Center Grove Magazine August 2020

AUGUST 2020

MAGAZINE

Two Former Center Grove Students Run Successful Marina

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13 TOWNE POST NETWORK, INC. CENTER GROVE MAGAZINE

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AUGUST WRITERS

BOATING FEVER: TWO FORMER CENTER GROVE STUDENTS RUN SUCCESSFUL MARINA

For several years, friends and former Center Grove High School classmates J. Hurless and Monty Anderson worked together at Ray Skillman Auto Center. One day Hurless suggested to his buddy that they buy a boat dealership. Anderson, who had been a boater his entire life, thought it was a great idea because he felt that the industry standard in the field was poor. He knew of marinas in the area where potential customers walked in the door and were barely acknowledged. He and Hurless found with a good attitude and excellent customer service, succeeding would not be an issue.

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9

Down Home Cookin’: Southern Comfort Café Moves to Former Elementary School Cafeteria A Decade of Life-Changing Therapy: Cornerstone Autism Center Celebrates 10 Years

19 Business Spotlight: Wolf Welding 21 Center Grove High School Class of

2020 Graduation

25 Swing of Success: Center

Grove Golfers Notch Multiple 2020 Victories

13 Boating Fever: Two Former Center 28 Team Effort: Center Grove Football

Grove Students Run Successful Marina

Program Poised for Successful Season

atCenterGrove.com / AUGUST 2020 / CENTER GROVE MAGAZINE / 5

Christy Heitger-Ewing / Kristie Winbun Julie Yates / Kevin Conrad

AUGUST PHOTOGRAPHERS Amy Payne / Lindy Scott

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Submit story ideas to PR@atCenterGrove.com.

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Owner James Lochard with his mom Kim and Lexi Fair daughter Alexis.

Southern Comfort CafĂŠ Moves to Former Elementary School Cafeteria provided more square footage than his location at the time provided.

Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing Photographer / Amy Payne

Last fall James Lochard, owner and head chef at Southern Comfort CafĂŠ, was running an errand in downtown Trafalgar when he spotted a for-sale sign outside the old Indian Creek Elementary School. He suspected a portion of the building was for sale, so out of curiosity he dialed the number and learned that the entire structure, which had been vacant for three years, was for sale or lease. Immediately the wheels in his head started spinning, and when he got back to his restaurant on State Road 135, his mom Kim asked what was on his mind.

Lochard told his mother that the building was for sale, and mentioned the idea of moving his restaurant into the space, which

He was still processing the idea when the real estate broker called him back to offer to take him on a walk-through. The beautiful kitchen and huge cafeteria excited him.

When Lochard saw the massive library space, a second thought struck him - he could remove the bookshelves, creating the perfect open-concept living space for himself, his wife Jennifer, and their children, Brayden (14), Jordan (12), Landon (9) and Ruby (3). Their fifth child, Alexis, is grown. Lochard felt the four upstairs classrooms would make great bedrooms, along with a fifth room that could be

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converted into a playroom.

“The broker asked what I’d do with all this space, and I told him I’d move my family in,” says Lochard, who also began to envision a space that could accommodate concerts, weddings and other gatherings. “At the other restaurant location we did live music, but we could never do it to the scale we wanted to because we were limited on space and parking. Here, I’d love to get with a promoter and do something like in Brown County or at the Morgan County Fairgrounds.”

The owner was thrilled to sell to someone who wanted to use the building to serve the community.

because he was raised by women who cooked from scratch. Lochard followed suit with his restaurant and now makes everything fresh never frozen. Favorites at Southern Comfort Café include tenderloin, beef Manhattan, brick-oven pizza, chicken and waffles, and handdipped ice cream.

The next phase of construction will include creating a marketplace, similar to the Cracker Barrel concept.

Directly above the restaurant is a wing that includes ten classrooms and an office, along with a separate ventilation system.

When Lochard first told his family the plan, they thought he was joking.

“I’ve been approached about making this a school for students with immune deficiency disorders, because they must be homeschooled,” Lochard says. “The rooms are huge, so you could have 20 to 30 students per each of the ten classrooms.”

“They’re used to me having these crazy, off-the-wall ideas that I don’t ultimately pursue, but once my boys saw the basketball court, they were over the moon,” Lochard says.

Since the building is centralized between Edinburgh, Greenwood, Martinsville and Mooresville, it’s a convenient location for many families.

The main obstacle Lochard faced when he first purchased the school was the boiler system that was in disrepair, in addition to leaky pipe valves.

One thing is certain. Lochard has found his calling.

“Just getting everything up and running took some time because it wasn’t like a regular furnace or hot-water heater in a home,” Lochard says. “We’re on a massive scale here.”

Indian Creek Elementary was built over three time periods - 1939, 1957 and 1987. This led to three different kinds of plumbing and three different kinds of electricity, all of which had to be retrofitted for use in the restaurant and living quarters. Additionally, the Lochards found themselves with a block building, so there was no option of simply knocking down or putting up a wall.

“It’s like they say - when you find something you love to do, you’ll never work a day in your life,” he says. “That’s how I feel.”

Southern Comfort Café is located at 200 West Pearl Street in Trafalgar. For more information, call 317-3956433 or go to facebook.com/ southerncomfortindy.

For a time, Lochard was running the restaurant at his initial location while doing construction on the school to prepare for a January 2020 restaurant opening.

“There were a lot of late nights prior to opening when we were working until 3, 4, or 5 a.m.,” says Lochard, who had learned a great deal from when he originally opened Southern Comfort Café in 2015.

Back then he expected that the business would slowly take off, but on the day he opened, there was a line out the door.

He quickly had to adapt in order for the business to survive and thrive.

“I found that being a chef was not just about cooking,” Lochard says. “There were food costs, staffing, scheduling and prepping. I had to know every aspect of the business.”

Now he delights in creating menu items and experimenting with flavors with his mom, who also cooks. Lochard went to culinary school, but first found his passion in the kitchen atCenterGrove.com / AUGUST 2020 / CENTER GROVE MAGAZINE / 7

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A DECADE OF LIFE-CHANGING THERAPY Cornerstone Autism Center Celebrates 10 Years child’s needs. As the leaders designed the center, they made sure to keep it homey rather than clinical, which has proven to be a big hit.

Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing Photography Provided

When Debbie Ide first moved to Indiana from California, she and her husband were in search of good resources for their son, who is autistic.

“When families come to tour the center, the kids don’t want to leave,” Ide says.

When the center first opened in 2010, it “We had come from a land of home took a bit of time for the staff to spread the programs and that worked great for a word. Once word spread, however, interest number of years, but it’s very isolating,” Ide exploded and the center continued to grow says. “We wanted more social opportunities. organically.

We wanted a community.”

They quickly found, however, that there were few viable options in the area.

Then they met Ken Weadick, a clinical developmental behavior therapy specialist.

They hatched a plan to offer a different approach, and in 2010 opened Cornerstone Autism Center in Greenwood.

“We designed it as a center-based program that relied on clinical expertise,” Ide says.

This model enables parents to be parents, while experienced clinicians care for each

So much so, in fact, that through the years the staff has expanded the Greenwood location and opened additional locations - one a half a mile away, one in West Lafayette, and another in Edinburgh. The Greenwood Polk Street location primarily focuses on young children, mostly under 10 years of age, while the Greenwood Madison Avenue location serves older and transitional clients. Cornerstone has served clients as young as 18 months, and as old as 24 years. Across all locations, the organization serves 175 children per day.

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Children come to Cornerstone Autism Center Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Board-certified behavior analysts develop and supervise individualized treatment programs tailored to meet the needs of each student, all of whom meet individually with behavior therapists who use applied behavior analysis and verbal behavior therapy.

“We only serve the kids who have the more significant needs,” says Weadick, noting that kids are authorized for a six-month course of treatment before being reevaluated to determine if more treatment is needed. “The ultimate goal is to get children back in a traditional school environment.”

Ide stresses that the center is a therapy clinic rather than a school.

“We want to get them back into their environment where they can be included and blend right in,” Ide says.

When the children reach certain milestones, the staff members celebrate the accomplishment with a graduation of sorts, complete with cap, gown and diploma. The actual ceremony, however, varies from person to person.

“Some kids do written speeches, thanking their families and therapists,” Weadick says.

“Others are not at that ability. We celebrate at whatever level they can.”

This year, the Cornerstone Autism Center staff members celebrate their ten-year anniversary.

“It’s easy to get caught in the weeds with this number of staff and this number of clients,” Ide says. “We are closing in on having helped 500 kids. When you look at all those faces, that’s pretty profound to know we have affected all those lives.”

As the kids transition to school, their trajectory can be improved because of time spent at Cornerstone Autism Center.

“I’ve been working in this field for 25 years, and I’ve never found another service

delivery model that can make as big of an individual impact,” Weadick says. “The differences it is making for every kid that has come through here are huge. We’re talking life-changing differences - for them, for their families and for everyone they come into contact with. The breadth and depth of that change is astounding.”

Ide agrees. Time and again, she has seen a frustrated child come in who has no language skills, and many behavior issues as a result.

“Parents are frustrated too because they don’t know what to do,” she says. “To watch that child get those words, to be able to tell their parents for the first time that they love them that’s huge. That’s special.”

Cornerstone Autism Center is headquartered at 380 Polk Street in Greenwood. For more information, call 317-888-1557 or visit cornerstoneautismcenter.com.

atCenterGrove.com / AUGUST 2020 / CENTER GROVE MAGAZINE / 11

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Owners J. Hurless and Monty Anderson

Two Former Center Grove Students Run Successful Marina Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing Photographer / Amy Payne

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F

or several years, friends and former Center Grove High School classmates J. Hurless and Monty Anderson worked together at Ray Skillman Auto Center. One day Hurless suggested to his buddy that they buy a boat dealership. Anderson, who had been a boater his entire life, thought it was a great idea because he felt that the industry standard in the field was poor. He knew of marinas in the area where potential customers walked in the door and were barely acknowledged. He and Hurless found with a good attitude and excellent customer service, succeeding would not be an issue.

“We knew if we provided amazing customer service, we could really change the industry,” Anderson says.

In the spring of 2018, Reeder-Trausch Marine, located on Raccoon Lake in Rockville, went up for sale.

“We came out and looked at it - it was a dump,” says Hurless, adding that the seller generated $275,000 in annual sales but was asking for $1 million. “We had to envision what we could do, especially given that this small business had a big price tag.”

Though it was a giant leap, the pair saw potential. On March 23, 2018, they closed on the property. The following morning as they drove over a barren Raccoon Lake, which is drained every year, the friends looked at each other and asked, “What did we just do?”

The moment of panic quickly faded, however, and the guys dove into their respective roles - Hurless doing the selling and Anderson servicing the boats. Through the past two years they have hired 14 full and part-time employees, and now the business generates $8 - $10 million in annual sales.

The business sells new and used watercraft, as small as 16 feet and as large as 45 feet. This year they’ve sold more than 120 pontoons, which they say are very popular at the moment.

“People like them because they’re spacious,” Hurless says.

“You can put 12 people on one and still have room to move around. It’s definitely a family man’s boat.”

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Hurless and Anderson have enjoyed a silver lining in sales.

boating as a way to relax and have fun.

Boating provides a way to cool off, chill out, and perhaps acquire a new skill such as waterskiing, wakeboarding or fishing. With so many lakes around the south side of Indy, folks have lots of options.

Hurless and Anderson separate themselves from many other dealers around town by offering an on-the-water tutorial with each purchase. This includes a demonstration on how to back a boat down a ramp, and how to put one on a trailer. At the time of delivery, the business’s parts and accessories specialist Gavin Griffith educates customers on accessories, as well as safety and legal issues. In addition, the staff explains end-of-season costs, including storage and winterization of watercraft. According to Hurless, an educated customer means a long-time boater.

The friends love investing in the community and their employees by offering production bonuses, paid training and holiday parties.

“Sales in the era of COVID-19 have been ridiculous,” says Hurless, They hold two open houses per year for which they bring in a chef noting that so far this year they have sold approximately 270 and a live band, and give away prizes. For the past two years they new and used boats, compared to 124 last year. “We have several have adopted a family in Rockville at Christmas time. In addition, people walking in the door who say, ‘We’ve never owned a boat in they have recently partnered with Parke County Schools to our lives. Can we buy one right now and how quickly can we be participate in a program for which students attend school for half on the water?’ If we had 100 more boats to sell right now, we’d sell a day, and spend the other half learning a trade at the marina. every one of them.”

With so many activities and social gatherings considered risky or off-limits during the pandemic, many people have sought out

Even though Hurless and Anderson work hard, they make sure to carve out time for their families.

14 / CENTER GROVE MAGAZINE / AUGUST 2020 / atCenterGrove.com

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“My fiancée Shelby and I go boating every weekend,” Hurless says.

“In fact, people know not to invite me to weddings, birthday parties or any other events on a Sunday, because I’ll be out on Lake Monroe.”

Anderson spends his free time either zipping around Raccoon Lake, flying airplanes (he’s got his aviator license) or going to long-range, high-powered rifle competitions with his wife Alena.

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“Without a couple of pretty strong, supporting women who put up with us, we wouldn’t be enjoying such success,” Hurless says.

Reeder-Trausch Marine is located at 6950 East US Highway 36 in Rockville. For more information, call 765-344-1771 and visit reedertrauschmarines.com.

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WOLF WELDING AND MILLWRIGHT Kyle Couch 317-797-8606 KC@wolfweldingandmillwright.com www.wolfweldingandmillwright.com

At the age of 3, Kyle Couch declared he wanted to be a “worker man” when he grew up. He had a love for the outdoors and a natural interest in tinkering with moving parts and constructing something from nothing. He also had a remarkable natural artistic talent – drawing, painting, sculpting. It’s no surprise that these attributes led to a successful career as a welder and fabricator.

Through the years, he ascended the ranks and added more finelytuned skills to his repertoire.

Earlier this year, he launched his business, Wolf Welding and Millwright, employing only AWS Certified Journeyman Millwrights and Pipefitters with a knack for aluminum fabrication.

They specialize in industrial maintenance and offer 24/7 on-call services to anyone, anywhere, anytime.

Aluminum TIG welding and fabrication is popular in their shop but they can build and repair most anything, and they can bring the shop to your location.

Millwright services include the installation and maintenance of many systems including conveyor, corrugator, paint booths and more. Steel erection in these areas may include the need for a mezzanine or other structural work -- they can tackle it all the way down to handrail. These handrails could be in your workplace or back yard. They offer their services to everyone for most any need.

Pipefitting services include welding, threading and installing gas, steam, sanitary, and most other lines. Wolf Welding and Millwright can offer such an array as they also have experience installing the pertinent machinery/systems and piping them in.

“I absolutely love the outdoors and working with my hands.

What came as something of a revelation is how significant a role my artistic talents came into play. It all starts with a vision and oftentimes it’s as if my hands just naturally take over.”

They also provide a “shift cover” for those who have employees taking time off for a day or a week to work their shift when no one else can, or to provide an extra hand on a project.

Kyle received formal training at Ivy Tech in Indianapolis and honed his craft over the years at a few shops around town, each with a dedicated emphasis.

With previous experience in building dragsters and rebuilding farming implements, the list of services offered are as wide as the horizon. Soon, Wolf Welding and Millwright will offer powder coating.

“My first job after receiving my AWS Certification was at a shop specializing in stair railings – industrial railings for sports stadiums and events centers. These require a specific type of weld and a higher level of craftsmanship. It was at this early stage of my career when I placed an emphasis on perfecting the art of the craft.”

For more information, visit www.wolfweldingandmillwright. com or call Kyle directly at 317-797-8606. KC@ wolfweldingandmillwright.com

“Believe it or not, welding and fabrication is a form of art.”

atCenterGrove.com / AUGUST 2020 / CENTER GROVE MAGAZINE / 19

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Center Grove High School Class of 2020 Graduation Center Grove High School held commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2020 at Ray Skillman Stadium on Saturday, July 11, 2020.

Congratulations and warm wishes for your future!

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Salutatorian Anna Puderbaugh

18 years old | 4.81 GPA Parents: Chris and Cheri Puderbaugh University of Kentucky – Neuroscience Become a Physician Our sincere apologies to Anna Puderbaugh, Center Grove High School Class of 2020 Salutatorian. We printed an incorrect photo in the July 2020 issue.

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From left to right: Head Coach Christopher Heck, Sam Slaughter, Alex Heck, Peyton Short, Brandon Heffner, Caleb Tidd, Assistant Coach Jonah Tracy

SWING OF Alex Heck

Center Grove Golfers Notch Multiple 2020 Victories Writer / Kevin Conrad Photography Provided

The year 2020 will long be remembered as the year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, for golfers in the Center Grove area, it has been a most memorable summer.

It all began with the Center Grove High School boys golf team winning the Indiana Golf Association state title by one stroke over Carmel at Purdue University in early June. Center Grove seniors Alex Heck, Peyton Short and Caleb Tidd led the fiveplayer team in what would be their final tournament as high school teammates.

“I couldn’t ask for a better way to go out, especially with these guys,” Heck says.

“They’re my best friends. I’m really blessed to go out the way we did.”

Heck also ended his illustrious high school career as the individual state champion.

“I didn’t know where I stood on the final day so I just tried to do my best,” Heck says.

The 2020 IHSAA springs sports season, including boys golf, was cancelled due to the pandemic. Tidd was thankful for the opportunity to compete in one final state tournament.

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Erica Shepherd

Meg Fosnot and Lauren Page

“The effort to put this event on was fantastic,” he says. “The community they brought in to set this up was outstanding. I can’t thank the guys at Purdue enough and the Indiana Golf Association for what they did for us. Our goal was to go out and win state our senior year, and our two juniors [Sam Slaughter and Brandon Heffner] wanted to be on that trip too.”

Christopher Heck, a 2015 Center Grove graduate and golf standout, coached the team in the state tournament. Coaching his younger brother Alex and the other two seniors is something he will cherish forever.

“It was really special walking down 18 with [Alex],” Christopher Heck says. “To close out the way they did, especially for the three seniors, was just really cool to be a part of.”

The day after the Center Grove boys won the state title, 2019 Center Grove graduate and Duke University golfer Erica Shepherd won the Indiana Women’s State Amateur Championship by four strokes at Old Oakland Golf Club in Indianapolis.

“It means a lot to win my first-ever Indiana Women’s State Amateur Championship title,” Shepherd says. “Everyone who knows me knows that I love where I’m from. I love Indiana. Just to be able to finally win after so many years of competing in this event truly means a lot. I’m super proud of it.”

By mid-June, the Center Grove golf community had notched a team state title and two individual state championships.

Noah Gillard, a 2018 Center Grove

graduate, 2017 IHSAA state medalist and University of Illinois golfer, added not one, but two more titles to this impressive list of championships. Gillard captured the Indiana Men’s State Amateur Championship by five shots at the Country Club of Indianapolis in late June.

“It was pretty neat to win it, especially having my dad on the bag,” Gillard says.

“We had a really good game plan all week.

I worked pretty hard in advance and was fortunate to come out with a win.”

Gillard scored his second major title with the Indiana Golf Association Match Play Championship at Purdue in early July.

The Center Grove High School girls golf season is scheduled to begin in August.

Meg Fosnot of Center Grove has played

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Noah Gillard

in numerous golf events in central Indiana this past summer to prepare herself for her senior season. She has also played in several tournaments, knowing the pandemic could potentially cause a cancellation of the fall sports season. Fosnot sits atop the leader board in points for Indiana Junior Golf, tallying 11 first-place finishes.

“I began this summer determined to put in the hard work every day to be successful,” Fosnot says. “Every round this summer was another opportunity to get better, and a challenge to prove myself. Behind this successful summer was a great support system with my family, coaches and peers. I look forward to competing in my senior year at Center Grove.”

While most would prefer a mulligan for the year 2020, the summer of 2020 will be remembered by many Center Grove area golfers as “The Summer of Champions”.

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Center Grove Football Program Poised for Successful Season The 2020 Center Grove High School football team is being touted as the best in the state of Indiana by MaxPreps.com. The Trojans return 29 seniors from last season’s Class 6A state runner-up team.

they’re better than them yet.”

The Trojan offense will be anchored by senior running back and Indiana Mr. Football candidate Carson Steele. The defensive line will be led by junior Caden Curry, an Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan and Oregon recruit, and senior Austin Booker, a University of Minnesota commit.

“This team on paper is the best team we’ve ever had,” Center Grove Head Coach Eric Moore says. “But we had a 15-0 team [in 2015] that was pretty good, so we can’t say

“I’m going to take my guys over anybody else,” senior running back Connor Delp says. “We have a lot of experience that will help us win some games early. Coach

Writer / Kevin Conrad Photographer / Lindy Scott

Moore knows what to do to get us ready to win in November and in the playoffs. I’m definitely confident going into the season.”

Center Grove has been one of the most dominant football programs in the state under Moore since he took over in 1999.

During the Moore era, the Trojans have won two state titles, 13 out of 14 regionals, 14 sectionals including the last nine in a row (the longest current streak in the state), and six Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference titles - Moore needs one more

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After a valiant comeback in the fourth quarter, the Trojans lost to Carmel last season in the Class 6A state title game, 2017, at Lucas Oil Stadium.

league title to be the all-time leader. Prior to Moore’s arrival, the Trojans had won one sectional and regional, back in 1987.

With success comes lofty expectations, and this season is no exception.

“Our team goals are set really high,” senior defensive back Matt Soderdahl says. “We’re expecting to win every game this season and make it to the state championship.

Our slogan is, ‘Start 2 Finish’. The number two symbolizes back-to-back [state championship appearances], and finish what we couldn’t last year.”

As Center Grove’s leading rusher and scorer in 2017 and 2018, Steele was sidelined for 11 out of 14 games in 2019 due to injuries. He returned for the regional, semi-state and state games, helping the team to its fifth appearance in the state finals and its third state runnerup finish.

“I had a little bit of a bum season last year,” Steele says. “Everything is meant

for a reason. It’s very important to me to come back, especially after losing the state championship last year. It kind of puts a feeling down in your gut. You want to come back and win it all this year. It really fuels the fire to come back and win it all.”

Steele isn’t taking anything for granted this year, given his injury-plagued season a year ago, as well as the threat of the coronavirus pandemic potentially cutting the season short.

“This is my last time to play football for Center Grove High School and I’ve got to give it everything I’ve got,” he says.

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“You’ve got to give it everything you can and then you can realize when you’re done, you gave it your all and you pushed everything out.”

Steele could end up as Center Grove’s most decorated running back of all time.

He holds most of the school’s rushing and scoring records, and could break more

records this season.

“I’m trying to push for 3,000 [rushing] yards and 40 touchdowns,” he says.

Steele and his teammates have one goal this season - win the Class 6A state championship.

“Hopefully, if I can do my best with by abilities, I’ll possibly win Mr. Football as well. To be looked at as the best player or one of the best players in the state is something you work for your whole life.”

“The team that’s going to win has the most heart,” Steele says. “It would mean the world to me, to win this one last time with these guys who I’ve been playing with my whole life.”

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September 25

Lawrence Central (H)

August 21

Warren Central (H)

August 28

Decatur Central (A)

October 2

Pike (A)

September 4

Carmel (H)

October 9

Lawrence North (A)

September 11

Ben Davis (A)

October 16

Cathedral (H)

September 18

North Central (H)

October 30

State Tournament

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