A few dozen times this season, Center Grove football fans will cheer as Carson Steele or some other Trojan skill position player trots into the end zone for a touchdown.
Those players will get their names in the paper and perhaps end up on the local TV newscast that night.
Offensive linemen Ethan Crowe, Luke Piper, Drew Steimel, Brayden Sturm and Andrew Warner likely won’t be mentioned — but they’re fine with the spotlight shining elsewhere.
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“We get our glory in film,” Piper said. “When we score a touchdown, no one in the stands is cheering for us; they’re cheering for Carson or whoever’s scoring. But we know on Saturdays, when we go in film, we’re the ones getting praised. You just have to be real unselfish about that and just accept your role, because football’s a team sport.”
“We’re getting the appreciation from the coaches and the people that know football,” Crowe added. “They always know linemen are a big part of getting the touchdowns.”
There will likely be plenty of touchdowns this season, with the Trojans fielding their deepest and most experienced offense since at least the 2016 season, when they advanced to the Class 6A championship game.
Head coach Eric Moore has what he calls “the best collective group of running backs we’ve had” at his disposal, led by Steele, who rushed for 2,270 yards and 29 touchdowns last fall.
The guys paving the holes for those backs won’t get much fanfare from the outside, but Moore — a former lineman himself — always appreciates the young men doing the dirty work in the trenches, and he understands the mindset it takes to accept that unsung-hero role.
“It takes an extra kind of pride,” Moore said. “The kind of pride that, you know when things are good, it’s because of you. When things are bad, it’s probably because of you too.”
This year’s group has been doing the offseason work needed to survive what might be the state’s toughest schedule. Playing a full Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference slate is challenging enough, but with the two nonconference slots filled by the top two teams in the Class 5A preseason coaches poll (New Palestine and Cathedral), there are no light weeks, especially along the line of scrimmage.
“It’s difficult, physically, because we’re playing D-I athletes almost week in and week out,” Steimel said, “and every week’s a different scheme, and it’s a lot of mentally tough as well as physically tough moving these guys.”
As tough as it might be, the Trojan offensive linemen usually seem to get stronger as the game wears on, often doing their best work in the fourth quarter.
That ability to outlast the opposition comes largely from the physical preparation in the offseason — Center Grove’s linemen do the same conditioning and agility work that the skill position players do — but it also seems to stem from a willingness to push through any challenge put in front of them, no matter how daunting.
The players, especially the seniors putting on that red and white for the last time this year, seem determined to go the distance.
“I’ve been working my whole life for this, so I’m really just focused on having a great year this year so we can get to state and win,” Piper said.
“We all know that this is our senior year,” Crowe added, “and we’re going to make sure that we go out with a bang.”
Loud enough for everyone to notice.
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Date;Opponent
Aug. 23;at Warren Central
Aug. 30;New Palestine
Sept. 6;at Carmel
Sept. 13;Ben Davis
Sept. 20;at North Central
Sept. 27;at Lawrence Central
Oct. 4;Pike
Oct. 11;Lawrence North
Oct. 18;at Cathedral
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Coach: Eric Moore (21st year)
Last season: 9-4, won sectional and regional championships; lost to Warren Central 27-20 in Class 6A semistate
Key returnees: LB Gabe Boyd, OL Ethan Crowe, RB Jalen Goines, OL Luke Piper, LB Cody Robinson, OL Drew Steimel and OL Andrew Warner, seniors; DB Max Baker, DL Austin Booker, LB Trey Clark, SE Connor Delp, RB Carson Steele, OL Brayden Sturm and SE Trent Veith, juniors; DL Caden Curry, sophomore
Top newcomers: S/QB Nathan McCahill, junior; RB/P Mitchell Evans, QB Tayven Jackson and RB Daniel Weems, sophomores
Outlook: For all of their early-season struggles in 2018, the Trojans still got back to the semistate last year, and they’re ready to take that success to another level in 2019. The reasons for optimism are obvious, especially on offense — Steele has racked up almost 4,000 yards in two seasons against an impossible schedule, and he should get plenty of help from a big veteran offensive line, a deep stable of backs to take the heat off of him and an intriguing talent under center in Jackson.
Defensively, Center Grove has four 40-tackle returnees to build around, starting with a future Division I prospect in Curry up front. If that unit can hold opponents even somewhat in check, the Trojans should be able to outscore most of the teams they face. Moore hasn’t sounded this confident in at least three years, and there’s probably a good reason for that.
"We’ve really developed a lot of depth on our football team," the coach said. "The whole project this summer was to do that, and it’s working."
Ben Davis and Warren Central have been the obvious class of the MIC, and the state, the last two seasons. Without a clear favorite going into the season this time, it’s not unreasonable to think that it’s Center Grove’s turn.
Notable: Current MIC schools have combined for 18 state championships and 10 runner-up finishes in the largest IHSAA class over the past 20 years. At least one MIC school has been in the Class 5A or 6A title game every year since 1998.
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1. What’s the most important song on your pregame playlist?
That’s a tough one, especially since they haven’t changed it in so many years. … The country songs, they really get us going. It hits different; I don’t know. We’ll dedicate just Wednesdays to country music, and we’ll only listen to country music on Wednesdays. It changes the mood of the entire practice.
2. "One week at a time" clichés aside, which game on your schedule are you most looking forward to?
New Pal. I’m definitely looking forward to New Pal. Especially losing to them last year away, that was a terrible feeling. This year, we have them at home — it’s going to be completely different momentum, a whole different team. We know what to expect finally. We’ve played them once, so we know how they’re going to play against us. We’ve got the keys for certain players on their team. All around, I just think we’re better prepared, and I’m excited for that game.
3. Which relatively unknown player is bound for stardom this season?
I’m going to go with Mitchell Evans. He’s punting the ball this year and he’s also a running back. He’ll be in the backfield, he’ll carry, he’ll block, and I think he’ll have a great season. He’s a sophomore, and I’ve got really high hopes for him.
4. What word best describes the 2019 Trojans, and why?
I almost want to say vengeful. Vengeance, you know? Because it’s all about — I remember last year after the last game, just sitting in my car after the last game and losing, sitting there like, "I’m not going see these guys again; I’m not going to play football with these guys," and that was terrible for me. So it’s one of those things, I don’t want to feel that ever again. And I know that everyone else here knows that it’s our time to shine, it’s our time to step up, and we’re all ready for it.
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