After longtime head coach Tony Ahrens announced his retirement, the Wildcats will have a new leader at the helm as Tony Lewis takes the reins of the program. Page 2
Jasper Wildcats
There’s no denying that the Southridge Raiders will be without some key pieces that helped lead them on deep post-season runs the past few seasons. Page 4
Southridge Raiders While a team’s sports leader usually is the coach, often certain players become team leaders too. They are examples of commitment, sacrifice and inspiration. Page 5
It Takes A Leader Last season was a hard pill to swallow for the Rangers. But head coach Ross Fuhs looks on the bright side of things in his approach to the 2019 season. Page 8
Forest Park Rangers The fact that a slew of starters are coming back on both sides of the ball fills coach Todd Wilkerson with a sense of optimism as the Patriots kick off the season. Page 10
Heritage Hills Patriots
DUBOIS COUNTY, INDIANA THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2019 SECTION B
■ YO U R C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R S I N C E 1 8 9 5 D U B O I S C O U N T Y H E R A L D. C O M
The Herald
2019 Fall Football Guide
PAGE 2 ■ FALL FOOTBALL GUIDE
THE HERALD ■ THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2019
JASPER WILDCATS
Members of the Jasper High School football team are, from left, first row: cheerleaders Gabi Schmitt, Mallory Krapp, Kella Lichlyter, Alexis Johnston, Emily Rennie, Julia Gobert, Jaysee Pierce, Breann Mehringer, Olivia Biggs, Ava Collins, Kylie Patterson, Grace Bartley, Erin Mehringer, Hannah Levy and Ally Wigand. Second row: Jose Arevalo, Sam Kluemper, Jackson Kabrick, Elliott Hopf, Collin Cassidy, Daniel Uebelhor, Nathan Rillo, Gavin Hopf, Kadon Hurm, Cale Lichlyter, Mitch Kaiser, Emerich Leinenbach, David Uebelhor, Daniel Berg, Ethan Lents and Lucas Ortega. Third row: Jose Diaz, Lance Dawkins, Grant Mehringer, Ethean Gardiner, Luke Ruckriegel, Carson Chanley, Nick Buechlein, Jace Hopf, Cameron Weisheit, Andrew Wallace, Blake Mann, Ross Peter and Quade Popp. Fourth row: manager Ainsley Small, Luke Dawkins, Michael Buechler, Grant Libbert, Joey McGimpsey, Will Weinzapfel, Ben Henke, Jack Alhbrand, Ian Giesler, Ashton Schuetter, Cooper Ewing, Isaac Day, Jack Uebelhor, Shaun Ziemann, Seth Eckert and Cale Schmitt. Fifth row: managers Syndey Small and Claire Witte, Gus Heichelbech, Ethan Freyberger, Jacob Potts, Ty Weisman, Hudson Hile, Luke Schmitt, Liam Kibby, Noah Willoughby, Evan Crowder, Owen Weisman, Carson Park, Cordell Padgett, Matthew Zachary and manager Drew Hurst. Coaches Jarrod Land, Matt Bajorek, Aaron Hohl, Nick Eckert, Cameron Harris, Tony Lewis, Joe Shelton, Tege Lewis, Gavin Lichlyter, Ben Mundy, Brent Seibert and Jeff Richardson, managers Zach Williams and Klayton Mundy.
Wildcats begin new era with new coach By HENDRIX MAGLEY hmagley@dcherald.com It’s a start of a new era for the Jasper football team this season. After longtime head coach Tony Ahrens announced his retirement, the Wildcats will have a new leader at the helm as Tony Lewis takes the reins of the Jasper football program. Not only will the Cats be implementing a new system with a new head coach, they also graduated several key pieces from the past few seasons, including Isaac Bartley, Zachary Flynn, Kyle Hedinger, Trevor Krapf, Reece Milligan and Phillip Noblitt. Here’s a look at what the Jasper Wildcats will look like this season, broken down by position. Quarterback While no official decision has been made on who will start at quarterback for the Cats in the opening game against Evansville Memorial as of yet, the battle is down to two players. Senior Nathan Rillo and junior Blake Mann are the two players currently taking reps at the position. Right now, Lewis said Rillo has the advantage due to his experience as a starting QB for the Cats last year. Rillo played in 10 games last season, and finished with 574 passing yards and a 47.7 completion percentage. He also threw five touchdowns on the year. Running back The Cats return several key players at the running back position, including the two players who gained the most yards out
2019 Schedule All Times EST Aug. 23 — EVV MEMORIAL, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 30 — SOUTHRIDGE, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 6 — at Boonville*, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 13 — at Heritage Hills, 8 p.m. Sept. 20 — at Vincennes Lincoln*, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27 — PRINCETON*, 8 p.m. Oct. 4 — at Mount Carmel, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11 — at Washington*, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 18 — MOUNT VERNON*, 8 p.m. *conference opponent
of the backfield for Jasper last year. Junior Lance Dawkins (642 yards, 16 touchdowns), senior Elliott Hopf (644 yards, four touchdowns) and senior Joe Wood (74 yards, one touchdown) are the three guys who Lewis expects to make a major contribution to the run game. He also is excited that all three of them can provide something different. “Lance is obviously more of a power guy, Elliott has a mix of power and speed, and Joe is more of a pure speed guy,” Lewis said. “Having three backs like that who can get tough yards gives us a distinct advantage.” Junior Grant Mehringer has also gotten a lot of work with the running back group this summer. Receivers/Tight Ends While Jasper graduated its top two offensive targets from a year ago, the Wildcats do return a few players who received a heavy dosage of offensive snaps last year.
Senior Collin Cassidy will be the team’s top wide receiver, while junior Andrew Wallace will hold down the tight end position. Seniors Mitch Kaiser, Ethan Lentws, Kadon Hurm and Cale Lichlyter, along with junior Ross Peter, Mann and Wood will all compete for time at some of the inside slot positions as well as the outside receiver positions. Senior Carson Park and sophomore Ashton Schuetter will compete with Wallace for snaps at the tight end spot. Offensive/Defensive Line While the Cats graduated a few of their top offensive linemen from last season, they will also return several key guys who started a plethora of games last year. Leading the way is junior Quade Popp, as well as senior Sam Kluemper. Senior Gavin Hopf will likely get the opening day start at center, while senior Emerich Leinenbach and junior Carson Chanley will hold down the other two starting spots. What makes Lewis even happier is there are several competitive battles going on for the backup positions. Players such as junior center/guard Cordell Padgett, sophomore guard Jacob Potts and junior tackle Tyler Kelly have looked impressive during the summer. Linebackers/Defensive Ends When looking at the linebacker position, Park and Dawkins are the two players who stick out almost immediately. Park was second on the team last season with 37.5 total tackles and nine tackles for loss. While Lewis is excited to see what Dawkins can do on both sides of the ball, he
also wants to make sure he’s getting his fair share of rest. “It’s going to depend on is he going to need a break on offense or a break on defense,” Lewis said. Wallace and sophomore Michael Buechler will also see time at the linebacker position, while Kaiser, Peter and Mehringer will play a mix of linebacker and strong safety. Secondary Jasper returns several top players in the secondary from last season. Lichlyter, Hurm, Wood and sophomore Cooper Ewing have been sort of the fourman rotation at the cornerback positions early on throughout the summer season. At free safety, Lents and Mann are the two main players who will be holding down that position, while two sophomores — Ian Giesler and Isaac Day — are battling for starting time at the strong safety spot. Special Teams Senior Jackson Kabrick had an incredible season last year as Jasper’s kicker. While he was only 2 of 6 on field goals, he was 33 of 38 on extra point attempts. Lewis is also impressed with what he’s seen from Rillo at the punter spot. Rillo had 28 punts for 1,063 yards last season, including nine punts downed inside the 20 yard line. What’s next for the Cats in terms of special teams? “We’re currently working on finding a holder and long snapper in our practices,” Lewis said. “We also need to look for backups for both our kicker and punter.”
THE HERALD ■ THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2019
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PAGE 4 ■ FALL FOOTBALL GUIDE
THE HERALD ■ THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2019
SOUTHRIDGE RAIDERS
Members of the Southridge High School Football team are, from left, first row: cheerleaders Karly Barnett, Alivia Reese, Madelyn Lau, Baileigh Schneider, Elisha Painter, Kiesha Nampler, Chaney Barrett, Jenifer Najarro, Hannah Barnett, Ansley Bicknell, Lexi Flores, Bailey Prickett and Abbi Hall. Second row: managers Allyson Buening and Grace Middleton. Third row: Jesse Prickett, Sebastian Street, Conner Oxley, Cole Calvert, Garrett Voegerl, Jadon Culbertson, Brad Springer, Austin Kaeck and Alfredo Ferruzquia. Fourth row: Chase Taylor, Junior Zarate, Trevor Hunefeld, Austin Burton, Tristan Schurz, Weston Allen, Sam Schroeder, Cort Gerber, Jude Songer and Cade Patton. Fifth row: Noah Abbott, Gabe Wilkey, Ricky Pflanz, Quinn Barnett, Leyton Lauderdale, Matt Springer, Keannan Fuller, Camden Gasser, Adam Jochem and Kade Tretter. Sixth row: Levi Neukam, Erik Hernandez, Kaleb Wibbeler, Luke Lange, Elijah Horton, Parker Kippenbrock, Reece Siddons, Cayden Andrews, Christian Calderon and Andrew Conlin. Seventh row: Crew Gerber, Cole Wirthwein, Carson Niehaus, Matt Altmeyer, Colton Polley, Christian Andasol, Noah Abbott, Cameron Fuesler, Hunter Eckert and Jace Bieker. Eighth row: Luke Meyer, Collin Tooley, Xavier Horton, Aidan Jochem, Kaden Neukam, Jax Nicholson, Reid Schroeder, Eric Vanegas, Juan Mendoza and Scott Painter. Ninth row: Maclovio Martin-Hill, Anthony Laughlin, Caleb Kramer, Garrison Sickbert, Logan Butler and Joe Witte. Tenth row: coaches Steve Winkler, Kelly Murphy, Lukas Messmer, Chad Wertman, Scott Buening, Terry Jones, E.J. Michel and Brad Ohanian.
Experienced Raiders still have holes to fill By HENDRIX MAGLEY hmagley@dcherald.com There’s no denying that the Southridge Raiders will be without some key pieces that helped lead them on deep postseason runs the past few seasons. Players such as Matt Gentry, Wyatt Kramer, Joe LaGrange, Matt Price and Tucker Schank have since graduated, and star quarterback Colson Montgomery stepped away from the football team to focus on his baseball and basketball talents. However, the Raiders have plenty of experience coming back and also have several players ready to step up in some very important positions. Here’s a breakdown of what to expect in the different position groups for Southridge this season. Quarterback One of the positions that will have the most intrigue for the Raiders this season is who will lineup behind the center Week 1 at Linton. As of right now, Southridge head coach Scott Buening says there are two guys who are currently fighting hard for that spot — junior Chase Taylor and sophomore Carson Niehaus. You can also add in junior Kaleb Wibbeler who played the QB position last year, however Buening expects him to compete for minutes at the split-end position. “At the end of the day, we feel like we have three guys who can play the position for us,” Buening said. “We’ve been spoiled these last few years with Jayce (Harter) and Colson (Montgomery). The bottom line is these guys have the tools to be good in our system at the position, but they’re both raw, as you’d expect.” Both Niehaus and Taylor are relatively new to the position — Niehaus just started playing quarterback as a freshman, and
2019 Schedule All Times EST Aug. 23 — at Linton, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 30 — at Jasper, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 6 — FOREST PARK*, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 13 — NORTH POSEY*, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 20 — at South Spencer*, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27 — TELL CITY*, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 4 — at Heritage Hills,* 8 p.m. Oct. 11 — PIKE CENTRAL*, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 18 — GIBSON SOUTHERN*, 7:30 p.m. *conference opponent
Taylor really hasn’t played the position, other than a few plays here and there. Running back While the program’s all-time leading rusher in Tucker Schank is now graduated, the Raiders will return several guys who had a plethora of carries last season. Senior Cole Calvert finished with 920 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, while senior Brad Springer also finished with 215 yards and a pair of touchdowns. “Cole has a combination of size, strength and speed that’s pretty uncanny for a high school football player,” Buening said. “And Brad is such a tremendous blocker — he’s matured a lot, both physically and mentally.” Seniors Cort Gerber and Austin Kaeck are also expected to see several snaps at the wingback position, while senior Austin Burton will also compete for time. Receivers/Tight Ends Southridge returns one of its top receiving targets from a year ago as senior Garrett Voegerl will be the Raiders’ primary weapon on the receiving end this season. He had seven catches for 202 yards and three
touchdowns last year. Wibbeler, junior Camden Gasser and junior Elijah Horton are some of the other players who will be seeing time at the split end position. “We’ve got a lot of guys who can play that position, and certainly their athletic ability matters,” Buening said. “They also have to be willing blockers, and they’re all ready to do that.” Sophomore Aidan Jochem and senior Trevor Hunefeld are two players who will see reps at the tight end spot. Offensive Line/Defensive Line The big guys up front on offensive and defense will look a little different with the graduation of Wyatt Kramer, Matt Gentry and Devin Murphy. However, Southridge will return several players with experience at the position. Senior Sam Schroeder, senior Conner Oxley and junior Quinn Barnett will be the three players competing for time at the guard position. Buening joked that “if you add all three of them up, they don’t add up to my weight myself.” Senior Weston Allen is transitioning from a center to a guard, while senior Cade Patton is moving from tackle to guard. Junior Leyton Lauderdale is also moving from tight end to a tackle, while junior Erik Hernandez will also look to see some time at the tackle position. Linebackers/Defensive Ends The first player who comes to mind when talking about this group is senior Cole Calvert. He was second on the Raiders last year with 110 tackles, while also forcing a few fumbles. Oxley and Brad Springer will play a lot at linebacker as well, while junior Matt Springer, junior Parker Kippenbrock, Hunefeld and Jochem all will see action at
these positions. “We play a bit of a hybrid defense, so we play with a lot of linebacker type of guys,” Buening said. “We feel like we have the ingredients, we’re just trying to bring that recipe together.” Secondary There are three players who will see a lot of playing time at the corner positions for the Raiders this season — Voegerl, Gerber and Gasser. Voegerl led the way with 11 pass deflections and three interceptions last season. Kaeck is moving from corner to safety, while Schroeder will once again see time at the safety position as well (Buening joked that it’s not every day you see a No. 59 at the safety position). Horton, Wibbeler, Niehaus, senior Jadon Culbertson, sophomore Kaden Neukam and junior Keenan Fuller are also fighting to be in the secondary rotation. “The longer, lankier guys — we like those,” Buening said. “We look for those rangy players, guys who can cover some ground.” Special Teams Southridge will have some big shoes to fill at the kicker position, as Jeovany Dubon, who was a staple of the Raider program for the past few years, has since graduated. Senior Jeffery Echeverria and junior Jaylon Leon, who is joining the football team for the first time after being a standout soccer player, are currently battling for the right to handle kickoffs, field goals and extra points. Trevor Hunefeld will handle the long snapping duties, while Chase Taylor will continue to hold down the punts. Buening called Taylor one of the “better punters in the area,” and also joked that he hopes he’s the most under-used player in the area.
THE HERALD ■ THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2019
FALL FOOTBALL GUIDE ■ PAGE 5
Leaders emerge through work ethic, attitude By HERALD SPORTS STAFF sports@dcherald.com
Calvert solidifies leadership role for Raiders
While a team’s sports leader usually is the coach, sometimes certain players become team leaders. They often possess some of the same leadership characteristics as an effective coach. They usually inspire and lead by example. They frequently emerge as respected leaders by their teammates, not only for their sports skills and abilities, but also for other qualities, such as responsibility, work ethic and attitude. Think Jackie Robinson, Lou Gehrig, Jesse Owens, Michael Jordan, Roberto Clemente, Vince Papale, Rudy Ruettiger, Michael Oher, Pat Tillman, Reggie White and Kurt Warner, to name but a handful. On the local level, four area high school football teams have seniors who have stepped up to be leaders who shoulder the responsibility of helping their team achieve all it can this season. They are examples of commitment, sacrifice and inspiration. They are leaders.
Cole Calvert has been somewhat of a juggernaut for the Southridge football team. For the past three years, not only has the Raider senior been dominant on the defensive side (238 total tackles, five fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles), but he also showed his strengths as the Raiders’ main running back last season when standout Tucker Schank went down with an injury Calvert (920 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns). While he’s certainly impressed with his numbers on both sides of the ball, what has stood out among his peers and coaches the most is how he handles himself on a day-today basis. “He’s the type of kid you want your son to be like because you just know he’s going to figure it out,” said head coach Scott Buening. “He’s never been a look-at-me type of kid, even though he has every reason to be. He sees the bigger picture in things and wants to do everything quietly – he doesn’t do things for any other reason than it being the right thing to do.” Something Calvert has tried to do throughout his high school career, whether it’s with the football team or just in his classes, is to set a positive standard that he hopes his fellow classmates will follow. “You can’t [mess] around — if you see someone doing that, whether they’re on the football team or not, you have to let them know that’s not acceptable,” Calvert said. “It’s important to set the tone right away and, hopefully, they’ll follow you.” Calvert became a starter for the Raiders during his sophomore year and was a big contributor to Southridge’s first-ever state championship title. While he played a lot at running back last season, he’s spent most of his time as Southridge’s middle linebacker, a position he calls the “quarterback of the defense.” It’s a position that comes with a lot of responsibility, something Calvert looks forward to game in and game out. “You have to be able to take charge and call plays, you’ve got to know everyone’s positions because you’re the one setting them up,” Calvert said. “You have to know what you’re assignment is and also the assignment of the guy who is next to you. Once I got the chance to do that [sophomore year], I took it and ran with it.” Buening added: “He’s fearless, and he’s always making plays. He’s been an All-State type of player since his sophomore year, and he was a big reason why that team [in 2017] was a state championship team. He provided a key piece that team needed.” When the Raiders take the field for their Week 1 matchup at Linton, it’s safe to say Calvert will be one of the key contributors on both sides of the ball. However, as he’s made it well-known, he isn’t worried about any glory for himself. All he wants to do is make sure the Raiders are achieving all the goals they set for themselves. “We have to come together as a team and find our roles and accept the roles we’re given,” Calvert said. “We’ve never been worried about individual statistics or individual plays.”
Experience helps Park in Jasper leadership role When you think of a leader on the Jasper football team, senior Carson Park is one of the names that immediately comes to mind. While his play has certainly stuck out after being one of the Wildcats’ tackle leaders these past few seasons, new Jasper head coach Tony Lewis has noticed something else that makes him stick out even more. “First and foremost, he’s a very cerebral Park player,” Lewis said. “He’s always thinking football, and he sees things others don’t. He’s an extremely strong, physical player.” Last season, Park was second on the Cats with 37.5 tackles (30 unassisted, 15 assisted) and also added nine tackles for a loss of 17 yards. He also added a pair of sacks to his defensive totals. With his experience, Park believes he has the ability to be an extremely valuable leader for Jasper this upcoming season. “Over time, my experience helps me know what I’m doing and what everyone else is doing,” Park said. “We need to have more leadership and have people step up into those roles.” Something Park really wants to focus on this upcoming season is working with some of the younger guys on the team as well as guys who may be seeing their first extended varsity minutes. He believes that with his experience at the linebacker position, he can help show the other players what to do as a leader by example. “Helping the younger guys get adjusted to things is important,” Park said. “We want to have everyone feel comfortable with the team so they can come out and work hard.” Lewis added: “We need him to be a vocal leader on the defense. He can get guys lined up and get them to where they need to be. With his past playing time, he can help younger guys who have never had that experience.” While Park has always been a staple of the Jasper defense, he’s also expected to take some reps at the tight end position this year. He believes that versatility will help make him a more valuable player for the Wildcats this season. “It definitely makes you more aware of everything that’s going on,” Park said. “It’s super helpful, no matter where you are on the field.” It’s been a summer of changes for the Jasper football team as they’ve been adjusting to a new system with a new coach. But even with all the changes and all the work implemented this past summer, Park is excited for what’s to come this season for the Cats. “We’re all just getting acclimated together, it’s all new stuff,” Park said. “Coach (Tony) Lewis has been implementing it really well, and everyone is taking it really well. Now, we just need to go out and do what we need to do.”
Discipline, leadership fuel Forest Park hopes When most people think of leadership on a football team, they conjure in their minds images of players shouting in the middle of a huddle to rally the team before a game or key guys making assignment calls in the pre-snap sequence before play starts. All of that is well and good, but for the Forest Park Rangers, the leadership displays started earlier in the offseason as the seniors worked to get their teammates into the weight room in order to start building up their strength and conditioning levels for the upcoming season. “Last year was a wake-up call for a lot of people who don’t work hard,” senior
fullback/defensive end Drew Day said. “You have a guy working hard on another team all year, and you’re not working hard, it’s not going to work out for you. This year, a lot more guys were in the weight room.” Day was all in on Day the plan to hit the iron like never before, and made sure he was in the weight room five days a week, not only for himself, but to also lend a hand to any new guys he saw during his workouts. “It all starts with the seniors,” he said. “If you have poor leadership, then the team is not going to pull together. A lot of us have stepped up and tried to learn the ropes of leading. You have to lead by example. The young guys will see that and they’ll want to take part in that, too.” Rangers head coach Ross Fuhs had big plans for the new weight room at Forest Park, and believed that the offseason workouts would be a critical component that determined how far the team would go on the field this year. As the head football coach he has the influence to say jump and have the kids respond “How high?” But instead, he chose to lay out the vision for why the players needed to invest themselves in the workout plans, and watched as the guys — the seniors, in particular — bought in and pushed themselves to get stronger for the fall. “Senior leadership is huge. You see it as a coach every year,” Fuhs said. “If your seniors aren’t very vocal [or] if they don’t lead by example, I feel like the team takes on that attitude and personality.” It seems the current crop of Ranger seniors won’t have any part of that, as they want to make sure everyone on the team does their part to avoid repeating the onewin season they played through last year. “Off of last year all we can do is get better. We can’t get much worse,” senior tight end/defensive end Gavin Knust said. “This year, we’ve been focusing on three big things: strength, technique and discipline in the weight room. You have to do everything right.” You can tell Knust means what he says when talking about the big keys for the Rangers. But he does more than just talk. He also strives to make sure he is doing everything the right way himself, so that he can set the correct example and be able to help other guys in the weight room and on the field if they come to him for advice on how to get better at whatever they’re working. Knust says his older brothers set the tone for him in terms of his expected contributions to the football program, so he embraced being looked at as a leader and using his influence to help the guys around him get better. “I want to be the guy where anyone can just come up and talk to me and ask me questions about anything,” he said. “I want to be able to do stuff correct and show them how to do it so they know how to do it, too.” It’s a mission that is supported by the other seniors around the team and has benefits across multiple areas for the Rangers. The goal of becoming stronger together helps bring the players together as teammates. But the added element of being patient with one another helps to bring the boys together as brothers, a sense of unity that senior running back/defensive back Cole Mohr believes previous teams lacked. “Years before, we hadn’t gotten along so much,” he said. “Last year, that kind of went away a little bit. This year, we’re all one big team. Nobody is ever mad at each other or anything. We got a lot of good leadership, we’re all displaying good teammateship, and we’re all just going to be one.” So with a renewed sense of team unity, the Rangers are eager to take to field and look forward to seeing how their gains from the offseason translate on the gridiron. “We have some high hopes for the season,” Mohr said. “If we play as one team, we can do a lot better things and be a lot greater than before. If everybody is being a leader and good teammate, then everyone will do their job because we’ll hold each other accountable. Everyone will do their job, and we’ll be able to do good on the field.”
Patriots position themselves to carry on the tradition What’s the typical football position that comes to mind when you think of the leaders on the field. A lot of people immediately point to the quarterback on offense and the middle linebacker on defense. It makes a lot of sense as both positions are right in the middle of their respective units and often are responsible for making calls before the snap to let the rest of the players know what they’re Vaal running. But to hear senior running back/defensive back Gavin Vaal tell it, leadership can be found all over the field for the Heritage Hills Patriots. “Quarterback and middle linebacker, and we have key players on those teams that fill those positions, but we also have the line and we have key guys [there],” he said. “The linemen have to be able to lead their line. It we don’t have them, if they’re not showing good leadership, then the line falls apart. Noah Mundy and I are our slotbacks. If we don’t do things right in practice, that sets a bad example for the other running backs that are working hard. You can play any position and still be a good leader.” It’s a common theme among most of the players who believe the responsibility of leadership doesn’t just rest on one person or position group on the field. The current class of seniors has seen the football team grow from a middle-of-the-pack group to a collective that managed to go undefeated in the regular season last year. In addition to the X’s and O’s, strong leadership from that former senior class that featured the likes of Kyndell Carter, Cade Jones, Grant Lashley, and Dylan Begle played a huge role in setting the tone for the team and allowing them to experience that success. “We had a good group of seniors that showed a lot of leadership and helped us get going for that season,” said senior quarterback Cole Sigler. “I learned a lot from those guys about being energetic, being excited to play football. We only get four years of high school football, so you just learn to take advantage of it every day. They all brought that attitude. We’re just going to take that and continue to move forward to have another good year.” Of course it takes some growing and time to understand what it truly means to be a leader. One doesn’t just spend all of practice and games yelling at their teammates and try to call themselves a leader. It involves holding yourself accountable for your actions and results on the field then transferring that care to the others around you so the team can be the best it can be. “It means taking responsibility on the field, whether it’s doing your job, making sure everyone is in the right position or making sure everyone knows what they’re doing on a certain play. [Working] off the field in the classroom, in the weight room and doing all the offseason things to get you ready for the year.” “Since we’re seniors, we’re always out there showing everybody how to do stuff,” Vaal added. “Trying to do stuff right so we can show the underclassmen and they can help us. As a senior class, we try not to argue and bicker about stuff, because it just shows how we’re not unified to the underclassmen. So we always try to get along the best we can and be good examples in and out of football.” Being that unifying force is a responsibility the Patriots’ senior class seems to have adopted with ease as the players look forward to another fall campaign. But beyond that, they hope their example and leadership have the lasting effect of leaving the Heritage Hills football program in better shape than when they inherited it, just like the class ahead of them was able to do. “I just hope they see that football is a lot of fun,” Sigler said. “We get people excited about playing football here at Heritage Hills. We’re going to do big things here and carry on the tradition.”
PAGE 6 ■ FALL FOOTBALL GUIDE
THE HERALD ■ THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2019
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FALL FOOTBALL GUIDE ■ PAGE 7
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PAGE 8 ■ FALL FOOTBALL GUIDE
THE HERALD ■ THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2019
FOREST PARK RANGERS
Members of the Forest Park football team and cheerleaders are, from left, first row: Liseth Trejos-Avila, Macy Clark, Layne Prechtel, Kennedei Spencer, Lydia Schuler, Lauren Troesch, Madi Fleck. second row: Anna Woosley, Emma Rickenbaugh, Grace Haas, Hailey Kilburn, Theresa Allen, Ava Evans, Olivia Englert. third row: manager Emily Schwartz, Jeremiah Erwin, Corbin Bell, Drew Day, Jared Schipp, Reese Verkamp, Logan Smith, Abby Eckert. fourth row: manager Brandee Johannemann, Isaac Brosmer, Gavin Knust, Brennan Weyer, Cole Mohr, Garret Berg, Cory Uebelhor, Dylan Bays. fifth row: manager Amy Nelson, Tyler Tretter, Trey Toby, Anthony Weyer, Daniel Eckert, Jake Begle, Tanler Schnarr, Tanler Schnarr, Evan Steinmetz. sixth row: manager Emma Welp, Logan Ferguson, Henry Hagedorn, Chase Verkamp, Beau Rasche, Ethan Hassfurther, Kaden Bowman, Austin Hoppenjans. seventh row: manager Ashtyn Welp, Will Werner, Ben Werner, Clayton Brames, Nolan Winkler, Cooper Uebelhor, Jate Merrimon. eighth row: manager Lydia Erwin, Clay Eckert, Mason Getgsell, Alex Schlachter, Tristan Weyer, Reid Jochem, Brayden Beck, Jackson Smith, Caleb Moya, Shelby Altman. ninth row: assistant coach Jesse Hagedorn, assistant coach Matt Adeis, head coach Ross Fuhs, assistant coach Nathan Lueken, assistant coach Eric Hopkins, assistant coach Terry Wagner
Rangers reload with expectations for success By JONATHAN SAXON jsaxon@dcherald.com Last season was a tough pill to swallow for the Forest Park football team. The Rangers only won one game all season, and by the time the season was over, the injury bug seemed to have made its way across more than half the team. Injuries are part of sports across all levels of competition, but Rangers head coach Ross Fuhs thinks the scale he had to deal with when it came to players getting hurt was unprecedented. “Injury-wise it was a disaster,” he said. “At the end of the season, we had 10 guys that had surgery, were on crutches, in a boot or in a chair. That was tough.” But always one to look on the bright side of things, Fuhs did point out some things that served as positives that the Rangers could build on for this season. First, the injuries created a lot of opportunities for younger players to step in and get game experience at the varsity level. It wasn’t always pretty, but Fuhs thinks that kind of experience can only make his players grow and, by extension, make the team stronger. Another positive Fuhs keyed on was his team’s determination to keep on playing hard no matter how the flow of the game turned out. There were times when other teams would be up big on the Rangers, but they never let that eat at their pride or cause them to hold their heads down on the field. “I commend our guys for playing hard every game,” he said. “We were down and out in a lot of games, but those guys played
2019 Schedule All Times EST Aug. 23 — at Gibson Southern*, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 30 — PERRY CENTRAL, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 6 — at Southridge*, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 13 — TECUMSEH, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 20 — PIKE CENTRAL*, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27 — at North Posey*, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 4 — SOUTH SPENCER,* 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11 — HERITAGE HILLS*, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 18 — at Tell City*, 7:30 p.m. *conference opponent
hard for four quarters. We could be behind by four and five touchdowns in games, and they kept playing hard.” Instead of letting that determined attitude go to waste during the offseason, Fuhs looked to harness that attitude and apply it towards the weight room to get the team in better shape for the fall. He wanted the team to get physically stronger, which would not only cut down on injuries, but also allow the boys to close the talent gap and be more competitive on the field when they started playing games once again. “It was definitely a point of emphasis,” said Fuhs. “You can call any play in the book or run any defense that you want, but if the guy across from you is bigger, faster and stronger than you, it doesn’t matter. I feel like that’s been the case a little bit, so they had to be in the weight room. Some guys took advantage of that and got a lot
stronger. A lot of our guys play both ways, so conditioning was huge as well.” So with all that in mind, the Rangers look forward to putting their offseason work to the test. They know coming out and expecting to take on all comers could be a bit of a tall order, but they believe they can improve by at least four wins with the talent they currently have. It will take everyone working together, but the Rangers are ready to go out and leave it all on the field. Here’s a look at the position groups on both sides of the ball. Offense Fuhs thinks some of the issues Forest Park suffered through last season were related to being too predictable on the offensive side of the ball. Historically, he likes to just line up the team and run it straight at their opponents. But this season, he’s looking to change tactics. The Rangers will run a wing-T based offense that will feature plenty of misdirection and motion that should make teams think twice on defense. And while most of their offense will still be based on a strong rushing attack, the Rangers will also look to throw it for big play gains when opportunities over the top open up. Quarterbacks Sophomore Cooper Uebelhor took up the starting role halfway through last season after the injury bug made its way to the quarterback position. Sophomore Nolan Winkler will back up Uebelhor, but Fuhs
thinks he has shown to be right there with Uebelhor and doesn’t think the team would miss a beat if they needed him to play in spots. Running backs Senior Drew Day will return to the fullback position where he has started for the last two seasons. Seniors Cole Mohr and Jake Begle will be at the wingback spots, but Fuhs will be looking to build a steady rotation of backs to use out of the backfield. Day figures to be the hammer that pounds the middle of the defense, while Mohr and Begle will use their speed to hit the edges of the opposing defenses. Receivers Senior Jared Schipp and junior Daniel Eckert are slotted in at the receiver positions. Senior Gavin Knust is back at tight end for a third tour of duty. Fuhs believes these guys will really have a chance to shine when teams load up the line of scrimmage and one of them gets behind the defenders for big plays down the field. Offensive line Senior Brennan Weyer will start at center, but could share time with sophomore Clayton Brames. At the guards spots, the Rangers will have junior Dylan Bays along with sophomores Ethan Hassfurther and Chase Verkamp. Senior Corbin Bell and sophomore Caleb Moya will be at tackle, but Bays could also rotate over from his guard position as well.
THE HERALD ■ THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2019
FALL FOOTBALL GUIDE ■ PAGE 9
Defense Fuhs wants to stress the importance of violence on the defensive end and using that edge as aggressively as possible to create havoc for opposing offenses. Fuhs thinks a lot of times his players would settle for letting the play come to them or tackling receivers after they made the catch down the field instead of forcing the issue and throwing other teams off their rhythms. The Rangers will base their defense on a four-man front and have plenty of stunts and blitzes that they’ll use to make life for their opponents uncomfortable. But above all, Fuhs wants his defenders to have an attitude that’s bent towards causing disruptions and wreaking havoc.
and tasked with clogging and controlling the line of scrimmage. Linebackers Bell and Hassfurther will get the start at inside linebacker, while Mohr and Begle will hold down the outside linebacker positions. They’ll be looking to fill the holes the tackles open up as well as come in with full force when called on for a blitz. Defensive backs Schipp, Eckert and seniors Garret Berg and Cory Uebelhor will be the starting defensive backfield for the Rangers. Fuhs wants their focus to be more on getting their hands in passing lanes to either break up plays or create turnovers in accordance with fostering a more aggressive approach all across the defense.
Defensive line Day, Knust and sophomore Kaden Bowman will hold down the ends on the defensive line for the Rangers, and they’ll be on the attack for most of the defensive snaps. Senior Reese Verkamp along with Bays, Moya, and Chase Verkamp will be at tackle
Special teams Day will be back as the punter for the Rangers and had a solid season last year where he averaged about 35 yards a punt.
Good Luck To All Area Teams!
And the lone lady football player will be back, as Abby Eckert returns to the team to kick extra points and field goals. She hardly missed when it came to extra points, but Fuhs believes she has gotten good enough with field goals that he is confident putting her in to kick from 30 yards and in. Schipp and Eckert will share return responsibilities on kicks and punts. They both have the solid basics of quickness and good hands, so Fuhs trusts them to go out and secure the best starting position possible for the Rangers offensive drives.
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PAGE 10 ■ FALL FOOTBALL GUIDE
THE HERALD ■ THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2019
HERITAGE HILLS PATRIOTS
Heritage Hills High School’s football team are, from left, first row: cheerleaders Claire Cronin, Aliyah Vanwinkle, Madison Smith, Chloe Johnson, Tori Hartwig, Summer Weedman, Marian Crossley, Emily Forston, Rachel Martin and Corrine Wood. Second row: Cole Sigler, Kaden Feldpausch, Hunter Wetzel, Cody Frakes, Gavin Vaal, Jacob Wetzel, Mark Doyle, Spencer Vaal, Wes Fleischmann, Gabe Morrison, Phoenix Rodgers, Tyler Litkenhus. Noah Mundy and Cody Dauby. Third row: coach Troy Fischer, coach Kevin Tempel, coach Chris Sigler, Christopher Barboza, Kolton Brown, Cody Bolen, Erik Thomas, Jordan Mitchell, Adam Guth, Hermes Joos, Jacob Schmidt, David Garmon, Jakob Garrett, Eli Harney, Chaarlie Webb, Zachary Braun, coach Adam Knies, coach Stan Jochim and head coach Todd Wilkerson. Fourth row: Jeremy Merkley, Treyton Greulich, Ethan Hill, Quintin Tempel, Jacob Gaines, Luke Rickelman, Benjamin Mangum, Clay Radigan, Evan Bowling, Aiden Lyttle, Caleb Fakes, Cameron Briggs, Austin Hill, Butch Powers, Kort Schaefer, Owen Schaad, Garrett Nix and Trenton Hill.
Patriots have formula for winning games By JONATHAN SAXON jsaxon@dcherald.com Heritage Hills did not leave a lot to be desired when it came to the football field last season. The Patriots were determined to reforge their identity as a team that was powered by their dominant ground game. To that end, head coach Todd Wilkerson did away with some of the more intricate concepts he tried to implement in past offenses, and installed the flexbone as a base for the Patriots to build up their rushing attack. “Last year, it was all about our ability to run the football,” he said. “We struggled for a couple of years really having a consistent running game with different offensive schemes. We needed to get back to that. At Heritage Hills, we’ve always had strong running teams, that’s our history.” The decision to simplify the offense and refocus on building the rushing attack paid off tenfold for Heritage Hills, as the Pats used their ground game to put together one of the best seasons in the history of their program. The Patriots rode an offense that scored just a shade under 42 points per game to an undefeated regular-season record, a conference championship and a dominant first-round sectional win over the Mt. Vernon Wildcats before falling to the Gibson Southern Titans in the semifinals. While Wilkerson doesn’t want his players to get ahead of themselves, the fact that a slew of starters are coming back on both sides of the ball fills him with a sense of optimism as practice gets underway, and he thinks this group has the ability to build on what was accomplished last season to really separate themselves as a special team in Patriots football history. “The junior class from last year was a huge part of our success,” Wilkerson said. “They’ve had a lot of success coming up through our pipeline. They have high expectations, and they’ve put in the work in the offseason to get their bodies ready. You have a special group every once in awhile that comes through, and we look at this group as a special group of kids. Now it’s time to quit talking about what they could possibly do, and it’s time to do it.” Offense The offensive philosophy for Heritage Hills boiled down to a simple mantra: cram it down the opponent’s throat until they prove they can stop it. And it proved to be
2019 Schedule All Times EST Aug. 23 — at Mount Vernon, 8 p.m. Aug. 30 — at Tell City*, 8 p.m. Sept. 6 — PIKE CENTRAL*, 8 p.m. Sept. 13 — JASPER, 8 p.m. Sept. 20 — at North Posey*, 8 p.m. Sept. 27 — GIBSON SOUTHERN*, 8 p.m. Oct. 4 — SOUTHRIDGE,* 8 p.m. Oct. 11 — at Forest Park*, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 18 — at South Spencer*, 8 p.m. *conference opponent
an effective strategy, with Patriots averaging 306 rushing yards and posting an average point differential of 38 points per game. The Patriots aren’t looking to abandon such an effective system, and will be bringing back the flexbone to serve as their base, while adding a few wrinkles to build on the plays they ran last season. Wilkserson believes he has the talent to run the ball all kinds of ways, whether it’s plunging down the middle or using speed to hit the ends of the line of scrimmage. However, Wilkerson does have hopes of implementing more passing in the offense after only throwing the ball 62 times last season so that his team can be ready for games that turn into shootouts at some point during the season. Quarterback Senior Cole Sigler will be returning as the primary signal caller for Heritage Hills. Sigler started taking starter’s snaps toward the end of his sophomore year, and stepped in as a junior to finish as the leading rusher among all ball carriers for the Patriots. Sigler will still be a major factor in the rushing attack, but he’ll also be asked to do a bit more in the passing game to really become a true dual-threat player for the team, including making calls at the line to take advantage of the matchup opportunities that come when teams load up to stop the run. Running backs: Senior Jacob Wetzel will be in as the team’s first fullback, but he’ll share duties with senior Phoenix Rodgers, who will also be seeing time as one of the team’s slot running back options. Wilkerson described Rodgers as a power runner who can run through weak tackles for solid rushing gains. Senior Gavin Vaal is the speedier back who can make defenders miss one-on-one and break big plays if he
gets into space. Senior Noah Mundy will be coming up from the junior varsity, and his work in the weight room should make him another solid runner who can fight off tacklers for tough yards during his carries. Receivers Last season the Patriots receiving corps functioned more as extra blockers on the outside instead of pass catchers. While there will still be a lot of blocking this season, the receivers will get more opportunities to make plays on the field as the coaching staff works to make sure the Patriots are in a better position to break big plays as the season progresses. Senior Kaden Feldpausch and junior Adam Guth will be the main wide receivers. Senior Cody Frakes will play primarily tight end, but could also be split out wide. Junior Jordan Mitchell will also see time at tight end. Offensive line None of the offense works if there aren’t any players capable of paving the way, and the Patriots are fortunate enough to bring back three starters from last season’s offensive line. Senior Spencer Vaal will anchor the line at center and he’ll be flanked by fellow seniors Mark Doyle and Hunter Wetzel at the guard spots. Seniors Tyler Litkenhus and Wes Fleischmann both filled in on the offensive line in spots for the Patriots last season, and they’ll both see significant time at the tackle and guard positions. Senior Gabe Morrison, who didn’t play last season, will also be in the mix along with several juniors who will be inserted in the line for spot duty as necessary. Defense While offense was a huge factor in the Patriots winning 10 straight games last season, you also can’t ignore the role the defense played in the team’s success. Wilkerson said last year’s defense did a great job of preventing the big plays from happening as they posted four shutouts and held opposing offenses to less than seven points per game. This year, Wilkerson wants his defense to get better at holding teams to lower yard totals and wants to force offenses to become one dimensional, mainly through stopping the run. Heritage Hills also plans to give teams multiple looks in switching between three- and five-man fronts so they can adapt to whatever scheme is put in front of them.
Defensive line Wetzel, Vaal, Doyle, Litkenhus, Fleischmann and Morrison will all be putting their hands in the dirt to serve as the first line of pressure for the Patriots. Senior Chris Barboza will also be featured in the rotation. Frakes and Mitchell will line up at defensive end, but Guth and junior Erik Thomas will also play some end for the team. A handful of younger players will also be rotated in different spots so that the linemen can get a rest during games. Linebackers Wetzel and Rodgers will be stepping back into their starting roles at linebacker, and one or both could emerge as the leading tackler for the Patriots. Junior Garrett Nix and Sophomore Evan Bowling will also step in to support and solidify the middle of the defense. Defensive backs Sigler and Feldpausch both started the past two seasons at cornerback, and will be moving back into the defensive backfield along with Vaal, who was one of the starting safeties. Mundy will be the new guy stepping in to fill the second safety position. They all possess pretty good speed and give the coaching staff confidence that they can shut down opposing receivers in man-toman situations. Special teams The one major area of concern for the Patriots comes in the form of its kicking game. In the past they were able to find soccer players who could kick a reliable field goal when needed, but the team lacks in the foot department this season. It’s to the point where Wilkerson would be happy if he could find someone with the ability to be a threat from 30 yards and in. In the past they had the reliable foot of Carson Leibering to count on when it came to field goal situations. But this year they haven’t been able to find that consistent boot among the players to fill in. Wilkerson figures the search will go into the season, as no one has separated themselves as a lead field goal kicking candidate. Guth will step in to takeover the punting duties. Sigler, Vaal, Rodgers and Wetzel are all solid returners, and each could see time lining up to field punts and kicks as necessary.
THE HERALD ■ THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2019
FALL FOOTBALL GUIDE ■ PAGE 11
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THE HERALD ■ THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2019