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At East Central the kids are alright

When the switch finally clicked on for a young group of East Central football players last season it was like a complete transformation in the team. An 0-3 start left the Trojans down but not out. East Central got hot winning eight games in a row before bowing out of the post-season to Columbus East.

“The playoff lost to Columbus East has led this group to believe that they can be special. Our early schedule is critical and we must stay healthy. We should be one of the top 4A schools in Indiana next year, if we can put it all together and grow as a group. Increased strength in the summer is also a major goal. I’m also excited that our conference continues to improve. Batesville, Franklin County and Lawrenceburg will all be fantastic in 2015” head coach Justin Roden stated.

Luke-Patton_East Central

Roden’s kids have grown up and are beginning to reap the benefits of their efforts. “The team has a great deal of experience back on both sides of the ball. Lots of young men in this group were forced to play as sophomores and have gained valuable experience. We will be lead by a very tough quarterback and a veteran offensive line. There is plenty of optimism with lots of skill to compliment this group” he said. “On defensive, every linebacker returns plus two d-lineman and two defensive backs. This group should be the strongest, most physical and experienced since I took over as head coach. We have experience all over the place.”

Even with the rosy outlook Roden knows there is going to be challenges and work to be done still. “Leadership is huge. It is a quiet group that needs to lead by example. We also need to get off to a good start versus a fantastic group of early opponents. We need our defensive line to step up, along with our secondary.”

The sky is the limit for the Trojans and they are oozing with the confidence of a champion. Not a bad way to head into the 2015 season.

Class 4A, District 23
2014 RECORD: 8-4, 3-0 EIAC 4A
COACH: Justin Roden (12-11 @ East Central, two years, 12-11 overall)

HONOR ROLL
Luke Patton, Sr, QB – Patton stepped out of the shadows and asserted himself in a big way in ’14. He became the first player in the 38 year history of the program to run (1,116) and throw (1,231) for more than 1,000 yards while accounting for 33 touchdowns (26 rushing, seven passing). His performance earned him Junior All-State, EIAC 4A co-player of the year and TriStateFootball.com Indiana offensive player of the year honors.

Dusty Ward, Sr, ILB – Hard work paid off for Ward who had 79 total tackles (38 solo), six tackles for losses and sack as a junior. He was named the EIAC 4A defensive player of the year for his efforts. “Dusty is a blue collar, throwback football player” coach Roden states.

OTHER RETURNEES
Hunter Armstrong, Sr, ILB – Even though Armstrong battled injuries as a junior he was still able to get in on 51 tackles.

Austin Bowling, Jr, FB – Bowling missed the early part of the 2014 season because of injury bur finished strong. He ended his sophomore campaign rushing for 223 yards over the Trojans last four contests including a 145 yard outburst versus Shelbyville in the first round of the playoffs. Bowling averaged 8.1 yards on 40 carries for the year.

Christian Deck, Sr, OL – The 6-foot-1, 200 pound Deck is back for his third year as a starter on the offensive line.

Sid Fox, Jr, LB – A starter since his freshman year Fox was in on 58 tackles last fall despite missing time due to injuries. Fox is drawing interest from Division I colleges including Cincinnati.

Connor Lynch, Sr, TE – The 6-foot-6 Lynch missed most of last year due to injury. He is healthy and ready to make a huge impact in 2015.

Dylan Messmore, Jr, OL – The 5-foot-10, 248 pound Messmore is back for his second year as a starter on the offensive line.

Clint Mirus, Jr, DT – Mirus took advantage of his opportunity in ’14 as injuries gave him the chance to prove himself. He ended up with nine tackles for losses as a sophomore.

Nolan Moser, Sr, WR/P – The teams top returning receiver Moser had 19 receptions for 191 yards a year ago. He also averaged 34.7 on 21 punts.

Tyler Ohmer, Jr, OL – The 6-foot-1, 215 pound Ohmer is back for his second year as a starter on the offensive line.

Doug Rosemeyer, Sr, HB/DB – Back for a third season as a starter Rosemeyer has more than 100 tackles at the varsity level. He will see time at halfback this fall as well as returning punts and kickoffs.

Jared Schwenk, Sr, OL – Schwenk will be a three-year starter and is the team’s strongest player.

Chase Sutherland, Jr, OL – The 5-foot-10, 240 pound Sutherland is back for his second year as a starter on the offensive line.

Logan Seiwert, Sr, OLB – The Trojans best pass rusher in ’14 Seiwert was in on 51 tackles and had three sacks as a junior.

Jacob Steinmetz, Sr, DL – After two seasons as a starter on the offensive line Steinmetz will switch over to the defensive front. He has great size at 6-foot-0 and 240 pounds and also benches 300 pounds.

Nick Stidham, Jr, K – The soccer player turned kicker hit on 39-43 eextra points, 5-8 field goals for 54 points in his first season at the varsity level.

Zach Theobald, Jr, FS/SS – Roden expects Theobald to be a heavy contributor this fall after having to learn on the fly last year. He recorded 48 tackles as a sophomore.

NEWCOMERS
A quartet of players, juniors Kaleb Krummen, Eli Krammer, Dylan Watkins and sophomore Landon Foster will compete for playing time in secondary. Krummen and Krammer could also vie for time at receiver along with classmate Justin Drees.

Adding depth to the front seven on defense will be senior lineman Dario Guintini and sophomore inside linebacker Jayden Williams.

Freshman Alex Maxwell is pushing to find playing time anywhere on the field. Coach Roden likes what he sees in the youngster.

On offense, sophomore Logan Storie will have his moments running the ball for the first time at the varsity level. His classmate, Hunter Getz will vie for snaps on the o-line.

PLAYOFF HISTORY
(65-30 overall)
Sectional Champions (15) – 2010, 2009, 2005, 2003, 2002, 2000, 1998, 1996, 1994, 1993, 1992, 1989, 1987, 1985, 1980
Regional Champions (5) – 2003, 1998, 1994, 1993, 1985
State Champions (1) – 1994

2015 SCHEDULE
The four non-conference teams on the Trojans schedule – Campbell County, Harrison, LaSalle, and Roncalli were a combined 35-16 in ’14.

COACHES QUOTE
Coach Roden has really taking a liking to the East Central school District saying “I love our blue collar tough kids and community. It’s a great place to coach and raise a family. Our program has over 120 kids in it right now and those numbers are growing. The future is very bright in St.Leon.”

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