FAIRLAND -- Tim Able cannot silence the hype surrounding Triton Central football.
After winning four straight sectional championships and returning a bevy of talented athletes, it should be no surprise the Indiana Football Coaches Association voted the Tigers the No. 2 team in Class 2A in its preseason poll.
“You don’t win games in newspapers. You don’t win games on podcasts,” said Able, who has won 215 games in his 29 years as a head coach. “You don’t win games except by getting better every day in practice. It’s a one-day-at-a-time mentality and if you start looking ahead you are going to get kicked in the behind.”
Able knows the program has enough talent to win a state title. The same was true in 2022 before injuries mounted and illness hit at the worst possible time which led to a 35-28 regional championship game loss to Evansville Mater Dei, who went on to win the 2A state title two weeks later.
The program graduated 13 seniors from a 10-3 team including record-breaking receiver Brad Schultz, linebacker and defensive captain Lucas Kleeman, and standout defensive lineman Hadyn Ball.
“We lost Schultz, who was awesome on both sides of the ball,” said Able, now 90-35 in 10 seasons in Fairland. “We lost Hadyn Ball, who was defensively as good of a lineman we’ve ever had – he set records. And then Kleeman was a top-five tackler all time – a good leader. It’s hard to replace those kinds of people.
“Again, we are talking about 5-6 positions we replaced, which is not that many. It means a lot (of players) are back.”
Much of the preseason hype centers around senior quarterback Jace Stuckey, an Eastern Michigan commit, and senior running back Ray Crawford, who has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons.
Stuckey passed for 2,657 yards and 23 touchdowns last season and was honored by the IFCA as the Class 2A junior all-state quarterback. He is already TC’s single-game and single-season passing yards record holder and is 933 yards away from breaking Luke Stephenson’s career passing yards record of 5,116 yards.
Crawford (photo) is TC’s third-leading rusher all-time at 3,710 yards – trailing only Thad McClusky (4,193) and Jonah Thacker (5,126).
There are 11 seniors on the 2023 roster including impact players like Brayden Wilkins (RB/WR/LB), Mason Compton (WR/DB), Sam Kemper (HB/LB) and Levi Dewey (K/DB).
“The seniors are really close and are just starting to learn how to hold each other accountable,” said Able. “They like to have fun together but they are starting to learn what it is to be a friend and not just a buddy. In other words, you have to care enough about your teammate that you won’t let them do something they shouldn’t be doing. You encourage them to study their plays. You will get to bed at the right time. You will hold each other accountable.
“I feel good about our seniors. They are having meetings with the kids regularly now and taking that leadership. When you get a class that leads a team, it allows the coach to coach more and not spend all his time on motivating. We still work on that stuff but internal motivation comes better from the players.”
Triton Central’s skill position players are impressive but depth along both sides of the line can carry the program to new heights.
“We lost (Aden) Sosbe, who had some size for us, and Hadyn Ball gave us strength but we have more depth,” said Able. “Our linemen are sophomore- and junior-oriented. (Colton) Crawford and (Willie) Baugh are three-year starters, so they’ve been through the wars. They have to stay healthy because they are a valuable part of our team.”
Baugh (photo), a 6-3 junior, and Crawford, a 6-2 junior, will anchor the offensive line from the tackle positions. Nick Riggins, a 6-0 junior, and Andrew Bailey, a 5-11 junior, are the starting guards with freshman Kellen Dishman getting the call as the starting center.
“When we first started it was seniors (on the line) and they all got hurt,” said Baugh. “At the final game, it was all sophomores and one senior and we didn’t do too bad. We developed pretty well. This year, we’ve all grown and are a lot stronger and a lot bigger. I think we will do really well this year with all the development from all of us.”
Baugh and Crawford will set the edge on the defensive line with Courtney Dunville, a 6-1 senior, Xavier Seabrook, a 5-8 junior, Henry Smith, a 5-7 senior, and Bailey pushing up the middle.”
Kemper (photo) takes over Kleeman’s role as the defensive leader. His goal is to get everyone in the right position and get the defense off the field.
“Turnovers are a quick way to do it or a four-and-out on defense,” said Kemper, a 5-10 senior. “We need to make stands. Right when they get the ball, we can’t move … just keep them behind the line of scrimmage, maybe 1- or 2-yard gains, nothing big. Every single team will have big plays, that will just happen. We need to limit those and get takeaways.”
Kemper will have athletes like Ben Wilkins, a 6-1 junior, Brayden Wilkins, a 6-2 senior, and Chase Chandler, a 6-0 junior, around him as linebackers.
Dewey, Ray Crawford and Mason Compton will rotate as defensive backs.
Brayden Wilkins (photo) had a breakout game in the 2022 sectional championship game win over Scecina with 69 yards rushing and 87 reception yards. The senior will be another player stepping into more of a leadership role this season.
“I am very confident,” said Wilkins. “I really hope to do something special and really put myself out there and show what I can do. I just want to be able to help the team.”
Dewey was Triton Central’s other Junior All-State representative in 2022 after connecting on 33-of-37 point-after attempts and 10 field goals -- including a program-record 50 yarder.
Triton Central’s 2023 schedule is the same as 2022. The Tigers open Friday at Cascade, in the final Indiana Crossroads Conference meeting between the two teams. Cascade is leaving the ICC to join the Western Indiana Conference in 2024.
Cascade head coach Connor Simmons played quarterback for Able when he was the head coach at New Palestine. He led the Cadets to a 6-5 record last season – the program’s first winning season since 2013.
Cascade graduated All-ICC performers Liam Farmer (1,900 rushing yards, 28 touchdowns and 80 total tackles) and Devon Weigle (15 receptions, 298 yards, 66 total tackles and 4.5 quarterback sacks).
Sophomore quarterback Brady Trebley made his first varsity start against Triton Central last season. He threw for 914 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2022.
“Their passing game is basically play action, and they throw bootlegs,” said Able. “You can’t completely stop it but you have to control it. If you can’t stop the run, it will be hard to stop that. We have to stop the run.”
That includes controlling freshman running back Lucas Farmer.
“Their running back last year (Liam Farmer) was outstanding,” said Able. “His younger brother (Lucas Farmer) is stronger than he was at that age.”
Triton Central will host New Castle for the first time in program history on Aug. 25 for its home opener at Mendenhall Field.
The first marquee matchup follows on Sept. 1 when 2A No. 2 Triton Central plays at Class A, No. 1 Indianapolis Lutheran, the two-time defending Class A state champs. The program has won 30 straight games.
The Tigers host Monrovia on Sept. 8 before playing their final non-conference game Sept. 15 at Indian Creek. The program’s final two regular-season home games are Sept. 22 against Ritter and Sept. 29 against 2A No. 8 Scecina.
Triton Central ends the regular season with road games at Beech Grove Oct. 6 and Speedway Oct. 13.
Entering year 30 of his Hall-of-Fame coaching career, Able still enjoys the grind of pushing a football program to its full potential and won’t yet talk about retirement.
“I am trying to empty my tank every day to help the kids be the best they can be,” said Able. “I can’t do what I did when I was 40, or 30. I’ve learned how to pace myself. This has been a lot of work this summer because we fine-tuned our offense because you have a QB with his ability and running backs with their abilities, you have to put them in situations to succeed.
“Time will tell. We’re undefeated right now. Nobody has beat us.”
QUICK FACTS:
Class 2A, No. 2 Triton Central at Cascade
Game time: 7 p.m. at Cascade High School, 6565 S. County Road 200 W in Clayton. Cascade does not accept cash for tickets. Buy tickets in advance at cascadecadets.com/tickets or purchase tickets at the gate with credit/debit card only.
TC student section theme: Blackout.
Head coaches: Tim Able, 90-35 in 11th year at Triton Central; 215-133 in 30th year overall; Connor Simmons, 12-20 in 4th year at Cascade.
2022 record: Triton Central 10-3; Cascade 6-5.
Last year: Triton Central defeated Cascade in the Indiana Crossroads Conference opener for both squads, 42-14. Link to Shelby County Post game story at https://shelbycountypost.com/sports/648728
Series: Triton Central has won all four meetings between the programs by an average of 30 points since Cascade joined the ICC in 2019.
Around the ICC Friday: Beech Grove (4-6 in 2022) is at Class A, No. 1 Indianapolis Lutheran (15-0); Class A, No. 10 Covenant Christian (8-4) is at Speedway (6-5); Fort Wayne Concordia (4-7) travels to Class 2A, No. 8 Indianapolis Scecina (10-2); and Indianapolis Ritter (1-8) is at Monrovia (6-8).
2023 TRITON CENTRAL Schedule:
Aug. 18 at Cascade** 7 p.m.
Aug. 25 NEW CASTLE 7 p.m.
Sept. 1 at Indy Lutheran** 7 p.m.
Sept. 8 MONROVIA** 7 p.m.
Sept. 15 at Indian Creek 7 p.m.
Sept. 22 INDY RITTER** 7 p.m.
Sept. 29 INDY SCECINA** 7 p.m.
Oct. 6 at Beech Grove ** 7 p.m.
Oct. 13 at Speedway** 7 p.m.
** Denotes Indiana Crossroads Conference contest
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