With playoff time finally here, it’s time for this bear to address the elephant in the room.
Don’t get Blitz wrong, northeast Indiana is no stranger to success at the state level when it comes to high
school football.
However, that success has been largely reserved for schools in the lower classes of late (Thanks Adams Central and Bishop Luers).
What has eluded the area is success in the state’s largest classes, except for the past two years. Snider won the 5A state crown last year before jumping to 6A again this fall, while Carroll is two years removed from the area’s first-ever trip to the 6A finals.
And the Chargers are exactly who Blitz is keying in on. The 2022 version of Carroll was dominant defensively, anchored by Jorge Valdez and Braden Steely. It allowed less than a touchdown per game in a nine-conference game schedule.
This year’s squad has been nearly as good in conference action, allowing just 8.1 points per game in SAC play.
But it’s the offense that beckons Blitz back to that 2022 squad, and in this bear’s humble opinion, will be what carries this team through the postseason.
For starters, Jimmy Sullivan, who quarterbacked Carroll to state in 2022, is the most experienced quarterback in the area, and there is no one else Blitz would rather have under center.
“When he was a sophomore, he had some senior receivers around him, and they were kind of in charge of the huddle and they kind of brought him along,” said Carroll coach Doug Dinan. “Now he’s in charge of the huddle, and he’s bringing some of the younger receivers around, and he’s the coach on the field.”
Sullivan echoed Coach Dinan’s sentiments after the Chargers’ regular season finale last Friday.
“They showed me how to lead (and) how to take a team to state,” said Sullivan about his past teammates. “I had a lot of leaders my sophomore year that helped me out, and we’ve got some young guys at receiver, and I’ve had to be the one to help them, show them the way.”
The Iowa commit is completing nearly 65 percent of his passes as a senior, throwing for1,561 yards and 17 touchdowns to a receiving corps featuring Brady Rhoad (350 yds, 3 TD), Jaidon VanPelt (502 yds, 8 TD), Mason Baughman (367 yds 3 TD) and brothers Harrison and Griffin Scheele (305 yds, 2 TD combined) among his main targets.
Sullivan also continues to be a threat with his legs, rushing for a career-high 652 yards and 10 touchdowns this year.
Add in the likely return of Nathan Starks, Carroll’s all-time leading rusher who missed the last two games with injury, and the Charger offense seems primed to pop off this postseason.
Now, the road to Lucas Oil Stadium won’t be easy – it never is. In 6A, the Chargers could see No. 9 Elkhart, No. 2 Crown Point, No. 4 Westfield and No. 12 Hamilton Southeastern at points in this postseason. HSE just knocked off top-ranked Brownsburg last Friday.
But if there’s anything Blitz has learned in all his years covering high school football, it’s this –
anything is possible in the postseason.
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
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