Before we get set at tomorrow’s NECC picks, SuperSam takes a deep dive into the Small School Power Rankings.
Eastside Blazers (1st Small, 5th Overall)
- 59th Season in Football (1965); ACAC 1965-79, NECC since 1980
- Alyx Brandewie (2007 Minster (OH) Grad, 2016 IPFW Grad) 4th Overall Season 8-22, 1st Season at Eastside
- 2022 Record: 9-3 (4-0 Small Div.)
- Series Record vs Woodlan (1965): 4-22
- ACAC Rivals (1965-1979)
- No Losing Seasons Since 2009
- Won 4 Straight Small School Division Titles
- Key Returnees: Wyatt Davis Sr. QB/DB, Linkin Carter So. RB/DB, Gage Spalding Sr. RB/DB, EJ Miller Jr. WR/DB/KR, Nolen Steury Jr. WR/DB, Connor Mutzfeld Sr. TE/LB, Owen Davis Jr. OL, Dane Sebert Sr. OL/DL, Joey Eck Sr. OL/DL
- Key Losses: Dax Holman RB/LB, Carsen Jacobs QB/DB, Briar Munsey RB/DB, Dackotia Reed TE/LB
The more things change, the more it sort of stays the same. The vibes surrounding Eastside Blazers’ football showcase a team with a lot of camaraderie, work ethic, and some big-time athletic talent. There are plenty of changes at Eastside since we last saw them in the sectional championship game against Bishop Luers, but this is still a team capable of winning a program record fifth straight Small School division title and at least make another run at a sectional championship.
While they lose many key guys, they bring others back into the fold, and I think they are slightly overlooked by a lot of people. From media day, I came away very impressed with Alyx’s philosophy and attitude with the team as he is already fitting in with this Blazers’ program. While changes have occurred, a lot of what makes Eastside a very respected football program is still present on and off the field. While the offense will have some learning curves early, the senior leadership at Eastside is very strong. Wyatt Davis at QB is going to bring some different but also something interesting to this spread. Davis is called a great leader with high football IQ, which is critical to coming in at the QB position. Carsen and many others before him have handled it wonderfully.
While they made adamantly clear there is no replacing DAX (Dax Holman), there’s some young athletic kids in the backfield that will make things difficult for defenses to bring them down. The frontline will be the meat and butter of this Eastside team. When they’re healthy and playing at their best, the rest will follow. There’s a ton of leadership on this unit.
The key question I have is how well the offense will gel, particularly in red zone situations. This is a team that will need to utilize their football IQ well and of course take care of the football. An interesting matchup with a skilled Woodlan team awaits them.
Central Noble Cougars (2nd Small, 7th Overall)
- 51st Season in Football (1973); NECC since 1973
- Zach Baber (2008 Bath County (KY) Grad, 2012 Morehead State (KY) Grad) 1st Season
- 2022 Record: 2-8 (2-2 Small Div.)
- Series Record vs West Noble (1974): 24-25
- Last Bell Trophy Win: 2021
- Since 2003, Central Noble Has Only Won 3 Week 1 Games (2015, 2020, 2021)
- Last Winning Season: 2021 (8-3)
- Since 2003, Central Noble has Posted 4 Winning Seasons (2007, 2017, 2018, 2021)
- Last NECC Title: 2017 (8-4, 3-Team Share), Last Outright NECC Title: 2003 (10-1)
- Key Returnees: Brody Morgan Jr. QB, Tyler Shisler Sr. QB, Tysen Deck Sr. WR/DB, Drew Pliett Sr. WR/DB, Devin Hiestand Sr. RB/LB, Ethan Spencer Sr. WR, Brayden Kirchner Sr. TE/DB, Kyle Ellet Sr. OL/DL, Braxton Pieper Jr. OL/DL, Kaiden Burkhart Sr. DL
- Key Losses: Ethan Skinner LB/TE (Manchester), Riley Bremer OL/DL, Blake Weeks OL/DL, Tim Rawles OL/DL, Landen Vice DB/WR
When discussing Central Noble, it’s so fascinating about how the narrative has changed in a single year because of a new coach’s different perspective. It went from a program in complete disarray to a program that believes and understands what they can be. The tone is night and day with both the players and the coaches.
Yes, it helps that this team is more experienced, and it’s quite the talented offense. But as Baber alluded to me many times, when the players realize what they can do, everything changes, and it’s so true. The change to more of a spread offense is a need for this program given where the sport is heading today, and quite frankly, the team looked much better when they let the athletes dictate the game. I am not against a run-based offense like a Wing-T or a Triple Option, but CN’s problem for years was the lack of an identity. It just felt like a team trying to learn one way and the team didn’t gel at all. They’ll still rely on their running backs, but it is no longer a Wing-T offense, and to me that is a sign of trust. Now, will that lead to more wins and championships? We’ll see, they think it’s going to happen sooner than we think, but it’s up to the players and the program to determine this.
When they step on the field tomorrow in a sea of white (Whiteout Night for Central Noble), we’re going to find out just how ready they are to compete in big games. It’s clear the talent is there, and opposing teams are starting to see that. Now, it is up to the players to flip the script.
Churubusco Eagles (3rd Small, 8th Overall)
- 59th Season in Football (1965); ACAC 1965-88, NECC since 1989
- Paul Sade (2003 Churubusco Grad, 2008 Ball State Grad) 11th Season 73-32
- 2022 Record: 8-3 (3-1 Small Div.)
- Series Record vs Columbia City (2020): 0-3
- No Losing Seasons Since 2004 (4-6); Only Non-Winning Season in That Span: 2020 (4-4)
- Last NECC Title: 2018
- Key Returnees: Weston Rinker Sr. RB/LB, Brennan Gaff Sr. WR/DB, Gavin Huelsenbeck Sr. TE/LB, Angelo Ianucilli Jr. RB/LB, Ethan Smith Sr. RB/DB, Rosey Stephens Sr. P/K
- Key Losses: Riley Buroff QB/DB (Indianapolis), Cullen Blake RB/LB, Kam Rinker RB/DB/KR, Wyatt Marks RB/LB, Bentley Kilgore OL/DL, Brandt Hurley OL/DL
Busco is in a difficult position on paper. On one hand, Busco still has the makings of a solid football team. Albeit it’s a much younger team this year. On the other hand, it’s a much younger team with still the same concerns when it comes to depth. I have said this for years, for Busco to succeed long term, they must create depth with the players they have or else they fall behind the eight-ball. So far, they have done well with that over the years.
The one encouraging sign with Busco is the selflessness and the personalities that show a team that wants to learn, which is very important when you’re a school with small numbers and always needing multi-sport athletes. New quarterback, new set of backs, more sophomores in bigger roles. The one constant is Paul Sade and his staff, a hard-working group of kids, and a very nice set of returnees.
Angelo is a guy I am excited to see him burst out as a nice lineman on this team. The Lawrence brothers are going to be so interesting to see where the maturation of their games stand. It does help that Gavin Huelsenbeck returns as the starting tight end, and Ethan Smith adds senior leadership to that backfield.
But with Busco, there’s so much unknown to what the immediate impact is going to look like with Busco this fall. Sure, long term, perhaps things are still very Busco like when it comes to success. But this is 2023, and this is the year of figuring out the kids’ measuring stick with the other contenders. They can definitely win this division, but can Busco stand toe-to-toe with the area’s best such as Bishop Luers? I cannot say for certain. That game against Columbia City is an excellent first test to get things rolling for the underclassmen expecting to contribute.
Fremont Eagles (4th Small, 9th Overall)
- 59th Season in Football (1965); NECC since 1965
- Trevor Thomas (2013 Davison (MI) Grad, 2017 Central Michigan Grad) 3rd Season 6-14
- 2022 Record: 3-7 (0-4 Small Div.)
- First Ever Meeting with Shenandoah
- Won Their Last 2 Week 1 Games
- No Winning Seasons Since 2009 (6-5)
- Last NECC Division Title: 1998 (9-2)
- Key Returnees: Gage Cope, Steve Burkholder, Jonah Penecost, Jackson Foster, Nevin Bloom, McClain McCurdy
- Key Losses: Zak Pica, Cayden Hufnagle, Lucas Campbell
With Fremont, expectations are obviously lower this year given the circumstances with the program. I do like how the team is handing themselves and how they are preparing their non-conference schedule. They could have easily just have a cupcake schedule to win more games, but the fact they have scheduled Sheanandoah, Erie Mason (MI), and Blackhawk Christian shows how serious they are trying to improve. And so far, you’re seeing some signs of a long-term turnaround at Fremont. A changing mindset of wanting to get better, better numbers in offseason workouts, and a greater attention to detail.
Will that lead to instant success? I don’t know. Probably not this year per say in terms of wins and losses. But with where the talent is heading with the school and the program’s state, it is eons ahead of where it was a decade ago, and it’s encouraging given that Fremont is the NECC’s smallest school. That long drive to Shenandoah will be a good experience for this team. Watch for one newcomer in junior Brody Foulk.
Prairie Heights Panthers (5th Small, 10th Overall)
- 59th Season in Football (1965); NECC since 1965
- Pat McCrea (1997 Prairie Heights Grad) 8th Season 12-62
- 2nd Longest Tenured Coach in Program History behind Gordon Grabill’s 19 seasons (1973-91)
- 2022 Record 2-8 (1-3 Small Div.)
- Series Record vs Whitko (2015): 4-2
- Last Winning Season: 1989 (5-4); Last Record at .500: 2007 (5-5)
- Losing Seasons in 31 of their last 33 seasons
- Key Returnees: Matt Armstrong So. QB, Tavvin Kyle Jr. RB/LB, Matt Roberts Sr. WR/DB, Tanner Czarnecki Sr. TE/LB, Jesus Flores Sr. OL/DL, Wade McCrea Sr. OL/DL, Sam Mason Sr. OL/DL, Kris Levitz Jr. OL/DL, Austin White So. DL
- Key Losses: Lincoln Booth OL/DL. Caleb Manprasert WR/DB, Phillip Sheets TE/LB, Jaden Daniels WR/DB, Trenton Daniels WR/DB
The rebuild at Prairie Heights has been long and filled with patience. 2022 saw a team with inexperience that plagued them to a 2-8 campaign after going 4-7 the year prior. However, according to McCrea, ‘We the Heights’ returns an experienced offensive line that they are heavily relying on to have more success this fall. The motto under this team is: Not Get Pushed Around.
They want to enjoy football, but they want to make sure their hard work gets respect. The Gun-T offense lost one starter to graduation on the offensive line. All of these guys that I mentioned as returning lineman are expected to be major contributors on offense as well as defense. Over the past few years, some of the Panthers’ linemen have led the NECC in tackles. I expect them to be the hardest hitting team in the conference. The questions I have start with the conditioning aspects aka the depth issues are very noticeable. Staying healthy is so important for Heights because numbers are not particularly groundbreaking. The other thing is going to have to be to stay disciplined. The type of physicality they bring can lead to penalties if frustration starts to mount. Then the other thing is simply the playmaking aspects. Do the Panthers have enough skill to utilize the most out of their offensive line? That is something that we just don’t really know yet.
The good news is this should be an experienced group that honestly will look better. The line being this experienced and skilled is promising for the Panthers. But some skilled guys graduated, and there is a lot we don’t know about the playmakers on this team yet. Whitko will be a good opponent to see where they’re at before they make the short drive out of state to Bronson, MI.
At the very least, it’s baby steps in the right direction for Heights.
