BLITZ: Under a new regime, East Noble has emerged as the NE8’s best

With a new head coach roaming the sidelines in Kendallville for the first time since 2011, the
East Noble football team entered the 2024 campaign with a few questions to answer.

• Will Alex Stewart be able to continue to build upon the foundation that Luke Amstutz,
  who won 98 games and two sectionals, laid in his 12 years at the helm?

• Will Rylee Biddle be able to fill the shoes of departed three-year starting quarterback
  Zander Brazel, who threw for over 4,200 yards and 47 touchdowns in his career?

• Could the Knights get the Leo-sized monkey off their back to try and win the NE8?

Now, seven weeks into the season, we have our answers – and all three are resounding yes’s.

All Stewart has done is lead East Noble to a 6-1 record in his first year at the helm, with the Knights’ only loss coming in Week 2 to defending Class 5A state champion Snider.

The Snider loss withstanding, the Knights have outscored opponents by nearly 26 points per game this season, the latest a 35-14 dominating victory over Class 4A No. 5 and undefeated Columbia City to take control of the NE8.

And Biddle? Complemented by a deadly rushing attack led by Dylan Krehl and Dallas Plattner, he’s blossoming into a star for this East Noble offensive unit.

In the win over Columbia City, Biddle threw for 169 yards and three touchdowns on just seven completions – all in the first half. For the season, he’s thrown for 945 yards and eight touchdowns.

He saved his best performance for a Week 5 rivalry matchup with those Leo Lions, throwing for 217 yards and two scores and no interceptions in a thrilling 35-29 victory, East Noble’s first over Leo since a 10-0 victory in the sectional final in 2020.

All that to say, yeah, this East Noble team is the real deal.

In Blitz’s most humble opinion, the Knights have cemented themselves as the third-best
team in northeast Indiana, behind just Carroll and Snider.

And it’s not just the offense that has impressed Blitz, either.

The defense has intercepted 11 passes and fly around on that side of the football, allowing just over 14 points per game on the season and getting contributions from seemingly anyone that steps on the field.

The loss of defensive lineman Pace Agee certainly won’t help things, but the Knights have enough playmakers to continue to be a force defensively the rest of the way.

With trips to New Haven and Bellmont remaining on the schedule, East Noble all but has the NE8 locked up. And while its first outright conference title since 2019 will be nice, Coach Stewart and this team is eyeing hardware come playoff time.

The Knights are locked in to a loaded sectional featuring teams like Leo, Columbia City, Bishop Dwenger
and even Wayne. The path to a first sectional title since 2020 certainly won’t come easy.

But, hey, this bear wouldn’t bet against these Knights.

These opinions represent those of Blitz and Outside the Huddle. No opinions expressed on Outside the Huddle represent those of any of our advertisers. Follow Blitz on Twitter at Blitz_OTH