As we approach the start of the 2024 season, Outside the Huddle is counting down the top 10 teams in its preseason power poll.
At No. 9 we have Adams Central, which is bumped up to Class 2A the next two seasons due to Success Factor.
For the third time in three years, Adams Central’s season concluded at Lucas Oil Stadium last Thanksgiving.
For the third time in three years, the Flying Jets fell to Lutheran, this time a heartbreaking 35-28 defeat.
Although the 2023 season didn’t end how it wanted, Adams Central dominated the majority of their opponents last season. Other than the title game, the closest game was a 24-0 shutout over Bluffton in Week 8.
This season will be Adams Central head coach Michael Mosser’s 16th season at the helm and he is optimistic for the upcoming season with a new challenge in Class 2A. For his career, Mosser has posted an impressive 141-49 record at the school he graduated from back in 1993. With Lutheran also up in Class 2A, the Flying Jets will be seeing red all 2024.
Aaron Hirschy returns as the running back for the Flying Jets after finishing 2023 with 53 rushes for 564 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging over 10 yards per carry. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound senior will be relied upon quite often this season, especially after his 2nd team all-conference nod. Last season, Adams Central averaged 271.4 rushing yards per game and 101.1 passing yards per game.
The offense will be buoyed by sophomore quarterback Jamison Roach, who brings an electric arm and significant athleticism to the spot. Expect to see the Flying Jets open things up a bit in their offensive scheme to take advantage of Roach’s abilities.
Along the offensive front, it will be up to the veteran leadership from offensive guards Cam Fravel and Nate Geerken to protect the playmakers. Fravel, Geerken, and Hirschy are the only offensive returning starters.
Defensively, the Flying Jets return four starters. Fravel will help lead on defense and will be one of the best defensive linemen in the conference once again. Leading the team in sacks last season with six, Fravel will look to add even more to the haul in his junior campaign.
Max Kaehr is coming off a 2nd team all-conference and First Team All-State 2023 campaign. Last season, he recorded 131 tackles, and 2.5 sacks. He will be one of the primary receiving targets for the Flying Jets as well, but he will lead a young core of linebackers where he is the only returning starter. Kaehr, along with Hirschy, will be a tough linebacking corps for many opposing teams on the schedule.
The other two returning starters on the defensive reside in the secondary with seniors Drew Kaehr and Jaret Smith. Smith led all Flying Jets last season with five interceptions, while Kaehr finished with one. As a defensive unit a year ago, Adams Central recorded 24 sacks, 15 interceptions and seven forced fumbles. It will be an experienced defense that has leadership in each area on defense.
WHY #9?
The Flying Jets lost a ton of talent from last season and return just seven of 22 starters. They will line up this season without six All-ACAC, including lineman Zac Wurm (Indiana State), TE/DL Trevor Currie, FB/LB Keegan Bluhm, QB/DB Jack Hamilton, OL/DL Lain Lengerich, and RB/LB Ryan Tester.
Hamilton was not only the starting quarterback last season, he was also the team’s second leading rusher with 1,150 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns. Bluhm was the team’s leading rusher with 1,410 yards and 28 touchdowns. In addition to that, he was second in total tackles on the team defensively behind Kaehr with 91 tackles. Currie was the team’s leading receiver with 936 yards and 16 receiving touchdowns.
That said, the ACAC is still owned by the Flying Jets. Once again, they are the standard in the league and sit atop the ACAC throne until proven otherwise.
WHY NOT HIGHER?
See above. There’s only so high you can go with a 1A (now 2A) team. Adams Central needs a ton of young players with little experience to step up. Replacing a quarterback is hard enough, but replacing both the starting quarterback and running back from last season leaves some uncertainty. Adams Central will be needing to replace 64 of their 89 touchdowns from last season. It’s not impossible, but tough to put them higher in our top 10 with so much up in the air.
CRITICAL GAME
Week 1 at Garrett
The Railroaders come into this season with a lot of hype, and eyes will be on this matchup to see how much of it is actually warranted. Conversely, Adams Central will have a chance to prove right out of the gate that it isn’t going anywhere. It’s a good test on the road for the young players who will be looking to prove all of the doubters wrong. The Flying Jets took care of the Railroaders at home in Week 1 last season 42-8, and you better believe Garrett will be wanting revenge and believe it has a chance to defeat a team that has lost so many playmakers from last season. It will be a battle between two teams that have so much to prove early on in 2024.
CRUCIAL PLAYER
Aaron Hirschy, senior, running back/linebacker
The key player for Adams Central this season could very be Hirschy. He will be the team’s new running back in a run-heavy offense and will also be a key defender. As a player that has been used in a variety of different ways, he will be utilized even more this season. In addition to his carrying duties, he will likely see expanded time as linebacker this season as well. If he remains healthy, he should surpass 1,000 rushing yards, and will also likely be towards the top of the team in tackles as well. This kid should have a huge year.
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