We are celebrating the new year in style, unveiling our Outside the Huddle All-Area teams for the 2024 football season.
Our final unit, the Big School Offense.
DL: Tristan Roberts, senior, Leo – While the Lions had Brock Schott on the edge, it had Roberts serving as a terror on the interior. The 6-foot-4, 260-pound senior had 61 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks over the course of the campaign. He was voted First Team All-NE8 and to the Class 4A Senior All-State squad by the IFCA.
DL: James Early, senior, North Side – One of the most athletic edge players in the entire state, Early thrived as a senior, leading the Legends in both tackles for loss (15) and sacks (nine) to go with 49 tackles. His get-up is difficult for linemen to contain and his 6-5 length gives him exceptional reach. He is headed to the University of Cincinnati to play Big 12 football for the Bearcats.
DL: Sullivan Stahl, senior, Huntington North – Lost in the fact that Huntington North had some firepower on offense was it also had some dudes on the other side of the football. Stahl was one of them. Living on the edge, Stahl reached double-digit sacks on the year and came up with play after play for the Vikings in their surprise nine-win campaign. He was voted Second Team All-NE8 and to the IFCA’s Class 4A Senior All-State team.
DL: Adam Blakey, senior, Snider – Blakey really settled in his final two seasons in high school as a phenomenal edge player. He was second on the Panthers in tackles with 61 to go with seven sacks and a team-high 17 tackles for loss. Speed kills, and Blakey had it in bunches to win battles time and again against offensive linemen and tight ends alike. He was voted Class 6A IFCA Senior All-State as well as First Team All-SAC.
LB: Kimar Nelson, senior, Wayne – The winner of our prestigious Clayton Stuart Award, Nelson was a relentless player for the Generals on every single snap. When speaking to opposing coaches, it was Nelson that consistently stood out as one of the most problematic individuals to contain. Despite missing two games due to injury, Nelson led Wayne with 106 tackles, 25 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks. He also added a pair of fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles, an interception and a blocked punt. He also rushed for 458 yards and a team-high eight touchdowns on the ground.
LB: Sam Steward, senior, Homestead – In terms of intuition and anticipation, there may not have been a better player at the second level in the area than Steward. A three-star signed to Purdue, Steward was exceptional in diagnosing an offensive play and accelerating to make a sure tackle or disruption. He finished with 75 tackles and a team-high 11 tackles for loss. He also paced the Spartans in sacks with 5.5, notched an interception and a blocked field goal. Steward was voted All-SAC First Team and to the prestigious IFCA Top 50 team.
LB: Josh Masasu, senior, North Side – When you got hit by Masasu, you remembered it. Built like a bulldozer with a playing style to match, Masasu was one of the top pure linebackers around. He led North Side with 91 tackles to go with 11 tackles for loss, two sacks and two interceptions. He was voted First Team All-SAC and named to the IFCA’s Region 3 All-Star squad.
LB: Dylan Krehl, senior, East Noble – As versatile of a player as anyone in northeast Indiana this past season, Krehl did it all for the Knights. He led them in tackles (129), tackles for loss (21) and sacks (five) while also notching three forced fumbles, a pair of fumble recoveries and an interception. Offensively, he rushed for 1,623 yards and 19 touchdowns, averaging over 108 yards per contest. He was named to the IFCA Top 50 squad and was an easy choice for All-NE8 First Team.
DB: Brandon Logan, senior, Snider – The next time we see Logan on the football field will be in South Bend as a member of the Fighting Irish after switching his allegiance to Vanderbilt. A two-sport star, Logan’s pure athletic ability has made him a must-watch player on the gridiron AND on the baseball field. Logan led the Panthers with five interceptions, scoring a pair of defensive touchdowns in the process. He had a pair of fumble recoveries and a total of 57 tackles. He also saw some spot action on offense, hauling in 11 receptions for 117 yards. He was named IFCA Top 50.
DB: Logan Hatton, senior, East Noble – Hatton was one of those players that may have been overshadowed with more flashy performances out of others, but was every bit as impressive. He was second on the Knights in tackles with 98 to go with seven tackles for loss. He led the defense with eight passes defended to go with four interceptions and a fumble recovery from his safety position. He was voted All-NE8 First Team and named to the Class 4A Senior All-Star team by the IFCA.
DB: Jamarion Kolagbodi, senior, Snider – A lockdown corner. A return specialist. An impressive receiver. Kolagbodi filled all those roles for the Panthers in his senior campaign. The University of Delaware signee effectively shut down his side of the field with his coverage abilities. He had 21 tackles and an interception on the year while leading the team in return yardage. He also hauled in 17 receptions for 156 yards and a touchdown. ‘Mari’ was voted All-SAC First Team and a Class 6A Senior All-Star.
DB: Gavin Smith, junior, Columbia City – After breaking onto the scene as a sophomore, Smith followed it up with a sensational junior year for the Eagles. He picked off eight passes to go with four rumbles recoveries, cementing himself as one of the most disruptive players in the area from his spot in the defensive backfield. Set to return next fall, Smith will be one of the most well-known defenders in northeast Indiana entering the season. He was voted First Team All-NE8 and to the Class 4A Junior All-State squad by the IFCA.
AT-LARGE: Jamari Pearson, senior, North Side – In terms of pure athletic ability on the gridiron, there are few who could match Pearson in the region. He was one of the top cover corners around, picking off a pair of passes in his senior campaign. He also finished second on the Legends in receiving, notching 28 receptions, 384 yards and a pair of scores through the air. He was voted First Team All-SAC.
AT-LARGE: Tristan Wilson, senior, Warsaw – When Wilson elevated for his 10th interception of his career in the semistate matchup against Merrillville, it was just the latest in a series of pivotal plays by the defensive back. He leaves Warsaw as the career record holder in picks, his last setting up a go-ahead touchdown in that matchup that sent the Tigers to their first-ever state title game. A strong and confident player, he was voted All-NLC by the league’s coaches.
P: Mason Smythe, senior, Warsaw – One of the top kickers in the Midwest, Smythe is rated a 4-star by Kohl’s Kicking. He averaged over 40 yards per punt, hit all of his PATs and notched a 47-yard field goal in a loss to Concord. He put over half of his kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks. He was First Team All-NLC and voted by the IFCA as a Class 5A Senior All-Star.
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