Can you believe we are less than a week from the start of the 2023 high school football season?
Today, we look at eight area sophomores that people will soon be getting to know a lot more of. These are players that either were overlooked by other standouts, dealt with injuries or they were previously at the lower end of their team’s depth charts.
These players will get a chance to shine on Friday nights this fall.
WR/DB Keyan Arroyo, Lakeland
Everyone remembers junior Carson Mickem as Lakeland’s most versatile and athletic all-around kid in the program. He truly complements the talent the Lakers have on the field with the emergence of sophomore quarterback phenom Brayden Holbrook.
But what if I told you Mickem isn’t the only Laker to play more than one position? Keyan Arroyo emerged in last year’s sectional opener against Knox. In his first career start, Arroyo caught a team-best seven passes for nearly 70 yards in the 65-28 loss. With senior wide receiver Cole Frost, senior wide receiver/running back Blake Alleshouse, Mickem and sophomore tight end Keegan Merrifield expected to
have a big impact on the offensive side, this could pave way for a quietly strong sophomore campaign for the quick, and scrappy 5-foot-8 sophomore.
While Arroyo is still young, Coach Ryan O’Shea compliments him as “their leader in the secondary.”
S/QB/WR Rylee Biddle, East Noble
You don’t need to find The Riddler to know that Rylee Biddle is about to unleash the ultimate riddle as an emerging star, especially in pass coverage.
East Noble is looking for experience and returning talent to contribute on both sides, but that also includes better results on the defensive side to truly become a difficult team to play against.
Biddle’s workload as a freshman was limited to two games, but he made the most of the opportunity, recording two interceptions against New Haven.
A player of this magnitude adds another skilled player that competes at a high level. Biddle is one of a couple sophomores for the Knights that will be breakout stars this year.
Biddle is also QB2 to begin the campaign and will see significant action at wide receiver.
“Defensively, we basically bring back everybody and add a couple good ones to the list,” said Coach Luke
Amstutz. “Rylee Biddle – who has been kind of battling in our quarterback position – is going to be a
really good free safety. We’re really excited about him.”
LB Brady Culler, DeKalb
Rarely do you have a defensive unit that has youth and significant varsity experience. That’s where you find the defensive line with the DeKalb Barons.
Most of the defensive unit has had two years of significant varsity experience and it’s primarily a junior-heavy defense. But Culler played an important role as a freshman at linebacker, recording 69 total tackles and four TFL’s, which only trailed Graham Blythe’s 83 total tackles and six TFL’s.
Experience and cohesion are strengths to not only the DeKalb front lines but also throughout the
rest of the program as well, including five seniors returning as starting offensive linemen.
Coach Seth Wilcox is hoping that with a lot of experience, they can make improvements on a defense that allowed over 35 points a game in 2022.
WR Jerquaden Guilford, Northrop
It isn’t often that a player in northeast Indiana receives an FBS offer before he plays a single snap of his sophomore campaign, but that’s where Guilford is after Toledo came calling over the summer.
What is more amazing is that Guilford was not a guy that contributed at the varsity level last year for the Bruins, meaning his first serious taste of varsity football is coming after picking up a MAC offer.
Guilford is tall and lean, a sprinter’s frame that translates to the football field as an absolute burner who can track down balls in the air in impressive fashion.
If the Bruins can give their QBs time to throw, Guilford should thrive as a sophomore.
QB/DB Hawkins Hasselman, Angola
It remains to be seen whether Hasselman will emerge as QB1 to start the season for the Hornets, but the fact that he is in the conversation shows just how freakish of an athlete he is.
Following in the footsteps of older brothers Tucker and Finley, Hasselman is as versatile as they come. He held down the kicking duties for the Hornets as a freshman last season and will surely see significant time this year in all three facets.
Regardless of where he lines up offensively, ‘Hawk’ will be a starting safety for Coach Andy Thomas’s squad.
OL/DL Aiden Hunt, Garrett
Garrett returns plenty of youth and experience from a team that overcame a 0-6 start to win three of
its final five games of the 2022 season.
Hunt is one of three sophomore returnees that started as freshmen in the team’s 22-13 loss to Yorktown in the sectional semifinals. He will be one of several guys that will play a bigger role on both the offense and defensive fronts in 2023.
As a freshman, Hunt recorded 40 tackles, 8.5 TFL’s, a sack, and a blocked punt. His best showing came in the sectional opener against Bellmont where he recorded eight tackles, 1.5 TFL’s and blocked a punt that led to a defensive touchdown that opened the scoring.
Garrett primarily runs the Split Back attack on offense, which emphasizes a strong power running game. While Garrett has the talent at quarterback (Calder Hefty) and receiver (Levi Chaney, Parker Skelly, and Luke Holcomb), the Railroaders lost running back Robert Koskie and offensive lineman Jack O’Connor to graduation.
According to Coach Chris DePew, Garrett is looking at a running back by committee between senior Kaiden Colburn, sophomore Brayden Nussbaum, sophomore Blake Lewis, junior Xavier Nussbaum, and freshman Alex Guzman. Senior Brandon Burger will fill right tackle for O’Connor, while senior David Westropp will fill O’Connor’s old defensive end position this season.
Hunt has the makings of a breakout season and the potential for All-NECC recognition.
RB/DB Khamel Moore, Bluffton
Coming off its first sectional title since 1988, Bluffton returns 20 seniors to a team that excelled despite a significant amount of youth in key spots.
As a freshman, Moore ran for 490 yards and five TDs for the Tigers. Now with the graduation of Anthony Cruz, Moore naturally becomes Bluffton’s top option in a backfield that ran for 2,431 yards in 2022.
With the offensive creativity of senior quarterback Braxton Betancourt and an experienced veteran roster, Moore is primed to explode in 2023.
Bluffton will try to give two-time defending 1A state finalists Adams Central a run for its money in ACAC play. Bluffton’s last and only ACAC championship in football came in 1989.
WR/DB Xavier Yates, West Noble
West Noble returns a lot of athletes and is deep in several positions. Xavie Yates along with McKale Bottles were two freshman that made an instant impact on the starting roster.
Yates had eight receptions for 20 yards with a TD and nine carries for 29 yards. But on defense is where Yates shined as a rookie, recording 27 tackles and an interception. The most impressive of showings came in Week 7 at Lakeland, where he recorded six tackles and forced four incompletions, which was key in West Noble’s nail-biting 7-6 win.
The Chargers held opponents to less than 18 points a game in 2022, and they’ll look to repeat that
performance in 2023.
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