Before we get to the Outside the Huddle All-Area Team and our end-of-year awards, Blitz wanted to take some time and take a last glance at area conferences and hand out some league-specific hardware.
Last up, the Northeast Corner Conference.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: CALDER HEFTY, GARRETT
When it came to big plays in big moments, no one in the NECC matched Hefty.
As a quarterback, he threw for over 1,000 yards and 16 touchdowns. He rushed for 1,138 yards and 20 more scores. He also amassed 81 tackles, four tackles for loss, three interceptions and a pair of forced fumbles as a defensive back.
Hefty was heroic time after time for the Railroaders – his two-touchdown effort in the victory over Adams Central to begin the season, his touchdown on the first play from scrimmage against Knox, his 99ish-yard interception return for a score at Bishop Luers in semistate. Hefty answered the bell time and again as the best player in the league.
HONORABLE MENTION: Brayden Holbrook, Lakeland; Seth Pruitt, West Noble
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: SETH PRUITT, WEST NOBLE
No single player in the NECC had as much impact on his team’s success and failure as Pruitt, who rushed for a program-record 1,804 yards and 33 touchdowns as a senior for the Chargers.
Pruitt rushed for at least 100 yards in 10 of 12 games this season, all 10 of which were West Noble victories. When he was held in check, as Garrett did twice, the Chargers were 0-2.
For the majority of opponents, there was simply no way to stop Pruitt. He rushed for 155 yards against Central Noble, 164 against West Noble, 280 against Lakeland and an astounding 291-yard, four-touchdown effort against Angola on Sept. 13.
The Pruitt family has left its mark on the West Noble football program. Seth delivered with an emphatic exclamation point.
HONORABLE MENTION: Hawk Hasselman, Angola; Camren Ruble, Garrett
BREAKOUT PLAYER: CARMYNE MORENO, FREMONT
Moreno had his moments as a sophomore, but it was this year as a junior that he really burst onto the scene.
The running back really opened eyes when he ran for 407 yards and five touchdowns on 26 carries at Park Tudor in a 47-29 victory.
Moreno rushed for four touchdowns in the regular-season finale rout of Blackhawk Christian and was big for Fremont as it won its first postseason game in six years with a victory over Northfield in the first round of sectional play.
Set to return in 2025, Moreno could break some program records for a career next season with the Eagles.
HONORABLE MENTION: Conner Fish, Central Noble; Jordan Klumpp, Prairie Heights
COACH OF THE YEAR: CHRIS DEPEW, GARRETT
The Railroaders swept through the NECC this season, capturing a big division championship and reaching the semistate round before falling a dub short of the state finals.
It is hard to believe, but Garrett entered 2024 in the midst of a drought, having not finished with a winning season since 2017. But DePew and his squad ended the struggles in emphatic fashion. It captured county bragging rights with wins DeKalb and Angola and handed West Noble its only two losses of the season, including a one-point victory in the sectional championship.
Fittingly, DePew called it a career earlier this week, stepping down from his position as head coach of the Railroaders. Quite an end to a coaching tenure.
HONORABLE MENTION: Monte Mawhorter, West Noble; Paul Sade, Churubusco
GAME OF THE YEAR: Garrett 21, West Noble 20, sectional title game
While not from the regular season, the best game pitting NECC teams against one another came in the title game of Sectional 26.
When Calder Hefty scored to push the Railroaders’ lead to 21-7 early in the fourth, things felt in control, but the Chargers came roaring back. Seth Pruitt’s touchdown run with just over three minutes left brought West Noble to within one, but the extra point was missed.
Garrett got the ball and, while it didn’t score, took enough time off the clock to put West Noble in a dangerous spot 79 yards away from the end zone with precious little seconds remaining. The Railroaders were able to get the stop and capture their first sectional championship in eight years and prevent West Noble from winning its first ever.
EARLY PICK FOR 2025 NECC DIVISION CHAMPIONS: GARRETT AND EASTSIDE
Whoever takes over for Coach DePew at Garrett will not have a roster devoid of talent. Sure, the Railroaders graduate a lot, but players like Brayden Nusbaum, Alex Guzman and Aiden Hunt will all be back.
Garrett may not roll through the conference like it did in 2024, but it still has the experience and talent to be the favorite.
Meanwhile, Churubusco surprised almost everyone outside of Turtle Town with its division crown in 2024, ending Eastside’s reign of five-straight small division titles. However, expect the Blazers to return to the top of the perch next fall.
Linkin Carter battled injury this year as a junior, but will be back. The top two rushers were freshman Noah Dove and sophomore Job Richman and the top three tacklers were all underclassmen, including another stud freshman, Ty Sebert.
Eastside should rebound in 2025 with a small division crown.
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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