GREENFIELD — Greenfield-Central opened its 2023 football season by honoring its 1973 state championship club.
Now it’s trying to follow that same script.
The Cougars are ranked No. 5 in the latest Associated Press Class 4A football poll and are 4-0 on the season.
A win Friday, on Homecoming Night, would give them a 5-0 record for the first time since 1973.
They are the first 4-0 Cougar team since 1983 and were the first 3-0 team since 1993.
The current team’s performance is not going unnoticed by those fellow Cougars who won it all 50 years ago.
“It’s hard to compare decades, but I truly believe, that Pendleton game (last week) — I listened to it on radio — when a team doesn’t quit (when they get behind like that), that’s a mark of a good team,” Doug Apple, a junior middle linebacker on the state title team, said. “I think that’s a key. Have a good defense, coming back when your down, and the offense came back and put points on the board.”
Apple was a long-time coach and junior high athletic director in Greenfield. He coached David Hinton, who is the father of two of the current Cougar standouts, Jake Hinton and Cooper Hinton.
Apple said it was a thrill to get recognized by the town and school to start the football season.
“It was awesome. We really appreciate (Greenfield-Central athletic director) Jared Manning setting that up. The way they put it together was nice and the players coming out and shaking hands was pretty cool. I enjoyed that.”
“It was a pretty special moment,” current head coach Travis Nolting said. “Sometimes in the history of sports you have a situation like what they had in the 70s, with the run they had to the state title – I don’t want to say it gets forgotten – but I think sometimes it doesn’t get remembered like it should. It felt really good to bring them back and make sure they got the recognition they deserve for the work they put into the program. I met a lot of them before the game and it was great to get a win for them.”
“I tell our kids all the time we have a chance to do some things that haven’t been done since the 1970s. Like having three consecutive winning seasons, using that group of individuals as a blueprint of what things could be and what we’re striving to become. (That recognition ceremony) was a really great experience. I felt our kids enjoyed it and I felt like the (1973) team enjoyed it. A great experience all the way around.”
The playoff system was much different in 1973. It was a point system similar to what the NCAA used to do to determine teams for the tournament. Only four teams made the playoffs in 1973, the first year the IHSAA had a state football tournament. There were just three classes and Greenfield-Central was in Class 2A.
“There were three classes. We were 2A and there were two games on Friday and one on Saturday. We played Friday and started a half hour earlier than the other game. So we were the very first state champion,” Ronnie Hackney, a junior kickoff and punt returner on the 1973 team, said.
Fighting from behind was what the 1973 team had to do in its state title game.
Playing against Blackford, the Cougars trailed 12-0 until, with just four seconds left until halftime, Harry Miller caught a touchdown pass from quarterback Paul Reuter.
Greenfield-Central had cut it to 12-7 at the break. And, playing on the home field that would later be named after the 1973 coach (Clayton Myers) the Cougars rallied for a 21-12 victory.
Miller said he remembered two big things that night.
“Right before I caught the pass, we would run plays, whatever the play was that’s how we did it,” Miller recalled. “This one, the quarterback (Paul Reuter) comes up and said, ‘Harry, get open over the middle.’ A couple of guys we looked at each other. That’s nothing like how we run our plays all year long.
“It was the ‘Get Open’ play. It was nothing we ran before. (Reuter) had me all the way through and he threw a perfect pass to me.”
Miller added they also had some extra motivation from the Blackford sidelines.
“One of the coaches from Blackford was yelling, ‘They can’t score! They can’t score!’ It motivated the whole team. He was yelling that most of the night.”
Miller, Apple and Hackney all said they’ve been keeping tabs on the current team. All three live in Greenfield and either attend or listen and watch the games online.
“They’ve got a great chance to do a lot of things for the community if they do win,” Miller said. “I went by the Mt. Vernon game (a couple of weeks ago), my understanding there were 3 to 4,000 people there. That tells a story in itself. I know that’s a big rivalry and it should be that every year.
“The coach is bringing football back to the community and he’s got all the kids going for it.”
The 1973 team went 12-0. Most of the opponents are different now, but the ’73 team had wins over Pendleton Heights (27-0) and Shelbyville (27-6), G-C’s opponent this week.
“Records are meant to be broken,” Miller said of the current team coming up on their mark of best start to a season. “I want them to succeed so bad. I want them to go to state. To tell you the truth., I want them to taste it like we tasted it.”
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Friday’s Football Games
7 p.m. – Delta at Mt. Vernon
7 p.m. – Knightstown at Eastern Hancock
7 p.m. – Pendleton Heights at New Palestine
7 p.m. – Shelbyville at Greenfield-Central
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2023 Hancock County Football Statistical Leaders
PASSING
Name,School;G;C;A;YDS;PCT;Y/G;TD;INT;RAT
Luke Ertel, Mt. Vernon;3;53;81;739;.654;246.3;7;0;123.4
Dallas Freeman, Greenfield-Central;4;35;61;572;.574;143.0;10;2;114.9
Gavin Neal, New Palestine;4;24;49;552;.490;138.0;6;4;95.4
Elijah Edon, Eastern Hancock;4;52;89;621;.584;155.3;3;4;72.4
RUSHING
Name, School;G;CAR;YDS;AVG;Y/G;TD
Grayson Thomas, New Palestine;4;106;780;7.4;195.0;9
Mark Kube, Eastern Hancock;4;71;484;6.8;121.0;9
Joliba Brogan, Mt. Vernon;3;46;340;7.4;113.3;3
Braylen Benavente, Greenfield-Central;4;87;438;5.0;109.5;1
Dallas Freeman, Greenfield-Central;4;37;268;7.2;67.0;5
RECEIVING
Name, School;G;REC;YDS;AVG;Y/G;TD
Kyler Kropp, New Palestine;4;13;355;27.3;88.8;4
Kirk Knecht, Greenfield-Central;4;12;299;24.9;74.8;5
Chris Edmonds, Mt. Vernon;3;11;238;21.6;79.3;1
Tre Jones, Mt. Vernon;3;12;195;16.3;65.0;3
Eli Manship, Eastern Hancock;4;18;226;12.6;56.5;2
TACKLES
Name, School;G;S;A;T;T/G;TFL
Gabe Johnson, Eastern Hancock;4;29;12;41;10.3;6.5
Cameron Volz, Eastern Hancock;4;22;15;37;9.3;1.5
Josh Ranes, New Palestine;4;19;15;34;8.5;5.0
Garrett Ranes, New Palestine;4;24;9;33;8.3;5.0
DJ Johnson, Mt. Vernon;3;18;6;24;8.0;0
SACKS
Name, School;G;S;S/G
Evan Wheeler, Eastern Hancock;4;2,0;0.5
Gabe Johnson, Eastern Hancock;4;1.5;0.4
Payton Foley, Greenfield-Central;4;1.5;0.4
Multiple players with;4;1.0;0.3
INTERCEPTIONS
Name, School;G;I;I/G
Kirk Knecht, Greenfield-Central;4;3;0.8
Caiden Willis, Eastern Hancock;4;3;0.8
Mason Hiatt, New Palestine;4;2;0.5
Multiple players with;4;1;0.3
PUNTING
Name, School;P;YDS;AVE
Aaron Redmon, Eastern Hancock;9;359;39.9
John Duncan, Mt. Vernon;9;318;35.3
Jake Wells, New Palestine;10;290;29.0
Aaron Lee, Greenfield-Central;5;90;18.0
RETURN YARDS
Name, School;K;P;T
Tre Jones, Mt. Vernon;398;16;414
Kirk Knecht, Greenfield-Central;219;0;219
Cameron Volz, Eastern Hancock;162;3;165
Mark Kube, Eastern Hancock;93;0;93
Kyler Kropp, New Palestine;79;0;79
SCORING
Name, School;G;TD;CONV;S;K;TP;P/G
Mark Kube, Eastern Hancock;4;9;0;0;0;54;13.5
Grayson Thomas, New Palestine;4;9;0;0;0;54;13.5
Kirk Knecht, Greenfield-Central;4;7;2;0;0;44;11.0
Tre Jones, Mt. Vernon;3;5;2;0;0;32;10.7
Kyler Kropp, New Palestine;4;7;0;0;0;42;10.5
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Game Capsules
Class 3A No. 9 Delta (4-0, 2-0) at Mt. Vernon (1-3, 0-2)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Coaches: Chris Overholt, 47-33 in 8th year at Delta. Vince Lidy, 21-8, in 3rd year at Mt. Vernon.
Recent history: Mt. Vernon has won the last three meetings, including last year’s game at Delta 42-28.
Sagarin ratings: Delta, 71.16, 56th overall, 7th in 3A. Mount Vernon, 70.64, 60th overall, 19th in 4A.
Players to watch: Delta – RB Nolan Carpenter, WR Jonny Manor, QB Bronson Edwards, DL Braxton Russell, DE Landon Brooks, RB Kaiden Bond. Mt. Vernon — QB Luke Ertel, WR/KR Tre Jones, OL/DL Roland Trimble, LB Aidan Lindstrom, RB Joliba Brogan, RB/DB DJ Johnson, DL Shawn Taylor, TE/DE Tyler Etherington, WR Domanic Barnett.
What to look for: The Marauders are trying to get back on track after two tough losses in a row to county rivals Greenfield-Central (41-35) and New Palestine (63-39). They’ve played one of the toughest schedules in the state (Sagarin Ratings has it as the 13th toughest) and it doesn’t get much easier Friday against an undefeated Eagles team ranked No. 9 in Class 3A. The Marauders have shown they have a strong offense with the breakaway running of Brogan and Jones and the passing attack led by Ertel and his talented receivers, but they are seeking to get better on the defensive side, where they have given up 190 points in four games.
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Knightstown (2-2) at Eastern Hancock (2-2)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Coaches: Trent Taylor, 2-2 in 1st year at Knightstown. Pat Echeverria, 30-22, in 5th year at Eastern Hancock, 62-78 in 13th year overall.
Recent history: Eastern Hancock has won three in a row and eight of the last 10 in this rivalry game for the Plowshare and Anvil trophy.
Sagarin ratings: Knightstown, 20.43, 269th overall, 40th in 1A. Eastern Hancock, 53.93, 133rd overall, 17th in 2A.
Players to watch: Knightstown – RB/LB Jameson Crawford, TE/DL Braxton Carmichael, QB Bryor Carmichael, FB/LB Brody Butler, RB/LB Eli Cain. Eastern Hancock — RB Mark Kube, DB Caiden Willis, LB Gabe Johnson, QB Elijah Edon, WR/S Cam Volz, WR/DB Dylan Bowman, NG/T Logan Hoskins, TE Kayden Ruble, WR Eli Manship, OLB Evan Wheeler.
What to look for: Eastern Hancock has won the last three meetings all by at least three touchdowns. The Panthers look to be improved under new coach Taylor, the former defensive coordinator at Greenfield-Central, but the Royals appear to be a better team, too. They are just a play or two away from being 4-0, losing on a missed 2-point conversion at Class 3A Centerville, and suffering a four-point loss to Heritage Christian last week. Heritage Christian did one of the better jobs slowing down standout RB Kube, but it did open the Royals passing game to make some big plays. Edon threw for over 200 yards and Kayden Ruble had a big day as a receiver with 148 yards on six catches. Johnson, the county’s leading tackler is coming off another big game, too, with 11 tackles, including two TFLs. It’s a rivalry game so expect teams to pull out all the stops.
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Pendleton Heights (3-1, 1-1) at Class 4A No. 10 New Palestine (2-2, 2-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Coaches: Jed Richman, 44-35 in 8th year at Pendleton Heights, 79-65 in 14th year overall. Kyle Ralph 118-13 in 11th year at New Palestine.
Recent history: New Palestine has won 11 straight against the Arabians. The last Pendleton Heights win came in 2012.
Sagarin ratings: Pendleton Heights, 77.68, 34th overall, 9th in 4A. New Palestine 83.41, 21st overall, 3rd in 4A.
Players to watch: Pendleton Heights – QB Isaac Wilson, QB Colton Frank, WR Caden Sims, LB/RB Nick Trout, LB/RB Dresden Roberts, LB Eli Arthur, WR/DB Nate Derolf, DL/OL Eli Libler. New Palestine — RB/LS Grayson Thomas, OL/DL Ian Moore, OL/DL Brock Brownfield , RB/WR Kyler Kropp, WR/DB Mason Hiatt, QB Gavin Neal, LB Josh Ranes, LB Garrett Ranes, DB Caden Jacobia
What to look for: After an 0-2 start, plenty of miscues in a Week 3 win over Yorktown, all looks right in New Pal after a win over their rival Mt. Vernon last week. Soph QB Neal had his most productive game, Kropp set a school-record in TD receptions and Thomas rushed for nearly 300 yards. The New Pal defense gave up points, but did make key stops in key times in the win over the Marauders. Pendleton Heights suffered a heart-breaker last week after jumping out on undefeated Greenfield-Central. The Arabians seem to always be strong at LB and this year isn’t any different. Trout and Roberts each had 23 tackles against the Cougars. Wilson and Frank, most likely, will both play at QB and have been productive through the first four games.
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Shelbyville (3-1, 1-1) at Class 4A No. 5 Greenfield-Central (4-0, 2-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Coaches: Scott Fitzgerald, 3-1 in 1st year at Shelbyville. Travis Nolting, 23-22 in 5th year at Greenfield-Central, 83-50 in 13th year overall.
Recent history: Greenfield-Central has won the last three meetings by a combined score of 172-7, with last year’s 54-7 victory the closest of the three.
Sagarin ratings: Shelbyville 56.29, 115th overall, 31st in 4A. Greenfield-Central 78.1, 32nd overall, 7th in 4A.
Players to watch: Shelbyville – QB/FS Eli Chappelow, WR Luke Brinkman, OLB/RB Axel Conover, MLB Brayden Schultz, DT Jaylen Sturgill, WR/S Grantland Fitzgerald, RB Donavon Martin, LB Julian Eads. Greenfield-Central – TE Lane Wadle, QB Dallas Freeman, RB/LB Cooper Hinton, RB/LB Jake Hinton, FB Braylen Benavente, WR/KR Kirk Knecht, FB/DL Payton Foley, OL Brayden Flener, K/P/DB Aaron Lee, WR Boston Willard, LB Eddie Mullins, DE Zach Blevens.
What to look for: After going 3-0 for the first time since 1993, the Cougars added another win to go 4-0 for the first time since 1983. And, if they were to go 5-0, it’d be the first time since 1973, the last time and only time G-C won a football state title. This is a quality Cougar team with a number of weapons on offense and a physical, aggressive style of play on defense. Shelbyville is as good as it has been in some time, too, but the Golden Bears will have their toughest test to date Friday. Chappelow-Brinkman have been a great combo in the early going, hooking up for five touchdowns. Benavente is coming off his biggest game as a Cougar with 180 rushing yards in a win over Pendleton Heights. Blevens had six tackles, including three TFLs last week.
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