Indiana Team of the Year: East Central

An improbable run to the Indiana Class 4A state championship helped East Central pen one of the greatest chapter in its program’s history. The Trojans went 7-2 during the regular season under third-year head coach, Justin Roden. Their only losses were to Ohio Division II state champion, La Salle and at Roncalli in Week 9. Five Friday nights later East Central avenged its loss to Roncalli giving the team its fifth straight playoff win.

The 2015 East Central Trojans (photo by Mike Noyes//TristateFootball.com)

That victory propelled the Trojans into the state title in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium against Bishop Dwenger. It would be the third appearance in the finale for East Central and first since winning its only championship in 1994. The Trojans took a 3-0 lead into the third quarter versus Dwenger, but the offense sputtered after intermission and the massive offensive line of the Saints wore down the boys from St. Leon, 27-3.

East Central finished the season with a 12-3 record which was the most wins by the program since 1998. The Trojans’ first three victories of ’15 were all by eight points or fewer with and average margin of victory of four points. They would pick up the pace after that with an average margin of victory of 35 points in their nine wins after that. Six times in the team’s last 10 tilts they lit the scoreboard up for 40 or more points. The East Central defense recorded four shutouts and held seven foes to 14 points or fewer.

All the hard work paid off for the players as QB Luke Patton and OL Jared Schwenk were named IFCA Class 4A Senior All-Indiana. Patton accounted for 42 touchdowns (33 rushing, nine passing) and tallied 3,209 yards of total offense (1,755 rushing, 1,454 passing) and also earned his second straight Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference 4A Offensive Player of the Year award. Making the IFCA Class 4A Junior All-Indiana squad were OL Chase Sutherland and LB Sid Fox.

Schwenk and Patton were also joined by LB Hunter Armstrong and LB Dusty Ward on the 2015 AP Class 4A All-Indiana Team. Classmate RB Doug Rosemeyer was an 2015 AP Class 4A All-Indiana Honorable Mention selection after running for 1,518 yards and 14 touchdowns. Armstrong was also named the EIAC 4A Defensive Player of the Year. Ward won the same award as a junior in ’14.

Join us as we recognize East Central, Team of the year winners from Dayton, Kentucky, Cincinnati, Player of the year finalists from all of those areas, WCPO Player of the Week winners and all members of the 2015 Postseason All-TSF squad as they will be recognized at our upcoming TSF Year in Review Show on Wednesday, February 10th at The Holy Grail – Banks in downtown Cincinnati.

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