
Friday;Batesville;7 p.m.
Aug. 30;Brown County;7 p.m.
Sept. 6;at Bedford North Lawrence;7 p.m.
Sept. 13;Seymour;7 p.m.
Sept. 20;Madison;7 p.m.
Sept. 27;at Connersville;7 p.m.
Oct. 4;Floyd Central;7 p.m.
Oct. 11;at Jeffersonville;7 p.m.
Oct. 18;at New Albany;7 p.m.
Brown County
Friday;Pike Central;7 p.m.
Aug. 30;at Jennings County;7 p.m.
Sept. 6;Indianapolis Manual;7 p.m.
Sept. 13;Indian Creek;7 p.m.
Sept. 20;at Beech Grove;7 p.m.
Sept. 27;Cloverdale;7 p.m.
Oct. 4;at Edgewood;7 p.m.
Oct. 11;Owen Valley;7 p.m.
Oct. 18;;7 p.m.
Edinburgh
Friday;Indianapolis Tindley;7 p.m.
Aug. 30;Noth Decatur;7 p.m.
Sept. 6;Oldenburg Academy;7 p.m.
Sept. 13;at Switzerland County;7 p.m.
Sept. 20;at South Decatur;7 p.m.
Sept. 27;at Milan;7 p.m.
Oct. 4;Traders Point Christian;7 p.m.
Oct. 11;at Rock Creek Academy;7 p.m.
Oct. 18;Indianapolis Crimson Knights;7 p.m.
South Decatur
Friday;at North Decatur;7 p.m.
Aug. 30;Tri-County;7 p.m.
Sept. 6;Indianapolis Tindley;7 p.m.
Sept. 13;at Milan;7 p.m.
Sept. 20;Edinburgh;7 p.m.
Sept. 27;at Eastern Hancock;7 p.m.
Oct. 4;Switzerland County;7 p.m.
Oct. 11;Oldenburg Academy;7 p.m.
Oct. 18;at Cambridge City Lincoln;7 p.m.
[sc:pullout-text-end]
